Brat Bites Back

Skewl Daze!

2008-05-05T16:28:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to school to learn how to spell....

I went to learn this -

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Clam Chowder

Sauteed chicken with broccoli and bechamel (needs CHEESE!)

a Cauliflower Gratin

as well as braised short ribs and braised red cabbage with roasted winter vegetables

and steak (!) with grilled zuccini, tomato salad, and creamy risotto

and let's not forget pasta!

and a polenta stuffed mushroom

That's all Quarter 1!!! Now it's on to Quarter 2. I'll keep you posted with more fun, as it happens! =)

MWAH!

Ketchup! Or, things you didn't get to eat....

2008-05-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

Hey there!

Things have been oh so busy with school that there have been a lot of recipes and photos I never got the chance to blog about. Crud. So, here's a really quick version

You missed out on

Marhsall Field's Chicken Pot pie

Gale Gand's Thimble Cookies

(Those were actually supposed to be cut out using a thimble... but I don't have a thimble, so it was the fat end of a pastry tip)

Middle Class Brioche from "The Breadbaker's Apprentice" - Thanks Groovy for the book!!!

Caramel Cake

I can't even remember where that came from now... crud. It was good though!

There were sticky toffee pudding cupcakes from "Demolition Desserts" by Elizabeth Faulkner, and even better it was cupcakes with Kate time!!!

Here's Kate! (With Ninja bandage and also near some leftover cupcakes!)

And here are the delightful, date-filled cupcakes..... oh the goodness. =) I will make those again, oh yes!

You also missed some fashion-based cookies... (Seriously, you've missed a lot... where have you been?!?!)

Other than that, not much was missed... oh wait... I will have to add another post for everything we've done in school so far. That's up next!

Valentine's Day! =)

2008-02-13T19:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day you crazy kids out there!

The creation for this special day required a bit of thought.... So I got to thinking about romantic movies, that people really love. I personally, love "Pretty Woman". Oh that kooky hooker with a heart of gold!!!

Which led me to think about the champagne and strawberries scene... *LIGHTBULB*

So for you, gentle reader, the cupcake of Valentine's Day is called

Pretty Woman

A champagne cake with fresh strawberry filling. A dark chocolate champagne ganache, all topped off with a chocolate covered strawberry.

The dental floss -- you're on your own.

Accidents will happen

2008-02-10T09:27:00.000-08:00

Accidents sometime happen... like your chocolate cupcake recipe says I totally bizarre oven temperature and even though you think it sounds weird, you do it any way because hey it's in print....

so you end up with one gigantic cupcake...

but that's ok, because you can save all that cake for some random experiment... (cuz hey the cake still tastes really good... and then you save some vanilla cake from some cupcakes you needed to fill with stuff. YAY Mixed Bag of Cake!

And then let's say you work for a really long time on a post, only

to realize you posted it on the wrong blog. That's ok... no one judges you.

The post is still there. I'm not moving it! Take that!

On a very awesome note your friend made some very tasty cupcakes and let you eat two of them. TWO! And then she even entrusted you to bring the cupcake home so your boyfriend could have one. (It almost didn't make it.) But here they be in all their delicious glory!

WOOHOO!!!! These were so good - I don't lie about baked goods, ever. Make em again!!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies!

2008-02-09T13:01:00.000-08:00

Needing some comfort... where to turn, where to turn?

The chocolate chip cookie...

No other cookie - not peanut butter, not oatmeal raisin, not sugar provides the childhood comfort more than the chocolate chip cookie. (You can try to argue with that, but you'd be so wrong there's just no point in wasting your time.)

Which chocolate chip cookie to make though? Ghiradelli's recipe, or Tollhouse? Oh wait!!! I got a wonderful book for Christmas called, "Demolition Desserts" by Elizabeth Faulkner - THE LADY from Citizen Cake in San Francisco. Oh joy! Let's get this party started

Chocolate Chip Cookies Straight Up or with Nuts (no nuts thank you says Brat)

8 tbl unsalted butter, softened but still cool

3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup plus 1 tbl granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp kosher salt

1 1/4 cup plus 3 tbl all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped to the size of chocolate chips, or bittersweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional... NO THANK YOU!)

In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, cream together the butter and brown and granulated sugars until smooth but not overmixed. (You can use a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment or a handheld mixer, beat on medium for 1 to 2 minutes, and then scrape down the sides of the bowl before continuing) Add the egg, vanilla, and salt and stir until just combined. Sift in the flour baking soda, and baking powder and stir gently until combined. Add chocolate and stir just until evenly distributed throughout the dough. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Position the racks in the upper third and lower third of the oven and preheat to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Scoop up 1-inch balls of the dough with a spoon or mini scoop and set them 2 inches apart on the prepared pans.

