Blushing Valentine

I know it may seem a bit early to start thinking of Valentine's Day, but it's only a few short weeks away.   If you like to make a special treat on Valentine's Day, this is the cake.  
It is a towering 4 layers high and lovingly encased in the most delicate rose-scented buttercream.  It is outrageously good and worth every. single. calorie.  

This is also the type of cake that could easily become adorned with say a few candles for a little celebratory birthday party?   The colors could be swapped out for any, the flavor of the buttercream could be adapted to whatever you'd like it to be.  Using a vanilla base for both cake and buttercream allows you the flexibility to change colors and flavors to suit the occasion or intended recipient.

Typically, when we think of Valentine's Day desserts we usually think of chocolate.  I won't even pretend that I'm not one of them, but sometimes the "molten lava cake" or "ganache-covered devils's food" is well... a bit played out.

This cake is a show-stopper and you might not even miss the chocolate.

For the cake:

3 sticks unsalted butter, room temp

3 ½ cups sugar

4 cups King Arthur AP flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp salt

12 egg whites-Pete & Gerry’s Heirloom Eggs, room temp

2 cups whole milk, room temp

4 tsp vanilla

Deep pink gel food coloring

Place racks in middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour 4 cake pans.  I used 6", but 8 inch will work as well (the cakes will not be as tall).

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together for 5 minutes until light & fluffy.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.
Combine egg whites, milk & vanilla together and set aside.

Add roughly 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter and sugar, followed by half of the milk mixture.  Scrape down bowl, and then add another 1/3 of the flour mixture and the rest of the milk.  Scrape down again and add the last of the flour.

Divide batter into 4 equal portions.

      One portion will remain white.  In the remaining 3, mix in food coloring.  Add 3-4 drops to the first layer, 6-7 drops for the second and 9-10 drops for the last layer.  Mix thoroughly until color is uniform. 

      Pour into cake pans and bake for 25 – 30 minutes, rotating cakes halfway through baking time.  Cake is done when knife inserted comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then carefully remove from pan and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Wrap in parchment paper and plastic wrap and chill at least 3 hours.  Using a long serrated knife, trim off the domed top of cake to make it even and flat.   Once all cakes have been trimmed, set aside.

For the Rosewater Buttercream

4 egg whites: Pete & Gerry’s Heirloom Eggs

1 cup sugar

3 sticks unsalted butter at room temp, cut into tablespoons

½ -1 tsp rosewater

      Set a bowl inside of a pot of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Combine egg whites and sugar, whisking frequently until sugar has dissolved. 

 You can test this by carefully running your finger through a stream of egg white falling from whisk, then rub your thumb and finger together.  If you feel any grains of sugar, it is not ready.

      Once sugar is completely dissolved, transfer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.

      Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it holds stiff peaks and mixture is cooled, about 5-6 minutes.
  

      Turn mixer down to medium low speed and begin adding butter, a few tablespoons at a time, let butter incorporate before adding more.

      After all the butter has been added, add rosewater and beat for another 30 seconds.

      Set darkest layer of cake on cake plate and apply a layer of buttercream to top.  Following with remaining layers, ending with white layer on top. 

Apply a thin crumb coat of buttercream to entire cake and chill for 30 minutes.

When crumb coat has hardened, apply buttercream and smooth with an off-set spatula.
Cut with a very sharp knife and serve!

 

 

 

 

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Banana Pancakes

This is the story of two sad bananas.  They were gorgeous when I brought them home.  Then they sat there as they watched the other bananas in their bunch get picked, only to be left behind.  Their skin went from bright, sunny yellow to brown and spotty.

Once bananas pass a certain stage in their ripeness, I won't eat them.  It's a texture thing, I don't like mushy food and these were about as "mushad" as one could possibly get. 

Normally I would freeze them for smoothies or wait until I had one or two more for banana bread.
But,  I felt the need to rescue them and do something with them other than relegating them to the dark, frozen tundra that is my freezer.

Pancakes are not usually what I crave for breakfast.  Generally I find them to be too filling, but these are not.  After eating more than my fair share I am happy to report that I did not have that "blegh" feeling after eating.  You know that feeling...  Rewind back to Thanksgiving.  Yeah, that one.

As usual when I am looking for a recipe I know I have, I can't find it.  Luckily I found a good jumping off point on allrecipes and then tweaked it to suit my tastes.

mashing bananas!

