Maple Sugar

Little chocolate cherry cakes

Well, what did everyone think about this week's Tuesdays with Dorie? I thought they were nothing short of fabulous! But I do have a few comments about them: 

1. I used cherries instead of raisins. For some reason, the raisins sounded really wrong to me...I'm sure they aren't, Dorie, I'm sure they are actually lovely, and I can't wait to look at the other blogs to see how people liked them. But cherries...chocolate and cherries...I couldn't resist.

2. I left out the cinnamon. Again, maybe it's wonderful, but I'm really hesitant to do cinnamon with chocolate. 

3. Setting alcohol on fire is one of my favorite things to do in cooking, and in life.

4. I made it a point to use the highest quality ingredients I could find in these: Valrhona bittersweet chocolate, dried montmorency tart cherries (six dollars for like ten cherries...and worth every penny!), free-range eggs from my favorite amish farmer, Irish butter. I think it made all the difference in the world.

 

I just can't wait to hear what the other Tuesdays with Dorie bloggers have to say about this one...I say it's been my favorite recipe yet. Go check out all the rest!

French Chocolate Brownies

- makes 16 brownies -
Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours.

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1/3 cup raisins, dark or golden
1 1/2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons; 6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into 12 pieces
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 300°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, butter the foil, place the pan on a baking sheet, and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, salt and cinnamon, if you're using it.

Put the raisins in a small saucepan with the water, bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until the water almost evaporates. Add the rum, let it warm for about 30 seconds, turn off the heat, stand back and ignite the rum. Allow the flames to die down, and set the raisins aside until needed.

Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Slowly and gently melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and add the butter, stirring so that it melts. It's important that the chocolate and butter not get very hot. However, if the butter is not melting, you can put the bowl back over the still-hot water for a minute. If you've got a couple of little bits of unmelted butter, leave them—it's better to have a few bits than to overheat the whole. Set the chocolate aside for the moment.

Working with a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until they are thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Lower the mixer speed and pour in the chocolate-butter, mixing only until it is incorporated—you'll have a thick, creamy batter. Add the dry ingredients and mix at low speed for about 30 seconds—the dry ingredients won't be completely incorporated and that's fine. Finish folding in the dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula, then fold in the raisins along with any liquid remaining in the pan.

Scrape the batter into the pan and bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is dry and crackled and a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and allow the brownies to cool to warm or room temperature.

Carefully lift the brownies out of the pan, using the foil edges as handles, and transfer to a cutting board. With a long-bladed knife, cut the brownies into 16 squares, each roughly 2 inches on a side, taking care not to cut through the foil.

Serving: The brownies are good just warm or at room temperature; they're even fine cold. I like these with a little something on top or alongside—good go-alongs are whipped crème fraiche or whipped cream, ice cream or chocolate sauce or even all three!

Storing: Wrapped well, these can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

Not today...

So sorry...but I decided to opt out of Tuesdays with Dorie today. It was difficult, because Madeleines are my favorite cookie...especially with orange zest and cardamom! But as soon as we got back from Florida we had to go to Kentucky unexpectedly for Manley's work, and we just got back, and now I'm just tired. But do go see the other cookies!

Florida pie!

Sooooo sorry I am a day late in posting this week's Tuesdays with Dorie. You'll have to excuse me...I was on vacation...in Florida! I was so excited to see Diane's pick for this week, because I knew I would be at the beach with Manley's family and was planning to make whatever it was for them. Needless to say, it was perfect.

I didn't do anything special, I went straight by the book, and we all loved it. In fact, I really loved it. My mother-in-law and I stood in the kitchen and ate coconut cream for a while, my new favorite thing. I love key lime pie anyway, and this will have to replace the old standard as my go-to recipe. I can't wait to go look at yours now!

1 9-inch graham cracker crust (page 235), fully baked and cooled, or a store-bought crust
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
4 large eggs, seperated
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh Key (or regular) lime juice (from about 5 regular limes)
1/4 cup of sugar

Getting Ready:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the pie plate on a baking sheet lined with parchment of a silicone mat.

