Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Chemistry

Easy Cinnamon Roll Muffins

2011-02-24T18:25:00.000-05:00

I remember taking a foods course in high school, where I learned that the secret to good marinara sauce is a few chocolate chips, and that the best cinnamon rolls need time to raise. And, while I do want the best cinnamon roll, I rarely have the time, or the foresight, to make the dough ahead of time. These muffins capture the yeast-dough essence of real cinnamon rolls while only requiring 30 minutes of raise time - during which you can whip up the topping ad clean up the kitchen. The recipe below makes a dozen muffins or one 9 inch square cinnamon roll cake. Just know that these were gone in less than 12 hours at my house, so I recommend making a double batch.

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

adapted slightly from Joy the Baker

1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1/3 c sugar
1/4 t salt
2 1/2 t active dry or rapid rise yeast
2/3 c warm milk (100-110F; low fat is fine)
3 T light olive oil
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 large egg

Filling/Topping
3 T butter, room temperature
2/3 c brown sugar
1 1/2 t ground cinnamon
pinch ground cardamom

Icing
1 c powdered sugar
1-2 T milk or cream

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Dissolve the yeast in a measuring cup filled with the warmed milk, then stir milk mixture, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and egg into the flour mixture. Mix well, until very smooth. Pour into prepared pan and let rest for 30 minutes.

While the dough rests, mix together butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and cardamom in a small bowl using a fork until all the butter has been incorporated into the sugar and mixture is crumbly. Divide the batter between 12 greased muffin cups. Sprinkle evenly on top of rested dough and press the mixture down into the dough with your fingertips (or swirl in with a spatula.)

Place pan into a cold oven, then set the oven temperature to 350F.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until bread is lightly browned at the edges and the center of the bread springs back when lightly pressed. Some of the sugar mixture on top may still be bubbling.

Cool for at least 30 minutes before whisking the powdered sugar and milk together to form an icing and drizzling it onto the bread.

Serve warm. Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

2011-02-12T13:17:00.000-05:00

I've settled into my new apartment with its tiny kitchen and I finally (well, it was actually a couple weeks ago) decided to attempt to bake in my mini oven with my single counter top. Since this is a Boston apartment, I figured it was only fitting to use a recipe by a Boston chef. The cake was a bit too sweet for my taste, but it was undeniably delicious.

If you don't tend to like overly sweet things, simply omit the syrup. Just line the pan with the caramelized pineapple chunks and toss the remaining liquid. Add a scoop of rich vanilla ice cream, sit back, and enjoy!

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

1 pineapple
1 3/4 c granulated sugar
1/2 c water
6 T softened unsalted butter + 1/2 c melted unsalted butter
1 c all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 t vanilla extract

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

Quarter the pineapple lengthwise and remove the peel and core. Slice into 3/4 inch thick slices.

Put 3/4 c sugar in a medium saucepan (large enough to hold all the pineapple). Add the water and swirl to wet the sugar. Gently heat the pan over high heat and leave it undisturbed until the contents come to a rolling boil. Continue to boil until the contents begin to caramelize (after 3-4 minutes). When you see color in the pan, gently swirl to caramelize the sugar evenly. When the sugar is golden brown, reduce the heat to low and whisk in the softened butter (it will steam - be advised). Carefully add the pineapple and stir until it is thoroughly coated with the caramel. (Some of the caramel will harden but it will reliquify as it continues to cook.) Turn up the heat to medium-high and allow the syrup to boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 8-12 minutes until the pineapple is golden brown. Using a fork, remove the pineapple chuck and set aside. Continue to boil the remaining liquid until it is thick and syrupy.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Generously butter a 9-inch round cake pan (or an 8-inch square will work just fine).

Line the bottom of the pan with the pineapple. Make a second layer if you must. Pour the syrup from the pan over the pineapple.

In a medium bowl, Sift together the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks, followed by the remaining sugar, vanilla, and room temperature melted butter. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet using a rubber spatula.

Pour the batter evenly over the pineapple and tap gently to make sure the batter fills in any crevices.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes on a center rack until the top is golden brown and springs back to the touch. Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes on a wire rack, or until cool enough to handle.

Invert the cake onto a serving plate and let cool for another 30 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature alongside a generous serving of vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.

The cake should be stored in an air tight container at room temperature for up to two days or up to a week in the refrigerator.

Ice Cream - palooza!

2011-01-03T17:11:00.001-05:00

Orange Dreamsicle Ice Cream, Blueberry Frozen Yogurt, and Vanilla Lime Custard. Yumm...

Trio of ice creams

In one day I made three icy treats; one ice cream, one frozen custard, and one frozen yogurt. It seems a little silly to be making so much ice cream in the middle of winter but my new apartment is heated (fro free) by radiators and thus it is extremely hard to maintain any sort of reasonable temperature without propping multiple windows open. So, I made ice cream. Lot of ice cream.

Like I said, I made three flavors using three different lists of ingredients. Coupled with the sorbet I made a few days ago, and my three previous ice cream posts, I've added a new section to my recipe index.

The first recipe below is for orange ice cream. This was arguably the simplest of the three recipes, and the most commercial. It seriously tasted like an orange dreamsicle. The Biochemist told me that if he hadn't watched me make it, he would have been convinced that it was store bought and artificially flavored. (I'll let you decide if that was a compliment...) Nonetheless, it tastes like a tall glass of orange juice and has smooth icy texture.

Second, I made a blueberry frozen yogurt. I based this off of a recipe for strawberry frozen yogurt simply substituting the strawberries for an equal weight of blueberries. While I am very happy with the result, if I make it again, I will reduce the sugar by half as it was a bit too sweet for my taste - the blueberries contribute enough sugar on their own. The texture is a bit crumbly - I might sub out the Greek yogurt for the more watery American stuff next time - but the Greek yogurt made for a nice slightly-sour quality that I love.

Last, The Biochemist requested lime ice cream. Ideally you would want key limes for something like this - they tend to be sweeter and more flavorful - but I could only find the regular ones. The flavor was a bit bitter, probably due to the lime zest - I doubt this would be a problem with key limes. Out of the three ice creams, this was the only one that scooped nicely into a ball. It was very smooth and creamy and spotted beautifully with the vanilla seeds. It smells strongly of both lime and vanilla but the lime very much over powers the vanilla in flavor. Since I was adapting a key lime recipe to be used with regular limes, I probably needed to increase the sugar content a bit and reduce the amount of lime juice. Regardless, this stuff is delicious, especially when eaten alongside the other two.

Orange on the left

Below are the recipes and nutrition information for all three flavors.

Orange Dreamsicle Ice Cream

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

From Joy of Baking

1 1/2 c heavy whipping cream
1/2 c half-and-half
2 c freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 c granulated white suga
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 T orange zest (optional)
1 T pure vanilla extract

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

In a large bowl or measuring cup combine all the ingredients.

Cover and place in the refrigerator until it is completely cold (several hours or overnight).

Transfer the mixture to the container of your ice cream machine and process according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Once made, transfer the ice cream to a chilled container and store in the freezer. If the ice cream becomes too hard place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before serving so it can soften.

Makes about 3 cups.

Nutrition Facts, calculated with the Recipe Calculator
serving size: 1/4 cup

Calories 179.4
Total Fat 13.4 g
Total Carbohydrate 14.2 g
Dietary Fiber 0.1 g
Sugars 12.1 g
Protein 1.5 g

Blueberry in the middle

Blueberry Frozen Yogurt
adapted from David Lebovitz

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

About 1 quart

1 lb blueberries, rinsed
2/3 c sugar
optional: 2 t Riesling wine
1 c plain whole milk yogurt (use a good-quality, whole milk or Greek-style yogurt for best results)
1 t fresh lemon juice

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

Lightly mash the blueberries. Toss in a bowl with the sugar and wine (if using) until the sugar begins to dissolve. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours, stirring every so often.

Transfer the blueberries and their juice to a blender or food processor. Add the yogurt and fresh lemon juice. Pulse the machine until the mixture is smooth. If you wish, press mixture through a mesh strainer to remove any seeds.

