Crispy, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I took this tray of cookies and truffles to class. The treats were well received; only a few truffles were left afterwards.

These cookies were best right out of the oven, when the melted chocolate was hot enough to burn my tongue. It's a good recipe. My cooled cookies were very crunchy, so err on the short end of the baking time if you'd like them chewier. I used chopped Guittard chocolate and pecans instead of walnuts.

I like cookies. There's not much else I can say.

Crispy, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from The Sweet Life by Kate Zuckerman

16 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1 egg white, at room temperature
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups flour
8 oz semisweet chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate with 61-66% cocoa solids)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (6oz) chopped walnuts (optional.)

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray cookie sheets with oil or line with parchment.

Place the butter in the bowl of the stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minutes. Add the sugar and beat on medium-high speed until the mixture becomes fluffy and lighter in color, 6-8 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and egg white and continue to beat until they are fully incorporated and the batter looks smooth and glossy, 1-2 minutes.

In a dry bowl, whisk together the baking soda, flour, and salt. Add the dry mixture, all at once, to the butter mixture. Using a rubber spatula, fold together for a few turns. With the mixer on slow speed, mix the dough until thoroughly combined, 1 minute. Add the chocolate, vanilla, and walnuts if you are using them. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for another 30 seconds. The batter can be made up to this point and refrigerated, well wrapped, for up to 4 days.

Using 2 teaspoons, scoop the dough into mounds arranged 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake until they are a light golden brown with darker coloring at the edges, 12-15 minutes. For a crunchier, darker, more caramelized cookie, bake a little longer. For even browning, rotate the cookie sheets during baking.

These cookies will keep, sealed in a container, for 3 days.

Dark Chocolate, Cinnamon, and Espresso Truffles

I'm picky about truffles; they often suffer from bad chocolate, boring or horribly wrong flavors, or an overly-dense texture. Luckily I loved this recipe from The Sweet Life. The flavor of coffee and cinnamon is sophisticated and the walnuts add a nice crunch. The ganache isn't so dense that it's hard to bite into.

I used a 63% Guittard chocolate. If you're in Pittsburgh, you can find good baking chocolate in the back of Mon Aimee Chocolat for 4-5 dollars per pound. This is a steal, considering that Whole Foods charges 9-13 dollars a pound for Callebaut and El Rey coverture.

I will probably take these to class, along with some chocolate chip-pecan cookies. I'd consider making them again for holiday parties too.

Dark Chocolate, Cinnamon, and Espresso Truffles w/ Walnuts
adapted from The Sweet Life by Kate Zuckerman

Truffles:
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 tsp ground fresh cinnamon
8 oz bittersweet chocolate (61-66%)
2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature, diced into 6 pieces
1 tbsp coarsely ground fresh dark coffee

Coating:
3oz bittersweet chocolate
1 1/4 cups ground walnuts

In a small saucepan, combine the cream and cinnamon and cook over medium heat to almost boiling. Remove from the heat, cover, and let the cream steep for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a double boiler, melt the chocolate, stirring with a rubber spatula as it melts. Do not overheat- it should never be so hot that you cannot dip a finger in it.

Remove the melted chocolate from the heat and slowly whisk in the infused cream. Continue to whisk until the mixture (now a ganache) is smooth, creamy, and holds the lines of a whisk. Slowly whisk in the butter and ground coffee until incorporated. Scrape the ganache into a small bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Fill a glass with very hot tap water. Dip a small mellon baller into the hot water and tap on the counter to remove any excess water. Plunge the mellon baller into the chilled ganache far enough down so that it sits completely in the ganache. Rotate the mellon baller 360 degrees and remove from the ganache. Tap the melon baller to release the ball onto a plate or tray. Repeat this process until all the ganache has been scooped into balls. Transfer the plate to the refrigerator and chill.

In the bowl of a double boiler, melt the bittersweet chocolate, stirring with a rubber spatula as it melts. Remove from the heat and cool for 15 minutes.

Set up an assembly line on your counter. From left to right place the chilled ganache balls, the bowl of melted chocolate, a tray with the ground walnuts, and a container to hold the finished truffles.

With your left hand, pick up 2 ganache balls and dip them quickly into the melted chocolate and roll them around until coated. Drop the balls with your left hand into the walnuts. With your right hand roll the balls until completely enrobed. Pick up the finished candies with your right hand and place them in the container.

These truffles will keep, in a sealed container and refrigerated, for 2 weeks.

Half a Baguette Bread Pudding

I'm in the midst of finals, so things have been busy. I bought a Christmas tree, saw The Golden Compass (vastly dissapointing with a few good moments,) wrote papers, and had a nice cup of coffee with April from Cookworm.

After a short baking hiatus (anything longer than a few days seems to be a hiatus for me,) I made a bread pudding. This is another recipe from Fresh Every Day, one of my favorite cookbooks.

There are many different versions of bread pudding. Some are huge, rich, and seem like one big mass rather than individual bread cubes held together. Some require you to mash or cook the bread while others have conservative directions.

This pudding is somewhere in the middle. It's a little on the thin side, but it keeps well for later reheating. The apple pieces are a nice, tart contrast and the caramel sauce is fantastic. I managed to cook the caramel to my favorite, just under burned point. Next time I might use salted butter. The sauce makes up for the lack of richness in the recipe itself and adds a nice textural contrast. Ice cream or poured cream would also be nice accompaniments.

I will probably keep experimenting with recipes. I'm also planning to make Dorie Greenspan's gingerbread cake and some truffles from The Sweet Life.

Half a Baguette Bread Pudding w/ Caramel Pecan Sauce
Adapted from Fresh Every Day by Sara Foster

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp packed light brown sugar
6 cups 1.5inch cubes of baguette, or country italian bread, or any day-old bread, biscuits or cake
2 cups milk
2 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp unfiltered apple juice or cider
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 granny smith or other good baking apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
2 tbsp dark rum

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Brush a 9x13in glass baking dish with 1 tbsp of melted butter and sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the bottom of the dish.

2. Place the bread cubes in a large mixing bowl and pour the milk over the bread. Let the bread sit until it is mushy and has absorbed almost all the milk, 4-5 minutes.