Put the cream and 1 cup of the coconut in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly. Continue to cook and stir until the cream is reduced by half and the mixture is slightly thickened. Scrape the coconut cream into a bowl and set it aside while you prepare the lime filling.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl beat the egg yolks at high speed until thick and pale. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the condensed milk. Still on low, add half of the lime juice. When it is incorporated, add the reaming juice, again mixing until it is blended. Spread the coconut cream in the bottom of the graham cracker crust, and pour over the lime filling.

Bake the pie for 12 minutes. Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes, then freeze the pie for at least 1 hour.

To Finish the Pie with Meringue:

Put the 4 egg whites and the sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, whisking all the while, until the whites are hot to the touch. Transfer the whites to a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, or use a hand mixer in a large bowl, and beat the whites at high speed until they reach room temperature and hold firm peaks. Using a rubber spatula, fold the remaining 1/2 cup coconut into the meringue.

Spread the meringue over the top of the pie, and run the pie under the broiler until the top of the meringue is golden brown. (Or, if you've got a blowtorch, you can use it to brown the meringue.) Return the pie to the freezer for another 30 minutes or for up to 3 hours before serving.

Peanut Butter Torte

I know, I know...I blatantly and shamelessly copied the clever and creative bloggers that photoshop the title of the dessert on their photos but it looked like so much fun! I'm sorry...I promise it was just this one time!

(embarrassing.)

But, the Peanut Butter Torte. It was chosen by Elizabeth of Ugg Smell Food for this weeks Tuesdays with Dorie. It was really fun to make and it is a STUNNER! This baby would be gorgeous in a display case...it looks so tempting and sinful, really. I could see it being a huge crowd pleaser, too. But if I'm being honest... I have to say it wasn't my personal favorite. I really value the highest quality ingredients in the foods I cook and bake, and unnatural peanut butter and Oreos don't really make my heart flutter.

HOWEVER... I just got off the phone with the family I babysit for, who are all chowing down on it as I type and they LOVE it! So, it's definitely a hit :)

Peanut Butter Torte

1 ¼ c. finely chopped salted peanuts (for the filling, crunch and topping)

2 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon instant espresso powder (or finely ground instant coffee)

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

½ c. mini chocolate chips (or finely chopped semi sweet chocolate)

24 Oreo cookies, finely crumbed or ground in a food processor or blender

½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Small pinch of salt

2 ½ c. heavy cream

1 ¼ c confectioners’ sugar, sifted

12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 ½ c salted peanut butter – crunchy or smooth (not natural; I use Skippy)

2 tablespoons whole milk

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped

Getting ready:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch Springform pan and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

Toss ½ cup of the chopped peanuts, the sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate chops together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Put the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt in another small bowl and stir with a fork just until crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the spring form pan (they should go up about 2 inches on the sides). Freeze the crust for 10 minutes.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely before filling.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, whip 2 cups of the cream until it holds medium peaks. Beat in ¼ cup of the confectioners’ sugar and whip until the cream holds medium-firm peaks. Crape the cream into a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Wipe out (do not wash) the bowl, fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment if you have one, or continue with the hand mixer, and beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until the cream cheese is satiny smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, ¼ cup of the chopped peanuts and the milk.

Using a large rubber spatula, gently stir in about one quarter of the whipped cream, just to lighten the mousse. Still working with the spatula, stir in the crunchy peanut mixture, then gingerly fold in the remaining whipped cream.

Scrape the mouse into the crust, mounding and smoothing the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight; cover with plastic wrap as soon as the mousse firms.

To Finish the Torte:

Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave the bowl over the water just until the chocolate softens and starts to melt, about 3 minutes; remove the bowl from the saucepan.

Bring the remaining ½ cup cream to a full boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and, working with a rubber spatula, very gently stir together until the ganache is completely blended and glossy.

