A Spoonful of Sucre

Closed

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:34:00 +0000

After much thought during my leave of absence from this blog, I have decided to shut down A Spoonful of Sucre. Updating it became a chore for me, and I certainly don't need another task in my life. Thank you to all who have come along on this short journey with me; I really appreciated your support!

On Hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:49:00 +0000

Hello, all. It's been a while since I've last posted here, and it'll be a while more before another post is added. With the recent start of yet another year of school and a big move, I haven't had time to spend in the kitchen and post about it. I'm settling into my new address just fine, but I have midterms coming up in a week, so I need to divert my attentions away from interior decorating and to the books.

I'm not sure how long I'll be away, but hopefully it won't be too long. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Baking: Daring Bakers Chocolate Cream Puffs

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 16:57:00 +0000

Last night, I reunited with a long lost friend--my oven. Between moving and the start of school, I didn't have much time to spare to hang out in the kitchen and bake. Lucky for me that Meeta and Tony picked Chocolate Eclairs for this month's Daring Bakers challenge, which didn't involve multiple, elaborate steps, so I was able to complete it at the very last minute.

I've made choux pastry before, so the dough quickly and easily came together. My brother wanted rounds rather than elongated fingers, so I made cream puffs instead of eclairs. I didn't have any trouble the last time I made the puff pastry, so I was very surprised when my little cream puffs all of the sudden flattened. It was amazing because they looked so golden and fluffy one minute, and then all of the air went out of them with a whoosh. I was a little saddened because I followed all of the directions as outlined by Pierre Herme and had no idea why they fell flat, but I knew that the taste would be fine and soldiered on.

I filled each puff with vanilla cream and topped them with chocolate glaze. I roughly followed the Pierre Herme recipe provided to us because I really didn't see the reason for making a separate chocolate sauce to be used in the making of the chocolate glaze. I just merged the two recipes together and made some pretty luscious topping. The chocolate glaze was definitely a nice touch, taking the cream puffs up a level.

I like a cream puff from time to time, but I get tired of them rather quickly. They are usually too rich for me, and these cream puffs were no different. They tasted great, but one will do for me. Fortunately, my brother is home for the long weekend and will eat just about anything.

Now it's back to studying for me. I hope you all enjoy Labor Day weekend (if you're in the States)!

Baking: Super Soft Sugar Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 06:04:00 +0000

Sometimes a good novel really hits the spot. Sarah Addison Allen's The Sugar Queen did just that a couple of weeks ago. Detailing the coming of age of a young woman who chooses to eat Little Debbies rather than face the real world, this book was a perfect blend of culinary delights and magic. Both elements were involved in virtually every scene of the novel, and I immensely enjoyed this read. The book was so enchanting that it left me with a craving that only one thing could satisfy--tender and fluffy sugar cookies.

Inspired by a couple of recipes that I found via Megan, I experimented a tiny bit in the kitchen and created some truly great cookies. Using the basic sugar cookie recipe, I added cream cheese into the mix and turned out moist and delicious treats. The taste of the cream cheese supported the sweetness from the sugar well, and its texture made the cookies soft. My brother, who isn't a fan of sugar cookies at all, munched on more than a few of these while watching the Opening Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. He even asked me to make another batch for him. It's awesome to know that I've converted at least one person in my life to something.

If you want to try your hand at converting, please do make these cookies.

Super Soft Sugar Cookies
Ingredients (adapted from Everyday Foods)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar for 2 to 4 minutes, until fluffy and light. Add the egg and vanilla, beating well after each addition. Slowly add in one-half of the flour mixture, being careful not to work the dough too much. It might be easier to switch from an electric mixer to a wooden spoon at this point. Follow with cream cheese. Finally, add in the remaining half of the flour mixture. Stir the dough just until smooth.

Drop spoonfuls of the dough onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing each mound about an inch or two apart. For aesthetics, sugar may be sprinkled on top of each cookie. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the edges of the cookies begin to brown (the lighter, the softer). Cool on wire racks before enjoying.

Baking: TWD Granola Grabbers

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:32:00 +0000

As a girl constantly on the go, I almost always have a granola bar of some type in my purse. Pre-packaged in a nice little serving and possessing a tad too much sweetness, granola bars are a great pick-me-up after a couple of hours lecture or after a long, hardcore shopping fest. I love granola in all forms, so much so that I attempted to make my own granola last year with relative success. Considering that I am such a fan of granola, I started this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection with much gusto.

And, oh, did it disappoint.

Chosen by Michelle of Bad Girl Baking, the Granola Grabbers were a quick and easy make. Throw together some butter, sugar, egg, nuts, fruits, and grains, and then pop it into the oven. For these cookies, I used my fancy, au naturel granola that I had bought from a hippie health food store way back when. Per a suggestion made by a fellow TWD member, I replaced some of the raisins with chocolate chips. I debated adding more chocolate chips to the mix, but I decided against it because some members on the discussion thread had complained about the Grabbers being too sweet.

