London Fog Creme Brulee

Having made macarons (and all that swiss buttercream) last weekend, I had a ton of egg yolks left over in my fridge.  How to use them all up?  I had a couple of ideas (mostly taken from this helpful site of yumminess) but I decided on creme brulee, and why not, really.

After the complexities of macarons, Alton's basic recipe for creme brulee wasn't quite exciting enough, so I took some inspiration from my favourite London Fog and turned it up to 11.  A bit of earl grey infused into the cream, and a whole vanilla bean's worth of caviar really made this one special.

Yum.

Adventures in Macarons

Macarons have been on my radar recently, as I'm sure many other foodies will agree.  I've even heard it said that macarons are the new cupcakes.  Having never tasted one, I've been quite intrigued by the excitement surrounding these little delicacies.  Apparently they can be quite finicky to bake, but I have to admit that the first articles I read about making them, on BraveTart, really took the mystery out of it all: among others, there's one about how to make them, and even better, one that busts so many of the myths about how difficult they are.  They were pretty much a perfect introduction to macarons, since it made them accessible to me, right away, while taking away the intimidation of attempting them.

Over the past few days, I've read and reread those articles, along with some others, like the ones at Food Nouveau, and I gathered everything I needed, so I'd be able to take a crack at it tonight.

In the end, the only equipment I was missing is my oven thermometer, which means that I am a bit unsure how accurate my oven temperature is (apparently a serious issue in making successful macarons.)  I learned with the first batch that my oven is far too hot on the left, since that pan cracked completely.  The second pan was all right, perhaps a bit overdone.  For the last pan, I turned the temperature down juuuust a touch, and they turned out oh-so-beautiful.  Look at those little frilly feet and round tops.  As you can see, I went the "imperfection is adorable" route, and left the little nipples on top of the cookies.  If I had wanted to, I could have flattened those out before baking.

The recipe for Swiss Buttercream on BraveTart is a large one - it calls for two pounds of butter, if that gives you some idea of the volume of it - but it makes enough for several batches of macarons.  After filling these ones, I put the rest of the buttercream into the freezer for another day.

I ate a couple of the halves while assembling (a chef has to test her work, after all) but mostly I just filled and assembled them and stored them in the fridge, since I'm told that they are better after a day (or two) of resting. They were pretty lovely and crunchy and meringuey today - hopefully they will be even more heavenly tomorrow.

Pumpkin Hand Pies

I recently saw a post online for some salted caramel apple hand pies, and while they sounded just divine, I found myself craving something in a pumpkin flavor, instead.

Canned pumpkin just happens to be on sale (Thanksgiving is coming, after all) so I picked some up and took a few minutes today to make some of the little darlings.

The only drawback is the lack of whipped cream - one of the best parts of pumpkin pie, in my opinion.  The good news is that they are very dippable, particularly in the aforementioned whipped cream.  I checked.  Several times, just to be really scientific about it.

Because the filling was so runny before baking, I couldn't fit much into the little pies.  Apples would be better, in that respect, since they can be piled up a bit higher.  I ended up cooking the bulk of the pumpkin filling in little ramekins, which will make for nice desserts, as well.  Overall, a delicious success.

Mostly-Authentic Vegan Whoopie Pies

First of all, let's get one thing straight.  I'm not vegan.  I mean, bacon cheeseburgers are sort of the base layer of my food pyramid, if you know what I mean, and I do really believe that Everything is Better With Butter.  However, I have friends who are vegan, and one of them has become a regular guest at our weekly The Wire Night.  I've had to start stretching my baking muscles, lest she feel left out of our weekly snack food indulgences.

Whoopie pies are also a big part of my food pyramid, some weeks (usually of the PMS variety.)  This week, I wanted to whip up some whoopie pies for my guests, but since they are full of butter and milk (that must be the whoopie part) I had to make a few alterations.

As you can see, they ended up a bit taller and smaller in diameter than the Authentic Whoopie Pies that were my starting off point, but other than that, they are a pretty close approximation of the original.  Hopefully my guests will all like them.