3. Whisk the eggs, sugar, apple juice, vanilla, and the remaining melted butter together in a seperate medium bowl. Pour this over the bread, add the apples, and stir gently until the ingredients are evenly distributed.

4. Pour the bread into the prepared baking dish using a rubber spatula or the edge of your hand to get all the liquid out of the bowl. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake the bread pudding for 50 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and continue baking 15-20 mins until the bread pudding is fluffy with a golden brown crust. While the pudding is baking, make the caramel pecan sauce.

5. Remove the baking dish from the oven, pour the rum over the top, and let it cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving. You can pour the caramel pecan sauce over the pudding while it's in the pan or over individual servings, but make sure to pour the sauce over the pudding while both the sauce and pudding are warm.

Caramel Pecan Sauce
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted

1. Stir the sugar and water together in a small saucepan placed over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the liquid to a boil without stirring. If sugar crystals appear on the sides of the pan, brush the sides down with a wet pastry brush. Boil the syrup for 4-5 minutes until it turns amber in color. Swirl the pan if it starts to color only in one area.

2. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cream by pouring it down the side of the pan, stirring constantly. If the caramel hardens when you pour in the cream, put the saucepan back on low heat to soften. Add the butter and stir until all is incorporated. Stir in the pecans. Keep warm until ready to use or reheat over low heat.

Foster's Homemade Granola

This granola recipe is from Fresh Every Day by Sara Foster. It's one of my favorite cookbooks- i've made a good number of the soups, salads, and desserts. I like that they're fresh and well spiced.

This granola is very crispy, light, and fresh tasting. I love it with yogurt. I've never had the dried fruit on hand when making this recipe and the granola tastes fine without it.

Foster's Homemade Granola
adapted from Fresh Every Day by Sara Foster
Makes about 6 cups

2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup sliced almonds
1 tsp kosher or sea salt
1/4 cup canola or safflower oil, plus more for greasing the pan
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 275.
2. Spread the oats, coconut, and almonds on a large baking sheet with sides. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 12-15 minutes, until the ingredients are lightly toasted but not yet golden. Transfer the ingredients to a large bowl.
3. Increase the oven temperature to 350. Lightly grease the baking sheet with oil or spray with vegetable oil.
4. Stir the maple syrup, oil, and honey together in a small bowl, pour over the oats, nuts, and coconut, and toss to coat evenly. Spread the granola onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the granola is just crispy and golden brown, stirring several times while baking. Let the granola cool completely on the baking sheet, breaking up any large clumps while it is still warm.
5. When the granola has cooled completely, add the dried fruit and toss to mix. In an airtight container, this will keep at room temperature for up to two weeks.

Easy Gingerbread Cakes.

I love gingerbread. Generally I love all things involving any combination of molasses, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, pepper, ginger, and cardamom.

Every year I look foward to the arrival of Bahlsen christmas cookies. Prestogeorge Coffee in the Strip District usually has the best selection. Mon Aimee Chocolat also has a small selection this year. I'm extremely partial to the Contessas. My family has a history of going through Contessas like hotcakes. Sometimes we hide them from eachother.

I like this recipe because it's easy. I usually omit the blueberries or substitute chocolate chips. I also add about 1/4 tsp of cloves. Also, I never use an 11x7 pan; I use muffin tins or small cake pans and reduce the baking time.

The cake is soft and delivers Christmas flavors without bashing you over the head with them. It's a good solution for people who complain about too much molasses, too much ginger, etc.


Blueberry Gingerbread
from recipezaar.com

1/2 cup oil
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons molasses
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup fresh blueberries or frozen blueberries
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
With mixer, beat together oil, 1 C sugar, salt and molasses.
Beat in egg.
Combine flour, spices and baking soda, dredge blueberries with 2 Tbsp of mixture.
Add remaining flour mixture to first mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating after each addition.
Stir in blueberries.
Pour into a greased and floured 12 x 7 baking dish.
Sprinkle top with remaining 2 Tbsp sugar.
Bake for 35- 40 minutes.
Cut into squares and serve warm with butter.

Green Tea Kasutera

I remember the first time I saw someone eat cake and milk; my uncle Bob piled four or five slices of leftover lemon cake in a bowl, drenched them in milk and proceeded to eat them as though they were breakfast cereal. I thought it seemed ridiculously decadent and I suspected my parents wouldn't really approve. Soon, one of my childhood comforts was eating cake and milk and watching tv whenever my parents left the house.

It's not nearly as exciting anymore, but I still enjoy it on occasion. Especially with this green tea sponge cake. The honey in the cake pairs nicely with milk. I don't have a tube pan; I usually just make it in a 10 or 12 inch cake pan.

Green Tea Kasutera
reposted from dianasdesserts.com

Ingredients:
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 large eggs, separated
1 cup cake flour, sifted
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon green tea powder or unsweetened cocoa powder (optional-if using omit the lemon extract)
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 C). Use parchment to line the bottom of a 10-inch tube pan, preferably with a removable bottom or 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans. Grease the parchment. In a large bowl, whisk 1 cup sugar, honey, vanilla, lemon extract, and salt into egg yolks. Place bowl in a large pan of hot water. With an electric mixer, beat about 5 minutes on medium-high speed until pale yellow and doubled in volume. Gently fold in sifted flour.

2. Wash beaters. In a large bowl, beat egg whites in electric mixer on a low speed 1 minute, increasing speed to medium-high. When foamy, sprinkle in 1 tablespoon sugar and cream of tartar. Beat until stiff but not dry. With a spatula, fold the egg whites in thirds. Pour batter into pan. Tap gently on the counter to remove air bubbles.

3. Bake on middle rack of oven 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. When done, cake sides will pull away from pan slightly; top will be flat and feel spongy when pressed with finger. Cool 20 minutes. Run a small knife between edge of cake and pan. Remove from pan carefully. Pull off parchment and cool completey. Serve or store airtight.

NOTE:
This recipe is adapted from the Kastutera recipe in "Japanese Cooking for the American Table" by Susan Fuller Slack.

Citrus Babas.

