honey & jam | recipes + photos

Sweet Potato Biscuits with Caramelized Shallot & Sage Butter (Plus a giveaway!)

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:21:00 +0000

I’m snowed in today. I’ve always loved snow days. The world slows down a bit, gets quiet. Snow days always mean baking for me.

A few days ago, I mentioned on twitter I wasn’t sure what to bake next. If you’re ever out of ideas, turn to twitter, seriously, crowd-sourcing is the way to go. I got lots of suggestions, but sweet potato biscuits grabbed my attention (thanks, tim!).

I love sweet potatoes - probably more than your average person. I have them several times a week, in every different form, baked, roasted, as fries, I should have probably turned orange by now, but I’d never tried sweet potato biscuits before.

The biscuits are very mellow in flavor, and just a touch sweet. They go really well with the savory & flavorful caramelized shallot and sage butter I threw together.

What also would go great with these biscuits are the goodies in Eat Boutique's breakfast box. A couple of months ago, Maggie, the owner, asked me if I’d like to host a giveaway and I jumped at the opportunity to share this business with you. I’ve been a huge fan of Eat Boutique since it’s creation and I’ve loved watching it grow.

Eat Boutique is an online marketplace for handmade, artisanal foods. They create well thought-out seasonal gift boxes, full of handpicked goods. The one you can win today is the breakfast box, which will contain coffee, maple syrup (so good on biscuits!), and lots of other delicious things. (Yours may vary just a little from the one listed on the site.)

How to enter:

It’s simple. Just leave a comment here saying you'd like to be entered (I'll only count the ones that mention they'd like to be entered, since this is a US only giveaway. If you're not from the US but you'd like to comment anyway, feel free. ;).

Enter a second time by becoming a fan of Eat Boutique on Facebook, come back here and leave another comment saying you’ve done so.

 Enter a third time by tweeting about this giveaway (be sure to include @honeyandjam and @eatboutique) and leave another comment saying you’ve done so.

No entries after 11 pm EST this Sunday, January 8th. US residents only. Winner will be picked at random and announced the 9th.

Sweet Potato Biscuits
From Martha Stewart
Makes 8

Ingredients
    1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and shaping
    2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
    2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
    1 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus 1/2 tablespoon melted butter and more for pan
    3/4 cup Sweet-Potato Puree, chilled
    1/3 cup buttermilk

Directions
Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, with some pea-sized lumps of butter remaining. In a small bowl, whisk together sweet potato puree and buttermilk; stir quickly into flour mixture until combined (do not overmix).

Shape the biscuits: Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead very gently until dough comes together but is still slightly lumpy, five or six times. (If dough is too sticky, work in up to 1/4 cup additional flour.) Shape into a disk, and pat to an even 1-inch thickness. With a floured 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out biscuits as close together as possible. Gather together scraps, and repeat to cut out more biscuits (do not reuse scraps more than once).

     Bake the biscuits: Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with rack on lower shelf. Butter an 8-inch cake pan. Arrange biscuits snugly in pan (to help them stay upright). Brush with melted butter. Bake until golden, rotating once, 20 to 24 minutes.

Caramelized Shallot & Sage Butter

1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter, room tempature
1 shallot, finely minced
2 tablespoons sage, finely chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small saucepan, over low heat. Add the shallot and cook until brown & soft. Let it cool completely.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, or by hand, beat the butter, shallot, sage and salt until combined.

You can place this mixture in a bowl, or scrape the butter onto a piece of plastic wrap, mold into a log shape and refrigerate.

The giveaway is now closed. Jacqui has won! Congrats Jacqui, your package is on its way!

Maple Buttermilk Tarts with Hazelnut Crust

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 20:34:00 +0000

You’re probably sick and tired of sugar, aren’t you? The last thing you want to think about is something sweet. All those christmas cookies, puddings, pumpkin pies. But I’m going to ask you to give these little tarts a try.

Earlier this month, I received a couple of products from Gilt Taste. One was a most likely delicious pork shoulder - that I accidentally left on the counter overnight instead of in the fridge. But we’re not going to talk about that, okay? (Yes, I am a total dunce some days.)

The other product they sent over was BLiS maple syrup. I’d been wanting to combine buttermilk & maple syrup for a while now, so this seemed the perfect time. (Although I could have eaten the maple syrup by the spoonful - it's that good.)

We’ve got very simple flavors here. Hazelnut, buttermilk, and maple. That’s it. It's not hard to make, you can pull together the crust up to a week ahead of time if you put it in the freezer, and the rest just requires a bit of whisking. The custard filling is creamy & comforting, and the maple syrup flavor is enough of a change from the sugaryness of the season to make it perfect for January.

Maple Buttermilk Tarts with Hazelnut Crust

Makes 1 large tart or 4 small ones

For the crust:
1 1/2 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup toasted hazelnuts
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the filling:
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the whipped cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream, optional
1 tablespoon powdered sugar, optional
1 teaspoons vanilla extract, optional

Preheat oven to 350.

Place 3/4 cup of hazelnuts and powdered sugar in food processor. Pulse until nuts are finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add flour and salt, pulse to combined. Add butter; pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with a few pea-sized chunks of butter.

With the machine running, add the yolk. Pulse just until the mixture begins to clump together. If the dough is dry, add cold water, 1 teaspoon at a time, and pulse until moistened.) Press dough evenly into bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Prick dough all over with a fork, freeze for 20 minutes.

Bake crust for 10 minutes. Remove and press down bottom and sides. Bake for 10 minutes more. Let cool for 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, melted butter, flour and salt. Add in the eggs, maple syrup, buttermilk and vanilla extract, stir to combine.

Pour mixture into pre-baked tart crust and bake for 45-55 minutes, (25-30 minutes for smaller tarts) or until outer edges are set, the middle will still bit a bit wobbly.

If using, whisk the heavy cream until lightly whipped, add the powdered sugar and vanilla, stir to combine.

Top with remaining 1/4 cup of toasted hazelnuts and lightly whipped cream.

Lately

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 01:35:00 +0000

Back in October, I took a trip to a pumpkin patch. It was such a beautiful day, the leaves were still gorgeously vibrant, some of them even still green. I wanted to tell you all about it right away, and I wanted to bake something delicious with all the pumpkins I had picked out. The green ones, the orange ones, the white ones. I had recipe ideas, namely a hazelnut-pumpkin-ginger tart that I could practically taste in my mind.

