Fig & Olive

Back from Vacation

2009-03-28T14:53:00.001-07:00

I'm back! Well... I never went anywhere. In fact, I'm on vacation right now... which is why I have a little bit of time to put these up. I have been keeping track of my baking endeavors (with the exception of some muffins that I completely forgot to take a picture of), I just haven't been posting them.

I just got my wisdom teeth out, so I look like a chipmunk and am a little sore. But on top of that, I can't eat anything I make pretty much. I made some pudding-impostor experiments which worked to feed on, but not much past that.

So- we begin chronologically:

Tart dyed pink in an attempt to make it more dainty looking.

Not dainty, but delicious.

The fruit tart was made using sugar-cookie dough for the crust (always works) and baking that for about 10 minutes at 350. The filling is a creme made from one egg yolk, about one to one and a half cups of milk, three tablespoons of sugar and a pinch of flour to help thicken. This is done over the stove, and stirred continuously until thick. It should sit for a few minutes, then chill in the refrigerator for about an hour before serving. This would be really good with some more fruit... but I didn't have any.

Flour Halva

If you are thinking "this isn't Halva", then we are thinking the same thing. REAL halva, the one made with sesame and full of wonderful happiness, is one of my favorite foods. We used to get it in bricks coated in chocolate and it would be gone by the end of the week. One of my many weaknesses, but its high on the list.

I don't remember where I found this recipe, but it was intriguing. Its just made with flour, a little butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and some milk, "cooked" over the stove for a few minutes until it comes together as a dough. It tasted a little too much like flour for my taste, but I did use whole wheat flour, which tastes much stronger to me.

Interesting- but I prefer cookies. Or real Halva.

Molten Chocolate Cake with Melted Chocolate and Sliced Bananas

One of the BF's favorites, so I had to make it for him one evening. This is a mini flourless chocolate cake that was still mushy in the middle, served warm with melted chocolate all over. Who could say no to that? I don't have a mixer at school, so making flourless chocolate cake requires me to overlook the whole beating the eggwhites until stiff..... which makes for a little bit of a funny texture (not really firm, but not airy either... kind of in the middle). Still, it tasted as it should, and anything covered in chocolate gets my vote of approval.

(Recipe to come)

Citrus Madelines

90g sugar

180g flour

110g butter (room temperature)

3 egg yolks

zest of 1 lemon

1t. orange extract

Preheat the oven to 350.

Combine butter, sugar, lemon zest, extract and egg yolks until smooth. Add the flour and combine until it comes together into a dough.

Here is where you get to make a decision. This recipe was intended to make Spritz cookies, however I do not have any way to pipe them, so I pressed them into mini-madeline molds. Choose your weapon.

Bake for 7-10 minutes (mine took 7-8, but if you use a pipe and make them bigger, they may need more time. Or if you want them crunchy- mine are kind of soft on the inside). Cool completely and devour.

Vanilla Sugar Cookies

If the recipe is easy and requires no cookie cutters (though festive, they are difficult), it becomes a regular. The first day I made these, they were half gone, and two days later I had to make another batch. This is thanks to my dear PJ who gave me a really great christmas cookie book when we exchanged christmas presents about two weeks ago. Our tummies thank you! (our arteries... not so much).

(Recipe to come)

The Great Experiment (or how I messed up buttercream frosting)

Me and egg whites have never been friends. I just can't seem to make them do what I need them to do. I have never made a successful meringue, never been able to get them to become white and fluffy for anything. I once made marshmallow soup "successfully"... though inadvertently

So in my attempt to make some lemon buttercream frosting, the eggs did not fluff, the butter separated, and I was left with a tangy but soupy mess. So what did I do? I added about a cup and a half of whole wheat flour, some baking powder, and mixed in some raisins and dried blueberries. Stick it in the oven and about 25-30 minutes later I had a rather nice looking cake with a hint of lemon and full of dried fruits. Nuts would probably have made this really good, but I didn't want to waste them on an experiment.

An approximate recipe:

1.5c. whole wheat flour

1 stick of butter (1/2c)

1/2c. sugar

1t. baking powder

3 egg whites

1/4c. milk

1/2c. raisins (or mixed dried fruits)

honey to drizzle over the top.

Preheat the oven to 350.

So I mixed the egg whites, sugar and butter until it was a soupy mess, then added about 1 lemon worth of lemon juice. This can be skipped... since it was the cause of the mess up, but if you want, add it for authenticity.

Add flour, baking powder and milk and mix until it forms a thick batter. Pour the batter into a cake pan or loaf pan (mine was about a 9"round) and sprinkle the dried fruit over the top. using a spatula, poke the fruit so it mixes into the top half. Pop into the oven for about 25 minutes (but keep an eye on it). If it turns too brown, cover it with aluminum foil.

Allow to cool completely before eating. I haven't tried it yet (its still cooling) but I imagine its a mildly sweet coffee cake, best served with tea or... coffee.

Go forth and devour.

Go Nuts and Bananas

2009-02-15T12:52:00.001-08:00

Since I have not been keeping up with putting these images on the web, here is a bunch from the last few weeks.

Above: espresso cookies with a touch of cayenne then dipped in chocolate. A cup-o-joe per cookie.

Hazelnut sandwich cookies (recipe later)

Banana Bread (made with yogurt!) again, recipe later.

