“Compote” might be a bit generous, here.  This was supposed to be a compote, but then I cooked it for too long, while forgetting how quickly rhubarb breaks down, and it turned into more of a thick sauce.  Maybe like a slightly thinner jam.  A compote, at least in my mind, should be more chunky and substantial.  Not that I’m complaining, because this was delicious and sweet and tangy and the entire [...]]]>

“Compote” might be a bit generous, here.  This was supposed to be a compote, but then I cooked it for too long, while forgetting how quickly rhubarb breaks down, and it turned into more of a thick sauce.  Maybe like a slightly thinner jam.  A compote, at least in my mind, should be more chunky and substantial.  Not that I’m complaining, because this was delicious and sweet and tangy and the entire batch didn’t last me more than 36 hours.  But if you want this to be more of a true compote and less of a jam-sauce, don’t be like me.

Here’s what you need.

Rhubarb, a grapefruit, and sugar.  That’s all, folks.

I was just talking to my brother about how versatile rhubarb is.  You can basically do anything with it that you would do with fruit, even though it’s a vegetable (kind of like how tomatoes and eggplants and squashes and things are technically fruits, but we treat them like vegetables).  So since one of my favorite things to do with fruit is just throw it on the stove with a little sugar and let it get all saucy and delicious, I decided to do just that with the rhubarb and grapefruit that conveniently arrived at my door together in my CSA box.  That’s literally the process here.

Ahem.

Chop rhubarb.  Add to saucepan with everything else.

Stir over medium-low heat.  Consume.  The end.

And if you don’t let yours go for quite so long on the stove like I did, you will end up with something a little chunkier and compote-ier.  Perfect for Greek yogurt, in my world, or ice cream or cheesecake or sorbet or coffeecake or even an English muffin.

**side note: earthquake!**

Or, also in my world, a spoon.  Who needs a middle man?

Grapefruit Rhubarb Compote

makes about 1 cup

1 pound rhubarb stalks

1 large grapefruit

1/3 cup sugar

Add the rhubarb, the zest of half the grapefruit, the juice of the whole grapefruit, and the sugar to a heavy medium saucepan.  Cover and place over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes, then uncover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes, or until the rhubarb is tender and starting to break apart and the juices have thickened to your liking (it will end up slightly thicker once it cools).  Use warm or  chill until ready to use.

I have a special place in my heart for mojitos, because my second (legal) drink was a mojito.  My first (legal) drink was a Washington Apple (Washington Apple > Appletini), which tastes shockingly similar to a nice red apple.  I like mojitos better though; I know I have a gigantic sweet tooth, but when it comes to drinks, I don’t usually like the super-sweet ones.  Mojitos are just so light and refreshing [...]]]>

I have a special place in my heart for mojitos, because my second (legal) drink was a mojito.  My first (legal) drink was a Washington Apple (Washington Apple > Appletini), which tastes shockingly similar to a nice red apple.  I like mojitos better though; I know I have a gigantic sweet tooth, but when it comes to drinks, I don’t usually like the super-sweet ones.  Mojitos are just so light and refreshing and minty, and not too sweet.

So since I have a new toy that I got for Christmas and had not yet broken in (and because I had a bunch of surplus limes I didn’t know what to do with), I decided its maiden voyage should be a mojito-inspired sorbet.  Also because I got a bunch of mint in my CSA box that was not yet destined for anything in particular, and I happened to have some light rum sitting and getting bored in my liquor cabinet.  So they all met and mingled in the chilly bowl of my ice cream maker and became something wonderful and icy.

Here’s what you need.

Limes, sugar, and mint.  And rum (optional, but recommended; more on that later).

First, juice the heck out of those limes.  Then just make a simple syrup and add some lime zest and mint so the flavors get good and infused.

Make sure everything is good and chilled before it goes in the ice cream maker, otherwise the ice cream maker won’t be cold enough to do its job (you know, freeze things).  Then combine the two liquids together and add some rum.  The rum of course, a.) adds rummy flavor to make this more mojito-y, but also b.) helps with the freezing process.  Or should I say, anti-freezing process.  Home made ice creams, and especially sorbets, can get very hard and icy in the freezer (because we don’t incorporate a bunch of air into it like the big guys do), so adding some kind of alcohol (which doesn’t freeze) can actually help keep the finished product from freezing so rock hard and make it more scoop-able.  But if booze isn’t your thing, when you’re ready to serve it, just let it sit out for a few minutes to soften up before you attempt any scooping.

