Down Home Country Cooking

Disclaimer! I did not roast that chicken! But I did make the stuffing (stove top) and the squash.

Well, I've been meditating a little about the simple life lately. For some reason I have been yearning to visit the country, explore the wilderness and eat some wholesome, stick to your ribs types of fare. This may have to do with my new found fondness for country music and my new interest in snow shoeing. Anyhoo, the weather was getting colder and acorn squash and stuffing started sounding really good.

Growing up, my dad would make acorn squash, and though I wasn't a very adventurous eater back then, I really enjoyed the sweet simplicity of it. Getting my own half of tender, buttery sweetness. And it was cool because it came in it's own bowl. ;)

I've been telling my husband and sister a lot lately that "I'm getting back to my country roots." My dad grew up on a farm in North Dakota and my mom is from Texas. Though I grew up in Washington my whole life, I am clinging to the idea that part of my heart belongs in the rugged, open wilderness. And despite my addiction to shopping (and my need to be close to at least one major shopping area), deep in my heart, I just want to live a simple country life. With a vegetable garden, and perhaps a chicken or two.

Ok, on to the cooking. So, just when I was having a craving for acorn squash, Paula Dean just happened to be on the television with her acorn squash recipe. And who is more country than Paula Dean? I followed it almost completely, except I cut the top and bottom off the squash so it would sit evenly. As you can tell from the picture, I must have cut it too close because the butter, syrup and brown sugar leaked out of the bottom and burned. Not appetizing. Though the squash still turned out okay. With the chicken and stuffing, it was perfect. And to finish it all off, some of Brian's pumpkin bread and ice cream. What a satisfying meal!

Lessons learned: Get bigger squashes and don't cut too much off the ends. Also, my dad told me that he doesn't add the butter, etc till the end. And he'll cook the squash in a tray of water that comes up about half-way. (I am going to use a pyrex dish next time.) This makes it cook faster too. Oh, and just in case, foil your pan too.

Well, if you too have a hankering for some good country cooking, please try this recipe. And if you find yourself dreaming about open landscapes and clear blue skies, please imagine me there too, perhaps riding a horse beside you, (I've always wanted to learn how to ride a horse). And together, we can talk about the simple things in life.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/baked-acorn-squash-with-brown-sugar-and-butter-recipe/index.html

Halloween Cookies

Fall is one of my favorite times of year. I guess the kid inside me comes out because I love dressing up in costumes and baking and decorating in the Halloween theme. Here are some sugar cookies some friends and I decorated.

Being short on time, instead of using my complicated Martha Stewart recipe, I found a much simpler one on allrecipes.com. I was pretty skeptical that the recipe wouldn't turn out. It seemed too easy. But like magic, the dough turned out well. It was easy to roll out, and it baked up smoothly too. A simple and fast sugar cookie recipe does exist! Why do I live in Martha Stewart Land?

Note: There are cute Halloween sprinkles for sale this time of year. Beware! I've had the same sprinkles for years. They never run out! Or go stale....Phew! But as long as they exist, I do foresee more fun and creativity in my future.

Chocolate Madeleines

What happened to September? It's almost the end of October and I realized I haven't blogged in awhile.

Well in tribute to my trip to Paris, I wanted to make something French. While overseas, I had a wonderful time exploring with my husband. We ate lots of food (I finally got a crepe!) and visited a bunch of touristy sites. And took time to picnic by the Seine and stroll through the gardens of Versailles. I think the food was definitely a highlight of our trip. Not so great when we were first in London, but drastically improved once we arrived in Paris. After returning, I was inspired to bake.

For my birthday, my sister Amie had gotten me a couple tea party recipe books. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE tea parties? One of the books in particular was really neat because it had recipes from various tea houses in Europe. The recipe I used is from the Ritz Hotel in Paris. They are called "Madeleines de Proust" on the menu there, after Proust who mentioned this cookie in his Remembrances of Things Past. I used the chocolate variation of the recipe.

I have mixed feelings about how they turned out. Generally I like a moist, slightly cakey cookie, but these turned out a little too dense. And not as chocolately as I had hoped. I really thought they would come out tasting like brownies or devil's food. (I added plenty of dutch processed cocoa and also an ounce of melted bittersweet chocolate.) But alas, it was not meant to be. I personally blame it on the honey, an ingredient that I've never associated with madeleines. But maybe that is the French way...

All in all, the recipe was a nice way for me to reminisce about my trip and ease back into baking with something simple. And, like my trip, after awhile, the cookies improved with each bite.