Frothed Milk and Toffee

2009-01-31T12:50:00.000-08:00

I have discovered one of the best kitchen gadgets ever made: the milk frother (pictured above). My love for coffee has just been multiplied. I have frothed chocolate milk as well which is absolutely delicious. Frothing milk for cereal may have gone a little too far though...

Coming home from studio, T was hungry. So he brought over some fun stripy pasta! I had never tried anything like it before.

It tasted all the same to me, but T insists otherwise. But it matched my plates, so I was happy.

I got a request to make some peanut butter fudge squares, but upon searching for the recipe, I came across this recipe for toffee bars. Too good to pass up, I went out to the 7-eleven and CVS to find the ingredients. I had to do some modifying since I couldn't find much... and it ended up being a complete experiment. (I think the recipe is a bastardization of one of Dorie Greenspans'). I used Hershey's bars (a mix of the special dark and milk)... but I would suggest using at least baking chocolate chips for this. Next time.

Toffee Crunch Bars

1 1/2 c. flour

1 T instant coffee or espresso powder

1/2 t. salt

1 c. butter (softened)

3/4 c. brown sugar

3 oz. chocolate chips

Topping:

6-10 oz (depending how thick you want your chocolate layer) chocolate chips

1 c. crushed toffee bars (like Heath bars)

Preheat the oven to 375*F.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, espresso powder and salt. In a medium sized bowl, cream the sugar and butter until smooth. Combine the flour mixture with the butter mixture and add the chocolate chips. Combine until it forms a dough.

Butter a pan (around 9x13), and press the dough into it with your fingers, covering the bottom evenly and smoothly. Bake for 20 minutes or until baked through, when the bubbling slows down (be careful that it doesn't burn on the edges- mine singed a little bit, and later it will become very crunchy).

Remove the pan from the oven and turn the oven off. Evenly spread the chocolate chips over the dough and return to the oven for 2 minutes in order to melt the chocolate. Remove from the oven and quickly spread the chocolate over the dough evenly. Sprinkle the toffee crumbles over the chocolate evenly and allow them to cool. Cut into 2" squares (or whatever size you like). If the chocolate has a tough time setting, pop them in the refrigerator for a few minutes. You may have to break them apart a little when cutting them. Mine did not want to be cut square, but maybe I baked them a little too long.

These are really crunchy and very sweet. They will be sure to satisfy all sugar and chocolate cravings.

Enjoy with some frothed milk and coffee!

When You Have Lemons...

2009-01-19T16:05:00.000-08:00

I have had some strange contradictions of taste lately- one minute I want warm and comforting, the next I want fresh and light. So here is fresh and light!

I have been looking for a yogurt cake recipe that isn't too rubbery. Most recipes work best with thick, whole milk yogurt like the Fage one, but I didn't have any on hand, so I used a basic lowfat one, and it worked pretty well. The lemon can be replaced with another citrus- orange, grapefruit, etc.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

1 1/2 c. flour

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1 c. plain yogurt (thick, whole milk is best, but you can make the cake lighter by using a lowfat kind)

1 c. sugar

zest of 1-2 lemons (depending on your fondness of really lemony taste)

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

1/4 c. melted butter

1/3 c. lemon juice

glaze:

1 c. powdered sugar

3 T. lemon juice (or 1 1/2 T water and 1 t. vanilla)

Preheat the oven to 350*F

grate the zest of two lemons and squeeze the juice into a separate cup. Set aside. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, zest, butter, eggs and juice. Add the yogurt mixture to the flour mixture and using a hand mixer, combine until it forms a smooth batter. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for 40-50 minutes until a knife comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the pan, then cool completely on a rack or dish.

For the glaze- combine the sugar with the juice so it forms a glaze. Pour over the cake and let it harden for a few minutes. Enjoy either warm or at room temperature.

... and the next minute.... marble cake.

No-Ginger Snaps

2009-01-19T15:46:00.000-08:00

I really do not like ginger, but I really do like all of the warm flavors that are often found with ginger like cinnamon, nutmeg and molasses. Its not hard to just get rid of the ginger, so I made these no-ginger snaps to go with the copious amounts of tea I drink to stay warm.

This recipe is basically me wishing it was still the Christmas season. Hey, if its going to be this cold, it may as well be warm and delicious!

No Ginger Snaps (makes about 50)

2 cups flour

1 1/2 t. baking soda

3 t. cinnamon (less if you want them a little milder)

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/2 - 1 t. black pepper (optional, it adds the heat you get from ginger)

1 t. salt

1 c. sugar (its best with dark brown sugar, but I used white)

1/4 c. oil

2 eggs

1/3 cup honey OR, replace this and 1/4 c. of the sugar with molasses

Preheat the oven to 350*F

Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, completely combine the sugar, oil, eggs and honey. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and using either your hands or a mixer, work until it forms a dough. This dough can be refrigerated for later or used immediately.

Roll into 1 inch balls and place an inch apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the top is golden. Do not worry if they are very squishy as they will get harder and be chewy when they cool. Let them cool on the tray for 10 minutes before putting on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container if you want them to stay soft, or leave them out for a day or two if you want them a little crunchier. You can also bake them for a few extra minutes to make them harder.

These are really good with a cup of tea or (my favorite of course) coffee.

