tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40979438485945891932024-02-19T23:07:02.076-08:00Chocolate andLisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-53224080417790014222010-11-29T19:21:00.000-08:002010-11-29T19:57:03.274-08:00Quick Duck Confit3 hours - freezer to plate; I promise. <div><div><div><div><div></div><br /><div>I love duck confit. And I usually only get it at <a href="http://www.cafecampagne.com/">Cafe Campagne </a>once or twice a year. But last week I was at <a href="http://seattle.citysearch.com/profile/map/10794080/seattle_wa/bob_s_quality_meats.html">Bob's Quality Meats </a>picking up the Thanksgiving turkey, and there was a package of 3 duck legs and thighs in the freezer case, and I had no other ideas for dinner, and it was cold and snowing and I was going home early. So. I bought the duck legs at 2:30. Home at 3:00. Duck legs in a bowl of warm water while I looked up a bunch of recipes on Mr. Google. Yes, I know you're not supposed to thaw poultry in warm water. Whatever. Turns out there are a few recipes that say you can make duck confit in 2 or 3 hours. </div><div> </div><div>3:30 - mostly thawed duck legs in the cast iron skillet. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545184082203387810" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMIW396iWkFw7eQejpKq_BVfLzOoyjCS5B4XEhCoMCh7mKk3v-cpBai9c-mEnBIQJfPuDV-dePL-ckca6rVKGiOfjf4Y_pwyOWechj9FRG79ZqjO94ol7Mb1kKGWaeUrZJ4pJ8qUc043Am/s320/IMG_0962.JPG" border="0" />Prior to the skillet, poke the skin with a knife to let the fat out, and salt a little, then put on the heat for 15-20 minutes skin side down. Then 10-15 minutes on the other side. Then in the oven to 350 - put the skillet in with skin side up for 30 min, (cover with foil) - turn over for another 30 min (still covered), then finish at 375 with skin side up (take the foil off) for the last 30 min. </div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545184090259392722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNFUlK8Zb1s_yuDeBfrf4Zqs0stPv42wcJfEbOxVSUkP3oxkS4tt1TvOoCCgr0-kNOrpL_V7xPVaYEA7NPv1kZoq-K3C0iMp1gwGWENqq-magjywKlBylqb0YuNT2CmlpGs_f6LmStlqj/s320/IMG_0965.JPG" border="0" /><br />I had my doubts, but this was really fabulous - the meat was tender and falling off the bone, the skin was crispy. . . . Bonus - while the duck is cooking, boil 5 small potatoes until tender. Drain and peel the skin off, then smash lightly, and fry until golden brown on both sides in some of the duck fat that you skimmed off during one of the times when you turned the legs over. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545184095635510498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqm77wm1ybVzM0h3Oxupq-mqucVx4I9N1eyIZBTNhXkS18sEPOS4pDaoHm3i_sUeALNNxD3ralnJQrRkfE4Dfb6oFMuGPlSzF0VJ1ChIy-ND4SNUlyKSrgGoEJBInyknMBVavc0WQiMUl/s320/IMG_0968.JPG" border="0" />Not health food - but kind of mental health food. </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545184096768750034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0bPgsPIjKf7JO-EA9XsOYyL2x_7lq81vSwEfOLy6cSr0G9mDBJg_zJ9oOGEGNK_VHjFPG0A9nEjJ7fW4A2cOeVkV3BsOhyphenhyphenv7d9bNh4996iP5XIA-tSnzJKJqHpRBaqCW3ITFE6xBsOkc7/s320/IMG_0974.JPG" border="0" /> <div></div><br /><div>Serve with a champagne cocktail to celebrate your brilliance. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545185046763113442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8cHUqjBpsHI1SYPmCMZga23qGsDuYdeAA5PTS8qu0bymJLCMMIWfbBiH1hG7Yr05aZ6BpKqKIZNwm6hGJRLsqaxxsjLEUsbIYBwSk4-HLvqFUy5K0-gQ3MJS-JPwUZlqX4DDaaNQlqph/s320/IMG_0966.JPG" border="0" /></div></div></div></div></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-91898194844510612562009-10-12T10:21:00.000-07:002009-10-12T19:23:25.745-07:00Figs<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjaeeBCwN1mAAGAod-uvpUxwveUyD_GMX5FdnhH3QagbZcu54ReiWPYvrU6yTMfep1WY_xslGTABG1YCjmgfhu8WWdfHWWiPgEsfJa2XncDisFiLiokZCuVyYlr7PtqposouUh8kBlzId5/s1600-h/fig+post+(2).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391769205091918386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjaeeBCwN1mAAGAod-uvpUxwveUyD_GMX5FdnhH3QagbZcu54ReiWPYvrU6yTMfep1WY_xslGTABG1YCjmgfhu8WWdfHWWiPgEsfJa2XncDisFiLiokZCuVyYlr7PtqposouUh8kBlzId5/s320/fig+post+(2).JPG" border="0" /></a> <div>When I haven't posted in a while I get kind of shy and awkward - everything I write sounds contrived. So I will just say that I am looking for an excuse to post these pictures, which I love. Figs are so Fall. Sensuous, sweet, soft, seedy. Fig paste and fig jam, especially with cheese. Goat cheese and figs; brie and figs; manchego and figs. Figs, dried, are also an essential component of the esteemed fruitcake. <br /><br />But I think the things I love the most about them are their color, and the fact that they are willing to grow on Mercer Island. There is one tree in the orchard, on a gentle west-facing slope, and most years we get some. This year was good – hot and dry in the summer leading to a harvest of over 50 – other years more like 5. When they’re young, they are tiny little lime green buds – until really late in the summer, it seems like there is no possible way they can get ripe. Even in September when they are the size of golf balls, hard and still lime green – no way will they get ripe before the first frost. Then all of a sudden they’re tinged purple part of the way up, then purple all the way. Still green inside, then all of a sudden pink. That’s the point where I grab them – maybe they’d get riper, but maybe the raccoon would get them, or the crows, and really they’re very very good right at this point. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391769417067129490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEDfwP1jdXtFbGpaxCpBooliZiquqpGZ3Xua1tIrG9vpdDKjH8venDGVeDf-tOGzYw9wsRj0t3HCryyxuYPpYdN00t6EBDObrFtZkKz2NhVOWpRjtDsIknvHYMO0mX7NcvzFgqPMSwwbJ/s320/fig+post+(3).JPG" border="0" />With this year’s 50, I started with eating some fresh, of course, but then went right to fig jam, to fill some turnovers. Cut 20 figs into eighths and put into a medium saucepan, add 6 T brown sugar, and the juice and rind of a small lemon. Cinnamon if you want, but I don’t. Cook over low to medium heat, stirring frequently, until much of the liquid is gone and the figs are reduced to a thick and jammy consistency. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391769425396496194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZOaHYD4rzc1pCgj94VketZ0M6Bn_x5akl_w2elHOudjGJ_KhyWdPDBBimZqYKje1KJFXjehWtTV4WK5d_EJ9lfOfV15ttoEID6UOFA0R7h-PC5pCD3ClA7phVM22gVXiAWmRmzn-ffaR/s320/fig+post+(4).JPG" border="0" />Take your favorite pastry – either a pie crust or a puff pastry, and fill with the jam, fold over and seal, sprinkle with sugar, and bake in accordance with whatever pastry you used. In this one I used puff pastry – they always bake better if you pop them in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391769431055283282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienRn13KCA2u3ltjIFohDWk6k9jC2qDW9pbRJC-etOJp24H-GfJBFVp_LSxIJLN889rG5SU2mtyYTKCRz-z5fesCXxlBoPP-NW7Zh24i1iNasSSkt8HCq7QosXi1Ni_OE12sFVBZpJ752U/s320/fig+post+(6).JPG" border="0" /></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-48318243193899801952009-09-14T20:09:00.000-07:002009-09-15T10:05:20.748-07:00Chocolate Dipped Hazelnut Shortbread<div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381739638071141394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BdpDueFtKeYHwxLm6WSJRdZchDx7mk38Q9MZOmnko9efqDjFFQG-46qW4GXtxfP02Hz1YTLPMPjk3zLyJ_N_s_8kLE7SKU2EY0IzxCCp6vi7dRprfbPxrB5W9eOKllT0KCYq1DVzuLkc/s320/hazelnut+shortbread+(2).JPG" border="0" /><br /><div align="left">This will be a shorter post than planned. Actually shorter than the one I just wrote and then lost into the void where all lost work goes when the internet and your computer conspire against you. ** Sigh ** We've all been there, and no amount of cussing and pouting helps. So, short version - not posting, not baking, not happy about it - especially the not baking part. So I baked these this weekend. Life is good again.</div><div><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381739665432704226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIK65O7IXZXtClsvZwaTK3ca7MaLBZbObymK9B9pkAFHt4VHb_Gdn5ir7T_8N0SWP9FYoughByiO0zBm8GYArQznWEKB25Y_z4-aRnmnRH8cTgMOINmRqv2M54H_PaDUnxxJqWZf3IcDm/s320/hazelnut+shortbread+(4).JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div align="left">Chocolate Dipped Hazelnut Shortbread</div><div></div><br /><div align="left">1 cup unsalted butter, softened</div><div align="left">1/2 cup sugar</div><div align="left">1 T vanilla</div><div align="left">1/4 t. salt</div><div align="left">2 cups flour</div><div align="left">1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">12 oz. chocolate chips<br />3 T butter<br /><br />Cream butter and sugar in stand mixer with paddle attachment. Add vanilla and salt, and stir in flour on low until incorporated. Add up to 1/4 cup more flour if the dough is really sticky. Form dough into a log, wrap in plastic wrap, chill one hour. Slice into discs, bake at 350 degrees F approximately 15-20 minutes until light brown. When cool, dip halfway into chocolate chips melted with butter. Place on clean parchment to cool, then put into muffin cups to store and serve. Better the next day.