Vegan Whoopie Pies
(makes 13-14 assembled pies, allowing for ample sampling of batter and filling)

For the cakey part:

• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp milk substitute (soy, almond, etc.  I used Coconut milk beverage from So Nice)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Blend that together and then add:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 5 tbsp cocoa
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt

Drop by tablespoonful onto ungreased baking sheet.  Bake at 375 F for 8 min.  Test for doneness with a toothpick (it should come out clean.)  Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Cream Filling:

• 1/2 cup vegan margarine
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup coconut milk (the real stuff in a can)

Beat this in a stand mixer for a looong time - about 5 to 10 min.  This will start out looking like a sludgy mess and you will think you did something wrong (or that veganizing this recipe didn't work worth beans) but if you are patient, eventually it will turn into an amazing fluffy creamy filling.

After the cakey bits are cooled, you can assemble the whoopie pies by sandwiching (lots and lots of) filling between two cakey bits.  You are meant to have to lick it from the sides when you take a bite, so don't be afraid to really pack it in there.

They store just fine at room temperature, and are great out of the fridge.  The conventional ones freeze really well and I don't see why these ones wouldn't too, but I haven't tried it yet, and frankly, I doubt I'll have enough left over tonight to bother.

I Also Eat

I realize I've mostly been showing off my finished knits and not much else, for a while. I've been doing lots of baking and cooking, as well, but just haven't put up photos. Here are a few beauty shots for you to enjoy.

Scones I made ages ago, when I was in search of the perfect scone recipe. These were truly delectable. In fact, I think I should make these again soon.


One day I had a craving for a grilled cheese sandwich with smoked gouda and caramelized onions. Then I made it a reality.


Lastly, what self-respecting foodie hasn't yet made Prince William's Groom's cake? I altered the recipe by using a ganache for "icing", rather than just plain melted chocolate, which seemed to me like more than a little bit of a cop out. The ganache includes a bit of my tequila vanilla, and in my opinion is the best part of what is, ultimately, a really yummy chocolate cake.


Superb straight out of the fridge, but even better if it comes back up to room temperature, which softens the ganache a bit and really brings out the flavour and texture.


Cookielicious.

Milk Cake

I had a dream last night that I was eating a bowl full of pieces of stale cake soaked in milk to rehydrate it. Think about that for a second. I could have had a dream about flying with valkyries to a Nordic castle inhabited by Alexander Skarsgard, but I had a dream about stale cake and milk. Weird, to say the least. (It reminds me of another dream I had, once, where I was eating turkey leftovers (not even a fresh hot meal, but leftovers) and was worried that my HLM was going to steal them away. I mean, to be fair, even leftovers of turkey dinner are worth protecting, it's true.)


I decided not to overanalyze the dream, but to take it as a sign that it was time to make a Tres Leches cake. Ever since I saw this recipe on Pioneer Woman, I've been lusting after it. Thanks to the milk cake dream, today was the day. I bought the requisite three types of milks at the store after work and came home to put this baby together. For the record, it's just as lovely as it looks. Perhaps I went a bit heavy on the whipped cream layer, but I hated to waste any, especially since it has just a teensy bit of my tequila vanilla in there.

I also (finally) finished the knitted lace edging of the Bridgewater shawl, a few minutes ago. Having finished it, I am thinking about overdyeing it before I block it out. Maybe it seems crazy, but I've made enough projects with this ruby red that I'm ready to have a shawl of a different colour now. (Note to self (and also to you): buying lace yarn on cones gives you a lot of yarn.)


So I tried out a few colours of kool aid to see how they look. This is clearly the Before shot. I can't wait for them to dry out!

Beer & Honey Bread

I am past the heel on my second sock, but today I took a few minutes out of my yarn-filled day to make some bread. I found this recipe for Honey Beer bread by way of foodgawker, and couldn't wait to try it. I just happen to have everything I need in the house, and it sounded like such an easy recipe.


Suffice to say it was super quick and really couldn't be easier. The recipe warns against overmixing, so I was very careful not to, which left it a bit lumpier on top than it could have been. Better safe than sorry, I say. I will mix it a bit more, next time. You may be wondering how it tastes. It is over half eaten, if that answers your question. I ate mine buttered, with a nice hunk of goat brie on the side. Bliss.

Superb Soda Bread

The other day on foodgawker, I discovered a recipe for Irish soda bread inspired by Everything Bagels. Like the blogger who developed the recipe, I too love Everything bagels, and also feel guilty about them, since I know they aren't exactly healthy. Her recipe for Everything Bagel Soda Bread is healthy and filling and so delicious.