Le Croque Monsieur

No, this is not an ad for Grey Poupon mustard. Yes, it is an attempt by me to explore some simple French recipes. Explanation: I will be taking a trip to Paris this September and I thought it would be fun to try out a French recipe or two. Plus, I saw someone make a croque monsieur in a movie and it looked really delicious!

What is a croque monsieur? It's basically a French version of the grilled cheese sandwich.

Well, the recipe I used was pretty simple and very tasty. At least according to Brian's endless compliments at the table. (I'm beginning to think he likes everything I make...) I thought it tasted good, but have a hard time critiquing my own food. But the recipe was rated well and I must say, it was fun to just try something new and make a nice dinner out of it. Brian, picked up a bottle of wine and a small cake for dessert. Add a simple spinach salad and we were good to go. By the way, Brian got a merlot to go with the sandwiches, but a chardonnay or bordeaux would have been better. Who knew? We looked it up later. Brian picked the wine because it had a red bike on the label. LOL!

Ok, enough about bikes and wine. So, I made a few adjustments to the recipe. I used French bread and kept the crust on. Which makes it nice and crunchy on the edges. I really like crunchy food. :} The better the quality of bread you use, the better it will turn out. I also divided the recipe in half since it was only for two, and gruyere is not cheap. And two adjustments I would add, is don't add salt to the sauce. The ham and cheeses are salty enough on their own. This recipe calls for one slice of ham, but I had a hard time tasting it sometimes. I would probably add two next time.

This recipe is not a baking recipe, though you do use the oven. Why did I include this in my blog? First, I feel it was hard enough to merit one post. While it was simple, the recipe included making a bechamel sauce. (Probably why it's rated as intermediate.) And any recipes that include "whisk over heat until sauce thickens" are my nemesis.

Second, a baking blog, though full of many possibilities, is also limited to just baking. So I have been thinking of expanding the horizons of this blog with cooking and other topics. We'll see how this goes.

Well, if anyone uses this recipe, please let me know how it turns out. And if you need it, yes, I can pass the Grey Poupon.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/croque-monsieur-recipe/index.html

Currant Scones and Lemon Curd

I recently went to Elizabeth and Alexander's English Tea Room, where I fell in love with their currant scones and lemon curd. (First Picture). Since my first afternoon tea at the Empress in Victoria B.C., I've been smitten with tea parties and foods. Being in the baking mood recently, I wanted to add recipes for scones and curd to my tea party repetoire.

So, I went online to find some recipes. The lemon curd turned out good, though a bit runny. The scones, while flavorful, and fragrant, were not exactly what I wanted. (No kidding, right?) And they came out cracked and dry. Compare the scones in the second picture to the first. Probably not enough kneading and cream. After all the anticipation, everything tasted good. But did not satisfy my craving for E&A's scones. (Though I will keep that scone recipe.) However, I found out later that E&A's sell their currant scone mix and lemon curd online. So, should I develop another hankering for them, I'll be set, without the extra effort.

One thing I learned recently is what a "cream tea" is. It was on the menu at E&A's. A cream tea, as opposed to an afternoon or high tea, only consists of tea, scones, jam and clotted cream. It is only available in certain parts of England, like the north. Also, you'll probably only find it at English style tea houses in the U.S.

The Simplicity of a Bran Muffin

Life is busy. No matter who you are, there are things to do, places to go and sights to see. Due to my interests, goals, and commitments, I have been trying lately to simplify my life. And due to family illnesses, Brian and I have also been trying to incorporate more wholesome foods into our diet.

Lately I had been craving bran muffins. Yes, me and my cravings...So, being the baker I am, and also finding myself with extra free time, I decided to make my own. I have been avoiding complicated recipes lately and have been baking simply to enjoy the comfort foods that will ensue. The muffins were a perfect walk in the park. All the ingredients were easy to find, and the recipe had no special requests. The whole time I was baking, I dreamt of incorporating these muffins into daily breakfasts or healthy afternoon snacks. And I couldn't wait to taste them. Well, when they were finished, they were bland. And first off, they were not as dark as other bran muffins I have seen. But, with some added butter, and time, I came to really enjoy them. (And get used to muffins without a ton of added sugar.) And Brian wouldn't stop raving about them as well. But come on, they're just bran muffins right?