Bake the cookies, rotating the pans after 7 to 9 minutes, for 13 to 17 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown. If you like a very soft cookie, bake them for 13 minutes. If you like a crisp cookie, bake them for 17 minutes. Transfer to the racks and let cool.

Best the day they are baked.

Raspberry Buns - adventures in Rice Flour

2008-02-04T16:06:00.001-08:00

Very simple - rather exciting...

I was interested in using rice flour since I never had before... so I looked up recipes to use rice flour with. This recipe for raspberry buns comes from aaa-recipes.com. =)

You will need

1 cup AP Flour

3/4 cup rice flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup tepid milk

1 large egg, beaten

8-10 tsp raspberry jam

Mix the flours, salt and baking powder together. Rub in the butter and then work in the sugar. Add the milk to the egg and mix them into the dry ingredients. Form the mixture into 8 to 10 balls and place them on a buttered baking sheet. Make a well in each ball with your finger and put 1 tsp of jam into the well. Fold the dough over the well to seal it. Bake the buns in a preheated 400F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool.

These were really good and very simple. I imagine you could use any sort of jam you want. No one would stop you. The thing that was strange to me about using the rice flour is that when you pour in the liquid, it is as if that one spot of flour wants to take ALL the liquid.... so you have to stir and stir and stir to get it incorporated... but you don't want to go crazy and build up the gluten (remember you're using AP flour too) too much. I'm not sure how to get around that... It was super soft though (the rice flour) it was silky - I liked it. Buns were yummy!

Yeasted Dinner Rolls

2008-02-04T15:42:00.000-08:00

The stuff

3 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

pinch of sugar (not a spoonful.... we're not taking medicine here)

1/3 cup warm water (105 to 115degrees)

1 cup tepid buttermilk

1/4 cup sugar or 1/4 cup honey (I went for the honey)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs, lightly beaten (please don't hurt me!!!)

1 tsp salt

4 1/2-5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour - plus extra as needed

Canola oil for greasing

Whachoo gotta dooooo

In a bowl, sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the warm water and stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes....

during this time - amuse yourself by imagining Alton's Brown Sock Puppet Yeastie Beasties burping like mad in the bowl. BURP!

In a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the buttermilk, sugar, melted butter, eggs, salt and 1 cup of the flour. Beat on medium-low speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the yeast mixture and 1 cup of the flour, and beat for another minute. Beat in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the bowl sides.

Switch to the dough hook (after you're done pretending to be Captain Hook.... you know you do it - YAR!) Knead on low speed, adding flour 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough sticks, until a very soft dough forms, about 1 minute. The dough should be softer than typical bread dough, yet smooth and springy.

Transfer the dough to an oiled deep bowl and turn the dough once to coat it. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Grease two 8-inch cake pans. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Divide the dough in half and roll each half between your palms into a tight rope 18 inches long. Cut each rope into eighteen 1-inch pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, and place the balls, sides just touching, in the prepared pans. Cover loosely with plastic and let rise at room temperature until puffy, 30 -45 minutes. During this time you could be doing sit-ups... but I doubt you will.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Bake the rolls until light golden brown 18-23 minutes. Let cool slightly in the pans or transfer to a rack. Serve warm.

Makes 36 Rolls

From the Williams-Sonoma Bread Book

I am a bread junky.... these rolls delivered everything I could have hoped for... and it made so much that there's plenty to put into the freezer to save for later. =) I highly recommend it!

Cracker Barrel Chicken and Dumplings

2008-02-04T15:30:00.000-08:00

Ok so we know I like the comfort food. I made this version of Cracker Barrel Chicken and Dumplings and I was highly disappointed. It tasted like a bowl of salted chicken. There was not a whole lot more flavor invited to the party. I'm sure there's a way to make this better... I just need to find it!!!

My boyfriend, is a sock rocker!

2008-01-30T16:15:00.000-08:00

YAY!!! Josh is the bestest boyfriend in all the land!!! Look at the wonderful present he got for me for beginning Culinary School!!!

Before... loverly vintage 70's avocado green.... Wonderful and faithful, but missing something....

After! AWESOME!

If you want to trick out your KitchenAid Mixer, head over here

http://flameka.com/default.aspx

and visit the nice people at Flameka.com. They have all kinds of wonderful decals to put on your mixer. =) You can find the perfect set of flames to go with your mixer. You will experience pure joy!

