une Gamine dans la Cuisine

the Bucket Brownies

2012-01-25T13:40:00.004-05:00

Since I'm an on-again, off-again, pseudo vegetarian, I look to peanut butter as a source of protein. (That's a good excuse for stealing a few spoonfuls here and there, right?) Well, apparently yesterday was National Peanut Butter Day...and I didn't even have so much as a piece of toast, or smear of jam to mark the occasion.[...Continue reading...]

Lime Chiffon Cake

2012-01-20T21:40:00.004-05:00

So far, winter has been on the mild side. I haven't had the usual angst-ridden longings for sunnier weather. (Now watch what happens as a result of writing that down.)

Even though I haven't felt the urge to bury myself under 300 blankets while inhaling Meyer lemons for the next two months, I still crave the warm, summer-drenched ambiance of citrus. Any form of citrus. Yes, even a tangerine-vanilla martini (or two).[...Continue reading...]

Peppermint Patty and Cream Cheese-Swirl Brownies

2012-01-15T17:00:00.003-05:00

For some reason, my friends don't always just come right out and ask me to bake something. Instead they leave clues, ninja-style, for me to find in the morning.

I can take a hint. [...Continue reading...]

Pinckney Cookie Cafe Cookies

2012-01-14T12:30:00.001-05:00

It's no secret that I Love cookies. (In all honesty, who doesn't?) I became a cookie snob when I was about 7 years old...right after my first batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies were lovingly removed from the oven. Since then, my taste-buds will only dance for cookies that are lush with natural, made-from-scratch, taste and texture. Nothing compares to homemade cookies.

So it was a lovely, delicious, wonderful, fabulous, surprise when Michael, of Bellevue Washington's Pinckney Cookie Cafe, sent me a box containing his 4 signature chocolate chip cookies.

Michael knows his baked goods. Each variety is as decadent as the cookies I've made at home! [...Continue reading...]

Walnut-Oat Caramel Shortbread

2012-01-11T12:15:00.005-05:00

My convenient, digital kitchen scale rarely gets to play in the world of grams, so why start now? For this recipe, I dug out my mom's old-school kitchen scale. (The kind that has to be at eye-level in order to get an accurate read on the thin, wobbly needle.)[...Continue reading...]

Pretzel & Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-01-08T12:30:00.003-05:00

Everyone has a favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe, right? After extensive research on the matter (and by research, I mean eating), my top pick is The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie, from Cook's Illustrated. Nipping at it's crumbs in second place is the infamous recipe by Jacques Torres.

All's fair in love and cookies. And since I've made the Cook's Illustrated and Jacques Torres recipes more than once (I won't give out actual numbers), I thought I should also revisit the 3rd runner up, Alton Brown's The Chewy...with the addition of salty pretzels and sweet, butterscotch chips. [...Continue reading...]

Chocolate Mocha Cake with Raspberry Cream Filling

2012-01-05T12:40:00.010-05:00

As some of you may know, since I blurt it out at random like an obsessed parrot, I love citrus. For New Years Eve, I was convinced that I was going to make some kind of perky, tart, lemony-pistachio layer cake...until I saw This cake on Country Living.

I am not a chocoholic. (Every time I say that, it feels like I'm confessing to a crime.) And after my sister requested chocolate on chocolate for her birthday last March, I didn't want to look at chocolate cake again. Ever.

But this recipe has something spectacular, something that brought me back to the land of chocolate cakes, something called raspberry cream filling![...Continue reading...]

Kids' Thumbprints

2012-01-02T11:47:00.011-05:00

Happy New Year! I hope the first few days of January have been kind. Even though I never make any resolutions, a new year feels like a crisp, fresh sheet of paper sitting beside a typewriter at a desk in a sunlit room. There's a calm, clarity of thought that allows us to write a new story without the burden of a year's worth of worries. [...Continue reading...]

Looking forward

2011-12-31T12:37:00.007-05:00

Wishing everyone a safe, happy, fabulous New Year!! To all my readers, Thank You so much for trudging through my sometimes random jottings. :D (And for baking along with me!)

I cannot wait to share even more dessert ♥ in the coming year! xo [...Continue reading...]

Ernest Hemingway Cupcakes

2011-12-29T12:40:00.015-05:00

A cupcake like this belongs on the thick armrest of a worn-out leather chair that sits in an antiquated room full of books and artifacts overlooking the Serengeti.

Men can eat these cupcakes, come away with a chocolate covered nose, and still feel like they could play rugby, climb a mountain, eat a steak, or finally paint one side of the house.

(Can you tell how much I love to read J. Peterman catalogs?) [...Continue reading...]

Chocolate Macaroon Bars

2011-12-26T11:30:00.000-05:00

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend! It certainly doesn't feel like a Monday, and I'm perfectly okay with that. I'm also at peace with a few more days of indulgence. This is one of the few times when it actually feels "normal" to bake a ridiculous amount of...everything.[...Continue reading...]

Joyeuses Fêtes

2011-12-23T09:51:00.004-05:00

Wishing Everyone an enchanted, safe, food-filled holiday season! ♥

Bocca di Nonna with Chai-infused Ganache

2011-12-22T12:20:00.005-05:00

Can you believe that it's already the 22nd?! (Wasn't ~~Thanksgiving~~ Halloween just last week?)

It's okay, really. Everything will be fine. And as soon as I can locate the source of glitter that's Everywhere (on the kitchen counters, on table tops, in the utensil drawers, in my hair, on the cats, inside coffee cups...), things will be even better.

Know what also makes everything better? Cookies. Especially sandwich cookies. Especially sandwich cookies that sandwich a layer of ganache.[...Continue reading...]

