Gourmet or Gourmand

Pierre Hermé's "Moist and Nutty Brownies"

2008-07-03T16:12:00.003-04:00

I'm a Pierre Hermé addict, which you can tell by my continuous references to him on my blog. One visit to his wonderful pastry shop in the 7th arrondissement in Paris is enough to convert even a sugar-phobe...it's like a museum or a fine jewelry store. When I got his cookbook "Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé" for Christmas, I swooned. Perfect perfect....

What I like about his book is that his recipes are so well written, clear, well explained (thanks Dorie Greenspan!) and most of them have great photos. I've made some damn tasty treats from this book! So when I wanted to make some brownies for a picnic, I thought "Must make Pierre's brownies."

Perhaps I cooked them a tad too long, but they weren't as good as I had hoped they would be. They weren't bad, they were gobbled up, but they didn't wow me like so many of his other recipes do. I found them more cake-like than brownie-like, with no chew at all. And they didn't look as moist as those in his photo, so maybe I baked a bit longer than I should have. I think I've had better luck with the Moosewood brownies I've made in the past. But I should probably give Pierre's one more chance.

Here's Pierre's recipe, as found on p. 61 of his book:

5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter at room temp
4 large eggs, room temp and slightly beaten
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 c. all purpose flour
1 1/4 c. pecans or walnuts, lightly tasted and coursely chopped

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Butter a 9 x 12 inch baking pan, fit the bottom with parchment, butter the parchment and dust the inside with flour. Tap out excess flour
-Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Leave chocolate to cool slightly, to about 114 cegrees.
-In the meantime, beat the butter until it is smooth and creamy but not airy. Stir in the cooled chocolate, add the eggs, then sugar, then flour and nuts, stirring until each addition is just incorporated.
-Pour batter into pan and smooth the top, bake for 19 - 22 minutes, until the top is dry but the center is still wet. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool for 20 - 30 mn.
-Remove brownies from pan as you would a cake. Remove the parchment paper from the bottom and turn over to cool right-side up. Cut brownies into 18 small pieces.

A Daring Bakers Danish Nightmare

2008-06-29T20:39:00.000-04:00

I simply did NOT succeed at this month's daring baker's challenge. Oh my...it was not pretty. I mean, I can make all sorts of breakfast pastry-type goodies: sticky buns, cinnamon buns, brioche, you name it. But this danish did me in.

Why? I don't really know. I found the recipe a little bit incomplete as far as the instructions for braiding go, and so I think that was my major downfall. The pastry tasted fine, it just looked horrible. I didn't understand that you had to make the braid actually TOUCH the dough on the other side. So mine opened all up. It was also incredibly hard for me to roll. It just KEPT bouncing back to a small rectangle. Even when I would let it rest, it did no good. I couldn't figure out how to cut it to make two rectangles, I found that a bit fuzzy as well in the instructions. But I did my best to figure it all out!

For my filling, I did two: one with raspberry and almond creme, and one with dark chocolate and pistachio creme. The raspberry one was soooo ugly, I didn't even photograph it. I over-filled it you see. Never over-fill your pastry! The pistachio one is here. It tasted good, but I think my guests were a bit afraid of the look!

The challenge was hosted by Kelly of Sass & Veracity, and Ben of What’s Cookin’? I thank them for the challenge, but I'm not sure I will re-attempt this one!

Here's the recipe!

DANISH DOUGH

Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough

Ingredients

For the dough (Detrempe)

1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1/2 cup whole milk

1/3 cup sugar

Zest of 1 orange, finely grated

3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped

2 large eggs, chilled

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

For the butter block (Beurrage)

1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

DOUGH

Combine yeast and milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice. Mix well. Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated.

Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Without a standing mixer: Combine yeast and milk in a bowl with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk. Add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice and mix well. Sift flour and salt on your working surface and make a fountain. Make sure that the “walls” of your fountain are thick and even. Pour the liquid in the middle of the fountain. With your fingertips, mix the liquid and the flour starting from the middle of the fountain, slowly working towards the edges. When the ingredients have been incorporated start kneading the dough with the heel of your hands until it becomes smooth and easy to work with, around 5 to 7 minutes. You might need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.

BUTTER BLOCK

1. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.

2. After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour.

Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed.

Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

4. Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight.

The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

APPLE FILLING

Makes enough for two braidsIngredients

4 Fuji or other apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch pieces

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Toss all ingredients except butter in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat until slightly nutty in color, about 6 - 8 minutes. Then add the apple mixture and sauté until apples are softened and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. If you’ve chosen Fujis, the apples will be caramelized, but have still retained their shape. Pour the cooked apples onto a baking sheet to cool completely before forming the braid. (If making ahead, cool to room temperature, seal, and refrigerate.) They will cool faster when spread in a thin layer over the surface of the sheet. After they have cooled, the filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Left over filling can be used as an ice cream topping, for muffins, cheesecake, or other pastries.

DANISH BRAID Makes enough for 2 large braids

Ingredients 1 recipe Danish Dough (see below)2 cups apple filling, jam, or preserves (see below)

For the egg wash: 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.

2. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.

3. Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.Egg WashWhisk together the whole egg and yolk in a bowl and with a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.Proofing and

Baking

1. Spray cooking oil (Pam…) onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch.

2. Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.

3. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown.

Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.

Happy Birthday Paulie

2008-06-14T21:58:00.003-04:00

My boy turned 3 the other day, and with that came the obligatory birthday party with all the fixings. On his wish list? Scooby Doo décor and cupcakes, lots of cupcakes! So we Scoobied up the place with napkins, table cloths and all the Scooby parephrenalia I could find, and then I got to work on those cupcakes.

For the cupcakes, I decided on white cake (Dorie Greenspan's recipe for her Party Cake) with the BEST bittersweet chocolate frosting ever. I have literally been hunting, searching high and low for a really yummy homemade chocolate frosting. It has been years. I like buttercream, but they tend to taste like I'm devouring a stick of butter. Then a friend gave me the book "Birthday Cakes". In it, I found it...the absolute best chocoalte frosting recipe out there. (At least for now). This frosting is fantastic, it's a recipe by Emily Luchetti, which is on page 60 of the book. My husband, who usually avoids frosting, couldn't get enough of this one. But careful, it's rich and addictive!

PS I used the leftover frosting for pistachio macaron filling, it was divine.

Bittersweet Chocolate Frosting:

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

8 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

3 cups confectioners' sugar

pinch of salt

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup plus 2 Tb. milk

In a double boiler over simmering water, melt the chocolates and butter together. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm (114 degrees).

Sift the confectioners' sugar and salt together into a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the vanilla and the milk. Whisk this mixture into the confectioners' sugar. Add the melted and cooled chocolate and stir until smooth. Use on cake or cupcakes.

