My Favorite Flan.

I took this photo a while ago, but I never posted the recipe. I recieved this recipe from my 7th grade french/spanish teacher. I immediately loved it because it tasted just like the 10-inch flans my father would bring home from the now closed Cafe Noir in San Pedro, CA.

I hate overly eggy or slimy flans, and this one is neither. It's creamy and light with a caramelish taste accentuated by the evaporated milk. It beat Frankie's Argentinian grandmother's recipe when we had an impromptu flan-off. I find it's also very hard to mess up!

NOTES: I have never used a gas oven for this. Electric is just fine. I also usually caramelize the sugar in a saucepan and then dump it into the baking dish, as i'm not sure what my cake or pie pans would do on the stove. I also usually use a Pyrex 9in glass pie pan instead of the cake pan. I used a 9 inch metal cake pan once, but it was a little harder to unmold.

Flan
1 3/4 c. sugar
3 egg whites
8 egg yolks
2 cans (13oz each) evaporated milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 Tbsp brandy or rum (I have actually done the igniting part. I bet it'd be cool though.)

Put 1 cup sugar into a deep pan (9 inch round cake pan) in which the custard is to be baked. Place it on top burner over low flame, stirring constantly until the sugar melts and turns golden. Tip the pan around until it is entirely coated with the caramel, then cool while making the custard. Beat the whites and egg yolks together, add milk, remaining sugar, and vanilla, mixing well. Strain into the coated pan, cover, and place the pan in a larger pan containing hot water (In Spanish this is called a bano de Maria, or "Mary's Bath.") Bake in a gas oven at 350 for about 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool somewhat but turn out onto a platter while still warm, or the caramel will not come loose from the pan. Flans are at their best when made hours before and thoroughly chilled. When ready to serve, pour heated brandy or rum over the flan and ignite. Serve while it is still flaming. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

Banana Cakes, Room Progress.

This is the banana cake from "Bill's Open Kitchen" by Bill Granger. It's about the third time i've made it, and I unfortunately can't post the recipe right now because I returned the book to the library again.

Basically you make a caramel with butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup and layer the bananas and butter cake batter on top. I used honey instead of syrup this time around and it was really delicious.



This is where i'm at in room decorating land. I definitely want to buy a new chair. Once again i'm feeling stuck though.

I feel much more moved into the new place, so i'll probably start baking again. I made hazelnut and salted caramel ice creams today which are chilling at the moment.

Hiatus.

I won't be updating with baking photos for a little while because:

a) I am busy with moving and starting a new school.
b) There is no one to eat my baked things right now.

See you in an indefinite amount of time!

Where to Eat in Pittsburgh.

I've made a google map of some of my favorite places to eat and buy food in Pittsburgh.

You can find it here.

I think the only place that isn't on here right now is Cafe Richard in the Strip District. It is located right next to Mon Aimee Chocolat. I might be missing a few other places, but these are most of my favorites. I will try and divide them up by type/price later.

Turkey Burgers.

Sara Foster's Casual Cooking has some great easy recipes. This one is a good example of something relatively simple that yields fantastic results. The burgers are just a little bit spicy, and very flavorful considering the meat isn't fatty.

Grilled Turkey Burgers
adapted from Sara Foster's Casual Cooking

1.5 lbs ground turkey
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (I used panko.)
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp hot sauce, such as texas pete or tabasco
2 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
4 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
1 tsp sea salt, plus extra to taste
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper, plus extra to taste

Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal or gas grill, or heat a grill pan over medium high heat until hot.

Combine the turkey, bread crumb, mayo, chives, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, scallions, basil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and work the mixture with your hands just to mix. (Do not overmix or the burgers will be tough.) Form the meat mix into four 1-inch thick patties.

Season both sides with salt and pepper and grill them for 5-6 minutes per side, or until they're just done. Remove the patties to a platter, cover them loosely with foil to keep warm, ad set them aside to rest for about 5 minutes.

Serve on hamburger buns and top with tomato or pickle or whatever you fancy. I ate mine in a pita pocket with tomato, arugula, and avocado.

A Very Aromatic Brioche.

I'm a huge fan of Bostock: day old brioche brushed with syrup, slathered with almond cream, and baked to a crisp. Michel Richard is my favorite place to eat almond brioche, hands down.

I used Melissa's recipe for vanilla bean/brown butter brioche, and Clotilde's recipe for the almond cream.

I added some strawberries on a whim and was pleasantly surprised when they resulted in a very aromatic and delicious brioche. I am a huge fan of the strawberry/almond extract combination, and these bostock really played up those flavors. I highly recommend them with some coffee or a glass of orange juice.

Thanks for all the nice comments from newer readers. It's nice to know that people actually look at this blog.

Mushroom Tart

My mom encouraged me to make this tart because the picture in the book looked really delicious. I love Deborah Madison's recipes for their clean, simple flavors. This tart might seem like a lot of work, but it isn't really. If you make the tart shell ahead of time, the rest of the process will be a cinch. If I can make all the components in a few hours, so can you.



Mushroom Tart
adapted from Vegetarian Suppers in Deborah Madison's Kitchen

Crust:
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp All purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/8 tsp sea salt
5 tbsp butter
3 tbsp sour cream (I actually used some tart yogurt and it came out fine.)
ice water.

Pulse the flours and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until it looks like fine crumbs. Add the sour cream and pulse again until combined. Add ice water 1/2-1 tbsp at a time until the mix barely comes together. You don't want it to be too wet or sticky.

Refrigerate the dough for 15-30 minutes. This seems short, but I had no problem at all with dough shrinkage. Roll the dough out to fit a 9 inch tart pan (about 1/4 inch thick) and fit it into the pan. Poke a few holes in the bottom with a fork. Freeze for 15-20 minutes, or until firm. Preheat your oven to 425. Pre-bake for 20-25 minutes until it just starts to color.

