Archive for the ‘dessert’ Category

Wednesday, February 20th, 2013

Bonbon Cookies

Ready to start my project, but with an unprepared pantry, I flipped through the Hostess Cookbook to find a recipe (preferably a dessert recipe since there are so, so many) for which I had all the ingredients on hand. I settled on these Bonbon cookies which are one of two desserts suggested with the “French Formality” menu.

The dough requires just four ingredients (butter, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla and flour) and came together incredibly quick with my stand mixer. The cookies were done, including baking time, within 40 minutes, and once they cooled, frosting them took just a few minutes more.

I only made half a batch (which resulted in 10 cute cookies) and stuffed half of them with maraschino cherries and the other half with white chocolate.

Upon testing them yesterday, both the husband and I declared them too sweet. I didn’t even bother to wrap them up overnight, thinking them destined for the garbage. However, as I walked past them this morning on my may to a second cup of coffee I decided to give them another shot. I don’t know if it was the rest overnight, or the fact that I was eating them with a bitter cup of coffee, but they were better, less sweet somehow.

In the end, I really like the idea of these cookies. They turned out so cute with such little effort and the options for fillings and toppings are vast. If I were to make them again, I might try replacing the confectioner’s sugar in the dough with plain old granulated sugar. I think that might result in a  less sweet cookie, or at least one that was a little less cloying.

 

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Bonbon Cookies
Author: 
Recipe type: cookie
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 20
 

A cute cookie with a surprise inside. Mix and match fillings and toppings to create a delectable display.
Ingredients
Cookies
  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla
  • 1½ cups flour
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • Maraschino cherries, dates, nuts or chocolate pieces for filling
  • Decorator’s sugar, coconut, nuts or jimmies for topping
Pastel Icing
  • 1½ Tablespoon milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • food coloring

Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Using a stand mixer, cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Add flour and mix until thoroughly combined. If dough is very dry, mix in 1-2 Tablespoons milk. Mold about 1 Tablespoon dough around desired filling. Place cookies about 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until set but not browned. Let cool on baking sheet.
  2. In a small bowl stir together milk, vanilla and confectioners’ sugar. If it is too thick add a few more drops of milk until a dipping consistency is reached. If desired, stir in a few drops food coloring to tint icing.
  3. Dip tops of cooled cookies into pastel icing. Decorate immediately with desired topping.

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Posted by ChefDJen in Classic Company Dinners, cookies, cookies/candy, dessert, French Formality, Hostess Cookbook | No Comments »

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

Peanut Butter Pie, for Mikey

Between my second and third year of college I spent the summer working at a Lutheran summer camp, Camp Perkins, which is about 45 minutes outside of Sun Valley, Idaho. It was the summer camp that I went to growing up and it still holds a fond place in my heart. I was a counselor assistant and spent most of my time in the kitchen. Each morning, a rotating group of counselors and counselor assistants would meet early, before breakfast, for morning prayers. Generally, our time was focused on a story or topic that one of the counselors had found. One story, even after 20 years, still sticks with me.

The (true) story was about a couple. Since the day they had fallen in love, they had made a habit of saying ” love you” every time they parted. Sometimes, of course, this was hard. The story related how even at times when they had been arguing, the last thing they said to each other was “I love you, even if it was through gritted teeth. It almost became a game, just a silly thing that they did, but every time one said it the other knew it was true.

On the morning of the accident, her husband was running late. He had an important meeting to get to and was in a hurry to get on the road. He left the house and got in the car, just saying goodbye. His wife came after him, in pajamas and curlers, and ran to the car. He laughed and said “I love you” and she said it back.

That was the last thing she ever said to him. He never made it into the office that day. Another driver hit and killed him on his drive. Even though her heart was shattered, she felt a sense of peace knowing that the last thing she said to him was “I love you”.

 

Earlier this week, a food blogger from New York, Jennie Perillo, suddenly lost her husband and father to her two small children. Even though I’ve never met any of them I found this news incredibly sad. Although I’ve seen this kind of loss before, when my mom lost her husband (my dad), I have a heard time comprehending what that would be like to go through firsthand.

Jennie wrote a short blog post. She’d been meaning to make him his favorite pie but there was never enough time in the day. “Ill make it tomorrow” she said. But now, suddenly all the tomorrows are gone.

She asked simply that today, if you wanted to help her heal, you make a peanut butter pie and share it with someone you love. So today, I made a pie for Mikey, with healing thoughts and prayers for Jennie and her family, and I’ll be sharing it with my husband, the love of my life. The man that I have made sure to say “I love you” to (sometimes through gritted teeth) every time we part. Because tomorrow is not guaranteed.