But then life got busy. One week turned into 2 and then somehow it was over a month after the fact, and not only had I not made anything with those pumpkins, I felt like I had forgotten how to blog. I wondered if I even wanted to anymore. My 3 year blog anniversary passed (happy belated birthday, h&j!) and I did nothing to commemorate it. I was feeling a bit disconnected from this process - even though I love it dearly.

Today though, I received an email from a friend, a friend I met through this blog. Reading her words, I was reminded why I love doing this. I love sharing my recipes & images, I love connecting with you all, (nothing makes me smile like getting an email from someone who has made a recipe & loved it) I love the creative process. I was reminded that this place is a piece of me. A piece I’m not ready to part with.

The leaves are gone, the pumpkins are in the compost bin, and I’m ready for a new season. I’ll be here soon with recipes. Good, creative ones, I hope. I’ve been creating more and more of my own, and I’m excited to share them with you.

See you soon. xo.

Whole Grain Pumpkin Pancakes with Apple Maple Compote

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 22:29:00 +0000

I’ve found myself in the middle of my favorite season, with very little baking to show for it. Instead of spending time in the kitchen, I’ve been out, living this fall to it’s fullest and spending lots of time with family.

You see, this time last year, my mom had just returned from a week long stay in the hospital, and had been sick for a couple of weeks before that. We thought she had a really bad case of bronchitis, but it turns out she had a massive, life threatening pulmonary embolism, and we weren’t sure she was going to make it. She & I watched the leaves turn bright golden yellow from a hospital window (she managed to snag an awesome corner room, with huge windows, which she insists helped the healing process. I’m inclined to agree. Natural light is where it’s at.).

For most of October, she was recovering from the embolism, so we spent a lot of time indoors, getting her healthy. This year? She’s healthier than ever. So our weekends are filled with all the things we missed last year - fall festivals, pumpkin patches, driving through the country, looking at the gorgeous leaves. We, as a family, are more thankful and appreciative of this season of harvest & joy than we’ve ever been.

Today though, was spent in the kitchen. I’ve had a serious hankering for pancakes lately, and yesterday I realized I hadn’t had anything pumpkin-y yet. This is a recipe adapted from one by Heidi. Hers is a perfect starting place, a wonderful, basic whole wheat pancake. I added pumpkin & spices, and a warm apple-maple compote. The compote is what makes this - it’s sweet, cinnamony and buttery. Plain ol' maple syrup just doesn’t compare.

Whole Grain Pumpkin Pancakes

Adapted from 101 cookbooks

2 cups white whole wheat flour (or unbleached all-purpose flour) 

1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder

 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1/3 cup natural granulated sugar (evaporated cane sugar)

 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice* 

1 1/4 cups organic buttermilk
1 cup pumpkin puree** 

2 large organic eggs, lightly beaten

 2 tablespoons butter, melted (melt in the pan skillet you are going to use)
butter, to serve (and for pan)

To make the pancakes combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, spice and salt in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk, pumpkin, eggs, and melted butter. Stir all the ingredients until they are just combined. Don't worry if the batter is a bit lumpy, you don't want to over mix.

Heat your skillet, pan, or griddle to medium-hot and brush it with a bit of butter. Test for the right temperature. If a drop of water dropped onto the pan starts to dance, you are in the ballpark. Pour about 1/3 of a cup of batter into the skillet. Wait until the pancake bottom is deep golden in color, then flip with a spatula and cook the other side until golden and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve with Apple Maple Compote  .

Makes about 12 large pancakes.

*don’t have an pumpkin pie spice? Its easy to make your own! Here’s a recipe.
**pumpkin pie puree is different from pumpkin pie filling. Both are in the same section of the grocery store, so be sure to get the plain pumpkin!

Apple Maple Compote

This is just about the most simple thing ever, hardly a recipe at all.

Apples
Butter
Cinnamon
Maple Syrup

Firstly, I’d plan on using about 1/2 an apple per person. Cut the apple into slices.

Next, add a pat of butter to a medium sized pan, enough to coat the entire thing. Next, add the apples to the pan and sprinkle the cinnamon over. Let the apples get soft, turning them over once, and sprinkling the other side with cinnamon. Add enough maple syrup to cover the apples. Let it bubble away for a minute or so. Pour over warm pancakes.

Nut Caramel Bars with Dried Cherries

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 19:14:00 +0000

About a month ago, I was sent the cookbook Home Made by Yvette Van Boven and I’m kinda in love with it. It’s a tome dedicated to all things homemade, and when I say tome, I’m not kidding - it’s over 400 pages, full recipes and instructions for everything from preserving fruits, to cheese making and even homemade liqueurs.

Not only is it full of great information, it’s also gorgeous. The photos feel so homey, and they’re accented by adorable drawings (Van Boven is also an illustrator), hand written recipes & paper cut outs. It even has a section dedicated to dog treats - it’s downright charming.

When I opened the book for the first time, this recipe was on the page I happened to open to - and the first one I wanted to make. These are crunchy, chewy bars filled with lots of my favorite things, almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, and dried fruit. The recipe calls for dried figs, but I couldn’t find any, so I used dried cherries instead. They’re tasty, pretty simple, and I think they’d make a great gift for a friend.

Go get yourself a copy of Home Made! You won’t regret it. (And be on the look out for a recipe for sweet potato soup from the book on honey & jam soon! :)

Nut-Caramel Bars with Dried Figs
From Home Made by Yvette Van Boven

1 1/3 cups blanched almonds
1 1/3 cups walnuts or pecans
1 1/3 cups sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts or a mixture of them all
7 oz dried figs (I used dried cherries)
juice & zest of 1/2 orange
sunflower oil for greasing purposes
1 1/3 cups superfine sugar
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 stick butter
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 340F/Gas 4. Arrange the nuts over a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and bake for approx. 15 minutes until golden brown and crisp, turning halfway through. Transfer the nuts to a bowl and stir in the figs and orange zest. Line a shallow rectangular baking sheet with wax paper. Brush the wax paper with a thin layer of oil. Heat the sugar, syrup and orange juice in a heavy bottomed saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Stir gently with a wooden spoon, but beware of splatters, since it will get very hot. Lastly, stir in the butter and salt. The sauce will become thicker. Fold in the nuts and stir well. Pour the mixture onto the greased paper and spread evenly. After approx. 15 minutes, score into bars with the back of a knife when it is nearly cool.
Leave to fully cool.
Break the slab along the score lines.
You can keep the bars for some time in a sealed box separated by sheets of wax paper.

ps, While I was sent a review copy of this book - I wasn’t asked or payed to write about it. All opinions are my own - this is a fantastic book, I wouldn’t lie to you guys!

