Pressed Sandwiches

I'm watching The Iron Giant in the park with friends tonight. Right now my kitchen is in boxes, so my cooking repertoire is somewhat limited. I decided early on that if I couldn't bake, i'd just make a giant sandwich.

After some coffee and pastry in the Strip District, I bought a ciabatta, fresh mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes from Penn Mac and the Farmer's Market. Using a Martha Stewart recipe as a guide, I assembled this sandwich and weighted it down with a dutch oven and some jelly jars.

I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. It's perfect for picnics and parties. I've posted the original recipe below, but I only used it as a guideline. Here are some of my notes:

I prefer to stir in the parmesan by hand after the remaining pesto ingredients have been food-processed. The garlic can be overpowering, so err on the light side or omit it completely. Lastly, if you choose to use tomatoes, slice them thinly and place them on the thicker half of the bread to prevent the liquid from soaking through.

I'm looking forward to trying other variations!

Pressed Sandwiches
from Martha Stewart Magazine
2 cups fresh basil leaves, rinsed and dried
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper (about 7 ounces)
1 small eggplant (about 8 ounces), cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 zucchini (about 8 ounces), cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 yellow summer squash (about 7 ounces), cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 loaves ciabatta (each about 8 by 10 inches), halved horizontally
1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/3 pound thinly sliced prosciutto

Make the pesto: Pulse basil, Parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor until combined. With machine running, add 1/2 cup oil in a slow, steady stream. Transfer to a small airtight container, and top with remaining oil. Pesto can be refrigerated overnight.

Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high. (If you are using a charcoal grill, coals are ready when you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill for just 3 to 4 seconds.) Grill bell pepper, turning with tongs, until blackened all over. Place in a bag, close bag, and steam 15 minutes. Peel pepper, and discard skin.

Lightly brush both sides of eggplant, zucchini, and summer squash with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Grill, flipping once, until golden brown and soft, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Pull out most of the doughy center of bread, and reserve for another use (such as breadcrumbs). Brush inside of each loaf with oil. Spread pesto over bottom half of each loaf. Top one loaf bottom with grilled vegetables and half the mozzarella; top remaining loaf bottom with prosciutto and remaining mozzarella. Sandwich top and bottom of each loaf, and press firmly.

Tightly wrap each sandwich in plastic, allowing air to release before sealing. Wrap each in parchment paper, and tie with kitchen string. Place sandwiches in refrigerator, and weigh down with a heavy object (such as a Dutch oven). Refrigerate at least 2 hours (or overnight). Slice, and serve.

Peanut Brittle, Walnut Sandwich Cookies.

I'm still working my way through The Sweet Life: Desserts from Chanterelle.

I decided to roll and shape the Walnut Cream Cheese Sandwich Cookies, but next time I think i'll just cut them into rectangles to save some time. If it's humid and your cookies get a little soggy, you can refresh them in a 350 oven for 4-5 minutes. You can fill and freeze the cookies too. They don't freeze too hard and the cookies stay crunchy!

The book suggests using the Thin and Delicate Peanut Brittle as a garnish or candy. You make a caramel, grind it in a food processor and combine it with ground peanuts, then bake it until it re-melts. It's topped with some fleur de sel.

I'm not going to post these recipes for now; I've posted a few from the book already, and you should consider buying it or finding it at your local library if the recipes are to your liking.

I do recommend it. I browsed through it many times before checking it out, and for all my skepticism i've really enjoyed the recipes.

Choco-Hazelnut Ice Cream Sandwiches.

You know what- forget everything I said in the original version of this post. I just ate another one of these and they're delicious.

Maybe i'm too much of a perfectionist, but I think ice cream sandwiches are problematic. If the ice cream is too soft, you'll bite into the sandwich and half the ice cream will squash out the other end. If the ice cream is too frozen, it could hurt your teeth. For the most part it's a textural problem.

Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies
from David Lebovitz's "The Perfect Scoop."