Strain the mixture into your ice cream maker, let it do its thing, and voila!  Homemade deliciousness.

If you want to get a little dangerous, you could serve scoops of this at a dinner party in cocktail glasses with small shots of rum poured over them as a little after dinner cocktail/dessert.  Or if you want to put on your really fancy pants, you could serve the scoops garnished with both mint and a stick of sugar cane, to really drive the mojito thing home (I have no idea where one would acquire sugar cane.  I have misplaced my really fancy pants).

Mojito Sorbet

adapted from The Perfect Scoop

makes about 1 quart

2 1/4 cups filtered water

3/4 cup sugar

zest of one lime

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint

3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (from 6-9 limes), chilled

4-5 Tbsp. light rum

In a medium nonreactive saucepan, combine 1 cup of the water with the sugar.  Stir over medium-low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Add the lime zest and the mint, stir, and set aside to cool.  Once the mixture is cooled to room temperature, add the remaining 1 1/4 cups water and chill until thoroughly cold.  Strain the mixture through a mesh sieve into a large pitcher, mix in the rum, and freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

This is a really good idea.  Do you know what this idea is?  It’s taking flaky, crispy cream cheese rugelach dough and cramming it with a rich, chocolatey brownie.  It seems so simple, and yet I never would have thought of it myself (another Alice did).  It combines all the best parts about buttery pastry dough and adds the rich, fudgy goodness of brownies.  It’s two, two, two desserts in one!  Also, [...]]]>

This is a really good idea.  Do you know what this idea is?  It’s taking flaky, crispy cream cheese rugelach dough and cramming it with a rich, chocolatey brownie.  It seems so simple, and yet I never would have thought of it myself (another Alice did).  It combines all the best parts about buttery pastry dough and adds the rich, fudgy goodness of brownies.  It’s two, two, two desserts in one!  Also, they kinda look like bow ties, which makes them a really cute idea for Father’s Day (because men are so hard to shop for!  They complain about us, but really, come on, guys).

Here’s what you need.

Cream cheese, butter, eggs, unsweetened chocolate, salt, flour, and sugar.  And vanilla.  And a minuscule amount of milk.

First, the dough.  If you have a mixer, it will be super easy.  If you don’t have a mixer, you will have great arms (or at least one great arm).  A pretty fair trade, I think.  Just cut in the cold butter into some flour and sugar, then beat in the cream cheese until it looks like dough.

Then, of course, do the usual divide-flatten-plastic-wrap-chill routine.

Then make the brownie part (eeeeee!), which is almost exactly like regular brownie batter, except with slightly different proportions.  Melt together butter and chocolate, add sugar, eggs, vanilla, and flour.  Then this mixture needs to chill, too, so it firms up and gets scoop-able.

Once both parties are thoroughly chilled, let the assembly begin.  Roll out pastry dough, cut it with a pastry wheel or a knife into squares, fill with a little brownie batter, and fold the dough over.  It’s like the dough is hugging the brownies.

Then bake!  The dough will get all golden brown and crisp, and the brownies will spread and puff a bit, and they will be beautiful, no matter how lopsided and wonky they may be.

These were surprisingly resilient, too, if that’s a concern for you.  I threw these into a big plastic bag, all on top of each other, and took them to a friend’s house, and there was not one squished or broken cookie in sight.  I know, because I always look for squished and broken cookies.  They get sacrificed in a very delicious way.  Wouldn’t want anyone to see any injured cookies, right?

Enjoy!