Chill for 1 hour, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Nutrition Facts, calculated with the Recipe Calculator
serving size: 1/4 cup

Calories 273.2
Total Fat 10.1 g
Total Carbohydrate 41.6 g
Dietary Fiber 2.2 g
Sugars 37.0 g
Protein 6.4 g

Lime on the right

Vanilla Lime Custard
adapted from The Guilty Kitchen

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

Yield: 1 liter

2 c heavy cream
1/2 c packed light brown sugar
1/2 white sugar
6 egg yolks
2 c buttermilk
1 large vanilla bean
juice and zest of 2 medium limes
juice of 1 lemon

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

Mix sugars together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Split vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape seeds out with small knife and place in a saucepan, throw in the pod as well (we’ll take it out later).

Add heavy cream and 1/3 of sugar to saucepan with vanilla and heat over low until sugar is dissolved and cream is steaming. Remove from heat, cover and allow to steep for 15-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, beat the egg yolks and 1/3 of the sugar until sugar is dissolved.

While you wait for the vanilla to steep in the cream, mix remaining sugar with juice and zest of lime in a small saucepan and heat over medium. Allow to cook until slightly thickened, set aside.

Uncover the cream, remove the bean pod and slowly drizzle into egg yolks while whisking continuously.

Return to saucepan, add lime/sugar mix, and heat over low. Stir constantly with a spatula from bottom and sides until it coats the back of the spatula. (A good test is to run your finger down the spatula and if the lines run together it’s not done yet, they should remain separated). Remove from heat.

Stir in buttermilk, pour through a seive, and chill immediately in refrigerator overnight.

Follow ice cream machine manufacturers instructions for freezing.

Nutrition Facts, calculated with the Recipe Calculator
serving size: 1/4 cup

Calories 459.4
Total Fat 23.0 g
Total Carbohydrate 60.0 g
Dietary Fiber 2.2 g
Sugars 54.0 g
Protein 9.0 g

Mint Chocolate Sorbet (AKA Chocolate Overload!)

2011-01-01T12:01:00.001-05:00

For Christmas I got the kitchen aid ice cream maker attachment from my grandma (Thanks Grandma!) and couldn't wait to use it. Now that I'm living in a city (i.e. groceries require a mile walk and I can only buy what I can carry), I didn't really want to make a special trip to the grocery store to buy cream and the other necessary ingredients for ice cream so sorbet seemed like the perfect alternative. Especially a chocolate sorbet that required little more than left-over Christmas candy to make. I found the recipe on the Smitten Kitchen website and was salivating all night just thinking about it. The ingredient list could be found in my kitchen cabinets and the process took only as long as it takes to chill 3 cups of liquid in the fridge.

I need to figure out the best place to take pictures in this new apartment...

The chocolate I had on hand was a combination of Hershey's mint truffle kisses and half of one of those mint chocolate orange balls (orange as in shape, not flavor), so I approximated six ounces and made the most decadent, smooth, and chocolate-coma inducing sorbet I've even eaten. Any chocolate you have should work just fine. Seriously, this stuff needs only be eaten by the single spoonful. Accompanied by a tall glass of milk or a vanilla oreo. It is super simple and since there is n cream, it is easier on your diet than a regular ice cream would be.

Using the quantities indicated below, the recipe makes about a quart - which only filled my ice cream maker about halfway - so if you have the storage space in your freezer, or are feeding a crowd, don't be afraid to double it - it will fit.

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

adapted from The Perfect Scoop

2 1/4 cups (555 ml) water
1 cup (200 g) sugar
3/4 cup (75 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
~6 ounces (170 g) mint chocolate truffle kisses,unwrapped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

In a large saucepan, whisk together 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) of the water with the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Let it boil, continuing to whisk, for 45 seconds.

Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until it’s melted, then stir in the vanilla extract and the remaining 3/4 cup (180 ml) water. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend for 15 seconds. (Why? I don't know. Just do it.) Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If the mixture has become too thick to pour into your machine, whisk it vigorously to thin it out.

Nutrition Facts, calculated with the Recipe Calculator
serving size: 1/4 cup

Calories 193.4
Total Fat 5.4 g
Total Carbohydrate 37.8 g
Dietary Fiber 3.6 g
Sugars 32.4 g
Protein 2.2 g

Burgundy Curtains

2010-12-29T19:34:00.001-05:00

I took on another sewing project which I think was a success! This project was MUCH simpler that the tote bag from the last post but I still found it to be intimidating initially. This time I made 6 burgundy curtain panels. I bought 12 yards of $2 fabric - cut each panel to be the height of my window plus about 4 inches for the bottom seam and another 8 inches for the top curtain hole and ruffle. I decided not to seam the sides of the panels since the fabric was already nicely finished and it was only 45 inch width so I didn't want the panels to be too narrow. The length of the panels varies slightly and I accidentally sewed two of the bottom seams facing out instead of back as intended. But I am very happy with the final product so check out the before and after pictures below.

Before

After

Oops...how'd that picture get in this post? Oh well. He's cute isn't he?

Christmas Stollen Wreath: DB Challenge Dec. '10

2010-12-24T09:00:00.179-05:00

The 2010 December Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Penny of Sweet Sadie’s Baking. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make Stollen. She adapted a friend’s family recipe and combined it with information from friends, techniques from Peter Reinhart’s book.........and Martha Stewart’s demonstration.

Truthfully, when I first saw this month's challenge recipe I wasn't too excited. Without reading too much of the recipe, I looked at the picture and was instantly turned off by the dessert that is highly reminiscent of fruitcake. No one actually likes fruit cake - the token fruitcake on the holiday spread usually doesn't even get opened. It's the gift that keeps on giving. So, I instantly threw the idea out of my head and thought that I would get to it if there was time (which I have little of since I'm in the process of moving as I bake). However, I mentioned it to The Biochemist, who is German, and he got SO excited. Thus the challenge was on.

Stollen (or Weihnachtsstollen) is a traditional German Christmas bread (not fruitcake at all, actually) that contains dried or candied fruit, nuts, and often marzipan. The Biochemist is particularly fond of marzipan so I used a lot. I also am not a huge fan of raisins, which are the primary fruit in traditional stollen along with candies citrus rinds, so I swapped them out for other dried fruits; apricots soaked in passion fruit rum, cranberries soaked in orange juice, and blueberries. The other big difference between this stollen and a more traditional one, is the shape. Typically the stollen is in a simple log shape but this challenge called for a wreath. I think the wreath shape makes it a little more festive.

The recipe makes a HUGE Christmas wreath so feel free to halve it if necessary. Also, the fruits, nuts, and marzipan quantities and varieties an easily be changed. The flavors I used here worked really well together and I highly recommend trying them. The stollen tasted really good with my copious amounts of marzipan and dried fruits; I think the candied fruits would have made the final product too sweet. As I made it, it was actually not very sweet at all.

The process of baking the stollen was somewhat time-consuming but not too bad. With the help of my Kitchenaid stand mixer, the only problem I encountered was having to add extra flour to get the dough to form into a good ball. I was amazed at how much the dough rose in the refrigerator in the first hour. It didn't raise much the next day during the two hour proofing, but the final product was huge so I think it must have been fine. I will certainly make this one again...maybe I'll make it a new tradition...

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

Makes one large wreath or two traditional shaped Stollen loaves. Serves 10-12 people

¼ c lukewarm water (110º F)
2 packages (4 1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 c milk
10 T unsalted butter
5½ c all-purpose (plain) flour (Measure flour first - then sift)
½ c sugar
¾ T salt
1 t cinnamon
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
2 t vanilla extract
1 t lemon extract or orange extract
1 c dried blueberries
5t orange juice (front zested orange)
1 dried cranberries
5 t rum (Malibu Passion Fruit Rum)
1c dried apricots, chopped
1 c slivered almonds, toasted
marzipan (Make your own - recipe below)
Melted unsalted butter for coating the wreath
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting wreath

These flavors seem so tropical...

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

Soak the fruits: In a small bowl, soak the apricots in the rum, and the cranberries in the orange juice from the zested orange, and set aside. Note: If you don’t want to use alcohol, double the lemon or orange extract or you could use the juice from the zested orange.