 

Get the recipe here: www.injennieskitchen.com

Posted by ChefDJen in dessert, random musings, the husband | No Comments »

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

Brandied-Pear Coffee Cake

Last weekend the husband and I had some friends over for brunch. The rule for this particular group (who all are, or used to be personal chefs) is that you are supposed to make a dish that you have never tried making before.

A few weeks ago I added some peeled and cored pears to some mediocre brandy to make pear brandy. I used the brandy to make Pear Brandy Sidecars (which, P.S., were delicious) and was left with two pears that were infused with brandy. I decided to try making a coffee cake that would take advantage of these brandy-soaked pears.

Since I am not much of a baker, I turned to Ratio by Michael Ruhlman and used the basic quick bread recipe. For the crumb portion of the cake, I used my go-to berry crumble topping (with just a couple of tweaks) and since my favorite part of coffee cake is the crunchy crumble, I made a lot of it. Lastly I decided a vanilla glaze would be pretty on top so I made a little of that too.

Here’s the ingredients for the crumble (along with the sliced brandy-soaked pears).

I combined all of the crumble ingredients in a bowl.

Then used my fingers to mix it together (and after years of making this I finally realized that if I put gloves on I wouldn’t end up with schmutz under my fingernails).

Then I set this aside and turned to the cake.

In one bowl I whisked together all of the dry ingredients. Then in a second bowl I whisked together the milk and eggs.

Then I added the melted butter and whisked some more. Adding the melted butter to the cold milk results in the butter getting firm again, but in tiny bits, which distributes the butter throughout the cake.

Finally I added the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.

And whisked some more, just enough to get rid of the big lumps.

I poured half of the batter into a springform pan, spread the sliced pears over the batter, then sprinkled about half of the crumble mixture over the pears.

Then I poured the remainder of the batter over the pears and crumble.

Finally I distributed the rest of the crumble mixture over the batter. It may seem like this was quite a bit of work, but this cake seriously come together in about 20 minutes.

The whole thing went into a 350 degree oven. I started checking it at 40 minutes, giving the pan a shake every 5 minutes and pulling it out when it didn’t jiggle anymore, which took a total of 55 minutes.

I let this cool for an hour or so and then put together the glaze.

I pushed the powdered sugar through a mesh strainer to get rid of all the little lumps, poured this into a bowl and then added the all of the vanilla and then the milk a tiny bit at a time until it was the right consistency for drizzling (it takes a surprisingly small amount of milk to make the glaze).

Finally I removed the sides of the springform pan and then drizzled the icing over the cake (over the sink to catch any drips).

I served the cake while it was still a little warm (the best way to eat coffee cake) and was very pleased with the results. The pears were a little strong for a couple of my guests, but most of us found them to be extremely tasty (they also kept the cake very moist). Next time you need a brunch treat, I highly recommend this cake.

xxx

BRANDIED-PEAR COFFEE CAKE
 serves 10-12

Plain Bosc or Bartlett pears can be substituted for the brandied pears if you are not interested in making pear brandy. If you don’t have a springform pan. the cake can be made in a square or rectangular baking pan although the baking time might need to be adjusted.

For the pears:
2 bosc or bartlett pears which have been peeled and cored then steeped in brandy for 3-4 weeks, drained (reserving the brandy, of course) and sliced.

For the crumble:
2 oz flour
8 oz brown sugar
3 oz butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes and softened slightly
4 oz pecans, lightly chopped
1 1/2 oz rolled oats

For the cake:
 6 oz sugar
12 oz flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 oz whole milk
3 eggs
6 oz butter, melted

For the icing:
 4 oz powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-2 Tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a springform pan with non-stick spray and set aside.

In a small bowl combine all of the crumble ingredients and use your fingers or a fork to mash together the ingredients until the butter is well distributed and all ingredients are well mixed. Set aside.

In a medium bowl stir together the dry cake ingredients. In a second bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs. Add the melted butter and continue to whisk to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until the batter is just combined and there are no large lumps remaining.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared springform pan. Evenly distribute the pears over the batter then sprinkle half of the crumble mixture over the pears. Pour remaining batter over the pears and sprinkle with the remaining crumble mixture.

Bake for 45-60 minutes. Cake is finished when it no longer jiggles in the middle.

Let cake cool for at least one hour. Press the powdered sugar through a sieve to remove lumps. Stir in vanilla and just enough milk to create the proper consistency for drizzling. Remove the outside of the springform pan and drizzle the top of the cake with the vanilla icing (you may not need all of the icing). Enjoy cake while it is still warm.

