Pro Bono Baker

Rosemary Cornmeal Shortbread

I worked from home yesterday and between grant research and writing appeal letters I decided to bake some cookies.  These cookies are both sweet and savory - a winning combination in my book.  I based my recipe off of one from the Martha Stewart website and a recipe from Kiss the Hem of Her Apron, a lovely food site that is new to me.

Rosemary Cornmeal Shortbread

Makes 1 dozen

Ingredients

1/2 C (1 stick) butter, softened

1/3 C sugar

1/4 C pine nuts

1/4 C shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 Tbl of dried rosemary, finely ground with a mortar and pestle

4 cracks of fresh black pepper

3/4 C all-purpose flour

1/2 C cornmeal

1 tsp salt

Method

Preheat oven to 300F

Mix butter and sugar together in a large bowl until creamy and smooth.  Add pine nuts, Parmesan, rosemary and black pepper.  Stir to combine.  Add flour, cornmeal and salt.  Stir to combine. 

Form into 12 disks with your hands and place on a prepared baking sheet (I use a Silpat mat). I  spooned a bit of sugar and kosher salt (very little salt) on top of the cookies before baking.

Bake about 25 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown and make your house smell amazing.  Allow to cool on a wire rack.  These cookies will keep for several days in an airtight container.

Pumpkin Pie

I spent Thanksgiving day at my parent's house along with Nick, my brother Evan and my grandmother Arlene.  Nick and I spent the better part of the day preparing the food and then enjoyed a lazy night watching Planet Earth in front of the fireplace. 

I will post some photos and recipes of the other dishes we made soon, but I wanted to quickly share these pictures of the pumpkin pie I made Thanksgiving morning.

I love pumpkin pie.  I find many sweets cloying, but the earthy, silky taste of this simple pie is a winter favorite.

There are dozens upon dozens of dressed-up recipes out there, but here is the basic recipe that I prefer to turn to.  Feel free to embellish as you see fit.

Classic Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

1 pie crust, rolled out and chilled in a pie dish

2/3 C brown sugar

1/2 C white sugar

2 Tbl flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp each of: allspice, cloves and ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 C canned pumpkin

2 Tbl molasses

1 tsp vanilla

3 large eggs

1 C whipping cream

Method

Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 450F.  Combine sugars, flour, spices and salt in a large bowl.  Add the pumpkin, molasses, vanilla and eggs and incorporate the cream last.

Pour batter into chilled pie crust and bake for ten minutes.

Reduce oven heat to 325F and bake for another 40 to 45 minutes.  The middle should be set and the sides of the pie should puff up a bit.

Allow pie to cool and serve at room temperature or chilled. 

I usually whip any excess cream with a touch of vanilla to serve along with each slice.   This pie can be made up to a day ahead, making it easy for large holiday dinners.

On a side note, I was pleased to find a (very brief) mention of my website in the Sacramento Bee recently.  Follow the link or download here: Download SacBee.doc

Twenty-Six

I turned 26 last Friday.  Nick met me after work and we walked from my new job in the Ukrainian Village to the May Street Market in the west loop.

Neither of us had been to the May Street Market before and I was really pleased with his choice.  The host explained to us that their menu changes frequently because they buy their ingredients from local and sustainable resources (he mentioned the Green City Market by name).

Sadly, my photographs of the meal turned out pretty lousy, but I hope you will trust me when I tell you that each one looked stunning. We ordered a 2003 Dona Paula Shiraz-Malbec to go with the following:

On the top left is the "Maytag blue cheesecake  with roasted candied beets, arugula, spiced pecans, and elderflower sorbet." Nick ordered the "roasted venison medallions in a pistachio crust with carrot purée, chive spaetzle, and lingonberry sauce."  I ordered the pumpkin risotto with quinoa and dried cherries. It was fabulous with a very fitting presentation.  For dessert we shared "chocolate-banana bread pudding, caramel ice cream, chocolate sauce, and caramelized banana."  Everything was delicious and I highly recommend a visit.

Nick also bought us tickets to Bruce Springsteen!  The show is in late October and I am very excited to see him for the first time. 

We finished up the night at the Logan Square Small Bar where we enjoyed a variety of beers and our friend Parker's company. (Well, we actually finished the night on the porch with a bit of the Basil Hayden's that Nick bought.)

On Saturday afternoon Nick and I met my parents, my brother and my grandmother at my Uncle Jack and my Uncle Dave’s house in Old Town. We spent the beautiful, sunny day celebrating three birthdays: mine, Jack’s and my grandmother Arlene’s.

Dave is one of the best cooks I know.  He made us a delicious lunch of vegetarian Portobello lasagna, meat lasagna (sauces from scratch of course), Caesar salad, and garlic bread. My mom brought a pretty fruit and yogurt salad as well.