Brownie Bow Ties

adapted from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies

makes about 48

I got closer to 38, because I went and overscooped the brownie batter, and ran out early.  This also led to the cookies you see in the photos with large brownie growths oozing out of one end.  Do yourselves a favor and scoop conservatively, just as the recipe says.  But if you end up running out too soon and have extra dough on your hands, just do what I did: put a tiny blob of jam in the middle of a square, fold it over and pinch the edges together, and sprinkle with sugar (and cinnamon, if you like) to make itty bitty turnovers.

dough:

2 1/2 cups (11.25 oz) all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted chilled butter

8 oz. cream cheese, chilled

filling:

6 Tbsp. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, broken or chopped

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

2 large eggs, cold

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

a little milk, for brushing

For the dough, combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large mixing bowl.  Cut each stick of butter into 8 pieces and add to the dry ingredients.  Mix on low speed until the mixture looks like coarse meal, with a few larger pieces of butter still left (if you’re not using a mixer, cut in the butter with a pastry blender or rub in with your fingertips).  Cut the cream cheese into 1″ chunks, add to the bowl, and mix just until it starts to look like a shaggy dough and it holds together when pressed with your fingers.  There should still be large unmixed streaks of cream cheese.  Turn the dough over in the bowl with your hands and incorporate any loose bits or flour from the bottom of the bowl, and knead just a couple of times.  Divide the dough into 4 pieces, in the bowl or on a lightly floured work surface, and form each piece into a flat disk shape.  Wrap each disk of dough in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 2 hours.

For the filling, set a medium heatproof bowl on top of a medium saucepan of barely simmering water (it’s okay if the bowl touches the water).  Add the chocolate and the butter to the bowl and melt, stirring frequently, until they are completely melted and smooth.  Remove the bowl from the saucepan and stir in all but 2 tablespoons of the sugar (1 cup minus two tablespoons), the vanilla, and salt.  Whisk in the eggs, then add the flour and whisk for 1 minute, or until the mixture is smooth and glossy and completely combined.  Cover and chill until firm, at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Work with one piece of dough at a time; roll each piece out on a lightly floured surface to a 9×11″ rectangle, 1/8″ thick.  With a pastry wheel or knife, cut each rectangle into 12 squares.  Place a rounded teaspoon of the firmed-up brownie batter in the center of each square.  Bring two opposing corners of the dough together over the filling.  Using wet fingertips, moisten the underside of one corner to help stick it to the other corner.  Press gently to slightly flatten the filling.  Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.  Place cookies 1 1/2 inches apart on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or foil.  Brush the tops of the dough with a tiny amount of milk, just enough to moisten them, and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown and the filling is spread and puffed.  Remove to a rack to cool completely.

I have a confession to make.  I have been sucked in to The Bachelorette.  Again.  I hadn’t watched for the last several seasons (with the exception of Bachelor Pad, because come on), but then somehow this season I had a relapse.  It has latched into me with its manicured talons and it’s not letting go.  At least, not until I find out who this ladylike Southern belle told to “get the f#@% [...]]]>

I have a confession to make.  I have been sucked in to The Bachelorette.  Again.  I hadn’t watched for the last several seasons (with the exception of Bachelor Pad, because come on), but then somehow this season I had a relapse.  It has latched into me with its manicured talons and it’s not letting go.  At least, not until I find out who this ladylike Southern belle told to “get the f#@% out”.  At least I’m glad I’m not the only one, and I’m not as bad as some.  I’ve heard of groups of women playing Bachelor/ette games the way men play fantasy football, or just betting on the outcome of each episode.  I think I would draw the line at risking money over this, but I have to say it is horribly addicting.

A more productive use of my time would be making more pavlovas.  You guys know how much I love meringues, right?  And I’m sure you know how much I love fruit, too.  Put them together and pow!  That’s why pavlovas are awesome.  The story goes that they were named after some Russian ballerina way back in the day, which makes sense, because meringue basically = sugared air, and fruit is always good for you (no matter in what form, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise).  So not only are these delicious, but they’re perfect for bathing suit season.  You could even have two and not even be stressed out.  On top of that, they’re sweet, a little tart, saucy, crisp, airy, and a little crunchy all at the same time.  Yes, please.

Here’s what you need.

Egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, pistachios, a lemon, and raspberries.

Yes, those are frozen raspberries.  You could absolutely use fresh, but I figured a.) frozen raspberries are a lot cheaper than fresh, even at this time of year, and b.) I’m going to simmer these down into syrupy, saucy goodness anyway, so one will never be able to tell the difference once they’re done.  But the choice is up to you; fresh or frozen will work equally well here.