Posted by ChefDJen in brandy, breakfast, cakes, dessert, pears | No Comments »

Friday, February 4th, 2011

Ode to the Captain

I am all for the organic food movement. I shop local when I can. I love going to the farmers market and actually meeting the people who grew my food. I make special trips, way out of my way, to buy meat that I know was humanely raised. And I try to limit processed foods in my diet.

All that being said, there is absolutely a place in my life for Cap’n Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch Cereal.

Growing up I enjoyed all the classics, Fruit Loops, Cocoa Pebbles, Apple Jacks, etc. but the only sugary cereal that remains in my diet is Cap’n Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch Cereal (though I do enjoy the very occasional Frosted Mini Wheat).

As I was trying to decide what do make for dessert for my friends last weekend, I came across a recipe for cereal milk custard in David Chang’s Momofuku cookbook. However, he used Cornflakes to make his cereal milk. I have never been a fan of flake type cereals. When my parents would buy me the cereal variety mix when I was little I would eat (and enjoy) most all of them. But the Special K and the Raisin Bran? No thank you. Too squishy.

So, I figured, why not just use the cereal I enjoy the most.

I used the recipe for Perfect Panna Cotta from David Lebovitz but added the additional cereal soaking step as described in the Momofuku cookbook.

Panna Cotta is great for a dinner party because it can be made a couple of days in advance (leaving you to concentrate on the rest of your meal).

xxx

Per the instructions in the Momofuku cookbook, I spread out my cereal on a sheet pan and toasted it in the oven for 12 minutes.

Once it had cooled a bit, I put it into large bowl and poured the cream over the top.

I let the mixture steep for 45 minutes (stirring it a couple of times) and them drained it, squishing the cereal so as much cream as possible would come out.

This left me with about 4 1/2 cups of delicious cereal infused cream. And I not going to confirm that I ate some of that cream-soaked cereal, but if I did, it was delicious.

From here I just followed David Lebovitz’s instructions. Warm the cream to dissolve the sugar.

Bloom the gelatin.

Stir the gelatin into the warm cream, stirring until it disolves, then divide the mixture between the serving dishes (my glasses are just the right size to fit into a muffin tin which makes them easier to move en masse).

Lastly, into the fridge.

I like to leave them uncovered until they cool. Otherwise steam collects on the plastic wrap then drips back onto the top (not tasty). However, once they have cooled, be sure to cover them if they will be stored for long (otherwise they develop a nasty skin).

xxx

Now, of course, this panna cotta would be enough dessert for most people. But, because I am an over achiever, and because this would be topping of what I hoped would be an extravagant meal, I decided I needed more.

Since chocolate and peanut butter are BFFs I decided a chocolate something was the way to go. I turned to Twitter and asked if anyone had a crispy chocolate cookie recipe that they loved. Jeanne (@fourchickens on Twitter) told me that she did and pointed me to the Oreo cookie recipe on her blog The Art of Gluten-Free Baking. I made them following her instructions exactly (well, other then substituting gluten flour for the non-gluten flour mix the recipe calls for). I also skipped the filling since all I wanted was the crispy cookie part.

xxx

Lastly, I wanted something really crispy on the plate. Like a spun sugar something or other. In my brain, this turned into peanut brittle which then turned into the star of the evening, Peanut Butter Cereal Brittle.

I used a pretty standard peanut brittle recipe that I found on AllRecipes.com but rather than cooking the peanuts in the sugar solution …

… I stirred the cereal in as soon as the candy thermometer hit 300 degrees. Then I stirred like a mad women and spread it out as fast as I could before it set up.

I wish I had more pictures, but if you have ever made candy, you know it is a quick process, not really a, let me pause for a minute to shoot a picture, process.

xxx

This might have been prettier if I had unmolded the panna cotta onto the plate, but I’m lazy (yes, the person who made a five course dinner for her friends just called herself lazy), so this is the best I could do. Plus, it ate the same either way (and I certainly didn’t hear any complaints).

xxx

I loved, loved, loved the panna cotta (and the cocolate cookies were pretty darn good too), but I have to say that the cereal brittle was the true hit of the dessert. If you only make one thing, make the brittle. So, so good.

xxx

CAP’N CRUNCH PEANUT BUTTER CEREAL PANNA COTTA
adapted from recipes by David Lebovitz and David Chang
serves 8

Half and half can be substituted for all or part of the heavy cream if you want to save a few calories. However, you shouldn’t be eating this every night anyway, so a little splurge probably won’t kill you.

6 cups Cap’n Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch Cereal
6 cups heavy cream (or half-and-half)
1/3 cup sugar
2 packets powdered gelatin (about 4 1/2 teaspoons)
6 tablespoons cold water

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread out the cereal in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast the cereal for 12 minutes. Let cool a bit then place cereal in a large bowl and pour cream over the top of it. Let it sit for 45 minutes, stirring one or twice.

