pecan pie

Delicious.  Scrumptious.  Rich.  Nutty (obviously!)  Tasty.  I’m not a pecan pie expert and this is the first and only one I’ve made, but I think it is the best one!  Made this for a birthday celebration and it was loved by all.  Especially me! This is from smitten kitchen and Deb Perelman (the writer, cook and photographer) explained the greatness of this particular pecan pie in her blog.   I didn’t add the chocolate layer option because the birthday girl is more of a nut or vanilla fan.  But I imagine that would be very good.  Also, I didn’t have the booze in the house but I will next time.   I’m not re-writing the recipe because Deb wrote it out with terrific instructions.  I will just repeat to not overbake this.  I did a little.  I did.  It was still good, but you can do better.

You will need Lyle’s Golden Syrup which you can probably find at your grocery store but if not you can find it here.  And vanilla ice cream for sure.

pecan pie from smittenkitchen

triple chocolate banana bread

Wowee.  This is delicious.  Rich in flavor and color and texture – you can’t  miss this one. I mean it.  Best chocolate banana bread ever.  As mentioned in the post from Liv for Cake (below) you can certainly skip the chips and ganache for a less chocolatey experience.  And/or add walnuts to cut some of the richness and sweetness.  But we loved as is.  These days when I bake the sweet often sits on our counter and eventually looks sad and dry (after several days of being ignored).  This dessert never had a chance to sit and kids argued over who got the last piece.  Yum.  I plan to make again this week.

I used half the ganache in the recipe fyi – but saved the rest and will use tomorrow when I make this again.

Here is the recipe...chocolate banana bread.

I followed almost exactly – but used natural Valrhona cocoa powder.  Oh, I also doubled the recipe but baked one cake in a larger loaf pan than in the recipe.   I find I don’t have to bake as long and I have more control with the overall moistness of the cake.  Muffin/cupcake shape would be great as well.  You can follow my lead or follow the recipe.  Also, remember to read my baking tips (esp measuring flour!) before you bake.

Fruit Galettes

Yum – summertime fun and goodness all wrapped up in dough.  These galettes or rustic tarts are extremely easy to make and just delightful on the tongue.  I like them warm out of the oven but even more cold the next day (weird I know).  Made these for a IMG_9494dinner party and they were a hit.  Freshly whipped cream a top apricot and cherry – well, good stuff.  Berry galette too.  I didn’t change anything from Melissa Clarks recipes – and even though I know how to make these, I watched her video and it was terrific. You cannot go wrong!

banana cake and roll

I loved this.  I really loved it.  I gave it all away…and the scraps that I saved sat in my fridge because my family is really weird about “filling”.  But just trust me here.  This is a fun dessert to serve and make.  The light sour cream flavored filling is the perfect compliment to the sweetness of the tender, moist banana cake.  I loved it.  I said that.  But I do.  Then I put it in my vanilla ice cream and had a party.

I doubled the recipe btw – and made two rolls.  Might as well!  Also if you double the recipe – and you don’t want to make a roll, bake the (doubled) recipe in a 9×13 cake pan.  Or, make two 8 inch rounds and turn into a layer cake.  Again – you need to double the recipe to do that.

If for some reason your cake falls apart – then just make it into a trifle and then you can also add some freshly sliced bananas.

banana roll (from Flo Braker’s The Simple Art of Perfect Baking):

banana sheet cake
1 cup (100 g) sifted cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, room temp
1/2 cup (1 large) mashed ripe banana
1 table spoon sour cream
1 teaspoon lemon zest
5 1/2 tablespoons (2 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar

filling
3/4 cup (6 ounces) heavy cream
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons powdered sugar (for top)
1 tablespoon sugar (to use on the sheet cake as you roll…you will see in the recipe)

Preheat oven to 375 and position rack in lower third of the oven.  Line the sheet pan (12-x-15x-1/2inch) with a non stick tray.  Place foil down on top and leave a 2 inch overhang on both short ends of the pan.  Lightly grease the foil too – with spray.

If you are making an 8 inch round, then grease that – and if a 9×13 pan (doubled recipe) then grease that!

