I realize I've let this little blog slide in the past, oh what, year and a half! Whoops!
But I just got a new cookbook -- Rose Levy Beranbaum's "The Cake Bible" -- and I will need to do some experimentation with the recipes. So why not post them here? New mid-year's resolution is to post recipes and results here. I need to start pinning down my go-to recipes since I've always just varied what source I use.
In the mean time, I just finished reading David Lebovitz's "The Sweet Life in Paris" and found it totally adorable. I can't wait to go back to Paris this fall. He intersperses stories about living in Paris with his wonderful recipes. Great quick read for someone who enjoys food and travel -- perfect book for me!
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Cashew Brittle
The third item in my trifecta of Christmas candy was cashew brittle. Of course you could use any other nut such as peanuts, pecans, pistachios or almonds, but I had cashews on hand from the chocolate bark so I used those. You could even throw in some bacon like Batterlicker did!
Cashew Brittle
(adapted from Food & Wine)
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 stick unsalted butter
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 ounces roasted salted cashews
Spray a large jelly roll pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, water, butter and corn syrup and bring to a boil. Stir over medium high heat until the caramel is light brown and registers 300° on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda (the mixture will bubble up). Stir in the nuts. Pour the brittle onto the prepared baking sheet. Using a rubber spatula, spread the brittle into a thin, even layer. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Break the brittle and serve!
Cashew Brittle
(adapted from Food & Wine)
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 stick unsalted butter
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 ounces roasted salted cashews
Spray a large jelly roll pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, water, butter and corn syrup and bring to a boil. Stir over medium high heat until the caramel is light brown and registers 300° on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda (the mixture will bubble up). Stir in the nuts. Pour the brittle onto the prepared baking sheet. Using a rubber spatula, spread the brittle into a thin, even layer. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Break the brittle and serve!
Chocolate Bark
The second candy I made for Christmas this year was chocolate bark. It's a good standby because it's so easy to make and can be varied in numerous ways. This year I used a mix of dark and milk chocolate topped with dried cranberries and whole roasted almonds and cashews. You can also use white chocolate, pistachios, dried apricots, hazelnuts, pretzels, or whatever your heart desires!
Chocolate Bark (adapted from Barefoot Contessa)
1/4 cup whole roasted almonds
1/4 cup whole roasted cashews
1/2 cup dried cranberries
16-20 oz chocolate, roughly chopped
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper.
Melt the chocolate (microwave or using a double-boiler) until just melted. Stir melted chocolate with a rubber spatula until completely smooth. Pour the melted chocolate onto the parchment-lined baking pan. Spring the chocolate evenly with the nuts and dried fruit. Press the topping in lightly so they set in the chocolate. Refrigerate 2 hours, or overnight if possible. Break the bark up into pieces and serve!
Chocolate Bark (adapted from Barefoot Contessa)
1/4 cup whole roasted almonds
1/4 cup whole roasted cashews
1/2 cup dried cranberries
16-20 oz chocolate, roughly chopped
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper.
Melt the chocolate (microwave or using a double-boiler) until just melted. Stir melted chocolate with a rubber spatula until completely smooth. Pour the melted chocolate onto the parchment-lined baking pan. Spring the chocolate evenly with the nuts and dried fruit. Press the topping in lightly so they set in the chocolate. Refrigerate 2 hours, or overnight if possible. Break the bark up into pieces and serve!
Caramel Corn
The holidays have come and gone. In my life, time spent with family and friends is also usually accompanied by mass consumption of delicious food. My mom and I have always made candy and cookies for neighbors and friends, and I've continued the tradition by making homemade goodies for my coworkers. This year I tried to keep it simple and made only three type of candy: (1) caramel corn, (2) chocolate bark, and (3) cashew brittle. All three were deceptively easy to make (as long as you have a candy thermometer!) and required very few ingredients. The caramel corn especially makes a sweet and salty delicious snack that is perfect all year long. And it's easy to give as a gift -- wrap up in a cellophane bag, in a mason jar, in a bakers box, etc.
Caramel Corn with Chopped Nuts
(adapted from Orangette)
2-3 packages plain microwave popcorn (I used Newman's Own Natural Microwave popcorn), or about 8-10 cups freshly popped popcorn (I like my caramel corn less caramel and more popcorn so I used 3 packages)
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
¼ cup light corn syrup
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup roughly chopped nuts, such as almonds, peanuts or cashews (I used almonds)
(I used a disposable foil roasting pan so I could do everything in one container and just throw it away at the end -- I found this worked well because I could mix the popcorn and caramel, then bake in the oven in just one vessel. However, you can use a jelly roll pan or other roasting pan, just make sure to coat in Pam or use parchment paper.)