Strain the cream through a chinois or sieve, pressing on the cereal to get as much of the cream out of the cereal as possible. You should end up with about 4 1/2 cups total. Discard the cereal.

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let it bloom for 5-10 minutes,

Meanwhile, heat the cream and the sugar in a saucepan until the sugar is dissolved (it should be very warm) then remove it from the heat. Add the gelatin to the cream and stir it until the gelatin is dissolved.

Divide the cream mixture between eight serving glasses or bowls. Place in refrigerator and chill until firm, 2-4 hours. Once cool and set, cover the panna cotta with plastic wrap until ready to eat.

XXX

CAP’N CRUNCH PEANUT BUTTER CEREAL BRITTLE
makes about a pound

Store the finished brittle in an airtight container and it will stay crunchy for several days.

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cup Cap’n Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch Cereal

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Measure out the butter, baking soda and cereal and have them standing by.

In a heavy 2-quart saucepan combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt and water. Boil over medium heat, stirring frequently until the sugar reaches 300 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Remove from heat and stir in the butter and baking soda, followed quickly by the cereal.

Pour mixture onto prepared baking sheet and quickly press it into a single layer using a rubber
spatula. Let cool completely then break into pieces.

Posted by ChefDJen in cookies/candy, dessert, milk/cream, vegetarian | No Comments »

Monday, January 31st, 2011

Dinner for Friends

I live by a few major tenets when it comes to food related gifts.

1. If you give me a gift of something like, say, fruit off of your tree, you can count on getting some of it back in a new improved form (pie, jam, infused liquor, etc.).

2. If I do happen to give you a jar of jam or chutney or what not and you don’t return the jar to me, I probably won’t give you more jarred goods (the cost of jars really starts to add up).

3. If you and a bunch of my other friends get together and buy me an expensive new toy for the kitchen, I’m going to make you a fancy dinner.

That last one, number three, that happened this Christmas. My husband and several friends all chipped in to get me this:

A Sous Vide Supreme Demi (and a vacuum food saver, since it is integral to the process). I decided to make a dinner that would show off what I think are the best features of cooking sous vide (French for under pressure).

Over the span of a couple of weeks of planning my menu developed into five courses. I wanted to do a fish course too, because that is a place where the sous vide method really shines, but my friends include one with a salmon allergy and one that hates all things that used to swim in the sea (I also had to work around dislikes of winter squash, hazelnuts, raisins, olives and one friend with a dislike of vegetables in general). I also did a cocktail pairing to go with each course, ’cause that’s how I roll.

My awesome friend Dawn took a lot of the pictures that follow (and also helped clear the table, serve drinks and load the dishwasher). Not sure I could have done it without her (well, I could have, but it would have been way less fun and there would be like five photos).

Here we go…

xxx

Eggs are especially nice cooked sous vide. The whites are just set and the yolks get really creamy, almost custard like. I also took this opportunity to serve of some of my home cured duck prosciutto (in fact, this is the same salad I developed and posted the recipe for just a couple of weeks ago).

xxx

If you’ve ever opened up a can of park and beans, you’ve seen that sorry excuse for a piece of pork just floating there on top. Well, my pork and beans instead featured a large square of my home-cured bacon which I finished sous vide instead of in the oven (I’ll be posting more about my bacon experiments soon). Cornbread seemed like the perfect accompaniment.

xxx

The beauty of chicken cooked sous vide is that it can safely be cooked to only 140°f (where the normal safe temperature is 165°f) because it is cooked for at least an hour. This makes for exceptionally moist chicken. I served it with a plum chutney that I canned over the summer and a mustard vinaigrette. The carrots were also cooked sous vide with a touch of butter and a bit of brown sugar. Even my vegetable hating guest said that they were tasty.

xxx

Another strength of cooking sous vide is the ability to turn a tough cut of meat into a something that is tender and delicious. Generally I would cook short ribs in a braise. Sure they turn out great but they have to be cooked well-done. With the sous vide, they can be cooked medium-rare (130°f) but since they are cooked for 48 (or even 72) hours they still get super tender. I adapted a recipe from Grant Achatz’s Alinea Cookbook using the root beer cure and the fennel recipes found on page 356 (though I cooked my fennel sous vide). However, since I am not a “foam” person, instead of a vanilla-potato foam I roasted potatoes with vanilla salt and a vanilla bean (though I’ll admit they got a little over cooked). I also completely forget to make the poached prunes. I was four cocktails in after all.

xxx

Lastly I made what I called my “Ode to the Captain” (Captain Crunch, that is). I will have a post with pictures of the process and a recipe later this week. But for now…

xxx

Thanks to all my awesome friends (and my even more awesome husband) for the great gift and a great night!

xxx

P.S. Five courses, with five cocktail equals a lot of dishes to put away.