Make the dough:

Pour ¼ c warm water into a small bowl, sprinkle with yeast and let stand 5 minutes. Stir to dissolve yeast completely.

In a small saucepan, combine 1 c milk and 10 T butter over medium - low heat until butter is melted. Let stand until lukewarm, about 5 minutes.

Lightly beat eggs in a small bowl and add lemon and vanilla extracts.

In a large mixing bowl (4 qt) (or in the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment), stir together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, orange and lemon zests.

Then stir in (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment) the yeast/water mixture, eggs and the lukewarm milk/butter mixture. This should take about 2 minutes. It should be a soft, but not sticky ball. When the dough comes together, cover the bowl with either plastic or a tea cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.

Add in the dried blueberries and cranberries, soaked apricots, and almonds and mix with your hands or on low speed to incorporate.

It seemed fitting to photograph the stollen next to a bierstein.

Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mixing with the dough hook) to distribute the fruit evenly, adding additional flour if needed. The dough should be soft and satiny, tacky but not sticky. Knead for approximately 8 minutes (6 minutes by machine). The full six minutes of kneading is needed to distribute the dried fruit and other ingredients and to make the dough have a reasonable bread-dough consistency. You can tell when the dough is kneaded enough – a few raisins will start to fall off the dough onto the counter because at the beginning of the kneading process the dough is very sticky and the raisins will be held into the dough but when the dough is done it is tacky which isn't enough to bind the outside raisins onto the dough ball.

Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling around to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

Put it in the fridge overnight. The dough becomes very firm in the fridge (since the butter goes firm) but it does rise slowly… the raw dough can be kept in the refrigerator up to a week and then baked on the day you want.

Shaping and Baking the Wreath:

Let the dough rest for 2 hours after taking out of the fridge in order to warm slightly.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Punch dough down, roll into a rectangle about 16 x 24 inches and ¼ inch thick. Roll out strips of marzipan and evenly distribute them over the length of the dough.

Starting with a long side, roll up tightly, forming a long, thin cylinder. (Marzipan strips should run from end to end.)

Transfer the cylinder roll to the sheet pan. Join the ends together, trying to overlap the layers to make the seam stronger and pinch with your fingers to make it stick, forming a large circle. You can form it around a bowl to keep the shape.

Using kitchen scissors, make cuts along outside of circle, in 2-inch (5 cm) intervals, cutting 2/3 of the way through the dough. Mist the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap.

Proof for approximately 2 hours at room temperature, or until about 1½ times its original size. After about 1.5 hours, preheat oven to 350°F with the oven rack on the middle shelf.

Bake the stollen for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees for even baking and continue to bake for 20 to 30 minutes. The bread will bake to a dark mahogany color, should register 190°F in the center of the loaf, and should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

Transfer to a cooling rack and brush the top with melted butter while still hot. Immediately tap a layer of powdered sugar over the top through a sieve. Wait for 1 minute, then tap another layer over the first. The bread should be coated generously with the powdered sugar. Coat the stollen in butter and icing sugar three times, since these coatings help keep the stollen fresh. Let cool at least an hour before serving.

See the state of my kitchen post-sugar dusting.

When completely cool, store in a plastic bag. Or leave it out uncovered overnight to dry out slightly, German style.

Storage
The following is for the recipe as written and uses the 45 mls of rum and two coatings of butter and icing sugar, The more rum and the more coatings of butter and sugar you use the longer it will store.

1. Stollen freezes beautifully for about 4 months
2. The baked stollen stores well for 2 weeks covered in foil and plastic wrap on the counter at room temperature and
3. One month in the refrigerator well covered with foil and plastic wrap.

A pdf of the challenge recipe is found here.

Marzipan (I used a double batch)

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

1 scant cup ground almonds (your can use any other nut you wish)
1 scant cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 large egg white, very lightly beaten
a few drops of almond essence (optional)

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

To make the marzipan mix together the icing sugar, ground almonds and the white egg and the optional essence if using. Knead until you get a soft, slightly sticky and pliable ball (add more icing sugar if needed) let rest for an hour (or overnight) well covered in plastic wrap in the fridge (it can be used immediately but it is tastier if rested for a while). When needed knead the marzipan with your hands until pliable and roll into a rope and place onto the unbaked stollen dough.

If you can get almond paste then use the paste it will give you a very smooth marzipan.

The good thing about this recipe is that the egg white is safe to eat when the stollen is baked.

Thanks Audax Artifex for the marzipan recipe

Merry Christmas!

Hatschi the Hedgehog

2010-12-23T18:29:00.001-05:00

First we saw this:

And then we bought this:

His name it Hatschi (roughly translated back to English from German means "achoo!" Gesundheit.) and he is our bright-eyed and bushy-(um...pocky?)-tailed African Pigmy Hedgehog.

When he's scared, he rolls himself up into a little ball or at least lowers a few spines over his eyes, poised to defend himself.

Hatschi was born on October 25th and we brought him home on December 16th. He is quickly becoming friends with The Biochemist but is taking his time warming up to me.

He has a thing for socks - we're not sure if it is due to his being able to crawl inside of them or if he likes the smell...

He will find the smallest, tightest space and try to crawl into or under it. He tried forcing his way under a full rolling suitcase; he didn't get very far.

He is also incredibly flexible. He is currently wearing his baby quills and over the next few months will be gradually shedding them for his more permanent adult quills. He will spend vast lengths of time scratching his entire body with his hind legs; growing quills is an itchy business. In the process, he will lose his blue dot which the breeder painted on his back to identify him.

Sewing - Tote Bag

2010-12-10T20:49:00.000-05:00

Since I turned in my thesis on Monday, I've had a bunch of extra time on my hands - the perfect opportunity to explore new hobbies. On my last trip home, my grandma gave me a sewing machine so I can make curtains for my new apartment (more on that another time), and a ton of this awesome printed canvas fabric. I LOVE the bold, crazy pattern which I think is reminiscent of something I would spend a fortune on at Anthropologie. Naturally, I decided that this fabric would make excellent curtains; maybe paired with a solid red or blue to tone down the loud pattern a bit.

But, alas, The Biochemist hated my new fabric. HATED it. I admit that it is a little on the bold side, but it's not that bad...is it? Nonetheless, I decided to let him have his say and we chose a nice solid burgundy for the curtains instead. But what to do with all this print?

Truthfully, I think it might make better tote bags than curtains. The first bag I made was a complete fail. My plan was to pleat the top of the bag and sew a strip over the top to finish it but I stupidly didn't account for the shortening of the fabric cased by the pleating and the end result was an excessively long bag with a tiny opening, barely large enough for my hand. My second attempt was a little better - I cut a long, wide strip and planned to fold it in half and sew up the sides. However, I tried to be creative and flatten the bottom of the bag but instead, just made the whole thing look kind of wonky.

This is my third and final (for now) attempt. And it was a success! I out each side, allowing about a half an inch seam allowance on the bottom ad sides and four inches on top to fold over for the top hem. A four inch wide strip makes up the bottom and sides. The handles were made by sewing long strips into tubes, inverting them, and stitching over the top to keep them flat. They were sewn into the top hem, flipped up, and double stitched into place.

The process turned out to be quite easy but I did break 5 needles during the process. 5. That's a lot. I think I was pulling the fabric through a little too fast...plus by the time I was double stitching the the handles in place, the fabric was quite thick.

This one is a Christmas present for my friend, M, but I plan to make at least one more for myself at some point. It was a fun, and relatively easy project. I highly recommend starting with something simple like this tote-bag of you want to get into sewing. After making this bag, making the solid burgundy curtains was a breeze.

2010-11-28T17:35:00.001-05:00

"Make life sweeter...Eat dessert first." ~Joanne Chang

I had been looking forward to this meet-and greet for weeks, since I had seen it advertised in the window at the Brookline Booksmith. I stood in line for about 15 minutes wondering what I wanted to say to this Harvard-educated mathematician turned distinguished pastry chef. When I made it to Joanne, I said hello and handed over my new book, and the post-it with my name spelled correctly, and said "I love that you began your career as a mathematician and that you were able to give up such a practical career for such an impractical one and be a success." She smiled and said that it was an easy transition once she knew what she wanted and was willing to work for it.