Mushroom Filling:
1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms
1/2 cup dry white wine (...or water if you don't have any.)
olive oil
1 large white onion, finely diced
1/2 lb sliced portobello mushrooms
1/2 lb white or cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp tomato paste
1-2 Tbsp parsley, thyme, or marjoram (or any combo) chopped finely
1 egg
2/3 cup half and half, cream, or mushroom stock (I used a combo of cream and stock.)
salt and pepper to taste.

Heat the dried mushrooms, wine, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan until boiling. Remove from heat and set aside for 30 minutes. Strain the mushrooms, reserving the liquid, and chop them into a rough dice.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet. Saute the onion until it starts to color (about 5 minutes.) Add the portobello and cremini mushrooms and about a tsp of sea salt and turn the heat to high. Saute until they are browned but try not to overcook them. (5-10 minutes) Add half the herbs and tomato paste, and the porcini mushrooms. Add a few tablespoons of the soaking liquid- and add more a little at a time until the mushrooms are glazed and cooked.

Pour the hot filling into the prebaked tart shell. Mix together the egg and half and half and pour over the tart. Bake in the 425 oven for 25-30 minutes, until the custard is set. (Mine was done in about 20, but I didn't use all the custard.) Sprinkle the finished tart with the rest of the herbs, and brush the top with a little oil if you like.

Cheesecake.

I'm not the biggest fan of cheesecake, but my little brother loves it. I made him a plain cheesecake with meyer lemon zest and vanilla on a gingersnap crust. The recipe comes from The New York Times Dessert Book, but i'm not going to post it. There are much better recipes out there.

Sandwich Cookies.

These are from Donna Hay's Off the Shelf. Most of Donna Hay's cookbooks have great recipes for simple, crispy butter cookies. This particular recipe called for a sweetened condensed milk caramel filling, which I didn't care for. I suggest filling the cookies with ganache, dulce de leche, or another filling you've tried before. You could also dip the tops in sugar and eat them plain.

Caramel Filled Biscuits
adapted from Donna Hay

8 oz butter, chopped
1 cup powdered sugar
1.5 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cornstarch
1 egg

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and process until a smooth dough forms. Roll tablespoons of the mix into balls and place on parchment lined baking sheets. Flatten the dough slightly with your hand or a glass and chill for about 10 minutes until firm. Bake the biscuits in a preheated 350 oven for 10-15 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on racks. Fill with a filling of your choice.

Espresso-Chocolate Semifreddo

Usually I don't care for semifreddo; it's not quite ice cream and not quite a substantial torte, cake, or pudding. I picked this recipe out of food and wine magazine because the picture was really pretty, and i'm happy to say it turned out quite well.

I'm a fan of Sherry Yard's recipes. They're usually very sophisticated, though sometimes a little hard to execute at home. This recipe didn't give an indication of just how much batter it produced. Make sure you use a very large mixing bowl.

This recipe was also a good excuse to play with my dad's huge La Cimbali espresso machine. I brewed shot after shot and tasted them all before measuring them out for the recipe O.o

If you like Tiramisu, I think you'll like this. It's got great coffee taste and a really nice texture. It'd be great with some raspberry coulis, or at least some muddled fruit.

Espresso Chocolate Semifreddo
(adapted from Food and Wine Magazine)
1.5 cup sugar
3/4 cup water+ 2tbsp
1.25 cup strongly brewed espresso
1/2 cup whole milk
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1 tsp gelatin dissolved in 2 tsp water
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 large eggs
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1.25 cups heavy cream
18 dry ladyfingers
1 tbsp cocoa for sprinkling
Raspberries, for serving

1. In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of the sugar with the 3/4 cup water and 1/4 cup of the espresso. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Let the espresso syrup cool.

2. In a small saucepan, boil the remaining 1 cup of espresso over high heat until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 8 minutes) Pour into a medium heatproof bowl.

3. Warm the milk with the vanilla bean and seeds over moderate heat until bubbles form around the edge. Remove from heat and stir in the gelatin until melted. Discard the vanilla bean. Add the hot milk to the reduced espresso and whisk in the chocolate until melted.

4. In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the eggs at high speed until light yellow and foamy. In a small saucepan bring the corn syrup, the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, and 2 T of water to a simmer. Cook over moderately high heat until the syrup registers to 235 on a candy thermometer*, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, gradually beat the hot syrup into the eggs. Continue beating until the mixture is very pale and has tripled in volume, about 4 mins. Fold in the espresso mixture**

5. In a bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Fold into the mousse mixture until no streaks remain**

6. Spoon about 1/4 of the mousse into a 9 inch springform pan. Dip 6 lady fingers into the espresso syrup until just soaked through. Arrange the ladyfingers over the mousse in rows. Repeat the process 2 more times, then top with the remaining mousse. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze at least 6 hours.

7. Before serving, warm a thin sharp knife under hot water. Run the knife around the edge of the semifreddo and remove the ring (you can refreeze after this if the sides are a little melty) Sift cocoa over the top of the semifreddo. Cut into wedges and serve with raspberries. The semifreddo will keep frozen for up to three days (so says the magazine.)

*If you don't have a candy thermometer, you can cook the syrup and periodically drop a little of it into a bowl of cold water. You want to cook it until a little before the soft ball phase. You should be able to shape the cold syrup with your fingers, but it shouldn't form a really dense ball. It takes a little practice sometimes.

** I was running out of room in my bowl, so I just gently whisked in these ingredients. It didn't deflate the mix or anything.