After tasting the cookies, I wished that I had gone with my gut instinct. My Grabbers weren't overly sweet for some reason, and they could have been benefited from the extra dimension that the chocolate chips would have added. I'm not really sure what was off about these cookies. The texture was fine, the sweetness level was good, and the taste of all the ingredients shined through. I happen to love all of the dried goods that I added to the batter--coconut, raisins, peanuts, chocolate chips, and granola. Maybe the mixture of all my favorite things was too much for my taste palate. Maybe I set out to make these Granola Grabbers with too much anticipation, and you know how that goes. If you expect too much, the more you'll be disappointed.

If you want to try this recipe and figure out what it is exactly that I didn't like about these cookies, visit Michelle for more details. As usual, don't forget to check out the other TWDers to see some lovely photos of this week's selection.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Baking: Simple Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 04:01:00 +0000

To mark the start of the Beijing Olympics and my brother's week-long stay at home, I finally crossed something off of my to-do list and made some pizza. I have long wanted to make homemade pizza since I saw that brick-oven pizzerias in the city, such as The Wedge, used simple-looking crusts for their yummy pies. I don't have a brick oven in my house nor a baking stone, so my crust didn't have a nice, smoky tinge to it. However, the pizza still tasted great and was an awesome treat to munch on while watching the Opening Ceremonies. The crust was a wonderful "platter" for my toppings: chicken breast tenders lightly sauteed with garlic and sweet onions, grape tomatoes, baby spinach leaves, swiss cheese, and tomato sauce. The best part was that the recipe was super easy to put together and the ingredients were things commonly found in my pantry. It would be criminal if you didn't attempt this pizza at least once in our life.

Homemade Pizza Crust (via Smitten Kitchen)
Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon dry active yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup lukewarm water
cornmeal

Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the yeast, in a medium-to-large bowl. Add the olive oil and water, and stir by hand until the mixture starts to form a rounded ball. An extra tablespoon or two of water might need to be added to achieve this effect. Dump the contents of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface; knead the dough until it comes together into a ball. Place the ball into a large bowl lightly greased with oil or sprayed with oil, turning the dough to cover with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise undisturbed for a couple of hours, until it's doubled in size.

Dump the risen dough back onto a lightly floured surface, and gently work it into a ball shape. Cover with plastic wrap, and set aside for about 20 minutes.

Sprinkle the back of a baking sheet or a pizza stone with cornmeal. Preheat the oven to about 550 degrees F. Roll out the dough to fit whichever baking apparatus is being used. Place dough onto baking sheet and cover with toppings, making sure not to go crazy with the amount of toppings. Bake for 10 minutes until the crust is slightly brown (if you like crispy).

TWD Strawberry Sour Cream Ice Cream

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:00:00 +0000

With the hot weather, I was very excited that Dolores of Chronicles of Culinary Curiosity chose Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection. Though I am grateful to Dolores for her pick, I am forever indebted to David Lebovitz. Following a link publicized on The Kitchn, I found a tutorial that David put together for people not fortunate enough to own an ice cream maker. I went to Bed Bath and Beyond with the intention of procuring an ice cream maker, but I changed my mind at the last minute because I'm one for old-fashioned ways.

I didn't have any edible blueberries on hand when I set out on this frozen adventure, but I thought strawberries were a nice edition. With such few ingredients, this creamy base was a breeze to put together. Then came the long wait with breaks every 30 minutes to beat the ice cream mixture with a hand mixer. My wait was made much, much sweeter with the amazing swim from the U.S. men's 4x100-meter freestyle relay team that I witnessed on Sunday night. I love watching the Olympics, and I have never been more riveted while watching an event in my life. Jason Lezak was uh-mazing!

I can't say the same for my frozen treat. The ice cream was just all right. My brother, who is a strawberry ice cream addict, wasn't a big fan. It tasted more like strawberry yogurt. I was very pleased with the texture, though. It wasn't as creamy as store-bought ice cream, but David Lebovitz's method gets the job done. I'm definitely going to experiment more.

If you want to try your hand at this recipe, check out Dolores's blog for the full details. Don't forget to visit all the TWDers and see what they've all been up to!

Baking: TWD Black and White Banana Loaf

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:14:00 +0000

This week's Tuesday with Dorie was brought to you in part by Ashlee of A Year in the Kitchen. I have to admit that I was slightly skeptical about this recipe. I like banana breads fine, as well as chocolate ones. Together, though? I wasn't sure if the banana and chocolate flavors would mesh well in a loaf.

Fortunately, my worries were for not. The bread was moist and had a hint of a great banana taste. I went wild this week and opted to "play around" by adding the toasted pecans, which really did add a dimension to the texture and the taste. The bread wasn't overly sweet, so my parents really enjoyed this week's selection. My only complaint was that the chocolate parts could have been stronger and a bit sweeter. Perhaps I'll use semisweet chocolate instead of bittersweet if I make this again. Considering my parents' reactions to the bread, there will definitely be a next time.

Sorry that this post is on the short side. I had corrective vision surgery over the weekend, and my vision is super blurry. It was really hard to read the recipe for this week's selection, but I managed to persevere with the aide of a magnifying glass. I'll be keeping a low profile for a few days, so in the meantime, you should check out the going-ons of the other TWD members. If you want to make your very own Black and White Banana Loaf, you can find the recipe on Ashlee's blog.