</div><div> </div><p align="right"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381739646424811058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-nTY-s4dFYb2iQ1i0FRrLjRbT4Dpt99xYC1EAnnHXwrhE0mzdE8hIBppDR2kVvR2ICUIT-ffQkn0gIN6XkqA4uh_vuJ84kjE8bfuhzN1bR0I7iUj_gyVs3kAcIh93U_ByPcb9jx8qZFp/s320/hazelnut+shortbread.JPG" border="0" /></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381739652253735970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj912WFMQsW6lLeW8CFAYby9idTkhgh6Xc6FUlL-kGvj9KJo_91fmxsql_LqZJbqc0byhGtr7aAbIUgadx_oj2nHq1WjW5ETcNrOkWuhNfolJZvcZHkkgu5HC1JtVFUc5jK_keKDP1R7pYx/s320/hazelnut+shortbread+(1).JPG" border="0" /><br /></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-29323506089984848562009-07-24T14:52:00.000-07:002009-07-24T15:01:39.927-07:00Green Walnut Liqueur<div>Hey there - so this looked like fun. And since the squirrels get all the walnuts exactly 11 seconds after they're ready, I thought it was the only real way to get any of them at all - that is, pick them when they're nice and green and appear to be of no use at all.<br /><a href="http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2009/07/liqueur_de_noix_green_walnut_liq.html">http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2009/07/liqueur_de_noix_green_walnut_liq.html</a></div><div> </div><div>This used a very expensive but ancient bottle of vodka - DL says use the cheap stuff, but it was sunday, liquor stores closed, and based on how long this bottle had been around it wasn't getting used any time soon. It is currently a wild shade of chartreuse. Supposedly drinkable when it turns a coffee brown, and supposedly perfect poured on vanilla ice cream. As with all good things, further research is clearly called for. Will report on the results in due course. <br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362148368418419346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4r0UtZvVJDnLOCkMfJnOi4K4IbEskB9cmwn-zgxIPg7xVgIgEjS9aK8862BIEboY5x7bEj_5qlg1Xz1e1Dw7rbW96Ek4krAetyPPXjKcls7HpiqUAwc2WhMJiYroCXrXtkUcOCtjg3gXE/s320/walnut+liqueur+003.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362148363836348402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEier3kOm1l2_Qh7gX8-tBdq01ybSSbhjkCQmkXTNlaUpuVy2FVsbVuQ_AJZmxdZ5wzqvqfr3IUTdhSj4MO7O63zPWQxnYRQgwZFaPaDMy1b0mRSIGZcdr9csHbQ5LWGrRmRNJn8ZxOKzJ41/s320/walnut+liqueur+005.jpg" border="0" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SrIUrCU7Ja1vpqrqvywn7JUnH1UP2Nfz7V0yNOv20EjzFq5lMU79Go1HGBljmL_4WCQIQ8gNWhsYnrmNQ4mc3X6K8QApdwpQiOZiFZ7BRK-0PN8dHYQpwm2Utawdqvr9aSR1eRYajBlu/s1600-h/walnut+liqueur+001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362148372647223906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SrIUrCU7Ja1vpqrqvywn7JUnH1UP2Nfz7V0yNOv20EjzFq5lMU79Go1HGBljmL_4WCQIQ8gNWhsYnrmNQ4mc3X6K8QApdwpQiOZiFZ7BRK-0PN8dHYQpwm2Utawdqvr9aSR1eRYajBlu/s320/walnut+liqueur+001.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-17769180246536687292009-06-12T11:24:00.000-07:002009-06-12T11:50:59.479-07:00Ravioli - the perfect food<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC82cOCSDeWJ1RrtHy5j_x1_opQvVunq05wz8VDg84PA_ubadkagMrmsCrNufpffNOsb0hbxdtnUes3wDgEXkTJe3wbhVLEhzjHUwC4HhapmgMKTTYfPNMVWuvt411JbBbliYZyqbzVNSL/s1600-h/ravioli+(8).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346512799095854178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC82cOCSDeWJ1RrtHy5j_x1_opQvVunq05wz8VDg84PA_ubadkagMrmsCrNufpffNOsb0hbxdtnUes3wDgEXkTJe3wbhVLEhzjHUwC4HhapmgMKTTYfPNMVWuvt411JbBbliYZyqbzVNSL/s320/ravioli+(8).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Scout would have wanted me to not be sad, and to get into the kitchen again, where we both loved to hang out. He was particularly skilled at cleaning up the floor. The shortest measurable time period was from when the food hit the floor to when Scout leapt to his feet to scramble over and Hoover it up. Cheese was a special favorite. With that thought in mind, we made veal ravioli last weekend, and pizza the weekend before.<br /><br />Having a 20-quart Hobart at the bakery for all the dough is a blessing and a curse - it makes the process so simple, but the capacity is so large that you have to make like a quintuple batch just to give the mixer something to work with. Which comes up to something like 10 eggs and 10 cups of flour for the pasta dough - yield is about 4-5 pounds of fresh dough. And pizza for a small army. </div><div> </div><div>Both were yummy - the pasta dough needs to be thinner next time, though the thicker dough was easy to work with and prevented filling leakage. The pizza was nearly perfect - I have the dough and the toppings nailed, but continue my quest for the perfect sauce. <br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKtwvCOB7wTXzmGVvAd8SrGraR_LaEy2x24fQqmIVhej0OIl-bKz0y_cTJDd6JeUcjmEVlRXLK9j6cjCzwvcGcatu9x0EdQUKYbz7p2lJLstvs6GZnyRQyU4nYKSlUJctY0lFRQ0o3hjn/s1600-h/IMG_0493.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346511772040429698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKtwvCOB7wTXzmGVvAd8SrGraR_LaEy2x24fQqmIVhej0OIl-bKz0y_cTJDd6JeUcjmEVlRXLK9j6cjCzwvcGcatu9x0EdQUKYbz7p2lJLstvs6GZnyRQyU4nYKSlUJctY0lFRQ0o3hjn/s320/IMG_0493.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCUbCeVcGXy4bIgmqGcz-FHm86M6nvp_KVFPYH2PxXQMaZdW8tQaiAbuLMY5001QQYjh6jrMBj3bMeiE2qsfjVvzwkhqEza7_DGd-IQzIg8bJFs24AI8kwtEBBH1PKJp1_Zg_FuyBcRvNF/s1600-h/ravioli+(1).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346511767869854930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCUbCeVcGXy4bIgmqGcz-FHm86M6nvp_KVFPYH2PxXQMaZdW8tQaiAbuLMY5001QQYjh6jrMBj3bMeiE2qsfjVvzwkhqEza7_DGd-IQzIg8bJFs24AI8kwtEBBH1PKJp1_Zg_FuyBcRvNF/s320/ravioli+(1).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346511762621044258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs52GqT2XSHqnQX9GcmZ66lUCnnO_yHzwEKctdPYcP-5fVsdr4RkeNDbBCt7AvDcONXDFRV-aAbSGHc66pDzcHuDIMZRoS1XyvVVLrw2CU4XuXR9O7xVqd4N92Hu9Fk2wFm5m-nijl908D/s320/ravioli+(3).JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbNswS_8wVpPfl4-Zk2wuF4cFrV-ZDRc-FzreX-ye3eUAAQbueUxc7hGE2vymXXrChRW6jjkVqExLPP_WjBBL-J2aFzETzRHrlC2AEbUI7JgvnZ4degv8O4FHjNAG1iD8Um5rG2zAaSfZ5/s1600-h/ravioli+(5).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346511762914488578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbNswS_8wVpPfl4-Zk2wuF4cFrV-ZDRc-FzreX-ye3eUAAQbueUxc7hGE2vymXXrChRW6jjkVqExLPP_WjBBL-J2aFzETzRHrlC2AEbUI7JgvnZ4degv8O4FHjNAG1iD8Um5rG2zAaSfZ5/s320/ravioli+(5).JPG" border="0" /></a> Fresh Pasta</div><div> </div><div>2 cups flour</div><div>2 eggs</div><div>3-6 T water</div><div> </div><div>Mix in a stand mixer until the dough pulls together and forms a ball - it should be firm and dry-ish, but not crumbly - too little water and it doesn't hold together, too much and you end up adding tons more flour when you roll it out. Let the pasta dough rest for 20 minutes, covered. Then divide into four pieces and process through a pasta machine (at home I use a small hand cranked Atlas) until desired thickness is reached.</div><div> </div><div>Filling for ravioli</div><div> </div><div>1 lb. ground veal</div><div>1 carrot, diced</div><div>1 celery stick, diced</div><div>1/2 onion, diced</div><div> </div><div>1 lb ricotta</div><div>1/4 c parmesan</div><div> </div><div>salt, pepper, fresh thyme - to taste</div><div> </div><div>Sautee the diced veggies in olive oil - add the ground veal and cook until done. Cool. Put in food processer and pulse lightly to make fine crumbles. Put into a bowl and add the cheeses and seasonings. Use as a filling for ravioli, or manicotti, or stuffed shells.</div><div> </div><div>Sauce at your discretion - chopped fresh tomatoes, butter and oil, etc. </div></div></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-73959571908422494952009-05-07T11:09:00.000-07:002009-05-07T11:25:13.273-07:00A Tribute to Scout 1996-2009<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUoUirZdtZMm9zCrRvP5F1uhP_KezZCQs_I_QFxNS_gMKvrNvVvEINoZV56wpnPIe_J_-OhndKGGvuMtjI0Havv2iZ-JHOtxzDs_pHDPWYJCbAIdz3QpYFk06eDXKHF8wBVd8qVhDAyf6X/s1600-h/scout.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333148945817013554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUoUirZdtZMm9zCrRvP5F1uhP_KezZCQs_I_QFxNS_gMKvrNvVvEINoZV56wpnPIe_J_-OhndKGGvuMtjI0Havv2iZ-JHOtxzDs_pHDPWYJCbAIdz3QpYFk06eDXKHF8wBVd8qVhDAyf6X/s320/scout.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVEz6CxmEB4rz2ef6U7BBtbQ82QnRmDvgViWJLjAyWYvNvn2XiuMXC0mlDKh3VRYoK7cS1HTOro8JRtVaj2baesAIRIPbJSRE1Toqlap9_avUSkdGPPOjZzYq2Bpv2oeezDBbeNbYCTDd/s1600-h/Jammy+tarts+008.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333148935388811170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVEz6CxmEB4rz2ef6U7BBtbQ82QnRmDvgViWJLjAyWYvNvn2XiuMXC0mlDKh3VRYoK7cS1HTOro8JRtVaj2baesAIRIPbJSRE1Toqlap9_avUSkdGPPOjZzYq2Bpv2oeezDBbeNbYCTDd/s320/Jammy+tarts+008.