"Melanie - Eat dessert first! - Joanne Chang"

To read more about the cookbook, and for the Homemade Oreo recipe, head over to my post about it at Pages of the Mind, my cousins' book blog. Expect to see many recipes from this book soon!

Crostata con la Crema: Nov. 2010 DB Challenge

2010-11-27T09:00:00.118-05:00

The 2010 November Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.

I was pretty excited about this challenge - I just bought a new tart pan, and made my first tart, days before the challenge was posted. The challenge was specifically to make the crust, or pasta frolla, and fill it with any variety of fillings. I used a combination of the suggested fillings by layering blackberry jam and the pastry cream. The end product tasted alright but I think there was a lot of room for improvement. The pastry cream was delicious prior to baking but took on a strange rubbery texture once baked. If I were to make this tart again, I would bake the dough and the jam first, then add the pastry cream and top with fresh berries.

The crust, however, was perfect exactly as is. I will definitely use this crust recipe again - especially since I think it will lend itself well to a variety of fillings. So, below are the recipes used for the crostata in the pictures. I recommend getting a little creative ;)

pasta frolla

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

a scant 3/4 c powdered sugar
1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
grated zest of half a lemon
1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten in a small bowl
1/4 t cardamom

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

Whisk together sugar, flour and salt in a bowl.

Rub or cut the butter into the flour until the mixture has the consistency of coarse crumbs. You can do this in the bowl or on your work surface, using your fingertips or an implement of choice.

Make a well in the center of the mounded flour and butter mixture and pour the beaten eggs into it (reserve about a teaspoon of the egg mixture for glazing purposes later on – place in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to use).

Add the lemon zest to your flour/butter/egg mixture.

Use a fork to incorporate the liquid into the solid ingredients, and then use your fingertips.

Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a ball.

Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours. You can refrigerate the dough overnight.

Meanwhile make the Crema Pasticcera:

Crema Pasticcera
Adapted from this recipe

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

3 egg yolks
1/3 c sugar
1/3 c corn starch
1 c milk, 1%
1 c cream
lemon peel (sans pith)
2 T seedless blackberry jam

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan along with the lemon peel. Place on a low heat and very gently bring to near boiling point - stir constantly to ensure the milk doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until creamy and light. Sift in the flour and whisk until it has been incorporated. Pour in the cooled milk mixture and whisk until smooth and runny. Pour out into a clean saucepan.

Place over a low heat and stir until the mixture thickens. When you start feeling resistance remove the pot from the heat and stir until that resistance fades. As the cream begins to thicken, remove the lemon peel.

Once the sauce is thick - it should hold its shape - remove from the heat, stir vigorously before pouring into a heat-proof container. Swirl in the jam. To stop a skin forming, place plastic wrap against the top of the sauce. Keep in the fridge until the Frolla is ready.

---Assembly-----------------------------------------------------------

Heat the oven to 350ºF [180ºC/gas mark 4].

Take the pasta frolla out of the fridge, unwrap it and cut away ¼ of the dough. Reserve this dough to make the lattice top of the crostata. Refrigerate this dough while you work on the tart base.

To help roll the crostata dough, keep the dough on top of the plastic wrap that you had it wrapped in. This can help rolling the dough and can also help when transferring the dough to your pan. You can also use parchment paper for this. However, you can also roll the dough directly on a work surface if you prefer.

Lightly dust the top of the dough and your work surface (if you’re rolling directly on a work surface) with flour. Keep some flour handy to dust the dough as you go along.

If the dough is very firm, start by pressing the dough with the rolling pin from the middle to each end, moving the rolling pin by a pin's width each time; turn the dough 180 degrees and repeat; when it softens, start rolling.

Roll the dough into a circle about 1/8th inch (3 mm) thick.

If you used the plastic wrap or parchment paper as rolling surface, flip dough over the pan, centering it, and delicately press it all around so the corners are well covered. Peel away the plastic wrap.

Trim the excess dough hanging over the edges of the pan. Press the remaining dough around the border into the sides of the pan making sure the border is an even thickness all the way around.

Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork in several places.

Take out of the fridge the reserved pasta frolla you had cut away earlier. Roll it with your pin and cut into strips or use cookie cutters to make small shapes (this is not traditional, but it looks cute); or roll with your hands into ropes.

Cover the bottom of the crostata crust evenly with 2 T of the jam from before, then the pastry cream.

Use the prepared strips or rolls of dough to make a lattice over the surface, or decorate with the cut shapes.

Brush the border and strips of dough with the reserved beaten eggs. You can add a drop or two of water to the beaten eggs if you don’t have enough liquid.

Put the tart in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

When done, remove the tart from the oven and let cool. If you have used a tart pan with a removable bottom, then release the tart base from the fluted tart ring. Make sure the tart is completely cool before slicing and serving.

A pdf of this challenge can be found here.

Nutrition Facts, calculated with the Recipe Calculator
serving size: 1/12th of recipe

Calories 295.5
Total Fat 17.3 g
Total Carbohydrate 31.0 g
Dietary Fiber 0.5 g
Sugars 15.6 g
Protein 4.5 g

Chicken with Chili Jam

2010-11-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

I have my master's thesis a little over 50% complete! I'm pretty excited to be done soon and have little time to spend doing anything else these days. Hence the general lack of blog posts... My cousin, L.A., who lives in England made dinner for her family the other day and offered to write about on my blog. She has guest posted for me once before; we did a little Tale of Two Whoopies which proved to be quite of fun way to connect with someone who lives so far away. This recipe sounds delicious and I hope to be able to make it myself soon. (Maybe from my new tiny kitchen in Boston...more about that another time...)

"Loved this recipe I was put off at first by the fact you have to make the jam and then the chicken. Mainly because even though I do enjoy cooking having two little ones under 3 doesn't give me a whole lot of time to cook. I usually need meals in 30 minutes or less, but this actually didn't take as long as I thought. I also made the jam the night before in prep just to save on time of the actual cook. So over all I was very happy with this recipe and will be using it again!

The side salad was just little gem lettuce, cucumber, feta cheese, and sugar snap peas covered in the homemade dressing recipe listed here! It was good! I like my salads to be one colour I know some people like them to be multiple colours, but I like a nice green salad! Yum!"

~L.A.

Chicken with Chili Jam

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 125g (4oz) each
Coriander leaves, to garnish
Cooked rice noodles, to serve

Chili Jam
125g (4oz) fresh chilies, deseeded and chopped (I used only 100g and wear gloves if you have them chili juice stays on your hands for days and can burn)
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 onion, chopped
5 cm (2 inch) piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped
125 ml (4fl oz) white vinegar
500g (1 lb) sugar

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

First, to make the chili jam, put all the ingredients into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. The mixture should be thick, sticky and jam-like, and will become more so as it cools. (I found that it didn’t start to get thick until after it started to cool. I ended up heating for a bit longer as it didn’t thicken in the pan)

Meanwhile, heat a griddle pan. Put the chicken breasts on the griddle, and cook for 10 minutes, then turn them over and cook for a further 10 minutes. (I just cooked my chicken on the grill, I don’t really think it matters as long as the chicken is cooked and hot*)

Serve the chicken on a bed of rice noodles; with the chili jam poured over the top, garnished with coriander.

Store any remaining chili jam in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week, and use it as an accompaniment to spice up other griddled or grilled meats.

*I made my chili jam the night before so I needed my chicken to be really hot when I put the jam over it. Once it does it melts all over the chicken and makes a glaze over the chicken. It was very very yummy. I have lots of jam left over as I was only making dinner for me and my husband, even though my daughter who is 3 likes spicy things, this was way too hot for her. It does have a kick and the rice noodles help keep it from being too hot.

Low Calorie French dressing:

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

6 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp wine vinegar (I used white)
½ tsp mustard
¼ tbsp sugar
½ small onion, grated
A little ground coriander (I used fresh, frozen)
3 tbsp chopped parsley
Salt and pepper

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

Put everything in a bowl and whisk until thickened.