First, the meringue.  You basically just make regular old meringues, but spoon them out into big, nest-like shapes instead of the usual little cookie blobs.  Beat the heck out of some egg whites, then add sugar, cream of tartar, lemon zest, and chopped pistachios.

Fold everything gently together, then plop in four big piles on the baking sheet, and use a spoon to hollow out some little berry depressions in their middles.  Then bake ‘em until they’re good and crisp.

Now for the berries: just put them in a saucepan with some sugar and gently heat them until they give off their juices and break down just a bit into a nice sauce.  You know that fancy looking raspberry sauce that’s always squirted over/around your cheesecake in restaurants?  That’s this, but it has been pureed and strained.  Not nearly as fancy as they would have you think.

Just spoon a bunch of raspberry sauce over each meringue and top with a few extra pistachios, and you’re done!  Incredibly easy.  And even pretty enough for a dinner party.

Enjoy!

Raspberry Pistachio Pavlovas

makes 4

2 egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

generous pinch cream of tartar

zest of half a lemon

1/4 cup chopped pistachios

12 oz raspberries, fresh or frozen

1 tsp. sugar, or more depending on the sweetness of your berries

Preheat the oven to 200°.  With a mixer or handheld eggbeaters, beat the egg whites until they are foamy.  Add the cream of tartar, and gradually add in the 1/2 cup of sugar.  Beat the egg whites until they are shiny and holding stiff peaks.  Very gently fold in the pistachios and lemon zest.  Spoon the meringue out in four equal mounds onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.  Use a spoon to slightly flatten the mounds and create a depression in the center of each.  Bake for 90 minutes (the meringue should look dry), then turn off the oven and leave the door closed, and let the meringues cool in the closed oven for 2-3 hours (I usually let them cool overnight).

Meanwhile, put the raspberries and the 1 tsp. of sugar in a small saucepan over low heat.  Stir occasionally, until the berries have released their juices and are saucy enough for you.  Set aside to cool.

Place the meringues on dessert plates, and spoon some of the raspberries over and around each one.  Top with additional chopped pistachios, if desired.

I went back to Santa Barbara for a visit this weekend (I went to college there, and miss it terribly) and hung out with some good friends and felt my heartstrings being pulled over and over again.  It’s so beautiful, and it just has a different feel to it.  I kept having to remind myself that I can’t afford to move back there.  At least, not if I don’t want to share [...]]]>

I went back to Santa Barbara for a visit this weekend (I went to college there, and miss it terribly) and hung out with some good friends and felt my heartstrings being pulled over and over again.  It’s so beautiful, and it just has a different feel to it.  I kept having to remind myself that I can’t afford to move back there.  At least, not if I don’t want to share a smallish one-bedroom apartment with a roommate again, like I did in college (although, I could see a sliver of the ocean and a glimpse of one of the Channel Islands from my shower window in said smallish apartment).

Here’s a list of some of the things I did in the less than 48 hours that I was there:

Drove an average of 23 miles per hour through 40 miles’ worth of Los Angeles county.

Tried my best to stare at the ocean out the window while not driving too annoyingly.

Was reminded that Santa Barbara always requires a jacket or sweatshirt.  A thin pullover doesn’t count.  Outerwear is necessary at some point every day, it doesn’t matter what time of year.

Ate sushi at one of my old favorite spots.

Helped build a mini golf course on my friend’s deck, complete with 9 holes, a water hazard, a moving mini-robot obstacle, and a hole that started on a neighbor’s deck (that one required a big long plastic tube).

Made Jell-o shots, color-coordinated by strength.

Ate a lot, drank a little, and played mini golf at the themed party, and was drinking water in my PJs by 10:00 pm.

Had a perfect breakfast at an adorable small-town cafe.

Santa Barbara is also a hippie town, with lots of health-food stores and restaurants and farmers’ markets available, which inspired me to finally make these veggie-based cookies, the recipe for which has been dog-eared for so long.  I would even go so far as to suggest that these cookies are marginally good for you, if you don’t factor in the sugar (which, let’s be honest, I don’t).  They’re chock full of sweet potatoes and coconut and almonds, which sounds like it might be weird for cookies, but they’re quite tasty.  They’re little and chewy and crispy and crunchy, and I found them to be great as both dessert and a snack. Rock on, veggies.