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>Scout - In 1996 he was 8 weeks old and 12 pounds. A wiggly little package who loved us completely from the first day. The bigger of the two chocolate boys in the litter. He lived for treats and pets and hugs. And treats. Smiled. Ran. Just hung out. Rolled on his back in the grass and popped up like he'd just discovered the best thing ever. Played in the water. Pretty much always wanted to go in the car. Laid in the driveway behind the wheels of the truck so we couldn't leave without him. Chewed up one shoe in his whole life. Still had his first squeaky toy ever - all he did was carry them around. Except of course for the stuffed kitten - that one got a little chew now and then. Fetched, but not obsessed with it. For 13 years we never had to clean anything off the kitchen floor. Loved chicken, fish, blueberries, cheese. Would eat a salad as long as it had dressing on it. He had three basic moods - happy, tired, and hungry. After a nap or a meal he just went right back to happy. </div><div> </div><div>I never knew I could love him that much. Scout - I think of you every day and love you so much. You were the best and my heart is bigger for knowing you. </div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333148951339649794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPTDYEaQ_IMHWhxFwn_X20UQwW5WKsjKq_Jf1_1PwBMVbUQPHWe0Ci-bkOvgn2HJIhyphenhyphen6vWCHLDo_nxnnvk8SDuLBJPrzQTOS3kpb1dlmSfOhdBVvVZha_vzLKHh4P7LYdb_6es2VWuqzRC/s320/Z+birthday+and+cake+(15).jpg" border="0" /></div></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-63160476275569631542009-03-29T05:00:00.000-07:002009-03-29T05:00:00.879-07:00March 2009 Daring Bakers! Lasagne<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipDKRetbfppbdg-xtq2EJlvMVcU_dHXU8PIvqIjKf0oUBG1hmXjWcN2eqCrVZH9jonwLcd9sztvSqpC9FpYI3YEbEGbvXWnfItgivACHQuhnvZhHmivFxl9iKzXFENogK-U7qdTEFbfxm_/s1600-h/IMG_0419.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318051370203390050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipDKRetbfppbdg-xtq2EJlvMVcU_dHXU8PIvqIjKf0oUBG1hmXjWcN2eqCrVZH9jonwLcd9sztvSqpC9FpYI3YEbEGbvXWnfItgivACHQuhnvZhHmivFxl9iKzXFENogK-U7qdTEFbfxm_/s320/IMG_0419.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div>First, the legal notices: The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.<br /><br />There - that should keep the search-bots happy, and establish that I did the deed and posted! I have not been able to keep up with the daring and gorgeous bakers, missing a # of challenges, but I still want to play! So, here is the lovely green pasta. . . .<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317310818471872194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie54nh0cNqqHhuBwgODO9TTMKjYb98wCDNINMH8JvS65bZX_7Llo4CC96Cc50imKqAj48qjAiWrzmb8uEVeAuS0E2ZmeSJXMZkYIZU6wIabX8yLM9KLMnmcDTaA3STG7YoewShSonsRUR-/s320/Pasta+dinner+007.jpg" border="0" /><br />You may notice that it is NOT in the shape of lasagne noodles, and you would be correct. Truth - this is ravioli from last fall. I have made this pasta a number of times before - I think my first spinach noodles were in the 90's, to be precise, and I LOVE them, but it was just not gonna happen this month. Instead, I used commercial no-boil sheet (Barilla = v. Italian), and made the Bechamel, which for me was the real challenge. I am usually willing to go with ricotta and mozzarella as a filling, but I love the Beschamel, and I am usually not patient enough to make it, thus the challenge. Oh, and not to nitpick or sound too cranky, but this whole exercise is not really baking - this is definitely a Daring Cooks challenge in my book. But whatever, it's delicious . . . .<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318051376086337730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9noutTDIPgBEWlyUIM1p_ZWf_bfqU0wGtJTk3ugtLuHWnqdWD3GgzAQNkQfXRqRZQAIShmBYZuNksbNyLpLQfVmWwwKrXQjOjfh1ghZGRdY4TnoPMczgR72NxGn3OSHkbgaxj6wAV17tl/s320/IMG_0418.JPG" border="0" /><br />So, here is the finished product - the Beschamel really adds a wonderful silky quality to the dish, and I love it - I used the recipe from the challenge, with the addition of about 8 oz. of Fontina cheese. And I made a tomato sauce with ground turkey, just because today is a Wednesday and there is no possible way to make the real ragu. So there. Still yum.</div></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-42770424875640889352009-03-19T10:21:00.001-07:002009-03-19T13:56:17.772-07:00Double Chocolate Chunk CookiesI'm ready for my close-up Mr. DeMille . . . . Hee! <br />This is quite the seductive cookie - sweet, but not too. A little delicate in texture, but packed with chocolate flavor, with pools of molten chocolate throughout. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ERARM8kAY2M3RJZso3-SWRRe-kCO5c0nUQ-r7UqtiYBHGb-y0gib96T6OoIU47ysQWmr0xNskZONmL8tDs-ZBKQViQOYIiwugL9sQJg6Qd1H9_gpzTVE3Qw6MPt3s3K637XQgANQKnY-/s1600-h/IMG_0400.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314950741846993250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ERARM8kAY2M3RJZso3-SWRRe-kCO5c0nUQ-r7UqtiYBHGb-y0gib96T6OoIU47ysQWmr0xNskZONmL8tDs-ZBKQViQOYIiwugL9sQJg6Qd1H9_gpzTVE3Qw6MPt3s3K637XQgANQKnY-/s320/IMG_0400.JPG" border="0" /></a> Simple - no eggs, so it's instantly vegan, if you care about that sort of thing. Oh wait - it's full of butter - nevermind then. . . .<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Jvi5gPLaKWgGShqsz1ugfjhN_Pr7v3nm5uW2Yh9J2XeAVBndCAVagj-0DQVSzfCcJQHl4H3D6z6LMnIUFMASDJLBRPsM6h4ui9zILKKmUKCB-Nn5_DAPmZM7mFwUrAXOHxXoHO4yrbnL/s1600-h/IMG_0398.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314950732892993986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Jvi5gPLaKWgGShqsz1ugfjhN_Pr7v3nm5uW2Yh9J2XeAVBndCAVagj-0DQVSzfCcJQHl4H3D6z6LMnIUFMASDJLBRPsM6h4ui9zILKKmUKCB-Nn5_DAPmZM7mFwUrAXOHxXoHO4yrbnL/s320/IMG_0398.JPG" border="0" /></a> You know those 2# bags of Guittard chocolate chunks you can get at <a href="http://www.bigjohnspfiseattle.com/products">Big John's</a>? They are the perfect perfect chocolate "chip" for these cookies - cut them in half though otherwise they are too big. I tried a batch with toasted hazelnuts too - fantastic, though they are better the next day after the flavors marry a bit.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOw-mMvhmqh1QOt9Debou8Kxh5MBknLh96oidmHEb2jJOQ5TzKLnibsPk3PT_4_7LIjMzOchyphenhyphen-6-LM5KYkjfqZdAe9vYetgg3WLWMnLNswP2hZxZ1fhumWonOit167e4W8CPQOK2hkwL2/s1600-h/IMG_0403.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314950718672240130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOw-mMvhmqh1QOt9Debou8Kxh5MBknLh96oidmHEb2jJOQ5TzKLnibsPk3PT_4_7LIjMzOchyphenhyphen-6-LM5KYkjfqZdAe9vYetgg3WLWMnLNswP2hZxZ1fhumWonOit167e4W8CPQOK2hkwL2/s320/IMG_0403.JPG" border="0" /></a></div></div><br /><p>Divine with coffee - I had two for breakfast this morning! So, to those of you who think I eat cake for breakfast every morning, I don't -sometimes it's cookies! :) </p><p>Recipe from <a href="http://orangette.blogspot.com/2007/10/d-e-s-s-e-r-t.html">Orangette</a></p><p>1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour</p><p>¼ tsp. baking soda</p><p>1/8 tsp. salt</p><p>4 Tbsp. (½ stick) unsalted butter</p><p>2/3 cup granulated sugar</p><p>1/3 cup light brown sugar</p><p>7 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder</p><p>1/3 cup plain yogurt, preferably not low- or nonfat</p><p>1 tsp. vanilla extract</p><p>½ cup chocolate chips, preferably Ghirardelli brand, either semisweet or bittersweet</p><p>Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner.</p><p>In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.Place the butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl, and microwave briefly, until just melted. Add the sugars, and sift in the cocoa. (You can skip the sifting if you want, but my cocoa almost always has lumps, and I don’t like cocoa lumps in my cookies.) Stir to blend well. The mixture will be somewhat thick and pasty, like wet sand. Add the yogurt and vanilla and stir to mix thoroughly. Add the dry flour mixture, and stir to just combine. Add the chocolate chips and stir to incorporate.Drop the dough by generous tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheet. (I use my tablespoon-size measuring spoon to scoop and shape the dough into little domes. Rinsing the spoon regularly helps to keep the dough from sticking, and leaving the spoon slightly wet after each rinsing helps too.) You should be able to fit about 8 or 9 cookies, nicely spaced, on a standard sheet pan. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies have crackled slightly and look set. Transfer the sheet pan to a wire rack, and cool the cookies on the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer them to the rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.