Pinwheels and Ladies

2008-12-25T09:40:00.001-08:00

Mini Madelines

Being Jewish is only difficult two times a year- Christmas day and Easter, which often falls during Passover. These are cruel tricks in life. But having the day to myself today, I decided to try some recipes that I had never attempted before.

Madelines

4 eggs

3/4 c. sugar

3/4 c. butter, melted

1 1/2 c. flour

1 t. vanilla

1/2 t. orange extract

Preheat the oven to 400*F.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and extracts until they are thick (2-3 minutes). Slowly add the flour and egg and beat until fully combined. Spoon the batter into madeline trays (I had mini ones which worked fine- they cooked for just a little less time). Don't over-fill them too much, since they tend to bubble up and loose the shell-shape (the whole point, don't-you-know). Bake for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned at the top. Let them cool, then pop them out of the molds and finish cooling on a wire rack.

Cranberry Scones

Thanksgiving left us with an abundance of extra cranberries. And scones are amazing. Therefore, there was only one solution:

I took a standard scone recipe and added cranberries. Since I was in a baking frenzy, I didn't keep track of what temperature it was at, so I just baked it until it was done. The closer you are to 400*, the more like 20 minutes, to 350, to 30 minutes. Keep an eye.

Pinwheels

Too much cookie dough... mmmm

The Misc Cookie

2008-12-15T14:58:00.000-08:00

The misc. cookie

This year we have decided to give gifts from our very own kitchen. After scrubbing the oven down (an annoying, but important thing to do), a couple of friends and I began the task of rolling out sugar cookies and making truffle balls.

There was a lot of cookie dough eaten, a lot of chocolate licked off of spoons, and fully baked cookies consumed. Now I remember why I shouldn't do that....

Dark Chocolate Orange Truffles

Truffles never fail (who can say no to chocolate in any form?) and are surprisingly easy.

Basic Truffles:

16 oz semisweet chocolate chips

1 package cream cheese

2 cups powdered sugar.

Flavor of your choice (I used orange extract, but I am excited to try raspberry sometime. Mint? Hazelnut? Go crazy)

Have the cream cheese at room temperature and melt the chocolate in a double boiler.

Mix all of the ingredients well with a mixer or food processor until uniform in color and texture. Then put it in a bowl and into the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes- up to about an hour. (its a good idea to cover it with plastic wrap so it doesnt start to dry out).

I used a teaspoon to get about the same amount of chocolate in each truffle. Roll into a ball in your hands and coat in cocoa powder. Let them sit for a couple hours to get a little hard before putting them in a box or container.

YUMM!

Candied Orange Peels (Orangettes)

Take the peel of three oranges and slice them vertically (it works best if they are very narrow, 1/4 inch or so). Boil them for about 10 minutes in a saucepan half filled with water. Drain the water and add about one cup of sugar and one cup of water. Boil until it forms a syrup, then simmer for 30 minutes. Continue to add a little water if the syrup is really getting too sticky (keep it at about maple syrup consistency). For the last 10 minutes, stop adding water and allow the syrup to thicken substantially. Before everything turns into one sticky burned mess, remove the peels and separate them onto a piece of wax paper. Coat with granulated sugar and roll them around so they stop being sticky. Let them cool and dry overnight. You can coat them in chocolate if you like.

Sugar cookies with Apricot Jam

Basic sugar cookies + some really small cookie cutters + some jam = pretty cookies with jam (go figure).

Happy Holidays!

The More Garlic the Better!

2008-12-14T11:38:00.002-08:00

A change to savory.

It was the night of garlic bread crostini, chili and corn bread- and it was a delicious night.

I forgot to take pictures of the chili (we were just so hungry by then!) so we will have to do without.

These little garlic crostini-type things are made with sourdough rolls sliced like one slices a baguette (in fact.. use a baguette if you have one- its so much better). Toast the slices until they are nice and crunchy. Then rub a clove of garlic on one side until it repels vampires for miles around. Sprinkle them with a little olive oil and salt. I sliced some avocado and sauted some mushrooms with salt and pepper, and topped it all off with a bit of apple chutney (one of the first posts).

The Verdict??

Another satisfied customer.

Cheers!

Strudel With Love and Eleni Cookies

2008-12-07T15:47:00.000-08:00

Leftovers always yield the most interesting results. I had a sheet of filo in the freezer, an apple, and about a cup of cranberries and made this cranberry strudel (with love, of course).

Cranberry Strudel

1 package filo dough, thawed

1 cup cranberries

1 apple (granny smith is best)

1 t. cinnamon

1/4 c. sugar

3 T. honey

1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a small saucepan, boil 1 cup of water with the cranberries. Add the sugar, honey and cinnamon and simmer until the cranberries are soft. Peel and chop the apple and add. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Lay out the filo and spoon the filling into the center. If you want you can roll it up or make little pouches like I did. Close and seal with a little water, and brush the egg over. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden on the top and flakey throughout.

Serve warm on its own, with ice cream and with a cup of coffee.

And Italian cookies, round 2! with some color coordination to boot.

I henceforth name these the Eleni cookies.

Happy munching!

Finally Finals

2008-12-05T06:24:00.001-08:00

Finals week is a big drain on everyone here. Students pulling all-nighters, three nights in a row, having breakdowns over broken pencils, and turning purple next to printers and scanners. Computers crash left and right. It is, in short, madness.

But what else cures a case of the freak-outs than a batch of comforting starchy awesomeness? Steamed dumplings!