Pear & Almond Chocolate Cake with Cider Glaze

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 21:06:00 +0000

A couple of days ago, I was driving down the road and I screeched. Loudly. I scared everyone riding with me, but I couldn’t help myself. There, right off the road was a tree, bright orange. It was surrounded by trees holding on to summer, their leaves still bright green. It was a beautiful sight, that firey hue on a backdrop of lively green.

As I hopped out of the car to take pictures, any lingering thoughts of summer were wiped from my mind. Autumn is here and I’m embracing it.

It’s not particularly hard for me to be enthusiastic about fall, it’s my very favorite season. All year I long for these days of warm cups of tea, cheeks flushed from the cool wind, and cinnamon scented everything. I crave hearty root vegetable soups, bread fresh from the oven after a long summer of salads and lighter fare. Most of all, I love the baking. Apples, pears & pumpkins, hello!

This is the first thing I’ve baked since the season change, and it’s one of the best cakes I’ve ever had.

I tinkered with a recipe for a chocolate cinnamon cake I made ages ago and turned it into something new. About a year ago I tried an almond & pear chocolate bar and since then I’ve wanted to make something with that flavor combination. I added a touch of cardamom, because I love it with pear, and a cider glaze, because it just sounded good. There’s a lot going on here, but it works. It tastes like fall.

Pear & Almond Chocolate Cake with Cider Glaze

The glaze here isn't going to get very thick, but I like it that way. When you pour it over your cake, it will sink right in instead of laying on top like one thickened with lots of powdered sugar. It'll keep the cake very moist and extra tasty.

Ingredients
For the cake:
    1 cup boiling water
    1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
    2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
    2 teaspoons baking powder
    2 teaspoons ground cardamom
    1 teaspoon salt
    2 cups (packed) brown sugar,
    1 cup vegetable oil
    1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 pears, diced
1/2 cup slivered almonds

For the glaze:
1 cup pear cider
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or cardamom

Preparation

    Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously brush 12- to 15-cup nonstick Bundt pan with oil. Whisk 1 cup boiling water, cocoa powder, in 2-cup glass measure. Whisk 2 cups flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat 2 cups brown sugar, 1 cup vegetable oil, and 1 tablespoon vanilla in large bowl to blend. Add eggs; beat to blend. Beat mixture until smooth, about 30 seconds longer. Beat in half of flour mixture, then cocoa mixture. Add remaining flour mixture; beat to blend. Fold pears & almonds. Transfer batter to prepared Bundt or angel food pan.

    Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool the cake 10 minutes. Invert cake onto rack; cool 15 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, stir together cider, brown sugar, butter & cinnamon in a small sauce pan. Bring to boil, continuing for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

When cake is cool, pour over glaze & top with powdered sugar.

Roasted Tomato Soup

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 02:31:00 +0000

It seems I’m a wee bit smitten with tomatoes. For years, I couldn’t stand them. I’d pick them out of salads, pull them off pizzas, avoid them at all costs. Then one day I gave them another try and I was totally in love. I’m still kind of picky - I don’t like really gushy ones, and I prefer them cooked, but lately I just can’t get enough.

My very favorite way to enjoy a tomato is through soup. I’ve liked tomato soup for ages - way before I liked tomatoes themselves. I’ve got a confession for you - I really love tomato soup from the can. As in, the red and white can. Oh yes, I eat way too much canned soup in the fall and winter. I’d never attempted to make it myself because I wasn’t sure I could improve on that tin can goodness. Yes, I am a bit crazy. I did just say “tin can goodness”. To my credit, tomato soup and ice cream sandwiches are just about the only things I prefer store-bought.

When N.E.E.T. magazine asked me to contribute a “comfort food” recipe for their fall issue, the first thing I thought of was tomato soup. I was pretty certain they didn’t want a picture of canned soup though, so I finally gave homemade a chance. And guess what? It’s so much better than the other stuff. Totally surprising, right?! ;) I’m going to be making batches of this and freezing it so I can cut the sodium glut that is Campbell’s out of my diet!

I kind of had no idea what I was doing with the recipe, I was just guessing but it came out terrific. I roasted the tomatoes with shallots and added thyme, because I’m on a tomatoes & thyme kick. But you could add any herb you’d like.

If you’d like to try it out (and trust me, you do), head on over to N.E.E.T. (A lot of people were having trouble accessing the recipe, so I've added it below.) The recipe is on page 140, but be sure to check out the rest of the issue. It features recipes from two of my favorite bloggers Julie from Always with Butter and Stephanie from Desserts for Breakfast. If you haven’t seen their blogs, go now! Both are outrageously beautiful.

Roasted Tomato Soup
Serve hot or cold

2 pounds fresh tomatoes, a mixture of your favorites
4 shallots, peeled and quartered
extra virgin olive oil
herbs, thyme, oregano, basil, whichever you prefer
salt & freshly ground pepper
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 400f. Cut tomatoes into quarters, (if you’re using cherry tomatoes, leave them whole). Spread the tomatoes and shallots on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs, gently toss. Roast for 30 minutes, or until tomatoes & shallots and brown and have caramelized.

Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Dump all of the pans contents into a food processor and blend until smooth. Slowly add in stock while blending. If you soup is too chunky for your liking, pour through a mesh sieve.

Pour contents into a large stock pot, add heavy cream and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Garnish with pepper, herbs, and crusty bread, enjoy!

(P.S. The folks over at Terrain have recently launched a gorgeous new site design and they sent me a discount code just for you guys! If you enter "HONEYJAM" at checkout, you'll get 15% off. Hurrah!)

Tomato Cobbler

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 21:14:00 +0000

I can’t believe autumn is almost here. I’ve spent most of the summer busy as a bee, a little travel, a few exciting photo jobs, a new puppy, (who is currently snoozing at my feet as I type this) with little time to blog or bake.