Posted by ChefDJen in beef, canning, carrots, Charcutepalooza, charcuterie, chicken, cocktail, dessert, dinner, duck, eggs, entertaining, fennel, Photography, pork, sous vide, the husband | 1 Comment »

Monday, September 20th, 2010

Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

It a pretty universally held belief that all women crave chocolate. I think, for the most part, that’s true. At one point I had a personal trainer who had given up all forms of sugar and sugar substitutes, yet she still kept an “emergency” chocolate bar in the fridge.

I, however, am not one of those women. I used to be a great lover of chocolate but a few years ago I developed the food allergy I feared the most, chocolate. My mom developed the same allergy when she was my age. Luckily, it’s not a “I’m gonna die allergy” just a scratching, tickling feeling in my throat that last for hours (and makes me crazy). I can still eat milk chocolate (in moderation) and every once in a while I’ll see something made from deep, dark chocolate and decide the irritation will be worth it. But for the most part, my chocolate cravings are cured.

When I get a craving now, it’s for cake. Carrot cake to be exact. Just a few days ago I got one of those cravings. Often I’ll have the husband pick me up a piece from work. But the cake his office cafeteria provides has a way too sweet frosting so it’s just not my favorite. I decided to tackle the problem on my own, make my own carrot cake. Alas, no carrots in the crisper.

I thought perhaps I could replace the carrots called for in the recipe with zucchini (which I had an abundance of). A lot of zucchini bread recipes call for the kind of seasonings that carrot cake usually has so it seemed like there would be a better than reasonable chance for success.

I adapted the cake recipe from the wonderful Pioneer Woman Cooks blog (except I added raisins because carrot cake should always have raisins), but the frosting is mine, one I have been making for years. A cream cheese frosting that’s not overly sweet.

Here’s the ingredients:

In one bowl I stirred together the dry ingredients.

While in my mixing bowl I combined all the wet stuff (except for the zucchini and the raisins). I let this mix for a couple of minutes until the eggs had lightened a bit to a pale yellow.

With the mixer on low I poured in the dry ingredients.

And once that was all combined I added the grated zucchini and the raisins.

And mixed it a little more.

I divided the batter between a muffin tin (the big muffin kind) and a loaf pan and popped them both into the oven.

The muffin-sized cakes took 25 minutes to bake and the loaf-sized cake took 50 minutes. Once the cakes had cooled a bit I removed the muffin-sized ones from the tin.

While I waited for the cake to cool I set my mind on the frosting. Here’s the ingredients.

I put the softened cream cheese and butter into a mixing bowl and then sifted my powdered sugar into the bowl. You don’t necessarily have to sift the powdered sugar, but I’ve found that if you don’t, sometimes you get unattractive little balls of powdered sugar in the finished frosting.

I turned on the mixer, slowly at first, adding a touch of vanilla as it mixed. Once the cakes had cooled completely I frosted each one.

Then put each of the muffin-sized ones in their own little container. These have been stashed in the freezer to be thawed whenever the craving hits.

The loaf-sized cake cured my cravings for days. While the cake may have been a tiny bit too sweet for my taste (but not so much to keep me from eating it) I was extremely pleased with the results of my experiment. This was great as an after dinner dessert, a mid-day treat and even, one day, breakfast.

xxx

xxx

ZUCCHINI CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

For the cake:
10 ounces (2 cups) flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
14 ounces (2 cups) sugar
7.5 ounces (1 cup) vegetable oil
4 whole eggs
1 pound (2 cups) zucchini, grated
6 ounces (1 cup) raisins

For the frosting
8 ounces (1 stick) butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 pound powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. In a second bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the sugar, oil and eggs.  Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix to combine. Add the zucchini and raisins and mix until the batter is well combined.

Pour batter into a greased pan (or pans). Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean, 25 minutes for muffins, 50 minutes for a loaf pan. Cool completely.

In a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter, cream cheese and vanilla. Sift powdered sugar into the bowl and mix until the frosting is combined. Spread on cooled cake.

Posted by ChefDJen in cakes, dessert, squash | No Comments »

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

Berry Crumble

Here we are in downtown Seattle, forager Langdon Cook, and the rest of my classmates. We journey just a few blocks away from Cornish College and find blackberry brambles. I was immediately reminded of the time, so many years ago now, that the husband and I had to fight the brambles in our own backyard.