Here's an old photo I like. These are citrus babas from the Hidemi Sugino: The Dessert Book. They are yeasted pastries with a citrus compote folded in. They are soaked in an orange syrup and filled with a whipped cream lightened vanilla custard.

I'm not sure i'd make them again, pretty as they are. A biker acted like he was going to reach into the car and grab one as we drove past.

Apple Crisp

I love apple crisp. My mom baked it, my dad brought it home from California Pizza Kitchen when it first opened (if they still have it, it is completely different,) and my friend Mike always made it for potlucks.

It's much easier to make than apple pie and it dresses up just as nicely, especially if you have ovenproof bowls like the one in the second picture. I believe my roommate got those plates from her grandmother. I've had trouble finding ovenproof plates and bowls that are economical, pretty, and lightweight.

Once again, there was no one here to eat this. This is the first Thanksgiving i've been alone (though i'm having lunch with a friend and his mother around 2.) I can't really complain- I had offers to go home with roommates, and I could have found a flight home if i'd made more of an effort. I thought some time alone to reflect would be good. In hindsight, this wasn't the best idea.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I hope you all have a chance to share good food with the people you love.


Apple Crisp
adapted from The Foster's Market Cookbook by Sara Foster
6 cups peeled and sliced apples
3 tbsp flour
1 tbsp corn starch
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 cup flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1/2inch cubes
1/2 tsp cloves
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Combine the flour, brown sugar, oats, almonds, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a large bowl and stir to mix.

Add the butter and cut it into the mixture with a pastry blender or 2 knives until it resembles coarse meal.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 11x7x3 baking dish and set aside.

Combine the apples, sugar, flour, cornstarch, and lemon zest/juice in a bowl and stir to mix. Pour into the prepared baking dish.

Sprinkle topping evenly over the fruit and bake 40-45 minutes until the fruit is bubbling nd the top is crisp and golden brown. Serve warm.

Nuts, reprised.

I made the Sweet and Spicy Nuts again for a potluck. They're addictive.

The Recipe.

Mountain Meadow Chocolate Fudge Cake

Supposedly, Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O'Connor is the next feature for Joseph Beth's Cookbook Potluck Club.

The book says "desserts for the serious sweet tooth" on the front cover. Even though I love dessert, some of these recipes seem a little too intense for me (ie cheesecake milkshake.) Still, the book is beautifully designed and all the recipes have a happy, whimsical quality.

I decided to try this relatively simple chocolate cake recipe. It was well recieved at a potluck on Sunday. It's not the fanciest cake in the world, but it uses fairly simple ingredients and takes less than an hour to make.

The frosting might seem a little strange at first; while warm, it has a weird, oily consistency. Even if it seems a little thin, I recommend omitting the optional 1 cup of powdered sugar. Once the cake cools completely, the frosting will have hardened in to a decadent fudge layer that's best at room temperature. The toasted pecans are a great textural addition.

Mountain Meadow Chocolate Fudge Cake
adapted from Sticky Chewy Messy Gooey by Jill O'Connor
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup boiling water
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

For the icing:
3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
3 to 4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, toasted

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Brush a 9x13 inch baking pan with melted butter or spray with a nonstick spray.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.

Combine the butter, boiling water, and chocolate in a saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and whisk gently until the butter and chocolate are melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the sugar. Quickly whisk in the buttermilk and then the eggs and vanilla. Using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients just until combined and a smooth batter forms, about 1 minute.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and a wooden skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the icing. Combine the chocolate, butter, and buttermilk in a saucepan and cook, stirring over medium heat, until the chocolate is melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla, salt, and 3 cups of the confectioners sugar. If you would like the icing sweeter and thicker, whisk in the remaining sugar to taste. Stir in the pecans.

Transfer the cake to a wire rack and pour the warm icing over the cake while it too is still warm in the pan. Let cool completely, then cut into squares and serve.

Cakes from Chocolate & Zucchini

Some of my favorite photos and recipes aren't in this blog, as I used to post my photos to picturing food. I'm going to start sharing these when school, work, and the band leave me with less time to bake. I hope they keep you entertained!

These recipes came from Clotilde's blog. They are a chocolate-pistachio cake and a simple butter cake with pears. Both cakes were fantastic; salted butter makes the pear cake especially rich and delicious, and the ganache adds extra elegance to the already striking 10inch pistacio cake.

The Chocolate Pistachio Surprise Cake recipe is here.

The Gateau de Mamy a la Poire recipe is here.

Rice Pudding with Dulce de Leche.

I rarely eat rice pudding; I think I can count the number of times i've had it on one hand. Still, I think it's the epitome of comfort food: simple, good, and loaded with dairy.

I'm not sure I cooked this pudding long enough. I stopped about 15 minutes early because the rice started to feel very soft. Consequently, it came out very soupy but the flavor was amazing.

I used Chinese cassia cinnamon from Penzey's and Organic Valley whole milk. There is a huge difference in taste between a good organic milk and the grocery store brand. I recommend you go for the good milk if you're making a dessert where milk is the star ingredient.

I microwaved some dulce de leche in the ramekins to soften it, then dumped the cold pudding on top. It was a great combination- the silky texture of the caramel really stands out against the creamy pudding.

It was a good dessert to have on the first real day of snow.

Rich Risotto Rice Pudding
adapted from Jill O'Connor's Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey.
1/2 cup arborio rice
8 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 vanilla bean, split length-wise
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
freshly grated nutmeg (optional.)

Combine the rice, milk, sugar, vanilla bean, cinnamon, and salt in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring every 5 minutes as the mixture starts to thicken, for about 30 minutes. Continue cooking until the rice is tender but not too mushy, about 15 minutes more. The milk will be thick and the rice tender, but the mixture will still be a little soupy, which is what you want. (As the pudding cools, it thickens, and if it is too thick while still hot, it will firm up into a thick, stodgy lump without the creaminess of a great rice pudding.)

In a bowl, whisk the yolks and cream together and stir into the rice pudding. Continue cooking the pudding for 2-3 minutes, until the eggs are cooked through and the pudding is creamy and glossy, but still fairly soupy. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Grate a little nutmeg into the pudding, if desired. Remove the vanilla bean. Pour the pudding into a serving bowl and press plastic wrap over the top to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2-3 hours. Serve cold.

