Bûche de Noël

This Yule Log Cake  is a traditional dessert served during the holidays in France. I made one a few years ago from "Julia and Jaques Cooking at Home" which was as roulade; a flourless chocolate cake filled with cream, rolled up and dusted with sugar. Simple. But this year I found another by Jaques that was three pages long, an official Bûche de Noël and I had to make it. First I made a custard so it could chill during the other steps. I made a white sheet cake, let that cool, then made the pieces for meringue mushrooms (stems and tops dusted with powdered cocoa) which took 2 hours in the oven. Then I made the cream filling and folded in the custard. Before I spread this on the cake I basted the cake with rum and water, then carefully rolled it up. I made the buttercream frosting next, and melted chocolate to fold into it. I frosted the cake and then prepared the mushrooms. I cut off the bases, melted chocolate and popped on the caps to set. I set them around cake and put it in the fridge to chill while we played some boggle.

It took me 5 hours from start to finish and was the hardest thing I've ever made. 

I'm glad I did it, it came out great and tasted yummy... but I don't need to do that again!

(Recipe from Jaques Pepin)

Christmas Feast

What a fabulous meal! A meal that almost wasn't, for so many reasons. I'm so glad we moved back from NYC to continue this tradition here together with our family. 

But the other reason this almost wasn't....the ham. Last time we got the Smithfield Ham online, but this year I found them sold at Pavillions. However when I went to pick one up they were sold out! I went to four different stores before I secured the "last one"...whew!!! I hugged the ham AND the butcher and sauntered off to my car with a grin on my face, relieved that the holiday dinner was saved. 

There is simply no substitute for a Smithfield Ham (unless you made Prime Rib and Yorkshire Pudding, ahem). Anyway, this dinner rocked. Ham, cranberry ginger chutney, cranberry bread, no knead bread, summer squash from dad's garden, spinach salad, and parmesan smashed potatoes. YUM! Best of all every last bit of it was made by us! Everyone was in the kitchen cooking together. I'm so blessed to have a big enough space and a family so gifted. I love you guys.

(Recipes from Barefoot Contessa (Potatoes), Smithfield (Ham), NY Times (No Knead Bread), Murina (Chutney) then adapted from this, Mom (Cranberry Bread), Dad (Squash), and ourselves (Spinach Salad--see earlier post).

Chocolate Guinness Brownies, Holiday Style

These are our favorite brownies. I've made them dozens of times over the years and experimented with different Guinness (bottle vs can) as well as lots of different brands of chocolate. We like them best with Ghirardelli chocolate ( I buy the 60% cacao Ghirardelli chips along with the white chocolate chips). I use King Arthur flour and Land O'Lakes butter in all my recipes.

This is not like other brownie batters; it looks totally normal until the last minute when you "whisk in the Guinness" and turns the whole batter to a chocolate-liquid-soup. In my experience the 8" pan and the 25 minutes in the oven combination doesn't work; the center doesn't cook all the way through even with baking up to 40 minutes. I've tried making them in a 9x12 pan and baking only 20 minutes but they aren't as moist inside. I'll experiment with them in cupcake form soon.

We also prefer them with non-whipped cream cheese frosting because it cuts the bitter chocolate nicely and looks like the head on a Guinness! This particular version has a few peppermint candies sprinkled on top. And another hint is to make them a day ahead of time because they taste *way* better the next day! 

(I discovered this recipe for Grace Neill's Chocolate and Guinness Brownies inside Chocolatier Magazine, then found it online at npr.org --along with some fabulous looking Irish fare!)

Making Cheese

Today we went to a friend's place and made manchego cheese. It was SO much fun! It is a very precise artform, much more than I've experienced with baking. We brought the milk up to 86 degrees and had a thermometer to keep it hovering there while we added the starters, lipase and rennet. Then we had to raise the temperature 2 degrees every five minutes to another measure point. There was a lot of stirring, then we cut the curds, did more stirring, then strained the whey out through cheesecloth (my first actual application of CHEESE CLOTH) and put the curds into a press. After pressing at a certain amount of weight for the prescribed time, we flipped the curds (now in a tubular form) and pressed them again. At the end it gets an oil bath overnight. 

The whole process took about 6 hours with us having to do something every 5-30 minutes at first (during the pressing we had time to eat dinner and watch a movie). We didn't get to eat the one we made but instead (food show style) he popped a chunck of  homemeade colby out of the fridge and we tasted that. I was in HEAVEN. YUM! We boiled up the leftover whey and made ricotta and then gobbled that right up still warm out of the pan. 

This was a truly unique experience and I can't wait to do it again! There is another acquaintance who makes beer and bread. We're having a party very soon :)

Chicken Pot Pie, again!

I made this again and this time with a friend. It's so friggin yummy!!

(Recipe from Sunset Magazine)

Pumpkin Chip Cookies

Now before you cringe and say, eeew pumpkin, you really must try these. They are like nothing you've had, and no other cookie recipe I make is anywhere close to the texture and unique flavor of these yummy morsels.
 