The easily picked berries seemed to have disappeared already. The terrain, a wall with a steep vertical, was not going to make the picking easy. Leaning in, on tiptoes, reaching as high as I could, I could just reach a handful. Oh to be six inches taller. Scraped from the bramble, I disentangle myself from the thorns that have attached themselves to my pants and shirt. Time to move on to a new spot.

The top side of the wall is home to a parking lot, perhaps this is where I will find more. I work slowly down the fence line trying in vain to reach through the cyclone fence, looking for the berries that others have missed. Close by, people are walking to their cars. If they park here a lot they have to have seen this before. Perhaps they’ve even brought a bucket of their own on occasion.

As I move along the fence I see other vines and plants. Not the treasure that I am looking for. Just then a hummingbird flits by. It has found what it wants in the very vines that I have decided to ignore.

After class I head home with my quarry. I don’t have enough berries for a pie, but there are so many other choices available, cake, ice cream, a small batch of jam. I settle on a basic crumble.

After seeing a tweet from @carolblymire in which she suggests the addition of lime to berry desserts I decide this might be a nice addition to my treat.

Here’s the line up:

I zested the lime and then added the juice from half of it to the berries. I then added the sugar and flour, gave the berries a gentle toss, then poured the berries into my dish.

On to the topping. This is my go to crumble topping. Just flour, brown sugar, oats and butter. Nuts could be added to the mix (and I do like to add them with apples or pears), but I decided not to add them here.

I combined the ingredients in a small bowl and then used my fingers to mush it all together.

I spread this mixture over the berries. This makes a fairly heavy layer of crumble (just the way I like it).

This went into the oven, covered for 20 minutes, then uncovered for 30 minutes (although looking back I should have reversed these times, I have corrected this in the recipe).

I allowed this to cool for a while before dishing it up with a scoop of vanilla.

The berries were a little tart (I could have added a bit more sugar). But that problem was easily overcome by the sweetness of the ice cream. The lime added a very tasty zing to the mix. That idea is going to be a keeper.

XXX

xxx

B E R R Y   C R U M B L E
serves 2-3

This crumble was made with blackberries, but any berry (or combination or berries) could be substituted. Use more or less sugar depending on the tartness of your berries.

1 pound blackberries
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1/2 lime
3 Tablespoon flour
1 – 1 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

In a bowl combine berries, zest and juice. Sprinkle sugar and flour over the berries and stir to combine. Pour this mixture into an oven safe dish.

In a second bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, oats and butter and use your fingers to combine the ingredients well. Sprinkle the mixture over the berries and bake, covered for 30 minutes then uncovered for 20 additional minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes before digging in.

Posted by ChefDJen in berries, dessert | No Comments »

Sunday, July 4th, 2010

Five-Spice Cocoa Meringues

As soon as I was old enough to fly unaccompanied, my parents started sending me to Kansas to stay with my two sets of Grandparents. I, of course, used to think this was for my benefit, but as I have gotten older, I have started to suspect that it was as much my my parents benefit as for my own (woo-hoo, no kid for 2 weeks, no 4 weeks, no 2 months, yay). Either way, I was always happy to go.

On my mom’s side of the family, I was the youngest of the grandchildren by five years or so. My cousins Neal and Nolin grew up working on the farm so I didn’t get to see them much while I was there. But we managed to hang out a little in the evenings.

My days were for the most part spent with my Grandmother. She made a huge dinner (city folk call it lunch) everyday for my Grandfather, cousins and the hired hands. Then there were errands or cleaning to be done (but sometimes I would slip out for a ride on my bike).

She did like having a little girl around to “dress up” so there was always a shopping trip for new clothes (and I can remember more than one home perm happening while I was there).

xxx

I much preferred spending time with my Dad’s side of the family. Here I was the oldest by just a couple of years.

And while my cousins Mindy, Shane and Mariah had to help out on the farm too, they certainly didn’t have to help out all day. We were left with plenty of time to go to the pool, run through sprinklers and create general mischief.

The best part of the summer was always the 4th of July (although the after harvest festival was pretty good too). Each fourth of July my cousins and I would trek over to the one fireworks stand (this is a town of less than 2000 people) and load up with supplies for the day. Firecrackers, color bombs and snakes for the daytime. Flowers and fountains for nightfall.

The nighttime fireworks were always a big production. We would all go out to my aunt and uncle’s farm and the kids would put on a fireworks show for the adults. They all kind of run together but I remember a year where we almost set a wheat field on fire (that would have been big trouble) and another year where there was seemingly a plague of frogs. Seriously, you could hardly take two steps without stepping on a frog. We’ll just say frogs and fireworks make a fun match and leave it at that. Then there was the year that my uncle Tom brought us m-80s and underwater smoke bombs. Boy did we have fun terrorizing the cows that year.