I hope you all are having a wonderful week!

Baking: Madeleines

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:15:00 +0000

Anyone for a cup of tea?

Sorry I've been missing in action for so long. It has been two weeks since I've last baked something, so I thought it was high time that I returned to the kitchen and get to work! To transition back into the baking mode, I picked this madeleine recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours.

I was very excited about this recipe because madeleines were one of my favorite things to snack on while I was in France. With their subtle sweet, lemon flavor and their cake-like texture, they perfectly complimented a cup of tea. Every Sunday, a group of friends and I would visit a small tea salon in Clermont-Ferrand for some tea, scones, and madeleines. It was truly a great way to celebrate the one day of rest.

I did not have a madeleine baking mold on hand, so I had to make due with some mini-muffin tins. They weren't as elegant as the traditional shell-shape, but I thought they still looked cute coming out of the oven with their rounded tops. While the taste of the madeleines was good, it wasn't perfect. The lemon flavor wasn't strong enough because I opted to use lemon juice rather than lemon zest. Also, I probably overmixed the batter because the madeleines had a sponge-like texture rather than a cakey one. Nevertheless, these little cookie-cakes were tasty snacks.

Madeleines
Ingredients (adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours)

1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 large eggs
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

In a medium-to-large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar and lemon juice. With a hand mixer, beat in the eggs until mixture becomes a uniform pale yellow color and slightly thickened.

Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Gently fold into the wet ingredients, followed by the melted butter. Be careful not to overmix. Cover the batter in plastic wrap by pressing the wrap against the top of the batter. Now set the batter in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours (I left mine overnight).

When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare the baking pans by spraying them with baking spray or by buttering and flouring them. Spoon the batter into the molds, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake mini-madeleines for 8-10 minutes while full-sized madeleines should be left in the oven for 11-12 minutes. The tops of the madeleines should spring back slightly when pressed upon.

Cool the madeleines on a wire rack for a few minutes, and then enjoy!

Lo Siento: No TWD

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:42:00 +0000

Yet another missed Tuesdays with Dorie selection. I had all the intentions in the world to make the summer fruit galette chosen by Michelle of Michelle in Colorado Springs, but I found out at 10:30 last night that I didn't have any vegetable shortening in the house to make the crust. Procrastination is never a good thing. I might make it later on this week if I ever remember to pick up some shortening at the grocery store.

Please check in with the other TWD members; you'll be in a for a treat!

Heartwarming: Lazy Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:27:00 +0000

Please excuse my lack of activities recently. I've been a bad blogger, but it's not without reason. I've been busy eating sushi, shopping in Dallas, receiving flowers from a dear friend in Arizona, acquiring a new microplane for the kitchen, and obsessing over what is now known as the biggest blockbuster movie ever (and rightly so). I've been enjoying birthday celebrations and haven't stepped near the oven for quite some time. I think it's better for my waistline not to make any baked goods at the moment, especially since my family and I are trying to get through my behemoth birthday cake. It might be hideously decorated, but the cake is pure goodness. Mmm. Nothing hits the spot quite like Sam's Club chocolate birthday cakes.

I hope you all are doing well. I will be back in full spring soon. In the meantime, run out and watch The Dark Knight, marveling at the sheer genius of everyone involved with this film.

Baking: Blueberry Cornbread Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:00:00 +0000

After work yesterday, I sat down with the latest issue of Vogue and a little snack--blueberry cornbread muffins. I know that it might seem weird that I'm using blueberries in a lot of my baking, especially since I griped about how they ruined my pie, but they work so well in quick breads. Also, Bread & Honey recently featured this recipe, and its loveliness pushed me to try it out myself.

This was another easy day in the kitchen. The batter came together without the help of a mixer, which was really nice because I hate cleaning the whisks and beaters of mixers. I didn't have any yogurt or honey in the house, so I used clabbered milk (milk + lemon juice) and sugar. Wrong move.

The cornbread didn't turn out as fantastic as it did for Summer, and I'm convinced the ingredients I used are to blame. Yogurt would have made the cornbread much richer and creamier than the clabbered milk I put together, especially since I used skim milk to make it. I also used reduced fat margarine. With the lower fat content, the cornbread was bound to come out of the oven dry, and it did. This was compounded by the blandness of the cornbread. Honey would have added a much deeper sweetness to the bread than sugar and would have probably contributed some moisture.

I'm not too excited about the end result, but I think I will give the recipe another try if I ever get around to stocking up on some yogurt and honey. This cornbread really reminds me of the Polenta-Ricotta Cake I made for Tuesdays with Dorie, and that one turned out super well. So I have to give this recipe another shot.

Blueberry Cornbread (adapted from Bread & Honey for 8 muffins)
Ingredients

1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup clabbered milk (1/2 cup skim milk + 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice; set for 10 min)
1/2 egg
1/8 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons margarine
3/4 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a muffin tin by lining it with cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients. In another container, combine the liquid ingredients, and then stir then into the dry mixture. Be careful not to overstir; mix just until the dry ingredients are full incorporated. Fold in the blueberries.