Thank you Josh, thank you!!! This is the best present EVER!!!

Thanksgiving food - super late!

2008-01-27T09:45:00.000-08:00

All righty, so I have my camera, I have the cable, and I have the new computer. Now, I can post all the pictures that have been clogging up the ye olde memory carde. =) So here, super late is the thanksgiving fun!

Let's kick it off with Cranberry Bars.... This recipe is from the November 2007 Issue of Gourmet
Cranberry Bars - Makes 12 bars

The stuff
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (not thawed if frozen, 3/4 lb)
1/4 cup water
Confectioners sugar for dusting

What to do, what to do
preheat oven to 350 with the rack in the middle
Line a 9-inch square baking pan with crisscrossed sheets of foil, leaving an overhang on 2 opposite sides, then butter foil.
Blend butter, flour, salt, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a food processor until mixture begins to clump together. Press into bottom of pan.
Bake until pale golden and sides begin to pull away from pan, 25 to 30 minutes
While crust is baking, cook cranberries, remaining 2/3 cup granulated sugar, and water in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until berries burst, 6 to 8 minutes.
Pour cranberries over crust and bake until edge is golden, about 25 minutes.
Sift confectioners sugar over top and cool completely in pan on a rack. Lift out of pan using foil overhang and cut into 12 squares, then sift more confectioners sugar over top.

Yours will look better since you will remember to take the picture AFTER you remove them from the foil... You are so good, aren't you?? :)

Then came these cookies that I can't find the recipe for now... but they are chocolate chip, orange and cranberry.... It's a shame I can't find the recipe, I'd like to make them again.

And now for my favorite one of the day.... Apple Walnut Torte. Oh goodness yum!

Also from the November 2007 issue of Gourmet

The stoof!
2 sticks unsalted butter, well softened, divided
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
2 lb tart apples (I used Granny Smith)
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baling soda
3/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1 1/2 cups walnuts coarsely chopped, toasted
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp pure almond extract
3 tablespoons apple jelly (or if you are like me and can't find apple jelly that is without MINT in it, get yourself some apricot instead... thanks Lisa for talking to me for like an hour in the grocery store while my brain was near exploding)
Equipment - a 9 by 3 inch round cake pan or a 9 inch springform pan wrapped in foil.

Preheat oven to 350 with rack in the middle
butter pan and fit a round of parchment paper in bottom. Butter parchment then flour pan.
Spread 1/2 stick butter thickly on bottom of a 12 inch heavy skillet and sprinkle 1/2 cup sugar evenly over butter. Arrange apples, cut sides down, over sugar and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt. Cook over medium heat, turning apples occasionally, until sugar is caramelized and apples are tender and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
Arrange apples, cut sides down in concentric circles in bottom of cake pan, then pour over any carmel from skillet.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt.
Pulse walnuts with remaining cup sugar in a food processor until finely ground
Beat remaining 1 1/2 sticks butter in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add walnut sugar and beat until just combined. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in extracts. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined (batter will be thick)
Dollop batter over apples and spread evenly. Bake until torte just begins to pull away from side of pan and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool torte in pan on a rack 30 minutes. Put rack over torte, then invert torte onto rack. Melt jelly in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring.
Brush apples generously with jelly and cool torte completely, 1 to 1/2 hours.

Serve with Calvados Whipping Cream

Or if you are like me and couldn't find apple brandy....

1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup chilled heavy cream
1 tablespoon maple extract
2 tsp sugar

beat until it holds soft peaks

Honey Bee Cake

2007-05-05T10:59:00.000-07:00

Honey Bee Cake

From Nigella Lawson

Cake:
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces
1 1/3 cups soft light brown sugar
2 sticks soft butter
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda (baking soda)
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 cup boiling water
Sticky Honey Glaze:
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup honey
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Special equipment: 9-inch springform tin

Take whatever you need out of the refrigerator so that all ingredients can come to room temperature, and while that's happening, melt the chocolate from the cake part of the ingredients list in a good-sized bowl, either in the microwave or suspended over a pan of simmering water. Set aside to cool slightly.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and butter and line a 9-inch springform tin.

Beat together the sugar and soft butter until airy and creamy, and then add the honey.
Add 1 of the eggs, beating it in with a tablespoon of the flour, and then the other egg with another tablespoon of flour. Fold in the melted chocolate, and then the rest of the flour and baking soda. Add the cocoa pushed through a tea strainer to ensure you have no lumps, and last of all, beat in the boiling water. Mix everything well to make a smooth batter and pour into the prepared tin. Cook for up to 1 1/2 hours, though check the cake after 45 minutes and if it is getting too dark, cover the top lightly with aluminium foil and keep checking every 15 minutes.