It wasn't until I had made my second batch, (upon Brian's request), that I realized the charm of the bran muffin. Not only are they full of wholesome goodness, and are healthier to eat than blueberry, poppyseed, etc. other muffins. But they surrounded me with a feeling of security and nostalgia. They brought me back to simpler times. When Brian and I would stand in his mom's kitchen and eat buttered rolls from the table after school. Back when all we worried about was our next test, or what we would do on the weekend.

All of this in a muffin?

Well, of course as life goes on, it also gets more complicated. But I think that's also part of the charm. To be able to spend a quiet moment in time, with a simple muffin.

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/classic-bran-muffins/Detail.aspx

Chocolate Pretzel Brownies

My latest obsession has been with the chocolate pretzel cupcake at Trophy Cupcakes. I had it several weeks ago and it was delicious. It was sweet and salty, rich and crunchy. So many things that I love. By the way, if you're into chocolate covered pretzels, Trader Joe's has some good dark chocolate ones and if you like white chocolate, the Flipz brand is good too.

So, I've been craving this chocolate pretzel cupcake. And it took me awhile to realize they only sell them on Sundays. So, you can imagine the patience I endured before I could have another one. While I was dreaming about our next encounter, I thought, why not make one myself? I just needed a good chocolate cupcake and chocolate frosting recipe, and of course some pretzels. I wanted to find a rich chocolate cake recipe, so the cupcake wouldn't be overpowered by the saltiness of the pretzel. I also wanted a creamy, chocolate ganache frosting to make things a little sweeter and hold everything together.

Being pretty busy the past few weeks, I didn't have time to find any recipes, but decided a brownie mix would do the job. As well as some store-bought chocolate frosting. So I invented my first unofficial recipe for Chocolate Pretzel Brownies.

My first batch came out good, but not salty enough. I simply made the brownies, lightly frosted them in the pan, and individually took each brownie and lightly cracked some pretzels over the top. My next batch turned out better. I crushed the pretzels more. (This time I used a freezer bag and my meat tenderizer/mallet.) And the topping looked a lot more like the pretzel topping on the Trophy cupcake. I think crushing the pretzels more, created smaller particles that could cling to the frosting and coat the brownie better. And those smaller particles also included more salt. I also added all the pretzels at once in a layer in the pan. This made it much faster to cut and serve.

Note: I could have used more frosting to get more pretzels to stick to the top. (Most of the bigger pieces fell off.) And sift out some of the powder that formed through the crushing, so there is a more diverse mixture of pretzel piece sizes. The powder stuck directly to the frosting and created its own non-sticky layer. (Another reason the bigger pieces fell off.) Lastly, you can make the brownies ahead of time, but don't crush the pretzel pieces till the day you're going to serve them or they will become stale and less crunchy. And I would wait to frost the brownies till right before you add the pretzels as well.

Operation Pancake

You may be wondering why I chose the title, "Operation Pancake." I mean, pancakes are easy. An alternate title could be, "Operation Cruise Breakfast." Let me explain. Everybody loves pancakes. Everyone, except me. I can't eat them. The mere thought of them, makes me cringe. I owe this all to my dad actually. When I was younger, there was a time when he used to make them for breakfast almost every morning. Either that or oatmeal. There are only so many pancakes that I, as a young girl could take. I know, I'm weird. Most kids would be happy with pancakes every morning. But years later, I avoid them if I can. If I'm at home and my dad is making them, I'll eat one or two tiny ones. So, for me to make pancakes is a Big Deal.

Needless to say, I've never made my own pancakes before. Why now? Last week I was fortunate enough to go on a cruise. However, it was not a romantic cruise with my husband, but it was with my parents and aunt. Brian couldn't come. While I was away, I ate more food than I want to admit and had a wonderful, relaxing time. Brian meanwhile, was hard at work. Not fair right? So upon arriving home, I decided I would bring a little of my vacation to him. I'd do all the cooking and cleaning. And he wouldn't have to lift a finger at home for the next few days.

Something that Brian really loves is having a big breakfast on weekends. Normally we don't. If we do, he'll usually make it. One of the things that cruise ships do very well, is the food. There's buffets, 24 hour room service, formal dinners, etc. And it's all delicious. For Brian, I wanted to recreate the breakfast buffet. And, because HE likes pancakes, I wanted to make some. Therefore, "Operation Pancake" was born, AKA "Operation Cruise Breakfast".