 

 

Banana Pancakes

 

1 cup AP flour

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg, beaten

1 cup whole milk

2 tbsp melted butter, cooled

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/8 tsp cinnamon

pinch nutmeg

 

 

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a bowl.  Whisk to combine.

 

In a medium bowl combine egg, milk, butter, vanilla and bananas.

 

Add dry ingredients to wet, mix until just combined and all flour is incorporated.

Batter will be lumpy, do not overmix. 

 

Ladle about a 1/3 cup batter into pan on medium heat and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Tom & Jerry

It has come to my attention recently that some of you only know this pair of names as a cartoon duo.

As soon as there is a chill in the air, I start craving this drink.  Think of it as a warm, boozy milkshake. Doesn't that sound amazing?! It's even better than you think...

I won't lie, it isn't one of those "Oh, I'll just pull a bottle down and shake" kind of drinks.  It takes a little planning and effort, but the end result is worth the 10 minutes of energy it requires.

This drink has such a loyal fan base that there are special "Tom & Jerry" punchbowl sets with matching mugs.  I kid you not...  Here's a pic to prove it:

In all its retro glory!

 

 

Everyone knows eggnog.  It's predictable and commonplace at holiday parties, but make a batch of this and people will stand up (although not for long...) and pay attention.  You may be inundated with recipe requests, so be prepared!  

 

I may not have been legal drinking age the first time I had one, which may have bolstered its appeal to me at the time, however in an effort to keep my parental units out of the clink, let's just say for arguments sake that I was 21. 
 

The point of this divulgence of info is not to horrify my lovely mother, although I can say with certainty that I have more than likely succeeded in spades, was to show my long standing loyalty to this holiday libation...  and with that said, I'm off to partake!


Tom & Jerry
-makes 4

3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup powdered sugar
pinch baking soda
1 cup + 1 tbsp Jamaican rum
2 oz. brandy
3 cups milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg + extra for garnish

(because this recipe calls for raw egg, I recommend using the best quality eggs you can find)

Beat egg yolks until light in color. Add powdered sugar, baking soda, 1 tbsp rum, cinnamon and nutmeg to yolks and beat again to combine. If needed, add another tbsp of powdered sugar.  The batter needs to be thick.  Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff and slightly frothy.  If you own an immersion (stick) blender, break it out.  Those egg whites will be fluffy in 30 seconds.
Fold whites into yolk mixture and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat milk over low heat until it begins to simmer.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Warm mugs (I usually pour in hot water from a kettle, then dump it out) and add 1 1/2 tbsps of batter to each mug, top with a few tbsps of hot milk.  While stirring constantly, add 2 ozs rum then top with more milk to 1/4" below rim of mug.  Stir to combine.  Top with brandy and sprinkle nutmeg for garnish.


Hello Cupcake...

For weeks I've been craving cake... so, enough talk and a little more action.   I decided that since I had been to the farmer's market and had eaten a relatively healthy lunch that cupcakes were definitely in order.

If I'm going to make cupcakes, more often than not I would go all in.  Chocolate.  The darker & richer the better...  however since it is spring and this weekend marks the "un-official" start to summer I wanted to lighten it up a bit and do something a little different.

If you are anything like me, sometimes you forget all the little treasures you have stashed in your kitchen.  I buy things that interest me and then put them away for when the mood strikes, but the unfortunate truth is that occasionally they are forgotten until I stumble upon them (usually when I'm looking for something else).

Well, the latest treasure to be unearthed was candied ginger.  I thought it might make an interesting garnish for the cupcake and that was basically my jumping off point.
(well, that and my persistent sweet tooth...)

If you are attending (or hosting) a BBQ this weekend, these would make a great finale.  They are light and not overly sweet and another plus is that the cake can be made ahead and frozen for a few days, then thawed and frosted the day of. 

For ginger flavor, I would normally add ground ginger, however I've decided to infuse them with a ginger syrup in lieu of the adding the powder to the batter. I wanted a lighter ginger flavor and to avoid a "gingerbread" taste.  If you prefer to use ground ginger, 1/2 - 1 tsp will do the trick.

Ginger Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream
- cake recipe adapted from the kitchn

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup room temperature butter
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 3 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line muffin tins with cupcake papers,  you'll need approximately 22
3. In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and beat until thoroughly incorporated then beat in flour, salt and baking powder.
4. Stir in milk and vanilla. Beat on low for 30 seconds, then on high for 3 minutes.
5. Scoop batter into cupcake pan, I always use a cookie scoop to ensure uniformity.
6. Bake for approximately 15 - 18 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
7. Cool slightly, then using a thin skewer pierce a few holes into the top of the cupcake and lightly brush with the ginger simple syrup.  Try not to be too heavy with the syrup, or you will end up with mushy cupcakes. 
8. When completely cooled, frost with lemon buttercream and top with finely sliced candied ginger.