Pour the ganache over the torte, smoothing it with a metal icing spatula. Scatter the remaining ½ cup peanuts over the top and chill to set the topping, about 20 minutes.

When the ganache is firm, remove the sides of the Springform pan; it’s easiest to warm the pan with a hairdryer, and then remove the sides, but you can also wrap a kitchen towel damped with hot water around the pan and leave it there for 10 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Wedding season

If you know me, or if you followed me over from my old blog, you know that the last few years of my life have been spent making wedding cakes. It feels really weird for it to be Spring and to not be making wedding cakes. And then the new Martha Stewart Weddings comes out, and I want to cry! So I thought I would take a few nostalgic moments to reminisce about my favorite MSW cakes throughout the years.

The one up top? My all-time favorite. Cake. Ever. I am so partial to pastel cakes, especially pink and yellow pastel cakes, and the squiggle piping makes my heart flutter.

This one. If I remember correctly from that issue, the blue meringue buttercream was flecked with
vanilla bean seeds, creating a perfectly speckled robin's egg effect. Adorable!

I've always thought this would be so sweet as a groom's cake, especially in the winter. I believe the cake is devil's food, and the different buttercreams are vanilla, chocolate, and coffee. Served with coffee, scrumptious.

These are new this year, but I love them. All of them. Together, at one wedding. Don't you agree?

And finally, this cherry-almond marzipan one. Classic flavor combination, filled with jam and buttercream. Delicious!

All images from Martha Stewart Weddings

Carrot cake!

Today I made the Carrot cake that Amanda from Slow Like Honey (love her blog!) chose for this weeks Tuesdays with Dorie, and today is my mother's birthday! So I am considering this her birthday cake. The best part is...she will be here in two days to visit. Sorry I had to cut a slice of it for pictures, mom...but the rest is yours. Happy Birthday, I love you so much and can't wait to see you!

So...the cake! Nice recipe, I liked it a lot. I loved the lemon juice in the cream cheese frosting. I have never done that before, but I really liked the way it tempered the richness of the cream cheese and butter. The only issue I had with the recipe was one I encounter all too often: the frosting recipe doesn't make enough to properly frost a layer cake, with ample filling and a crumb coat. I often end up making two or three times the recipe...this time was no exception. I am curious...did any of you have the same problem?

I followed directions almost exactly. The only substitution I made was currants instead of raisins or cranberries. I did sprinkle dessicated coconut in between the layers. I can't wait to see all of your cakes...Tuesdays with Dorie is so much fun!

Edit: When I go back and look at the recipe, I realize the sides weren't even intended to be frosted, so the amount of frosting in the recipe is probably just perfect. Sorry Dorie!
Bill's Big Carrot Cake

Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Yields 10 servings

Ingredients:

For the cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots (about 9 carrots, you can grate them in food processor fitted w/ a shredding a blade or use a box grater)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
½ cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or dried cranberries
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs

For the frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick ( 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound or 3 and ¾ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
½ cup shredded coconut (optional)
Finely chopped toasted nuts and/or toasted shredded coconut (optional)

Getting ready:
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter three 9-x-2-inch round cake pans, flour the insides, and tap out the excess. Put the two pans on one baking sheet and one on another.

To make the cake:
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut, and raisins.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and oil together on a medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients disappear. Gently mix the chunky ingredients. Divide the batter among the baking pans.
Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until a thin knife inserted into the centers comes out clean. The cakes will have just started to come away from the sides of the pans. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes and unmold them. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.
The cakes can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.

To make the frosting:
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth. Beat in the lemon juice or extract.
If you'd like coconut in the filling, scoop about half of the frosting and stir the coconut into this position.

To assemble the cake:
Put one layer top side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. If you added the coconut to the frosting, use half of the coconut frosting to generously cover the first layer (or generously cover with plain frosting). Use an offset spatula or a spoon to smooth the frosting all the way to the edges of the layer. Top with the second layer, this time placing the cake stop side down, and frost with the remainder of the coconut frosting or plain frosting. Top with the last layer, right side up, and frost the top- and the sides- of the cake. Finish the top with swirls of frosting. If you want to top the cake with toasted nuts or coconut, sprinkle them on now while the frosting is soft.
Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, just to set the frosting before serving.

