Archives 'Baking Beauties
for the Betty Crocker within
 |
Young & HungryIf you can't take the heat, get outta the kitchen! |
| 16 February |
As a college student studying abroad, I spent a great deal of time sauntering around the streets of Spain, on the hunt for local bakeries hiding in the copious nooks and crannies of European boulevards (because, let’s be honest—study abroad consists of little actual study.) I had two favorite delicacies that I found myself ordering time and again despite bountiful trays of new, exciting delicacies luring me in with their elaborate architecture or powdered sugar finish.
OMG, I made macaroons!
One of my favorites was the Spanish merengue, thin sheets of flaky pastry piped sky high with cloying, white meringue so light and ethereal it was served with a tiny spoon on the side…..a true caviar dream for a sugar fiend such as myself. My other favorite was a dessert borrowed from neighboring France, the Parisian macaroon (or macaron): tiny, beautiful, colorful gems that are celebrated throughout Europe and beyond. If you’ve never tried a French macaroon and have visions in your head of the more common coconut macaroon, erase them immediately. French macaroons are in a class of their own…two delicate nut-based cookies sandwiching a complimentary filling (typically a ganache or buttercream) that bake up al dente, yielding their slight bite to a chewy center, and offered in a dazzling and dizzying array of flavors such as chocolate, pistachio, lemon, mocha and on and on and on.
| 29 January |
It was purely by chance that this cake made it into my kitchen. I am not particularly enthusiastic about gingerbread, nor do I tend to make desserts that do not contain any trace of chocolate. I am enthused, however, that my guest of honor who is a fan of both gingerbread and fruit desserts inspired me to bake this upside-down cake. It. Was. Delicious. And pretty! And really not all that bad for you! So if you find yourself in the company of one of those people who doesn’t keep an emergency stash of cocoa products in their purse, car, and desk or if you just feel like taking a bite on the other side, try this cake. I promise even the worst chocoholic won’t be disappointed.
| 26 January |
So there’s a lot of devastation in this world and not just the current tragedy in Haiti; it’s all around us and we don’t always think we can do anything to help. That’s like saying your vote doesn’t count. You realize that, right? Everybody counts. Everybody counts and we all have unique gifts and talents we can offer despite our financial situation or busy schedule. Let me tell you a little story about Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody:‘
There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. In the end, Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
Inspired by a book I’m currently reading, I decided to stop blaming Everybody and take action. I gathered some friends at work, we spent Sunday baking, and voila we had a bake sale. Our co-workers came in to some delicious treats, we raised money to send to Haiti, and I’m pretty sure we enjoyed our time in the kitchen.
| 23 December |
No, not referencing your dog dressed up in antlers and the ugliest sweater ever seen. This bark is the delicious crunchy, sweet, and salty southern treat that’s so easy to make you’ll feel you just didn’t work hard enough to deserve such a delectable treat! So while a photo of Mommy’s relentless battle to keep that red nose on Sparky might be entertaining for a hot second, these candies will keep you satisfied for day(s) to come! If you have more than a teaspoon of self-control that is…
You know what’s even more fabulous than having a cellophane wrapped bag of bark in your possession? The ability to take this basic recipe and bake it into your heart’s desire. This Christmas I tried two variations on the classic candy: Mexican Chocolate with Spiced Almonds and Fruited Nut. So I leave you with this chocolate topped butter laden Christmas gift and wish you all a fat and fabulous holiday! Ruff Ruff!
| 21 December |
Holidays: Christmas; Christmas Eve; stockings and bows and garland and tinsel; good tidings and trips home. The holidays are by far, without doubt, my most favorite time of the year, and the food is just the icing on that glorious yuletide cake. Holiday dishes call for, of course, decadence. I hotly anticipate this season all year, and naturally want it to be worth the wait. This is not the time to sub in Splenda or wonder if margarine will do. It will not. Bring on the cheese, the nuts, the fudge, all the richer the better. What follows is an account of one young and hungry girl’s attempt to create memorable Christmas desserts, desserts basking in unbridled dietary depravity. A grand finale worth the mea culpas.Gloriously decadent figgy pudding
My baking began with the proverbial question of what to make. Sure, I could easily toss together a simple-yet-delicious gingerbread trifle or whip up a batch quick peppermint brownies, but those endeavors seem so….everyday. Nay, my favorite holiday calls for desserts demanding fastidious attention to detail and hours of kitchen toil (there are few things I love better than kitchen toil.) And so here are my two picks for Christmas ’09, one classic and one decidedly untraditional, both equally resplendent in their copious steps: Steamed Toffee Pudding and Cuatro Leches Cake. They are both so mind-blowingly rich and full of carefully nurtured, gorgeous flavors that I may just make them again come Valentine’s Day. Memorable indeed.