Now, like I said before, pancakes are simple to make. I've been frying and flipping them for years. (I always take over when I'm home so the pancakes don't turn out too big or burnt. My dad likes big portions and always multi-tasks when cooking.) Making the batter is easy and requires no special equipment. And as long as you're familiar with the heat settings of your stove, you can avoid burning them, usually. The tricky part though, is avoiding burning while you're cooking and preparing other things at the same time. Multi-tasking, I need to get better at this. I was making eggs, hash browns, sausage and fruit and trying to set the table, etc. And my first batch did burn. For those who have never made pancakes, there is a trick to deciding when to flip them. When the batter is bubbly, and the pancake is no longer sticking to the pan, it's ready. Pretty simple right? And you can determine how light or dark you like them. The recipe, which I found on allrecipes.com was fantastic. (It is attached at the end.) The pancakes turned out light and fluffy. So much so, that I ate one and a half. Woohoo!

A finishing touch was the silverware rolled up in linen napkins and some bright, happy flowers. After breakfast, I asked Brian if he was full. (Full because there was so much good food and he wanted to eat it all.) He said "yes". Mission accomplished!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Good-Old-Fashioned-Pancakes/Detail.aspx

French Macarons: Part 2 Some Real Macarons

So, after much research and thought, (and with the right recipe), the French macaron is not too difficult after all. At least, if you're not a perfectionist. My macarons did not turn out perfect, but for being my second try, I was happy with the results.

So, what changed my results from a flat frisbee, to a plump, ruffle-footed macaron? (See French Macarons: Part 1.) Here is my process of making the second batch and some things that I have learned while researching this cookie.

First off, I used an entirely different recipe. The first recipe, had you mix a wet almond flour mixture with the meringue. The second recipe I used, had you mix a dry almond flour mixture with the meringue. For some reason the dry mixture worked better. And I pulsed it in my food processor till the powdered sugar and almond flour became more uniform. This definitely helped make the batter more smooth. The recipe I used this time was from Martha Stewart in her January 2009 Magazine, which is attached at the end. This recipe worked out well because it gave better guidelines on how to whisk the meringue and what to look for. Though the timing was off, (I didn't need to beat the meringue for 8 minutes for it to become stiff and glossy) her directions helped me to get a much better meringue. The last time I made meringue, it was too weak. Which ruined the batter by making it very runny. The batter, once the flour mixture is incorporated, should be more of a wet cement, magma-like texture. It should coat the spatula thickly and flow off of it in a thick ribbon. The first time, the batter ran straight out of my pastry bag and tip and made it very hard to pipe out consistently. (Compare picture of piped batter with Part 1.) I had to pipe it out in spirals like a cream puff, instead of making large, circular dollops. So, the consistency of your meringue is very important to your success. Note: 1) Using older eggs and letting them sit unrefrigerated for a couple days should make a better meringue. I used two-week-old eggs that I had left out for two days. The meringue turned out great. 2)while folding the almond mixture in with the meringue, the meringue was so thick that my arms got pretty tired. I took this as a good sign. Also, be careful not to over-mix the batter. Like I said, look for a wet cement-like consistency.

After incorporating the flour mixture into the batter, it's placed in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch tip and piped out into 3/4 inch circles onto parchment paper. There were large peaks left in the circles after I piped, but as the batter expanded a little on the sheet, the peaks disappeared. If they don't, your batter may need more folding. You can also tap the bottom of the baking sheet on the counter to help release air bubbles and to encourage the peaks to disappear as well. I think I tapped the pans too many times and may have over mixed the batter as well, but they still turned out fine.

After the batter is piped out, you need to wait 15 minutes for a thin film to develop over the macarons. The tops of the macarons should be dry to the touch when they're ready to be put in the oven. Mine were very slightly sticky, but I could touch them gently and they wouldn't leave any batter on my fingers. I let them sit for 20 minutes before this happened. (This in itself was a success, my first batch never formed a skin!)

Baking the macarons at the proper temperature and for the proper amount of time is also important. Sorry if I'm stating the obvious. It is recommended to bake the macarons on two stacked baking sheets to help them bake more evenly. I used two air bake baking sheets and the macarons took twice as long to bake. In retrospect I could have used just one of my sheets since I think an air bake sheet automatically helps things to bake more evenly. So, one air bake sheet equals two regular baking sheets stacked? I will have to test this theory further...