For my birthday my parents gave me a hefty sum to aid in my new computer purchase, which is very exciting!  They also gave me a pair of beautiful earrings from one of my favorite jewelers, Studio 2015 in my hometown of Woodstock. Also, my brother bought me gemmapetrie.com!  That was sweet and thoughtful.  I will do something interesting with it soon.

Jack led us on a walking tour of Old Town where we were charmed by quaint old store fronts and left aghast by $40 million dollar concrete homes. When we returned for dessert we saw the stunning carrot cake that Jack and Dave ordered from Bittersweet. It was giant and delicious.

Nick and I returned home where I found these beautiful flowers from Eileen.  Note the kale, so beautiful.  This may have been the prettiest bouquet I have ever seen.  It was perfect for a late summer/early fall birthday.

We had a quick dinner at Small Bar before my friends arrived.  It was great to see so many people that I love all in one place, many of whom I do not see very often.  Harold arrived with a kitchen torch and butane for me.  We will plan some exciting gastronomic adventure soon to show it off. 

All in all this was one of my most memorable birthdays yet.  Outstanding food, family, friends, good beverages and long walks in Chicago - I don't need much else.

Cashew Butter Cookies and Carrot Cake Cookies

My new office is having a cookie exchange tomorrow and I decided to try two new recipes for the occasion.  Nick and I went to stay with my parents this weekend and he helped me bake them in between decorating the Christmas tree and drinking hot spiced wine.

The first recipe is from Martha Stewart and can be found on her website.  The cookies call for two and a half cups of cashews which are used to make a delicious cashew butter for the batter.  A portion is also added coarsely chopped to the batter which created a lovely texture.  The only change I made to these cookies was to omit the caramel sauce.  Oddly, the grocery stores near my parent's house happened to be completely out of caramel candies. 

These cookies were fantastic.  I will definitely be making them again.  I think the caramel sauce would be an excellent complement to these cookies and I hope to try it next time around.

The second recipe, Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies, is also from Martha Stewart and can also be found on her website.  I was less thrilled with the results of this recipe.  The cookies were soft and cakey, I believe too cakey to be called a cookie.  They fell apart at the slightest touch.  However, the flavor was nice and they filled the house with a wonderful aroma while baking. 

I would do two things differently if I were to bake these again.  First, I would make the cookies much smaller.  They expand quite a bit while baking which makes for an even more unruly sandwich.  Secondly, I would recommend you ignore the recipe that is provided for the Cream Cheese Frosting filling. The cookies themselves already call for two sticks of butter.  Adding a third to the filling is not only a bit excessive, but makes for both a poor texture and taste.  Simply combining cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla would created the perfect filling.  The zing from the cream cheese that we all love in cream cheese frosting would not be muted by the butter and the resulting texture would create a more secure sandwich.

Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

We have all most likely tried our hand at dozens of chocolate chip cookie recipes.  After many years of experimenting I have finally found my favorite recipe.  Eileen and Nick have helped me keep them in heavy rotation over the last couple of months.  Last Friday we had our first snowstorm in Chicago.  It wasn't as severe as had originally been predicted, but with 60F weather fresh in our memories it was just as bitter.  The three of us stayed in watching television under a sleeping bag, drinking hot Grzaniec Galicyjski, a spiced Polish wine that I fell in love with while living in Kraków, and baking these delicious cookies. 

My cookies are largely based on the Williams-Sonoma Triple Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe from their wonderful book, Essentials of Baking. This recipe makes about 24 cookies that will stay pleasantly chewy in a sealed container for up to four days.

Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350F

1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar
6 Tbl granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 C semisweet or dark chocolate chips

In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar with a wooden spoon or flat pastry whisk until smooth.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well incorporated.  Slowly add the dry ingredients and stir until the dough just comes together.  Add the chocolate and and stir until incorporated. Do not over-mix.

Drop the dough in large tablespoons onto a prepared cookie sheet (I use a Silpat mat on an air-bake sheet).  Leave about 2 inches for the cookies to expand.  Bake one sheet at a time for about 10 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.  Let cool briefly on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a wire rack.

The batch of cookies I made on Friday received a nice touch from a company in New York called SweetRiot. I used a vial of their flavor 65 ("100% cacao nibs dunked in 65% chocolate") as extra chocolate flavor and crunch in these cookies (I'm currently snacking on their flavor 50).  The results were tasty! I don't usually post about things that I am sent as the owner of this website, but this company seems sweet and I know their products are. Mmm, thanks!

Do any of you have favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes?  I'd love to try them and compare.  Feel free to email or post in the comments.

Return from hiatus with delicious muffins in tow.

Hello dear readers!  I am back in action after fixing my computer problems.  Thank you for sticking with me.  I have received many sweet emails asking if I am throwing in the kitchen towel on my blog, so to speak.  I am not.

i have at long last been offered a well paying and challenging job.  After the Thanksgiving holiday i will once again be working in the Chicago loop for a wonderful organization pursuing cancer and leukemia treatment research.  Not only does the work promise to be personally gratifying, but socially as well.  As some of you may know, I have an interest in one day pursing a joint law and public health degree program.  This opportunity will help inform my decision to go ahead with the latter.