Both recipes are taken from the Hamlyn All Colour Healthy cookbook. All recipes are low fat, low GI or low carb. Both recipes were very yummy and I am trying to decide what to do with the rest of my chili jam!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks L.A. for this great post! I love you ;)

Turkish Baklava

2010-11-18T09:37:00.001-05:00

October is breast cancer awareness month. November is diabetes awareness month. Yet, here I am, a T1D, making baklava for a bake sale in November to support Breast Cancer research...hmphf...

UPDATE: I just realized that I sound kind of rude just there... I am happy to raise money for Breast Cancer research. I have had relatives go through that fight and it sucks. I just would also like people to get this excited about raising money for diabetes research too. Just because we don't look sick, doesn't mean we don't need a cure.

Anyway, the university hosted an international bake sale where the funds raised go to support Breast Cancer research and, despite not being particularly international, I decided it would be a GREAT outlet for my desire to bake (which I have been suppressing a bit lately). Teamed up with my friends B and M, we decided that baklava was the way to go - it's easy, international, and delicious.

I think when most people think "baklava" their minds immediately go straight to Greece, but a little research told me that it is native to the Ottoman Empire and modern-day Turkey. A little more research showed me that the Turkish recipes tend to be lower in sugar than the Greek counterpart so here you will find a decidedly Turkish version of the dessert.

Adapted from here and here.
Makes 64 pieces.

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

3 cups walnuts, plus extra for sprinkling (optional)
2 tbsp sugar
1-1/2 cups unsalted clarified butter
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 packages of phyllo dough, most stores sell them in double packs - just get the one double box.
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup honey
juice of 1 lemon

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

If clarifying your own butter, start with 1 lb of unsalted butter. In a saucepan over low heat, melt butter. It will separate into 3 layers: a foamy froth on top, a clear liquid in the middle and a white solid at the bottom. When the butter is heated through and no more foam is developing, remove from heat. Remove the foam with a spoon. You want to keep the yellow liquid. You can save it by decanting it from the saucepan without disturbing the milk solids, or strain it through a cheesecloth-lined strainer.

Preheat oven to 300F.

Place the walnuts and sugar in a food processor and process until medium to finely ground (but not too fine!). Set aside.

Brush the inside of two 9x13 inch baking pans with a little bit of the clarified butter. Oops, I missed this step, but they turned out fine - I just lost the bottom layer...

Layer phyllo then butter so that you have 8 sheets/layers. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of the nut mixture over the phyllo in the pan. Set down two layers of phyllo/butter and sprinkle with 1/3 cup of mixture. Repeat two layers of phyllo/butter and 1/3 cup of mixture until you finish with the rest of the package of phyllo/butter on top. (That's 3 layers of nuts total.)

TIP: Keep the phyllo dough under a damp towel during assembly. If the dough dries out, you will have flat baklava in the end.

Using a sharp knife dipped in hot water, cut through the dough approximately halfway down the height of the pan to make 36 pieces. (Divide in fourths each way and then half each square along the diagonal.)

Bake for 1 hour and 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil the water and sugar for 15 minutes. Add the honey and lemon (careful that it doesn’t boil over) and let boil for 2 more minutes. Allow to cool.

Pour the cold syrup evenly over the cut lines of the hot pastry. The sizzle is quite exciting! Sprinkle the baklava with chopped walnuts or pistachios, if desired, and let it cool completely. Serve at room temperature.

Baklava keeps for 1 week in a cool, dry place. Or package in muffin cups and wrap for a great bake-sale treat!

Nutrition Facts, calculated with the Recipe Calculator
serving size: 2 triangles

Calories 275.1
Total Fat 17.8 g
Total Carbohydrate 26.9 g
Sugars 10.6 g
Protein 3.8 g

Mint Truffle Tuxedo Tart

2010-10-28T18:54:00.002-04:00

It is becoming more and more difficult to find excuses to bake lately. I have so little time these days between traveling to and from The Biochemist's city, trying to complete my masters thesis, and maintaining friendships. Plus, I am trying to be a good PWD and eat less decadence like I am going to post today. However, today I had a good excuse. Today I made a Tuxedo Tart in honor of our New Post-Doc's wedding that is coming up next weekend. I found the humble filling recipe here and am pairing it with this smitten tart shell, and after finding the tart-pan on sale at TJ Maxx, I created my tuxedo stencil and the Mint Truffle Tuxedo Tart was born.

The Great Unshrinkable Sweet Tart Shell
From Smitten Kitchen

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

1 1/2 c whole grain white flour
1/2 c confectioner’s sugar
1/4 t salt
9 T very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

Butter the bottom of a 9 inch removable-bottom tart pan.

Pulse the flour, sugar and salt together in the bowl of a food processor. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in. Stir the egg, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in long pulses–about 10 seconds each–until the dough forms clumps and curds. Since my food processor is so small, I had to do this all in a bowl with a pastry cutter.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing.

Press the dough into the tart pan as soon as it is processed: Press it evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the tart shell. You want to press hard enough that the pieces cling to one another, but not so hard that it loses its crumbly texture.

Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.

Center a rack in the oven preheat the oven to 375F. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil (or use nonstick foil) and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 20 to 25 minutes.

Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. Bake the crust about 10 minutes longer to fully bake it, or until it is firm and golden brown, brown being the important word: a pale crust doesn’t have a lot of flavor. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool the crust to room temperature.

While that cools you can start the tart's filling.

Not So Humble Fresh Mint Truffle Tart
From Not So Humble Pie

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

1lb 1 ounce (477g) semi-sweet chocolate , chopped (aka 5 bars of Cadbury Royal Dark chocolate)
1 1/4 c heavy cream
2 T unsalted butter
40 fresh mint leaves

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

Pick roughly 40 mint leaves and give them a good washing.

Thoroughly dry the leaves in paper towels and then give them a couple smacks with your rolling pin to make them fragrant.

Bring the heavy cream to a simmer over medium heat. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the mint leaves. Cover and allow to stand for 20-30 minutes so the mint can infuse the cream.

When the cream is ready, strain to remove the mint leaves and add the cream, the butter and the chocolate to a heat-safe bowl and place over a pan of gently simmering water (over, not in). Stir the mixture slowly, until completely smooth. The end result should be a glossy, emulsified ganache, fragrant with real mint.

Pour the ganache into your cooled crust and then place into the refrigerator to set. It should take a few hours to firm up.

Making the pattern work can be tricky - just be creative!

Garnish the tart with a little fresh mint or a dusting of powdered sugar before serving.

To store, keep the tart covered and chilled for up to 3-4 days. Allow to stand at room temperature for about 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Cut a slice, a very small slice, and enjoy.

Nutrition Facts, calculated with the Recipe Calculator
serving size: 1/16th of recipe

Calories 340.1
Total Fat 24.6g
Total Carbohydrate 32.0g
Dietary Fiber 3.2g
Sugars 20.6g
Protein 3.7 g

Here's the graphic I made as a pattern for the tuxedo.

PB&Pear Panini

2010-10-15T12:56:00.001-04:00

I was at the farmer's market last weekend when I saw these delicious looking Bartlet pears. I'm really not the type of person to do much with fruit other than simply eating it - I feel like most cooking methods do little to enhance the taste of the fruit and sometimes even take away from it. Nonetheless, I had a peanut butter craving and decided to be a little creative.

Since this is just a sandwich, I won't bore you with too many cooking details, but here are the basic steps involved:

I used my mandolin to slice the pears. The whole pear easily could have made 3 or 4 paninis but I just snacked on the rest while the panini press was doing it's magic.

Now, simply spread some peanut butter on pita or any bread you have lying around, arrange the pear slices and press until hot and gooey.

Slice and Enjoy!

This sandwich would be great with various other fruits, jam, honey, Nutella, etc. Be creative, and experiment and you are bound to make something delicious.

Black Bean and Avacado Brownies

2010-09-23T22:27:00.000-04:00

These brownies are a total oxymoron. Healthy brownies? I would never have believed it until I tried them. Now, with substitutions like black beans in place of flour and avocado in place of oil or butter, there is a significant texture difference from traditional brownies but the flavor is spot on. These are more like fudge than cake, and at only 100calories per square, you can practically eat the whole pan!