T and I went to a chinese restaurant on Thanksgiving afternoon (the only place open in a 20 mile radius). Luckily they were serving Dim Sum and I introduced T to this wonderful invention. We had the steamed pork dumplings which were delicious. I decided then and there it would be my mission to make them once (actually, T had a go this time, so he is the braun in this case). Then we went home to have Thanksgiving dinner..... we were very full.

I have two little bamboo steamers, but alas, they were too small. So we put our tired minds together and invented our own! We put a pot with a little water to boil on the stove. Then we put a metal strainer on top so it rested on the rim above the water. We put our little dumplings inside, seam side down and a lid over the top just to keep more heat in. Genius!

Steamed Dumplings

Dough:

1 c. warm water

3 T sugar

1 package dry yeast (I used rapid rise)

3 c. flour

3 T canola oil

1/4 t. salt

1 1/2 t. baking powder

Filling:

We made up our own because we didn't have any ingredients for traditional filling. We just mixed some lean ground beef with black beans, salt, and pepper in a pan. Traditional fillings are pork or red bean paste (my next attempt).

In a large bowl, mix the yeast with the warm water and sugar. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. Then add the flour, oil, salt and baking powder. Mix with your hands until combined and knead until very smooth (5-10 minutes). Cover and let to rise 1 hour (it takes a little less time with the rapid rise yeast).

Make your filling while the dough rises.

When the dough is ready, punch down and let rest 5 minutes. Then separate into 10 pieces and roll into a flat circle. Put some filling in the middle and pinch all the sides together at the top to make a little pouch. Place seam-side down in the steamer (or awesome makeshift steamer) and allow to steam for 10-15 minutes. You can check if they are done by cutting into one. If the dough is fluffly through, its finished. Serve hot.

Over some beer and good company, these made an excellent dinner. Its a little bit of work but definitely worth it.

But lets be serious, what stress-relieving baking day would be complete without a batch of something sweet. I decided to make these rather traditional Italian cookies Livia-style. They are not very sweet, but get just the right touch from the glaze. They are usually made with anise flavor, so I used seeds instead of an extract as well as vanilla. YUMM!

Italian Cookies

3/4 c. unsalted butter (melted)

3/4-1 c. sugar (if you like your cookies just a tad sweeter)

4 eggs

3 c. flour

5 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

2 t. anise seed (or extract if you prefer)

2 t. vanilla extract

Glaze:

2 c. powdered sugar

4-5 t. milk

food coloring (optional)

sprinkles (optional)

flavor (vanilla, anise, etc. optional)

Preheat the oven to 370F.

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and then add to the dry. Mix until it forms a soft dough.

Roll into little balls (3/4- 1 inch) and place on a baking sheet (they don't spread out much so they can be fairly close together).

Bake for 8-10 minutes (watch that they don't turn brown), then allow to cool for 10 minutes.

This makes 60-80 cookies- good recipe for holiday gift-giving and family baking.

To make the glaze, mix the powdered sugar and milk until smooth. It shouldn't be too runny or else it won't stick to the cookies. Add coloring if you like. Dip the cookies in and allow to set for about an hour so they don't stick together. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Hustle

2008-11-26T10:48:00.000-08:00

Ah Thanksgiving- the rush to get into the turkey line at our local Wilson Farms and combat the grumpy drivers in the mad series of rotaries on the way home. Then the massive cooking conquest followed by a victorious feeding frenzy.

A perfect place for me to interject with a dessert or two. :)

My fathers favorite is apple pie, so that was a must- classic! I never have very much luck doing it with a top crust as well, so I stuck with just a bottom one. To avoid drying and burning, I covered it with aluminum foil half way through.

You can never have enough apples!

Apple Pie

Crust:

2 c. flour

1/2t. salt

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. cold water

Filling:

5-6 apples (granny smith, or mix some sweeter ones if you like) the size of your pie tin will also determine exactly how many you will need.

1/4 c. sugar (or you can replace some of this with honey- its a good experiment)

2 t. cinnamon (I always go a little crazy though)

1/2 t. ground cloves (these are mostly for the scent, so if you don't like them, don't add them)

1/4 c. raisins (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Combine all of the ingredients for the crust in a bowl until it forms a smooth dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill while you prepare the rest.

Peel and cut the apples into slices. Mix in the dry ingredients and toss until all the pieces are evenly covered.

Depending on how soft your dough is (mine was very soft) you can press it into the bottom of your pan with your hands. If not you can use a rolling pin and roll it out. Press into the bottom of the pan and fill with the apple mixture.

Bake at 425F for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 350. Depending on the size of your pie, bake for 40-60 minutes (check on it at 30, then check every 10 minutes or so). If you find it is getting to dry on the top, cover with aluminum foil half way through.

You can top it with something too- maybe crumble topping if thats your thing, or try a top crust (mine just always burns or dries out ... it just never wants to behave). But give it a try- be adventurous!

Turkeys

So there is a lot of turkey killing at Thanksgiving, so as a tribute (or somewhat satirical mocking, I am not sure which) I made some thanksgiving turkey cupcakes!

Gobble, Gobble!

Cupcakes

For the cupcakes I used the same recipe as the election-night cupcakes (check the archives). Its a basic devils food cake recipe and works wonderfully! So follow that.