</p>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-6724004897252230682009-03-17T10:13:00.000-07:002009-03-17T10:31:52.959-07:00Checking inI lost my desire to post, to take pictures, and to futz around with new recipes - maybe the winter blahs? I <em>am</em> still baking, though to read this blog you wouldn't know it. A whole month of February goes by and no posts -- s'ok, February was not much to write home about, except maybe the sweet mini-vacation in Phoenix (36 hours of free time, one pedicure, one hike up Camelback, one lunch by the pool, one long walk, one glass of champagne, one bargain pair of running shoes at Big 5, one fig scone - kinda packed a lot in!) <div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314209242021930786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmRT-2yw8Yf6O5jQD8GMfrlet2oTfMRWWZRJi_8uRt6ameC0s98r3l55p0CdTwz3soswAvePrDrwNRwrh79JpzYz05OvE6Bnxh9DJeY2M2VIhm7mDbcEzJvWpMCNexGsedJ8O983-gKyo/s320/IMG00022.jpg" border="0" /> <div></div><div>Now I am actually feeling like I could start running again - I know! well, maybe anyway. In the meantime, and maybe directly related, I am making puff pastry in 7# batches on the sheeter! Forgot to take pics the last time I baked some but it came up perfectly - golden brown and even. Magical stuff.</div><div> </div><div>Random notes - the flowers on this cake were just divine - ok , that's all for now! </div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314208630770867746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_K_2gRv8urJrzhFi6vZf32OWfFFXUGO2A7E-xSlOQLvmPimiWFtOQjoYhID9_-JTJQ1wI5yEYvcQQY3uSjuFBv7abDz0GNFBfk30JGxBwc1YhWDqc6PBySO_hrlI11CTXQfusbn0sqGp/s320/tiered+hex+w+dragees+(6).JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-62536924262290783442009-01-28T15:52:00.000-08:002009-01-28T16:10:45.762-08:00Ricotta 101 - Make this!!<div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1IDBK3MZwaIY3gTdix8RGVs3rCBIRgRtpMEXyK9agSKd1n6edRB1u-NxqqHyc81xusqSyYTMhvsI6xaYVDIFr0Qq-8N9dQx9sflR1fowsjUhb0i2xITGRAfdgCbEi4Dn56_H8oVby_lgD/s1600-h/ricotta+001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296499598249749650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1IDBK3MZwaIY3gTdix8RGVs3rCBIRgRtpMEXyK9agSKd1n6edRB1u-NxqqHyc81xusqSyYTMhvsI6xaYVDIFr0Qq-8N9dQx9sflR1fowsjUhb0i2xITGRAfdgCbEi4Dn56_H8oVby_lgD/s320/ricotta+001.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Here is the feel-good recipe of the month, maybe even the whole year. Homemade ricotta cheese. It is empowering because what was once a mystery is now at your command, and it is a revelation to anyone who ever thought of ricotta as a mere ingredient as opposed to something delicious on its own.</div><div> </div><div>Words cannot describe the unbelievable silky, creamy, salty, sweet smoothness of homemade ricotta - still warm-ish, slathered on crackers (also homemade - recipe to come).</div><div></div><br /><div>Ridiculously easy, and the transformation from milk to cheese is nothing short of a miracle.</div><div></div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296499614816027906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74-WdbrWtepV7pchrAeC15P4A_cfPlnDTlUvgyUEtHlow5pAbZYBik-Can9RBwuiZPc2AOBaoYOxdGGjt5QITiNqRsvzZpElOCBgNrXG-_S9MPQDUg3XpXR40QNWQx7cM2kNW_ukThP-2/s320/ricotta+003.jpg" border="0" />Heat 2 quarts of whole milk and 1 t. salt in a large sauce pan. When it comes to a simmer, add 2 T. lemon juice and stir gently for a minute or two - curds will form immediately and separate from the whey. Take it off the heat and let it rest a minute or two, then gently scoop the curds out with a slotted spoon and drain in a fine mesh sieve, or a coarse sieve lined with cheesecloth. Let drain a few minutes, then scoop into a bowl and let cool a bit. Eat slightly warm or at room temperature, plain, or sprinkled with pepper or herbs. Refrigerate any leftovers - (Ha ha ha - that's kind of an inside joke. Unless you double this, there will be NO leftovers!)</div><div> </div><div>There is a pronounced lemony flavor when the cheese is less than an hour old, but that fades a bit into the sweetness of the cheese itself after that time.</div><div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296500549205162002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwgDWkPOa27IJSOgZWc-IgI-hQTzN4ZIQ768yL-HszQSIDttm1flhL_T2xYnsg8ZQktPRrFnyissLL6vIiZnV2ckdiuLkPCF073HBcdHLaFS193NU1Vdn9yQxbWJ_kh1D_ajldlSBsaJYq/s320/ricotta+005.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div>I am trying this in lasagne soon, and will report out as soon as I do. I am also wondering if vinegar would work as well as lemon juice - chemistry say it should. More research is clearly called for. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296499637827349586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7q3QNl3KOXIwp27xl312oow1-0u2n5ltLXk7v-k4A5BFZQT4WPPb9Ojox6WKnsnHzP_Iorx-nzXREbccbElksffAMNSnQyyxIyRu_ExK9syaCC_xTFeSFa-EHCAQGgpCC2IkJfMYMB0iL/s320/ricotta+011.jpg" border="0" /></div></div></div></div></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-1164322204284259022009-01-16T09:10:00.000-08:002009-01-18T14:53:20.139-08:00Red Velvet Cake, and my high horse<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_27Dz3GByIo5Vo8hDYab9Q6tVWXPVCBjIK6E5jC9av44GD626m2s8z9dKz7Gi0NEiWvDhHDN1lbfoVZA1RqR7KGza_aB9SSQ6Hu1tnMGe7pBz3OgObjtmfXeIOTZvCO-7I7N1jsiAex6/s1600-h/red+velvet+cake+006.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291948927809878130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_27Dz3GByIo5Vo8hDYab9Q6tVWXPVCBjIK6E5jC9av44GD626m2s8z9dKz7Gi0NEiWvDhHDN1lbfoVZA1RqR7KGza_aB9SSQ6Hu1tnMGe7pBz3OgObjtmfXeIOTZvCO-7I7N1jsiAex6/s320/red+velvet+cake+006.jpg" border="0" /></a> OK, I really should know better. Because whenever I say "never", the universe immediately starts conspiring to make sure that it happens sooner rather than later. And I have been saying "never" about Red Velvet cake for a long time - as in, we will never do this in the bakery because it is not our tradition and there are lots of other people who make it and really really I think it takes too much food dye and maybe that makes me a food snob but I just don't have the red velvet in my blood even though with all that floofy frosting it does look pretty divine. <div><div><br /><div></div><div>But then, it started cropping up all over, including <a href="http://velvetlava.blogspot.com/2008/04/cake-wingspan-seven-blankets.html">here</a>, and I totally respect Ann's food sensibility and so I thought I really should make it just to have some factual basis for all the talk. So, even though I thought I was going to make this months ago, I finally made it last night and wow is it ever gorgeous! And the floofy frosting is more than one could hope for - not too sweet, light, perfectly spreadable but not too melty even when warm. . . . . </div><div> </div><div>This was much praised at the office, the frosting especially, though the cake was moist and delicious too. Yes, I could definitely over-indulge in this! <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291948702198390930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnC2TKEiFpeDzrzGePCps1fIKTDDnW2d51s-Vb1ofr9fA8g1-hb0QmNFaW3FiipBr7iMGBipVvwnoBYz9DYq63Lfg3xabHDHsLZ93rY3L-kXC9h5eRpkIyFOWoozjTi9J8ykSj0OA-HkUJ/s320/red+velvet+cake+008.jpg" border="0" /></div></div></div><br />So, apparently I should get off my high horse about Red Velvet Cake. Good lord, what could this mean for vegan and gluten free??!!Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-43046330464640966392009-01-12T19:38:00.001-08:002009-01-12T20:13:33.001-08:00Happy New Year!Ah, not that much new, but still having lots of fun with the bakery. Well, really just recovering from the snow and the wedding show, etc. And I just wanted to put something new up, but I haven't taken any pictures in the past few days. This weekend we visited <a href="http://www.bakerynouveau.com/">Bakery Nouveau</a> in West Seattle. Wow. That is what every bakery wants to be when they grow up. Cherry-almond croissants. Pizza. Sicilian (thick-crust) pizza. Artisan bread. Eclairs. Chocolates. Raisin pinwheels. Chocolate hazelnut slices. Passion fruit dome. Brioche. Pineapple Brioche. Baguettes. Um, not that I did an inventory or anything, but Yum!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290623881931232450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj83HibosUeruy_S2f9A4ZuJvfungt-Z9TYnzp_t4xqI5Ymk9xcHLxYRJJBWctouXRcgewkTr8WbDaWyUQs7sa4AwO-cFon_OoeRycesWeKM6dMRMaj7bJVwKe0Ww7uFppvJt5ji_KBAn2M/s320/croissants+008.jpg" border="0" /><br />This little darlin' is mine, cute and delicious, if I do say so myself. But the ones at Bakery Nouveau are divine!Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-31582324073565539872009-01-07T18:00:00.000-08:002009-01-07T18:00:00.568-08:00The 2009 Seattle Wedding Show<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoevOh7vT9h0n_jG9glA2ED0qeedwvp5JeTPnPLxSoyrUmHC9DK5za4HFvqrOwsJecOG1Rlla8387w9m9JDFS0ODy-K-NjCl3wFbW5q7tHJyZV6eXYdxbgqeEj39QgggEJS49k7Tea7uu/s1600-h/wedding+show+002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288632646005114642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoevOh7vT9h0n_jG9glA2ED0qeedwvp5JeTPnPLxSoyrUmHC9DK5za4HFvqrOwsJecOG1Rlla8387w9m9JDFS0ODy-K-NjCl3wFbW5q7tHJyZV6eXYdxbgqeEj39QgggEJS49k7Tea7uu/s320/wedding+show+002.jpg" border="0" /></a> January 3 and 4, 2009 - here is a picture of our booth. This was an amazing adventure. So many new things to learn. Working on developing a logo, working on design and copy for a brochure, physically getting everything printed, deciding on what display cakes to bring, how to set up the booth for best visual impact, what we needed in the booth, staffing the booth, moving in and moving out (in the snow!), how much cake to take, the best way to serve samples (there are actually more options than you might think! - sample cups, on napkins, in cupcake holders, etc). This was so much adrenalin, and fun, and exhaustion. <div><div><br /><div></div><div>The cake in the very front of the booth was an inspiration - I saw the <a href="http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/current-issue">Martha Stewart Weddings </a>magazine a week before the show, and was able to order feather butterflies from the same vendor she used, and we were able to put the cake together in time for the show. It was really fun/funny to have people walk up to the booth and shriek "ohmygod that's the martha stewart cake!!" And I caught one of my helpers nonchalantly saying, oh yeah, they took a picture of our cake for that magazine! I stopped laughing just long enough to tell her she can't say that! <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288632617356814738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 264px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWD4KIydH6bs3JLr6jH9z9NODqSrOSpdEfwVNyT2N0AdkiNkUw3vsxwHVN5GJGxS2HL25AeBTPvDXgyml2avEswnYrE8QII6ayVMe56M9_3E1qEeuWsAR3516421tmLxyPpVnsFu0SMZDi/s320/Morfeys_Stacked_Color_Large.jpg" border="0" /></div></div></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-85509178863118776372008-12-25T16:17:00.001-08:002008-12-25T16:30:32.401-08:00Merry Christmas and buche de noel!<div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1dhg9do9Hq-oHauVYqFlpyeQWR0QDeicwhTfFPY-eQCjZHIDWgdhmERrzTiUofyDaE5K6nGYQ4HSGOnERUG-dNydia0YKmh69aHM6O6GmQ4r7QLBp-nYhGv3q9FRzmR8OGIXicyZ3cqD9/s1600-h/IMG_0288.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283889106669540610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1dhg9do9Hq-oHauVYqFlpyeQWR0QDeicwhTfFPY-eQCjZHIDWgdhmERrzTiUofyDaE5K6nGYQ4HSGOnERUG-dNydia0YKmh69aHM6O6GmQ4r7QLBp-nYhGv3q9FRzmR8OGIXicyZ3cqD9/s320/IMG_0288.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div>Ah, the fabulousness of a lazy day, with nothing to do but walk the dog and cook and eat dinner! Last night was lobster and salad and fresh bread. Today is crab cakes and duck on the rotissiere. And if I eat enough of that, plus the aforementioned bread, and save room for the dessert, well, then, the fresh pasta with mushrooms might just have to wait until tomorrow!</div><div></div><br /><div>We have suffered mightily over the past two weeks here in the pacific northwest, home of the green and soggy Christmas - my personal favorite actually. Tons of snow finally melting, shoveling muscles very sore, many cars (not mine tho) injured in the slip slidey conditions. </div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283889122979791490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLuuILEfz_C6NeO4bN6MEatIS3x8ttmQGS4N6FZhh0v21GKYd0_-akXGXJM65btzC_rNw3bXpLX6tRamB5cg8vF4gR9Tmq_4w6U3zn6mQjLMIj9uBSjNlVqyTXMSKBbcy8eutKh09ma-TB/s320/IMG_0281.JPG" border="0" /> <div></div><div>The buche de noel is easy and delish - as many or as few little decorations as you care to add. This one is pretty plain, but the rich chocolate roll is filled with white chocolate mousse and frosted with chocolate buttercreammmmmmmmmmm. That is not a typo. It is very good. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283889128269015938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvAhLEG36YEQzEHwr82HpIIedDedtkDnyHaMnyy9puzCpuI2nX5ppvStFpclMXiCKGvzZqnUW96O83dNPAL1CBMxFQCDHj3xz5zzRFAWG_ZflWIQqY6_VldmCO29HUVW9jtkHsrR616fw/s320/IMG_0287.JPG" border="0" /></div></div></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-58453571933745743152008-12-10T14:42:00.000-08:002008-12-10T14:59:20.841-08:00Ultimate Fruitcake<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3Nq48X3Who75njHqUZFGwb9Vh6npjvrTQWPxrpFk9MM3JSL1Ra7OK7XWSCJdVnR57xDw5LogTRftbq2o7U6tTv2C2XyZjuGOLztWxbRfEI5f_bZ2dXX2iVrM5IjumiHwUpjSNJDvHSfz/s1600-h/fruitcake+007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278299258118837698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3Nq48X3Who75njHqUZFGwb9Vh6npjvrTQWPxrpFk9MM3JSL1Ra7OK7XWSCJdVnR57xDw5LogTRftbq2o7U6tTv2C2XyZjuGOLztWxbRfEI5f_bZ2dXX2iVrM5IjumiHwUpjSNJDvHSfz/s320/fruitcake+007.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">This is a fruitcake to love, and to change people's minds about the whole fruitcake-hating thing. Which I have to say I don't mind the fruitcake haters too much because it leaves more for US, the smart and talented fruitcake lovers. This recipe benefits from lots of rum, and lots of yummy candied and dried fruit and nuts, with the candied cherries in there for a hit of color and tradition. Bake in a jellyroll pan, cool, remove from the pan, brush with more rum, then drape with a thin and lucious sheet of marzipan.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278299249974698082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYdKUretTLMXWphtuA7BxYSna_s73GvUn2QCAQ98G-iHwzaus_uhN-LmmvV3JMA9fx_dgIVYUqRGEB1Ry0Djjjs0DqbA1MU-rBAmzWjbQZz2zoaZw9ajw-3_zAJDBfstLcmOnkIK0M4u8D/s320/fruitcake+001.jpg" border="0" /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;">Check out Kim's posts at <a href="http://ayankeeinasouthernkitchen.com/">A Yankee in a Southern Kitchen </a>for another really lovely recipe and some beautiful pictures! </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;">The best part of this is baking it with friends right after Thanksgiving. I love the process and ritual of that so much that I wouldn't even mind if I ended up giving it all away, but of course I don't! </span></div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278299262757931410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLoZHAhC0BBCKY2oeHhTKLj-kkhEScim5RJHxo8TD_BVb_OA1y5y2rMq8anB9EFmGLD81k1payTZhY_mJIGEjsw3CrNVqZRGwobbkGpXwM0uKOO0D0-l9keAaYZXn4qV39SuXZam1AIEfd/s320/fruitcake+day+2006+001.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div>Ultimate Fruitcake<br /><br />The Fruit and Nuts<br /><br />8 oz. dried figs, stemmed and cut into pieces<br />8 oz. pitted dates – chopped<br />8 oz. candied orange peel<br />8 oz. raisins<br />8 oz. golden raisins<br />8 oz. currants<br />8 oz. candied cherries – cut in half<br />6 oz. almonds<br />6 oz. walnuts<br />½ cup dark rum<br /><br />Cake Batter<br /><br />2 ¼ cups flour<br />1 teaspoon baking powder<br />1 teaspoon cinnamon<br />1 teaspoon nutmeg<br />1 teaspoon salt<br />½ teaspoon baking soda<br />½ teaspoon ground cloves<br />½ pound butter at room temperature<br />1 cup dark brown sugar<br />4 large eggs<br /><br />The Marzipan<br /><br />½ pound almond paste<br />½ pound powdered sugar<br />2-3 T. corn syrup<br /><br />The Syrup<br /><br />1/3 cup corn syrup<br />3 T. dark rum<br /><br /><br />Method<br /><br />Toss the fruit and nuts with the rum and let sit overnight.<br /><br />Preheat oven to 300 degrees; butter an 11x17” sheet pan and line with baker’s parchment. Stir dry ingredients together in medium bowl (flour through cloves). Cream butter and brown sugar in electric mixer – add eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated. Stir in the flour mixture and beat until smooth. Scrape the batter over the fruit and nuts and fold everything together by hand – this may take a while, but be patient, it will all come together. Scrape it into the parchment lined pan and spread evenly, smoothing the top. Press a piece of parchment onto the top of the cake and bake 50-60 minutes or until the cake is just firm – do not overbake. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack. Take the top piece of parchment off right away.<br /><br />Make the marzipan frosting – pulse the almond paste in a food processor with the confectioners’ sugar and corn syrup until it comes together. Knead by hand to form a smooth dough and cover with plastic wrap until ready to use.<br /><br />Stir the rum and corn syrup together.<br /><br />When cake is cool or just barely warm, flip it out onto a board or another cookie sheet and remove the baking parchment. Brush the entire cake with syrup until it’s all used up. Roll out the marzipan to make an 11x17 inch rectangle. Drape it over the top of the cake and press down to make sure it sticks.