Here’s what you need.

Coconut, almonds, eggs, sugar, salt, lemon zest, and sweet potatoes.

First, toast the coconut and cook and mash up the sweet potatoes.  I just microwaved and fork-mashed (I need to buy a potato masher).  Then combine it with everything else in a bowl and smush until it’s a roll-able dough.

Then just roll it into balls,

roll the balls in sugar, and bake.

These came out with a light crust on the outside and a nicely chewy middle, with plenty of texture from the almonds and the coconut.  They weren’t overly sweet, and I loved how different they were; I didn’t really feel like I was eating a cookie.  Which is good, because I ate quite a few of them.

Pannelets (Spanish Sweet Potato Cookies)

adapted from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunch Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies

makes 36-40

1 cup mashed or pureed baked yam (prick with a fork and microwave 10 minutes, or until fork-tender)

2 cups unsweetened dried shredded coconut, toasted (if you can’t find unsweetened, use regular sweetened and reduce the sugar to 1 cup)

1 1/3 cups sugar

2 large egg whites

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 cup (5 oz) whole almonds

additional sugar for rolling

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the yam, coconut, sugar, egg whites, salt, and lemon zest.

In a food processor, pulse the almonds until they are an uneven texture: mostly very fine, leaving some of them just finely chopped.  Add the almonds to the bowl and mix to combine.  Chill the dough until it firms up a bit, at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 325°.  Roll level tablespoons of dough into balls and roll the balls in a saucer or shallow bowl of sugar.  Place balls 1 1/2″ apart on cookie sheets (greased or lined with parchment paper).  Bake for 18-24 minutes, or until the cookies have a slight crust on the outside and are golden brown on their bottoms.  Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Clearly I’m on a banana kick here.  Even though I love them, I hardly ever have them in the house, because I can’t seem to eat them before they go all black and mushy, which would be great if I could drop everything and bake them into some muffins or pancakes or oatmeal at that point, but I can’t always do that before reaching the Point of No Return (you know, that point where the bananas are too [...]]]>

Clearly I’m on a banana kick here.  Even though I love them, I hardly ever have them in the house, because I can’t seem to eat them before they go all black and mushy, which would be great if I could drop everything and bake them into some muffins or pancakes or oatmeal at that point, but I can’t always do that before reaching the Point of No Return (you know, that point where the bananas are too far gone even for muffins). But every once in a while I decide I must have them, and when that happens, I make sure to plan ahead so that once the last two or three are ready for a whirl in the mixer, I’m ready for them.

In this case, seeing as how my bikinis have been taunting me from where they have been shoved deep, deep in the back of their dresser drawer, I decided to lighten these up a little so I can still eat delicious baked goods on a regular basis, and occasionally show that particular drawer a particular finger.

Here’s what you need for these toasty beauties.

Speckly bananas, eggs, coconut, walnuts, sugar, salt, whole wheat flour, white flour, baking powder, and yogurt.  And vanilla.

First, mash up the bananas.  I find that this is an excellent job for a stand mixer, instead of hand-smushing with a fork.  Then just add some other wet stuff and the coconut to the already-smushed bananas, combine the dry stuff separately, and combine them gently so they don’t get scared and toughen up.

Scoop ‘em out into a muffin tin and top generously with a bunch more coconut; they’re done when they’re nice and springy and the coconut on top is deeply toasty and pretty.

Honey was an excellent companion for these, but they honestly don’t need much help.  They’re great on their own; the coconut and walnuts provide a delightfully different texture and make them seem more substantial than some other muffins.

Banana Coconut Muffins, lightened

adapted from Gourmet, May 2004

makes 10-11 muffins

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

2 very ripe medium bananas

1/2 cup low fat or non fat plain yogurt, Greek or regular

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 375°.  Spray the cups of a muffin tin with baking spray, or line with paper liners (you know where I stand on this topic).

Combine the flours, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.  Set aside.  Break or cut the bananas into a few hunks each and place into the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large mixing bowl, using a fork) and turn on low speed, mixing with the paddle attachment until the bananas are evenly mashed.  Add the yogurt, sugar, egg, vanilla, and 1/2 cup of the coconut and mix to combine on medium low speed until incorporated.  With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the dry ingredients and then the walnuts, mixing until just barely combined.