For the decoration:

Buttercream Frosting

1 c. unsalted butter, softened

6 c. powdered sugar (you may need a little bit more or a tiny bit less depending on how stiff it becomes or how stiff you want it to be)

1/2 c. milk

2 t. vanilla extract

Mix it all up in a large bowl with an electric mixer until its completely smooth. Its very sweet! Its good for decorations, but if you are going to use it on a cake, it may be a little overbearing.

I mixed in some food coloring and used Oreos (ok... mock Oreos) for the eyes. Serves me right for buying mock Oreos- they didn't want to split cleanly.... Tack on the oreos with the white side up for the eyes, then pipe on the feathers in one color. Make a yellow beak, eyes, and a red dangly thing. You can keep going with decorating the feathers. GO CRAZY!

13 poor turkeys this thanksgiving.... all eaten and enjoyed.

Ironically, no one in my family is all that fond of the real thanksgiving turkey....

A Second Try

2008-11-21T12:59:00.000-08:00

Bunt Cake 2.0

Since I started this blog, my "weekly" biscotti making turned into bi-monthly. I guess I have been inspired to try new things, which is always a good idea, but there is nothing like a good old favorite.

Almond Anise Biscotti

2 c. flour

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

1/2 c. almonds (whole or sliced)

2 T. milk

1 t. anise seeds

2 t. vanilla extract OR 1 t. almond extract

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and using either your hands or a food processor, mix until it forms a firm dough.

Split the dough into two parts and roll them into logs. Flatten them slightly and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Carefully cut the logs diagonally into slices between 1/2 and 1/4 inch thick, depending on how big you want them. Place them back onto the baking sheet upright and reduce the oven to 325F. Bake for another 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. They will become harder as they cool down, so don't worry if they don't break your teeth just yet.

You can do tons of stuff with these! You can pretty much use the recipe as a canvas. You can put dried fruits, different nuts and extracts, cocoa powder, dip them in chocolate- whatever! I haven't tried making them savory yet- I am very content with these, but there is room to explore.

Enjoy with some coffee!

A Treat for Bunt Day!

2008-11-16T13:46:00.000-08:00

Mommy! The dustbunnies ate my homework!

Or rather- the dustbunnies were my homework. But as always, a break is needed from working and in honor of National bunt cake day I made a simple and delicious chocolate cake. Besides the fact that I often feel cheated out of the middle of my cake, the bunt is a fun cake and the favorite of my roommate.

Chocolate Bunt

1 c. flour

1 c. sugar

1/4 c. melted butter

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. cocoa powder

1 egg

1 egg white

2 T. warm water

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Then add the wet ingredients and mix until it forms a smooth batter (it may be a little thick, which is good, but if its way too dry, add a tablespoon of water at a time until its right). A hand mixer is best to avoid getting clumps of flour, but my well-equipped college apartment just has a trusty fork to do the job.

Lightly grease a bunt pan and pour the batter in, spreading evenly. Pop it into the oven for about 30-35 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

When its done, allow it to cool a little before turning it out onto a plate. Sprinkle some powdered sugar over the top for an easy elegant look, or drizzle with just about anything. I was thinking about filling the middle with some sort of cream and fruit- why not fill the void?

nom nom nom

Frilly Hats

2008-11-14T06:03:00.000-08:00

Maybe it was an Anne of Green Gables inspiration.... maybe I just really wanted to decorate something, and what is better to decorate than sugar cookies? Like a blank canvas... just wait until I attempt some fall leaves, then the gingerbread house... if it needs decorating, I'm your girl.

Sugar Cookies

10 T. butter, softened

60 g. powdered sugar (I reduce the sugar a lot in my recipes, but if you like them a little sweeter, go up to 80g or so)

1 3/4 c. flour

1/2 t. baking powder

2 T. milk

1 egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the butter, milk and egg and mix with a food processor or your hands. At this point, you can add food coloring to the dough to make it fun colors. I used red, blue and yellow.

On a clean surface, roll your dough out flat so you can cut shapes. For the hats I used two different sized glasses. Rolling the dough out is tricky, as I learned... I had someone else do it....

Pop them into the oven for about 12 minutes (but! it depends on how thick they are. Keep an eye! They may take as little as 7 minutes if they are paper thin!) I browned my first batch...

For decorating you can use your favorite frosting mixed with a little food coloring. My roommate and I had a great time decorating these! This would be a great activity for kids too... but it keeps me pretty preoccupied as well. We used toothpicks, so the decorating was a little rough around the edges. Next time I will bring my pipette set with me (that's when all hell breaks loose).

It inspired me to think of some other fun shapes and forms I could make cookies into. 3D hanging snowflakes maybe? Hey, with a little innovation anything is possible!

Happy decorating!

Election Night

2008-11-07T06:19:00.000-08:00

Plain-old truffles of awesome

A little late but....The election was so exciting! My roommates and I were so riled up that we decided to put together a little party (aka, homework in front of the TV) for Tuesday night. It was a successful evening, from the first state to Obamas' speech at the end.

To celebrate, we made all things wonderful- truffles and cupcakes! The truffles were made with a simple recipe that ends up making more squishy truffles. Ideally they should be frozen THEN coated in chocolate, or rolled in something to keep them hard. These kept their shape well enough- we just didn't have the energy to keep going with them.

The ones above are plain-ol truffles- the recipe coated in cocoa powder. The mini muffin cups were perfect for these!