<br /><br />If you really want it to look perfect and beautiful, trim ½” off of each side of the cake, but I don’t think that’s necessary. The cake can then be cut into 6 squares, about 5”x5” each, that make a great size to wrap up and freeze or give away. The cake is somewhat difficult to cut when fresh, but if you refrigerate or freeze it, it then cuts beautifully into small squares. It keeps in the fridge for several weeks or many months frozen. </div></div></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-9801601544167366492008-11-29T06:00:00.000-08:002008-11-29T06:00:00.448-08:00Daring Bakers November Challenge!November's challenge was a caramel cake with caramel butter frosting. The author of the recipe is Shuna Fish Lydon (<a href="http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2006/12/24/caramel-cake-the-recipe/">http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2006 … he-recipe/</a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUBlMq2e8sIXa9fu_n5sddOQQJah4SainOOMErSJd7W0XGmcsBj_GKi-xkbIsCZ69bnHVVJhqDNtNd916iFrVakRfaGgrUgjLN45jxIjdnbgF-OCV1q76abTNPvryQuUoSovJvuqidzYV/s1600-h/daring+bakers+november+challenge+010.jpg">)</a>. The hostess of this month's challenge is Dolores at <a href="http://culinarycuriosity.blogspot.com/" minmax_bound="true">http://culinarycuriosity.blogspot.com</a>, where you will find the recipe for the challenge. The rules required us to bake the cake and make the frosting - size and shape of the cake and any flavor add-ins optional. I made the cake exactly according to the recipe - did not add anything in vecause the caramel seemed like a great taste on its own. <br /><br />I baked it on thanksgiving day - of course - because there's LOTS of empty oven space that day :) So I ended up using the tiny oven, which meant I used a 6" round pan and a small cupcake pan. The flavor on this cake was fantastic, and I would try to make it again, but it was a bit heavy and dense - I would have liked it to be a lighter texture.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273911584341428818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUBlMq2e8sIXa9fu_n5sddOQQJah4SainOOMErSJd7W0XGmcsBj_GKi-xkbIsCZ69bnHVVJhqDNtNd916iFrVakRfaGgrUgjLN45jxIjdnbgF-OCV1q76abTNPvryQuUoSovJvuqidzYV/s320/daring+bakers+november+challenge+010.jpg" border="0" /> Here is the completed cake.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273911553792313186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFp73k6EskgnOGI3yCJYhc_dFC6qvOugcsgBhEl_b6OXG4gRBVdLj9dKjrFaW362WJb4i5bNB13ZnYTPH45KcvF3S0kjLZCvFIIeXhWYhsA15Mi4WMLwSQTJyVOWk0s34rjCqAxLR4GqXJ/s320/daring+bakers+november+challenge+001.jpg" border="0" />And here is the caramel sauce - very flavorful!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhhaW-j-QFfJJ1XZPKG3xgNRafDY_a9BH2BXRH1UG0Zsfuevng3LIKsG3RsPWYuoZm_d4OzVEIRGlHA7JrsVW3GCArQkohpbEucIsT4RsIANp83PwepLkY41P0NVXpZw2HNPukbtao9O8/s1600-h/daring+bakers+november+challenge+009.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273911573592832690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhhaW-j-QFfJJ1XZPKG3xgNRafDY_a9BH2BXRH1UG0Zsfuevng3LIKsG3RsPWYuoZm_d4OzVEIRGlHA7JrsVW3GCArQkohpbEucIsT4RsIANp83PwepLkY41P0NVXpZw2HNPukbtao9O8/s320/daring+bakers+november+challenge+009.jpg" border="0" /></a> A small slice.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisiWX9p1wwNWa4j01AmqfiGnQZ1hNJPr-ajbY8zIzqHFfP7CBZ5IwvewTSGwhNiRsXaNFOLgTKbBY-klF4HVvRc1PIAOvrPqCk4jaH8ZQc_gZsm8sU1T-wuaiPcwGaEjB0BD0GoS4B8A2B/s1600-h/daring+bakers+november+challenge+008.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273911568150105746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisiWX9p1wwNWa4j01AmqfiGnQZ1hNJPr-ajbY8zIzqHFfP7CBZ5IwvewTSGwhNiRsXaNFOLgTKbBY-klF4HVvRc1PIAOvrPqCk4jaH8ZQc_gZsm8sU1T-wuaiPcwGaEjB0BD0GoS4B8A2B/s320/daring+bakers+november+challenge+008.jpg" border="0" /></a> The iced 6" cake.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0DVVToDpgx2hkfFMR0msiF00e-YkPrWvC0_KueuGOsgzSCgmLl7UYQ23WNYccoiUUcgDzDkLwAE6TTk-HXyJS0zITj0jjstWTq_AIAuxhyphenhyphenQeLGQra9I64ovBIdhV9epXG2Pq88vuO7aB6/s1600-h/daring+bakers+november+challenge+003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273911555855622098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0DVVToDpgx2hkfFMR0msiF00e-YkPrWvC0_KueuGOsgzSCgmLl7UYQ23WNYccoiUUcgDzDkLwAE6TTk-HXyJS0zITj0jjstWTq_AIAuxhyphenhyphenQeLGQra9I64ovBIdhV9epXG2Pq88vuO7aB6/s320/daring+bakers+november+challenge+003.jpg" border="0" /></a> The little cupcakes.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-61012013732927136322008-11-21T09:29:00.001-08:002008-11-21T09:32:00.200-08:00Ginger Scones<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggd0n1jAwnnVRNuJzdqUnNlvN6wwR-P-sD6h4gxm7NeLAO7Og-SJImJCBMkJ5U7G3frDSW4uPJEjtM63hWg0pnbQ030La0jLtbKF8bcpnKwBOATC2SPM7PDoKLjuVGoayHK81WMOGfUdvL/s1600-h/ginger+scones.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271164472972171202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 252px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 113px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggd0n1jAwnnVRNuJzdqUnNlvN6wwR-P-sD6h4gxm7NeLAO7Og-SJImJCBMkJ5U7G3frDSW4uPJEjtM63hWg0pnbQ030La0jLtbKF8bcpnKwBOATC2SPM7PDoKLjuVGoayHK81WMOGfUdvL/s400/ginger+scones.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Oh yeah, we made Ginger Scones too! And sat with our lattes and gazed out the window for 10 minutes. These are really fantastic. I hear they're not bad as a hangover cure too :) </div><div> </div><div>GINGER SCONES<br /> 400° F for 12-14 minutes<br /><br />2 cups flour<br />1/3 cup sugar, plus additional for topping<br />1 T. baking powder<br />1 t. ground ginger<br />pinch of salt<br />6 T. unsalted butter<br />2 oz. crystallized ginger, chopped<br />1 egg<br />½ cup milk<br /><br />Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut in butter until the butter is the size of small peas (it is fine to use the food processor for this), then stir in crystallized ginger. Mix egg and milk together. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the egg and milk mixture. Mix lightly until just combined. Turn out onto a floured board, knead for 30 seconds. Pat/roll into a round, cut into 8 wedges. Place on cookie sheet and sprinkle with additional sugar. Bake until golden brown.<br /><br />I created this recipe after Mom and I visited Chris in Mill Valley and had something very similar at a café/espresso bar in downtown Mill Valley. I think it was called the Depot, and was located in the old train station. They used a star-shaped cookie cutter on theirs, which was nice because it makes for a lot of crunchy edge on each scone. These are interesting because they’re very delicately flavored – usually ginger comes with cloves and molasses and is very heavy and wintery, but these aren’t.</div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-60673230341540108752008-11-20T15:02:00.001-08:002008-11-20T15:14:23.816-08:00Baking Day with the Girls!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTtelnCyiMgWU8D0Bky8B-SNrR18BFYvBVBl0PSDquoAv_0Zi3XPlOnreFtUScVXLmkZGYc7fApQTlVsUPogJrRZhdjJG9wa_fZDCf6JkdJexzAUHm0QydLx13OQFY1NrMNqBgwyj5w9I/s1600-h/T+and+Z+baking+002+-1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270879818611983650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 319px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTtelnCyiMgWU8D0Bky8B-SNrR18BFYvBVBl0PSDquoAv_0Zi3XPlOnreFtUScVXLmkZGYc7fApQTlVsUPogJrRZhdjJG9wa_fZDCf6JkdJexzAUHm0QydLx13OQFY1NrMNqBgwyj5w9I/s400/T+and+Z+baking+002+-1.jpg" border="0" /></a>Eeeeeeee! Sunday was absolutely the most fun day EVER. 60's and 70's music on the radio, and baking baking baking. We made 8 pounds of fruitcake, 6 dozen peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, the caramel pear tarts from the prior post, but in 5" shells instead of 3", and we split and filled and iced some little 6" cakes as pictured. The cookies were inspired by the discovery of tiny little peanut butter cups at Trader Joe's - they melted into the cookies instead of retaining their shape like chocolate chips, but this was not a negative! And, we did not bake the Panettone because we didn't have the secret ingredient extract at the bakery with us, but we will live to bake again another day. Recipes to be posted with pics upcoming.<br /><div></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-63608550239883623442008-11-13T15:11:00.001-08:002008-11-13T15:12:23.837-08:00Pear Caramel Tarts<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfGqyzAxPN46QmsOnPyImkfPZxolcZkig-mifgy2jNFKwr8g37ZNmr9iByohZFmsI5sHXwgr0R4hzfGICdmVtEjNPL0Lv-JfMtg5gGMd3IJbXbknmHRKwhzbdmbHZVJ9iz-WzUmxs97Kg/s1600-h/caramel+pear+tarts+005.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268283886374414594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfGqyzAxPN46QmsOnPyImkfPZxolcZkig-mifgy2jNFKwr8g37ZNmr9iByohZFmsI5sHXwgr0R4hzfGICdmVtEjNPL0Lv-JfMtg5gGMd3IJbXbknmHRKwhzbdmbHZVJ9iz-WzUmxs97Kg/s400/caramel+pear+tarts+005.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-14031516998914796282008-10-28T10:25:00.001-07:002008-10-28T10:46:18.285-07:00100 Best Foods in the World<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgefxX5pRPWR-jcLEl_OJrTzcfYRAo_CKUHHQr1fGwr463xdGG-X0wIEw2sIEZViL4nfNiSpCt2QpXxGhPbGJoAJ-v0N_iu5iepEJsl3bBCsUI3KD5jfcxOcZvYVpJei9JjruAB_uoaHcBh/s1600-h/111-1173_IMG.