I wanted to remind you of one of my all-time favorite recipes that I have been baking in high volume recently:  Bonnie's Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins.

I usually do not use grated chocolate and never add the nuts that this recipe calls for, but rather extra chocolate chips.  For a special treat use a high percentage cacao dark chocolate with a handful of regular milk chocolate chips.  The dark chocolate will not melt as much as the milk chocolate during baking and will provide not only a deeper flavor, but a pleasing texture as well.

One other bit of advice.  I recently used a baking spray to coat my muffin tins before baking and the muffins came out a bit tough.  Ditch the spray and use the old-fashioned method of coating the tins in butter for a more luscious final product.

Potato Chips and Neiman Marcus

Saturday was John's birthday as well as the night he and Erik unveiled the newest murder/mystery game: Church of Our Lady of Interplanetary Ascendence.  In keeping with the "church evening becomes dangerous cult bloodbath" vibe I decided to make some cookies to share.

First I made a batch of potato chip cookies.  I used to make potato chip cookies when I was younger and they even when to the state fair when I was about 13.  I don't recall the recipe I used at that time, but I will be making a point of locating it over the next few weeks when I visit my parents.  For this batch I used this recipe. The cookies turned out fine and the guests seemed to enjoy them (every cookie was consumed by the end of the night), but I think the temperature called for is much too high.  They quickly became deflated, a bit oily, and prone to burning around the edges. 

For the second batch I made Neiman Marcus cookies with some small variations.  First, I used 1 tablespoon of very finely ground regular coffee beans instead of the 1 and a half teaspoons of instant espresso coffee powder.  Secondly, instead of the 1 and a half cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips I used some of the delicious chocolate candy that my mother sent me home with on Easter.  Using a plastic bag and a hammer I crushed one chocolate bar and a few handfuls of pastel M&Ms (some of them contained peanut butter). 

These cookies turned out lovely. 

The evening was fun and the game expertly written.  Sadly, John did not have a chance to eat any of the cookies that I made for his birthday because he was busy acting like a creepy church elder, but I will be taking him out for modern art, fancy cheeses, and wine next week so perhaps that will make up for it.

 

Fry me up!

Mindy and I decided to pull out her deep fryer and spend a night turning healthy things into greasy delicacies.

We started off with your standard tortilla chips.  We used both corn and flour tortillas. Simply cut a tortilla into your desired triangular sizes and add to the hot oil.  We used safflower oil for everything.  It is a bit more expensive in the states, but it has a more neutral flavor and won't stink your house up as badly as other oils.

I wish I could convey more of a method, but honestly the best way to check for doneness is to watch the color carefully and remove one to test when you think they are getting close to done.

Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a sheet pan lined with paper towels to soak up any excess oil.  One of our favorites, as we knew it would be, were our fried plantains.  Plantains become both crisp and light and reveal a sweet nuttiness when fried.  Delicious.

I also prepared two dips.  The first was a standard guacamole but the second was based on a recipe from Claudia McQuillan's book Chips and Dips.

I was drawn to Campanile's Fresh Fava Bean Dip, though I had no access to favas. I decided to try substituting lima beans, as she suggests in the book.  The recipe was a fairly straight-forward take on a hummus, simply using a different base.  The beans were heated over a low heat until bright green and then mashed with olive oil, garlic, onion, lemon juice, salt and pepper.   The photograph isn't very appealing, however this was a very nice dip and I will be making it again.  The flavors were subtle and it complimented the salted, warm tortilla chips well.

We also fried parsnips, Japanese eggplant, taro root, carrots, rutabagas, cheddar cheese, sweet potatoes, and turnips.

The rutabagas turned out absolutely gorgeous.  When fried they developed a carmel color with flecks of deep brown in the centers and a stripe around the edges.  They tasted fabulous too.

Lastly, we wanted to make some sort of dessert/alcoholic item.  We concocted an idea to combine the two.  First we injected vodka into strawberries with a syringe and then let them soak in the vodka for about an hour.  Next we dredged the strawberries in a mixture of bread crumbs and sugar, rolled in beaten eggs, and then back in the bread crumbs.  We fried them until golden brown and ate them warm.

These were astoundingly good.  Mindy and I were both skeptical at first, but we were pleasantly surprised with our success.

Pistachio Browned Butter Crisps

Last night while making Cauliflower and Broccoli Flan with Spinach Béchamel for dinner, I accidentally added twice the amount of flour to the melted butter in the first stage of the béchamel sauce.  I certainly didn't want to waste nearly a stick of butter so I quickly transferred it to a container before starting the sauce over.  Incidentally, the flan turned out lovely and I highly recommend this rich dish if you find yourself with an excess of cauliflower and broccoli in the future.