For Christmas Eve I chose the quintessential Christmas dessert of yore, Steamed Toffee Pudding, a recipe I took straight from my Craft of Cooking cookbook. One of my most favorite restaurants and home to innumerable memorable meals, Craft, to me, epitomizes the essence of fine dining, and I’d trust any of the recipes in Chef Colicchio’s book. And seriously, how much more Christmas can you get than to hear your family clamoring for more figgy pudding? I half expected Tiny Tim to walk through my door.
| 18 December |
It’s finally pear season! The peachy peaches of summer are long gone to be replaced with gifts of citrus and pomaceous fruits from Harry & David. I recall the much anticipated day when the big box of pears would arrive individually wrapped in gold foil and sitting atop a bed of green foam in their assigned cubbies. And then the wait. Oh, the dreaded and forever long wait for the pears to ripen so that you could scoop out the fruit with just your spoon. Of course, almost immediately after the pears reached the perfect ripeness, they just could not be eaten quickly enough and, god forbid, became waste. If only I had known then what I know now. Had I been in possession of this delightful crumble recipe those pears would have made it to their proper resting place, in some pudgy girl or boys belly. Alas, I know better now and will never let a pear fall short of its proper destiny on my watch.
This crumble could also be used atop apples, peaches, or whatever fruit might happen to be in season. If you have leftovers, it makes a delicious topping for your morning oatmeal or yogurt. And, as usual, serve a la mode.
| 16 December |
O Kitchen Aid, Kitchen Aid, wherefore art thou Kitchen Aid – mixer? Shiny and red and steadfast mixer… After three mixer-less batches of biscotti, my arms are now made of steel. And the remainder of me: flour, sugar, egg, and nuts… My days of beating, stirring, kneading, battling by hand are now over. I’m passing the torch to you, reader.
But before I say adieu, here is the last and best of the biscotti recipes. The traditional and original recipe from which all my previous variations were born. I was raised on this anise scented cookie and, as my affection has grown with each passing year, look more and more forward to a batch (or two) each passing birthday or Christmas. Of course now that I finally know how exactly to make them, I have no excuse to not have biscotti around at all times. There’s just something to be said for the ones made by Nonna herself, a special Grandmotherly touch if you will. While I know hers will always be the best to me, I hope that yours will be just as perfect. If not, select all, copy, paste, and send to Grandma!
| 13 December |
While it turns out that Baci is just as much a nickname for chocolate hazelnut as Nutella, I’m sure they’d be happy to know that, in my mind at least, they’re the Kleenex of chocolate hazelnut candy! Baci, which means kiss in Italian, is the much more delicious Nestle version of our Hershey Kisses. Not only is their taste superior to our plain Jane chocolates, but they come with little multilingual love notes inside the wrapper!
I’ll never forget my trip to the chocolate festival in Perugia, the home of the Perugina factory where these little pecks of heaven are crafted. There was chocolate everywhere! Hot chocolate as thick as honey, decadent chocolate desserts, and even a chocolate sculpture contest where artists chipped away at life size blocks of cocoa while people crowded at their feet to catch the scraps*. How they maintained focus I will never know! It was a trip to remember, even 6 years later. And so here’s a little chip of Perugia just for you!
Dillo con un Bacio!
*Scraps?! Excuse my blasphemy.
| 11 December |
Biscotti get a tough wrap for being a tad on the crunchy side, but I’d like to take this opportunity to commit their poor reputation to user error. It’s a dipping cookie people! So whether you prefer coffee, tea, or milk – stop complaining and dunk it! This recipe for Toffee Crunch Biscotti goes particularly well with Starbuck’s new Caramel Brulee Latte or they’re slightly more grown up Toffee Nut Latte. I have never been able to do the black coffee thing and, as such, enjoy experimenting with new coffee creations. The latest and greatest is the simple substitution of about ½ cup of eggnog instead of the usual cream and sugar. For a Thai coffee, swap that eggnog for some sweetened condensed milk. And, if you’re really feeling sweet, heat a tablespoon of cocoa powder or hot chocolate mix with milk or cream for a quick mocha. There are about as many options as there are biscotti, so get dipping!
| 9 December |
Despite the fact that the Baking Bonanza has been in progress a couple weeks now, I actually just started my holiday baking last weekend. This year I decided to go with the 3 Bs of Baking: Breads, Barks, & Biscotti! I’m using said theme to strap some boundaries around what usually turns into a big cookie catastrophe, for my kitchen anyway. Hopefully keeping within these three categories will enable me to tie a pretty little bow around my baked gifts while still allowing some creativity.
We will start with biscotti aka cantucci. For the sake of this holiday season and my Nonna from whom the base recipe comes we will call them biscotti. The biscotti series is going to come to you in four installments, one variation per installment, and will conclude with the orginal (and best) recipe from which all the other recipes were created. I know my mother is asking why mess with a good thing? Well, Mommy dearest, I can only post the real deal one time and there are over 360 days in the year. That, and you know me well enough to know I’m a meddler.
What I was surprised to learn was that after many not so perfect attempts at meddling with various biscotti recipes, these actually turned out just right! They don’t have the traditional essence of anise that make the original recipe so unique, but if you prefer or like these flavor combinations or just want to spice things up a bit these are all quite delicious! There is a METHOD to the madness and I was happy to learn that if you keep to the basic ratios and processes defined in the original recipe, the world is your oyster!
Top