I followed this recipe from Cara's Cravings which is a great blog that you should certainly check out. I even brought them with me to our Mexican themed tailgate (Get it? Avocado and black beans? It made sense to me.) and they were devoured. This is also a D-dessert! Check out other D-feast foods here.

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

1 15.5 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 eggs
1/4 c agave syrup
1/2 ripe avocado
6 T cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1 t vanilla
6 T sugar
2 t instant espresso (or one shot of espresso)
1 t cyan pepper or hot paprika (optional)

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8x8" pan with parchment paper.

Combine black beans, egg substitute, agave syrup, and avocado in food processor. Blend for a few minutes, until completely smooth. Add remaining ingredients and continue blending until fully combined, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Spread into baking dish. Bake for 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the brownies comes out clean.

These are best if you let them sit overnight before slicing and enjoying!

Go Irish!

Nutrition Facts, calculated with the Recipe Calculator
serving size: 1/12th of recipe

Calories: 98.0
Total Fat: 1.2
Total Carbs: 19.5 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.7 g
Protein: 4.2 g

Easy Sweet & Sour Pork

2010-09-12T21:44:00.000-04:00

Typically I shy away from cooking meat. I have this bad tendency to smoke out my kitchen when I try. I don't know what I'm doing wrong - for instance, last week, I wanted this ginger orange cardamom chicken that I saw on Arti Party. The recipe said to roast the chicken for 30 minutes at 500F. So I did; after 15 minutes my smoke detector was wailing. This happened once when I tried to roast veggies too. I could probably fix the problem if I were to calibrate my oven but I just don't have the time and I plan to have a new oven to love soon anyway.

This recipe however, did not involve roasting at high temperatures. This one involves a pan and a tiny bit of oil - mind you, I have smoked up the apartment with this exact scenario before but I always hold on to hope that eventually I will make it work.

And, this one turned out perfectly - no smoke, no burned meat or undercooked centers. The soy beans provide a nice salty and savory crispy exterior and the saucy is contrastingly sweet and sour as the title implies. I served them alongside some simple brown rice but these would be great with a salad - whisk up a little of the glaze with some rice wine vinegar and oil for dressing - or even ramen noodles. Be creative!

Th recipe is loosely based from this one from the Cooking Channel - I just watched the show and then cooked so you'll notice quite a few differences between that one and this...but it did turn out exceptionally well regardless.

I'm also tagging this one as another D-feast meal - for me, anything low in carbs, yet filling, qualifies. Check out other D-feast meals here.

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

1/4 c dried roasted edamame (look for them in the Asian section)
4 pork chops, 3/4 in thick
1 8oz can pineapple, drained
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
1 T olive oil

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

These things make a great snack too!

In a food processor, blend the pineapple and lime juice until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a small sauce pan and reduce to about 1/2 - 1/3 of the original volume.

Meanwhile, grind the edamame into a fine powder along with a little black pepper. Cut any fat off of the pork chops then coat with the edamame - press firmly to get it all to adhere.

Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium high heat. Cook the pork chops for 3-5 minutes per side until the internal temp reaches 160F.

Serve with a spoon of the pineapple sauce over the top alongside rice, salad, or ramen.

Nutrition Facts, calculated with the Recipe Calculator
serving size: 1 pork chop with ~1.5 T sauce

Calories 427
Total Fat 17.1 g
Total Carbohydrate 6.8 g
Dietary Fiber 1.3 g
Sugars 3.7 g
Protein 51.3 g

Baked Alaska: DB Challenge August 2010

2010-08-27T09:00:00.073-04:00

The August 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Elissa of 17 and Baking. For the first time, The Daring Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa was the gracious hostess of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette, or browned butter, Elissa chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make a pound cake to be used in either a Baked Alaska or in Ice Cream Petit Fours. The sources for Elissa’s challenge were Gourmet magazine and David Lebovitz’s “The Perfect Scoop”.

I've had Baked Alaska before and I have been wanting to make it again ever since. The challenge this month was to make Baked Alaska using a browned butter pound cake but to me, it isn't Baked Alaska without a brownie base. So, using the Blackberry Brown Sugar Mascarpone Brownies and the Blackberry Brown Sugar Mascarpone Ice Cream that I made earlier (notice a theme here?), I assembled these delicious Baked Alaskas. I also ventured from the challenge recipe regarding how to finish the final product. In the challenge, they suggested covering the brownie and ice cream with meringue and simply using a kitchen torch to finish the dessert. For me, the best part of making Baked Alaska is sticking the hard frozen ice cream and brownie, covered with the insulating meringue, into an incredibly hot oven, and pulling out a warm brownie, crispy golden meringue, filled with cold ice cream 3 minutes later. For me, without the oven, it's just not Baked Alaska.

I was hoping to also make the browned butter pound cake before today but after all the carb-filled desserts of the last few weeks, and trips to Boston providing me with no oven for the weekends, I just couldn't manage to do it. But, hopefully, I will post that browned butter pound cake recipe eventually because I hear it's divine!
Now, in the interest of total transparency, I have to admit that while baking worked beautifully to preserve the cold interior of the dessert while nicely warming both the brownie and the meringue, the result was difficult to transfer from the cookie sheet to a plate without collapsing. The first batch of Baked Alaska looked more like Bombed Alaska; it still tasted great though!

The pictures on this post all come from cooking the dessert the way the challenge recommended which is taking a chilled brownie, topping it with hard-frozen ice cream, then meringue, and browning the whole thing with the kitchen torch. This method was less satisfying as there was no amazement at putting ice cream in a 450 degree oven without it melting, and the brownie had no opportunity to get warm. But, as you can see, the torching method resulted in a much prettier and more stable dessert.

In an effort to not be redundant, you can click the following links to find the recipes for the brownies and ice cream that I used, but keep in mind that ANY dense brownie or cake and ANY ice cream can be paired together to make this dessert.

Ice cream recipe
Brownie recipe

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

8 scoops ice cream (See recipe link above)
8 cake or brownie squares (See recipe link above)
meringue
   8 large egg whites
   1/2 t cream of tartar
   1/2 t salt
   1 c sugar

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

Make or buy ice cream and brownies or cake.

Make meringue:
Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt on high speed in an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Beat in the sugar gradually, in a slow stream, until stiff peaks form.

---Assembly-----------------------------------------------------------

Cut brownies into squares, stack between layer of wax or parchment paper and place in freezer.**

Mold ice cream into individual portions and freeze overnight. This can be accomplished a number of ways - you can either use an ice cream scoop to scoop directly onto the top of the frozen brownies and freeze them together on a parchment lined baking sheet, or, if you lack freezer space like me, you can make molds using the bottoms cut out of plastic cups lined with plastic wrap. These can then be stacked in your freezer and unmolded before being placed on top of the frozen brownies.

Cover generously with meringue - making sure to cover the ice cream entirely. Place in a preheated 450F oven for 3-5 minutes until the meringue is golden OR forget about the oven (and the warn brownie and simply brown the outside of the meringue with a kitchen torch.

Carefully transfer to individual plates and dig in!

**If using the torch method, I don't recommend freezing the brownie as there is no opportunity for it to thaw, and nobody wants to eat a frozen brownie...

A pdf of the challenge recipe can be found here.

Nutrition Facts, calculated with the Recipe Calculator
Serving size: 1 completed dessert - will vary depending on ice cream and brownie recipe used

Calories 620.1
Total Fat 35.5 g
Total Carbohydrate 80.4 g
Dietary Fiber 2.9 g
Sugars 61.5 g
Protein 8.6 g

Blackberry Brown Sugar Mascarpone Brownies

2010-08-23T09:00:00.001-04:00

After making Blackberry Brown Sugar Mascarpone Ice Cream, I found myself with leftover blackberries, brown sugar, and mascarpone. Obviously this was something that needed to be remedied so I decided to adapt my favorite brownie recipe to include these new flavors.

In order to add flavor without simply adding moisture, I tried to mix the three title ingredients into a sort of cheesecake batter to swirl into the brownie batter. I think the recipe below would benefit from twice the mascarpone content to thicken it up a bit and make it a little more substantial, but the end result was still full of blackberry mascarpone flavor and had a bit of a nice red swirl across the top.