This morning I still wasn't sure what would become of the clotted, buttery mess in the refrigerator.  Cookies seemed like a desirable option and I set out to find a recipe.  Thanks to the Domestic Goddess and Il Forno, food bloggers now have an extensive resource for finding the perfect cookie to bake up. Each of the above links will lead you to a portion of the SHF/IMBB Holiday Cookie Swap write-ups.

While perusing the list I noticed the Baking Beast's Browned Butter Crisps.  This simple and flavorful recipe immediately drew me in.

I wasn't sure how my flour and butter mess was going to fare, but I gently heated it in a saucepan until it began to brown and to my surprise, it incorporated into the other ingredients quite well.  I pushed a pistachio into the tops of each cookie before baking to make them a bit more attractive. 

These cookies turned out excellent and filled the house with the luscious smell of cinnamon and cardamom.  I dropped a few cardamom seeds into my tea and enjoyed a freshly baked sample.  Delicious.  Thank you for the recipe Emily!

Bagels, Manhattans, and Carrot Cake

Mindy, John, and I decided to make dinner together a few nights ago. I have tried to make bagels in the past with mediocre to good success. That afternoon I found myself ogling Floydm's recipe and photos over at the Fresh Loaf and couldn't help myself from throwing together the sponge well before we had decided on a menu for the evening.

John and I had been interested in making carrot cake for the last few weeks so we decided to try our hand at making one for that evening. In general I have no particular lust for cakes, though carrot cake is an exception. I have to surprisingly admit, however, that this was my first time making one. I used the cake and icing recipe from the 1997 edition of The Joy of Cooking.

Mindy made us brandy Manhattans to enjoy while we prepared the food. Up to that point, I had only ever had Bourbon Manhattans. I think I prefer the latter, but these were indeed delicious.

The bagels turned out pretty well. I have to admit that I did not let them retard overnight. The texture of the crumb turned out very nicely and the crust had a satisfying chewiness, but I think they would have become more taut and smooth if I hadn't been so impatient. . . Next time. . .

We assembled a variety of greens, meats, cheese, vegetables, and condiments to make bagel sandwiches and enjoyed the carrot cake for dessert. The cake turned out very nicely. I am interested in trying more recipes in the future, but this was a perfectly respectable basic recipe.

Pro Bono Baker turns 1!

One year ago I published my first post on Pro Bono Baker. While attempting to make naan and searching for recipes, I stumbled across Alberto's site, Il Forno. Never before had I found such a site, but I immediately knew I would enjoy such an endeavor of my own.

I began on Blogger, but soon moved over to Typepad where I have been happily posting from since.

A lot has happened in this past year. When I began I was living with three lovely roommates and the world's greatest dog in Chicago, working at a law firm in a fairly undemanding job, and yearning to do something different. Lo and behold I am now in Tallinn, Estonia (though I will be in St. Petersburg when this is published), traveling from London to Beijing with my boyfriend John. I sure found my change.

I have no idea what my plans will be when I return to Chicago in February. I will be looking for work, a place to live, and I will be trying to decide what to go back to school for. Will it be law school, the San Francisco Baking Institute, or something far away from either. . .? Perhaps I will be able to answer that question by the time this blog's 2nd birthday rolls around, but for now I will leave you simply with the promise to post more after the completion of this long and wonderful journey.

Thank you to everyone who has made me feel at home in this unmatched community of food lovers, to everyone who has commented on my site, to everyone who has quietly passed through its doors, and to all those who will in the future. This is a fun past-time, but even more so when you know others are sharing it with you.

(The photo above was taken at Balthasar in Tallinn, Estonia-- A restaurant devoted to garlic! It was pretty expensive for our dwindling pockets, but we did enjoy some --gasp-- garlic ice cream! It was very good and has reinstilled my desire for my own ice-cream maker. We also tasted some delicous house-infused garlic vodka.)

Cookie Swap SHF/IMBB: Sesame-Butter and Oatmeal No Bake Cookies

The SHF and IMBB events have teamed up to bring us a cookie-swap.  This event should leave everyone with plenty of sweet ideas for the holiday season.

Sadly, our place in Kraków has no oven.  I have been at more of a loss with cooking that I expected.  The bright side is that I am learning new recipes (though I would really love an oven all the same. . .).

For this event I made sesame-butter and oatmeal no-bake cookies.  These take a matter of minutes to create.  While I have to admit that I would rather a just-baked cookie any day, for those of us without an oven these are a delicious option.

Sesame-Butter and Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies

In a medium sized pot bring to boil 1 1/2 C of sugar, 3 Tbl good cocoa powder, 1/2 C of milk, and 1/4 of butter.  Cook 1 minute at a boil.  It should bubble and froth. 

Remove from the heat and immediately add 3 C of quick-cook oatmeal, 1/2 C of sesame-butter (or peanut-butter), 1 tsp vanilla, a dash of cinnamon, and 1/2 C of hazelnuts.