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Crack the egg in a small bowl and gently break it up with a fork.

Mix together the mashed banana, sour cream and lemon zest.

Place the butter in the mixer with paddle attachment and beaton medium speed for a minute or so.  Add the sugar in a steady stream and continue to beat until light and fluffy about 4-5 minutes.

Add the egg now…slowly – and continue to cream another 2 minutes – scraping down the bowl at some point.

Remove from mixer and gently fold in half of the flour mixture, follow with the banana mixture and then finish with the remaining flour.

(If you are not making the roll, but making the 9×13 or 8 inch rounds, pour into those pans.  You can bake these at 350 instead of 375 as instructed for the thin roll.)

Scoop the thick batter onto 5 different areas of the sheet pan.  Then spread the batter so that it covers the entire pan.  It won’t seem like you have enough – but you do – spread as evenly as you can.

Bake for 8-10 minutes until the cake is a light golden brown and the sides are beginning to contract from the metal.

Remove cake from oven, and gently run a sharp knife around the any portion of the cake that is sticking to the long sides of the pan.

Pull up on the foil overhangs to gently and carefully lift the cake (with foil) onto a cooling rack.  Cover loosely with foil to keep moisture in, but also to help prevent sticking.

Cool for 30 minutes.  Then proceed below with filling as instructed below.

Combine the filling ingredients and whip with whisk until whipped.  Sounds silly.  Do not over whip.  The cream should appear soft, shiny and smooth.  It will coat the cake layer, sticking to it and staying in place when rolled.

Ok – nowIMG_9174, sprinkle the tablespoon of sugar over the cake.  Then place two sheets of foil lengthwise on top of the sugared cake, one overlapping the other: then place a second sheet pan on top of the foil.

Invert the cake on it, and carefully peel the baking foil from the cake and try to aIMG_9175void tearing the thin layer.

 Spread the filling all over the cake – leaving a 1 inch border of cake uncovered.  Then , with the aid of the foil roll the cake lengthwise until you reach the other end.  Use your hands to wrap and form a pretty round roll.

Cut each end on the diagonal for eye appeal.  Sprinkle the top with confectioners sugar and with a wide spatula or two – place onto a serving plate.  Yum.

IMG_9177I forgot to take a photo of my finished cake.  Ugh.  Next time!

andy’s favorite vanilla cake (of the three…)

Ok, so nice response from all you vanilla fans out there.  I too happen to love vanilla – and as I get older I think I enjoy it even more than chocolate.  Strange.  You go from loving certain things as a child, and it all changes so much as we age.  I now like gorgonzola, olives, pistachios and port.  Who knew such changes were to come.  Anyway, back to vanilla.  So Andy liked this cake.  It is very moist.  Very flavorful.  Now that I think about it, it was Greg’s favorite too.  Came home for break for a minute (or so it felt) and agreed with Andy.  I made a simple glaze with IMG_8943confectioners sugar, milk, vanilla and a dash of kosher salt and it was perfect.

As suggested before, please weigh your flour.  Try it.  So many write in saying their cakes are dry – this is probably why.  Just check it out here.

I got this recipe from Joy The Baker.  She has a great blog and book now (I think) and her write up is perfect and I made no changes.  She frosted hers with chocolate buttercream – so try that too if you like.

everybody’s birthday cake:

Joy The Baker 

 

classic vanilla pound cake

For Andy’s birthday, I made three vanilla cakes.  A classic pound cake, a vanilla birthday cake and an updated (or fluffier) pound cake.  I loved them all.  All.  Andy liked the vanilla birthday cake which I’ll write about another time.  This pound cake though is classic in its dense crumb and solid mass.  Easy to make and great really for any occasion.  Dress it up with berries and whipped cream or serve it plain.  It is sure to delight.

classic vanilla pound cake (from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Cake Bible):

3 tablespoons room temp milk
half of a vanilla bean
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour (or 5.25 ounces if you have a scale)
3/4 cup sugar (or 5.25 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (use half if using table salt)
13 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 8×4 loaf pan with parchment and grease.  Or us a 6 cup tube or bundt pan – make sure you grease and flour.