Daring Baker's Challenge May: L'Opéra, Ispahan Style!!!

2008-05-27T23:21:00.005-04:00

Ahhh, l'opéra....The cake I've yearned to make in my own kitchen yet feared with every fibre of my apron. Until the Good Ol' Daring Bakers got a hold of me and forced me to do it! Yes, this month's challenge was the elusive Opera cake, but with a twist: No chocolate, no coffee buttercream. Yowza...what to do what to do...

Lis and Ivonne --otherwise known as the grand pubas of the Daring Bakers group -- offered up this challenge. They requested that we dedicate our challenge to a former DBer, Barbara of winosandfoodies.com. I am more than happy to oblige, and would like to go a step further and also dedicate my challenge to my own sister who is facing a very brave battle with breast cancer, which is why I chose to color my cake with pinks. It is also why I have not been the best blogger in the world these days, I've been so very preoccupied. But the cake and the love I put into it was worth the efforts and time I set aside for it.

Ok, on to the challenge. First, let me say that I LOVE Opéra cake, especially chocolate and coffee. Especially in Paris. Especially at Ladurée. But I've never done my own, and I've never seen one that wasn't made of chocolate and coffee. So when we were sworn off those flavors, but told we had to do something "light in color", I thought "how about pink?" When I realized I would make the cake in "breast cancer pink" (however, let's just say there is really nothing pretty or pink about breast cancer), I started thinking of flavors. This led me back to Paris (everything leads me back to Paris), and to the infamous Ispahan. So that was it: I would flavor my cake with rose and raspberry, in honor of the ever-so-yummy Ispahan by Pierre Hermé.

So then, off to the challenge. Ok folks, this cake took forever to make! It was not hard, just time consuming. The joconde (fancy word for "almond cake") was pretty easy, however I had to purchase a second jelly roll pan which was a bummer. The joconde was easy to make and bake, and turned out just fine, no issues at all.

The buttercream was another story. I have made many an Italian buttercream before, but for some reason this one simplywould NOT set. What a runny mess it was! So I took the advice of Tartelette (aka Helene) and put some of the runny buttercream in the freezer, re-incorporated it into the rest, and voila, it was picture perfect. I added rose essence to the buttercream, along with pink food coloring. I think I put in too much rose flavoring, the cake was too "rose" in the end. Next time I'll put in 1/2 the amount.

I made the cakes, cut them to size, brushed them with syrup (infused with Chambord), applied the buttercream, and wrapped it tightly for storage in the freezer, since I didn't need it for another week. (I planned to serve it at my friend Sharon's birthday party the following week. Thus the "S" on top!) The day before I served it, I defrosted the cake in the refrigerator and made the white chocolate mousse. This, I flavored with raspberry, by simply adding seedless raspberry jam to the melted white chocolate. Once the mousse was applied to the top of the layers, I froze it again, made my white chocolate glaze, and glazed over the top of the frozen cake.

The verdict? My friends LOVED it, although I do think it tasted too much of rose. They had never tasted anything quite like it. Compliments flew all over the place. But, the next time I do this cake, I will do it the old fashioned way, with coffee buttercream and a dark chocolate ganache.

I thank Ivonne and Lis for making me try it, now I feel it is something I can make for multiple occasions!

Here's the recipe!

For the joconde

(Note: The joconde can be made up to 1 day in advance and kept wrapped at room temperate)

What you’ll need:•2 12½ x 15½-inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans (Note: If you do not have jelly-roll pans this size, do not fear! You can use different-sized jelly-roll pans like 10 x 15-inches.)

•a few tablespoons of melted butter (in addition to what’s called for in the ingredients’ list) and a brush (to grease the pans)

•parchment paper

•a whisk and a paddle attachment for a stand mixer or for a handheld mixer

•two mixing bowls (you can make do with one but it’s preferable to have two)

Ingredients:

6 large egg whites, at room temperature

2 tbsp. (30 grams) granulated sugar2 cups (225 grams) ground blanched almonds (Note: If you do not want to use almond meal, you can use another nut meal like hazelnut. You can buy almond meal in bulk food stores or health food stores, or you can make it at home by grinding almonds in the food processor with a tablespoon or two of the flour that you would use in the cake. The reason you need the flour is to prevent the almonds from turning oily or pasty in the processor. You will need about 2 cups of blanched almonds to create enough almond meal for this cake.)

2 cups icing sugar, sifted

6 large eggs

½ cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour

3 tbsp. (1½ ounces; 45 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1.Divide the oven into thirds by positioning a rack in the upper third of the oven and the lower third of the oven.

2.Preheat the oven to 425◦F. (220◦C).

3.Line two 12½ x 15½- inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans with parchment paper and brush with melted butter.

4.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a handheld mixer), beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy. If you do not have another mixer bowl, gently scrape the meringue into another bowl and set aside.

5.If you only have one bowl, wash it after removing the egg whites or if you have a second bowl, use that one. Attach the paddle attachment to the stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer again) and beat the almonds, icing sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and voluminous, about 3 minutes.

6.Add the flour and beat on low speed until the flour is just combined (be very careful not to overmix here!!!).

7.Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture and then fold in the melted butter. Divide the batter between the pans and spread it evenly to cover the entire surface of each pan.

8.Bake the cake layers until they are lightly browned and just springy to the touch. This could take anywhere from 5 to 9 minutes depending on your oven. Place one jelly-roll pan in the middle of the oven and the second jelly-roll pan in the bottom third of the oven.

9.Put the pans on a heatproof counter and run a sharp knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Cover each with a sheet of parchment or wax paper, turn the pans over, and unmold.

10.Carefully peel away the parchment, then turn the parchment over and use it to cover the cakes. Let the cakes cool to room temperature.

For the syrup

(Note: The syrup can be made up to 1 week in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator.)What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan

Ingredients:

½ cup (125 grams) water

⅓ cup (65 grams) granulated sugar

1 to 2 tbsp. of the flavouring of your choice (i.e., vanilla extract, almond extract, cognac, limoncello, coconut cream, honey etc.)

1.Stir all the syrup ingredients together in the saucepan and bring to a boil.

2.Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

For the buttercream

(Note: The buttercream can be made up to 1 month in advance and packed in an airtight container. If made way in advance, you can freeze the buttercream. Alternatively you can refrigerate it for up to 4 days after making it. To use the buttercream simply bring it to room temperature and then beat it briefly to restore its consistency.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan

•a candy or instant-read thermometer

•a stand mixer or handheld mixer

•a bowl and a whisk attachment

•rubber spatula

Ingredients:

1 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

¼ cup (60 grams) water seeds of one vanilla bean (split a vanilla bean down the middle and scrape out the seeds) or 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract (Note: If you are flavouring your buttercream and do not want to use the vanilla, you do not have to. Vanilla will often enhance other flavours but if you want an intense, one-flavoured buttercream, then by all means leave it out!)