Drop by large spoonfuls onto wax or parchment paper.  Let stand a half hour or until cool.

Dulce De Leche

My Uncle Jack was recently in Argentina and he brought my family back some real dulce de leche. This creamy dessert spread is made by carmelizing sugar in milk. This process can take hours and results in a unique flavor and texture that cannot be reproduced. It is fanastic on ice cream, spread on toast, or even sampled right out of the container.

Bonnie's Chocolate Zucchini Cucumber Muffins

I decided to use more of the chocolate that Patrick sent me in a batch of Bonnie's Chocolate Zucchini Muffins.

After mixing up the dry ingredients I began grating the zucchini for the wet ingredients. Lo and behold I found myself grating a cucumber. My friend Jane recently moved to Chicago and with her she brought bags of produce from Minnesota. Apparently the vegetable had tricked me from the moment I laid eyes on it in the brown bag at her apartment.

I decided to give it a go, making what John dubbed "highly experimental" muffins. I was sure to thoroughly drain the cucumber, as it holds much more water than zucchini. Amazingly, these muffins turned out quite well! The muffins obviously did not boast the lovely flavors that are created when zucchini and chocolate combine in a baked good, however the subtlety of the cucumber was quite nice.

I don't know that I would make this substitution again on purpose, however next time I feel like making these muffins and there are no zucchinis in the house, I won't hesitate to reach for the cucumber.

Pane Al Cioccolato

My lovely friend Patrick mailed me some fantastic chocolate to bake with as an early birthday gift.

E. Guittard Bittersweet Dark Chocolate and Sharffen Berger Unsweetened Dark Chocolate. I decided to make bread using the bittersweet chocolate.

I followed the Pane Al Cioccolato recipe in Bread by Christine Ingram and Jennie Shapter.

Pane Al Cioccolato

3 C unbleached white bread flour
1 1/2 tbl cocoa powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbl caster sugar
1 envelope yeast
1 C lukewarm water
2 tbl butter--softened
3 oz high quality chocolate--coarsely chopped
Melted butter for brushing

Sift flour, cocoa powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
Stir in the sugar.
Make a well in the center.

Cream the envelope of yeast with 4 tbl of the lukewarm water.
Allow to sit for about 10 min. or until frothy.
Add this mixture and the remaining water to the well and gradually mix into a dough.

Knead in the butter and transfer to a lightly floured surface to knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 min.

Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with clear film.
Leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (about 1 hr).

Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and gently deflate.
Gently knead in the chocolate.
Cover again with film and leave to rest about 5 minutes.

Shape into your desired shape and place into the desired cookware. (I shaped into a round and placed in a lightly greased Pyrex bowl to bake.)
Cover and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (about 45 min).

Bake in a preheated oven at 425F for 10 min.
Reduce temperature to 375F and bake for about 30 min.

After baking, brush the top with melted butter and cool on a wire rack.

(If you choose to make two small loaves with this recipe instead of one, be aware that the baking time should be reduced about 10 min. Watch carefully.)

I substituted a mid-sized Pyrex mixing bowl for the bakeware, hence the odd shape. This bread is fabulous served with mascarpone or cream cheese, it also fares quite well alone.

SHF#10: Honey, Pistachio and Rum Palmiers

Oh honey!  The Baking Sheet is hosting this Sugar High Friday and the theme is honey.  I decided to try palmiers.  You can see what others chose to make here.

Honey Pistachio and Rum Palmiers

3/4 C pistachios (roasted and hulled)

1/4 C caster sugar

7 teaspoons Flor de Caña Nicaraguan rum

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 stick of butter (at room temperature)

2 tbl light brown sugar

2 sheets puff pastry (I used store-bought)

1 C honey plus 1 tbl

Preheat oven to 400F

Process pistachios until finely ground.  In a bowl combine the pistachios, butter, caster sugar, cinnamon, 3 tsp of the Rum, and 1 tbl of honey until the ingredients come together to form a paste.

Distribute half of the brown sugar on a counter or cutting board and place one of the puff pastry sheets over it.  Press the puff pastry so the sugar adheres.

Spread half of the pistachio mixture onto the center-third of the puff pastry.  Fold each outer third in to meet in the middle and press down.  Fold each side in once again and press. Repeat one last time and fold each side of the resulting cylinder into each other.  Cover in plastic wrap and chill for about 15 minutes or until the pastry is cool enough to handle without coming apart.  Repeat with the other half of the ingredients.

Remove from the plastic wrap once chilled and cut into pieces 1/4in thick.  Place on a greased cookie sheet or Sil-pat mat.

Bake 10-15, watching carefully near the end so the bottoms do not burn.  Meanwhile combine 1/2 C of the honey with 2 tsp of the rum in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat.

When finished baking, place one palmier at a time in the honey mixture, turn to coat, and place on a wire rack (with paper towels underneath).  Allow to cool and enjoy.