Apple Cheesecake

This apple cheesecake seemed appropriate for fall. It has a touch of ground cinnamon and ginger and a layer of caramelized apples sitting on top of the graham cracker crust.

I wasn't sure which photos to pick. I thought the above two had a nice character to the color/texture, but I also took this one which was also interesting- less washed out, but busier.

I'm going to drop this off with the guys at Apple again. There's no way 3/4ths of a cheesecake is going to get eaten in my apartment. I'm also pretty picky about cheesecake texture. This cake is pretty light and similar to cheesecakes i've tried at Juniors.

I'm more partial to cheesecakes that are very dense and crumbly with a crust that is crunchy instead of soggy and dense. The crust recipe I used on Pichet Ong's Kabocha Squash Cheesecake is one of my favorites and next time i'll probably substitute it in.

Sometimes my baking really reflects my mood. I'm still stuck in an empty, stressful, unmotivated funk. Lots of friends have moved away and my new apartment building gives me less opportunities to cook for people. I'm not sure if I need to take a break or simply find a new outlet for my work.

Apple Cheesecake Brulee
adapted from Tish Boyle's The Cake Book
Apple Layer:
2 medium granny smith apples
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp granulated sugar
3 tbsp heavy cream

Cinnamon Graham Cracker Crust:
1 1/4 cups (150g) cinnamon graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp granulated sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Cream Cheese Filling:
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup sour cream at room temp
1 tbsp corn starch
4 large eggs, at room temp

Brulee Topping:
1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x3 springform pan. Cut an 18in square of heavy duty aluminum foil and wrap the foil around the outside of the pan.

2. Make the apple layer. Peel and core the apples and slice them in half. Cut them into 1/4 inch slices (don't cut too thin!) and place them in a bowl with the lemon juice, tossing the slices so they are evenly coated.

3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. When the butter is bubbling, add the apples and saute for 2 minutes. Sprinkle the sugar over the apple and continue to cook, stirring frequently until the apples are nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Add the cream and continue to cook until the apples are tender, about 10 mins. Remove skillet from heat and set the apples aside to cool.

4. Make the crust: in a medium bowl combine the crumbs, sugar, and butter. Pat the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake the crust for 8 minutes.

5. Set the pan on a wire rack and cool the crust completely. Reduce the oven temperature to 325.

6. When the apples are cool, arrange a tight circle of slices, without overlapping them, around the edge of the pan, on top of the crust. Arrange another circle of slices in the center, covering the crust completely.

7. Make the filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese at medium-low speed until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and beat until blended. Add the vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, ginger, sour cream, and corn starch and mix until well blended. At low speed, add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

8. Scrape the batter over the apple layer. Place the pan in a roasting pan or large baking pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come about 1 inch up the side of the springform pan. Bake the cake in the water bath for 70 to 80 minutes, until the center is set but still slightly wobbly (the cake will continue to set up as it cools.) Remove the pan from the water bath and set it on a wire rack to cool completely.

9. Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours before caramelizing the top.

10. Run a thin bladed knife between the edge of the pan and the cake to loosen it. Remove the side of the pan. Sprinkle the sugar over the top of the cake, covering it with a very thin, even layer. Caramelize the sugar with a butane or propane torch, holding it about 2 inches from the surface of the cake and slowly moving it over the top until the sugar melts and turns golden brown.

This is at a house show in Grand Rapids. Playing in a band is probably the most satisfying thing i'm doing right now. I loved spending the weekend on tour. Seeing four cities and meeting tons of people/musicians is a great way to get some perspective.

I never realized how many musicians make no money. You can have an album, critical acclaim, a loyal fanbase, and talent and still make nothing. There was a cool band from Baltimore at our show in Chicago, and by the time they went on the audience was nearly non-existent.

The trip was worth it though. We made enough to cover gas money. We ate good Indian food and visited a cool used bookstore. I met interesting people who lead incredibly different lives.

I promise there will be more food photos later. I have a cheesecake from Tish Boyle's The Cake Book chilling in the fridge.

Crunchy Milk Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake

I immediately noticed this Nancy Olson recipe in the latest issue of Food and Wine. According to the article it's "the brilliant marriage of her mother's chocolate, peanut butter, and Rice Krispie-topped brownie...and Pierre Herme's 'sweet pleasure'."

Sometimes I think Pierre Herme's Plaisir Sucre is the ultimate baking challenge as so many bloggers have attempted it.

I don't really feel like trying; it seems like the kind of pastry that can be amazing and memorable in a patisserie but stressful and not worth the expense/effort at home. Still, I love all things crunchy and i've often fantasized about making a dessert involving some sort of feuilletine or rice crispie layer.

This cake recipe takes a little time, but you can definitely finish it in one sitting. It was a very satisfying evening project and i'm extremely happy with the results. It's very rich and texturally interesting. I'd definitely make it again.

Anyway, i'm going on a short tour with my band this weekend. We're hitting South Haven, Grand Rapids, Chicago, and somewhere in Indiana. Hopefully i'll take some fun photos on the road.


Crunch Milk-Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake
Cake:
2 cups + 2 tbsp sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1.5 tsp baking powder
1.5 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp boiling water

Filling:
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 large egg whites
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup salted roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3 oz milk chocolate, chopped
1 cup rice krispies

Ganache:
1 1/4 pounds milk chocolate
1 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp heavy cream, warmed

1. Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350. Butter and flour a 9x13 cake pan. In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Whisk in the boiling water. Pour the batter (it will be thin) into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool.

2. Invert the cake onto a work surface. Working carefully, slice the cake horizontally. Reduce the oven temperature to 325.

3. Make the filling: Trace a 9x13 rectangle on a sheet of parchment paper and lay it on a large baking sheet. In a food processor, pulse the almonds with the confectioners sugar until they're finely ground. In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites at medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the whites are stiff and glossy- about 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the almond mixture. Spread the meringue on the parchment to fill the rectangle. Sprinkle the chopped peanuts on top. Bake for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned and firm. Let cool.