Scoop the batter into the muffin cups, filling 2/3 -3/4 of the way full.  Top the muffins evenly with the remaining 1/4 cup coconut.  Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the muffins spring back to the touch and the coconut on top is nicely toasted.  Transfer to a rack to cool.

Have you ever heard that song “Banana Pancakes” by Jack Johnson?  It basically says that on rainy days, there is absolutely no reason to do anything but stay inside in one’s PJs and make banana pancakes.  I wholeheartedly agree.  Also, it’s a cute little song.  Maybe it’s the fact that I live in and grew up in southern California, but I strongly dislike rain; at least, if I am forced to go [...]]]>

Have you ever heard that song “Banana Pancakes” by Jack Johnson?  It basically says that on rainy days, there is absolutely no reason to do anything but stay inside in one’s PJs and make banana pancakes.  I wholeheartedly agree.  Also, it’s a cute little song.  Maybe it’s the fact that I live in and grew up in southern California, but I strongly dislike rain; at least, if I am forced to go outside in it.  If I can stay inside and be slovenly and unkempt and eat snuggly foods like pancakes, it can rain all it wants.

Luckily, it was not raining on this particular day when I made these pancakes.  I had just decided that it was high time for me to have some kind of delicious, all-inclusive kind of breakfast that I could cover with a light blanket of maple syrup (grade B, please).  And these are indeed all-inclusive; you’ve got your fruit, your oatmeal, your eggs, your milk, your syrup — I will not be convinced that this was not a balanced breakfast.

Here’s what you need.

Bananas (the browner, the better), whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, raisins, brown sugar, butter, yogurt, and eggs.  And milk.  And vanilla.

First, combine the dry stuff and the wet stuff separately, then combine them together.

Then get the bananas all mashed up and un-appetizing-looking and add them to the batter along with some melted butter and raisins.

Just griddle away a few times, and you’ve got breakfast fit for a late Sunday morning.

These were fantastic with my usual favorite, maple syrup.  Then I froze the rest (just two were very filling, and they froze beautifully), and a few days later had one with some honey, and oh my goodness, it just must be done.  Promise me that if you make these, you’ll have at least one drizzled with honey.  Please?

Banana Oatmeal Raisin Pancakes

adapted from Bon Appetit, February 2004

makes 8-12

The original recipe says this makes 12 pancakes, but they must have been making some pretty small pancakes because I only got 8.  I didn’t make any petite or silver dollar pancakes or anything, just your standard big ones.  Make sure to put a plate in your oven and turn it on to warm as you start making these so you’ll have a place for them to land as they come out of the skillet.

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

3/4 cup plain yogurt (Greek or regular)

3/4 cup milk

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup raisins

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Combine the oats, flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl and combine with a whisk.  In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, milk, eggs, and vanilla and beat with a whisk until combined.  Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients, stirring with a whisk just a few times to combine (there should be a few streaks of dry flour left unmixed).  Add the bananas, raisins, and butter and whisk until just barely combined, with as few strokes of the whisk as possible.

Place a large skillet or griddle over medium heat and coat with butter or cooking spray.  Scoop 1/3-cupfuls of batter onto the skillet and cook until the tops look dry and there are bubbles around the edges, about 2-3 minutes.  Flip and cook until the bottom sides are golden brown, about another 2 minutes.  Transfer to a plate in a warm oven and repeat with the remaining batter.

Did you know that braids are back in a big way?  They’re all the rage these days.  Just go to Pinterest and search for “braids” — it’s intense.  And a bunch of very fancy ones are popping up, too.  I’m not personally a fan of some of the more complicated ones, but a lot of them look very easy-cute.

Much like challah!  It may look complicated to braid dough, but it’s really [...]]]>

Did you know that braids are back in a big way?  They’re all the rage these days.  Just go to Pinterest and search for “braids” — it’s intense.  And a bunch of very fancy ones are popping up, too.  I’m not personally a fan of some of the more complicated ones, but a lot of them look very easy-cute.

Much like challah!  It may look complicated to braid dough, but it’s really not, I promise.  All you knead need is something sharp to cut the dough into hunks and your two hot little hands.

Here’s what you need.

Butter, eggs, yeast, bread flour, sugar, and salt.