1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 tablespoons (50g) unsweetened dutch process cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups (210g) flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350F (175C.) Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Beat together the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer, or by hand, until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
In a seperate bowl, whisk together the cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir the dry ingredients gradually into the creamed butter mixture until completely incorporated and there are no streaks of butter.
Form the dough into sixteen 1 1/2 inch (4cm) rounds. On the baking sheets, flatten the rounds so they're 3 inches (8cm) across, spacing them evenly. You can get 8 on a normal 11x17 baking sheet, with 3 going lengthwise down the sides and 2 in the center in between.
Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheets midway during baking, then remove from the oven.
Once cool, sandwich ice cream between the two cookies, then wrap each ice cream sandwich in plastic wrap and store in the freezer.

Hazelnut Ice Cream
from Emily Luchetti's "A Passion for Ice Cream."

4 large egg yolks
6 Tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned, and coarsley chopped

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, 3 tbsp of sugar, and the salt*. Combine the milk, cream, hazelnuts, and remaining 3 tbsp sugar in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until almost simmering. Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let the nuts infuse in the milk for 10 minutes. Slowly pour the milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking as you pour. Return the egg mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heat resistant plastic or wooden spatula, until the custard reaches 175F and lightly coats the spatula.

Pour the custard into a clean bowl and cool over an ice bath until room temperature. **Refrigerate the custard for at least 4 hours or overnight. Strain the custard, discarding the hazelnuts. Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturers instructions.

*I usually wait to combine the yolks and sugar until the milk is infused and ready to go. Yolks and sugar tend to curdle when they sit.

**I usually just chill it in an ice bath until it's pretty cold to the touch.

A Weekend in Philadelphia.

Pittsburgh Needs Eated is on a brief hiatus, if you haven't noticed. I'm in Philadelphia for the ALA Midwinter Conference.

Philadelphia is an interesting city that's full of culinary delights. Here's a sampling of what i've been enjoying:

1) Burnt Sugar, Chai, Heirloom Apple Marscarpone, and Toasted Almond gelato from Capogiro. Heirloom Apple Marscarpone was unbelievable. I'll try a few more flavors before I leave.

2) Coffee and a bagel sandwich from Mugshots. Their espresso is fantastic.

3) Simple, good Korean food from Giwa.

4) A plain croissant and a poached pear/chocolate/pistachio tart from The Metropolitan Bakery. I've heard mixed reviews about this bakery in the past. I thought the pastries were fantastic. I really appreciate that their tart crusts are crunchy on the bottom and the pastries are very well browned, as good pastries should be.

5) Some beets and feta, a smoked mozzarella and crispy prosciutto sandwich, and a good glass of red wine from Tria. It reminded me a little of 'ino and Cube.

6)A massive veggie burger with sweet potato fries and coleslaw from Sabrina's Cafe. They have great breakfast, brunch, and lunch offerings.

7) Some of a Belgian sugar waffle from Bonte. I didn't really care for it; the sugary crust was nice, but the waffle itself was overly dense like undercooked churro batter. I'm so picky about waffles.

Tomorrow i'm going to Tinto for a belated birthday dinner. There are many places I would have loved to try if I had more time: Remedy Tea Bar, Monk's Cafe, Scoop DeVille...

I will be eating pretty simply when I get back to Pittsburgh. For now, i'm enjoying myself.

Melting Moments

I'd never heard of Melting Moments until recently. They remind me a little of rosketti- a simple chamorro corn starch cookie that melts in your mouth. Mexican wedding cookies also have that similar crumbly, sandy texture.

These are from Donna Hay's Modern Classics 2. The best part is they're incredibly simple and fast to prepare. They're filled with a simple lemon frosting.

Melting Moments
adapted from Donna Hay
175g (about a stick and a half) butter, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour, sifted
1/4 cup corn starch, sifted
60g butter (about half a stick), softened
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350.
Cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
Add the flour and cornstarch and mix until it comes together.
Put the batter in a bag and with a fluted tip and pipe 1" circles onto parchment lined baking sheets.
Bake 12-14 minutes until golden brown.