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1¾ sticks (7 ounces; 200 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

flavouring of your choice (a tablespoon of an extract, a few tablespoons of melted white chocolate, citrus zest, etc.)

1.Combine the sugar, water and vanilla bean seeds or extract in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves.

2.Continue to cook, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 225◦F (107◦C) [*Note: Original recipe indicates a temperature of 255◦F (124◦C), however, when testing the recipe I found that this was too high so we heated to 225◦F and it worked fine] on a candy or instant-read thermometer. Once it reaches that temperature, remove the syrup from the heat.

3.While the syrup is heating, begin whisking the egg and egg yolk at high speed in the bowl of your mixer using the whisk attachment. Whisk them until they are pale and foamy.

4.When the sugar syrup reaches the correct temperature and you remove it from the heat, reduce the mixer speed to low speed and begin slowly (very slowly) pouring the syrup down the side of the bowl being very careful not to splatter the syrup into the path of the whisk attachment. Some of the syrup will spin onto the sides of the bowl but don’t worry about this and don’t try to stir it into the mixture as it will harden!

5.Raise the speed to medium-high and continue beating until the eggs are thick and satiny and the mixture is cool to the touch (about 5 minutes or so).

6.While the egg mixture is beating, place the softened butter in a bowl and mash it with a spatula until you have a soft creamy mass.

7.With the mixer on medium speed, begin adding in two-tablespoon chunks. When all the butter has been incorporated, raise the mixer speed to high and beat until the buttercream is thick and shiny.

8.At this point add in your flavouring and beat for an additional minute or so.

9.Refrigerate the buttercream, stirring it often, until it’s set enough (firm enough) to spread when topped with a layer of cake (about 20 minutes).

For the white chocolate ganache/mousse (this step is optional – please see Elements of an Opéra Cake below) (Note: The mousse can be made ahead and refrigerated until you’re ready to use it.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan

•a mixer or handheld mixer

Ingredients:

7 ounces white chocolate

1 cup plus 3 tbsp. heavy cream (35% cream)

1 tbsp. liquer of your choice (Bailey’s, Amaretto, etc.)

1.Melt the white chocolate and the 3 tbsp. of heavy cream in a small saucepan.

2.Stir to ensure that it’s smooth and that the chocolate is melted. Add the tablespoon of liqueur to the chocolate and stir. Set aside to cool completely.

3.In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form.

4.Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate to form a mousse.
5.If it’s too thin, refrigerate it for a bit until it’s spreadable.6.If you’re not going to use it right away, refrigerate until you’re ready to use.

For the glaze (Note: It’s best to make the glaze right when you’re ready to finish the cake.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan or double boiler

Ingredients:

14 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped

½ cup heavy cream (35% cream)

1.Melt the white chocolate with the heavy cream. Whisk the mixture gently until smooth.

2.Let cool for 10 minutes and then pour over the chilled cake. Using a long metal cake spatula, smooth out into an even layer.

3.Place the cake into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.

Assembling the Opéra Cake

(Note: The finished cake should be served slightly chilled. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 day).

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.Working with one sheet of cake at a time, cut and trim each sheet so that you have two pieces (from each cake so you’ll have four pieces in total): one 10-inch (25-cm) square and one 10 x 5-inch (25 x 12½-cm) rectangle.

Step A (if using buttercream only and not making the ganache/mousse):

Place one square of cake on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup.Spread about one-third of the buttercream over this layer.Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square. Moisten these pieces with the flavoured syrup.Spread another third of the buttercream on the cake and then top with the third square of joconde. Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde. Spread the remaining buttercream on top of the final layer of joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).Make the glaze and after it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake. Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze.Serve the cake slightly chilled. This recipe will yield approximately 20 servings.

Step B (if making the ganache/mousse):Place one square of cake on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup.Spread about three-quarters of the buttercream over this layer.Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square. Moisten these pieces with the flavoured syrup.Spread the remaining buttercream on the cake and then top with the third square of joconde. Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).Prepare the ganache/mousse (if you haven’t already) and then spread it on the top of the last layer of the joconde. Refrigerate for at least two to three hours to give the ganache/mousse the opportunity to firm up.Make the glaze and after it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake. Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze.

Serve the cake slightly chilled. This recipe will yield approximately 20 servings.

My Apologies

2008-05-12T18:19:00.002-04:00

I've heard from a few folks who come to my blog regularly, wondering where my goodies have gone. My sister is sick and I have been spending most of my weekends with her, and that is my regular baking and cooking time. Hopefully things will be back to normal again very shortly, stay tuned....and thanks for your interest and your patience.

Daring Baker's Challenge for April: Sitting Out

2008-04-25T08:16:00.002-04:00

No DB challenge for me this month. I have a very sick family member and have been helping her every weekend this month, so I haven't had time for much baking. That's why the blog has been slow lately...sorry.
Hopefully things will get back to normal soon!

Trader Joe's Frozen Croissants

2008-04-16T21:01:00.003-04:00

I've died and gone to Gai Pareeeee....Not really, I've actually only driven to Trader Joe's where I found to my glee that they are now stocking FROZEN CROISSANTS! A while back I posted about how good their frozen chocolate croissants are, wondering if they would ever get smart and add the infamous pain au chocolat's plain yet scrumptious sister in pastry-hood, the croissant. And it must be good karma, my wish was their command! Today while shopping, in the midst of the frozen food delights (you have to admit, TJs has awesome frozen goodies) I spied something croissant-esque. Was it? Yes it was! A tiny little box of 8 mini frozen croissants!

To make them is a snap. All you do is let them proof on the counter overnight and pop them in the oven in the morning. Your kitchen develops that highly sought-after French pastry shop smell (oh yum) and in 20 minutes you have hot croissants. And they are GOOD. REALLY good. And at $3.99 a box, much more affordable than the frozen croissants that Williams-Sonoma sells (plus you don't have to pay extra for shipping, or wait for them to arrive in your mailbox).

So, in these days of zillion dollar plane tickets and value-less dollars, if you're yearning for a real French breakfast, get ye to Trader Joe's! (No, TJ's does not pay me for this, I'm just a die-hard fan of the good stuff and toot its horn whenever I can).

Daring Baker's Challenge: Dorie's Perfect Party Cake

2008-03-30T09:56:00.010-04:00

Dorie Greenspan is one of those people who is so lucky to have found her true calling in life. From what I gather about her, she is a former writer who found her love for pastry and became a pastry chef. Put these two talents together and what do you get? One heck of a great cookbook writer, whether it be her own books or writing those of others (Pierre Hermé comes to mind). But I had never actually made one of her personal recipes until this month, thanks to Morven at the Daring Bakers.