The recipe suggests baking the macarons for 10 minutes. And rotating the pans after 5. After five minutes I checked the macarons and they looked uniform, so I did not rotate the pans. Though I was concerned because the foot should be formed after five minutes. Only a few had formed some minuscule feet. After ten minutes however, they looked beautiful! They were not perfect by any means, but they all had good feet on them, they were smooth enough and hard to the touch. I figured they were done so I took them out to cool and shut off the oven. However when I tried to peel the macarons off the parchment paper, the crispy top came right off the bottom, which was very moist and stuck to the paper. I figured they needed more baking. I turned the oven back on and cooked them for ten more minutes. Checking every five to make sure they weren't burning. After the first five minutes, a strange thing happened. The macarons grew another foot. Literally they were taller and they had grown another ruffle-like border. (You can see this if you look carefully at the first picture.) I took this to mean that they still needed more baking time. Five minutes after that, they were done. After cooling for a few minutes, they came off much easier from the parchment paper. Though some still stuck, and from the last picture you can see they didn't come off cleanly. Perhaps I should have let them cool completely before removing.

After the macarons were cooled, I used some regular seedless raspberry jam as the filling. I decided to leave my experiments with butter creams and other fillings for after I had successfully made one batch of macarons. I thought the jam was too sweet, the macarons by themselves are almost too sweet too. At least if you eat a few at once. ;) And the jam didn't hold up as a filling that well. It was too runny.

After taking some pictures of my macarons, it was time to eat one. It was the moment I had been waiting for. And as I bit into the crisp, yet sweetly chewy cookie, I for one second felt a rush of pure satisfaction. I couldn't believe I had actually made these! Then, cutting my moment short, some jam spilled out the other end and landed on my lap...Apparently jam is not solid/firm enough to withstand the pressure of a bite. At least right away. Later when Brian came home, he had no problems with the jam.

All in all, I am very pleased with the results and look forward to trying new macaron flavors as well as exploring different types of fillings. I will have at least one more part to this French macaron series.

Here is the recipe I used:
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/french-macaroons

Here are some helpful websites as well:
http://notsohumblepie.blogspot.com/2010/02/macaron-101-italian-meringue-part-1.html
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2008/09/making_french_macarons.html
http://www.syrupandtang.com/200712/la-macaronicite-1-an-introduction-to-the-macaron/
The book I Heart Macarons by Hisako Ogita was also very helpful.

Meyer Lemon Crepe Cake

Lately I've been a cravin' crepes. It all started when I went to the Mobile Chowdown with some friends. We spent plenty of time standing in lines for various foods and I was planning on ending our food excursion on a sweet note. I had been eyeing the crepe stand for awhile. Well, needless to say, I didn't get any. Right around the same time, I got my monthly Martha Stewart magazine in the mail and right on the cover was a mouthwatering crepe cake. After perusing the recipe over and over, I decided to just go for it. How else was I going to get my stinkin' crepes?

The ingredient list was doable. The only item I felt iffy about were the Meyer lemons. But I figured the Fred Meyer's by my place would have them. Well, they didn't. What? Fred Meyer doesn't have Meyer lemons??!!! Get it? Ok, bad joke. Fortunately the knowledgeable produce guy knew where I could get them. If I went up the street, there was a Mediterranean market within "walking distance" that had them on sale. Excellent! After purchasing the rest of my groceries, I proceeded to walk aimlessly up the street, with my heavy bag in hand. I later learned that within "walking distance" actually meant "seven blocks", the area I was walking was not safe, and yes, I should have gone to the bathroom before I left. It also didn't help that my groceries were becoming increasingly heavy and that I had to locate the address of the Mediterranean market on my phone with my free hand covertly inside my purse. When I finally got to the market though, the staff were very friendly and I was able to at last purchase my precious Meyer lemons.

What is a Meyer lemon? It is a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. They are known for being sweeter than other lemons. They also have a rounder shape, which I think makes them adorable.

Sorry for the long narrative, now to the baking part.

To make the crepe cake you need to make a lemon curd mousse and you need to make crepes. While making the curd, you add the ingredients and whisk them continuously for ten minutes over medium-low heat. When the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, it is ready for the next step. It took me 20 minutes before the curd thickened. I was literally about to give up when it did this. Note: I think the mixture had to heat up sufficiently before it would thicken. I have an old stove range, so it took longer. But I kept on whisking. A light yellow bubbly layer formed on top and then slowly the whole thing became light yellow and bubbly and then it thickened pretty quickly. I was Sooooooooooooooooooooo happy to see that since I worked so hard to get the lemons. :)