First, make some dough.  Proof the yeast in some warm water, combine the butter with the dry stuff, and then mix them together with some eggs.

If you have a stand mixer, here’s where you can put that funny-looking dough hook to good use and avoid some of the work involved with bread-making.  Just let ‘er rip!

Go through the usual rise/rest/rise process, and then you’re ready for braiding!  This recipe makes 3 loaves, so divide each loaf of dough into 3 hunks and roll them out until they’re long and thin.

Start in the middle by crossing two strips over the third, and braiding down from the middle and up from the middle until the whole thing is braided.  And trust me, no one will notice or care if they’re not perfect.  They won’t last long anyway.

Once they’re braided, brush generously with some more egg, and bake!  The egg makes them turn nice and golden brown and glossy.

And if you can’t consume three loaves before they go stale, don’t worry; remember that bread freezes pretty well.  Just wrap them really well in a couple layers of plastic wrap (and maybe some foil, too) and they should be good for a couple of months.  I have two in my freezer right now, and I have a feeling one of them might go toward some kind of bread pudding.

Challah

makes three medium-sized loaves

adapted from The Cheese Board: Collective Works

2 Tbsp. active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

4 1/2 cups bread flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

5 eggs

2 Tbsp. poppy or sesame seeds (optional)

In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the yeast and 1 cup warm water with a whisk until dissolved.  Let sit for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, and salt.  Add the butter and mix on medium-low speed (or rub in with your fingertips or a pastry cutter) until the butter is the size of small peas and the mixture is evenly crumbly.  Add the yeast/water mixture and 3 eggs, and mix to combine, about 2 minutes.  Switch to the dough hook if using a mixer and knead on medium speed for 10 minutes, or until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and looks smooth.  Transfer to a floured surface and knead a few times by hand until the dough is evenly smooth and elastic (if making by hand, knead on a floured surface for 12 minutes after combining the eggs and yeast into the dough).

Form the dough into a ball and place into a large oiled bowl, turning the dough over to coat all sides with the oil.  Cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and place in a warm, draft-free place to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size (if you press your finger gently into the dough, the impression should stay).  Transfer to a lightly floured surface and divide into 3 pieces.  Gently form each hunk of dough into a round and cover them all with a floured kitchen towel to sit for 10 minutes.  Then divide each loaf into 3 long narrow strands and form into a braid, starting in the middle as shown above.  When you get to the ends, gently tuck them underneath the rest of the loaf.

Place the loaves on two baking sheets lined with parchment or silicone mats (2 on one sheet, set apart from each other, and 1 on the other sheet), cover with a floured kitchen towel, and let rise for another 45 minutes (again, until a gentle finger-press leaves an impression).

Preheat the oven to 375° with racks in the upper and lower thirds.  Whisk together the remaining two eggs and brush gently and evenly over the entire loaves using a pastry brush.  Sprinkle with seeds, if using.  Bake for 15 minutes, rotate the pans from front to back and top to bottom, and bake for another 20 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.  Cool on wire racks.

Spring has officially sprung!  In unrelated news, I sneezed four times today.  The sudden warmer weather has me craving strawberries and contemplating shorts.  So I decided to put my most recent impulse purchase, a trifle dish, to good use.

Here’s what you need.

Pound cake, cream cheese, sour cream, powdered sugar, granulated sugar, and strawberries.

First, cut up the strawberries and sprinkle a little sugar over them [...]]]>

Spring has officially sprung!  In unrelated news, I sneezed four times today.  The sudden warmer weather has me craving strawberries and contemplating shorts.  So I decided to put my most recent impulse purchase, a trifle dish, to good use.

Here’s what you need.

Pound cake, cream cheese, sour cream, powdered sugar, granulated sugar, and strawberries.

First, cut up the strawberries and sprinkle a little sugar over them and let them sit and get juicy (SAT word: macerate).

Then just beat together the cream cheese, sour cream, and some powdered sugar to make a delicious, creamy substance very much like cream cheese frosting, only better (didn’t think it was possible, did you?).  Cut up the pound cake into hunks and start layering!

Cake cubes, strawberries, cream cheese mixture, and repeat.