This month's challenge? Dorie Greenspan's Perfect Party Cake. I looooove to bake cakes, I'm not much of a decorator but I can make a good cake, so I was very excited to try a new one. Plus, this was a white cake which I've never made before. The first thing I did was to go to the bookstore to see what the cake should look like in the end (and I decided that this is a book I must buy, it's huge and has a zillion great recipes in it). The photos of the cake were gorgeous, all white and fluffy with some beautiful pink filling inside. To me, the cake screamed Easter, so I decided it would be our Easter dessert.

Making the cake was really quite simple. One thing I've learned about Dorie Greenspan's recipe writing, you don't mess with it. What she says goes, and if you follow it precisely you will have excellent results. So I just followed her recipe to the "t" and it all came together great. Many DBs had trouble with the cake not rising, but mine rose just fine so I'm not quite sure what the problem was. The buttercream whipped up so smoothly and easily and it spread like a dream. I heated my raspberry jam so it would be a bit more liquid, and then brushed it on the cake rounds, which worked nicely and kept it from being too gloppy. I was very careful in spreading the buttercream over the jam, trying not to mix them, I just rocked my wrist back and forth over the buttercream until it came to the edges of the cake. For the most part that did the trick.

As for the decorating, I wanted the cake to say "Easter" but not be too crazy. I toyed with making pink and green macarons for the outside, but ran out of time. So I found these really nice pastel colored mints at the Fresh Market and applied them to the sides of the cake. They looked really Spring-like and pretty. Plus, they are delicious.

The cake was "refreshing" everyone said. It had an excellent. tight crumb and the lemon flavor was light and made the cake really fresh for Springtime. The buttercream, while good, was a bit heavy and I would probably use a white chocolate whipped cream next time, but it was still very yummy. Would I make this again? Certainly, especially for a birthday, Easter or a shower. This is a keeper.

To see other beautiful Daring Baker cakes, check them out here.

For the Cake

2 1/4 cups cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt1

¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk (I prefer buttermilk with the lemon)

4 large egg whites

1 ½ cups sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ teaspoon pure lemon extract

For the Buttercream

1 cup sugar

4 large egg whites

3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Finishing

2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable

About 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut

Getting Ready

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

To Make the Cake

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated. Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean

Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners.Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).

To Make the Buttercream

Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream.Remove the bowl from the heat.Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.

Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth.Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes.

During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again.On medium speed, gradually beat in the lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla. You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.

To Assemble the Cake

Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half. Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper.Spread it with one third of the preserves.Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream.Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with a third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream leftover).Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top. Press the coconut into the frosting, patting it gently all over the sides and top.ServingThe cake is ready to serve as soon as it is assembled, but I think it’s best to let it sit and set for a couple of hours in a cool room – not the refrigerator. Whether you wait or slice and enjoy it immediately, the cake should be served at room temperature; it loses all its subtlety when it’s cold. Depending on your audience you can serve the cake with just about anything from milk to sweet or bubbly wine.

Storing

The cake is best the day it is made, but you can refrigerate it, well covered, for up to two days. Bring it to room temperature before serving. If you want to freeze the cake, slide it into the freezer to set, then wrap it really well – it will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer; defrost it, still wrapped overnight in the refrigerator.

Playing Around

Since lemon is such a friendly flavour, feel free to make changes in the preserves: other red preserves – cherry or strawberry – look especially nice, but you can even use plum or blueberry jam.Fresh Berry CakeIf you will be serving the cake the day it is made, cover each layer of buttercream with fresh berries – use whole raspberries, sliced or halved strawberries or whole blackberries, and match the preserves to the fruit. You can replace the coconut on top of the cake with a crown of berries, or use both coconut and berries. You can also replace the buttercream between the layers with fairly firmly whipped sweetened cream and then either frost the cake with buttercream (the contrast between the lighter whipped cream and the firmer buttercream is nice) or finish it with more whipped cream. If you use whipped cream, you’ll have to store the cake the in the refrigerator – let it sit for about 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Jean-Robert's Lavomatic Restaurant

2008-03-27T16:40:00.003-04:00

One of the best things about living in Cincinnati is that Jean-Robert de Cavel lives here too. That sounds like I'm some sort of stalker-like freak, but this man is a reknown French chef who is giving Cincinnati what it has been desperate for for years: excellent restaurants in all price ranges. And they are French restaurants to boot, so I can get a regular French cuisine fix. His are not chains restaurants, nor are they all haute cuisine, but unique neighborhood spots. His Jean-Robert at Pigall's was recently named one of the top 11 restaurants in the country, and it is the only 4 Mobil star restaurant in the state of Ohio. I'm sure the 5th star is coming soon. Bravo Jean-Ro!!

His restaurants include: Pigall's for high end French fare, Jean-Ro bistro for typical Parisian bistro food, Greenup Café for French café fare including great breakfast pastries, Chalk (which I still have to go to, it is new) and the newest of the bunch: Lavomatic.

My husband and I went to Lavomatic (the French word for "laundromat", which the restaurant used to be) over the weekend, not knowing what to expect. We had heard the menu included "hearty French fare" and we knew that it was one of the new establishments in the Over-The-Rhine neighborhood (which doesn't have a warm and fuzzy reputation) which is being renovated as the Gateway Quarter. Other than that, we went in blind.

Lavomatic, which only opened a few weeks ago, takes reservations from 5 - 6:30 p.m., after that seating is first-come first-served. Since we have to line up babysitting (and the moon and the stars) to get out of the house, we reserved at 6:30. A bit "early bird special", but it worked for us. When we arrived at the restaurant, the downstairs was already full, so they brought us upstairs. Much to our surprise, we the only diners upstairs, so it seemed a bit cold and lonely up there. I guess someone has to arrive first, though! The décor in the entire restaurant was clean yet rather stark: celery colored walls, white chandeliers, bamboo floors and tables, it was very light which was nice but we agreed the place could probably use a splash of color here and there for visual warmth. Another "ambiance" problem: we couldn't hear the music upstairs, and our waiter said they were working that kink out, but we felt a bit like we were placed in the "naughty chair" by Supernanny herself, all alone upstairs with no music.

Our waiter was good, he could explain the menu fairly well. We started with the charcuterie plate, which included saucisson, mousse de foie and country paté as well as a proscuitto-type ham. It was served with toasted baguette slices, country mustard and some pickled vegetables. It was excellent, not at all unlike something I would have at a restaurant in France.