I had a few free hours this afternoon, and I spent them baking this tomato cobbler. It’s an idea I’ve had in my head for a while, a savory cobbler instead of sweet (not a very original idea, true, but new for me!), but I wasn’t sure which direction I wanted to go with it. Then I found this recipe from Martha Stewart. It was just what I was looking for.

This cobbler has it’s feet firmly planted in two seasons. It’s bursting with juicy, late summer tomatoes, but it has the feel of fall. It’s warm and filling, just the thing for when the evenings turn cool. It’s perfect for the in between. A transitional cobbler.

The original recipe uses a different biscuit recipe, and gruyere instead of thyme. I think gruyere AND thyme would be perfect, but I didn’t have any. If you try it out, let me know! Also, the thyme biscuits are perfect on their own. Just preheat your oven to 400, form into rounds, place on a baking sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Tomato Cobbler
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Serves 4

For the filling
extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 pounds grape tomatoes
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

For the biscuit topping
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (plus more for garnish)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup heavy cream or buttermilk

Directions
Make the filling: Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Let cool.

Toss onion mixture, tomatoes, flour, and red-pepper flakes with 1 teaspoon salt and some pepper.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Make the biscuit topping: Whisk together flour, baking powder, thyme and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or rub in with your fingers until small clumps form. Add cream, stirring with a fork to combine until dough forms. (Dough will be slightly sticky.)

Transfer tomato mixture to a 1 quart baking dish or medium cast iron pan. Spoon 5 clumps of biscuit dough over top in a circle, leaving center open. Brush dough with cream. Bake until tomatoes are bubbling in the center and biscuits are golden brown, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Let cool for 20 minutes.

A Day at Terrain

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 18:44:00 +0000

As you’ve probably noticed, Terrain is one of my very favorite places on the web. For a long time now, I’ve dreamed about visiting their store in Glen Mills, PA, and earlier this week, that dream came true! I was invited, along with a small group of other bloggers, to spend a day at Terrain at Styers. The happy dance I did when that email landed in my inbox was epic, let me tell you.

The mushroom hut.

The day the team at Terrain put together was magnificent. We toured the 3 acre property, created terrariums, did lots of shopping in the store, had mini spa treatments, ate some fantastic food, and got to hang out with some really interesting & kind people.

I'm going to attempt to share some of my experience with you here, so be warned, there are lots and lots of photos!

The sweet and salty cake!

One of the highlights of the day for me was meeting the guys from Baked, who are incredibly nice. They stopped by at lunch and we got to try out some of their famous cakes. The sweet & salty is absolutely to die for. It’s haunted my dreams every night since.

A plant display - inside the store!

The store it’s self is like my own personal heaven. Something beautiful is around every corner. I stocked up on weck jars!

I was ridiculously excited about the terrariums, I’d wanted to make one for ages!

I gave mine a “forest floor” feel, thanks for the photo, Ez!

I hadn’t realized just how big the nursery part of Terrain is, there are plants absolutely everywhere. The sections are broken up by huge, beautiful doors. It’s enchanting.

The displays throughout the store are so great. A touch messy, they look like life, just really well styled.

To end the day, we had a outstanding 7 course dinner at their cafe, filled with some of the best food I’ve ever had. It was the perfect end note for a perfect day.

If you ever have the chance, I would definitely recommend a trip to the store. Be sure to allot a good chunk of time for your visit, you can easily get lost in the beauty. I left the store wishing I could just move in. Put me a cot in a back corner and I would have been a happy camper!

Huge thanks to the team at Terrain for hosting a day I won't forget!

Terrain
914 Baltimore Pike
Glen Mills, PA
610-459-2400
styers.shopterrain.com

Things I'm loving...

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 21:21:00 +0000

Kinfolk Magazine, a gorgeous new publication that features the work of some of my favorite bloggers. It’s simple, uncontrived and incredibly beautiful.

This popsicle mold. Is that not the most perfect popsicle shape?

And this Paletas book to go with it.

This pressed leaf ring. Prettiest ring I’ve ever seen.

Gorgeous blogs, some new to me, others old favorites.

Always With Butter

Photisserie

Green Kitchen Stories

Food In Jars

Okra, one of my favorite summer foods. If you cut it into strips, dip it in egg, then in a mixture of breadcrumbs & paprika (and a little salt & pepper), then bake it at 400 for about 15 minutes, you get a delightfully crunchy snack, and a little bit healthier than the normal deep fried preparation.

This article on “The Beer Archaeologist”

The most perfect tablecloth ever? I think so.

So tell me, what’s caught your eye lately?

Black Tea & Blackberry Sorbet

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:41:00 +0000

Down the winding gravel road that leads to my home there’s a large spray of wild blackberry bushes. They are brambly things, completely overgrown, not taken care of by anyone in particular, free for the taking.

Each year we do lots of blackberry picking. Sometimes it’s all of us, a family affair, other times not. This time around it was my sister & I, and two of our sweet dogs. They followed us there and sniffed around a bit before seeing a deer and running off after it. Sarah & I walked to the patch around dusk, as it’s far too hot in the middle of the day, even with the fading light we were sweating up a storm, but despite that and getting all scratched up from the briars, it’s totally worth it! Fresh berries! For free!

I wanted to try something new with them this year, I was originally going to make a plain blackberry sorbet, but then I thought of this. We’re combining two of my favorite things, berries and sweet tea! It’s oh so good, super refreshing and so perfect for summer. I can already see this becoming a staple for these hot months.

The vodka used here is to keep the sorbet from freezing into a solid mass. It keeps is scoopable! Also, sometimes tea gets bitter if it’s steeped too long. taste yours, if it is, add a pinch of baking soda!

Black Tea-Blackberry Sorbet

2 cups water
2 regular tea bags
1 cup sugar
3 cups fresh or frozen blackberries, if frozen, let thaw completely
1 tbs vodka
2 tbs lemon juice

Bring water to a rolling boil. Remove from heat, add tea bags and allow to steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags, add sugar and heat until the sugar dissolves. Allow to cool completely.

Puree blackberries in a food processor, then push through mesh sieve to remove seeds. Add vodka and lemon juice. Add to tea, then pour back through sieve.

Process the mixture in an ice cream maker, according to manufacturers instructions.

Peach Blueberry Pie

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 16:00:00 +0000

Today is a fantastic day. Do you know why? It’s a Pie Party! A few food bloggers were chatting on twitter and somehow this happened. Pretty awesome, right?