I had some extra strawberries, so I decided to get a little fancy with the top.  Feel free to leave it naked, or top with a big ol’ mound of lightly sweetened whipped cream.

To serve, just get your biggest serving spoon and scoop out mounds into bowls or onto plates.

*Note: trifles are pretty in the bowl, not once served.  Just make sure everyone gets a good look at the pretty version before it’s a mess on their plate.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle

Makes one 8″ trifle

Cream Cheese Filling adapted from Baking

two pounds strawberries, thickly sliced vertically, small ones halved vertically

1 Tbsp. sugar

one 9″x5″ pound cake, preferably home made

8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar, or more as needed

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup sour cream, or more as needed

Combine the strawberries and sugar in a medium bowl and toss to coat.  Set aside for at least 1 hour or overnight (refrigerate if overnight).

With an electric mixer or a wooden spoon, beat the cream cheese until creamy and smooth.  Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and sour cream, and beat to combine (be careful to start off slowly, so you don’t make the powdered sugar *poof* everywhere).  Beat until it’s smooth and well-mixed.  If it’s to thin for your liking, add some more powdered sugar.  If it’s too stiff, add some more sour cream.  Taste it, and if you prefer it more or less sweet, add more powdered sugar or sour cream until it’s just right for you.

Cut the pound cake into 1″ cubes.  Scatter 1/3 of them across the bottom of an 8″ round trifle dish (or another deep bowl, preferably glass), top with 1/3 of the strawberry slices, including a spoonful or two of their juice, and 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture.  Repeat two times, for a total of three layers of each, ending with the cream cheese mixture.  Smooth the top, and if desired, top with extra sliced strawberries, a mound of lightly sweetened whipped cream, or a scattering of sliced almonds.  This can be served immediately, but it is best if prepared and chilled 6-8 hours ahead, or even the night before.

I know it seems really basic, but pound cake is one of those baking staples that I have been meaning to make, but for one reason or another have repeatedly put off.  I even bought a cheap pound cake from the grocery store once, and let me tell you, it just does not compare; that will never happen again!  This pound cake is pleasantly dense, perfectly moist, and incredibly buttery, with a [...]]]>

I know it seems really basic, but pound cake is one of those baking staples that I have been meaning to make, but for one reason or another have repeatedly put off.  I even bought a cheap pound cake from the grocery store once, and let me tell you, it just does not compare; that will never happen again!  This pound cake is pleasantly dense, perfectly moist, and incredibly buttery, with a light citrusy fragrance.  This is dangerous stuff, people.

Here’s what you need.

Eggs, sugar, salt, flour, butter, and orange zest.  And vanilla.  And milk.

First, beat the butter and sugar until it’s good and fluffy.  In another bowl, mix together the wet stuff,

and then combine them with some flour, making a buttery batter.  Pour into a loaf pan,

and bake!  I keep forgetting that my oven runs a wee bit hot.  You want it golden brown, but not quite this dark.

Flip it out of its pan to cool, and then slice it to serve.  This would be fantastic with some simple whipped cream, some chocolate syrup, or just some sliced fresh fruit.

Orange-Scented Pound Cake

adapted from Baking

makes one loaf-sized cake

This recipe actually called for both lemon and orange zests, but I was out of lemons.  I would imagine this would be just as wonderful with just one or the other or both.

1 1/4 cups plus 2 Tbsp. butter (2 sticks plus 3/4 of a stick), sliced, at cool room temperature

1 1/3 cups sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

5 eggs, room temperature

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbsp. orange zest or 1 Tbsp. lemon zest, or both

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Spray the sides and bottom of a 9×5″ loaf pan with non-stick baking spray (I like the kind with flour included), cut a piece of parchment to fit the bottom of the pan, and spray the parchment as well.

Using a mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and salt on high speed for 8 minutes, until fluffy (don’t skimp on the time — the fluffiness is necessary).  In another bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, and vanilla.  With the mixer on medium speed, add the liquid mixture to the butter mixture one-third at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl when necessary.  Add in the zest(s) and beat 30 seconds more.  Turn off the mixer and add the flour all at once.  Beat in on low speed for 5-10 seconds, or until the flour is just moistened.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 2-3 minutes more.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, but don’t smooth the top; it can deflate some of the airiness.  Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out and allow to cool completely.