The service became spotty once the dishes started coming out. We had multiple people bringing things up to us, and it seemed as though none were really sure who was supposed to do what. Our appetizer dishes remained on the table while they were trying to give us our first course, which led to a lot of dish-passing between us and them. They left a few dirty appetizer dishes on the table after serving the main course, which wasn't very appetizing. I'm confident this is a kink that will be worked out, because it's oh-so-very not "Jean -Robert".

For our main courses, my husband had the shellfish medley for $17. It was very much like a French bouillabaisse (calamari, shrimp and mussels in a very nicely flavored broth), but on the menu it said it came with "rouille". Rouille, from what I know, is usually a mayonnaise based sauce that they serve in France with bouillabaisse, along with some croutons. Think aioli. But there was no rouille with this medley, so I'm not sure what the rouille was supposed to be. The medley was good, my husband's only problem was getting a good flavor of the broth. The dish wasn't served with a spoon and the seafood wasn't soaking in the broth, so he tried to do it with bread. Next time, we'll ask for a spoon if they don't offer it themselves.

I ordered the Roasted Salmon for $18. It was served over Israeli couscous and covered with preserved lemon and a very light beurre blanc sauce. The mixture of the tart lemon (which also tasted salty) with the sauce was excellent and the salmon was done just perfectly. It literally melted in my mouth. I would definitely order that again. I finished my meal before my husband, and as the waiter was reaching to take my plate away he immediately asked if we wanted dessert. This is one of my restaurant pet peeves, when everyone is not yet finished with their main course and the waiter is already asking for dessert orders. Again, not very Jean-Robert.

Lo and behold, the best part of our meal was in fact the dessert. I truly think that my dessert was the best restaurant dessert I've ever had in Cincinnati, and that includes in the famed Pigall's. I ordered the chocolate torte with laurel creme anglaise for $7. This torte was like none I've ever had: melty and smooth in the middle yet not served warm, and clearly made with a high quality chocolate. There was a dash of fleur de sel on top which was genius, the pastry chef should be paraded about the restaurant for that idea! I devoured it, it was so delicious. My husband had the creme brulée infused with mint and chocolate madeleines on the side. Again, a home run. We kept going between each other's desserts in awe. High-five to the pastry chef at Lavomatic, every restauranteur should wish she was on their team. The only dowside to dessert, the waiter left with our dessert orders without asking if we'd like coffee or tea. And he never did ask, so we never brought it up. There's something about the power of suggestion that really works, especially when it comes to coffee with dessert.

In the end, the bill was moderate. We each had two glasses of wine (wine list is VERY impressive, especially by the glass), we shared a first course, had two main courses and two desserts, and our bill came to $98. We thought that was a very fair price for the wonderful meal we had just had. Hopefully the music will come on upstairs and the service will get a bit more on top of things, but since this is a very new restaurant I can cut them some slack.

I'll definitely be back!

Address: 1211 Vine St. in Over-the-Rhine

Phone: 513-621-1999

Hours: Opens at 11:30 a.m. for lunch Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. for brunch Saturday and Sunday; kitchen closes at 9:30 p.m. Sunday though Thursday, 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The kitchen will also serve a limited late-night menu.

Hot Cross Buns, Hot Cross Buns, One a penny Two a penny Hot Cross Buns!!

2008-03-24T15:19:00.004-04:00

Easter just isn't Easter without Hot Cross Buns. I've had some wonderful ones and some really tough and chewy ones, some filled with all sorts of dried fruits and some rather plain. But they are so easy to make that I tend to make them myself for an Easter treat.

Traditionally, Hot Cross Buns are served in Great Britian for breakfast on Good Friday, the cross representing the cross that Jesus died on. But in the US they are served throughout the period of Lent, and many families have them on Easter.

I've tried multiple recipes, but I like this one that I base on the Sweet Dough recipe in the America's Test Kitchen cookbook. The dough includes butter and has a brioche-like texture to it, it's very good. My 4 year old daughter won't have dried fruits of any kind in her baked goods, so I leave them out, but I add some spices and lemon zest for more depth of flavor.

Sweet Dough:

3/4 cup buttermilk, warm

6 Tb. unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm

3 large eggs, lighty beaten

4 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 envelope instant or rapid rise yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

2 Tb. grated lemon peel

2 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/4 tsp salt

(1 cup currants or raisins, optional)

Icing:

1 large egg beaten (for the top of the buns)

1 Tb water

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 Tb milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk together the buttermilk, butter and eggs in a medium bowl.

Mix 4 cups of the flour, the sugar, yeast and salt, lemon peel, nutmeg and cinnamon in a mixer fitted with dough hook. Slowly add the buttermilk mixture (and dried fruit if you are using it) and mix until it all comes together, one minute or so.

Increase the speed to medium-low and mix for about 10 minutes, adding flour if needed.

Turn the dough out on a clean surface and knead by hand for about 1 minute. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and wrap tightly. Let dough rise until doubled in size, about 2 - 2 1/2 hours

Turn the dough onto a floured counter and divide into 12 equal pieces. Rollthe dough into tight balls and arrange on a greased 9 x 13 baking dish, wrapping tightly in greased plastic wrap. Let buns rise again until doubled in size, about 1 - 1 1/2 hours

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a sharp or serrated knife, mark an "x" in the top of each bun. Whisk the egg and water together, and brush it over the tops of the buns and bake until golden brown, about 25 - 30 minutes.

Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the sugar, milk and vanilla and with a spoon or small knife fill in the "x" on each bun with this glaze.

Serve warm or cool completely.

* To make these ahead of time, do everything up to the shaping and place the shaped buns in the refrigerator overnight. The following morning, let the rolls rise for 1 - 1.5 hours, mark the x and bake as instructed.

Cheesecake Thumbprints for Springtime

2008-03-19T20:35:00.003-04:00

So, tomorrow is the first day of Spring, or so they tell us. I don't know how the weather has been where you live, but here in Cincinnati it's been a little wacky. Two weeks ago we had a snowstorm, last week we had the 60s and today we are building an arc because we are certain there will soon be a flood and most of mankind will be washed to sea. Must pack my Kitchenaid Mixer. Anyway, the rain started mixing with snow tonight, so now we have slushies all over the streets.

If pending doom is not a reason to bake something colorful and Spring-like, I don't know what is. Since tomorrow is my little girl's last day of preschool before her Spring Break (no, we are going nowhere exotic, unless you count the public library...must find activities...), I decided to make some yummy thumbprint cookies filled with cheesecake filling to give to her teachers as Easter gifts. Nothing like bribing the teachers with baked goods! Not that I need to bribe the teachers or anything...but it's a skill that will come in handy in the next 20 years of my life...

These cookies are yummy. They are light, in spite of the cheesecake filling. The cookie base is delicious, not too sugary (only 1/4 cup) and with a delicious crispness that pairs perfectly with the cheesecake filling. The filling is very easy to make, but the cookies can be hard to fill. Don't over-fill them or you will have filling spilling over onto your cookie sheet. Trust me it's ugly.