Let the cake cool completely in the tin on a rack.

To make the glaze, bring the water and honey to a boil in a saucepan, then turn off the heat and add the finely chopped chocolate, swirling it around to melt in the hot liquid. Leave it for a few minutes, then whisk together. Add the sugar through a sieve and whisk again until smooth.

Choose your plate or stand, and cut out 4 strips of baking paper and form a square outline on the plate. This is so that when you sit the cake on and ice it, the icing will not run out all over the plate. Unclip the tin and set the thoroughly cooled cake on the prepared plate. Pour the glaze over the cold honey bee cake; it might dribble a bit down the edges, but don't worry too much about that. The glaze stays tacky for ages (this is what gives it its lovely melting gooiness) so ice in time for the glaze to harden a little, say at least an hour before you want to serve it.

My mom was kind enough to buy some sugar bees from Williams-Sonoma so I didn't have to make little marzipan bees. YAY!

I love this cake. You will love this cake. Everyone loves this cake.

LOVE IT. LOVE IT!!! LOVE IT I TELL YOU!

Winner of the presigious 5 out of 5

Orange White Chocolate Chip Beltane Cookies

2007-04-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

Orange White Chocolate Chip Beltane Cookies
Original recipe yield:
3 dozen

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups butter, softened
1 1/3 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons orange zest
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt,. Toss in orange zest and stir to coat with the flour.
In a bowl of mixer, cream butter on medium speed, adding sugar gradually. Add vanilla and egg. Add flour mixture gradually, stopping frequently to push down from sides of bowl. When flour mixture is thoroughly combined, mix in chips.
Drop dough by scant spoonful onto baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart, flattening slightly with back of spoon. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) 10 to 12 minutes or until beginning to brown. Allow to cool completely on cooling rack.
from the allrecipes website

These are so buttery and yet light. I could die. I recommend you make them... OR ELSE!
Only thing I'd change would be to ditch out on a little of the vanilla and switch it for orange extract....

4.5 out of 5

Ain't no Challah back girl

2007-03-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

This one... I am excited about and proud of. I went from making french bread and pretzels to making challah bread? =) So happy. I really like bread making, and I'm enjoying the way the house smells when I bake bread. Tasty! Mom is being a real trooper too, she doesn't complain (she can't have yeast) - she just asks to have a sniff and she's good.

This recipe is from "The Culinary Institue of America: Breakfasts & Brunches"

1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 c water, warmed to 110 degrees
3 c bread flour
3 large egg yolks
1/4 c canola oil
1 tbl sugar
1 tsp salt
egg wash of 2 egg yolks whisked with 2 tbl heavy cream

1. Place yeast and water in the bowl of a mixer and stir until dissolved completely. Let the yeast proof until foamy (around 5 minutes). Add flour, egg yolks, oil, sugar and salt. Mix together on low speed using the dough hook (YAY I get to use my dough hook!!!) just until the dough begins to come together (it will look rather rough) about 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium and mix until dough is smooth and soft but not sticky - 5 minutes.
2. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead once or twice and gather it into a smooth ball. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size about 2 hours.
3. Fold dough gently over on itself in three or four places, turn the dough onto the lightly floured work surface and cut it into 3 equal pieces. Cover the pieces and let them rest until relaxed about 15 minutes.
4. Form each piece into a 12 inch long strand that are evenly tapered at the ends. Pinch the 3 strands together at one end and braid them together. To finish, pinch the loose ends together and tuck them under the loaf.
5. Place the loaf on a parchment lined baking sheet - brush dough lightly with egg wash and cover (lightly) and let rise until the dough springs back slowly to the touch without collapsing about 20 minutes. (The waiting is worth it - KEEP GOING!)

6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
7. Lightly brush the dough with egg wash and bake until the loaf is golden brown and makes a hollow thump when tapped on the bottom, about 45 minutes.
8. Transfer the challah to a cooling rack and cool completely before slicing and serving.

If you can manage it... let loaves of this bread go stale and make french toast.... It will be well worth it - but only if you can manage to let bread go stale after tasting it!