For the frosting, cream the butter, sugar, lemon juice and zest.
When the cookies are cool, sandwich them together with some frosting.
Makes about 16 sandwiches.

Back from a week in NYC.

I'll have a real update soon- promise.

I'm also going to try and be more disciplined about posting the recipes of what I make, per your requests.

Anyway, I was in Manhattan last wednesday through this tuesday. Most of my time was spent eating and walking, and i'm happy to say I found some fantastic places worth your time. Here's a summary of the damage I did:

1) Once Upon A Tart was fantastic. I've had their cookbook for years. I recommend the Pear Ginger Raisin muffins, but many people swear by the scones and cookies etc. They usually open around 8 and it's great to enjoy a coffee and pastry at one of the tables in front of the store.

2) Balthazar, despite being very busy all the time, makes a -fabulous- breakfast. Some of the more delicious looking things were pastries, quiches, granola, omlettes...pretty much everything. I highly recommend the smoked salmon and the side order of fried tomatos. I saw plenty of people picking up beverage and pastry from the small boulangerie and eating it on the benches outside.

3) Chikalicious was just great. The service, atmosphere, and food were all fantastic. I hear it can get very busy (long lines) but I went right at opening on sunday and got right in. My dessert tasting menu included kiwi gelee with cantaloupe sorbet, lavender marinated kiwis with yogurt sorbet and crispy kataifi, and a petit four plate with a coconut marshmallow, lemon-poppyseed shortbread, and a chocolate/nib pudding bite. All of the desserts looked fantastic- particularly the ganache filled raspberries. They were the hugest berries i'd ever seen. The iced tea was great too, and some of the other cocktails I saw looked really pretty.

4) I always try and hit Payard when i'm in New York. The pastries are quite good, though the service can be a little snooty. I love their canneles and croissants in particular as well as the orange-carrot tart. Just watch out and make sure the pastry you've ordered hasn't been sitting in the case for days.

5) Ceci Cela was recommended to me by a good friend. Unfortunately, i've been there three times and each time it was -awful.- You could taste that the (rather pricy) pastries had been sitting in the case for far too long. Soggy crusts, blandish pastry, and horrible horrible service. I've been ignored by staff there so many times. It's a pity really because everything always looks so pretty. Honestly, unless they make major changes I won't be going back.

6) Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery in the Time Warner Center was nice too. I wish i'd had a chance to try more. I only had time to order a few things to go. Their macarons are fantastic. Though not as crunchy as I might have liked, they were substantial, huge, and packed with flavor. I had caramel and pistachio and they were amazing. It's worth a try, but again, keep an eye out for things that have been in the case too long.

7) Cafe Sabarsky on 5th ave and 86th street is a hidden treasure. I don't think i'd have found it without a friend's recommendation. It is a viennese style cafe that features excellent service, food, and desserts. I went back three times during my trip and managed to sample the apple strudel, streuselkuchen, sachertorte, quark cheesecake, chocolate feuillete, and several cups of espresso. It's fabulous.

8) Tom Colicchio's 'wichcraft wasn't really anything special. It's a good place to get good, fast eats though.

9) 'ino is my favorite place for sandwiches and bruschetta. I've probably had the best sandwich/bruschetta of my life there. I went three times during this trip.

10) I went to an Italian pastry place on Bleeker street called Cafe Bruno, i think. It was pretty good, but I don't really remember it. Many of the cookies tasted similar and were a little stale :(

11) Sfoglia was one of the best dining experiences i've had in a long time. Good lord, GO THERE ALREADY. The bread they serve is out of this world. We had a delightfully spicy and moist roast chicken along with strawberry-basalmic spaghetti, a beet and bean salad, and some antipasto. The restaurant is beautiful and the service is fantastic. It is much easier to get in for lunch than dinner. I wish I could have gone back...