This was a very easy recipe and it would lend itself well to substitutions and different flavors.  I do not typically enjoy things that taste heavily of honey, but I really enjoyed these.  The rum and boil mellow out the sweetness and leave you with a lovely consistency.

I used Kallas brand unfiltered and uncooked alfalfa honey.  The alfalfa gave a subtle earthy flavor that worked nicely with the honey's natural sweetness.

My roommates really seemed to enjoy these.  Aviva made madelines during the day, so we had lots of sweet things to eat last night. Mmmm.

Bonnie's Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

For much of our childhood my brother and I were members of 4-H.  If you know anything about the organization you are most likely conjuring up images of cattle, funnel cake, and horse shows right now, however we started our own little group and we were more involved in arts and crafts and service projects (the real treat was camp).  Every year we would show our products at the county fair and my mother would help me to prepare a baked good entry.  One year we came upon a superb recipe from a bed and breakfast in Wisconsin for chocolate zucchini muffins. I have not looked at a zucchini the same way since. 

Far and above simply earning a blue ribbon, the muffins were selected to represent our county at the state fair in Springfield, IL (this was quite a big deal to me at the time).  There, they received top honors and the requests for this recipe still come in a few times a year.  Thanks Bonnie, your recipe has left a lasting impression around here.

Visit the White Lace Inn and find the recipe here.

(For the muffin you see above I had to substitute grated chocolate squares for the chips.  Go with the chips if you have them around, it makes a much tastier muffin. Also, I usually forgo the nuts.)

Mmm. . . Americana

I went home to spend this past weekend with my parents and to celebrate my father's birthday, the 4th of July.  We had a family cookout and I made my flag cake as I do every year.  My mother pulled a Cool-Whip/Sara Lee sponsored recipe out of a magazine advertisement years ago and I have been making this cake for my father's birthday ever since.  It is just about the simplest thing and any kid could make it.

Flag Cake

(I generally make 1 and a 1/2 of this recipe)

1 tub Cool-Whip at room temperature

1 Sara Lee pound cake (or 2, see below)

about 1 cup blueberries

about 2 cups strawberries (cut in half long-ways)

Cut the pound cake into 10 slices and layer them in the bottom of the pan. Top with half the blueberries and half the strawberries.  At this point you may add a second layer of pound cake if desired.

Spread the Cool-Whip on top with the back of a spoon.  Add the blueberries in an orderly rectangle and then begin to add the strawberries so that the fruit and Cool-Whip make stripes.

Chill until ready to serve.

My father grilled brats.

I grilled vegetable skewers for my brother and I, the two vegetarians. Everyone enjoyed sweetcorn.

My mother made the ramen noodle salad on the top right and the marinated cucumbers.  My aunt Cheryl made the pasta salad and used soy bacon bits!  I think this might be the first time that anyone has remembered Evan and I in this manner.  Typically we either have to pack our own lunches or just feed on potato chips at family events.

Here is my cousin Sydney holding the tasty mulberry pie her mother Cheryl made.

My grandmother made shortbread (yes, we were a bit heavy on desserts. . .) to pair with luscious blackberries that she had picked fresh from their land in Wisconsin.

These were the real treat of the day. So sweet and tart and velvety.  If you were to try and buy fresh berries like these in a store they would cost an arm and a leg and the taste could not compare.  We are quite lucky to have a family that can still grow fresh foods.

Happy birthday dad!

SHF #9: Pear and Almond Frangipane Tart

The topic for the ninth edition of Sugar High Fridays, one of the many excellent food blogging events, was Tantalizing Titillating Tempting Tarts.  I am quite the tart fan and I decided to take this opportunity to learn to make something new.  I decided on a pear and almond frangipane tart.  I based the recipe primarily on this recipe, though I made some notable changes.  I used almonds in place of the hazelnuts because they were more readily available here.  I also substituted canned pears at the suggestion of another pear tart recipe.  This worked well, though you must be sure to properly dry the pear halves before use. Lastly, per the suggestion of other cooks in the comment section, I cut the almond flavoring in half.

This was a very tantalizing, titillating, and tempting tart and it was incredibly easy to make.  It is also a fairly healthy tart (except the butter and sugar. . .), but with only two eggs, almonds, and pears you fare pretty well.  The hardest part was cutting the pears and keeping them nicely arranged while transferring to the tart.  I used a a flat cake knife to slide under the pears once I had fanned them and was ready to move them.  Having an extra pear half or two on hand is a good idea.

This was a great theme.  To find out what the next topic for this event and others will be, visit the Is My Blog Burning website.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

On Tuesday night I went over to Mindy's to make pies. Mindy had received two pounds of lard from her sister last time she was visiting Minnesota and we finally got around to using some of it. I have made several pies in my day, but never with lard in any quantity. I normally use some sort of butter to vegetable shortening ratio. We used Morrell Snow Cap Lard and a simple crust recipe from an old Betty Crocker cookbook

Lard is strange, as one might expect. Silky yet tacky, translucent yet opaque. We blended our ingredients in a food processor and rolled out our first batch. We found that we had skimped on the water, being fearful that we would add too much. The dough rolled quite well, though split at the sides as we rolled larger. When we folded the dough to transfer to our pie pan, the seams split and we had to do a large amount of 'patching,' which basically meant we had about 15 different pieces of what was moments ago a nice piece of circular dough.