4. In a medium bowl, set in a saucepan of simmering water, heat the peanut butter with the butter and milk chocolate, stirring constantly, until smooth and melted. Remove from the heat and fold in the Rice Krispies. Spread the mixture all over the meringue rectangle. Transfer to the freezer and let cool completely.

5. Make the ganache: In a medium bowl set in a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Whisk in the warm cream until smooth. Remove from the heat and refrigerate for one hour, whisking occasionally until thick enough to spread.

6. Assemble the cake: Place the bottom cake layer cut side up on a large board. Spread 1/3 of the ganache over the cake. Invert the filling onto the cake and peel off the paper. Spread half the remaining ganache over the filling, then top with the second cake layer. Refrigerate until firm, at least one hour. Using a serrated knife, trim the edges. Spread the remaining ganache over the top and sides of the cake and refrigerate to set. Cut and serve.

Flan!

My friend Lindsey is having a Dia De Los Muertos party tonight, so I decided to make a flan (because Lindsey loves it, not necessarily because it's culturally suited.)

I've posted this recipe before here.

We'll probably light it on fire. I'll try and make a video.

Pecan Tassies.

Somehow in class today I ended up with a two inch doodle that reads "Pecan Tassies!" It's hard to concentrate when the lecture is about TCP/IP and the history of the internet.

I said I needed time to regroup from baking failure, but then I started thinking about how easy Pecan Tassies would be since Alice Medrich's recipe uses melted butter.

They were incredible fresh from the oven; extremely crunchy on the outside but chewy inside with some runny brown sugar/butter sauce that you can almost see in the first photo. The crust was flecked with real vanilla bean since I ran out of extract.

I liked this recipe so much that I wanted to give away the product immediately. My roommates and I don't go through pastries very quickly and it seemed tragic to let these sit for days and get soggy.

I ended up taking them to some friends who work for Apple. Their office is amazing; simple and well designed with some incredible furniture and a gorgeous view of Oakland. I only felt a little jealous!

It was nice to meet some new people and share the baked goods. I really love baking for others, and the folks at Apple said I could ditch things any time. Someone chimed in that they love cheesecakes.

Honestly, if you're in Pittsburgh and have a horde of hungry coworkers I can hook you up. As long as I don't blow my budget on ingredients.

Pecan Tassies
adapted from Alice Medrich's Cocoa Bean Tassies in Bittersweet
for the pastry:
12 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
scant 1/4 tsp salt
1.5 cups all purpose flour

for the filling:
1 large egg white
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 cup pecans (or cocoa nibs), chopped
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
generous pinch of salt
2 12-cup miniature muffin pans

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
To make the pastry: combine the melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the flour and mix until just incorporated.

Divide the dough in half and press each half into a flattened 4 inch square. Cut each square into 12 equal pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Place one ball in each muffin cup and press it evenly over the bottom and all the way up the sides of the cup, forming a neat rim. Set aside.

To make the filling: in a medium bowl, beat the egg white until foamy. Stir in the brown sugar, melted butter, pecans, vanilla, and salt. Divide the filling evenly among the tartlet shells, about 1 tsp each.

Bake the tassies for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees and bake for 20 minutes more, or until the pastry is well browned on the edges and underneath (lift one out with the point of a knife to check.) Let cool in the pans on a rack.

Bad Baking Mojo.

I had another failure yesterday. I tried to make the Sour Cream Cake with Cocoa Filling from The Simple Art of Perfect Baking. The recipe looked tempting because the cake had a double glaze. Sadly, it broke apart coming out of the pan. I put some in a tupperware and gave the rest away, as it's still perfectly edible and delicious.

I'm not a stupid baker. Usual i'm careful and meticulous. I think my heart hasn't been in my baking the past week; school is really busy and my increased stress seems to have the power to curdle frosting and eviscerate cakes.

While I try to recuperate and take a little time to myself, I'll treat you to an old photo of the Pisto Manchego from Jose Andres's Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America.



There you go.

Carrot Cake.

I've made this carrot cake at least ten times, possibly more. It's a recipe my mom has used since I was little. I never tire of it and i'm always proud to serve it. I usually use a bundt pan, but occasionally i'll make a layer cake or a roulade.

It's the one recipe I can never bring myself to share.

Usually, I get very angry when people refuse to trade recipes. Sometimes the refusal seems selfish, malicious, and rude. Other times, it's more understandable. Some bakers and food professionals guard their recipes to protect their livelihood. Other people just want a recipe that distinguishes them and is special to their friends and family.

Marge, a family friend, make the best fruitcake i've ever tasted and sends us two every Christmas. She won't give the recipe to anyone. It's maddening, but it makes her cakes very special. I have jokingly offered her my firstborn for the recipe.

I'm not sure why i'm so reluctant to part with this recipe. I love that it's been passed through family. I feel like posting it on the internet will somehow make it less special, less personal. I tell myself if I ever open a bakery or catering business, this will be on the menu.

I will give you any other recipe in my repertoire. I'm just not ready to let go of the carrot cake.

Scones from Enrico Biscotti Co.

During undergrad I took a 7:56am bus to the Strip District almost every Saturday. Now I avoid Saturday because it gets so crowded! Still, I love the Strip and I go there for different things depending on my mood and the time of year.

Right now i'm in a scone phase. While I like traditional, soft cream scones with jam or clotted cream, I'm rather partial to drop scones. These ones have particularly crusty exteriors (and i'm a sucker for anything crusty.)

I think my current favorite flavor is raspberry with lemon icing. Today I decided on lemon and chocolate chip/pecan. They were perfect with coffee. In general I love the combination of chocolate/lemon and coffee/lemon.



The Enrico Biscotti Company is one of my favorite places. You can always find good, comforting food there, and Larry Lagatutta has great stories about old italian ladies, handed-down recipes, and knife injuries. Their cafe is now open six days a week, so you can get your wood-fired-pizza fix.

Now if only the yearly supply of Bahlsen christmas cookies would arrive. Then it would really feel like fall.

Fruit and Nut Bars

Fruit and Nut Bars from Alice Medrich's Cookies and Brownies.