Now, on to the crepes. I had never made crepes before either. So this whole recipe was a big learning experience for me. I used a regular non-stick frying pan for the crepes. My dad had pulled out an old, dusty crepe maker from the garage while I was home earlier that day. I had no idea he owned one. I was tempted to use it, and even tried it once, but gave up. I didn't have time to make another batch of batter if it didn't work out. So I stuck with my first plan. My first crepe turned out fragile and kind of moist. And was too sticky to be flipped. I realized I did not wait for the edges of the crepes to turn golden brown before flipping it over. The recommended 30 seconds per side from the recipe was not accurate. So I judged by watching the edges instead. After the edges became golden brown, I turned the pan upside-down over an overturned plate. When the crepe fell, I would place it back into the pan on the side that needed to be browned. Not very professional, but it got the job done. I also kept adjusting the temperature of the pan. Increasing and decreasing as necessary to keep the crepes from cooking too fast or slow. Note: be sure your crepe batter is cold before using.

After the curd had plenty of time to refrigerate, I was able to add some whipped cream to make it into a mousse. After that it was only a matter of stacking crepes and covering them with the mousse. Pretty simple. I learned much from making this crepe cake. And it was not too difficult. Though you need plenty of time to make this. I started the night before by leaving some eggs out to become room temperature. And then there's time needed to refrigerate the crepe batter and the curd. And also the mousse and then the actual cake once it is assembled. All in all, it turned out well. Though the taste was too rich for me, one piece was perfect.

Cupcake Pedestals

So, right now cupcakes are popular. Cupcake wedding cakes are in, little cupcake shops are popping up more and more, and Martha Stewart has even devoted a whole cookbook to those yummy little pieces of cake. They're pretty in different shades of butter cream or other rich frostings. They are in reasonable portion sizes, they come in many wonderful flavors, and they're portable. Etc., etc. There are so many reasons that we love cupcakes.

So many in fact, that these little cakes have their very own pedestals. Yep, that's what they're called. They're not the tiered cupcake stands or trees. They are miniature, footed cake stands. Some complete with their own domed covers. The tiered cupcake stands have been around for awhile, but an individual pedestal, that was new to me. What a cute and novel idea! When I first saw one in person, I knew I had to have one. Yes, I am a compulsive shopper. Fortunately/unfortunately, my voice of reason was with me, (Brian), so I didn't get it. But it got me thinking about what is really pedestal worthy.

Certainly an exceptional food deserves recognition. There are awards given in different categories for such things. Though I know little about this. So, I guess what I really care about here goes beyond food. It goes perhaps to the thoughts/intentions behind it. To the people who make meals or dishes to serve others. Those who prepare a special meal to show their love, compassion, or appreciation. To share kindness, fellowship, and/or concern. To those people, I toast you. And though there is no pedestal big enough for you to stand, I hope somewhere in your future, there will be a little one, perhaps with a cupcake on it, just for you.

The pictures came from these sites in order:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=41110027
http://totallytabletops.blogspot.com/2008/08/cupcake-pedestal.html
http://www.rosannainc.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=rosanna&Category_Code=134

French Macarons: Part 1

First of all, sorry folks for the lag in postings lately. Well, for my next project, I have decided to take on French macarons. They are the pastel sandwich cookies, not the coconut macaroons you usually see around. I've been wanting to make these for years, but thought I should taste them first. Last summer, I went to the Cheese Festival with some friends and the French bakery, Le Panier, by Pike Place Market had them. So I was finally able to try them. They were crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside and very sweet. I am not superficial, but the attractiveness of this cookie outweighs the inner tastiness for me. Therefore even if this cookie is too sweet for some, they still can be enjoyed. I would definitely not hesitate to bring them to formal events.

So...back to the baking...

When I first attempted these delightful delicacies, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had two recipes to choose from. Both looked harmless. Easy enough to follow at least. Well, as you can tell from my pictures, my macarons did not turn out...well, well. Technically they can't even be called macarons because they have no "foot". (The little ruffled looking border on the bottom edge of the cookies.) Isn't that cute? :D

What went wrong? A million things! Like I said, I had no idea how tricky these cookies are. I even found one website that called them the "Diva" of cookies. Great! Alright! One thing I have to say though, my epic failure was a good thing. Because now I am as determined as ever to get these finicky little frivolities right! Phew! (Try saying that ten times fast.) But seriously, I have been researching macaroons and will hopefully have a much better result in my next post. Though there may be several parts to this series, (depending on how difficult they end up being.) I hope to try again soon, as soon as I get my food processor back. Till then, I will keep on researching and let the failures of fellow bakers keep me company.

Signing off,
Mandy

All Caught Up. Now on to Tartlets!