But all of those could not compare to the mother of all Kansas 4th of July’s. For some reason (I think it may have been my great Aunt’s funeral) my Mom and Dad and my Uncle Tom were both in town too. So cousin Mindy asked uncle Stan for fireworks money, cousin Emily (or maybe step-cousin Alex) asked uncle Tom for fireworks money. I asked my Dad for fireworks money. And of course Grandma pitched in some fireworks money too. We came back loaded with firecrackers, fountains, those little cars that shot fire out the back, sparklers, you name it we had it. We had hours (and hours) of fireworks to shoot off. Best. Fourth. Ever.

xxx

The last few years the husband and I have spent the Fourth of July with friends. They have a condo that overlooks Gas Works Parks in Seattle (where the city’s show is put on) and therefore are obligated to have people over every year. Some years they are more excited about this than others. This years’ gathering is small, mostly made up of those who basically invited themselves over (like me).

To reward their willingness to host I always try to bring yummy treats. This year I decided to take Ranier cherries that I bought from a roadside vendor and make cherry ice cream. Then I decided to take it one step further and make Ice cream sandwiches with homemade cookies. I adapted a recipe for strawberry ice cream (substituting chopped cherries for the strawberries) and one for ice cream sandwich cookies form Cook’s Illustrated. I didn’t spread the cookie (almost cake) batter very evenly so some of the sandwiches have extra thick cookie, but they are still tasty nonetheless.

The ice cream recipe called for six eggs yolks which then left me with six egg whites. My go to recipe when I have extra egg whites is meringues. As a child I remember going to Albertson’s for grocery shopping. The bakery would always give a free cookie to kids if they asked and I was always a sucker for meringues. They were vanilla (but they were always dyed pink or blue or green) and they were crispy all the way through.

The meringues I favor these days are crunchy on the outside with a slightly chewy center like these Five-Spice Cocoa Meringues. The five-spice adds a little intrigue to an otherwise simple cookie.

xxx

F I V E – S P I C E   C O C O A   M E R I N G U E
adapted from Mark Bittman’s iPhone app “How to Cook Everything”

6 egg whites
6 pinches cream of tarter
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 cup superfine sugar
3/8 cup cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon five spice powder.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl sift together sugar, cocoa powder and five-spice. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine egg whites, cream of tarter and salt. Whisk until peaks start to form then slowly add sugar-cocoa mixture. Continue to whisk until stiff peaks have formed. Using a pastry bag or spoons, make small mounds of meringue, 1-2 inches in size. They can be placed quite close together since they don’t rise. Bake in oven for 2 hours then turn off oven and open the door a bit to allow the meringues to cool for another hour. Store in an airtight container for up to three days.

Posted by ChefDJen in dessert, eggs | 1 Comment »

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Berries with Lavender Biscuits

Every year Bellevue, WA hosts a Strawberry Festival right at the height of the season. It.s a small event with carnival games, food booths, entertainment (such as magicians, bands and clowns) and of course Strawberry Shortcake.

The event is held just a couple of miles from our house so we usually go. It’s an afternoon of good, silly fun. This year our plan was to go on Saturday afternoon so that we could see the part of the entertainment lineup that included a shortcake eating contest, blues band, the results of a haiku contest (the husband is a sucker for haiku’s), Uncle Stinky’s Magic and of course we would have strawberry shortcake.

Unfortunately, a night of catering on Friday left me worthless on Saturday. The party was the first I had worked since my ankle surgery and the seven hours of cooking and serving took it’s toll. My ankle was swollen and sore. All I could do was sit on the couch (with lots of ice on my ankle). We made plans to go on Sunday. We’d be able to see a jazz big band and Uncle Stinky would still be performing and of course we’d be able to get strawberry shortcake.

The problem is, the husband woke up Sunday morning thinking that he needed to go in to work for a while to get some things done for Monday morning. The strawberry festival was not to be this year.

But I was promised strawberry shortcake!

I decided I was just going to have to take care of this myself. I had received both strawberries and blueberries in my CSA box this week so now I just needed the shortcake part of the equation. I thought a sweet biscuit would do the trick so I turned to my Ratio iPhone app for a biscuit ratio that I could work from.

My lavender plants are huge and just about ready to bloom. It’s the perfect time to cut a few for culinary use. I love the underlying floral flavor that just a bit of lavender provides in baked goods and other desserts.

XXX

Here’s the line-up for the biscuits.