Preheat the oven to 250°F. Place the popped popcorn in a large mixing bowl or your foil roasting pan, sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. If using a mixing bowl, also prep a jelly roll pan or other roasting pan with either nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the brown sugar, molasses, corn syrup, butter, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and whisk until it reaches 250°F on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat, and whisk in the baking soda and vanilla. Quickly pour the hot caramel over the popcorn. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the caramel into the popcorn, taking care to distribute it as evenly as you can. Stir in the chopped nuts. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet if using one, otherwise just pop the whole foil roasting pan into the oven. Bake for about 1 hour, stirring and turning the popcorn with a spatula every 20-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Gently break up the popcorn, and serve.
Caramel Corn with Chopped Nuts
(adapted from Orangette)
2-3 packages plain microwave popcorn (I used Newman's Own Natural Microwave popcorn), or about 8-10 cups freshly popped popcorn (I like my caramel corn less caramel and more popcorn so I used 3 packages)
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
¼ cup light corn syrup
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup roughly chopped nuts, such as almonds, peanuts or cashews (I used almonds)
(I used a disposable foil roasting pan so I could do everything in one container and just throw it away at the end -- I found this worked well because I could mix the popcorn and caramel, then bake in the oven in just one vessel. However, you can use a jelly roll pan or other roasting pan, just make sure to coat in Pam or use parchment paper.)
Preheat the oven to 250°F. Place the popped popcorn in a large mixing bowl or your foil roasting pan, sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. If using a mixing bowl, also prep a jelly roll pan or other roasting pan with either nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the brown sugar, molasses, corn syrup, butter, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and whisk until it reaches 250°F on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat, and whisk in the baking soda and vanilla. Quickly pour the hot caramel over the popcorn. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the caramel into the popcorn, taking care to distribute it as evenly as you can. Stir in the chopped nuts. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet if using one, otherwise just pop the whole foil roasting pan into the oven. Bake for about 1 hour, stirring and turning the popcorn with a spatula every 20-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Gently break up the popcorn, and serve.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
'Tis the Season: Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes
I was asked to make cupcakes for the staff holiday party so I thought I should do something keeping with the holiday theme. I've been a fan of coffee-themed cupcakes lately (I will post a caramel-latte cupcake recipe made for a co-worker's birthday) and Starbucks' holiday drinks are ubiquitous with the holidays so I thought why not make one in honor of their peppermint mocha?
Let me start by saying I'm not really a Starbucks fan. I much prefer Peet's or our local place Chocolate Fish. And to top it off, I don't like flavored coffee drinks. So I was really hoping I'd like the cupcake version of the popular winter Starbucks drink. And I did. And so did everyone in the office. So here's the recipe (cupcake recipe from Annie's Eats)
For the cupcakes:
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2-3 tsp. espresso powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup whole milk
1 cup strong brewed coffee
1 tsp. peppermint extract
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
For the frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar
1/8 tsp. peppermint extract
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1-3 tb. of milk (as needed)
crushed candy canes for topping
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Combine the milk, coffee and peppermint extract in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup (I love my silicone liquid measuring cups like these here).
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugars. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Alternately mix in the dry and liquid ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Don't overmix!
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the frosting, beat butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. One cup at a time, add the powdered sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add vanilla and peppermint extracts. If the frosting is too thick, add milk. Place frosting in a piping bag (or a ziplock bag with the tip cut off) and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Top with crushed candy canes.
Let me start by saying I'm not really a Starbucks fan. I much prefer Peet's or our local place Chocolate Fish. And to top it off, I don't like flavored coffee drinks. So I was really hoping I'd like the cupcake version of the popular winter Starbucks drink. And I did. And so did everyone in the office. So here's the recipe (cupcake recipe from Annie's Eats)
For the cupcakes:
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2-3 tsp. espresso powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup whole milk
1 cup strong brewed coffee
1 tsp. peppermint extract
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
For the frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar
1/8 tsp. peppermint extract
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1-3 tb. of milk (as needed)
crushed candy canes for topping
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Combine the milk, coffee and peppermint extract in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup (I love my silicone liquid measuring cups like these here).
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugars. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Alternately mix in the dry and liquid ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Don't overmix!
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the frosting, beat butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. One cup at a time, add the powdered sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add vanilla and peppermint extracts. If the frosting is too thick, add milk. Place frosting in a piping bag (or a ziplock bag with the tip cut off) and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Top with crushed candy canes.
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