I love pie, but I only make it a couple of times of year, In fact, I’m pretty sure the the last one I made was exactly a year ago. I should do it more, because though mine taste good, they always, always fall apart! I haven’t figured out why yet, but I’m working on it. (albeit very slowly. ;)

I went all-American this time around, for Independence day. Peaches & blueberries. Perfect for enjoying while watching fireworks.

Peach Blueberry Pie

Pie Crust:
From Martha Stewart

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.

With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

Filling:
5 peaches, peeled and sliced
3 cups blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
juice of 1/2 lemon

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll one disc of dough into a 12-inch round, 1/8-inch thick. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Set aside in the refrigerator.

In a large bowl, combine peaches, blueberries, sugar, flour, and lemon juice, toss to combine. Pour into pie plate, mounding in the center. Roll second disc of dough into a 12-inch round, 1/8 inch thick. Wet edges of the crust in the plate, then lay dough on top, pressing at edges to seal. Cut vents into top crust. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Remove pie from refrigerator. Brush crust with egg wash, then sprinkle with sugar. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, until crust is browned at edges. Turn oven down to 350, bake for another 40-50 minutes.

Enjoy!

Ice Cream without a machine + Chocolate Almond Milkshakes!

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 23:41:00 +0000

While I was in Atlanta for Blogher Food, Elissa, Lauren, Tessa, Kamran and I ate at the restaurant Yeah! Burger. Twice. Needless to say, it’s pretty dang good. They have hands down, the best turkey burger I have ever tasted.

Along with the really good turkey burger, they also have excellent shakes. The peach flavor is amazing, but the one that really stuck out to me was the chocolate almond. It’s a basic chocolate shake, but with almond butter mixed in. I wasn’t sure if I’d like it, but I LOVED it.

Since I don’t have a Yeah! Burger right down the street, I decided to recreate it at home. You could just use store bought chocolate ice cream, but homemade is so much better. This recipe I used is from David Lebovitz, ice cream genius. It’s the most creamy, rich chocolate ice cream ever. The best part? I didn’t use an ice cream maker! I have one of those huge, vintage wannabe ice cream makers, which is terribly loud and requires a massive amount of ice and rock salt. I hate lugging it out, so I googled “how to make ice cream without a machine” and landed on this page, also from David Lebovitz. Head over there for the method!

If you want to make ice cream without a machine, the key is to use a custard base, not one of those recipes for super quick, no cook ice cream, which are always too icy and not at all creamy. It takes more work, lots of stirring and cooling, but in the end it is so worth it.

The milkshake part is much easier than the ice cream part! Just dollop a few spoonfuls of almond butter into a glass, add ice cream, a little milk, and stir. The ratios are completely up to you. Want it super almondy? Add more almond butter. Want it really thick? Add less milk. I also like to stir in some very finely chopped lightly salted almonds and top it with shaved semi sweet chocolate.

Seriously y’all. Try this out. Both the shake and the ice cream! It’s the perfect way to ring in summer.

Chocolate Ice Cream
from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

2 cups heavy cream 
3 tbsp unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
 5 oz bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped 
1 cup whole milk
 3/4 cup sugar
 pinch of salt
 5 large egg yolks
 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Warm 1 cup of cream with cocoa powder in medium saucepan, whisking to thoroughly blend the cocoa. Bring to boil then reduce heat and gently simmer for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate until smooth. Stir in remaining cup of cream.

Pour mixture into a large bowl, scraping the saucepan as much as possible. Set mesh strainer atop the bowl. Warm milk, sugar, and salt in the same saucepan. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan. Stir mixture constantly over medium heat making sure the scrape the bottom and corners, until the mixture thickens and reaches custard consistency.

Pour custard through strainer and stir it into the chocolate until smooth, then stir in the vanilla. Continue to stir over ice bath until cool. Refrigerate the mixture to cool thoroughly and then freeze it in your ice cream machine per the manufacturer’s instructions, or follow the instructions here. Yields 1 quart.

Cherry Almond Crumble

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 20:54:00 +0000

Every year, around this time, I’m reminded of how much I adore cherries. I forget about them during the long winter, those days when fresh fruit is scarce. Then, as soon as I see them in the grocery store, I snatch them up, not giving a second thought about the $10 price tag.

I love that not only are they tasty, they are absolutely beautiful. There’s lots of pretty fruit out there, but I think cherries win the beauty contest, hands down. All those shades of red, their shiny skin, their ombre interior.

Today was the first time this season I seen them in the grocery store, so I grabbed a bag and brought them home to make this crumble. I’m an absolute crumble/crisp fiend, I think it’s the perfect way to bake with fruit. The flavor of the fruit it’s self really shines through, and the crunchy topping only adds to the deliciousness.

This recipe is loosely based on a recipe for a rhubarb, oat & pecan crumble from one of my favorite cookbooks, Rustic Fruit Desserts. While that recipe sounded great, I knew I wanted to bake with cherries and almonds, so I used it as an outline for what you see here. It turned out wonderfully, cherry and almond go so perfectly together. I used dark brown sugar in the cherries, to add a richer flavor, along with some almond extract.

This is best served fresh out of the oven, topped with vanilla bean ice cream. Let the ice cream melt into the crumble a little bit, it adds a creaminess that makes it taste even better.

Cherry Almond Crumble
adapted from Rustic Fruit Desserts

Crumble

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Cherry Filling

1 1/2 pounds fresh cherries, pitted
1/3 cup dark brown sugar (more or less, depending on your taste)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 8x8 baking dish (or 3 smaller dishes, like I used here)

To make the crumble, mix the flour, oats, brown sugar, almonds and salt together in a bowl. Stir in the butter, then press the mixture together in your hands to form clumps.

To make the cherry filling, mix together the cherries, brown sugar, almond extract and cornstarch.

Transfer the cherry mixture into the prepared pan and scatter the crumble topping over the top. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.

Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes with Mint Infused Whipped Cream

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Wed, 25 May 2011 21:56:00 +0000

This past weekend I attended (and spoke at) the Blogher food conference. I wish I had a great, in depth rundown for you, but I find myself still processing it. It was fantastic to finally meet my friends from the kitchen generation, overwhelmingly fantastic, actually. It was like we had known each other for years and years. We shared hotel rooms, went to dinner together, and laughed late into the night. I also met some other really fantastic people, folks who’s blogs I’ve read for ages. That was surreal.