Divide into the muffin tin. Bake for about 18 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Baking: Basic Blueberry Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:00:00 +0000

With my dad's eye swollen by a nasty insect bite, I decided to do a bit of baking to cheer him up. Luckily, he had recently spotted a sale on blueberries during his last trip to the market, so I made his favorite breakfast item--blueberry muffins!

I came across several different muffin recipes, all calling for very different amounts of flour, fats, and sugar. It was a tough call, but I settled with this recipe because it had 2,141 votes of confidence. How can you really compete against that kind of support?

I skipped the crumb topping since everyone in my family is watching their sugar intake. Plus, I wanted to keep things simple. This recipe could not have been easier to recreate. I didn't even have to pull out a mixer to help do the work. These muffins were completely made by hand, and it was a strangely satisfying experience.

The muffins came out of the oven much paler than I anticipated, but they at least had nice, rounded tops. My dad thought that they were too sweet, but my mom and I enjoyed the taste of it. However, I had used skim milk instead of whole milk in the recipe so the muffins were dry. I really need to invest in whole milk, or as Cook's Illustrated claims, I could supplement the skim milk with some heavy cream to get the same effect.

I would love to try this recipe again because it was so quick and easy to put together. Next time, I will use whole milk and perhaps reduce the sugar by a teensy bit. I wouldn't mind experimenting with other fruits--strawberries, apricots, cherries. The blueberries tasted great in the muffins, much better than in the pie, and they produced such a lovely deep, royal purple-blue color.

Blueberry Muffins (from AllRecipes)
Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a muffin tin by lining the cups with cupcake liner. (This recipe makes 8 muffins, but I somehow stretched it to 9.)

Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a measuring cup with the capacity to hold at least 1 cup of liquid, pour in the oil, milk, and egg until the 1 cup mark is reached; now stir in the cup. Incorporate the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, being careful to not overmix. When there is a trace of flour still unmixed, STOP and fold in the blueberries.

Divide the batter into the muffin tin. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

I hope you all have a great Thursday! The weekend is almost here!

Heartwarming: New Layout

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:57:00 +0000

The new layout is finally up! This has been in the works for some time now, and I'm satisfied with the results. I hope you are as well. To celebrate, I baked some chocolate chip cookies. Nothing warms the heart better than a plate of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies and a glass of cool milk.

Happy Monday!

Baking: Eggplant Ricotta Bake...Not So Much

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:44:00 +0000

John Barricelli and the rest of the crew at Everyday Food would be disappointed in me. Though they strive to create simple yet tasty recipes, I somehow managed to muck things up. I have long wanted to try the Eggplant-Ricotta Bake recipe since I saw John Barricelli whip it up on PBS's Everyday Food. After it being in my "Things to Try" queue for over a year, I finally attempted this dish the other evening when I found an eggplant wasting away in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator.

As the picture above shows, I ran into some problems and all because I didn't read through the instructions. I had only one eggplant instead of two. I used 26 ounces of marinara sauce instead of 16 ounces. The eggplant was sliced too thinly and I failed to brush the slices with olive oil, so parts of the vegetable were charred and dumped in the trash. I layered the cheese mixture right on top of the tomato sauce. The baking dish was too small. It was inevitable that I would end up with something more akin to soup. Luckily, this Eggplant-Ricotta Bake soup had a pretty decent taste.

I haven't touched the dish since Wednesday night, but I will try to salvage its remains this weekend by drying it out in the oven. Considering that the taste was good and the soup provided for a solid meal, I wouldn't mind too terribly if I made this dish again. It came together very easily and quickly, which is nice when you want to have dinner all set before the start of So You Think You Can Dance.

Eggplant Ricotta Bake (from Everyday Food)
Ingredients

2 large eggplants, cut lengthwise 3/4-inch thick
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
15 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese
3 large eggs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
2 teaspoons dried oregano
16 ounces store-bought marinara sauce

Line two rimmed baking sheets with the eggplant slices and brush both sides of the cuts with olive oil. Salt and pepper the eggplant. Bake in an oven preheated to 450 degrees F for 20-25 minutes until the eggplant is tender and golden. Don't forget to turn them halfway through!

In a large bowl, stir together the cheeses, eggs, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Brush an 8-inch square baking pan with olive oil.

Line the bottom of the baking pan with eggplant and spread marinara sauce on top. Layer on more eggplant slices and top with the cheese mixture. Repeat the layers, ending with the cheese mixture. Slide into the 450 degree F oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the sauce begins to bubble. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Happy Weekend!

Baking: TWD Double Crusted Blueberry Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:12:00 +0000

I hope you all had a happy and exciting weekend. I certainly did. I fully took advantage of the three-day weekend to celebrate the Fourth of July with much rest and relaxation. I skipped over the fireworks and grilling, but I've never been one for such celebrations. No, Fourth of July weekend has long meant watching Wimbledon coverage on television all day long. Back in Pete Sampras's hey day, I would actually tape matches during the week and catch up on them on the weekend.