I made one yesterday and could barely wait until it was out of the oven before cutting into the fragrant loaf. The bread itself is dense and moist and hearty, like a bowl of oatmeal. The toppings are dried onion and garlic, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and rolled oats -- savory and yummy. A real stick-to-your-ribs sort of bread, which I am loving.

The recipe itself gives weights for the main ingredients, which necessitated me getting the kitchen scale down from the closet, but with a bit of fuss, it worked well. I kept track of volume measurements after I weighed them (cheating) so I might try it that way, next time I make it. Also, she begins with rolled oats and uses the food processor to grind them into flour, which allowed me to use another new toy of ours. I have to admit, though, that I'll probably just buy oat flour at the health food store and skip that step next time, too.

Great recipe, overall. I will definitely revisit it again.

Baking Whoopie

Suddenly today I had a craving for whoopie pies. They've been all over blogland for ages, but today they got in my head and wouldn't go away. I did some internet searching to find a recipe that I liked, and I found this one at the Omnomicon which is apparently an old family recipe. A bonus of being a bakerly type person is that I have all that stuff in my apartment, at the ready, and nothing keeping me from combining them into some fluffy little treasures.


In no time flat, I had made some perfect little round cakey cookies and a bowl of creamy sweet filling and sandwiched them all together. I might have eaten one before the rest were all assembled. Just what the doctor ordered. I mean, if the doctor was PMS. Which it is.

A Happy Discovery

I made a discovery at work, recently, and completely by accident. I was in need of some basic sunflower oil for cooking, and I was drawn to a lovely looking bottle by a Canadian company called Maison Orphee. Once I got it home and opened it, I was delighted to find it had a beautiful sunflower seed aroma. Bear in mind that I have used a lot of sunflower oils in my day and I have never had one that was fragrant like that. Of course I tasted it, and it also has a lovely strong sunflower taste. What a perfect oil for salads or vegetables! Needless to say, I have been using it ever since. I made some cinnamon buns with it and while the dough was deliciously scented with sunflower as it rose, the scent and taste were not noticeable once the buns were baked, perhaps because of the overriding cinnamon flavour.


The other night I decided to make a carrot cake. I gathered a lovely bunch of organic carrots and set some cream cheese out to soften, and opened my precious bottle of sunflower oil.

I was happy to discover that there is a subtle nutty sunflower flavour in the finished cake. I left out any walnuts or pineapple or icky raisins or anything else people dump into carrot cake, so the texture is relatively smooth and the flavour really comes through. Even better is a big thick slice with cream cheese icing and a scattering of fresh raw walnuts on top. Bliss.

Chicken, Cheesecake, Octopus

I have definitely gotten back into my cooking groove, lately. It may have been sparked by the great Thanksgiving meal my HLM and I made last week (with not only pumpkin pie, but also accompanied by my favourite delicious banana bread.) My groove was certainly helped along with some excellent garlic-marinated barbequed pork chops with some homemade porcini mushroom sauce, a few nights ago. Sorry, no photos -- that food is all long gone, now.


Autumn appears to be in full swing, here, so tonight I decided I wanted some comfort food to warm myself up. I saw a recipe somewhere today for a chicken pot pie with leeks and mushrooms, and decided that I didn't really need a recipe to make it, so I came home and improvised this one. It didn't take that long, and I think it's going to be something I revisit again and again this winter.

I did wuss out and use a frozen pie crust. Don't judge me -- I made one from scratch for the pumpkin pie last week, I promise.


It looks a bit messier on the plate, but it still tasted pretty great. Just a hint of thyme and sage really fill out the flavours. Yum.

Then, last week I got a craving for cheesecake, so I pulled out a recipe for Vanilla Bean Cheesecake, taken from Junior's Deli in NYC. I have wanted to go there and eat their cheesecake ever since I learned of them in Tom Robbins' Still Life With Woodpecker:

Who knows how to make love stay?