I went to several of the sessions, but the one that has really stuck with me was the amazing photography & food styling session with Aran, Tami and Stephanie. It was the only session in which I took notes - pages of them. The way they talked about their evolution, passion & technique was inspiring.

As soon as I got home, all I wanted to do was take pictures. Monday & Tuesday were so busy though, today was the first time I’ve had the chance.

I tried implementing a few of points that they made, I’m not sure how successfully, but it was great to have that new knowledge to work from. Thanks for the inspiration, ladies!

While out running errands this morning, I picked up this pretty little mint plant. I knew immediately what I wanted to make, an idea that had been bouncing around in my head for a while. The cupcake it’s self is rich and moist, using the fantastic Scharffen Berger cocoa powder I received at the conference, and buttermilk. I’m in love with Scharffen Berger products. If you have a chance, pick up one of their mocha dark chocolate bars. They will blow your mind.

Since it’s been so warm lately, I decided I wanted to make this a little bit lighter than your usual cupcake, opting to use a whipped cream instead of buttercream. I infused the cream with the mint, and sweetened it lightly. I think this is my favorite cupcake topping, ever. Infusing it with real mint as opposed to using mint extract is what makes it so good.

Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes with Mint Infused Whipped Cream
Cupcakes adapted from Martha Stewart

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
7 tablespoons buttermilk
1 large egg
1 large egg white

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

With an electric mixer, combine cocoa and 5 tablespoons hot water until a thick paste forms (this process intensifies the chocolate flavor). Add butter, buttermilk, egg, and egg white; beat until combined. Whisk in flour mixture until smooth.

Scoop batter into prepared tin. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Top with whipped cream, recipe below

Mint Infused Whipped Cream

2 cups heavy whipping cream
3-4 sprigs, fresh mint (i used sweet mint, you could use spearmint, peppermint, chocolate mint, etc)
2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar (more if you like it sweeter)

Crush mint leaves a bit, then place in a medium sized bowl, pour heavy cream over. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6 hours to overnight (i refrigerated for about 5 hours, and while the cream was minty, it wasn’t nearly minty enough. I’d recommend keeping it in the fridge overnight.)

Remove mint from heavy cream, add powdered sugar and by hand or using an electric mixer, whip until soft peaks form.

honey & jam tarts

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Mon, 09 May 2011 20:21:00 +0000

Oh, sweet Spring. I am so in love with you. Your warm days and cool nights, bright green leaves and colorful blooms. Could anything be better? I’m don’t think so.

Lately, my evenings have been filled with picnics & trips to the park, time spent savoring the longer days. We’ve been slowly harvesting strawberries from our strawberry patches, making spring even more sweet.

Those strawberries certainly inspired this tart in part, and I thought it would be fun to bake something inspired by my blog name, which I’ve never done before.

These tarts are so simple, and easily adaptable to your taste. The base is full of honey, the flavor comes through nicely. Here, I’ve use a lovely strawberry & black pepper jam the folks at The East India Company were kind enough to send me. You could use any flavor you’d like, though.

honey & jam tarts
crust recipe adapted from Bon Appétit
make 3 small tarts

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup honey
2 large egg yolks
jam of your choice
fruit of your choice

For crust: Mix flour, sugar,and salt in processor. Add butter; using on/off turns, process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk honey,and yolks in bowl. Add honey mixture to flour mixture; using on/off turns, process until clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill 1 hour.

Roll dough out on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 10-inch tart pan (or three individual sized tart pans) with removable bottom. Press dough onto bottom and up sides of pan. Fold overhang in; press to form double layer. Cover and chill 30 minutes or up to 1 day.

Preheat the oven to 350. Remove tart pans from fridge, spread a layer of jam into the bottom. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool, top with fresh fruit.

Enjoy!

Things I'm Loving

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Mon, 02 May 2011 22:21:00 +0000

The color of this vintage chevy, a perfect minty green.

Everything in the etsy shop The Vintage Parlor, and especially this "drink me" cup.

These gorgeous blogs:

whole larder love
that's just it photo
a la mode*
little things

iphonography. since i got my iphone, i've been taking pictures with it non stop!

the furniture at terrain, i'm filling my future dream house with it.

I just finished The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted, and it was crazy good.

Why being a foodie isn't "elitist" and An edible color palette

spring time.

Have a lovely week, everyone!

Yogurt Biscuits & Breakfast Outside

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 20:37:00 +0000

I can’t say anything about breakfast and biscuits that I haven’t said before. I love them both. You know what makes them even better? The great outdoors.

Eating outside is one of the things that makes warm weather really, really great.

Bird songs and sunshine, the perfect accompaniment to the perfect breakfast.

This is another fantastic recipe from Heidi Swanson’s cookbook, Super Natural Every Day. Flakey and rich, these biscuits are pretty wonderful.

Yogurt Biscuits
From Super Natural Every Day
Makes 12-16 biscuits

1 ¼ cups spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
1 ½ teaspoons fine-grain sea-salt
1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
½ cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
1 ⅓ cup greek-style plain yogurt

Preheat the oven to 450 with a rack in the middle of the oven. Place an ungreased baking sheet in the oven to preheat as well.

Combine the flours, salt, and baking powder in a food processor. Sprinkle the butter across the top of the dry ingredients and pulse about 20 times, or until the mixture resembles tiny pebbles on a sandy beach. Add the yogurt and pulse a few times, or until the yogurt is just incorporated. Avoid overmixing, it’s fine if there are a few dry patches. Gather the dough into a ball and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead five times and press into an inch thick square. Cut in half and stack one on the other. Repeat two more times - flattening and stacking, then cutting. Add more all purpose flour to prevent sticking when needed. Press or roll out the dough into a 3/4 thick rectangle, but no thicker; if the dough is too tall, the biscuits will tilt and tip over while baking. Cut the dough into twelve equal biscuits.

Transfer the biscuits to the preheated baking sheet leaving 1/2 inch between each biscuit. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the bottoms are deeply golden and the biscuits are cooked through.

Happy Easter!

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 21:49:00 +0000

He is risen!

Honey & Rose Water Tapioca

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:33:00 +0000

Pudding is becoming one of my very favorite things to make. I like that it’s a slow process, if you’re doing right. It’s mindful cooking, not a 5 minute meal on your way out the door. It requires attention, and time. I like that it forces you to slow down for just a bit, to really enjoy the process.