This year was no different, and I was rewarded with one of the best matches I have ever watched. From 8 in the morning until 3:30 in the afternoon on Sunday, I was parked in front of the television to watch the championship final between Nadal and Federer. It was thoroughly enjoyable, but since the match went longer than expected, I wasn't able to join my parents at my future abode and help with the ongoing renovations. My parents understood my need to witness this match (I mean, I've been watching Wimbledon since Pete Sampras won in 1995), but I still felt guilty about lounging at home while they were doing some heavy duty stuff. To assuage my guilt, I decided to make the Double Crusted Blueberry Pie, which was this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection as chosen by Amy of South in Your Mouth. I wasn't planning on making it because I'm not a big fan of blueberries, but my dad is.

The pie recipe was relatively straightforward. While I tossing the blueberries with sugar and lemon juice for the filling, my mom plucked a blueberry from the mixing bowl and tried it. No one in my family has ever had fresh, uncooked blueberries, so we were all curious. My mom liked it, but the blueberries were too tart for my liking. My mom enjoyed the mixture so much that she asked if I could forget about making the pie and let her eat the plain filling instead. My decision is obvious...

I thought the pie was all right. Blueberries aren't my favorite, so this pie naturally wasn't my favorite. Despite the cup of sugar tossed with the blueberries, it was still too tart. Maybe with a different fruit next time? Apple? Peach? Strawberry? In the meantime, if you want to try this recipe out for yourself, visit Amy for the full details.

Happy Tuesday!

Baking: Basic Chocolate Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:50:00 +0000

With the boss out of the office yesterday, my co-workers decided to have a small party to celebrate the upcoming three-day weekend. With everyone bringing one food item to share, I decided to make some good, old-fashioned brownies.

I woke up a little earlier than usual in the morning to whip up a batch of these basic brownies, using my go-to recipe. I put together this formula a few months ago by scrounging up some brownie recipes that use unsweetened cocoa powder. With the help of Microsoft Excel (yes, I'm a nerd), I compared the amount of ingredients that each recipe called for and came up with my own ratios.

Basic Chocolate Brownie
Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 ounce semi-sweet chocolate
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Slowly melt together the butter and chocolate. A double boiler or a microwave can be used. If a microwave is used, be sure to heat the mixture for only 10-15 seconds at a time. Stir and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, and vanilla extract until a consistent color and texture is achieved. Beat in the eggs.

Carefully fold the dry ingredients--flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder--into the wet mixture. Do not overwork the batter; fold until the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Stir in the melted butter and chocolate.

Pour the batter into a 9-inch square baking pan sprayed with baking spray (I like Baker's Joy). Bake the brownies for 22-25 minutes, until a tester comes out with clean or with a few crumbs (if you like your brownies slightly gooey, go with the latter option). Let the brownies cool to about room temperature before serving.

These brownies were a winner the first time I tried the recipe, and the winning streak continued yesterday. My co-workers really enjoyed the brownies and loved how "chocolate-y" they were. I stole away from the party few a minutes for a impromptu photo shoot at my desk, resulting in the picture above.

I hope you all have a wonderful, wonderful weekend!

Baking: Daring Bakers Danish Braid

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 17:18:00 +0000

I'm breaking my rule against weekend posting, but it's for a good reason--the completion of my first Daring Bakers challenge. After a long debate, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and join the Daring Bakers. I was a little hesitant about joining because I favor simple baked goods, and the group tends to do the opposite, taking on complex challenges in hopes of expanding participants' skills in the kitchen. I figured it wouldn't hurt to add some structure and motivation to my culinary homeschooling and to test myself once a month, so I signed up.

June's challenge, which was hosted by Kelly of Sass & Veracity and Ben of What's Cooking?, was a Danish Braid adapted from Sherry Yard's The Secrets of Baking. The recipe wasn't too difficult, but as with all things involving yeast, it required a lot of time and waiting. The Danish dough is layered, so there was much folding to achieve this effect. Four instances of folding to be exact. In between each folding, the dough had to be chilled in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and then rolled out into a large rectangle. Fortunately, it was the weekend, and I had nothing planned other than watching live Wimbledon coverage all day.

For the filling, I went for an apple filling for both braids. I like danishes and usually order cream cheese ones whenever I'm feeling indulgent, but I'm the only one the family that likes that flavor. With parents who don't like things that are overly sweet, I felt the apple filling would please everyone eating.

And it did. One Danish Braid was more than enough to feed my family for breakfast; by the time we finished our last bite, we were actually tired of the pastry. I could have done with more apple filling, and the pastry crust could have been crispier. I might have taken the braid out of the oven too soon because the dough inside was a tad soggy. The texture of the pastry was different than any other danish I have ever had; it was less flaky and was somewhere in between bread and puff pastry. I'm not sure if this is right or not, but it worked for my family. The braid didn't gain any big fans, but my family liked it. Plus, it sure looked pretty...

For the recipe, visit Kelly and/or Ben. Enjoy the last of the weekend!

Baking: TWD La Palette's Strawberry Tart

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:29:00 +0000

No, this isn't a mixed berry cobbler, which is this week's official Tuesdays with Dorie selection as chosen by Beth of Our Sweet Life. I had strawberries going to waste in my fridge last week and had heard rave reviews for La Palette's Strawberry Tart from other group members, so I opted to make the tart rather than the cobbler. It was as if the stars had aligned and was calling for me to try out this recipe.