An adaptation of this recipe.

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter
1 c sugar
1/4 c vanilla sugar
3/4 c plus 2 T unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-process)
1/4 t salt
2 t almond extract
2 cold large eggs
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c mascarpone cheese
2T light brown sugar
1T blackberry puree (or jam, then decrease the brown sugar)
2 T egg, beaten

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

Preheat oven to 325°F with rack positioned in the lower third of the oven. Line the bottom and the sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides to make it easier to lift the brownies out of the pan when they are done.

Combine the butter, cocoa, sugar, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl. Set the bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir the butter cocoa mixture from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in the almond extract. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring quickly after each one. When the batter looks shiny, thick, and well mixed, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon. Stir in the pecans. Spread the batter evenly in the lined pan.

Combine mascarpone, brown sugar, blackberry puree, and egg and beat until smooth. Pour mixture over the top of the brownies and swirl together with a knife.

Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out just slightly moist with batter, 40 to 50 minutes. Let the brownies cool completely on a rack. Lift up the ends of the foil or parchment paper liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 12 squares.

Best when served alongside a scoop of ice cream.

Nutrition Facts, calculated with the Recipe Calculator
Serving size: 1 square

Calories 250.1
Total Fat 16.5 g
Total Carbohydrate 25.0 g
Dietary Fiber 2.1 g
Sugars 17.8 g
Protein 3.1 g

Cantaloupe Ice Cream

2010-08-21T09:00:00.001-04:00

My third and last ice cream post was a request by my friend, A. She grew up in Texas and, like the Homesick Texan who created this recipe, she jumps at every opportunity to relive the flavors of her youth. As a native Wisconsinite, I've never heard of putting melon into ice cream - although we do have our own share of strange flavors in WI. The end result was very cantaloupe-y and quite good. Of the three ice cream recipes I made that weekend, this was the only one that required any heat. I recommend trying at least one cooked ice cream recipe as it's interesting to see how the different processes all result in similar end-products. Next time I get my hands on an ice cream maker [wink, wink] I think I'll try my hands at making a frozen custard...

Before diving into the recipe, I must make a bit of a disclaimer: Although the cantaloupe flavor came through beautifully, I thought this particular ice cram had a bit of a strange metallic after taste. I made two separate batches, one in an uncoated stainless steel pot, and the other in a Teflon coated pot, and both had the same aftertaste. In both cases I used a combination of a metal whisk and rubber spatula with a metal handle to stir. We did come up with one solution to the problem: never stop eating the ice cream and you'll never have to deal with the after taste ;) Also, a few of my guests claimed they would never have noticed had I not told them...so, I guess, don't read this paragraph until after you've tried it...but it's probably too late for that... Anyway, here's the recipe, adapted from the Homesick Texan.

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

2 c diced ripe cantaloupe (about 1 cantaloupe)
1 c heavy cream
2 c half-and-half
2 eggs
3/4 c granulated sugar
1 t vanilla extract
2 T lime juice
1/2 t salt

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

In a blender, puree the cantaloupe with 1/2 cup half-and-half.

In a pot, cook the cantaloupe puree with the cream and remaining half-and-half on medium heat until warm—do not let it come to a boil. Turn off the heat.

Beat the eggs with the sugar, vanilla, lime juice, and salt. Stir into the eggs 1/2 cup of the warm liquid and then pour egg and cream mixture into the pot.

On medium low, heat this mixture while stirring occasionally for five minutes or until it gets slightly thick. You’ll know it’s ready when it coats the back of your spoon. Cool in the refrigerator for four hours.

Freeze and churn according to your ice-cream maker’s instructions. If you like chunks of fruit in your ice cream, add about 1/4 c diced cantaloupe to the ice cream in the last 5 minutes of churning.

Yield: 1 quart, 16 servings

Nutrition Facts, calculated with the Recipe Calculator
Serving size: ~1/4 cup

Calories 143.7
Total Fat 9.6 g
Total Carbohydrate 13.0 g
Dietary Fiber 0.2 g
Sugars 11.1 g
Protein 2.1 g

Blackberry Brown Sugar Mascarpone Ice Cream

2010-08-18T10:33:00.000-04:00

Like I said in my last post, I borrowed a friend's ice cream maker for the weekend and obviously could make just one ice cream recipe. This recipe also hails from the Not So Humble Pie kitchen and is SO good. This is a rich and creamy ice cream and the flavors are full and vibrant. I also loved this recipe because the whole thing was whipped together in my blender (plus a sieve if you wish to remove those obnoxious blackberry seeds) and only needed about a hour of chilling before being ready to churn.

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

yields roughly 1.3 quarts, 16 servings

1 1/2 c fresh or frozen blackberries
1/4 c golden brown sugar (or light brown)
1 c granulated sugar
2 c heavy cream (I'm using 30% minimum milk fat)
3/4 c 1% milk
1/2 c mascarpone cheese
1 large egg*
splash of lemon juice

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

In your food processor, combine the blackberries and the brown sugar and mix until well blended. You can then sieve the mixture for a smoother ice cream. Skip the straining step if you don't mind a few blackberry seeds.

Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and blend for roughly 15-20 seconds.

Chill the mixture for 30-60 minutes (if you're using cold ingredients and frozen blackberries, go ahead and just skip this step) and prepare in your ice cream maker according to the manufacture's instructions.

Pour into a container and chill for at least an hour, until firm.

* this recipe contains a raw egg. While generally I'm not concerned about eating raw unpasteurized eggs in a small quantity, I won't recommend serving raw eggs to young children, the elderly and those who are immunocompromised. So, feel free to use pasteurized eggs to eliminate the risk of foodborne illness.

Nutrition Facts, calculated with the Recipe Calculator
Serving size: ~1/4 cup

Calories 256.3
Total Fat 19.0 g
Total Carbohydrate 20.4 g
Dietary Fiber 0.8 g
Sugars 17.7 g
Protein 1.5 g

Lemon Ice Cream

2010-08-16T09:00:00.002-04:00

I am not a summer person - I'll take snow over heat any day. But since I can't seem to avoid summer this week, this ice cream has helped make it a little more bearable. Using a borrowed ice cream maker (these things are amazing!!! I want one...) I busted out 3 flavors in two days...

This first ice cream I found at Not So Humble Pie, probably my favorite food blog. I chose to make this one first because it just sounded so incredibly simple. The recipe requires 4 ingredients: cream, sugar, lemon, and salt. I'll admit, I was skeptical at first that the lemon would curdle the cream but it didn't. Instead it created this lusciously smooth and intensely lemony ice cream.

For a little extra flavor, I pureed a few blackberries and strained the seeds to make the perfect compliment to the tartness of this creamy ice cream.

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

from Luscious Lemon Desserts
yields a scant one quart, 16 servings

2 c heavy (whipping) cream
1 c sugar
1/2 c + 2 T fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
1/4 c finely grated lemon zest
pinch salt

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

Whisk all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Allow to stand for 20 minutes at room temperature, whisking every couple minutes to help dissolve the sugar. Strain the mixture and discard the lemon zest and pulp.

Chill this mixture for 3 hours until very cold.

Add the mixture to your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. Once finished, place into a lidded container and chill until firm. Serve alone or with pureed and strained blackberries.

Nutrition Facts, calculated with the Recipe Calculator
Serving size: 1/4 cup

Calories 103.9
Total Fat 5.5 g
Total Carbohydrate 14.4 g
Dietary Fiber 0.1 g
Sugars 12.9 g
Protein 0.4 g

Enjoy!

Feta-Stuffed Greek Turkey Burgers

2010-08-13T07:15:00.000-04:00

I'm really busy lately, so this post will come with little explanation. I had some leftover ground turkey and decided it would be good with some feta and Greek flavors. Plus I'll take any opportunity to eat a few slices of avocado.

P.S. I'm tagging this a another D-Feast Friday meal...So, enjoy!

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

1/2 lb ground turkey or chicken
1 egg white
1 slice of stale bread (or toasted) ground into bread crumbs
~1 t Greek seasoning
~1/4 t garlic powder
~ 1/2 t onion flakes
parsley (for color)
lemon zest, from half a lemon
lemon juice
~4 T crumbled feta
olive oil

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

Preheat an electric grill on high, or start the grill.