4.75 out of 5

Soft Pretzels - Fun with Yeast Part II

2007-03-21T20:18:00.000-07:00

1 package dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
4 cups flour (maybe more)
1 beaten egg
Coarse salt (optional so they say... I used Coarse Sea Salt)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar and flour, and mix. Dough should be soft but not sticky. Add a little more flour if it is too sticky. Let dough rise for 30 minutes.

Cut dough into 12 pieces. Roll pieces of dough into 16-inch ropes. To make pretzels, curve ends of each rope to make a circle; cross ends at top. Twist ends once and lay down over bottom of circle. Spray cookie sheet with baking spray. Arrange pretzels on sheet. Brush on egg and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden.

This one was a lot of fun. It was easy, it made me feel fancy to have pretzels that I twisted myself. =) I will most certainly make this again soon.

4 out of 5!

Foolproof French Bread Recipe

2007-03-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

1 package dry yeast
2 c lukewarm water
4 c AP flour
1 tbl salt
2 tbl sugar

In a large bowl mix flour, salt and sugar together. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in water. Pour yeast mixture over other ingredients. Stir. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise 4 hours.

Punch down, but do not knead. Place in a greased souffle dish. Cover and let rise 1 hour.

Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Bread may need to be covered during the last 15 minutes if it browns to quickly. If you don't want a hard crust brush the loaf with butter after removing from the oven.

2.5 out of 5. It was ok - but lackluster. It really lacked something and I don't know what.... This was the first attempt at working with yeast though, so don't judge me too harshly - I will get better I swear!

Banana Rum Cream Pie

2007-03-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs from 9 crackers
5 tbl unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp curry powder (Madras)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c packed dark brown sugar
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 c chilled heavy cream
4 tsp dark rum
4 firm ripe bananas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have rack in middle position.
Stir together crumbs, butter, curry powder, cinnamon and 2 tbl brown sugar in a bowl with a fork until well combined. Reserve 1 tbl crumb mixture for garnish. Press remaining crumb mixture evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Bake crust for 10 minutes. Then cool completely about 20 minutes

Beat together cream cheese, zest and remaining 6 tbl brown sugar in a bowl with electric mixer on high speed - until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.

Beat cream with rum in another bowl with clean baters at medium speed until it holds soft peaks. Gently stir in one third of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whipped cream thoroughly (But gently please!)
Thinly slice banans and arrange evenly over bottom of crust. Spread all of the cream filling over the bananas then sprinkly reserved crumb mixture over the top. Chill pie, loosely covered for about 20 minutes.

This recipe is from the March 2007 issue of Gourmet
The curry really brings out all the flavors in the crust it makes it so good. I made this pie twice - once with cinnamon graham crackers, once with plain. I reduced the amount of cinnamon added to the crust to compensate - both were good. =)

4.5 out of 5.

Cheddar Drop Biscuits

2007-03-21T19:51:00.000-07:00

The Stuff
4 c unbleached AP flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 c coarsely shredded medium sharp cheddar cheese
1 large egg
1 3/4 c cold buttermilk
3 tbl sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 350. Have 2 12-cup muffin pans ready. Grease 20 of the cups and fill the unused cups with water. (to prevent warping)
Using a paddle attachment on your mixer, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the butter to the flour mixture. With a pastry blender or 2 knives cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 2 minutes. Add cheese and stir until just combined.

Add the egg and all but 2 tbl of the buttermilk. Mix until the dough forms a sticky mass. Stir harder and the mass will form a moise, sticky clump on the spoon and will start to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Drizzle in the remaining buttermilk into the bottom of the bowl to moisten the dry mixture that collects in the bottom. Mix until just combined - the dough will be very soft.

Using a rubber spatula, scare the dough out onto a lightly floured board. With floured fingers, fold dough over and gently kneed 6-8 strokes leaving the dough very soft and sticky as possible. Cut the dough in half, then divide each half into 10 equal portions. Place each in a prepared muffin cup and sprinkly lightly with sesame seeds. Bake about 25-30 minutes and let cool on racks. Serve warm.

2.5 out of 5. Not very exciting at all. Good, but not WOW! I'd try it with some different cheeses like a white cheddar?