The tart was very easy to put together. Once the crust came out of the oven, I spread on some strawberry preserves, topped it with fresh strawberries, and served it right away. It was simple to make, and it had a very simple yet refreshing taste. I made the tart for my dad for Father's Day, and both of my parents really appreciated that the tart wasn't sweet. They were slightly taken aback by how hard the crust was because they are accustomed to softer crusts for fruit tarts, but it seemed to grow on them.

I made mini-tarts, using brioche cups to bake them. Since the sweet tart dough recipe detailed in Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours was enough to make a crust with a 9-inch diameter, I had quite a few mini-tarts left over from Father's Day. I also happened to have a surplus of chocolate pastry cream from the cream puff ring... I have to say that I liked the chocolate cream-strawberry combination much more than the strawberry jam-strawberry one originally described in the book. Using jam is much easier, but if you have some chocolate pastry cream just laying around, I highly recommend trying that in the tart.

La Palette's Strawberry Tart (from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours)
Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons freezing-cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk, stirred
strawberry jam (OR chocolate pastry cream!)
fresh strawberries, quartered
white sugar
golden rum

In a food processor, pulse together the flour, confectioner's sugar, and salt a couple of times to combine. Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is cut into the mix; it should resemble oatmeal flakes and some of the pieces should be the size of peas. Slowly add in the egg yolk, making sure to pulse it into the dough before adding the next bit of yolk. Once the egg yolk is incorporated, process the dough in long pulses (about 10 seconds each) until clumps and curds form. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and lightly knead it until the all dry ingredients are fully mixed in.

Press the dough into a buttered tart pan with a removable bottom, making sure to evenly distribute it across the bottom and up the sides of the pan. A little piece of tart dough should be reserved to patch up any cracks that may develop during the baking process (I didn't encounter this problem when I made mini-tarts). Freeze the dough for at least 30 minutes.

Butter one side of a piece of aluminum foil and then press the foil, butter side down, tightly against the crust right before putting it into an oven preheated to 375 degrees F. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust puffed up during the baking process, gently press it down with the back of a spoon.

Once the crust is cooled, spread on a layer of strawberry jam or chocolate pastry cream. Top with strawberry pieces that have been lightly tossed with some sugar and rum (to your own taste). Serve and enjoy!

Baking: TWD Cream Puff Ring

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:33:00 +0000

Sunday night was a busy night in the kitchen for me. I decided to bake two different sweets that night, including a cream puff ring, which is this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection as chosen by Caroline of A Consuming Passion.

Despite its fancy reputation, the choux pastry came together beautifully and easily; it was very exciting to watch it bake and puff up in the oven. I opted to make a chocolate cream filling rather than a peppermint cream filling because I was making the cream puff ring for an office party, and chocolate is usually more popular than peppermint. Plus, I didn't have any heavy cream sitting in the fridge for the peppermint cream. Making the chocolate cream was the only involved part of this recipe, but it wasn't too bad.

The part that did give me a lot of problems was piping the choux pastry in a ring shape. I used a modified ziploc bag instead of a proper pastry bag to do the piping, and the zip part of the apparatus couldn't withstand all of the pushing and squeezing. The choux pastry ended up oozing everywhere, but I was able to save enough of it to make the ring and three little cream puffs on the side.

Even though I had allowed the chocolate cream to chill in the refrigerator for two hours, the cream was still quite thin when I started assembling the cream puff ring. I didn't want the chocolate to drip all over my co-workers' clothes during the office party, so I cut back on the filling. The cream was too thin to pipe and I didn't fancy having another piping fiasco, so I just spooned half of the filling into the ring. The reduction in chocolate cream ended up being a waste because it set up nicely after being in the refrigerator overnight.

The cream puff ring was good, and everyone at work seemed to like it. The cream puff ring didn't look as perfect as the one pictured in the book, but I think its unevenness gives it a rustic charm (at least this is what I've been telling myself). I was really pleased with the choux pastry and will be experimenting with it more in the future. Below is the recipe for the chocolate cream, but the recipe for the choux pastry can be found at Caroline's blog. Don't forget to check out all of the TWD bloggers; you'll be in for a treat!

Chocolate Pastry Cream
Ingredients (adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours)

2 cups reduced fat milk
4 large egg yolks
6 tablespoons white sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch of salt
7 ounces of semisweet and 80% cacao chocolate, melted
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits, room temperature

Boil the milk in a small saucepan. As this heats, whisk the eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a medium saucepan. After everything is incorporated and thickened, slowly add 1/4 cup of the boiling milk while whisking vigorously. Add the rest of the milk in a continuous stream while whisking constantly. Once everything is mixed, place the pan over a medium heat and completely whisk the mixture (don't forget the edges!) without stopping. Bring to a boil and keep on whisking over a heat source for 1 to 2 minutes.