The only problem with these cookies, which I didn't think of before I made them, is that they don't package well. The filling cools to a soft and tacky texture, so they stick to each other and to anything they come in contact with. So putting them in boxes was, well, interesting to say the least. Hopefully they won't be too ugly when the teachers open them up!

Cheesecake filling:

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

pinch of salt

2 large egg yolks

3 tsp. sour cream

1/4 tsp vanilla

Beat cream cheese until light and add the 1/2 cup sugar and pinch of salt. Beat again until smooth.

Add the egg yolks, sour cream and vanilla. Beat until smooth and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Thumbprint Cookies:

2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg yolk

2 cups flour

Preheat the oven to 350.

Beat butter and 1/4 cup sugar on medium, add salt and egg yolk. Beat on low speed, adding flour gradually.

Shape level teaspoons into balls and place on cookie sheet lined with silpat or parchment paper. Space cookies one inch apart. Indent each ball with your thumb.

Bake 10 minutes, remove and make the indents again (be careful not to burn yourself, rotate fingers if you must). Rotate the pans in the oven.

Bake 8 minutes longer.

Fill each cookie with the cream cheese mixture (you will have some left over), bake another 8 minutes.

Happy St. Patrick's Day: Irish Soda Bread with Currants

2008-03-16T09:57:00.004-04:00

For as much as I love France and all things French, I have to admit that I'm an Irish gal, and my beloved dad never let me forget it growing up. On an almost daily basis, I would hear "Don't forget, you're an Irish girl." just before he would go on to sing the praises of the Irish (the best looking, the brightest, the best voices, the best food, etc.). My grandparents had immigrated from Ireland in the early 1920s, and there was immense pride in their homeland which transferred to my dad. Growing up, I would hear story after story of my Irish grandparents, from my grandfather's great humor to my grandmother's and great aunts' cooking (Irish stew, Corned beef and cabbage and of course Irish Soda Bread). My poor mother, who has never been much of a cook herself, couldn't compete. I recall one corned beef episode that was scarring...for everyone involved...but I won't get into those details here.

I must say that I enjoy an Irish pub, where I dive into all the fish and chips and shepherds pies I can. But I'm not one to tackle Irish cuisine at home. It's heavy and it makes enough to feed a typical Irish family, and we're only 4 here...which means too many leftovers. One exception to this rule is Irish Soda Bread because it is both easy (takes 5 minutes to mix up) and relatively good for you (just two tablespoons of butter).

What I love about this soda bread is that it has a slight sweetness without being too sweet, it is not floury or too heavy in the least and it has some moisture to it. It's the perfect soda bread recipe if you ask me, and anyone can try it, you don't have to be a culinary genius! I sprinkle pearl sugar on top of mine, which is probably a huge Irish taboo, but it looks and tastes very good. Almost like a light crust. This bread is excellent with some honey butter and you can toast it days after you make it, it still tastes great.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Irish Soda Bread with Currants:

3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup cake flour

2.5 Tb sugar (plus one tablespoon for sprinkling on top, optional)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 Tb. unsalted butter softened

1.5 c. buttermilk

Optional:

2 Tb. pearl sugar for top

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment or a silpat.

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. One tablespoon at a time, work in two tablespoons of the butter with your fingers, you will end up with a coarse meal-like dough. Stir in the buttermilk and the currants and mix with a fork until it comes together. Transfer to a floured countertop and knead just until the dough holds itself together, it will be bumpy, not smooth. This will take less than one minute.

Pat the dough into a 6 inch round, 2 inches thick and place on the baking sheet. If desired, sprinkle with one tablespoon of sugar or two tablespoons of pearl sugar. Mark an "x" on top with a very sharp or serrated knife. Bake until golden brown, around 40 - 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Melt the remaining one tablespoon of butter and brush over the top of the loaf.

Mama mia, la pizza!

2008-03-12T15:32:00.005-04:00

As much as I love a fancy meal out, I have to admit that I'm a pizza junkie, I love the stuff. Too much. I could seriously eat pizza every day if my rear would allow it. Pizza- not beer - is the main reason for my college weight gain that I have thankfully lost due to my realization that pizza is both angel and devil. But now I have kids who love pizza. Damn. Why couldn't they love brocoli? So now I've started making my own pizzas at home, which is making my habit much worse... But this time I'm watching the old arse.

I've experimented with probably 10 different pizza dough recipes. Everything from supermarket bobolis (not so great) to Martha Stewart's and Mario Batali's (the redhead chef that makes pizza crust with white wine while sporting his Crocks). While they did their jobs as base of the pizza, none of them ever really made me happy. They were all rather flat and didn't have much flavor. I wanted a "poof".

And then I met....Peter Reinhart. Well I didn't meet him, I received his bread baking book (The Bread Baker's Apprentice) as a gift. He has a trick to a good pizza dough, it's a two day process. Not a busy two day process, not like Julia Child baguettes or anything! He says "The single biggest flaw in most pizza dough recipes is the failure to instruct the maker to allow the dough to rest overnight in the refrigerator (or at least for a long time). This gives the enzymes time to go to work, pulling out subtle flavor trapped in the starch. The long rest also relaxes the gluten, allowing you to shape the dough easily, minimizing the elastic springiness that so often forces you to squeeze out all the gas." (p. 209) In other words, you mix the dough on one day, refrigerate it overnight, and 2 hours before you want your pizza you let the dough rise on the countertop at room temperature. The result? A pizzeria syle pizza crust, easy to "toss" (if I could only figure it out, I could toss it....right now I "pretend toss" for my kids), it puffs up perfectly and tastes good enough to eat all the way down to the crust!

This recipe makes 6 mini pizzas, but I usually get two big pizzas out of it. Peter would probably frown at that, but I like a thicker crust. I make one huge pizza for the family and freeze the rest of the dough for the following weekend. I have to admit that people are rather surprised that this is homemade dough. It's not necessarily the very best pizza I've ever had, but it's definitely the best homemade pizza I've ever had. And there's nothing like doing it yourself!

For the homemade sauce, I simply simmer a can of pureed tomatoes with two tablespoons of olive oil for about one hour. That's it! It tastes fabulous! And for the cheese just be sure to use an Italian blend, you can find it pre-grated in packs in the supermarket. Just using mozzerella will create a very oozy, melted and not very flavorful cheese. Toppings are up to you!

Buon appetito!

From Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice

4.5 cups unbleached bread or all-purpose flour, chilled

1 3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp instant yeast

1/4 cup olive oil

1 3/4 cups ice water

Sift together the flour, salt and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer. With the paddle attachment, stir in the oil and the cold water until the flour is absorbed.