Lemon Strawberry Cake Roll

2007-03-21T19:33:00.000-07:00

Recipe from Cooking Live Show # CL8871

For Filling:
4 egg yolks
1/2 c sugar
/2 stick unsalted butter
Juice of 2 lemons
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1 c well chilled heavy cream
1 pint small to medium strawberries

For the Cake:
4 large eggs, separated
1/2 c granulated sugar
2 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c AP flour
1/4 c cornstarch
Confectioner's sugar for dusting

For Lemon Syrup:
2 tbl sugar
1 tbl fresh lemon juice
1 tbl water

Lemon Glaze:
1/2 c confectioner's sugar
1 tbl fresh lemon juice

To make the filling:
In a heavy saucpan combine the egg yolks, sugar, butter and lemon juice. Cook over medium low heat, stirring until the butter is melted and custard is thick enough to coat a spoon. DO NOT LET IT BOIL. (I will chase you down and throw peppercorns at you!) Transfer the custard to a bowl and stir in the lemon rind. Let the custard cool, cover with a buttered circle of waxed paper and chill. In a chilled bowl whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Cover that and chill. Remove the strawberry hulls and either quarter or halve the berries, depending on their size. Cover and chill.

Make the cake:
Preheat oven 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a greased jelly roll pan with foil. Grease the foil and dush with flour - knock out excess. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat the egg yolds, 1/4 c sugar, zest and vanilla until thick and pale and mixture forms ribbons when beaters are lifted. In a large bowl with clean beaters beat egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Beat in the remaining sugar and beat the whites until they hold stiff peaks. Stir 1/3 of the whites into the yolk to lighten it and fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Sift flour, salt and cornstarch over the batter and fold until batter is just combined. Spread batter evenly into the pan and bake in middle rack of oven for 6 to 9 minutes or until cake is LIGHTLY colored. Dust a kitchen towel generously with confectioner's sugar and invert cake onto it. Remove foil carefully from the cake. Starting with the long side, roll up cake loosely but gently in the towel and cool for 30 minutes.

Make the lemon syrup:
In a small saucepan combine 2 tbl sugar, 1 tbl fresh lemon juice and 1 tbl water and bring to a simmer. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Keep it warm.

Assemble the cake:
Stire half of the chilled whipped cream into the chilled lemon curd until mixture loosens up. Fold in remaining whipped cream. Unroll cake and carefully brush with half the warm syrup. Spread cake with lemon curd filling. Arrange halved strawberries over filling. Re-roll the cake. Transfer cake to a platter seam side down and brush with remaining syrup. Chill roll covered loosely for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Make lemon glaze:
In a small bowl whisk together 1/2 c confectioners' sugar and 1 tbl lemon juice to make a pourable glaze. Transfer glaze into a small resealable bag. Snip one corner to make a small hole. rim ends of cake diagonally and squeeze glaze decoratively over the cake.

Here's a slice!

A lot of dirty dishes, but interesting to try. I'd never made a roll cake before. Fun!
3.5 out of 5.... I might mix in some orange zest too just for fun.

Everyone loves beeeeeeeeeeeeer!

2007-03-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

Beer Batter Bread
From the Williams-Sonoma Bread Book

The things
3 cups unbleached AP flour
3 tbl firmly packed brown sugar
1 tbl baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 bottle beer 12 fl oz, unopened and at room temp (I used Leinenkugel Red)
4 tbl unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing and serving

What to do, what to do
Grease a 9X5 inch loaf pan
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Stir togehter flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Open the beer and add it all at once. Stir until JUST COMBINED (about 20 strokes). The batter should be a bit lumpy. Pour into the loaf pan and drizzle with the melted butter.

Bake until the top is crusty and a toothpick comes out clean. 35-40 minutes. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then turn the loaf out onto a rack. Serve warm or at room temp.

If you want something quick this is great - but not the most impressive bread in the world... Easily pulled together though and quite good. =)
3 out of 5
Would love to try it with dark beer!

Wanna See My Buns?

2007-03-03T11:32:00.000-08:00

Hot Cross Buns
makes 24

The Shtuff
1 cup milk
2 tbsp yeast
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
4 eggs
5 cup flour
1 1/3 cup currants or raisins (I used currants)
1 egg white

In a small saucepan, heat the milk until warm, but not hot (110 degrees F if using a thermometer). Pour the warm milk in a bowl and sprinkle the yeast over. Mix to dissolve and let that sit for 5 minutes.

Stirring constantly (And I mean until your arm falls right off) add the sugar, salt, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and eggs. Gradually mix in the flour - the dough will be sticky and wet. Continue kneading the dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30-45 minutes

Knead agin until smooth and elastic about 3 minutes worth of kneading. Add your currants or raisins and knead until well mixed. Shape the dough into a ball, place in a buttered dish and cover with plastic wrap and let rise overnight in the fridge. All excess moisture will be absorbed in the morning.