12) Lupa is one of those places I didn't know was popular until after I ate there. It was also UTTERLY FANTASTIC and reasonably priced. We all tried the tasting menu which included a huge assortment of antipasto, good focaccia, two pasta courses, a meat course, a cheese course, and dessert. There were good olives, amazing prosciutto, a baccala salad, a beet salad...curly pasta with AMAZING asparagus ragu, ricotta gnocchi with a fennel sausage sauce, fish with a meyer lemon sauce, spicy chicken diavolo, roast port shoulder, goat cheese, sheep cheese, cow cheese...panna cotta and tartufi that were to die for...I highly recommend it. Zagat calls it "Babbo on a budget."

13) I also made two trips to Kitchen Arts and Letters. It's the best cookbook store i've ever been to, and Matt has given me excellent cookbook and restaurant recommendations. They answer their email, they will ship you anything you like, and generally, if you tell them your favorite cookbooks they'll be able to make you an educated recommendation. They also have rare and out of print things. If you ever need help finding a restaurant to your taste that isn't too touristy, you should give them a call.

Wow...I ate a lot of food last week O.o

I'm probably heading back in July. I have a few places left on my curiosity list including:
Hearth
P*ONG
Good sushi
Good dim-sum
...More bakeries.

Feel free to make recommendations.

San Francisco

I spent this past weekend in San Francisco.



We went to the ferry building farmer's market. I think I spent all of Saturday eating...Chocolate/Cherry Rugelagh, Almond Croissants, Peaches, Summer Squash Tamales, Nutella Doughnuts, Spiced Sandwich Cookies, Fruit Crostata, Panna Cotta, Chocolates, Hummus, Cappucino...

It was a little too ambitious to buy produce and expect it to survive a 7 hour drive unscathed. My peaches and little strawberries rather died.

I didn't like San Francisco as much as I thought I would. Part of the problem is I stayed in Union Square- which wasn't suited to my personality at all. The city was busier than I expected it to be, and I encountered snooty, hurried service in many of the bakeries and restaurants I visited.

On a positive note, I did eat at some wonderful places. All the baked products I purchased tasted fresh, as opposed to many I bought in Manhattan. Here's the lowdown:

Delfina was recommended by Dave Lebovitz and the food was really fantastic. The buttermilk panna cotta and profiteroles were to die for, as well as one of the two table breads. The fruit budino was dissapointing (I could hardly eat it because in my head I kept thinking it had to be made from leftover bread...) We had grilled calamari, marinated sardines, some fantastic salt cod spread, steak, roast chicken, and salmon...all in all it was a great meal. The only problem was our service was -excruciatingly- slow. It was a busy night though.

Recchiuti Confections was very good, though I think I need to try more chocolates before I know how much I really like it. Of the five pieces I tried, my favorites were the burnt caramel and the sesame nougat.

Some people say Tartine is way overrated and the service is bad, but I found it really enjoyable! All of their cookies were fantastic, especially old favorites like shortbread and mexican wedding cookies. They had fantastic looking croissants too.

Citizen Cake had great service and a very streamlined design. Everything I sampled was good, and the brunch offerings looked AMAZING. Fresh doughnuts with butter and jam...mmm. Poached eggs over potatoes. I'd definitely go there again. They had interesting ice cream flavors too.

I was supposed to intern at Miette but I ended up finding a paid position. Everything at Miette was pretty, but not really to my taste. I did have a panna cotta/pot de creme that was fantastic though- worth ordering again.



Sears makes a damn good breakfast.

That was the notable eating. Everyone should read restaurant and bakery reviews with a certain amount of caution. Consider questions like "How much does atmosphere and clientele affect my enjoyment of a place?" "Will I enjoy my food if I feel very rushed, or if there isn't anywhere to sit down?" "How do I feel in crowded places where the staff doesn't have much time to be personable?" "Do I like restaurants that are trendy or homey?"

I think different cities are better suited to different personalities. It's really worth planning ahead to make your vacations enjoyable.