Remove from heat, and whisk in the melted chocolate. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before whisking in the butter. Once the butter is incorporated, transfer the cream to a bowl. Cover the cream with plastic wrap, making sure to press the plastic to the surface of the cream. Place the bowl into the fridge and allow to chill for sometime (more than 2 hours, preferably overnight). After the cream is set, use as you please, such as filling your very own cream puff ring!

Heartwarming: A Little Bit of Guatemala in Oklahoma

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:24:00 +0000

Happy Friday the 13th! Even though this date is synonymous with bad luck, I'm feeling lucky today because I am finally writing about one of my favorite restaurants in the area--Cafe Antigua. Serving authentic Guatemalan food, this little restaurant is a frequent haunt for my friends and me. It had been a while since I ate at Cafe Antigua, so I met up yesterday with a friend for lunch there.

I ordered the usual--Motulenos (above), which is two over-medium fried eggs served on a bed of tortilla and mashed black beans. Slices of fresh avocado and queso fresco top it all off, along with chirmol, a tomato-based sauce. A handful of tortilla chips completed the dish. My friend ordered his usual--Migas, which is a plate of eggs and black beans served with a side of fruit salad topped with mango sauce. Being high-rollers, we decided to treat ourselves and split a papaya smoothie.
The meal lived up to all expectations and definitely did not disappoint. My eggs were just right, the avocado slices were firm, and the tortilla chips had a great crunch. All of the simple tastes of my dish came together well to create a flavorful and fresh experience. I can't really describe my meal; I wouldn't come close to doing it justice. I felt like it was everything a meal should be--filling, fun, and delicious. The dish itself was already filling, but each order was served a starter soup. Then my friend and I drank a smoothie on top of that. I was completely stuffed when I finally put my fork down. The meal was so filling, that I seriously had problems staying awake when I reported back to work after lunch.

If you are ever in the area, I highly, highly recommend eating at Cafe Antigua. It's a good place for breakfast (which is served all day) or lunch, and it has GREAT meatless options. Even though I'm not vegetarian, I rarely order a meat dish here. Don't get me wrong; the meat options are wonderful as well. No matter your food preferences, there's something for everyone at Cafe Antigua.

May no broken mirrors cross your path today!

Cafe Antigua
1903 N Classen
Oklahoma City, OK 73106

Baking: The Infallible Yogurt Cake (Gateau au yaourt)

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:04:00 +0000

You know that time is flying by when you don't realize that it's been a while since you've last baked anything. I didn't notice that it had been over a week since I last tinkered with the oven until my dad brought it up on Tuesday night, asking if I was planning to bake something for dessert. I've been busy working, writing, crocheting, watching movies, and hanging out with friends; I hadn't given a thought to baking, so I went with something extremely easy to make--the yogurt cake.

I was first introduced to this dessert during my senior year of college when I was hanging out with the French exchange students from Clermont-Ferrand. One of the French girls had brought over a deliciously moist cake topped with pineapple for our weekly Desperate Housewives watch party. When I asked for the recipe, the girls told me that there wasn't really a recipe; it was all about proportions with the yogurt cake. After learning the ratios of the ingredients needed for this cake, I promptly went home and tried it out with different add-ins. The rest is history. The yogurt cake is my go-to recipe whenever I need a quick sugar fix; it's super tasty but incredibly simple to put together, so much so that this is apparently the first cake that French children learn to bake.

I decided to keep things simple, so I didn't add anything special to the batter like strawberries or chocolate chips. Instead, I just added a couple of splashes of vanilla and rum, and then I called it a day. The cake has a subtle taste, which is oddly attractive; it's not too sweet and it's not bland. This cake is the perfect, down-the-middle kind of dessert. If you have never made or tasted a yogurt cake, I highly recommend you run out to the market for some yogurt and get to work immediately!

Plain Yogurt Cake
Ingredients

One 8-ounce tub (use this as a measuring cup) of nonfat, plain yogurt
2 eggs
1 tub white sugar
1/3 tub vegetable oil
2 hearty splashes of golden rum
2 splashes of vanilla extract
2 tubs all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder

Mix together the yogurt, eggs, sugar, and oil in a large bowl until smooth. Once smooth, stir in the rum and vanilla, adding them to taste.

Sift all of the dry ingredients into the liquid mixture. Then mix the batter until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Be careful not to overwork the dough, so stop mixing as soon as you see the last trace of flour begin to disappear.

Pour the batter into a 10-inch, ceramic tart pan sprayed with Baker's Joy baking spray. Place the cake into an oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and bake for 25-30 minutes. As soon as a cake tester poked into the center of the cake comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven. Allow it to cool to room temperature before cutting into it.

Enjoy!

Heartwarming: The French Riviera and Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:00:00 +0000

Happy Monday! After the first week of my internship, I enjoyed a much-needed fun and relaxing weekend. Included in this respite was an outing with a couple of friends that I hadn't seen a long time. We started out the evening at the Museum of Art to catch the newest Audrey Tautou film, Hors de prix (Priceless). If you are looking for a simple yet fun movie to watch, I recommend this one. The plot is pretty predictable, following the same theme as Breakfast at Tiffany's, but the two leads were charming. Audrey Tautou was absolutely GORGEOUS in all of the couture outfits, and Gad Elmaleh piqued my interest. Plus, any movie that takes place in the French Riviera is a good thing.

