I apologize for the lack of posts last week. I was in full blown bachelorette party planning mode for my sister’s party that was last weekend. It was an amazing weekend with friends and of course lots of partying. I thought I would share one of the desserts I made, a fruit tart.
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Hope everyone had a fabulous Easter! We had a great Easter brunch filled with Easter borscht, crostini’s, baked eggs, asparagus and of course hard boiled eggs (you can see my classic rainbow one below). Oh and how could I forget, after all that brunch we had smoked ribs, brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes. I made a poppyseed cake for dessert. I know I always say the cakes are amazing but this was literally one of the tastiest cakes I have ever made. With that said it was also the ugliest. I had issues with it sticking to the pan for one cake and the other I decided to cut in half and it was just to delicate for that. This is your warning…viewers discretion is advised for the cake picture. If this is your first time visiting my site, please don’t judge my baking/cooking/traveling abilities by this cake.
Recipes
Prosciutto and Avocado Crostini
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This past weekend was my sister’s birthday, which brought the birthday count to four for the month of February alone. February is not about Valentine’s day its about birthday’s, or at least those are the cards that Hallmark is making a profit off of from me. One perk of all the birthdays is it give me an excuse to head into the kitchen to bake. And not just bake but to bake things I wouldn’t normally think to bake. When I sat down to think of what to make for Kara, I decided to shy away to the tycical favorite dessert of her’s such as crème brûlée or a fruit tart and go for the old favorite eclair.
I’ve made cream puffs before which is the same batter mixture, so I wasn’t intimidated by these delightful pastries. From this time baking I decided to stop living in denial and believe that the altitude is affecting my results. I’ve found things to be a bit dryer, cook quicker and not rise as well. Luckily the only one I saw that effected the eclair was the rising part. Some puffed up but some not too much, but fortunately though it might have not look as fluffy and delicate as it should have, but it tasted like cloud. A chocolate, covered, cream filled heavenly cloud that is.
Pate a Choux
Cream filling for eclairs
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This is a story of the butter that just would not soften…
On a cool winter evening the butter was purchased from the local grocery store. The butter took a bumpy ride in the back seat of the car in the plastic bag, then was carried inside to the warm house. By his forgetful owner he was then put into the fridge when he was supposed to be on the counter warming for the cake he was to be put into. An hour passed by when the owner jumped from the couch and realized that the butter was in the fridge. She moved the the butter to the living room with hopes that it would warm quicker there. But as the night crept on the butter stayed hard and cold. The butter’s owner finally accepted defeat and knew the butter would not be soft enough to whip with the sugar and decided the cake could not be baked till tomorrow. She decided to put the butter by the vent in her room while she slept so it would be perfectly soft in the morning.
When she arose she was excited to check on the butter, but once again she was disappointed by the lack of softness. The butter felt responsible but he knew deep down that it was just that he lived in an older house that was colder. The owner of the butter decided there was only one solution, she would take the butter to work. Off he went back into the plastic bag and into the backseat again.
He was set out on the desk and left to warm for eight long hours. When 5:30 p.m. rolled around she reached to the butter it at last was soft. It was perfect and ready to be whip with the sugar.
THE END
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I have officially turned 24. The scary 24. The 24 that is oh so much older than 23. I’ve been dreading it but its just waltzed into my life. And surprise, surprise, its nots that bad. One bonus, I finally got the Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia Child cookbook. Another bonus my almond raspberry cake with buttercream frosting.
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Happy New Year!! I hope everyone had an amazing time welcoming 2013 last night. I found a recipe for a German new year’s pretzel that is supposed to bring good luck throughout the year. We used the pretzel loaf for French toast this morning— fingers crossed we ate enough.
German New year’s Pretzel from America’s Test Kitchen
Makes 2 large loaves
Dough
1 cup whole milk
3 large eggs
1/3 cup warmed water (110 Degrees)
4 tbs unsalted butter, melted and cooled
6-6 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 1/2 tsp instant or rapid-rise yeast
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground mace (I used nutmeg)
1 large egg for eggwash
Glaze
1 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)
pinch salt
1. For the dough: Whisk milk, eggs, water, and melted butter together in liquid measuring cup. Combine 6 cups flour, granulated sugar, yeast, salt, and mace in stand mixer fitted with dough hook. With mixer on low speed, slowly add milk mixture and let dough come together, about 2 minutes.
2. Increase mixer speed to medium-low and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. If after 4 minutes dough seems very sticky, add remaining 1/2 cup of flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, until dough clears sides of bowl but sticks to bottom.
3. Turn dough out onto lightly floured counter and knead by hand to form smooth, round ball. Place dough in large, lightly greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise in warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
4. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Turn doug hout onto lightly floured counter, divide into two equal pieces, and cover with greased plastic. Roll one piece of dough into 36-inch rope, about 1 1/4 inches thick, then transfer to prepared baking sheet and shape into large pretzel following photos. Repeat with remaining piece of dough.