The second time around we came out with a lovely dough that rolled quite well and transferred much better than the first (though we still had a few splits).

We were amazed at how silky the lard made the dough. When cooked, the crust melted in our mouths. It was incredible. It was such a change for me not to have to rush through making the crust before the butter softened too much. It made the whole process less stressful. Though, I have to say that I do enjoy the taste of a butter crust better and if I were to use lard again I would likely substitute some butter for a portion of it.

This was a great experiment and I learned some interesting things to keep in mind concerning lard and pie crusts (thanks to Mindy's family).

1) NEVER put the lard in the microwave.

2) The lard must be room temperature before you use it, so be sure to pull it out in advance. Remember, no microwaving.

3) If you use diet Sprite (not regular, it has to be diet) in place of the water the crust recipe calls for, it can produce a flakier crust. We did this with our second pie and it seemed to be a bit flakier. I will have to experiment with this more to see how it affects the taste, etc.

I had a great time baking pies with Mindy. I hope to do it again soon.

IMBB #15: Avocado Mousse

Elise at Simply Recipes is hosting this months Is My Blog Burning. The theme is gelatin. I have to admit, I'm not a big gelatin fan, but I thought I should give a nod to my midwestern roots and try something. I made Avocado Mousse.

I was hoping to find a recipe for avocado panna cotta, but no luck. If you have one, let me know. This was pretty good. The orange flavors cover up much of the avocado and if I were to make this again, I think I would cut down on the orange quite a bit.

I had a fair bit of difficulty getting it out of the mold. I followed the instructions and rested the mold in a hot water bath for a few seconds, but then the mousse just melted and lost any shape it had received from the mold. (Hence the use of the pretty strawberries). Otherwise, this was quite an easy recipe.

I don't know that I would make this again. It was tasty, but mainly I (and my roommates) aren't that into to jello-mold-types-of-things. . .

A very interesting topic for the IMBB though!  All of the other excellent submissions can be found here on Elise's site.

Green Tea & Lemon Cookies and Lemon Ginger Drop Cookies

A friend of mine who has seemed a bit down lately in our correspondence will be receiving a package of cookies soon.  Here is what I made him:

Green Tea Shortbread, a recipe from Martha Stewart.  I added some lemon and chamomile tea along with the green tea for a more complex flavor.  I made these cookies around Christmas time for a cookie party.  Most people, while initially skeptical of the green cookies, seemed to enjoy them.  One woman however scowled when she saw them and turned to her friend who was reaching for one to rasp, "Those are from the Martha Stewart website" and rolled her eyes.  Her friend slowly pulled back her hand, though I did see her enjoying one later.  Personally, I think Martha Stewart has some fabulous recipes.  This is one of them.

I also made Lemon Ginger Drop Cookies, also from the Martha Stewart website, thank you.  This was my first pass at these and they ended up quite good.  I used some candied ginger from Trader Joe's and the result was excellent.  They, obviously, didn't spread out flat as the cookies in Martha's picture did, but I don't quite see how they could have.  I think some of her pictures are a bit contrived, so I didn't worry about it.

And the real treat of the evening:  Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler.  John and I went past our garden yesterday and picked some fresh rhubarb. John made this delicious cobbler with some strawberries we had in our house. It was very good.  Sweet, but still with a snappy tartness, just how I like it.

Please feel free to send us any other rhubarb recipes.  There must be something more to do with the stuff than cobblers, pies, and jams.  There is A LOT of rhubarb.  Suggestions would be appreciated.

Crépes

While at Renn Fayre this past weekend I had the opportunity to eat some of the crépes that the French department makes as a fundraiser.  They have a nice operation with tasty filling choices and fancy crépe makers. 

I hadn't made crépes myself in about 2 years, but I was inspired to make some for dinner last night.  Mine aren't nearly as light and thin, but they were tasty.  Here is the batter recipe that I use:

Crépe Batter

(Makes fifteen, but the recipe can be easily multiplied to the desired amount)

In a saucepan melt 1 C milk, 2 tbl butter, a pinch of sea salt, and 1/4 tea of sugar.  Whisk until the butter is liquefied and remove from heat.  Allow to cool slightly, but keep whisking it every few seconds or so to keep it smooth and skinless.  After a few minutes add 1/4 C of beer. ( I used New Glarus Uff-Da Bock.)