The movie ended during dinnertime, so we headed over to The Wedge and shared a pizza. We decided to create our own pizza and went with a pesto-goat cheese-tomato combination. The pizza could have benefited from more pesto, but the goat cheese and the slight smoky flavor from the brick oven more than made up for the deficit. The pizza was solid and made for a light and refreshing meal, great for outdoor eating in the summertime. I'll probably be a frequent visitor to this pizzeria; I hope to try a different combination with each visit. The possibilities are endless!

Here's to hoping for a good week!

The Wedge Pizzeria
4709 N Western Ave
Oklahoma City, OK 73118

Baking: TWD French Chocolate Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:30:00 +0000

Ever since I finished my finals two weeks ago, I have been sleeping until 9:30 or 10 a.m. everyday. However, I had to get up a wee bit earlier yesterday for the first day of my internship, and boy, was it brutal. The morning wasn't too bad, but I had to take a nap at my desk during my lunch break so that I could survive the rest of the work day. The afternoon felt soooo long, and I shot out of the office as soon as the clock struck 5 p.m.

This is my first regular office job, so I was thankful that I didn't have to give even a thought to work after 5 p.m., which is much different than going to school. After taking a guiltless nap, I went to town in the kitchen and whipped up this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection--French Chocolate Brownies--as chosen by Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook. The brownies easily came together, which was nice since I needed something simple to do to unwind after work. The only part that gave me problems was flambéing the raisins.

I have long had a fear of fires. I've never been burned by an open flame, so I'm not sure why I become this meek and lame coward whenever I have to work with one. It took me a long time to relax around a Bunsen burner in Chemistry lab, and I am still a bit uneasy each time I turn one on. So it was natural that I approached this recipe with some apprehension. To make matters worse, I didn't have any long matches and had to use a long-tipped lighter. I worried that the flames would grow wild and ignite the entire lighter, so much so that I set aside a glass of water just in case a real fire started and decreased the amount of rum by 1/2 tablespoon to make it more manageable. However, all of my worrying was for nothing because everything went smoothly. The blue flames just did their thing and then peaced out. It was actually kind of pretty, and I was smug as hell that I had done the deed.

Ingredients (adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours)

6 ounces of chocolate (combination of bittersweet and semisweet), chopped
8 tablespoons of unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup raisins
1 1/2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon golden rum
3 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt

Gently melt the chopped chocolate in a double boiler, being careful not to overheat. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in the butter until its melted. Set aside.

In a small pot, heat the raisins and water until the water is almost completely evaporated. Remove from heat and add the rum. Carefully ignite the rum with a match or lighter, and flambe the raisins. Once the flame dies down, set aside the raisins.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar until a pale and thick mixture is formed, which will take about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed and add the chocolate-butter combo, mixing just until the chocolate and butter are incorporated. Add the dry ingredients, and mix on low for 30 seconds. Finish incorporating the dry ingredients by folding by hand. Finally fold in the raisins and whatever liquid is left in the pot with them.

Pour the batter into an 8x8-inch baking pan lined with foil and lightly greased with butter. Bake the brownies for 35 minutes at 300 degrees F until the top becomes dry and cracked and a cake tester comes out clean.

These brownies proved that my oven must run warmer than Dorie Greenspan's. In the book, she had instructed to bake the brownies for 50 to 60 minutes. However, I decided to check on the brownies at the 35-minute mark, and they were ready to come out of the oven. Luckily, I noticed the cracked top in time because the brownies were just right in terms of their moisture content. These brownies were pretty much perfect; they were moist, chocolately, and not too sweet. The brownies weren't fudge-like, but they weren't cake-like either; they were somewhere in the middle and fluffy in texture. The cracked top looked elegant in my opinion, and I liked the taste of it. They weren't like traditional brownies, but I still loved them. I definitely will be making these again in the future. The only change I would make is maybe add more raisins since my dad requested more.

I highly recommend trying this recipe in your own kitchen if you have the funds to make this decadent dessert (the price of butter and chocolate has gone up so much!). It's easy, comes together quickly, and produces a super yummy dessert.

Last bite!

Heartwarming: A New Skin

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:00:00 +0000

Happy June! I can't believe it's June already; I know it's a cliche, but time really passes so quickly as you age. I seriously feel like I celebrated New Year's the other day, but that was six months ago!

Today I start my summer internship, and I'm a bit apprehensive about it. I have no idea what I'll be doing and only hope that it won't be too overwhelming. I am on my last summer break ever...

Since I am on summer vacation and have a bit more free time now that I don't have anything to study, I've decided to give this blog a makeover. When I started this blog three months ago, I was so excited about jumping into the world of food blogging and sharing my experiences in the kitchen right away that I didn't give any thought as to the direction that I wanted this blog to take. I threw together a header and started blogging.

Now I'm not so satisfied with how my blog looks, so I'm slowly yet surely working on a new layout. I hope to have it finished in the next couple of weeks, and I think it'll be a better reflection of my culinary adventures.

Have a great Monday!