So when I started flipping through Heidi Swansons new cookbook, Super Natural Every Day, the first recipe that popped out at me was her Honey & Rosewater Tapioca. It’s the ultimate slow down and enjoy recipe, there’s lot of stirring, watching, tasting, chopping of pistachios. It’s one for a long saturday afternoon.

The end product is totally worth the wait, too. It’s creamy, with bits of chewy tapioca, brightened by lemon zest, and perfectly accented by the pistachios on top. I didn’t have any rosewater to add, but I can only imagine that it would make it even more luxe.

Also, I’m a bit smitten with Heidi’s book. It’s so beautiful, filled with her amazing photography. You can tell how much love and care when into it’s creation. I love the conversational nature of her recipes, they are so easy to understand and implement. I’m sure you’ll be seeing a lot more from Super Natural Every Day around here, and I definitely recommend picking up a copy for yourself.

Honey & Rosewater Tapioca 
From Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Every Day
 Serves 4-6

3 cups / 710 ml milk 
1/3 cup / 2.5 oz / 70 g small pearl tapioca
 2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
 1/4 tsp fine-grain sea salt 
1/3 cup / 80 ml mild honey (I used clover)
2 tablespoons muscavdo sugar (i used organic dark brown sugar)
 Grated zest of 1 small lemon 
1/4 to 1 tsp rose water (I didn’t use this)
Chopped toasted pistachios

Soak the tapioca in 1 cup of the milk in a medium, heavy saucepan for 30 – 60 minutes. Whisk in the yolks, salt, honey, and remaining milk.

Over medium-low heat, slowly bring the mixture barely to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring regularly. This will take about 15 minutes. Decrease the heat and let the mixture fall to a gentle simmer. Keep it there, sitting, until the tapioca is fully cooked, another 20 minutes or so. The time needed can be significantly longer (or shorter) depending on the size of the tapioca pearls you’re using. The tapioca will tell you when it’s ready, if you watch carefully the pearls will swell up and become almost entirely translucent. The custardy part of the pudding will thicken dramatically as well. Continue tasting and assessing at this stage. It is even more critical to keep stirring at this point to avoid scorching.

Remove from heat, stir in the lemon zest, then let the pudding cool a bit; it will thicken more as it cools. Stir in the rose water and wait another few minutes. The tapioca tastes best served warm, topped with toasted pistachios, but is delicious cold as well.

Sausage Pancakes + an ode to the internet

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 00:19:00 +0000

I’ve been using the internet for a long time now. Probably since I was around 10 years old, when my dad helped me sign up for my first email account. That day, my parents warned me of the dangers of the web. I was told to never use my real name and to never chat with anyone I didn’t know.

When I started my blog, back in 2008, I still looked at the internet that way. A cold, impersonal place. A place to read the news and check email. Then, people started commenting. I started finding other blogs. Blogs filled with beautiful words, personal stories, pictures, names. Suddenly, the internet felt friendly, warm. It wasn’t a solitary activity anymore, it was all about interaction and sharing.

I could have never imagined back then I’d meet really good friends through twitter. I couldn’t have imagined that I’d find my passion through blogging, that I’d be speaking at a blogging conference only 2 1/2 years later. (Yes! I’m speaking at Blogher Food 2011! Will you be there? Let me know!)

It’s crazy, but the internet, and blogging have quite literally changed my life. Without it, I wouldn't have had an outlet for my creativity, that lead to my renewed passion for photography. I wouldn't have some of the friends I have now, as we live in different parts of the world.
And for that, I am thankful.

This recipe? It comes from another internet friend, Elisabeth. She posted about this ages ago and I’ve been making them since. It’s not so much a recipe as it is a suggestion, an idea. Sausage IN your pancakes, instead of beside them. It’s pretty awesome. I’m including my favorite pancake recipe, but if you already have a fave, just add sausage!

Near Perfection Pancakes

1 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbs sugar
1 egg, beaten
3 tbs melted butter
1 cup milk (buttermilk is fantastic)
breakfast sausage, cooked & crumbled

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a medium bowl, whisk to combine. Add egg & butter, stir lightly. Add milk and whisk - not too much, it’ll make your pancakes rubbery.

Heat about half a tablespoon of butter a frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/3 cup for each pancake. Add sausage to the top, before flipping. Brown both sides. Top with maple syrup & enjoy!

Meyer Lemon Curd + Cream Scones

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:10:00 +0000

A couple of months ago, Kim from Rustic Garden Bistro offered to send me some meyer lemons, freshly picked from her backyard tree. Having never tasted the revered fruit, I quickly accepted her gracious offer.

The lemons were so lovely, smooth skinned and highly fragrant, much more of a perfume-y scent than normal lemons. They’re also a touch less acidic. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with them, so I squeezed all the juice into a measuring cup and froze it.

Then life got in the way and I starting baking other things and promptly forgot about the juice sitting the back of my freezer. Oops!

So two months later, I’m finally getting around to making something with those tasty lemons (which is why the light in these photos is drastically different, it was bright and sunny the day I got the lemons, and it’s cloudy today).

I wanted to utilize the juice fully, to get the most flavor from the lemons themselves. The best way I could think of to do that was curd, spread on warm scones. Let me tell you, the combination of the tangy curd on the fresh from the oven scone was something akin to heaven.

If you’ve never made or tasted curd before, I urge you to try it out. It’s velvety smooth, and both tart & sweet. It’s also deceptively simple. I was scared of making it for a while, but when I did, I was surprised at how easy it was. It’s just a lot of whisking. The recipe below gives instructions for making the curd with meyer lemons or regular lemons!

Lemon Curd
From David Lebovitz
(I doubled this recipe)

Makes 1 cup (240 g)
 1/2 cup (125 ml) freshly-squeezed lemon juice 1/3 cup (65 g) sugar (or 1/2 cup, 100 g, if using regular lemons) 2 large egg yolks 2 large eggs pinch of salt 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, cubed

 1. Place a mesh strainer over a bowl, and set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the lemon juice, sugar, egg yolks, eggs, and salt.
3. Add the butter cubes and set the pan over low heat, whisking constantly until the butter is melted.
4. Increase the heat and cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and just begins to become jelly-like. It’s done when you lift the whisk and the mixture holds its shape when it falls back into the saucepan from the whisk.
5. Immediately press the curd through the strainer. Once strained, store the lemon curd in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to one week.