Buttermilk Loaf Bread

When I am sick, I like hot soup. I like comforting food that's easy to stomach. But what do you eat when you're homesick, heartsick, or suffering from a bad case of what should I do with my life?

Recipes can provide different kinds of comfort. One might trigger memories of family, holidays, or after-school lunches, while another might just salve a bad day with melted cheese and hot sauce. It's not stess-eating; it's food satisfying an emotional and physical hunger.

These days, i'm hungry for simplicity. My schedule gets hectic, life gets complicated, and I gravitate towards simple recipes with few ingredients. I've been thinking about bread, mostly, and its fundamental role in food culture and history.

This recipe for Buttermilk Bread isn't life-altering, but it's well suited to weekly bread baking. I eat it toasted with a smear of salted butter and homemade preserves. The preserves are simple too- a mix of fruit, raw sugar, and water. I'll post that recipe later.

I'm hoping to try more breads and jams/jellies/conserves/chutneys. It'd be nice to expand my repertoire before summer's here.

Buttermilk American Loaf Bread
adapted from Cook's Illustrated

3 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tsp table salt
1 cup buttermilk, cold
1/3 cup boiling water
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
3 tbsp honey
1 package (2 1/4 tsp) instant yeast

1. Adjust oven rack to low position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Once oven temperature reaches 200 degrees, maintain heat 10 minutes, then turn off oven heat.

2. Mix flour and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with dough hook. In 1-quart Pyrex liquid measuring cup, mix cold buttermilk and boiling water together (temperature should be about 110-degrees), add butter, honey, and yeast. Turn machine to low and slowly add liquid. When dough comes together, increase speed to medium and mix until dough is smooth and satiny, stopping machine two or three times to scrape dough from hook if necessary, about 10 minutes. Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface; knead to form smooth, round ball, about 15 seconds.

3. Place dough in very lightly oiled bowl, rubbing dough around bowl to lightly coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; place in warm oven until dough doubles in size, 50 to 60 minutes.

4. Form dough into loaf by gently pressing the dough into a rectangle, one inch thick and no wider than the length of the loaf pan. Next, roll the dough firmly into a cylinder, pressing with your fingers to make sure the dough sticks to itself. Turn dough seam side up and pinch it closed. Place dough in greased 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan and press gently so dough touches all four sides of pan.

5. Cover with plastic wrap; set aside in warm spot until dough almost doubles in size, 20 to 30 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees, placing empty loaf pan on bottom rack. Bring 2 cups water to boil.

6. Remove plastic wrap from loaf pan. Place pan in oven, immediately pouring heated water into empty loaf pan; close oven door. Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted at angle from short end just above pan rim into center of loaf reads 195 degrees, about 40 to 50 minutes. Remove bread from pan, transfer to a wire rack, and cool to room temperature.

Pear Red Currant Bread Pudding

I rarely follow bread pudding recipes to the letter- I often substitute the suggested bread or fruit and I have no problem trading granulated sugar for brown sugar or cream for milk.

If you like a deeper bread pudding, you can use a deeper pan. No one is going to punish you if you throw in a handful or raisins, a pinch of nutmeg, or a touch of marmalade. If your pudding comes out too dry, you can drown it in caramel sauce or ice cream.

To choose the recipe that best suits your taste, consider these questions:

What is the ratio of bread to custard?

Does it use a water bath?

Is it covered during baking?

Is the whole custard made ahead of time, or are the milk and eggs added seperately?

From experience, I know I like a substantial bread pudding (12-16 ounces of bread) that's very custardy. I find recipes cooked in a water bath are less likely to curdle. I like the top rather crispy too, which means the pudding needs some time uncovered in the oven.

I loved this Dorie Greenspan recipe. The original uses caramelized apples and apple butter instead of fruit and jam, but I didn't feel like adding an extra cooking step. I used challah from Trader Joe's, huge pears from Harry and David. (which held their shape remarkably well,) and red currant preserves. Next time, i'd use a seedless preserves with bigger chunks of fruit. I dusted the pan with light brown sugar.