Heat the milk with the seeds of the vanilla bean.  Scald.  Then let cool.

Combine the milk, eggs and vanilla extract.

In the mixer with paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients and mix for 30 seconds.

On the lowest speed, add the butter and half of the egg mixture…once the ingredients are moistened increase to medium and beat for about a minute.   Add the rest of the egg mixture in 2 batches and beat for 20 seconds after each addition.  Scrape down the bowl, and mix again.

Scoop batter into prepared pan and bake until done.  Toothpick should come out JUST clean.  This time will vary based on your pan but up to an hour – but please, as usual, check before and often.  After about 30 minutes, lay some tin foil on top of the cake to prevent a too brown cake.

It should split up the middle btw.  And if not, that is ok too!

I made a simple glaze by mixing confectioners sugar and milk and a dash of vanilla.  Yum.

 

 

orange cookies

These are Lidia Bastianich’s yummy little gems.  Simple little citrus cookies with a sweet and delightful orange glaze.  These are so pretty and perfect with coffee or tea, or crumbled up over vanilla ice cream – or simply on a cookie platter.  These are from my new favorite cookie book: One Sweet Cookie: Celebrated Chefs Share Favorite Recipes.  I just love this book.  I really do.  Each recipe collected by Tracey Zabar has a blurb about the origin of the cookie and/or how much it is loved.  It such a gift that the author was able to gather these recipes from some very famous chefs to share with us.

FYI, the dough need a little time to set up in the fridge.

orange cookies (from Lidia Bastianich via One Sweet Cookie by Tracey Zabar):

3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (use 1/4 if using table salt)
6 ounces (1 and a half sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup plus one tablespoon sugar
3 large eggs (room temp is best)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated orange zest

glaze–
2 and 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup orange juice (as needed)

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

With paddle attachment (or handheld beater) cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffier – about 2 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time beating well after each addition.

Add the vanilla, orange juice, lemon juice and orange zest.  Beat to combine.

Add the flour to the mix and on the lowest speed possible, mix until just incorporated.

Remove from mixer and fold to incorporate all of the dry ingredients.

Roll the dough into logs as shown here.

Place in fridge or freezer until firm enough to cut with out losing their shape.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line sheet pans with parchment paper.  Cut the logs into 1/2 inch round and place on sheet pans.  Bake for about 15 minutes or so – until the cookies are golden.  Cool completely.

For the glaze, whisk together the oj and confectioners’s sugar – add a dash of sea salt if you feel like it.

Once cooled, dip each cookie in the glaze (upside-down) then shake off excess and place sticky side up on parchment to set and dry.  If glaze is too thick or thin, adjust with more juice or less.

Save some batter for another day – and save for longer in the freezer.

Enjoy –

 

 

 

oatmeal raisin cookie

Oh so good.  So good!   Back in the early 90’s I worked very close to City Bakery.  I would go there and eat something super healthy and yummy for lunch (on rare occasions because I couldn’t really afford to go there) – and after, I would splurge on a crazy delicious cookies.  And even though I wouldn’t pick oatmeal raisin first, these can tempt.  Andy loves these – and so did Sylvie’s friend Grace.  Gave the rest away!  Enjoy –

city bakery’s oatmeal raisin cookies (very slightly adapted from One Sweet Cookie: Celebrated Chefs Share Favorite Recipes by Tracey Zabar and Ellen Silverman):

I should note that Maury Rubin (who created these) uses all organic ingredients.  Also that these are best if you refrigerate the dough for at least 6 hours before you bake them.

1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (use half if using table salt)
2 and 2/3 cups rolled oats
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temp
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (I happen to like milk chocolate here, but many prefer dark or semi)
2/3 cup raisins

In a medium bowl, combing the flour, baking soda, salt, and oats and set aside.

With the paddle attachment of a stand mixer (or handheld beaters) cream the butter until lighter and fluffy.  Add the sugar and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes.  Add the brown sugar and mix.  Then the egg and mix again.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

On the lowest speed, add about half of the dry ingredients.  Then the other and mix until almost incorporated.  Add the chips and raisins and mix just a tad.