Orange truffles

Chocolate Truffles (makes a lot)

250g. bittersweet chocolate (or whatever one of those bags are at the supermarket- I usually use Ghirardelli, but you can use whatever you prefer)

2c. powdered sugar

1 package cream cheese (if you want to trim these down a little, you can use low fat or fat free cream cheese- you won't be able to taste the difference)

1/4c. cocoa powder

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Set aside to cool down a little. Meanwhile, combine the cream cheese, cocoa and powdered sugar until it forms a dough. Stir in the melted chocolate until fully combine. At this point you can add flavors- I added orange extract). Put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set. Once it is set, coat your hands in a little powdered sugar or cocoa to keep the chocolate from sticking. Roll into 3/4" balls and then roll into either powdered sugar or cocoa (cocoa works better). If you want, you can freeze them after rolling, then coat them in chocolate. Let them set in the refrigerator for a couple hours or overnight on the counter. Watch them disappear.

We also made some decorate-yourself cupcakes for the election using, admittedly, canned frosting. But that's how it should be.

Chocolate Cupcakes (makes about 12, maybe a couple more)

1 1/2c. flour

2t. baking powder

1/2t. salt

3/4t. baking soda

10T. butter, softened

1c. sugar

2/3 to 1c. cocoa powder

2 eggs

1 1/3 c. warm water.

Preheat the oven to 325F. Combine the first four ingredients and the cocoa powder in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the butter, sugar and eggs. Combine the dry with the wet and add the water, stirring until fully combined. Spoon into muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

These cupcakes were perfectly moist, not too sweet so they complimented the super sugary frosting, and can definitely be used for all sorts of deserts, not just cupcakes.

The election was awesome. We were all buzzed on sugar and happy and sleepy by the end of it. I hope everyone else had an equally exciting evening!

Miscellaneous Mishmash

2008-10-31T07:14:00.000-07:00

I figured I should post the little I have done over the past few weeks before the frenzy of the holidays start.

I decided to give these Ma'moul a shot. These Turkish cookies are traditionally done with dates inside, but being without dates, I used marzipan instead. The result: check half-plus. They were a little greasy at first, but I think that if you let them sit a day or two, they even out a little.

Ma'moul

1/3 c. butter, softened

1 c. flour

2.c semolina

1/4 t. salt

1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 c. sugar

2 T. orange blossom water

1/4 c. water.

Filling: dates, blended into a paste OR choose something else awesome

Preheat the oven to 350F. Beat the butter and sugar together. Add the flour, semolina, baking powder, salt and water. Mix together until incorporated. If its too dry, add a little water. The semolina absorbs a lot of liquid. Make 1 inch balls and flatten in the palm of your hand. Place a little filling inside and roll up. Shape into a ball or use a mold. Bake for 10 minutes until barely colored. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before eating.

The chocolate and peanut butter bug hit me and I had an abundance of chocolate kisses and hugs in my little candy jar, so I decided to make some peanut butter kiss cookies. These went REALLY fast.

Kisses and Hugs! Hugs were not available for the picture.

Kisses and Hugs

Kisses and Hugs (about 40)

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. peanut butter

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg

2 T. milk

1 t. vanilla extract

1 1/2 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

sugar for coating

Preheat the oven to 375F. Mix the flour, baking soda, sugar and salt together. Then add the butter, peanut butter egg, milk, and vanilla and combine until a soft dough forms. Make 1 inch balls and roll them in sugar. Place them on a baking sheet about an inch apart. You can flatten them a little so the kisses have a place to sit. Bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned. While they are baking, unwrap the kisses. When the cookies are ready, take them out of the oven and immediately place a kiss on each cookie. allow them to melt a little on the bottom before removing from the baking sheet. Allow to cool completely. If the kisses are melting too fast, put them in the freezer for a minute, then let them cool at room temperature.

proceed to feed to hungry humans.

After these cookies I decided to take a break from super-sweet cookies. I am really not the biggest fan of them. I think the next batch I make will be biscotti- my usual staple.

I hope to do something special for the election, since I probably wont get to make any spooky stuff for Halloween. :( I was hoping to make something spidery.

But alas, work takes precedence.

Apples Apples Everywhere!

2008-10-15T09:05:00.000-07:00

Hello goat! I don't know why, but I really like goats. My friend told me that goats are a symbol of tragedy, and that the word tragedy comes from the greek words for the cry of a male goat. They are sad looking creatures, but they are just so awesome and awkward- how could you not love them?

Another weekend of Apples! I went with two friends to Shelburne Farm in Stow. Lucky us- it was the busiest weekend in October for apples - a beautiful, perfect 68 degree day.

We started our morning with breakfast at our usual Bickfords and our usual orders (pancakes, oatmeal, and paint-thinner coffee). Having energized ourselves for the day, we headed out.... at about 11. Off to the beautiful trees of Concord, Acton and Stow!

This is just the view from the farm parking lot.... I would love to live there and have it be autumn all year round.

This tree crossed the "don't pick past this line" line. So I picked. And it was delicious.

"Should we get a pumpkin?"

We did not. That's for another trip.

Ok, so I don't have a picture of the bushel of apples we got, but it was a lot, and we split it three-ways and headed off to our respective homes to eat them and make them into yummy things.