Using the dough hook, mix on medium for about 5-7 minutes, creating a smooth, sticky dough. The perfect consistency will stick to the bottom of the bowl but clear the sides. Add water or flour as necessary. Your dough will end up elastic and sticky.

Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer to dough to the counter. Using a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, mist the parchment with oil. Cut the dough into the amount of pieces you will need (2 for two large pizzas, 4 for medium pizzas, 6 for individual pizzas). Sprinkle flour over the dough, and gently round each piece into a ball. Place the dough balls on the sheet pan, mist the dough with spray oil and cover with plastic wrap.

Refrigerate overnight, or up to 3 days. (This is where you can freeze some in food grade ziplock bags and use in the next 3 months).

On the day you make the pizza, remove the number of dough balls from the refrigerator 2 hours before making the pizza. Dust the countertop with flour, mist with oil and place the dough balls on top of the counter, sprinkling them with flour. Gently press the dough into 1/2 inch thick discs and sprinkle again with flour and spray oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 2 hours.

45 minutes before you make the pizza place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Make the pizzas by gently lifting up the dough disc and laying the dough across your fists, stretch carefully with a bounce, stretching to desired diameter. Lay the dough on a piece of parchment paper that is on a flat baking sheet, so you can slide it right onto your pizza stone. Top pizza with desired sauce and ingredients (less is more, here) and slide into the oven for about 7 minutes.

Beignets à la Tartelette

2008-03-09T13:21:00.008-04:00

If I could be the fly on the wall of someone's kitchen (not that she has flies on her wall), it would be that of Hélène, aka Tartelette. First because she's French and I love all things French. Second because she has a gorgeous blog that I love to read and I admire greatly, everything is perfection. Third because she can really bake like a pro and she always has something deeeelishhhh to serve up to lucky neighbors and guests. Frankly, I wonder how she doesn't weigh 500 pounds, I sure would if I baked like with such frequency. Helene's trick is that she's generous and gives to her lucky neighbors! For all these reasons, I'd love to see her in action. Not to sound like a stalker or anything...

So this morning, with 12 inches of snow on the ground and noplace to go, I decided it was time to make some of Tartelette's beignets. I had read about them last month and thought "this must be made when the time is right". Nothing like a foot of snow on the ground to make the time seem simply perfect!

I have made beignets before, but only from the Cafe du Monde box 'o beignets that I picked up at the grocery store one day. They weren't bad, but they were definitely "from a box" and didn't rise nicely, didn't puff nicely, were kind of tough. They were not like at the actual beignets of the Cafe du Monde in New Orleans. Anyway, I don't know why I've never tried them by scratch, I never make anything from a box, so why the beignets? Well, after seeing how easy they are to whip up I will never buy a boxed beignet again!

I followed Hélène's recipe and changed just a few things: I don't have orange flower water so I omitted that completely, and I added a teaspoon of sugar for some sweetness. Next time I will probably add a little bit more sugar, I like my beignet dough a touch sweeter (but not too sweet or it's overwhelming). But these beignets were so simple! Mix up a few ingredients, let the dough rise for around 45 minutes, roll out the easy to roll dough, cut the beignets (I made 12 rectangular beignets from this recipe) and deep fry in canola oil until golden. Start to finish the beignets took just over one hour, and during the rising time I emptied the dishwasher from last night, took a shower, made some coffee, it was multi-tasking extraordinaire! I fried up 6 of my 12 beignets and put the remaining dough rectangles in the freezer for another weekend. That's what I love about baking with dough, it freezes well and then bakes up perfectly!

There is one beignet left, it's for my husband....but he doesn't know it's there, so maybe it will mysteriously disappear before he returns from work...

Snow Day Baking: Ghirardelli's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-03-06T22:28:00.003-05:00

There's just something about a snow day that makes me want to bake. It's not that this happened in my youth, there wasn't a lot of baking going on in my house growing up. A bag of Chips Ahoy was a treat for me back then. These days, being stuck inside on a cold, snowy day gives me the urge to fill the house with two things: warmth from the oven and the wonderful smells of goodies fresh from the oven. Plus, it gives me something to do on a day where I'm a prisoner in my home, my kids are going haywire and I need the psychotherapy that baking delivers!

This winter has been particularly harsh, and we have had a number of snow days, so I've been doing a lot of snow day baking. Granted, my daughter is only in preschool now, so snow days are not what they will be in a few years, but I take full advantage of the snow day joy I used to feel as a student and teacher! Yipeeee, a snow day!

Last week, we had not only a snow day but an ice day...ice was falling from the sky leaving us in a cocoon of ice. It was cold and grey, and I needed to bake something...the urge hit me. Looking in my cupborads I found that I had some Ghirardelli chips and all the fixings for chocolate chip cookies, and I was elated to know that I would soon have some chocolate chip cookies. But which recipe to follow? Such a conundrum.

I'm always looking for the Holy Grail of chocolate chip cookie recipes. I've tried so many. Martha Stewart has a few, the chocolate chunk recipe I've done on this site is good, but still doesn't wow me. I tried her daughter's (Alexis) "favorite chocolate chip cookies" and was kind of disgusted by the results...very flat, very chewy and oily as can be. I don't like that kind of cookie. I tried giving them away and was given a look of confusion by the recipient.

So the search goes on. This day, I decided to flip the Ghirardellis over and use their recipe since it was new to me. (I have since discarded the package, but you can find the recipe on the back of any Ghirardelli chip package).

What I liked about these cookies was that the end result had a perfect chocolate chip cookie shape (they didn't spread out too much) and a ton of flavor. Of course, I toyed with the recipe and used three kinds of chips: milk, dark and white, plus added some toasted walnuts. So good. Eaten straight from the oven, they were a dream. I liked them better than most chocolate chip cookies I've made.

The only down side I found was that once they cooled they got rather hard. Not "too" hard, but they totally lost their softness and chew. They were still excellent and looked and tasted just as good as anything I've ever seen for sale, but they were too hard for my taste.

So, I'll keep looking for the perfect CCC recipe. I think I'll try America's Test Kitchen next, those look good, they promise their secret methods will produce a chewy cookie, and to top it all off tomorrow might be another snow day!

In the meantime, don't be shy.... go grab a bag of Ghirardelli (whose chips are excellent by the way) and try out their recipe, it's a good one especially if you enjoy a crunch.

It's Restaurant Week in Cincinnati!

2008-03-04T13:47:00.002-05:00

Here we are, a mere 6 months-post the last Restaurant Week and another is upon us. During September's Restaurant Week, I ate a phenomenal meal at Pigall's for pennies (well, for $25.07 or somewhere around there). Pigall's has recently been named one of the top 11 restaurants in the country by Zagat's, so let's just say that meal was a STEAL.