Let dough sit at room temp for a half-hour. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 24 pieces and shape each portion into a ball and place on a sheet, about 1/2 inch apart. Cover with a clean kitchen towl and let rise in a warm DRAFT-FREE place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

When buns have risen, take a knife and slash a cross shape on them. Brush them with the egg white and place in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for 15 minutes more (or until they are golden brown). Transfer to a wire rack and then apply . . .

The Glaze Boss - The Glaze

1 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 tsp. finely chopped lemon zest
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1-2 tbsp milk

Whisk ingredients together and apply in a cross pattern on the buns. Serve warm!

Note - - you may not wish to start off baking yeast breads when your mom has just started a yeast free diet. Some people will then call you a big jerk and your mom will cry off in a corner somewhere muttering about how "it smells like heaven".

You are inconsiderate, aren't you?!?

Next round, try the raisins instead - fresh currants are too juicy!

3.5 out of 5

S'Mores Bars

2007-02-21T20:26:00.000-08:00

I had a bad week ok...?!?!? God!! Sometimes you just need 8 Hershey Bars!!!

Or you're missing the fun times in the summer of hanging out by the firepit and making s'mores with your buddies. Drinking beers and telling jokes, getting dive-bombed by june bugs and have a great time. In honor of all the fun - I made some s'mores bars. Wicked simple and devilishly decadent, this recipe will substitute even when you CAN make s'mores. They're just that good.

I just found this photocopy and it wasn't credited to anyone. Sorry mystery chef!!

The fixings:
3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
18 whole graham crackers crushed, about 3 cups
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
8 milk chocolate bars 1.5 oz. each
3 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

The work:
Heat oven to 350. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in the graham crackers, salt and flour. Reserve 2 1/2 cups of the mixture, and press the remaining mixture over the bottom of a greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan.

Arrange the chocolate bars in a single layer over graham cracker mixture. Sprinkle the marshmallows over that.
Crumble the remaining 2 1/2 cups of graham cracker shtuff over the top of the marshmallows.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Cut into bars and then cool completely. It makes about 2 dozen. I give it

4 out of 5

Petit Fours

2007-02-21T19:53:00.000-08:00

This one is coming to ya courtesy of Gale Gand. For those of you who don't know, Gale Gand is an AMAZING pastry chef (I want to be her) that hosts the show "Sweet Dreams" on the food network, and is the head pastry honcho for Tru in downtown Chicago. She has a couple (4 maybe, 5?) books and they are all AWESOME. I cannot get enough of her.

For the Cake
4 egg whites
1 stick unsalted butter at room temp
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure almond extract
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 tbl. baking powder
2/3 cup milk, at room temp

For the Fondant
2/3 cup corn syrup
2/3 cup hot water
7 cups powdered sugar
6 drops lemon extract
food coloring

you'll also need cookie cutters in whichever shapes you like (MAKE THEM SIMPLE THOUGH... not a lot of crazy edges because then they look all gloppy and weird)

What to do, what to do
Preheat your oven to 350 Degrees Farenheit.
Whip egg whites until stiff. In a separate bowl, cream the butter until smooth. Slowly add the sugar, while the mixer is still running. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix until combined.

Sift the flour and baking powder 3 times (just do it or you won't have as light of a cake as you could) Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine. Then add 1/2 of the milk and mix again. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix. Then the remaining milk and milk - and FINALLY the flour mixture and mix until smooth. Fold in the egg whites.

Pour the batter into a parchment lined jellyroll pan and SMOOTH the top with a spatula. (Make sure it is really smooth or your cake will be all wonky and uneven and I will come to your house and point and laugh at you... no not really but seriously... you better) Bake until firm to the touch (20-25 min.) Let cool in the pan and then chill.

Making fondant -
Whisk the corn syrup into the hot water until it is dissolved. Then whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth. Stir in that lemon extract. Divide into plastic cups and add food coloring until you get the color you want. (we were having a fat tuesday party, so our stuff is a little bit BRIGHT)

Cut the cold cake into whichever shapes you like. I chose to split each piece of cake into 2 layers and put raspberry jam in between some of them, and nutella in between others. I love nutella. :)

Decorating
Either dip the cakes into the fondant (she says... I think they'd fall apart) or ladel the fondant over the cakes. In either case, set the cake pieces onto a wire rack that is set over a cookie sheet so your counter doesn't look like the Paas Dynasty has exploded on you. Let the things dry. Then coat em again. You can then add lines or candies or whatever.

Chances are you are going to need some help.... Enlist the aid of family.

Who can say no to getting a bunch of little pieces of cake? There are plenty of cake scraps to eat, and jelly and the icing gets all over. It's fun. See - Marty is having a good time!