Serving:
This cake can be served as soon as the frosting is set. It can also wait, at room temperature and covered with a cake keeper overnight. The cake is best served in thick slices at room temperature and while it's good plain, it's even better with vanilla ice cream or some lemon curd.

Storing:
The cake will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. It can also be frozen. Freeze it uncovered, then when it's firm, wrap airtight and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost, still wrapped, overnight in the refrigerator.

Prize-winning tart!

There is something kind of irresistable and just so sweet about a prize-winning dessert at a county fair! So when deciding what to make for tonight's dinner party, I couldn't pass up this sweetie. It is the first place winner from the Valley Home Strawberry Recipe Contest, by Virginia Barrett (recipe from Local Table). And it is fabulous!

Crust:
28 chocolate cream-filled cookies (I used Newman-O's)
1 small package chopped pecans, crushed
4 T. melted butter
Finely crush together cookies and pecan until crumbs begin to hold together. Press mixture into bottom and up sides of a 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom. Refrigerate.

Filling:
1/2 tsp. unflavored gelatin
2/3 c. heavy cream
3 oz cream cheese, room temperature
8 oz. white chocolate, chopped
a nice handful of fresh strawberries

Sprinkle gelatin over cream in a small bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Beat cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth. Add gelatin mixture; beat until smooth. Transfer to saucepan. Add white baking chocolate and cook, stirring over medium heat until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth, about 4 minutes. Pour into tart crust and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. Garnish with strawberries, chocolate curls and fresh mint sprigs.

Enjoy!

Mint chocolate dipped Marshmallows!

My first Tuesdays with Dorie challenge...and I had no idea it would be this much fun! Thank you, Judy for picking marshmallows, something I never would have made on my own. I hate marshmallows! (Okay, truth be told...I hate store bought marshmallows. I pretty much hate store-bought anything, I'm a snob.) It turns out homemade ones aren't so bad...dipped in dark scharffen berger chocolate melted with a drop of peppermint oil to temper the sugary sweetness of the fluff, they were actually kind of delicious!

I can't wait to see everyone else's. Go check them out too! Supposedly Mary made seven different flavors...told you she was creative!

(Oh, and as far as the technicalities of the recipe...everything worked really well. I couldn't quite bring myself to use corn syrup, so I substituted honey. It didn't seem to make much of a difference...and no real honey flavor in the end. Very fun to make!)

cutest cupcake?

I'm really frustrated about this whole cutest cupcake contest at Martha Stewart. First of all, I couldn't get a decent picture of my strawberry basket cupcake...I really need to learn how to shoot better close ups on my camera. I think it looks really fake and bright and saturated.

Second of all, I read the rules very carefully, and it specifically says only ONE photo per household and email address. Yet, when you go look at all the entries, some people sent in 5 or 6 different cupcake photos!?

I would like to send in more of my cupcake designs as well, but I don't want to break the rules or get disqualified. But everyone is doing it! I'm really confused.

Thoughts? Is this way too important to me? :)

Rustic plum tart

My friend Mary is always amazing me with her creativity in the kitchen. She swears she has some staple recipes, but it seems to me like she is always trying something new! It's very inspiring. I, on the other hand, don't do that so much. I tend to obsess over dishes and desserts that I love and make them over and over again until everyone in my life has had a chance to try it, and then I sort of move on. Kind of. I'm still in this plum tart phase though. It's really cheating for me because plums have a bit longer before they're in season, but I can't stop making this tart! It is, for me, the essence of wholesome, simple fare...a flaky, buttery crust made with your fingers (rub that butter into that flour!), and ripe, juicy plums tossed with a bit of sugar and cinnamon...it's lovely and I have to stop making it!