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cinnamon-Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-12-19T12:26:00.020-05:00

Since my previous attempt at a layered carrot cake failed, I decided to make cupcakes instead. Unlike other pans, the muffin tin rarely throws batter-filled fits, over issues like depth and diameter. (Yes, cake pans, I'm eyeballing you.)

Cupcakes have kind of become the baker's pet of my cake world.

They're adorkable. [...Continue reading...]

Almond-Lime Glaciers

2011-12-17T11:35:00.016-05:00

Is there anything more lovely than the fragrant marriage between almonds and limes? Maybe. (Especially if you're a chocolate fan.) But sometimes you just need something refreshing, perky, and light. [...Continue reading...]

Vanilla-Honey Caramels

2011-12-14T22:30:00.008-05:00

Despite the fact that I've made it several times, I still get antsy when it comes to making caramel. (And not because of the scars it left on a few fingers.) What scares me more than molten lava burns? Drama.
[...Continue reading...]

Cinnamon and Plum-Tea Madeleines (Tuedays with Dorie)

2011-12-13T07:00:00.002-05:00

This Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was actually one of last week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipes. (The other was a honey almond fig tart.) This week's recipe options include ice cream and plums. Confused? Probably not. I am. But I didn't have any coffee today (my default excuse for everything lately).[...Continue reading...]

Dark Chocolate and Walnut Toffee

2011-12-10T16:40:00.006-05:00

If you're feeling a bit lethargic from all the holiday decorating, shopping, cooking, baking, card-writing, wrapping, and ribbon-curling screaming, then I have just the recipe! You don't even need the oven for this, just a willingness to patiently watch butter and sugar transform into luxurious, molten toffee.

I don't know about you, but I find butter transformation kind of therapeutic.[...Continue reading...]

Red Velvet Brownies

2011-12-07T15:15:00.021-05:00

My views on fate and destiny are somewhat skewed, in that I tend to believe in them only when it's convenient to do so. But, when I can muzzle the logical half of my brain (not an easy task), part of me likes to believe in fairy tales, happily ever afters, and soul-mates. These brief lapses in reason may not last long, but they visit just often enough allow for wishing on stars, stray eyelashes, and birthday candles. :) [...Continue reading...]

Brown Butter, Cranberry Shortbread

2011-12-05T11:30:00.012-05:00

The good: This recipe!
The bad: A cake, lost.
The ugly: Overflowing batter, everywhere.

This weekend I attempted to make a basic carrot cake. Apparently my cake pans are not deep enough to accommodate carrot cake's lofty standards. (I blame the shallow pie pans they've been spooning with for the past few months.) Luckily my oven was already a hot mess and the cake batter spillage merely added to it's edgy, artistic appearance. [...Continue reading...]

Goat Cheese Brownies

2011-12-01T13:40:00.005-05:00

Oh goat cheese, not only do you shine in appetizers and entrées, now you've stepped into the sometimes discriminating world of desserts...way to shatter that glass ceiling (you too, bacon).

When I found this recipe in Better Homes and Gardens, I had to make it, immediately. I love recipes that call for an ingredient that's way out of left field (or is it "from" left field? I'm terrible with sports adages). Black pepper, chili powder, butternut squash etc...the line between savory and sweet is only as thick as we want it to be. [...Continue reading...]

Tuesdays with Dorie: Normandy Apple Tart

2011-11-29T07:00:00.004-05:00

If you're still trying to undoing some Thanksgiving damage, but you are not going to give up dessert anytime soon, this tart may be just what you're looking for. It's a refreshing break from all the rich, heavy foods that were (and are about to be) consumed during the holiday season. [...Continue reading...]

Apricot Coconut Bars

2011-11-27T12:15:00.013-05:00

I hope that everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. Welcome to the crazy days of shopping, parties, hair-pulling, 48-hour coffee benders and, best of all, eating. Ready the antacids!

Last week, for Thanksgiving, someone requested brownies from a box. (I won't name names, but we share the same parents). Honestly, I have nothing against dry, instant, boxed up and shelved desserts, really. My college roommate and I used to make insta-brownies and cookies-in-a-tube all the time (most of those cookies never saw the light of an oven).

Now, if all I need to do is empty a mix into a bowl with some oil and an errant egg or two, I feel like I'm cheating (not that this prevents me from licking the bowl anyway).[...Continue reading...]

Thanksgiving morning, yeast-free cinnamon buns

2011-11-23T11:30:00.012-05:00

Sometimes the last thing you ~~want~~ need to deal with is the agonizingly long time it takes for yeast to rise (especially if you have company and the only packets of yeast left in the cupboard expired 5 years ago). What were you doing five years ago?

Whenever I see dates from 2003-2009, I always try to remember where I was and what was going through my head at the time. Usually I'm tempted to cut my hair short again and get back into pilates...I can't believe that I used to get up at 5am. Anyway, where was I? Oh right, food![...Continue reading...]

Outside-the-box Thanksgiving desserts

2011-11-20T15:33:00.032-05:00

Here are a few quirky Thanksgiving dessert recipes that I found wandering happily (Luna Lovegood style), beyond the pumpkin pie patch. I know I'm biased, but I believe that the dessert should dominate a meal and make a lasting impression...especially during the holidays when it's okay to actually live a little and enjoy food. Right? Right. Good, I'm glad we're all on the same page. :)

1: Butternut Squash Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting
2: Depths-of-Fall Butternut Squash Pie
3: Cloud 9 Cookies
4: Brûléed Key Lime Tartlets
5: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
6: Apricot-Rosemary Squares
7: Pumpkin Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting
8: Salted Millionaire's Shortbread