My mother was home, waiting for the apples to make her special apple pie/cake. Her recipe is far better than any of mine, but hers is more of a cookie base, apple pie middle, and sponge cake top. Her secret? She knows I can't read her recipe in Hebrew... so it will always be hers. :)

Taunting me with her Hebrew-reading-abilities. But the illustrations in that book are absolutely wonderful! I'll just comment on that for a moment- the book is really nice, the perfect cute shelf-book. Its a mix of full bleed photos and what looks like scribbled in illustrations. They are absolutely wonderful!

The base of the pie/cake is like a sugar cookie pressed to the bottom of a pan. Next, we peeled and sliced apples, mixed them with cinnamon and sugar and simmered them with a little water until they became soft-ish.

Apple-mush.

The "meringue" bit is made with whipped egg whites with the yolks and a little flour and sugar folded in. It makes a really nice looking top (making it look nice is something I continually fail to do).

Ta-Da!!! Finished! Its not too sweet and perfectly satisfying. It doesn't make too many crumbs, which is a little disappointing, since those are the best part of any food.

A couple days later: I insisted on making some time for myself..

upon request I made apple streudel with the strangest philo ever (still tasty).

Crispy. <----- like Ann Taylor, everything ends in a period.

Pumpkin seed scones.

Pumpkin Seed Scones

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. all-purpose flour

3 T. sugar

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

3 T. Butter

1/2 c. milk

1/4 t. vanilla extract (you can use any extract that tickles your fancy)

1 egg white

1/4 c. pumpkin seeds

Preheat the oven to 425*F.

Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl combine the wet ingredients. Mix the two together until they make a firm dough. Fold in the pumpkin seeds.

Flatten onto a baking sheet so it forms a thick disc OR form into two logs. Score into triangles (about 12 for the disc, maybe a few more for the logs). Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden.

Enjoy with jam! or honey. or plain.

Side note- I made an awesome discovery. I am not a crazy fan of honey- I use it to cook but not in tea, not with a spoon.. nothing crazy like that. But I did try some raw honey this weekend. It wasn't the kind that comes with the comb, it was just thick and white/yellow- completely unprocessed, unheated, un-everything, and it was delicious. I am not sure where to find it exactly, I can't remember ever seeing it in a store, but maybe some specialty place.

Forever tasty, never beautiful- the cheesecake.

This one is laced with orange extract and honey.

A first post

2008-10-07T08:12:00.000-07:00

Some yogurt muffins to start...

 (An aside note: I am a graphic design student and the fact that there are 8 terrible fonts INCLUDING WEBDINGS on this blog is... its just unacceptable) But I prematurely digress... 

Cooking in college is no easy feat. It is very tempting to just throw some pasta in a pot and call it dinner every night. But I like to mix it up.  I love to bake. Its relaxing and fun and in the end everyone comes together to share (if only the college budget had room for more sharing). 

Ambition took me: I tried my hand at fondant and attempted a model of the Gurkin. My attempt failed... oh boy did it fail. If anyone has any tips for fondant, let me know. Its something I would love to learn how to do better. From the rubble I constructed three mini cakes instead. They are all based off of a basic chocolate butter cake recipe, and for the frosting-glue, I just used store-bought (because lets be serious, who doesn't love that super sugary fake vanilla wonderfulness on a spoon?)  

Mice! Totally plain inside. I loved making the mice! It reminded me of playing with filo clay when I was a kid. Ahh... those were the days.

Covered in chocolate, garnished in coconut, filled with apricot jam

A present.     

So my first few weeks of the semester brought me apples!  

I went apple picking at Hill Orchard Farms in Rhode Island. This is one of my favorite places to go, along with a bunch closer to home. I took over the kitchen in the apartment (my roommates didn't complain) and made some apple butter, apple chutney, and preserves.

Apple Butter 

12 apples, peeled and sliced

2 c. water

2 c. sugar (or more or a little less to taste)

2 t. cinnamon

1 t. cloves (optional) 

Apple butter is basically overcooked applesauce. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot and simmer the apple slices for about 20 minutes until soft. In a blender or food processor, annihilate the apples (get rid of the water) until they form a WONDERFUL warm apple sauce. I had to stop and have a bowl at this point, but those with more self-restraint should continue.

Put the applesauce back in the pot and add the sugar, cinnamon and cloves. Now you are in for the long-haul. Bring the heat down to a slow simmer and let it cook for about 2-3 hours, stirring every 15 minutes or so. As you approach the end of the long wait, the butter should have a deep brown gold color- like caramelized sugar. This can be canned and stored... or spooned directly into the mouth. Yumm! Its really good on top of cereal like Cheerios or oatmeal, or on ice cream.... or on anything really.    

Apple Chutney

I found a recipe but altered it to fit... what I had.  

1 c. raisins (or your preferred dried fruit)

2 c. sugar (brown or white or a mix!)

1/2 c. balsamic vinegar

1 c. water

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. cayenne pepper

3-4 peeled and chopped apples

1 small red onion

1 medium tomato 

In a small saucepan, boil some water and simmer the raisins for about 10 minutes to soften. Remove them and chop. Chop the apples, onion and tomato. Put everything in a large pot (raisins, sugar, vinegar, water, cinnamon, pepper, apples, onion and tomato) and simmer for about 20-30 minutes until thick.  This chutney has a surprising sweet, tangy, spicy mix. The original recipe asked for apple cider vinegar, which of course I didn't have, but I think the sweetness of the balsamic is really nice and plays down the apples a little bit. Not everything with apples has to taste like pie.   