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262261670650659538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgefxX5pRPWR-jcLEl_OJrTzcfYRAo_CKUHHQr1fGwr463xdGG-X0wIEw2sIEZViL4nfNiSpCt2QpXxGhPbGJoAJ-v0N_iu5iepEJsl3bBCsUI3KD5jfcxOcZvYVpJei9JjruAB_uoaHcBh/s400/111-1173_IMG.JPG" border="0" /></a> Happy Birthday to me :) <p>This list is a work in progress - I am giving myself at least 30 open slots for new stuff! </p><div>100 Best Foods in the World</div><ol><br /><li>lasagna</li><li>BLT on toasted sourdough with mayo</li><li>risotto</li><li>french fries with ketchup</li><li>Italian chocolate with hazelnuts</li><li>Manchego cheese</li><li>YooHoo</li><li>marcona almonds</li><li>artichoke hearts</li><li>grilled sweet peppers</li><li>pizza margherita</li><li>nocciolo gelato</li><li>giandiujia anything, especially gelato</li><li>Reese’s peanut butter cups</li><li>raspberry jam</li><li>apricot jam</li><li>croissants</li><li>brioche</li><li>champapagne</li><li>pasta with pesto</li><li>duck breast with Chinese 5 spice </li><li>chicken fried rice </li><li>hot and sour soup</li><li>Coquille St. Jacques</li><li>lobster tails with melted butter </li><li>Dungeness crab with melted butter </li><li>almond pear tart </li><li>artichoke and parmesan dip </li><li>arancini – preferably with mushrooms </li><li>tortilla chips with lime </li><li>chocolate almond cake </li><li>porterhouse steak grilled outside </li><li>blackberry pie </li><li>roasted chicken with rosemary </li><li>mashed potatoes </li><li>salted cashew nuts</li><li>chicken with peanut sauce over spinach </li><li>Green curry anything w/ coconut milk </li><li>fried goat cheese rounds on a salad of wild greens </li><li>Homemade turkey on rye with stuffing, cranberry sauce and mayo </li><li>tuna salad with sweet pickles and lots of mayo </li><li>ginger scones </li><li>napoleons </li><li>new potatoes and peas in cream </li><li>macaroni and cheese </li><li>snickers bars </li><li>homemade potato chips </li><li>Dairy Queen soft serve vanilla cone dipped in chocolate </li><li>fresh mini doughnuts </li><li>herring in sour cream</li><li>fried egg sandwich with cheese, mayo and ketchup </li><li>rum cake </li><li>grilled cheese sandwich </li><li>grilled beef tenderloin </li><li>Rose’s Cheesecake – the Cake Bible </li><li>blueberries </li><li>noodle salad with egg roll and bbq pork </li><li>figs with manchego </li><li>orange hazelnut pinwheels from Macrina bakery </li><li>mezzelune stuffed with ricotta and herbs in a porcini sauce, garnished with shrimp</li><li>leberkasemmel with sweet mustard </li><li>Ritter Sport white chocolate and blood orange </li><li>seafood louie salad </li><li>duck pate </li><li>Sfoglie di riso </li><li>pappardelle with cinghiale sauce </li><li>Ravioli rose’, with ricotta spinach filling </li><li>stollen </li><li>guacamole</li><li>white chocolate mousse with raspberries<br /></li></ol>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-47989424069437885382008-10-21T09:04:00.000-07:002008-10-23T10:44:04.760-07:00Camera's broken, but still eating!<div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jBVwD9xOP7QmGm9biPjb6gVX4TSWwSSNAmamn9sWqEb96oH6bVOqgjYK6jo0Qrv5FN9veb3t2I7yKYmThJFyFTbkN0Wybm4kb5WB80v-9VRfaHCZZ6O3eXXJ1soZfjgp_oiUTevOMIzj/s1600-h/Italy+-+October+2007+007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260401543850684898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jBVwD9xOP7QmGm9biPjb6gVX4TSWwSSNAmamn9sWqEb96oH6bVOqgjYK6jo0Qrv5FN9veb3t2I7yKYmThJFyFTbkN0Wybm4kb5WB80v-9VRfaHCZZ6O3eXXJ1soZfjgp_oiUTevOMIzj/s400/Italy+-+October+2007+007.jpg" border="0" /></a> <em>Pappardelle with wild boar ragu</em><br /><br /><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gnk8co8NCEWQQQNM6_5VTuHd8b7HI-4NSMCzVI3Ys3HO50cgaYPApYHOazUc1ZnfmpGuZy8JaGs8z18W6mgcO1Kxv8vuDUOFFGC7ME5liH54JmAjJhX8t4pjbj1xktxbrSnpr3sGyLsU/s1600-h/green+tomato+001.jpg"></a>OK - the Canon is in the shop - "lens error". Crap. though I am happy to have the excuse not to post any pictures - pulling them off the camera and putting them on the computer and then uploading to the blog site is a task that I dislike in a way that is way out of proportion to how much time it actually takes. I personally can't wait until the day that I just hold my camera up next to the computer and tell the photos to hop on over - wouldn't that be great??</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">Had potato chips and petit syrah for dinner the other night. Don't knock it until you've tried it! Ruffled, and salt and vinegar. You kind of have to make a potato chip sandwich with them to get the exact right blend of crunch and salt and tang. The salt and vinegar are too intense, and the chips are too thin, while the ruffled ones are too bland and too thick - together they are sublime! This always makes me think of sitting outside in a cafe in Italy at about 5:00 and having an apperitivo with some of those little dishes of chips and peanuts and olives - I LOVE that!</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260400563195738674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BX8uVFX7IIwS3o93sKoZ77RXmboxxpBRWKNnm_5bPp33Awo5InTIZh9KOQZyU-08q_6TLO65_QGG6k7DlLd1u0YYX6E4nsPfya-PDbVqOIS9mpB6qh8UoJbNC09H4dnm-Vp6hzQAf9fr/s400/Italy+-+October+2007+378.jpg" border="0" /> Last week we had dinner at il Fornaio - one of the best lasagne ever! Seriously - beschamel, a nice meat sauce, fresh pasta - it was really really good! But not as good as the ravioli pictured below - in Florence, near the central market - filled with ricotta and herbs with a light tomato sauce and pareggiano reggiano on top. This is clearly what the pillows in heaven are made out of!</div><div align="left"><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260400556342813282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVYe_lzRXgHhhstumgbOco49q_Cr7lKc87n3ogKDaX1vlbnT2Beyc4i1BcjVdqs-vma_MLePsXVQDmACKevG0tIDeylSX9Abz9ko5f3D_hG0qFWxOCezYB4A1G-jKtl9RvakMy4OD4jc_/s400/Italy+-+October+2007+142.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-14134444222746345272008-10-14T08:02:00.000-07:002008-10-14T08:14:44.598-07:00Tomato Cheddar PieThis is from a <a href="http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~esmith/colwin.html">Laurie Colwin </a>column in the August 1992 Gourmet - I still miss her. I think her food writing was some of the first that inspired me, and during all my "I'm taking all of this stuff to Goodwill" phases, her books stay on the shelf, never at risk. <br /><br />This pie is so good, kind of like a baked tomato sandwich. It is best if it is reheated in a 350°F oven so the cheese is melted and the pie is hot. The recipe says you can use canned tomatoes, but I never make it with anything but fresh, preferably ones you picked yourself. Or someone picked for you :)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF8dkLQQwshHwP2cegZUKMlQ4ywPehbPl0kRFtqoCWFbX7STFZcnBZvnA4M6Uu1LYU7L19yyiNHC-NhECKKHVURvIz1nSdQCUSUpb7-uAjYKY0igvdkzqghQd4gR6yqLvYa0qxppi7_eKQ/s1600-h/tomatoes+003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257025860390821378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF8dkLQQwshHwP2cegZUKMlQ4ywPehbPl0kRFtqoCWFbX7STFZcnBZvnA4M6Uu1LYU7L19yyiNHC-NhECKKHVURvIz1nSdQCUSUpb7-uAjYKY0igvdkzqghQd4gR6yqLvYa0qxppi7_eKQ/s400/tomatoes+003.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNXITVN9VtzyZtex0ag_32ClrQScjrUGpfSRD_7E8Qdj_FqQ1W-iKohvfrH7Kdan4v_BuNJB4WNZMr5edGtRAR35t7DADINgaUPaJobQF2yuya9E9IR6BAEsPcYTVbh-0JN7RB5CPt9TtK/s1600-h/tomato+cheddar+pie+004.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257025862666396562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNXITVN9VtzyZtex0ag_32ClrQScjrUGpfSRD_7E8Qdj_FqQ1W-iKohvfrH7Kdan4v_BuNJB4WNZMr5edGtRAR35t7DADINgaUPaJobQF2yuya9E9IR6BAEsPcYTVbh-0JN7RB5CPt9TtK/s400/tomato+cheddar+pie+004.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgekhGE6ngw4xGJPmg0tKlcJYj5aEJKGhpbaE3IUtc0Adeciof8pcrb8Tt0dvsupfiA62y3_uc9-r795bKgpQEIK9E0ZcpcJNllmHtASH4t2oFBAo1-vvQ1Ahc5EipxAoKiakxMeLdifm-g/s1600-h/tomato+cheddar+pie+009.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257025863114102882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgekhGE6ngw4xGJPmg0tKlcJYj5aEJKGhpbaE3IUtc0Adeciof8pcrb8Tt0dvsupfiA62y3_uc9-r795bKgpQEIK9E0ZcpcJNllmHtASH4t2oFBAo1-vvQ1Ahc5EipxAoKiakxMeLdifm-g/s400/tomato+cheddar+pie+009.jpg" border="0" /></a> TOMATO CHEDDAR PIE<br />Crust: <br />2 cups flour<br />1 stick butter<br />4 teaspoons baking powder<br />3/4 cup milk<br /><br />Filling:<br />2 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and sliced<br />or 2 28-ounces cans of plum tomatoes, drained and sliced<br />chopped basil, parsley or chives, to taste<br />1½ cups grated cheddar cheese<br />1/3 cup mayonnaise mixed with 2 T. lemon juice<br /><br />Make crust as for biscuit dough. Roll out half and line a 9-inch pie plate with it, add the tomatoes, then the herbs, then 1 cup of the cheese, then the mayonnaise mixture and then the rest of the cheese. Roll out the rest of the dough and fit it over the top, pinching the edges to seal the crusts together. Cut several steam vents in the top and bake at 400°F for 25 minutes. <br /><br /><br /><div></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-41267881845486314132008-10-01T09:38:00.000-07:002008-10-01T10:26:50.207-07:00Hazelnut Frangipane and Pears<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-kYwMebDEV5nIXRg5ejuTndEvWAgVhWJOAMbMB7V__rZRNkAC67pdZumnupExYDUmzszoCbUHRHBF1_Tv43hZBlE-TYkixMOKIJxpaYP5Ayp2E3ccJX6MGNLMfZ6D2IiltOnexBeaUJDV/s1600-h/hazelnut+pear+tarts+002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252226338593427666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-kYwMebDEV5nIXRg5ejuTndEvWAgVhWJOAMbMB7V__rZRNkAC67pdZumnupExYDUmzszoCbUHRHBF1_Tv43hZBlE-TYkixMOKIJxpaYP5Ayp2E3ccJX6MGNLMfZ6D2IiltOnexBeaUJDV/s400/hazelnut+pear+tarts+002.jpg" border="0" /></a> Got the macro working!