This time, Pigall's is not participating, sadly. They probably realized they lost a lot of money during the week (they did not skimp on ingredients, presentation or service). Or perhaps they are tired, or over-booked, or realizing they are fabulous and don't need Restaurant Week, who knows. A close second to Pigall's is Daveeds in Mt. Adams, who is happily participating. That's where I would choose to spend my $25.

What's the deal? Reserve between March 3 and March 9, and you get a three course meal for a set price of $25.08. The proceeds go to the Independent Restaurant Association.

You can see the whole list of participating restaurants here.

Rustic Honey Whole Wheat Bread

2008-03-02T20:29:00.004-05:00

Two things are happening to me right now: one, I'm trying to eat better and two, I'm getting way into baking bread. These two things don't always go hand-in-hand. I want to bake yummy sticky buns and monkey bread, but that is nottttt eating better. So I am always in search of the holy grail of healthy bread recipes. At least until I get the urge to make homemade croissants and eat 1/2 of them before anyone in the family knows they exist.... Not that I would do that....That would be mean....

So anyway, I found a good recipe for "Rustic White Bread" ever-so-useful America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (a book I really like because of its photos, its explanations and its easy and foolproof recipes). Using it as a base, I decided that a way to make it a touch healthier ( i.e. get rid of some heinous carbs) would be to exchange 2 cups of whole wheat flour for 2 cups of all-purpose flour and it worked like a charm. I kept the honey in, because honey is great in whole wheat bread.

What I liked about this recipe was that it was not as time consuming as many bread recipes I've used. After baking for daaaaaaays on end with Peter Reinhart, Julia Child and Nancy Silverton's recipes, all of which are time consuming to say the least, it was a pleasure to finish my bread in a total of 4 hours (rather than two days!). The two rising times are 1.5 hours each, which is very do-able, and we were able to enjoy the bread for an afternoon snack and then with our dinner.

This bread bakes up wonderfully with a great chewiness and crisp crust. I have found that having a steam pan in the oven is essential for the best results, as is spraying the bread during the first few minutes of baking. If you want a bread that is excellent and rather easy, this is the one for you.

Ingredients:

2 cups bread flour

2 cups plus 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 envelope instant yeast

2 tsp. salt

1 3/4 cups warm water

2 Tb honey

Mix the dry ingredients (minus the 1/4 cup whole wheat flour) in the bowl of a standing mixer using the dough hook. At low speed, add the water and honey and mix for about one minute, until the dough comes together. Turn the mixer off and cover the bowl right on the mixing stand with plastic wrap for 15 minutes.

Increase the speed to medium-low and mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, 10 minutes. If you need more flour, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour. Your dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick a bit to the bottom).

Turn the dough out to a lightly floured counter and knead for one minute. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free area for 1 - 1.5 hours.

When the dough is doubled in size, turn it out to a clean counter and dimple it with your fingertips. This will release some of the air. Once the dough is flattened a bit, pull up the sides to form a tight ball. Place the shaped dough on a sheet of parchment and cover loosely with greased plastic wrap. Let it rise again for about 1.5 hours.

Place baking stone in oven and preheat to 500 degrees F. Place a cast iron pan on the bottom of the oven (or very bottom shelf) and preheat it as well.

Let the baking stone heat up for about 30 minutes and no longer than one hour.

Once the dough has risen again, slice an "x" in the top with a very sharp knife or razor blade. Slide the parchment paper with the bread onto the baking stone. Pour 1.5 cups of water in the cast iron pan to form steam. Using a mister, mist water on the bread and on the walls of the oven. Bake for 30 seconds, remist the bread and walls. Bake for 30 seconds, re-mist again. Bake for 30 seconds and mist for a final time.

Bake for an additional 12 minutes (or less if it is getting too brown) at 500, and then lower the oven temperature to 400F and bake for another 20 minutes. When the bread is done, it will sound hollow when thumped.

Transfer to a wire rack and cool.

Daring Baker's Challenge: Julia Child's French Baguette

2008-02-28T22:08:00.006-05:00

Ohhhhhh la la. I've always wanted to bake baguette, but I've been afraid, very afraid. I mean, I've been lucky enough to have lived in France and I know faaaaaar too well what a "real" baguette is supposed to taste like. A French baguette is a dream, to smell a freshly baked one is one of those Proustian experiences. And that's the mythical French baguette that is SO hard to reproduce. I've had multiple baguettes in the USA and none even come close to the real French baguette: a golden hue, a slight crunch when you squeeze it, giving in to a soft and chewy center with big holes and a great flavor. Some say it's a difference in the flour that is available in France versus the US. Regardless of why, I have always been a "baguette in France" aficionada!While living in France, I would eat baguette for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I was one of those people who bought baguettes at the bakery and would gnaw the tip off in the subway before the baguette was even cool, making my fellow metro-riders green with baguette envy. Baguettes were a staple for me. I didn't think I could EVER make one of my own. Until now....

In come the Daring Bakers and the challenge posed by Breadchick and Sara: Julia Child's French Bread. At first I winced at the challenge, not because I didn't like it, but because I knew this was the one thing I had avoided for so long. And because I would know too well if it failed.

So I tackled the recipe, which is long but the steps involved are easy. I used my KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook attachment, which made it even easier. Add ingredients, mix up, let rise. Easy as pie. I loved the way this dough rose: so fluffy and light with great big bubbles. It was a beautiful dough. My problem came in the shaping. I think I might have deflated too many of the bubbles. I had a tight crumb but was looking for something a bit more chewy and with larger holes. The final product tasted great, though, and the three baguettes I made from it disappeared within the day. I had a little left over the next day, which I spread with Nutella and had my semi-Proustian moment. No, my baguettes were not worthy of a Parisian boulangerie, but they weren't bad either. They just need fine tuning.

My one question for other bread bakers out there: how do I get that wonderful French baguette crust? My crust seemed so hard, too hard for baguette. I was looking for something that was golden, which gave a crisp crunch but wasn't too dense, and I found that my crust was too dense. What's the secret? (I steamed the oven, sprayed the walls with water, etc.)

If you plan on making this bread for dinner, be sure to start early, at around 9 a.m. at the latest. It takes a lot of time to ferment, so you need to time it just so. But the recipe says to let it cool for 2 hours before eating. Whatever. I cut into mine after 20 minutes!! SOOOOO good to have warm bread.

Anyway, I loved the recipe and look forward to doing it again because like all things I'm sure that with French baguette "practice makes perfect"!

Bon appétit! Here's the recipe courtesy of Breadchick! and of Sara, of Iliketocook. And to see the other amazing results, check the Daring Bakers blogroll!