Blend together, with your hands, turkey, egg, bread crumbs, and seasonings to taste plus a splash of lemon juice. Separate into 4 servings, and further divide each in half. Form one half of each section into a disk, add a heaping tablespoon of feta and cover completely with the other half. Be sure that the feta is completely sealed in.

Brush patties lightly with olive oil on both sides, and grill patties for about 5 minutes per side (or 5 minutes total on an indoor electric grill) until cooked through. Squeeze additional lemon over the top.

Serve on a pita with homemade tzatziki and sliced avocado, red onion, and/or cucumber. Or, if you're like me and have little bread on hand serve simple with a few slices of avocado or atop a bed of romaine tossed with olive oil, red wine vinegar, black olives, avocado, cucumber, red onion, and extra crumbled feta.

Two bites later this poor salad was a pile on the floor :)

Nutrition Facts, from Recipe Calculator
serving size: one burger (without garnish)

Calories 163.7
Total Fat 9.1 g
Total Carbohydrate 4.8 g
Dietary Fiber 0.5 g
Protein 15.1 g

Classic Zucchini Bread

2010-08-09T14:10:00.000-04:00

I've finally managed to use up all of the zucchini given to me so far this summer. I made zucchini gallette, zucchini omelets, sauteed zucchini, and zucchini chocolate cake. And now I've decided to go more traditional and make my adaptation of a classic zucchini bread. I began with my red Betty Crocker cookbook, and decided to make a few subtle changes to make it my own. I replaced the vegetable oil with extra virgin olive oil, white flour with whole wheat, and cloves with cardamom.

The result was very good. I was afraid that the whole wheat flour would make the bread a little too dense, but that was not the case at all. The bread has a slightly-sweet, light muffin-like consistency - great for breakfast with a smear of butter and a bowl of yogurt and berries...Mmmm. Just remember that this recipe make 2 loaves so you'll need to keep a recipient in mind for that second loaf.

Recipe adapted from my Betty Crocker Cookbook: New Addition, 2005

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

3 c shredded zucchini (I actually used my mandolin to finely julienne the zucchini, sometimes rotating the direction to turn some strings into tiny cubes of zucchini)
1 2/3 c sugar
2/3 c olive oil
2 t vanilla
4 large eggs
3 c whole wheat flour (would work just as well with white flour)
2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t cardamom
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 c chopped nuts and/or raisins, optional (I used almonds - maybe not the best choice - walnuts or pecans would be better)

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

Move oven rack to a low position so the top of the loaf pan sits in the center of the oven and preheat to 350F. Grease the bottoms of two 8x4 inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, stir zucchini, sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs until well mixed. Sift together remaining dry ingredients and stir into the zucchini mixture.

Julianned zucchini - easier than shredding!

Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove loaves from pans and cool completely (about 2 hours) on wire rack before cutting.

Wrap tightly and store at room temperature for 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Look at that great texture and color!!

Nutrition Facts from the Recipe Calculator
30 servings (15 slices per loaf)

Calories 150.3
Total Fat 6.5 g
Total Carbohydrate 21.4 g
Dietary Fiber 2.1 g
Sugars 11.6 g
Protein 2.9 g

Fig Balsamic Glazed Steelhead Trout

2010-08-06T20:03:00.011-04:00

I've had this recipe on my radar for quite awhile now. Fig Balsamic Glazed Salmon...Mmmm... My mom bought me this amazing Fig Balsamic Vinegar from the Oilerie and I felt it needed to be used for more than dressing on my usual bed of romaine with feta and olives. When I was at the grocery store today I saw some nice fillets of salmon for $9.99 a pound...a little expensive for my graduate student budget...and right behind the salmon was another pink fish that looked exactly the same to my untrained eye for only $6.99 a pound. This less expensive fish turned out to be steelhead trout. I thought for a second about whether or not this fish would be a decent substitution for the salmon in the original recipe but then I let my wallet decide and bought the trout. At home, I typed "steelhead trout" into the Food Blog Search and saw that this was a pretty common substitution for salmon. And, in the end, I really didn't taste much difference in the fish.

Since fish is a relatively healthy food, and low carb, I'm tagging this dish as a D feast Friday dish, despite the fact that the glaze is super sweet.
Recipe adapted from All Recipes

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

2 steelhead trout fillets (or salmon)
1 t minced garlic
a few splashes white wine
1 t honey
a few splashes fig balsamic vinegar (any balsamic vinegar will do)
1 t Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
oregano

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and brush with olive oil.

Coat a small saucepan with non-stick cooking spray. Over medium heat, cook and stir garlic until soft, about 3 minutes. Mix in white wine, honey, balsamic vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, for about 3 minutes, or until slightly thickened.

Before

Arrange salmon fillets on foil-lined baking sheet. Brush fillets with fig balsamic glaze and sprinkle with oregano.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 14 minutes, or until flesh flakes easily with a fork. Brush fillets with remaining glaze, and season with salt and pepper. Use a spatula to transfer fillets to serving platter, leaving the skin behind on the foil.

After

Serve with rice or pasta or a simple side salad dressed with a simple vinaigrette made with the balsamic vinegar used in the glaze.

Nutrition Facts, from the Recipe Calculator
Serving size: 1 fillet

Calories 257.6
Total Fat 8.3 g
Total Carbohydrate 8.6 g
Dietary Fiber 0.0 g
Sugars 7.9 g
Protein 32.9 g

Dinner is served!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

2010-07-27T12:37:00.000-04:00

served with a scoop of chocolate and hazelnut gelato...Mmmm!

Two things I love are vegetables and chocolate. Usually not together, but this cake is the exception to that rule. There may be healthier ways to cook up these massive zucchinis but few would be more delicious. This is one of the richest, most moist (eww...I hate that word) chocolate cakes I've had and the texture is smooth - no sign of zucchini anywhere (maybe not the best way to showcase the zucchini but delicious nonetheless).

I still have half of the larger zucchini left to use.

I had a lot of help with this cake. My best friend from high school and undergrad, L, and her kids, E and III, are staying with me for the week in my tiny two bedroom apartment that I share with another grad student. Our lives have bee a lot noisier these last few days but also decidedly more cute. (Plus, chasing kids around is good on the blood sugar levels.)

The finished cake - with frosting by L

Anyway, L was nice enough to grate the 2 cups of zucchini while corralling III, who is 1 yr old, and E (4) helped me add ingredients and stare in awe as all of these powders, and butter, and eggs transformed into yummy chocolate goo. (I know it's yummy because E told me after she licked the spoon.) E also got to make her own chocolate cupcake to which she decided to add a few mini teddy grahams for some additional whimsy.

E and her teddy graham cupcake

Adapted from Chocolate & Zucchini

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

2 c whole grain white flour
1/2 c dutch process cocoa powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 c light brown sugar
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1 t pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
2 c unpeeled grated zucchini
1 c (ish) chocolate chips (I used a combination of 60% ghirardelli chips, chopped espresso chocolate, and chopped bittersweet chocolate)

Frosting, (optional)
1 c powdered sugar
2 T unsalted butter
1 t vanilla
milk

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch round springform pan.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a mixer (or by hand in a large mixing bowl), beat the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs, mixing well between each addition.

E was very helpful. She added all of the ingredients herself.

Add 2/3 of the flour mixture into the egg batter. Mix until just combined; the batter will be thick. Add zucchini and the remainder of the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour into the prepared cake pan, and level the surface.

Such a wonderful dark chocolaty brown

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer onto a rack to cool for 10 minutes, run a knife around the pan to loosen, and unclasp the sides of the pan. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. spread with a thin layer of frosting if desired or sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Seconds please!

Nutrition Info
12 servings, amount per serving

without frosting / with frosting
Calories 370.3 / 417.4
Total Fat 22.3 g / 23.0 g
Total Carbohydrate 36.1 g / 46.2 g
Dietary Fiber 4.7 g / 4.7 g
Sugars 17.4 g / 27.4 g
Protein 14.3 g / 14.4 g

luckily there's more where that came from