When it is all over, and the icing is out of your hair and the crying has ended. You end up with this...

It wasn't difficult - just time consuming. A lot of fun though if you have a Petit Party. AHAHA. I kill me

Petit Fours 3.5 out of 5

Sand Art Brownies

2007-02-21T19:50:00.000-08:00

I'm not even going to post much about this.... this was from one of those "Jar Gifts" that I got at Christmas, so I don't even know what was in it. =( The sad thing is that I would LOVE to know since the brownies were delish!!

Help! I think I'm having a heart attack!

2007-02-13T19:40:00.000-08:00

Hey - I originally wanted to call this entry "heart on" so be glad I changed it to the above listing. :P

This selection was chosen of course due to Valentine's Day, and I thought maybe I'd make the cookies look like conversation hearts. =) My normal issue with conversation hearts is that they are chalky and unpalatable - which is usually what my issue is with sugar cookies. Not the case with the recipe from the Red Lion Inn Cookbook.

Ingredient List
1/2 c room temp butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 egg yolks (save the whites though)
3/4 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp milk
1 1/2 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
Sugar Cookie Frosting - to follow

1. Cream the butter, then add in the sugar, egg yolks vanilla and the milk.
2. Sift flour, salt and baking powder in a separate bowl. Add the dry mixture into the wet ingredients and combine well. Form the dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour (at least).
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use cookie sheets with a silpat sheet on them or butter a sheet of parchment.
4. Flour worksurface and roll dough to 1/4 inch thick. Flour cookie cutters and cut out the desired shapes. Place the cookies on the baking sheets and bake until golden (not brown!!) 8-10 minutes. Remove the cookies and place on racks to cool. Frost the cookies with Sugar Cookie Frosting.

Sugar Cookie Frosting - not from the same recipe.... The recipe in The Red Lion Inn Cookbook is great, don't get me wrong. It just isn't my type. So here's what I use instead.

Royal Icing with Egg Whites
2 large egg whites
2 teaspons fresh lemon juice
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

In a large bowl beat the egg whites and lemon juice using your hand mixer. Add the powdered sugar and beat on low speed until smooth. The icing should be used immediately as it will harden when exposed to air.

As an expirement we added more milk to the red icing than the others pictured here. It spead a lot smoother, and neither of them is good for writing on. =(

I need to find an icing that doesn't always crack under my food markers!!! Any ideas???

Cookies - 3 out of 5
Icing - 2 out of 5

Fat @$$ Macaroni and Cheese

2007-02-12T19:42:00.000-08:00

This artery clogging conglomeration of delectability comes from Patti LaBelle's Cookbook. She calls it "Over The Rainbow Macaroni and Cheese". This beastie has 5 different kinds of cheese, half and half, and a stick of butter. I decided to save my points (yes I'm doing weight watchers) for this meal and I would do it again in a heartbeat...If I could be sure my heart would keep beating with all the fatty goodness cutting off bloodflow to and from my heart. =)

It is creamy - it has a crunchy topping - it lives up to everything that the Blue Box lets you down on. At around the same prep time I'd say to heck with the blues - get yourself an entire rainbow from Patti and you'll find yourself wanting to hunt her down to hug her.

4.5 out of 5

I might add some breadcrumbs to the top for some extra crunch - if I did anything.

Orange Bread

2007-02-11T12:13:00.000-08:00

Any of you out there with a copy of "The Joy of Cooking" can find this recipe lurking in there.

Orange Bread containes no yeast, so you don't have to wait for it to rise several times - a major plus if you want something tasty in a hurry. The book describes it as a tea bread, which I think means that it is sweeter than most breads, but cannot be considered a dessert. (I'm not sure on that, but if I find that I am incorrect, I'll let you know!)

I made two of these breads and baked on in a glass loaf pan and one in a metal loaf pan to see the difference. As you can see the loaf made in metal browned more, but that was to be expected as metal holds in heat and heats up faster than glass does.

This recipe calls for both orange zest and orange juice which sounds A-OK with me. The more delicious orange, the better. I also opted for the higher amount of sugar to give it a more cake-like consistency.

All in all, I think this is delicious! =) Samplings of both loaves has led me to the following conclusion;

The loaf baked in the glass pan was moist and delicious, but lacked some of the golden brown and delicious coloring of the metal loaf pan.

In the future I might sprinkle some sugar on the top of the loaves before baking to give it more of a shine - or possibly add a glaze to the top. =)

Brat gives it a 4 out of 5