5. cover pretzels with greased plastic and let rise in warm place until nearly doubled in size and dough barely springs back when poked with knuckle, 45-75 minutes.
6. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Brush pretzels with egg mixture and bake until deep golden brown and centers of pretzels register 200 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes, switching and rotating baking sheets halfway through baking. Let pretzels cool on baking sheets for 15 minutes.
7. For the glaze: whisk confectioners’ sugar, milk, almond extract (if using ), and salt together in bowl. Brush glaze evenly over warm pretzels. Transfer glazed pretzels to wire rack and let cool completely before serving.
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When we have a loaf of challah in the house its lucky if it makes it to the next day. I love it. It is sweet and light and doughy and I just eat it slice, after slice, after slice. As soon as I had my first taste of challah I knew I wanted to make it. But it was the braiding and the fact that I heard it was incredibly difficult to make that has kept me out of the kitchen.
As I was browsing through food writer, Melissa Clark’s, blog I found a challah recipe that looked “doable.” Since Hanukkah is upon us I decided there’s no time like the present. I baked this on Sunday and I was glad because the only part that needed a full free day was the rising part, but other than that is was easy and simple. Even the braiding part wasn’t that bad, promise. Take a look at my pictures and you will see exactly how to do it. It bakes into a light, beautifully browned, doughy, slice of heaven.
Side Note: I would hold off on the last 1/2 cup of flour. Also if making this in a kitchen aid mixer make sure not to over mix, save the final kneading for your hands.
Do the over under method here for the four pieces.
The take two pieces and cross the left over the right.
Then tuck the ends under.
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Sorry to have taken so long to post, but its been a really busy week. My dad called me Saturday as I was driving to work to inform me and my and sister that he would be stopping in for a visit on Sunday aka tomorrow. I was obviously excited but that also meant everything I had planned for the day had to be pushed up early to before he got there, or pushed back to the start of the week. Any who, no complaints it was great to have him, but that is my excuse for not posting.
Even though I was super busy I factored in time to bake, of course. In between transcribing on Sunday morning I dusted off my whoopie pan and tested a new recipe—gingerbread. I love pumpkin whoopie pies so they stole my thoughts towards any other kind of whoopie pie’s in the past. This year, I was testing cake recipes for Thanksgiving and making other desserts, during the month of November, that the whoopie pie got missed. So it was the perfect time for the gingerbread to swoop in and steal the show. And boy did it.
The gingerbread was decadent and rich, with I have to say the best creamy buttery filling ever. I thought I over baked the pie part a little bit so there was a little crunch the first day. But the second day, after sitting in a covered pan over night, the pie’s became moist and perfect. Make this today, tomorrow, for the holiday party , for Santa, anyone really. After you make these once you will be looking for any excuse to make them again.
Gingerbread Whoopie Pie Recipe
Filling Recipe (It’s the filling number two recipe f.y.i.)
Now to the filling!
Be patient. If you wait and just stir the flour and milk it will, in about five minutes, become thick. 
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I have officially been in Denver now for two weeks and one day. I’m loving living in a town with the mountains so close and have been enjoying them on the two weekends I’ve been here. Looking at the leaves changing from a mountain top is pretty extraordinary. As a welcome to Denver post I decided to tie it in with a welcome to fall post. I love, repeat, love cooking anything with pumpkin in it. This weekend I made a pumpkin swirl bread. It’s a play on Pepperridge Farm’s Pumpkin Spice bread. You can find this bread on the shelves for a limited time, but in case you can’t…try making it. This bread was such a hit at the breakfast table. The best part about it is that its not too sweet; it has just the right amount. Kick off the fall season with this bread—maybe even at a tailgate!
The only thing I changed in this recipe was using golden raisins versus regular one. And I only did this to keep the colors fally.
Don’t have a rolling pin? No problem!
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My sister’s engagement party was this past Saturday and it was amazing! It was at a wine bar in Dallas with friends and family and it went perfectly. To go along with the wine, we had a cheese platter that was incredible, pizza and for dessert dark chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting and chocolate covered strawberries which I made. Dessert has always kinda been my thing so when I started to plan the party I knew I wanted to make the desserts. Picking both of their favorites the cupcakes were for John and the strawberries for Kara.
Since I knew I wanted to spend as much time with my sister when I was visiting as possible, I decided to bake the cupcakes before in Michigan and carry them with me to Dallas. I brought tupperware and the cupcake pan with me from my current location of Charleston, South Carolina and I can only imagine what the TSA was thinking as my bags went through security. I baked the cupcakes on Thursday night and carried with me 48 mini cupcakes down to Dallas. Things went smoothly and I frosted them on Saturday before the party and they were adorable. They were still incredibly moist and delicious. Luckily the strawberries were easy to do on Saturday too during the day so they weren’t overhead bin partners with the cupcakes. What can I say, carry cupcakes on the plane is The Pilot’s Daughter way.
Dark chocolate cupcakes recipe
Checking on the cupcakes in MSP.
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