1. Tell love you are going to Junior's Deli on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn to pick up a cheesecake, and if love stays, it can have half. It will stay.
2. Tell love you want a momento of it and obtain a lock of its hair. Burn the hair in a dime-store incense burner with yin/yang symbols on three sides. Face southwest. Talk fast over the burning hair in a convincingly exotic language. Remove the ashes of the burnt hair and use them to paint a mustache on your face. Find love. Tell it you are someone new. It will stay.
3. Wake love up in the middle of the night. Tell it the world is on fire. Dash to the bedroom window and pee out of it. Casually return to bed and assure love that everything is going to be all right. Fall asleep. Love will be there in the morning.

But I digress. The main difference with a Junior's cheesecake is the crust -- you will find no graham wafers, here (and good riddance!) Junior's makes a very thin sponge cake for the crust, and then loads a bunch of delicious fluffy cheesecake on top. I have to admit that I was skeptical at every stage of this cheesecake. I wasn't sure that the crust turned out right, and then I wasn't sure that the cheesecake batter baked properly, and basically I just made it and crossed my fingers and stored it in the fridge overnight. The next day I cut myself a slice, and as the knife went through, I could tell it was going to be fluffy and perfect. I wish you could taste it. I am definitely a convert to the Junior's way of doing things.


Lastly, in knitting news, I have made an octopus. Okay, not quite -- only five arms, I know. I have finished knitting the main part of Girlie Friday, and have sewn the sleeve seams already (and tried it on, I will admit. I didn't want to take it off; the sleeves alone were so warm and cozy.) Tonight I will sew the side seams and then wet block it. Tomorrow I will pick up the stitches for the collar/front bands and see how that goes. On the home stretch!

That Sort of Sunday

Have you ever had the sort of Sunday where you make bread pudding for supper? (Please take a moment to admire those browned crusty bits poking out the top, which somehow soaked up the sweet eggy mixture and then caramelized in the oven into something truly heavenly.)



The sort of Sunday, I mean, where you drown it in warm whiskey sauce and then curl up on the sofa to eat and knit and watch the latest episode of Rubicon?

Oh Baby

This week, I had an epiphany. I was talking with my coworkers about these cupcakes that my mom used to make -- they were chocolate cupcakes with a delectable cream cheese filling. Someone mentioned carrot cake and the next thing I knew: light bulb. Why not make a carrot cake cupcake with cream cheese hidden inside? And why not use a baby-food-carrot cake recipe, so it will be a lovely smooth texture? Funny thing: last time I made a carrot cake with baby food, I wanted to keep the texture, so I added some shredded carrot. This time I am all about the smooth velvety cake, so I didn't.


Basically I bastardized one baby-food-carrot-cake recipe and one cream-cheese-filled-cupcake recipe into one glorious mutation of the two. Yum.

Oh Baby Cupcakes

Carrot Cake batter:
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup sunflower oil
3 4oz jars carrot baby food

Filling:
8oz brick cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar

Ok, so you make the batter and the filling (surely you don't need instruction on that) and put about a tablespoon of batter into your cupcake cup, followed by a nice dollop (a teaspoon or so) of filling and then another tablespoon of batter to cover it up. Bake those little lovelies at 350 degrees for 15-20 min (until the top is no longer moist and looks cooked) and then let them cool. They are spectacular out of the fridge and will freeze well, too. This recipe is enough for about 24 cupcakes (with a bit of batter and filling left over for you to enjoy -- don't pretend like you won't) so you can take some to your coworkers and make them ooh and ahh.


What's that? Knitting? Oh yes, I've been doing some of that, too. I have gotten started on the second sock in both pairs that I am plugging away on, and even finished all the pieces of my cardi. There they are, blocked and waiting patiently for me to seam them together and knit the buttonbands. I even found the perfect buttons. Stay tuned.

I am an Evil Genius

While I was planning my foray into Caramel Apple Sticky Buns, I checked out some of the other things that Ree Drummond has done with the dough, to decide what to do with the leftover half. Her Orange Marmalade buns in particular caught my eye.

Well, I don't have any orange marmalade around, but one of the things that has been lingering in my cupboard for a while is apricot jam. Why not play around with the recipe a little?

I slathered the dough with apricot jam, then couldn't resist adding a bit of spice, even though Ree hadn't. I sprinkled on a subtle covering of cinnamon (not even half the amount for a real cinnamon bun) and then I decided to add a tiny pinch of cloves. I had a good feeling that the flavours would marry well. Here is a photo, before I drenched the whole thing with melted butter and demerara sugar.