Ginger Simple Syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger,  sliced into coins

Combine everything in a small pot and bring a boil, stirring occasionally.  When sugar has completely dissolved, remove from heat and cool completely. 
Once the syrup is cooled, strain the ginger & discard.   Leftover syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
(I like to boil it down until it is very thick & syrupy and drizzle over vanilla bean ice cream or use it in cocktails!)

Lemon Buttercream

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup room temperature butter
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• zest of 1 lemon
• juice of 1/2 lemon

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and beat on low speed until combined, then on medium until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes)

My first love...

Look at that gorgeous kid...  and the baby isn't bad either!

The first love of my life: my Mom.  As little girls, we often play "house" and pretend to be Mommies to our baby dolls and try to emulate our own mothers.  As teenagers, we are less inclined to compare ourselves to our Moms. As adults we come full circle, realizing that "Mom" is a person just like we are who had worries and struggles, peacefulness and triumphs .  Mine, like most, had to balance job and kids, errands, our activities, laundry, blah, blah, blah... and yet still found time to take us to movies or little excursions.   We didn't have much, but we didn't know it.  She made the most of what we did have and rarely did we feel like we had "gone without".

One of my all-time favorite memories, which my Mom & I still giggle about to this day...  Ok, this is going to date me a little, but you regular readers already know I turned 40 recently,  so here we go:

Do you remember that show from the '80's, "V"?!   It was about alien-lizards disguised as humans living on Earth.  We LOVED this show.   It sounds ridiculous, but it was the early '80's... 
Well,  one night we were in our Chevrolet Chevette hatchback (yes, a Chevette hatchback...  named "Skeeter", btw) and there were radio and television towers with flashing red lights on the road.  They looked like they were so high up in the sky to me as a little kid...  like they could have been lights on an alien spacecraft!  

All of a sudden, my Mom hunches down over the steering wheel and starts saying "Oh no, they're gonna get us!"  Well, you can imagine our reaction!  My brother & I started screeching & laughing like crazy and she just kept egging us on... 

She pretended like she was racing down the road, although I highly doubt she ever broke the speed limit, and we just kept looking behind us as if the lights on those towers might actually be the "V" coming to get us!!!  
I will freely admit that whenever I'm home and on Dustin Road, I think of this & laugh and if I have my Mom in the car...  you know what happens next.

My Mom always wanted to be a mother.  Looking at family photos, you can see it in her face.  Having children truly did bring her joy...  I'm sure it also brought heartache, frustration, worry, stress, etc. but we rarely knew it.  However, it was crystal clear when I was a teenager... because I'll be completely honest,  I was a pain. 

The wonderful thing that happens between mothers and their children (if you're lucky) when you become an adult is the transformation in the relationship to friendship. 
I can call my mom and chat in the same way I can with friends and that is a rare gift. 
She has become less of a parent and more of a confidant in my adult years.

I am one of the lucky ones.  I was born to a woman who has always been my beacon of light calling me home to her safe shores.  Raised with love and laughter, music and dancing in the kitchen... I am one of the lucky ones and I am thankful.

Happy Mother's Day!

The recipe below is from my Momma,  another food memory from childhood...

Dutch Puff Pancake

• 1 cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup flour
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
• 2 tbsp butter

1. Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400F.  
2. Put butter in pie plate and put pie plate in oven to heat while making batter. (could also use cast iron skillet or heavy-bottomed frying pan)
3. Put rest of ingredients into a blender.   Blend until well combined.
4. Carefully pour the batter into hot pie plate.
5. Bake for 25-35 minutes until puffy and deep golden brown.
6. Dust with powdered sugar & serve immediately, pancake will collapse shortly after removing from the oven.

Cheaper than Therapy...

Songwriters often say that they do their best work when they are going through something difficult in their lives.  They channel those feelings and pour them into lyrics that move us to our very core.
I don't write music...  I sequester myself to the confines of my kitchen.

Being in the kitchen is cathartic for me, it always has been.  Looking back, I've realized that it is one of the reasons I love baking. 

It brings me comfort in times of sadness, calms me when I'm stressed or anxious, reassures me when I've had a particularly rough day. 