Since I am A) lazy and B) needed to use the food processor to make lavender sugar anyway, I decided to make the biscuit dough right in the food processor. It’s seriously easier and the biscuits are delicious and will be done faster which is important if you have been promised strawberry shortcake and you want it as soon as possible.

xxx

I combined the sugar and lavender in the food processor.

And then gave it a whiz for 15 seconds or so.

Then I added the flour and baking powder and pulsed it just a couple of times to combine.

Next I added the butter.

Then pulsed it for about 15 seconds.

Next I added the liquid (I decided to use a combination of cream and water) and then whized that for another 15 seconds or so until it was all together in basically one ball.

I turned this out onto a cutting board. Kneaded it a few times and then pressed it out to about 3/4-inch thickness.

I cut the dough using a 3-inch biscuit cutter. Of course by this point my hands were covered in flour, so I neglected a photo of this step. But I’m guessing you can use your imagination.

I placed half the biscuits on a parchment lined baking sheet and then popped them into my toaster oven for 22 minutes (I wrapped the rest of the biscuits in plastic and stashed them in the fridge so I could cook them fresh later). After about 10 minutes my kitchen started to smell heavenly.

xxx

As soon as I put the biscuits in the oven I turned to the berries. I cut the strawberries into pieces that were roughly the same size as the blueberries then stirred in the sugar. I thought about adding mint, or more lavender to the mix, but decided to let the berries remain unadulterated.

I popped the bowl into the fridge and left it there (stirring it every 10 minutes or so) until the biscuits were cooked and cooled a little. A half hour in the fridge will bring the juices out of the berries and melt the sugar. The longer it sits the more juices will comes out (but don’t let it sit for more than a day or so because the berries will start to break down and get gross).

Lastly, I whipped some cream with just a little bit of sugar (because really, what is the point of strawberry shortcake if you don’t have whipped cream).

xxx

Finally, time to eat. I split the biscuit in half, topped it with plenty of berries and cream, and then popped the other half of the biscuit on top.

My very own strawberry festival at home (made even better with blueberries and lavender). The perfect bite of summer all in one bowl.

XXX

B E R R I E S   W I T H   L A V E N D E R   B I S C U I T S
makes 8 biscuits

1 pint strawberries, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 pint blueberries
4 Tablespoon sugar (or more if berries are very tart)

4 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon fresh lavender buds
13.5 ounces flour
4.5 ounces butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 ounces cream
5 ounces water

1 cup cream
2 Tablespoon sugar

Combine strawberries, blueberries and sugar in a bowl and stir to combine. Place bowl in refrigerator, stirring berries every ten minutes for the first hour.

In the bowl of a food processer combine sugar and lavender. Process for 15 seconds. Add flour and baking powder and pulse a couple of times to combine. Add butter and pulsed for 15 seconds (flour wil look slightly wet). Add the cream and water and then process  for another 15 seconds or until dough comes together in one ball.

Turn the dough out onto a cutting board. Kneaded it a few times so that it comes together completely and then press it out to about 3/4-inch thickness.

Cut dough into rounds using a 3-inch biscuit cutter. Place rounds on to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake for 20-22 minutes. Let cool.

With a hand beater or whisk beat together the cream and sugar until stiff peaks have formed. Set aside.

Split each biscuit in half lengthwise. Place one half in a shallow bowl, top with berries and whipped cream then place the second half of the biscuit on top.

Posted by ChefDJen in berries, dessert | No Comments »

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

Happy, Happy Birthday

Yesterday my uncle wished me a happy birthday and told me that he hoped I didn’t have to make my own cake. I replied that making my own birthday treat is the only way to ensure that I get to enjoy exactly what I want. This year, that was Momofuku’s Crack Pie.

At Momofuku’s Bakery and Milk Bar in New York City they sell this ooey-gooey pie for $44 each. Making it at home cost much, much less than that (and you get two pies).

I cooked this over two days, making the oat cookie for the crust one day and finishing the crust and the filling the next morning. The result is a really sweet creamy filling in a slightly salty cookie crust. A delicious contrast.

Happy Birthday to me!

Click here for a link to the recipe in case you want to try this deliciousness at home.

Posted by ChefDJen in dessert | No Comments »

About Me

I'm a personal chef living happily with her picky-eater (but willing to try anything) husband, neurotic black lab and a red heeler puppy.

I watch way too much TV and enjoy hip-hop more than any reasonable grown-up should.

I'm an avid swimmer and sometime triathlete (whenever I'm not nursing an injury).

Find out more about me here.

About This Blog

I'm cooking my way through the oldest cookbook in my collection, Betty Crocker's Hostess Cookbook, published in 1967. The book was a gift from my grandmother, but belonged to my great grandma Etta.

Beware, jello molds lie ahead.

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