It looked really beautiful. I rather wish i'd made it for the neighborhood Christmas Eve party tonight.

Jam and Fruit Bread Pudding
adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From my Home to Yours

3 medium pears, peeled, cored and largely diced (or other soft fruit.)
about 1 cup quality fruit preserves

12 ounces egg bread, such as challah or brioche, or good quality white bread, preferably stale, sliced 1/2 inch thick.

3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 large eggs
5 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Butter a 9x13 inch baking pan. Dust the inside with sugar and tap out the excess. Line a larger roasting pan with a double thickness of paper towels.

If your bread is not stale, spread it out on a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone and bake at 350 degrees to "stale" it for 10 minutes.

Spread one side of each slice of bread with jam, then cut each slice on the diagonal to get 4 triangles. Cover the bottom of the baking pan with half of the bread, arranging the triangles, jam side up, so that they overlap slightly. Don't worry about spaces between the slices. Spoon over the pears and finish "the sandwich" with the rest of the bread (jam side down.)

Bring the milk and cream just to a boil, then take it off the heat. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks and the 3/4 cup of sugar. Still whisking, slowly drizzle in about one quarter of the hot milk mixture- this will temper or warm the eggs so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remaining milk. Add the vanilla and whisk to blend. Rap the bowl against the counter to pop any bubbles that might have formed, then spoon off any foam that has risen to the top. Pour the custard over the bread and press the bread gently with the back of a spoon to help it absorb the liquid. Leave the pan on the counter, giving the bread the back of the spoon treatment every now and then, for about 30 minutes.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Put the baking pan in the roasting pan, slide the setup into the oven and very carefully pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the pudding pan. Bake the pudding for about 1 hour and 25 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean. Transfer the baking pan to a rack and cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Bread pudding is best served the day it is made, but this pudding is still delicious served at room temperature the following day.

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.

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

I'm enjoying the texture and flavor of Carole Walter's muffin recipes. These have mini chocolate chips, peanut butter, bananas, and salted peanuts. Kim says they taste like a peanut butter smoothie. They remind me of a peanut butter and banana sandwich. I'm going to take them to work and see how my coworkers like them.

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
adapted from Carole Walter's Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, spooned in and leveled
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup (2/3 stick) unsalted butter, very soft
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup very fresh dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1.5 medium, very ripe bananas)
1/3 cup medium chopped salted Spanish peanuts
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
4 tsp sparking sugar, for sprinkling (I used demerara sugar)

1. Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Heat the oven to 375F. Line 14 muffin cups with paper or foil cupcake liners.

2. In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

3. Combine the butter and peanut butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute.

4. Add the brown sugar, then the granulated sugar, and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg and vanilla and mix for about 1 minute.

5. Combine the yogurt with the banana. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the yogurt/banana mixture, dividing the flour in 3 parts and the yogurt mixture in 2 parts, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Do not overmix.

6. Set aside 2 tbsp of the peanuts for garnishing. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a rubber spatula, fold the remaining peanuts and the mini chocolate chips into the batter.

7. Portion level scoops of the batter into the prepared pans using a no. 16 ice cream scoop (1/4 cup capacity). Sprinkle the top of each muffin with a scant 1/2 tsp of chopped peanuts and about 1/4 tsp of the sparkling sugar.

8. Bake for 25-27 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and the tops are springy to the touch. To ensure even baking, toward the end of baking time, rotate the pans top to bottom and front to back. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool. Store at room temperature, tightly wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to 3 days. These muffins may be frozen.

Baking Resumes This Week.

Chocolate Pear Pistachio Tart


Burnt Sugar and Chai Gelato

Dinner at Tinto was excellent, as was the pulled pork sandwich with garlic-loaded broccoli rabe from Dinic's.

I made another batch of Rocky Road Bars, and tomorrow I have plans to try the green tea puddings from Pichet Ong's The Sweet Spot. I've also ordered several new cookbooks, so hopefully more posts are on the way.