Apple Preserves

Apple preserves are kind of the easy way out, but they are really yummy and you can add whatever you like to them. I guess the same idea can be applied to any fruit, but apples can be done without pectin since they have so much in them already.  

ratio: 4-6 apples to 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup water, 1 t. cinnamon (cloves optional), 1/4 c. raisins (or cranberries could be interesting) peel and chop (not too finely, maybe into 1/3 slice pieces) the apples and put them in a large pot. Bring them to a simmer and add the sugar, cinnamon and raisins. Allow to simmer for a few minutes before bringing to a rolling boil. The total cooking time should be about 20 minutes, so the apples do not become squishy. Make sure the syrup is... syrupy, and not too watery. These can be canned and stored, frozen, whatever. Great on top of pancakes! (note: I made pancakes last week, but I didn't bother taking a picture- my flipping abilities are embarrassing). 

And the coolest pumpkin that ever grew with his little gourd friends   

Then I got a little tired of apples (mostly peeling them- I need one of those awesome corer-peeler-slicer gadgets) and made a peach ricotta cheesecake, using part of my mother's recipe. That one lasted about 36 hours (nothing really lasts much longer- my mother and I managed to polish off an entire tart in 36 hours because I like to even cakes out and she likes to make them uneven. We still both argued about who got the crumbs at the end).   

Ricotta Cheesecake 

Crust:200g. all-purpose flour

1/3 c. butter

50g. sugar

pinch of salt

1 large egg

2 T sour cream

1/2 t. baking powder 

Filling:

1000g. ricotta cheese

6 large eggs

3/4 c. sugar

2 t. vanilla extract (its always better to sneak a little more in though)

16 oz. sour cream

1/4 c. powdered sugar (optional garnish) 

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, salt, egg, sour cream and baking powder until smooth. Add the flour and mix until a dough forms. Collect into a ball and press into the bottom of a springform pan.  To make the filling, combine the ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. in a separate bowl, mix the sour cream and powdered sugar and put it in the refrigerator for later.  Pour the cheese mixture into the crust shell and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until a skewer comes out clean (if the top becomes brown, cover with aluminum foil and continue baking).15 minutes before removing it from the oven, pour the sour cream mixture over the top and spread evenly. Continue to bake uncovered (at this point you can add fruits or something on top).  Allow it to cool completely and dust with powdered sugar.      

On the non-baking end of things: I'm addicted to Tastespotting. I check it obsessively, so I get a lot of inspiration from looking at the kinds of things other people mix together. I come from an Italian/Israeli household, so I know my herbs and spices and general taste mixtures, but some things that people come up with seem to break all the rules. Well- I have not broken too many rules just yet, but I do my fair share of experimenting and making others fake satisfaction.

Yesterday I wasn't feeling too adventurous in terms of taste, so I made some mushroom and beef stuffed ravioli. Granted I had to substitute some ingredients since it was a little late to get to the supermarket for things like cream, so the 2% in the fridge had to do. I usually make this just with mushrooms, which after trying it with meat, seems like it is the better way to go. The meat got too greasy and made it hard to stick the dough together.  

Lopsided and smooshed.   

 I was not going for visual perfection here: I call it the rustic look. 

Mushroom (and Beef) Ravioli

Dough: 1 c. flour

2-4 T warm water

1 large egg

1/2 t. salt 

Filling:

chopped mushrooms

2+ cloves garlic

some ground beef? I just sort of put a lump in the pan, but you can choose how meaty you want it

2t. cumin (or more- I LOVE cumin)

salt

black pepper

cayenne or red pepper flakes (optional)

parsley (I only have dry, but fresh is best. the more the better) 

Sauce:some of the filling mixture that will be set aside

milk (or cream if its a special occasion... or 2% if that's what is in the fridge)

parmesan 

With the exception of baking (and even then its debatable) I don't use measurements. If you need them.... I cant help. It's just what feels right. Or you can do the taste test- if it tastes good, you're all set! Make the dough and put aside. In a medium frying pan, heat a little oil and brown the garlic. Add the mushrooms, meat and spices and saute. The fat from the meat should be enough to keep the pan greased, but if you are using an especially lean meat or no meat at all and need some extra moisture, just add a little water. Cook until... everything is cooked... I'm sorry I can't be more help there. Roll out the dough and cut into circles or squares. Put a little bit of the filling in each and pinch closed. Make lots! Be sure to leave just a few spoonfuls of the filling for the sauce.  Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the ravioli for 4-5 minutes until done (it kind of depends on how thin the dough was rolled out, but you can try it and decide for yourself. Al-dente or baby smush, whatever floats your boat.  Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the milk and add the filling. Bring it to a boil so it gets a little thicker. You can add a little flour or a TINY amount of cornstarch to help it along. Drain the ravioli and put into the saucepan. Turn them over and mix into the sauce for a minute then serve with a generous amount of cheese. Good with a medium or heavy red wine (I like the heavy- may I suggest Tete-a-tete).     

School is getting really busy, so I hope I will be able to keep up a blog. I am not really a blogger- I don't really think its the best thing since sliced bread, but I kind of like the idea of putting everything I make in one place. So there it is- the first post. The first long post.