I have two roommates. One of them loved these bars and the other said, "I think they look a little too healthy for me."

I think the apple anadama coffee cake also falls into the slightly too healthy category. Personally, I love baked goods with a high percentage of "stuff" in them, whether that's nuts, grains, fruits, etc. Unfortunately, these things don't move very quickly when you try to ditch them at work or class.

Maybe it's the slightly brown, healthy color or the large chunks of fruit that throws people off. I keep thinking "if they tried it, they'd like it! It tastes good!"

The office can be a strange place. Women will devour chocolate cupcakes with three inch thick frosting if someone says it's made with splenda, but they'll ignore a perfectly nice fruit bar. Hmph.

This recipe is available here.

Apple Anadama Coffee Cake

This the sort of cake I imagine Heidi Swanson or Molly would like.

It's very hearty and seasonally appropriate. Cornmeal, whole wheat flour, semolina flour, and grated apples give the cake a dense texture that's somewhat like a bran muffin. The crunchy cornmeal streusel on top is a nice addition too.

Sometimes it's nice to enjoy something that's not overly sweet.

Apple Anadama Coffee Cake
adapted from Leslie Mackie's Macrina Bakery and Cafe Cookbook

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup semolina flour
1/2 cup fine whole wheat flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp kosher salt
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup molasses
3 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 granny smith apples, peeled and grated
2/3 cup buttermilk

for the topping:
2 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled
3 tbsp cornmeal
3 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1/3 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350. Oil a 9in square baking pan.

Combine flours, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon and set aside.

Place butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and using the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed for 5-8 minutes. The creamed butter will become smooth and pale in color.

In a medium bowl, combine molasses, eggs, and vanilla extract and mix with a whisk. With the stand mixer on low speed, slowly pour the molasses mixture into the creamed butter and mix with the paddle attachment for about 2 minutes. At first the butter will look like it's separating, but don't worry. Add the grated apples and continue mixing on low speed for 30 seconds.

Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Alternately add small amounts of the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the bowl, mixing with a wooden spoon just until the batter comes together. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Set aside.

for the topping:
Place all topping ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the paddle attachment on low speed for 1-2 minutes. The topping will become coarse and crumbly.

Spread topping evenly over the cake and bake for 40-45 mins. Test center with a skewer. It will come out clean when the cake is finished. Let cook for 20 minutes on a wire rack, then run a sharp knife around the sides of the cake to release it from the baking pan. Invert pan to remove the coffee cake, then place it, topping side up, on a serving plate. Leftovers can be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temp for 3 days.

Blondies (not boring!)

Alice Medrich's Cookies and Brownies continues to surprise me.

I usually hate blondies. My usual reaction is too much flour, too little flavor. These were great for a few reasons: they're simple (melt the butter and mix in everything else,) they're chewy, and they're full of flavor.

Alice Medrich suggests adding a tablespoon of dark rum. Don't omit this step! You can, but I thought the rum added a fantastic and surprising depth of flavor.

Try to use good chocolate chips if you can; I used 62% Nestle Chocolatier chips. They're not the best, but they're much better than the normal tollhouse. Chopped bittersweet chocolate would work nicely too.

Please, please don't overbake these!

Blondies
adapted from Alice Medrich's Cookies and Brownies

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
8 tbsp butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar, lump free
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp dark rum or bourbon
2/3 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
8 inch square pan, lined with parchment paper or foil

Preheat the oven to 350. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and mix together thoroughly with a wisk or fork. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the brown sugar. Use a wooden spoon to beat in the egg, vanilla, and rum, if using. Stir in the flour mixture followed by half of the walnuts. Spread the batter in the pan. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts and the chocolate chips evenly over the top.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the nuts look toasted, the top is golden brown, and the edges have pulled away from the sides of the pan. Cool in the pan on a rack. Lift the ends of the parchment or foil and transfer to a cutting board. Use a long, sharp knife to cut into 16 squares. May be stored, airtight, for 3-4 days.

Sweet and Spicy Nuts.

I had a library student potluck last night. The blackout cake went over well; the outer frosting got way too hard in the fridge, but the inside was very moist. I'd happily eat a bowl of the pudding filling by itself.

I also made this recipe for Sweet and Spicy Nuts from The Macrina Bakery and Cafe Cookbook. I have no photo because everyone ate them! The cayenne pepper gives these spiced nuts a pleasant kick. They'd make a good holiday gift or holiday party contribution. Feel free to substitute other nuts; I used 2c walnuts, 1c almonds/pecans, and 1c hazelnuts.

Sweet and Spicy Nuts
1 cup whole almonds
1 cup whole peanuts
1 cup whole pecans
1 cup walnut halves
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup light corn syrup

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, then brush the top of the paper with canola oil.

Combine almonds, peanuts, pecans, and walnuts in a medium bowl.

Combine cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, ginger, pepper, cayenne and salt in a small bowl. Mix well, then pour the spice mixture over the nuts and toss together thoroughly.

Combine honey and corn syrup in a medium saucepan and place over low heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is just warm. Pour the mixture over the nuts and toss together until the nuts are evenly coated.

Pour the nuts onto the prepared baking sheet and spread them in a single layer. Bake on a center rack of oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the nuts take on a rich mahogany color. Let the nuts cool completely. At this point they will have formed a single, crispy layer in the baking sheet. Break the nuts apart with your hands and store in an airtight container. Store in a cool place, as heat will melt the syrup on the nuts and make them sticky.

Brooklyn Blackout Cake

This is the Brooklyn Blackout Cake from Tish Boyle's The Cake Book.

Something is wrong. My baking has been off for a week and a half or so- about the entire time i've been ill. I decided to make this cake for a potluck, but nothing went quite right.

The cake layers were either undercooked, or over-ly moist. This could have been due to too much liquid, or the fact that valrhona cocoa powder has a higher fat content than other cocoa powders. Probably too much liquid, too little flour. My chocolate pudding filling wasn't as set as I would have liked. I think I should have used a higher percentage cocoa.

When I tried to frost the cake, the broken middle layer started sliding out with the pudding. I managed to precariously cover the mess in frosting and hide all damage with the cake crumbs.