Cream Scones
 from America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook via smitten kitchen

(this recipe has the brilliant suggestion of pressing the dough into a cake pan to form a perfect circle for cutting. I had one of those “why didn’t I think of this before” moments when I read that. It works perfectly.)

2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, preferably a low-protein brand such as Gold Medal or Pillsbury
 1 tablespoon baking powder 
3 tablespoons sugar 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
5 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes 
1 cup heavy cream

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425°F.
2. Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in large bowl or work bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. Whisk together or pulse six times.
3. If making by hand, use two knives, a pastry blender or your fingertips and quickly cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few slightly larger butter lumps. Stir in currants. If using food processor, remove cover and distribute butter evenly over dry ingredients. Cover and pulse 12 times, each pulse lasting 1 second. (it definietly took me more than 12 pulses to get the rid sized butter bits!) Transfer dough to large bowl.
4. Stir in heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.
5. Transfer dough and all dry, floury bits to countertop and knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. Form scones by pressing the dough into an 8-inch cake pan, then turning the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, cutting the dough into 8 wedges with either a knife or bench scraper.
6. Place rounds or wedges on ungreased baking sheet and bake until scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Thank you, Kim, for the lemons!

For Japan with Love

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 16:47:00 +0000

The situation in Japan has been absolutely breaking my heart. Each day I see new photos showing the devastation there, and I just want to sit down and cry, it makes you feel so helpless and small. I wanted to help, but I wasn’t sure how.

Then I came upon For Japan with Love, which was started by the bloggers of Ever Ours and Utterly Engaged.

Donations go to Shelter Box, which is a great organization that provides basic lifesaving supplies like a tent, blankets, water storage, and a stove to those who need it.

Just a small donation can help. Spread the word!

Coconut Bars

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 18:23:00 +0000

Last Christmas, I was given the Gourmet Cookie Book as a gift, but I hadn’t made anything out of it until now.

This book is awesome, filled with recipes from 1941 up to when the magazine shut down in 2009. The recipes are accompanied by info about the cookie, or the history & time period surrounding it.

The recipe I chose was coconut bars (since I’m on such a coconut kick lately), a recipe from the October 1953 issue. The book states that despite that months sophisticated offerings (poached bone marrow, neck of lamb Grecque, goose liver pies), readers responded to readers Miss Hope Austin's request for a cookie recipe “made with coconut and sprinkled with powdered sugar, that have a cake like bottoms and chewy tops”, much like a blondie.

I wasn’t so sure about the recipe when I started out, the base is described as “cake-like”, but it’s quite dry and more like a cookie. I was pleasantly surprised when I tried the finished product though, It’s absolutely delicious. The crisp bottom works perfectly with the gooey top.

I would definitely recommend this cookbook, if not for the recipes then for the history and beautiful photography. It’s great for those of us who still mourn the loss of the great Gourmet magazine!

Coconut Bars
From The Gourmet Cookie Book

(This is how the recipe is written in the book, much different from the style of today. The recipe calls for walnuts, but I substituted pecans because I’m allergic to walnuts. Either would be great!)

Cream 1/2 cup of butter. Add gradually 1/2 cup brown sugar and beat until smooth. Stir in 1 cup sifted flour and spread batter in the bottom of a 8 inch square cake pan. Bake in a moderate oven (375) for 20 minutes.

Beat 2 eggs and 1 cup light brown sugar until smooth. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 cup chopped walnuts, and 1/2 cup shredded coconut tossed with 2 tablespoons of flour and a pinch of salt. Spread this batter over the baked crust and continue to bake for 20 minutes longer. Cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into squares or bars.

Browned Butter Cake with Cinnamon Chocolate Frosting

noreply@blogger.com (hannah queen | honey & jam) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:42:00 +0000

I still remember the first time I smelled brown butter. It was 2 years ago, when I made these brown butter toffee blondies. I just couldn’t believe butter could smell like that. So nutty, so different from butter in its normal state. I’ve been smitten with it since.

So when I was trying to find a cake to go with my favorite frosting ever, brown butter was the first thing I thought of. Brown butter cake with cinnamon chocolate frosting? Sounded perfect to me.

And oh, it is. I’m in love with this cake. I want to bake it every day. I’m not the biggest frosting fan in the world, but I can’t help licking this off the spatula. There’s just something about chocolate and cinnamon together that makes me want to do a happy dance.

Both of these recipes are from one of my favorite blogs, the little red house. Sheena is adorable and lovely and takes beautiful pictures. Be sure to hop over there and say hi.

Brown Butter Cake with Cinnamon Chocolate Frosting
From the little red house

(the cake recipe is for cupcakes, but if you’d like to make cake, just pour the batter into two cake pans and bake them for about 30 minutes)

Cake
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup milk
3/4 cup browned butter*
1 tsp vanilla
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/4 tsp baking powder

*To brown butter:
Heat pan on medium heat.
Cut butter in to pieces and melt in pan.
Stir continuously. Butter will foam up.
After foam subsides, small brown flecks will start to appear in bottom of pan.
Continue stirring, until butter has reached a nice brown color, and nutty aroma.
When you want to lick the spoon, you know it's ready.
Turn the heat all the way down.

Preheat oven to 350°
Prepare cupcake pans with liners.
Beat sugar and eggs together until slightly thickened, about a minute.
Add milk, browned butter, and vanilla, stirring just until combined.
Add flour and baking powder, beating until well mixed--about a minute. Don't over mix.

Bake in preheated oven for 18-22 minutes, until tops are springy to the touch or a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean.
Remove from cupcake pan and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting
(I doubled this for my cake, and I also went about it a bit differently because I didn’t want super thick icing). After beating the butter, I added the cocoa, cinnamon and vanilla, and mixed it in. Then I added the cooled chocolate, and then about a cup of powdered sugar.)

5oz good quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
8 TBS butter, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
2TBS baking cocoa
1 tsp mexican vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4-8 TBS milk

Melt chocolate in a double boiler and allow to cool to room temperature.
Beat in butter until creamy. Add in melted chocolate.
Add powdered sugar, baking cocoa, cinnamon and vanilla.
Slowly beat in milk 1TBS at a time until you reach desired consistency.

enjoy!