For the most part, my posts from now on will be from current experiences. My latest excursions have been in tartlets.

There's something about individual servings that's really special. Maybe I feel this way because as a twin, I grew up sharing everything. But I really like having my very own little pastry ALL to myself. And I think the idea of little tartlets in itself is charming. They're so enticing with their fluted, golden brown crusts and attractive arrangements of fresh fruits atop a decadent filling. Ahem, excuse me while I stop salivating.

Ok, so I've been a little obsessed lately. For a few months now, I've been looking at the same tartlet recipes, but waiting. Waiting for what? The gumption to again try something new, and also to commit already and buy those darn tartlet pans. My kitchen is already straining to accommodate all the special equipment that I need for my baking.

Well, I finally bought the pans, and then I finally tried some recipes. The first were for a simple pie or tart dough and the second for a raspberry-chocolate ganache filling. The tart crusts came out golden brown and very un-disc-like. And the ganache also turned out well. With raspberries and powdered sugar on top, the tartlets looked very promising. Well, they tasted good. But that was it, just, good. Maybe my sweet tooth is too demanding. The only added sugar the recipes called for was for the garnish. Not enough. I think some whipped cream on top would have done the trick, but I was too lazy. So half of the tartlets sat in the fridge for awhile. When I did decide to eat them, the other flat of raspberries had already molded. So I added bananas, which actually tasted pretty good.

A little later, I was having company over so I decided to try a new crust recipe and do a different filling. The new crust called for sugar and more butter. To make a long story short, the dough was impossible to work with, so I had to throw it in the freezer for awhile. Thankfully I had leftover dough from the first batch. I used that to make the first six crusts. They came out too brown. I figured it had to do with sitting in the fridge for awhile. So I used the more buttery, sugary dough. That came out browner. Only two of the second batch were salvageable. Rather than throw out all my hard work I decided the crusts would taste better once the filling was added. I made a quick cream cheese filling and added some fruit. Ta da! They turned out fine.

I wish the sweeter, more buttery crusts had turned out, (even the burnt ones tasted good). But they didn't and neither did the batch ahead of them. I now know why. Instead of using my regular baking sheet underneath the tartlet pans, I used an older one with rims to keep the pans from sliding off. The older one apparently decreased the baking time.

Lessons Learned
I learned that I need to be more creative when baking. The raspberries and ganache didn't work out for me, but the bananas did. And I'm sure some candied oranges would taste good too. Also, I need to remember that not all baking sheets are created equally. And when using a new one, I need to monitor the baking progress. Lastly, the second dough was impossible to work with, I wanted to give up and throw it away. (Luckily it improved a little in the freezer.) Though it was a pain, if it hadn't burnt, it would have been worth it. So, I shouldn't avoid more difficult things, they do pay off.

Snowflake Sugar Cookies

This past December, my friend Michelle and I wanted to make some baked gifts for people. After throwing out some lofty ideas, we settled on making snowflake sugar cookies. We designated a day to do it and began buying ingredients. I was very happy with the outcome, and it was fun hanging out at the same time. But it took over eight hours to make 76 cookies! I think part of this was because we used a Martha Stewart recipe. They are usually more involved than others. And I didn't realize or remember this, but sugar cookie dough needs time to refrigerate. The decorating was surprisingly fast. We spent most of our time working with the dough. Refrigerating, rolling, cutting, re-refrigerating, baking and cooling. The next time I make sugar cookies, I will make the dough a day ahead. And since we also wanted to make our own pretty packaging, the next time we do baked gifts, we will reserve two days.

Reality Check: One Ugly Pie

So, due to my past baking successes, I was feeling pretty good about myself. And last fall, Brian informed me that we'd be receiving a bunch of apples from a guy at work. Apparently he had an apple tree. That got me thinking about apple pie. Mmmmm!

A week later, Brian texted me from work: Got the apples. I knew that my pie making plans were a go. We both had plans that night but I was sure I could bake the pie before we left. Brian got home and after a quick dinner we started peeling apples and measuring ingredients. Since I was doing the measuring, I didn't notice the tiny brown dots on the apples that Brian was throwing into the sugar mixture. When I took over the cutting, Brian assured me that the dots weren't anything bad. I decided to trust him, despite my great fear of eating a worm or any other bug in my food. Though mostly a worm. After cutting and peeling for several minutes (all of the apples had dirty holes) my fear finally caught up to me. Brian googled the apple's symptoms and then refused to tell me what they meant. We ditched the apples into the garbage, planned to pick up more from the store and went to our respective meetings.