I made a spectacular gooey mess rolling it up, which seemed like it must be a good sign. While they were baking, I mixed the glaze. Since I had switched the orange marmalade for apricot jam, I thought I might as well change up the glaze, too. I have a few syrups for italian sodas, and thought about what to use: should I make Pomegranapricot buns? Or use the blood orange? I settled on Peach, which of course would go well with the apricot. I added a bit of homemade tequila vanilla to the sweet peachy glaze (it makes everything better) and poured it liberally over the buns once they came out of the oven.

I know, right?

I Know, Right?

I've been enjoying the food porn over at The Pioneer Woman Cooks for a while, now, but today I finally decided to take the plunge and make something, to see if it's as easy as she makes it look.


My Caramel Apple Sticky Buns don't look exactly like hers, but they are pretty darn close. That's a precious little cinnamon bun under there, baked in a pan of caramel and finely chopped apple bits, then inverted to cool.

And what's more, I still have half the dough in the fridge -- just wait until you see what else I have planned.

Welcome to the Nut House

I have finished the yoke sweater, and it looks great, but my photographer and I are on different schedules, so the big reveal will have to wait. In lieu of that, here is a picture of some nuts.


There are a lot of cool blogs on green living out there, and the Simple Green Frugal Co-op is a great place to find a lot of information, in a very organized format. Just scroll down and check out the list of topics on the sidebar on the right hand side of the website. There are even a few posts about cheese making (which I am so excited to try.)

Somehow I stumbled upon this post on making Candied Nuts, and I had to try it. I couldn't locate my cardamom (could I possibly have used it all up? Yes.) so I used cinnamon and a bit of cloves, this time around, and coated a nice sized bowl of fresh raw walnuts. So good. (I know a lot of you out there don't like walnuts, but if you've only had the cruddy rancid ones you buy at conventional grocery stores, you really haven't experienced the beauty of a lovely raw walnut bought out of a refrigerated bulk bin. Glorious.)

They turned out pretty nice, although I have to admit that roasting the walnuts took away some of that nice raw flavour that I love. I should also note that they are just barely sweet, and that if you are used to a more sugary-coated nut, you would probably want to take their suggestion to increase the sugar in the recipe.

Verdict: yum.

Dans La Boulangerie

There are a lot of hobbies I plan to take up in the future, as I find the room (and the funds) for them, like making artisan cheeses, for example. One hobby that I don't have to wait to work on is developing my bread making skills.


I decided to pull out my Le Creuset and revisit the Cooks Illustrated recipe for Almost No-Knead Bread which I tried ages ago. The loaf I made on Tuesday turned out much like the one I made, last time: round and small and slightly overdone. I found that the dough was a bit dry when I initially mixed it and when I formed the loaf, and it didn't rise as much as I'd hoped. Of course, this is not to say that we didn't eat the whole loaf, anyway.


For my second try, I added more yeast and more liquid (more beer, to be specific) and I found that it rose better and gave a lighter loaf. The dough was also less dry to begin with, and I adjusted the heat slightly and the cooking times to give it less time uncovered in the oven. You probably can't tell the difference, but this one is taller and broader than the first one. It seems to have improved the loaf significantly, but it is still a work in progress.

Come on over -- there's bread and jam for everyone!

Call Me Square

I was flipping through a book of brownie recipes the other night (not the smartest idea for a weak-willed lover of sweets, I will admit) and tucked near the back of the book, I found this recipe for squares.


See that delicious goo leaking out from the center? It's meant to be a mixture of peanut butter and sweetened condensed milk, but I decided to go one step more extravagant and substituted cashew butter. They are unbelievably delicious. The base and topping have chopped walnuts and rolled oats, with a generous smattering of milk chocolate chips over everything.

I bet you can almost taste one, already.

Banumpkin Bread

What do you do when you have a couple of blackening bananas on the counter, but not quite enough to make banana bread? Mix them with some pureed pumpkin left over from Thanksgiving, and you have Banumpkin Bread.

Slightly orangier in colour than ordinary banana bread, but the banana flavour still predominates: four thumbs up in our house.

Good Start to the Day

Rolled oats, fruit, brown sugar... who says you can't have Rhubarb Crisp for breakfast?