I'm going to serve it anyway without comment and hope it tastes fine.

Flag-Raising Apple Pie

I'm practicing for the upcoming Slow Food Pittsburgh apple pie contest. It's difficult; apple pie has so many variables and i've never actually had one I really, truly liked. For me, key factors are:

1. crispy crust that has flavor (ie- plain shortening won't cut it.)
2. properly cooked apples
3. doesn't turn into a mess when you cut into it
4. doesn't have an inch of liquid in the bottom.

I've always loved my mother's apple pie. She uses gala apples and butter flavored shortening. The problem is a lot of people hate butter flavored shortening.

I don't think a fancy tart crust ala Maury Rubin or Pierre Herme suits apple pie. I like a rustic quality- something closer to a crostata.

I've had crusts made with oil or melted butter that tasted pretty good. Some suggest pre-cooking the crust and the filling. I'm starting to think this might be a good technique. There's also some interesting recipes for dutch apple pie that involve making a caramel/cooked apple mix that gets tossed with the sliced apples.

This first attempt is Flo Braker's "Flag Raising Apple Pie" from The Simple Art of Perfect Baking. The streusel recipe was so simple: butter, sugar, and flour. I thought it'd be boring, but it's fantastic.

The crust recipe was crunchy, but relatively flavorless. It contrasted well with the streusel though. Unforunately, the bottom crust was a disaster. I put too many apples in the pie and they released too much liquid. The bottom crust was beyond soggy, and the apples were undercooked.

I think cornstarch would be a better thickener this time. Flour just doesn't work as well.

Hopefully i'll find a good recipe in time. I'm going to experiment with some other crusts and apples and i'll keep you posted.

Recipe for Failure.

Failure (serves one.)
1 cake recipe
2 garbage bags
1 sponge
1 glass of water
15 spatulas

1. Decide that, despite being really sick, you'd like to bake a cake.

2. Select a cake recipe and corresponding frosting. In this instance we've used Tish Boyle's Banana Cake with Espresso-Caramel Frosting.

3. Prepare the cake according to the directions. You should end up with the most perfect nine inch cakes you've ever produced.

4. Begin the frosting and decide halfway through that you're going to try a new technique for incorporating the sugar.

5. Undercook your sugar syrup, curdle your eggs, then increase the mixer speed to high whilst thinking this will rectify all problems.

6. Attempt to spread the curdled frosting on the cake. Attempt to pipe a lovely border.

7. Refrigerate the cake for ten minutes.

8. Remove cake from fridge and watch the top layer slide off the bottom.

9. Use the sponge to clean large gobs of weeping buttercream from your drawers, countertops, and mixer. Drop the cake into one garbage bag, and once you see the corners of the cake board poking through place it in a second bag. Throw cake into the garbage chute. Pray the bag doesn't burst within the chute.

10. Get a glass of water and go back to bed. Do more grad school homework like you should have done in the first place.

Date Cake with Toffee Sauce

Yesterday I tried to make the Date Cake from Desserts from Chanterelle. I bought a bag of california dates, figuring they'd be fine; however, the recipe calls for 9oz of unpitted medjool dates and I wasn't comfortable estimating a substitution. I made the toffee sauce and decided to buy medjool dates the next day.



The medjool dates are on the right. They're moist and meaty while the california dates are slightly dry and much less flavorful. Sometimes it's worth it to spend slightly more for good ingredients.

I didn't have a 9in square pan, so I set aside one cup of the batter and baked the rest in an 8in square. I used the extra to make some mini cakes for sampling and photos, as the whole cake is going to Bloomfield for a dinner.

This Date Cake is Kate Zuckerman's version of a sticky toffee pudding. It's a great cake for fall; it's spiced with cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, espresso powder and rum. The warm toffee sauce is a rich, boozy concoction of butter, cream, rum, and brown sugar.

I highly recommend this. Please don't ask me to post the recipe; I have mentioned several from this book already and I do not think it's fair to put them all online.

Nibby Nut and Raisin Cookies

These are the Nibby Nut and Raisin Cookies from Alice Medrich's Bittersweet.

I used a little too much flour. The cookies didn't spread well, so I flattened the tablespoons of dough with a glass. I felt pretty shocked and dissapointed when the first batch didn't look anything like the picture in the book.

This recipe is nice because it's loaded with currants (in place of raisins,) cocoa nibs, and chopped walnuts. It also omits the creaming step and uses melted butter.

I'd be interested to talk to anyone who's had great success with this recipe. Given my results I think dark brown sugar would work much better than light brown, and I would have liked to throw in a few pinches of cinnamon. Baking the dough without parchment or silicone made the cookies much crispier on the bottom too.

Chocolate-nut Wedges

I met a fellow Pittsburgh blogger for coffee at Enrico's Tazza D'oro yesterday. Antonio, a very friendly barista, made me the best double macchiato i've ever had in Pittsburgh (possibly ever.) His foam technique is really solid.

I really appreciate a good cup of coffee. I never know what to say when a barista asks me how much milk I want on my macchiato. I especially hate it when the beverage i'm handed is just a shot of espresso with some milk dumped in.

Anyway, one topic of conversation was boxed cake mix. I don't think box mix is -that- convenient, especially considering that many people doctor their box mix with other ingredients. I'm not saying you're not allowed to enjoy box cake; If you are simply intimidated by baking, there are many simple, delicious, and forgiving recipes you can try.

These chocolate-nut wedges from The Weekend Baker can be made in half an hour, possibly less. The prep time is especially fast if you use a food scale. All the dry ingredients get thrown together. The wet ingredients are piled on top and mixed in. The resulting treat is something in between cake and a brownie.

Because this recipe is so simple, your finished product will only be as your ingredients. I used some leftover valrhona cocoa powder and chinese cassia cinnamon from Penzey's Spices. I used mini chocolate chips so they'd be better distributed and I chose pecans because I love them combined with cinnamon.

The cake may seem underbaked when you pull it out of the oven, but it will harden up as it cools. Believe me- if you wait until the whole cake is solid and tests completely done, it will be way overcooked. These wedges taste much better when they've fully cooled. Right out of the oven the texture is a little off, and the flavor of cinnamon isn't as pronounced.