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3gi2zMt2Pja6M30mdfJT-Fr2dM_42dztx5Gg7WaQPEUSAJ6W-6mTy90Dy52WqaoezRuvWVmdDg-IZdijQoq8wdVsOonJB7BAeR5kZsDEpGh_7l9__5a3okPVagNhWCZU4HxuZMYOmuDe/s1600-h/hazelnut+pear+tarts+003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252226343384136466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3gi2zMt2Pja6M30mdfJT-Fr2dM_42dztx5Gg7WaQPEUSAJ6W-6mTy90Dy52WqaoezRuvWVmdDg-IZdijQoq8wdVsOonJB7BAeR5kZsDEpGh_7l9__5a3okPVagNhWCZU4HxuZMYOmuDe/s400/hazelnut+pear+tarts+003.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Oh, and they were yummy too!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKL_Lk3pZthc96B_Z7brH6h58rK95Kca6jhjCO-nsQcUxF8uhBe9EN8krsKDSudwX5YoGgAz6YFDFPi9xcf-PrTSTLAdIBB4itH32PndalTzeoB1SET6W0MGfldWLMBjYdzVZ3_nAlUlnu/s1600-h/hazelnut+pear+tarts+004.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252226351074560770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKL_Lk3pZthc96B_Z7brH6h58rK95Kca6jhjCO-nsQcUxF8uhBe9EN8krsKDSudwX5YoGgAz6YFDFPi9xcf-PrTSTLAdIBB4itH32PndalTzeoB1SET6W0MGfldWLMBjYdzVZ3_nAlUlnu/s400/hazelnut+pear+tarts+004.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Take the tart shells as described in my <a href="http://chocolateand.blogspot.com/2008/08/summer-berry-tartlets.html">August post</a>, fill with hazelnut frangipane and bake 10 minutes at 350, then top with some pear compote. Vanilla ice cream on top is good, but not stictly required. Try not to eat them all at once!</div><div> </div><div>Hazelnut Frangipane</div><div> </div><div>1 cup toasted hazelnuts</div><div>3 eggs</div><div>6 T melted butter</div><div>1/2 cup sugar</div><div> </div><div>Whirl hazelnuts in a blender until pretty fine - you should add the eggs after they are pretty well chopped up and that will keep the mixture moving. Then add the butter and sugar and blend until fine. Spread in pre-baked shells and bake until puffed and firm - 10-15 minutes.</div><div> </div><div>Pear Compote</div><div> </div><div>2 medium pears - bosc or d'anjou work great</div><div>1/4 cup raw sugar</div><div>1/4 t. vanilla</div><div> </div><div>Peel and dice the pears. Put them in a small saucepan with the sugar. Cook over low heat until the pears are just tender - stirring as necessary to keep them from sticking. Add vanilla at the end. Use on top of the tarts, or over ice cream, or as a filling for a <a href="http://chocolateand.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html">danish braid</a>. </div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-19236814289784569122008-09-19T13:45:00.000-07:002008-10-01T09:38:27.141-07:00Chocolate and Fruit<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqfBo_ADCNeYD3ya8AqpKow1Rrk5qwwReNJBoJr7Y2ReIbw_d_eEdht91FeMgueMgXvwlgtCpgwhszAoGgjgSpNwXkuoufRj4ejj8B7y9dYendCWolfr7V9bWnlpVHGCLyU6M5XdxKvEX/s1600-h/bundt+cakes+002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252225713401560882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqfBo_ADCNeYD3ya8AqpKow1Rrk5qwwReNJBoJr7Y2ReIbw_d_eEdht91FeMgueMgXvwlgtCpgwhszAoGgjgSpNwXkuoufRj4ejj8B7y9dYendCWolfr7V9bWnlpVHGCLyU6M5XdxKvEX/s400/bundt+cakes+002.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>OK - we might as well get down to it because I KNOW I am in the huge minority here, but in general, I hate fruit and chocolate together. It's not so much the flavors, because that can be pretty good and I will get to that in a minute, but it's the textures - for example, a chocolate-dipped strawberry is just all wrong – the chocolate makes the strawberry taste sour, and the acid juiciness of the strawberry makes the chocolate go all grainy and nasty. Nope, nothing to like there. Other fruits fare similarly badly – I mean maybe banana isn’t so bad from the texture standpoint because it’s more creamy, but still, neither one enhances the other, really. And pineapple and other juicy and acid fruits produce the same results as the strawberries. And blueberries and chocolate – well that’s just wrong, because it puts two lovely things completely at war with each other and why why would you do that?? Chocolate and raspberries same thing – great apart, terrible together. . . .<br /><br />BUT, BUT (and this was a big revelation for me) there are some fruit flavors, if not the actual fruit, that go actually really well with chocolate. Last year, for example, I made a chocolate chiffon cake with a blackberry coulis (I love that word – but I think it just means sauce!! – hee!!) ANYWAY – chocolate chiffon cake is like the end – it is SO good – way richer than angel food, but not super dense and heavy. It sat so pretty in a pool of blackberry sauce – sweetened of course so it didn’t fight with the chocolate – amazing!<br /><br />AND, now, this year, I find that a lovely chocolate bundt cake flavored with orange essence and covered in an orange glaze is totally sublime! I mean who would have thought I would like something like that – la la la – it’s so great!<br /><br />Pictures to come. . . . .<br /><br />Chocolate Chiffon Cake<br />2 cups sifted cake flour<br />1/3 cup cocoa powder<br />1 1/2 cups sugar<br />2 teaspoons baking powder<br />1/2 teaspoon salt<br />1/2 liquid melted butter<br />7 large eggs, separated<br />3/4 boiling water<br />1 teaspoon vanilla<br />1 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar<br /><br />One ungreased 10-inch tube pan<br /><br />Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, cocoa, all but 2 tablespoons of the sugar, baking powder, and salt and beat 1 minute to mix. Make a well in the center. Add the oil, egg yolks, and vanilla and beat 1 minute or until smooth. Add the boiling water and mix again.<br /><br />In another large mixing bowl beat the egg whites until frothy, add the cream of tartar, and beat until soft peaks form when the beater is raised. Beat in the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and beat until stiff peaks form when the beater is raised slowly. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter until just blended.<br /><br />Pour into the tube pan, run a small metal spatula or knife through the batter to prevent air pockets, and bake for 55 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the center. Invert the pan, placing the tube opening over the neck of a soda or wine bottle to suspend it well above the counter, and cool the cake completely in the pan (this takes about 1 1/2 hours).<br /><br />Loosen the sides with a long metal spatula and remove the cake from the pan. Invert onto a greased wire rack and reinvert onto a serving plate.<br /><br />Serve with Blackberry Coulis and a dollop of whipped cream.<br /><br />Blackberry Coulis<br /><br />2 cups blackberries<br />1/2 cup sugar<br /><br />Cook blackberries and sugar in small saucepan over medium heat until the fruit breaks down and the sugar is dissolved. Push through a sieve to strain out seeds, but press down hard so that the resulting sauce is thick with fruit puree. Yum.</div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097943848594589193.post-5255919312242747872008-09-16T12:14:00.000-07:002008-09-16T12:19:28.943-07:00FavoritesCrab cake sandwich with fried egg and cheese. OMG - seriously. I could have this as my breakfast every single day and never be sorry there wasn't something else. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGa_xGj-BDbXpf9S2GiaO9fVVItuSPqIrB1VbHCy9iXzAsXZJDDuqSMB8HnhpCLAtdsC8aNyi5460pTrrdrDIWihr1buLBKt-J-VXB-17xLJWFKBWnw4ZG1H7haSp9yB_bG2Me5aUxK6Jn/s1600-h/crab+sandwich+001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246700108955511554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGa_xGj-BDbXpf9S2GiaO9fVVItuSPqIrB1VbHCy9iXzAsXZJDDuqSMB8HnhpCLAtdsC8aNyi5460pTrrdrDIWihr1buLBKt-J-VXB-17xLJWFKBWnw4ZG1H7haSp9yB_bG2Me5aUxK6Jn/s400/crab+sandwich+001.jpg" border="0" /></a> Chanterelles - sauteed with butter and oil and stirred into pasta or risotto. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOuvHTZnFjOUKqYiob6pZbaaxEtqvhVpYUPTp167LG2noLgSE6pvrSvmERnRZMtJu-IQNxvfrlnkhCd18ySWr53SNpvVmbV-2k17k9-83oVeMx_ZhZtyiL8hUKqU4cnVVVn7y1Vn4a3W5/s1600-h/chanterelles+001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246700109708201874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOuvHTZnFjOUKqYiob6pZbaaxEtqvhVpYUPTp167LG2noLgSE6pvrSvmERnRZMtJu-IQNxvfrlnkhCd18ySWr53SNpvVmbV-2k17k9-83oVeMx_ZhZtyiL8hUKqU4cnVVVn7y1Vn4a3W5/s400/chanterelles+001.jpg" border="0" /></a>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993651302999494620noreply@blogger.com1