It wasn't till late that same night, that we were again cutting apples, (though not peeling) and measuring ingredients. The first mistake was asking Brian to mix the dough. We both "thought" it looked ok. But when rolled out, it was tough and it kept cracking. Oh well, we were in a hurry. I patched the dough together and pushed it into the pie pan. Next, I slopped in the filling, then realized I forgot to add something. The filling went from pie pan to bowl and back, covering both in a sticky mess. I then placed the top pie crust on, remembered I forgot to add extra pieces of butter, wrenched it off, added them and threw everything into the oven. Finally relief! It wasn't till after the pie was done that I realized, I forgot to sprinkle the top with some cinnamon. Something my dad had asked me to do for him.

Well, I love to eat. So as long as something tastes good, I'm usually not too concerned with how it looks. (Ok, this is not true if it's something I've made.) Unfortunately, and this was the last straw, the pie tasted awful. And the apple skins that we were too tired to peel off, reminded us with each grueling bite, that this pie was a disaster.

Lessons I Learned
I'm glad that this happened. It made me realize there is still much for me to learn. And it has reminded me the importance of carefully following instructions and to not rush things. Though I did not accomplish what I set out to do, I ended up making something else, which is maybe even better.

A humble pie.

Fruit T(art) and Baking Blind

My First Two Fruit Tarts
For my birthday I received a gift certificate to a baking shop and decided to tackle fruit tarts next. I bought my first tart pan and found a simple recipe to try. After reading and re-reading the recipe, I proceeded to make the crust. To my disappointment, what came out of the oven was not a perfect looking deep tart crust. But a flat looking disc. What went wrong? Since I was making two tarts, one each for a different potluck, I poked holes in the next tart dough and made sure to carefully flatten out the center and make the sides thicker. The result, another disc of dough, but with a shallow crater in the middle. Defeat again! Well, fortunately the filling and the pretty fruit on top, made up for the crust's shortcomings. But I was left with the question, what did I do wrong?

It wasn't till recently that I realized I was baking blind. Which is baking a pie or tart shell without a filling inside. When you do that, you need to place something on top of the crust to make sure it doesn't puff up. Some people use tin foil and dry beans or pie weights. The recipe I used, did not mention this, which is why I was so confused. But this knowledge is obviously something an experienced baker would have known, therefore, it didn't need to be mentioned. Right?

On a different note, I had never arranged fruit on a tart before and was very pleased with how it turned out. It was fun to create a pattern with the different shapes and colors. However, after I added the glaze, (which was just a bit of apricot jam heated up and strained) I realized I left open too much empty space. For each area that the filling was not covered, the glaze settled and pooled, making it look messy. You can see this in the second tart picture. Solution: cover as much of the filling as you can with the fruit and do not add too much glaze. Or do not use a glaze. Omitting the glaze is fine if you're going to serve your tart soon. Or if you wait till right before serving to add it. If you don't, you run the risk of the fruit looking dry.

Now I'm accurately baking blind in the art of the tart.

I Heart Pocket Pies

Pies in individual portions. They are great at gatherings or as gifts. I got my pocket pie molds at Williams Sonoma. The dough recipe on the back of the box is good and pretty simple to make. And here, my friend Son and I made a blueberry filling. This was my first experience with pie dough, and I was very satisfied with how it turned out. At the time we weren't sure if we should trim the edges of dough that squished out of the mold. But looking at the pictures, I think its better if you do.

Cream Puffs!

Pate a choux is the dough used for cream puffs. When it is baked, steam rises and creates hollow spaces inside. (Do not open the oven while baking!) This recipe is more complicated, but doable. Special equipment needed are various sizes of piping tips with their bags and couplers. As a substitute, you can use a ziploc bag and cut off one corner to the desired size. But I wouldn't use that method to pipe the dough since its pretty thick. I would also recommend keeping your kitchen well ventilated while baking these. Use a fan or open your windows. The steam from the dough filled my apartment and made me a little disoriented.

Next time I will pipe the dough out more carefully to get a more uniform shape. (The first batch didn't turn out well.) And also bake the cream puffs a little longer. They came out soft, which can be desirable. But makes them less sturdy for the filling, (A few exploded).

Fillings: You can use whatever you like to fill your puffs. Crab salad, whipped cream, chocolate pudding, etc. If you want to fill your puff with something savory however, make sure you use the savory recipe version for the dough. A finishing touch, chocolate piped or drizzled in thin lines. Very yummy!