On the counter or in a bowl add a generous 3/4 C of unbleached all-purpose flour.  Make a well in the center of the flour and add 1 large egg (or 2 smaller eggs) and 1/4 Tbl of a fruity olive oil or a plain vegetable oil.  Combine the egg and the oil and begin to incorporate the flour until you have a coarse dough.

Add the milk/beer mixture to the dough and combine with a whisk until smooth.  This will take some time, the goal is to work all of the coarse dough into the milk mixture.

Heat a pan with a nice gradual lip (helps to flip the crépes) over medium to medium-high heat.  (The first crépe will likely be lousy, the temperature has to be just right, adjust your burner accordingly.)  Once evenly heated, coat the pan with butter and add about an 1/8 C of batter to the pan.  Do this quickly and begin to move the batter around in the batter to coat the bottom. 

Let cook about a minute and a half on each side.  When the crépe is ready to flip you will notice the edges turning golden and pulling away from the sides and the center looking dry rather than wet.  Work your magic flipping the crépe or turn it manually, but do so gently.  Now add any fillings and cook until the second side is done.

For fillings we used:

Granny smith apple and brie

Spinach and dill havarti

Spinach and morel & leek jack cheese

Bananas and sugar

While the ordinary jam is nice, the combinations are endless so why not be creative.

SHF #7: Molasses Snaps and Banana Ice Cream

This is my first participation in a sugar high friday (and quite a late entry at that).

I made molassas snaps with banana ice cream/smootie. Here is the recipe:

Molasses Snaps

Preheat oven to 350 F

In a pan on low heat combine 2 oz sugar, 2 tbl molasses, and 2 oz butter.

When melted and combined through stirring add 2 oz flour, a pinch of salt, and 2 tsp ginger powder and combine.

Then add the juice of half a lemon, mix, and take off the heat.

Proceed to drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with a silpat mat while reserving 2 tbl of the mixture.

Bake for 10 min.

Form into the desired shapes and let cool.

Banana Ice Cream/Smoothie

In a food processor combine 2 tbl of the molasses snap mixture, 1 frozen ripened banana, 1 tbl sugar, 1/2 cup milk, and 1/2 shaved ice.

When combined into a smooth mixture place in the freezer to come together.

Dust the snaps with powdered sugar and serve with the frozen banana mixture.

Cranberry Vanilla Almond Biscotti

I wanted to bake a semolina loaf tonight, but realized late in the evening that I was out of yeast. . .
Instead, I decided to make Cranberry, Vanilla, Almond Biscotti. I made biscotti for the first time about 6 months ago and I am still amazed how easy it is.

Craberry Vanilla Almond Biscotti

I based this recipe on Martha Stewart's Pecan Cranberry Biscotti Recipe.
Here is the recipe with my modifications:

Preheat oven to 350F

In one large bowl combine 2 and 1/2 C unbleached all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, a pinch of salt, and 1 and 1/4 C sugar.

In a second bowl whisk 4 eggs and 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla.

Combine all and mix until a dough begins to form.

Add 1 C dried cranberries and a 1/2 C slivered almonds. Stir to combine.

Once the dough begins to smooth out, use floured hands to further incorporate the dry ingredients.

Form into a log (about 12 inches long, 4 inches wide, and 1 - 1 and 1/2 inches thick).

Dust with sugar.

Bake on a prepared baking sheet for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool (this allows it to firm up before cutting).

Reduce heat to 285F

With a serrated knife cut short-ways into 1 inch pieces.

Return the pieces on their fat side to the baking sheet and bake for 20 min or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and flip each biscotti piece over and return to the oven for another 20 min.

Remove from oven and allow the pieces to cool on a wire rack.

Place in an airtight container.

Biscotti keeps for quite a long time. It will become harder, but all the better for dipping in coffee. Keeping the same basic recipe, other ingredients can be substituted for the cranberries and almonds. I've tried chocolate pieces and walnuts or lemon zest and almond before with success. Also, once baked the biscotti is easy to dip in melted chocolate.

Blackberry Tarts

Blackberry Tarts
Originally uploaded by dumin.

I received the Martha Stewart book that I had purchased, Pies & Tarts, on Friday and I decided to bake something out of it today.

I followed her pate brisee recipe to make the tart crust. I then took components from a few recipes to make a glaze and a cream filling.

I have made a number of pies and tarts and this crust turned out the best thus far. It was lovely, golden, and flakey.

I baked the tart shells first. I removed them from their rings, glazed them, and let them cool. I then added the cream filling, the blackberries, and finally glazed the berries.

I just finished eating mine (I am giving the other to my roommate who is here this weekend, our other roommates are out of town). This has been my most successful crust experience, which is fantastic. Other than the crust the tarts were delightful, but a little too sweet to finish. I think next time I might try to blend some lemon zest into the cream and use an orange marmalade jelly to make the glaze (I used redcurrent this time). Perhaps this will balance the flavors a bit better and cut the sweet and heavy tastes slightly.

Thank you for the few sweet comments I have received. I appreciate the encouragement!