This might not be the best treat you ever eat, but for something that takes a half hour it's delicious. Some days I need a recipe that doesn't take three hours and make a mess of the kitchen.


Chocolate-nut Wedges
adapted from The Weekend Baker by Abigail Johnson Dodge
3/4 cup (99g) all purpose flour
3/4 cup (170g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (57g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (43g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp table salt
1/3 cup (73ml) canola or corn oil
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (57g) chopped nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts, or pecans) no need to toast

1. Position an oven rack on the middle rung. Heat the oven to 350/180C degrees. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9in(22.75cm) pie plate.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until well blended. Mix together the oil and eggs with a fork until just blended. Pour the liquid over the flour mix and mix with a rubber spatula until well blended. Scrape into the prepared pie plate and spread evenly (the batter will be quite thick.) Scatter the chopped nuts over the top.

3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few gooey pieces clinging to it, about 20 minutes. Transfer the baking dish to a rack and let cool. Cut the pie into 8 wedges.

Chewy Almond and Cherry Bars.

Some days, I feel like lazy baking: baking that requires no butter creaming, egg white whipping, gelatin blooming, double boiling or dough proofing.

I've also been a little uninspired lately when it comes to cooking, writing, and music making. I thought it might help to go back to basics. I've been working on etudes and keeping my blog entries rather short. Alice Medrich's Cookies and Brownies is an old classic and I decided to try a simple recipe i'd normally be tempted to skip over.

These Almond and Cherry Bars taste like something someone's mother would give you. They're very plain but satisfying with a chewy texture similar to blondies or peanut butter bars. The almond extract lends a delicate, aromatic touch.

I'm not sure how my writing is going to progress. My sixteen year old brother wrote a short autobiography that was incredibly fresh and hillarious. It made me wonder if my literary voice has been killed by years of trying to do well in english class.

Anyway, i'm going to keep trying simplicity for a while and see where things go.

Chewy Almond and Cherry Bars
3/4 cup whole almonds, with or without skins
1 cup all purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
8 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
1 large egg
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup dried tart cherries, or dried cranberries, or apricots
8 inch square pan lined with parchment or foil

Preheat the oven to 350. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven.

Process the almonds with the flour in a food processor fitted with a steel blade until the almonds are finely ground. Add the salt and baking powder and pulse to mix. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar. Using a wooden spoon, beat in the egg and almond extract. Stir in the flour mixture, followed by the dried fruit. Spread the batter evenly in the pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and have pulled away from the sides of the pan and the top is golden brown. Cool in the pan on a rack. Run a knife along the unlined sides of the pan. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 16 squares. May be stored airtight for at least 1 week.

Peanut Butter Brownies

These pictures are rather similar, but I couldn't choose between them.

This is a decadent recipe from Dorie Greenspan. The key is to let the brownies reach room temperature before you eat them- otherwise the ganache will be hard to bite through and the peanut butter frosting will pull away from the brownie.

They are ridiculously decadent.

Peanut Butter Brownies
reposted from epicurious.com

Brownies
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Frosting and ganache
1 cup chunky peanut butter (do not use natural or old-fashioned)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided, room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

For brownies:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Line 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with foil, leaving long overhang; butter foil.

Place 3/4 cup butter in heavy large saucepan. Add both chocolates; stir over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in sugar, vanilla, and salt, then eggs, 1 at a time. Fold in flour, then nuts. Spread in prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes. Place pan on rack; cool.

For frosting and ganache:
Using electric mixer, beat peanut butter and 1/4 cup butter in medium bowl to blend. Beat in powdered sugar, salt, and nutmeg, then milk and vanilla. Spread frosting over brownies.

Stir chocolate and 1/4 cup butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until smooth. Drop ganache all over frosting; spread to cover. Chill until set, about 1 1/2 hours. Do ahead Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

Using foil as aid, transfer brownie cake to work surface; cut into squares. Bring to room temperature; serve.

Banana Bread/Cake ala David Lebovitz.

I made this recipe from David Lebovitz's blog. It's a little different than other banana bread recipes i've made: less butter, and some fromage blanc. It's a good snack cake.

I'm a little amused by the photo; it wasn't staged. I bought roses earlier in the day (only 5 bucks from the lady outside PNC) and the music was from cello practice. I don't have a music stand at the moment, so I invariably prop the music on tables, chairs, desks, random piles of junk.

I'm making almond/cherry bars and peanut butter brownies tonight so stay tuned. It's going to be a crazy week and I think i've been baking overtime to avoid thinking about it.

Gingersnaps.

I finally ordered a copy of The Sweet Life: Desserts from Chanterelle. These gingersnaps won me over; I could eat the whole pile in one go.

These aren't snappy, toothbreaking gingersnaps: They're crisp right around the edges, but soft in the middle. I baked one batch for 10 minutes and the other for 15. The second batch had much crispier edges, but still stayed chewy.

The flavors are really well balanced. I like my gingersnaps with more cloves than usual, so the 1.5 tsps in this recipe was perfect.

Gingersnaps
adapted from The Sweet Life: Desserts from Chanterelle

18 tbsp butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp powdered ginger
1.5 tsp ground cloves
1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup molasses
1 cup raw sugar, or granulated sugar.

Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the light brown sugar and beat on medium-high speed until the mixture becomes fluffy and lighter in color, 6 to 8 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, and continue to beat until they are fully incorporated and the batter looks smooth and glossy, 1 to 2 minutes.

In a dry bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the dry mixture, all at once, to the butter mixture. Using a rubber spatula, fold together for a few turns. With the mixter on slow speed, mix the dough until thoroughly combined, 1 minute.

Add the molasses and mix until incorporated. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone. Place the raw sugar in a small bowl. Pinch off 1.5 inch pieces of batter and roll into balls. Roll each ball in the sugar to coat. Arrange the cookies on the prepared sheet 2 inches apart and press your thumb in the center of each cookie to flatten it a bit. Bake until the cookies spread, crack a bit, and take on a dark golden brown color, 10-15 minutes.