Place the dough in the fridge for 6 hours or longer.  You can place in a bowl and cover, then use a cookie scoop to scoop the batter on to the pan.

Or, like me, you can make the dough into logs – so you can slice and bake.  Click here to see instructions on this.

Remove dough from fridge and let come to room temp for 20 minutes.  Or alternatively, you can slice and bake right out of the fridge – just adjust baking time.  They will take longer to bake the colder they are.  Makes sense.

Preheat oven to 350.  Maury made these really big.  2 tablespoons or so.  You can do what you want.  Place scooped or cut dough on lined baking sheets.  Bake 9 -14 minutes (keep checking) until golden brown.

Let cool and enjoy.

 

 

 

chocolate pudding alice medrich (no eggs)

Oh, this pudding is DELICIOUS.  I absolutely LOVE it.  Really really good and quite easy to make!

It is so thoroughly chocolatey and not at all cloying like some puddings seem to be.  This one is different from the other chocolate pudding recipe on the blog in many ways, but most importantly, there are no eggs.  Yup.  So this is great if someone has an egg allergy and often can’t enjoy pudding.

chocolate pudding (from Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts by Alice Medrich):
1/3 cup (2.33 ounces) sugar
1/3 cup (1 ounce) unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably natural and a high-end cocoa)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate or 3 ounces semisweet (not both)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Whisk the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt together in a heavy medium saucepan.

Add about 30 tablespoons of the milk, and whisk to form a smooth paste.

Whit in the remaining milk and cream.

Over medium heat, bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.  Try to get into the bottom edges of the pan especially as it almost reaches the boil.  Once it begins to thicken and bubble at the edges, cook for about 1 minute more on a simmer.  Add the chopped chocolate

and stir briskly until the chocolate is melted and the pudding is smooth.  (About 30 more seconds).  Remove from heat and add vanilla.

I made this into a pie – and you can too – or place in pretty glasses with freshly whipped cream.  Yum.  Check out an old post from April of… for a delicious crust and whipped cream topping.  Delicious.

 

 

 

holiday brownies

So my mom texted this AM, asking which brownie recipe to make for my dad because he needs to put on weight.  I immediately thought of these goodies.  Looking at the blog, I realize that I had yet to finish the write up.  And when I looked closer at my draft, I realized that my parents actually tried and like them when they were here last.  Kind of funny.

Rob said these are the BEST brownies to date.  This is an extremely compelling reason to try them because Rob is a tough crowd.  And yes, I know there is no crowd in one, but he can feel like a crowd with his chocolate thoughts and opinions.  Andy, Sylvie, my mom, my dad – whoever came by that week truly enjoyed.  These are chewy and chocolatey, and not as rich as my regular fudge brownies.  The brownies have a lovely sheen on top and yummy crisp edges.  It’s a really good brownie.  I called them holiday brownies only because I’m embarrassed to write “brownies again” 🙂  Try them!

I love this cookbook btw – it is filled with terrific, thoughtful, healthy and quick dinner recipes and a few dessert goodies at the end — this being one of them.

holiday brownies (from The Mom 100 Cookbook by Katie Workman) 

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate|
1/2 cup unsweetened dutch processed cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (if using table salt, cut in half)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
chocolate chips (optional)
toasted nuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 13×9 inch baking pan with foil or parchment or use butter or cooking spray.

Place the butter in a medium sauce pan and over low heat, start to melt it.  Add the unsweetened chocolate by placing on top of the butter and slowly melt the two together.  Do not burn the chocolate or cook it.  If you are too worried doing it this way,  just use a double boiler or a makeshift one (metal bowl on top of a saucepan with an inch of barely simmering water).

Stir in the cocoa powder, sugar, and salt.  Then blend in the vanilla.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time and stir quickly after each one is added.  Then beat again once all incorporated.  Fold in the flour and chocolate chips and nuts if using.  I used chocolate chips.  I always do.  I usually use a darker semi sweet or a bitter-sweet (esp for Rob).

Bake for about 24-30 minutes…check them after 20 minutes.  Bake until the edges start to pull from the sides a tad, and a toothpick comes out just clean.

Let cool and enjoy!