Baking is my therapy and let's face it...  it's cheaper than $150 dollars an hour and much tastier.

I find solace in the kitchen, the familiar smells and sounds, the warmth of the oven...  being able to "shut off" my brain and do things on autopilot also brings a certain sense of comfort.

Once again, I find myself puttering about in the kitchen late at night when the rest of world is fast asleep.  

I wanted to make a cherry clafouti and thus began the research.  I read that traditionally the French use whole cherries because the pits give an almond flavor to the dessert.   My thoughts were something like this:  "I like the people I'm going to feed & would rather they didn't need an emergency dental appointment after eating my food". 

I wanted to use almond extract to impart that flavor, I knew I had some, but where...  So,  after about 5 minutes of searching I decided since I had almond flour, I would use that instead.

Thanks to a friend of mine, I had a few jars of sour cherries (sans pits!) that were calling to me from the cupboard.  They were begging to be used in some late night venture and needing to oblige, they were promptly removed from their dark shelf and opened.

ps~ made a second batch with a few drops of the afformentioned almond extract, both ways were delicious. 

Cherry Clafouti

• 4 large eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• pinch salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 lb cherries (I used sour cherries in syrup, drained, syrup reserved)
• 2 tbsp butter + flour for pan
• powdered sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter and flour a deep 9 inch pan or an extra large muffin tin. (Using the muffin tins instead of one big dessert is nice to give everyone their own individual dessert or as little give away treats for friends).
2. Combine eggs, yolks, powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, milk & cream in blender.  Blend for a few seconds to combine, then add almond flour and AP flour.  Blend until smooth, about 1 minute.
3. Pour batter into pan or if using muffin tin, evenly distribute batter, top with cherries.
4. Place in oven and immediately turn down heat to 325 degrees.  Bake for approximately 30 - 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Cool and dust with powdered sugar.  Use reserved syrup to decorate serving plate if desired.

Cherry Clafouti

And the award goes to...

Picture it...  Ohio, early 1980's.  A girl and her Momma, glued to the television watching movie stars walk the red carpet.  We used to watch the Oscars as if it were a runway show during fashion week.  I feigned interest in the actual awards part of the show, but to be perfectly honest I didn't really care who won "Best Picture".  My Mom was letting me stay up past my bedtime and that was award enough for me.

I have friends who host elaborate Oscar parties and I must admit the thought of it has crossed my mind on more than a few occasions, but considering the size of my shoebox apartment it doesn't seem to be an option this year.

However, just because I won't be hosting a gathering doesn't mean I can't make some good party food...

I tried to keep it fairly simple, with options that could be served warm or at room temperature.  These can also be transported fairly easily if you are a guest bringing a little something to the festivities.


Mini twice baked potatoes with creme fraiche & caviar

• 12 baby Yukon potatoes
• 1/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
• caviar
• 2 or 3 pieces chives
• a few tablespoons of milk
• 1 tbsp. butter
• salt & pepper
• olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut potatoes in half (or if very small, just trim the top off) and then cut a small piece off the bottom so the potato will sit level on a plate.
3. Using a small melon baller or a 1/4 tsp measuring spoon,  scoop out the potato.
4. Toss the cut potatoes in a few tablespoons of olive oil, salt & pepper and roast for about 20 - 25 minutes until a knife can easily pierce them.
5. While the potatoes are roasting, use the scooped out bits of potato to make mashed potato with a few tablespoons of milk and the butter.  Season with salt & pepper.
6. When roasted potatoes are done and cooled, fill with mashed potato, top with creme fraiche, a piece of chive and caviar.

  

Mini Quiche

• 24 mini shells, blind baked
• 1/2 cup quiche filling (bacon, onion, spinach, mushrooms, etc.)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 6 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp. salt 
• pinch freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Make quiche custard by whisking together milk, cream, eggs, salt & pepper
3. Fill quiche shells with cheese and vegetables or bacon (whatever you've chosen to use)
4. Pour custard into shells and bake for approximately 12 - 15 minutes.

*You will have custard left over.  As quiche is baking, the filling will settle and you may have to top off the quiche with a little more custard about halfway through.

Quiche Suggestions:

1. Lorraine: caramelized onion, bacon & swiss
2. spinach & goat cheese
3. mushrooms & manchego
4. smoked salmon, cream cheese & chives
5. red pepper & goat cheese
6. caramelized onions & gruyere
7. broccoli & cheddar
8. asparagus & truffled pecorino