(Recipe from Melissa Moiha)

Pumpkin Chip Cookies (*makes 6 dozen*)

1 large (29oz) can pumpkin

2 tsp soda

4 tsp powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

4 C flour

2 C sugar

2 eggs

2 Tbsp milk

1 C unsalted butter (hers called for vegetable oil but this is a no-no in my book)

2 tsp vanilla

1 bag chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar. Add in eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add in pumpkin. In a large bowl combine soda, powder, salt, cinnamon, flour and I use a whisk to combine. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoon onto cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 14 minutes. These are a very WET cookie and the dough is not similar to a chocolate chip or sugar cookie dough. 

Char Siu Pork Roast

This is one I like to make in the slow cooker. I make about 1.5 lbs of pork and that with some steamed rice, snow peas, and carrots lasts us two nights. Yum! I got the recipe from Cooking Light magazine, a special one they had just for slow cooker recipes. 

Grandma's Persimmon Pudding

A couple months ago my grandma gave me the recipe for her holiday Persimmon Pudding (with rum hard sauce, which she stresses can't be done without). This dish is more of a bread pudding, moist and deliciously fruity. When I was visiting the family a couple weekends ago, they gave me a batch of persimmon pulp they made from their tree. Today was an awesome foggy fall day, and between that and the frozen persimmon waiting in the freezer that was all the prompting I needed to stay inside and bake. This is a really spicy batter and I loved the way it smelled in the bowl, and loved it even more coming out of the oven. It's a really straight-forward recipe, the only prep I needed to do was chop the dates (they are apparently available pre-chopped). Oh, and to "plump" the raisins in rum...easy! I made two small loaves in paper "tins", and I was surprised to see all the BUTTER that had pooled up between the pans and the cookie sheet they were baked on. I'm letting them cool now and they should be ready for their hard sauce for tonight's dessert.

*Unfortunately I can't find this recipe* :(

Baking for tomorrow

Today was a lot of fun - I got up early and walked Bean, then headed to the various stores for my ingredients. I made two recipes from the "Land O' Lakes Holiday Cookies" magazine, both of which turned out beautifully. Chai Birch Logs, and Lemon Pecan Snowdrops. Both have a unique flavor and lots of spices. I was attempting to make a cookie that wasn't centered around chocolate but also wasn't a traditional sugar cookie. I'm certainly adding these to my cookbook.

Lemon Pecan Snowdrops (Prep time: 45 min | Yields 3 dozen cookies)

Cookie:

1 C butter, softened

1/2 C sugar

2 C flour

2/3 C pecans, finely chopped

1 T grated lemon peel (from your tree!)

Glaze:

1 C powdered sugar

1 T butter, softened

1 T light corn syrup

1 T fresh squeezed lemon juice 

1 T grated lemon peel

1 - 3 T milk (probably closer to 1)

Topping:

Coarse grain white sugar or colored sprinkles

Heat oven to 325. Combine 1 C butter and sugar in bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy.  Reduce speed to low, add flour, pecans, and lemon peel. Beat until dough forms. 

Shape into 1" balls (the smaller the better to keep them from spreading too much). Place 1" apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 20 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets 1 minute then remove to rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze, combine all ingredients *except* milk in a small bowl. Beat at medium speed, gradually adding enough milk for desired dipping consistency. 

Dip tops of cooled cookies into glaze; shake off excess glaze. Place onto waxed paper. Sprinkle tops with sugar and let stand until glaze is set (about 1 hour). 

Store in loosely covered container between sheets of waxed paper. 

--

Chai Birch Logs (Prep time: 55 minutes | Yields 4 dozen cookies)

Cookie:

1 C butter, softened

3/4 C sugar

1 egg

2 3/4 C flour

2 T instant unsweetened tea powder (I used regular Trader Joe's Chai Tea with good results)

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (substitute 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground cloves)

1/2 tsp ground cardamom (this is an expensive but indispensable spice - don't leave it out!)

Topping:

6 oz white chocolate chips

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 tsp vegetable oil

Heat oven to 350. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until creamy. Reduce speed to low and add in egg until combined. Add all remaining cookie ingredients and beat until well mixed. Mixture will be crumbly. 

Divide into 8 portions. Roll each portion into 12" ropes on a lightly floured surface. Cut ropes into 2" logs. Place 1" apart on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 11-15 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Remove and cool 15 minutes.

For topping, place white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute and stir. Continue microwaving, stirring every 15 seconds until melted and smooth. Using a small offset spatula, frost tops and sides of logs; place onto waxed paper. Let stand until set (15 minutes).

Place chocolate chips and oil in small microwave safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds until melted and smooth. Dip fork into melted chocolate, drizzle chocolate crosswise over logs. Let stand until set (45 minutes). 

Home made Mac & Cheese

Oh boy was this yummy: Barefoot Contessa's Mac & Cheese. I substituted Gorgonzola dressing for crumbled blue cheese, and used ready-made breadcrumbs. Part way through our dining experience we got the idea to sprinkle a little smoked sea salt on top. HOLY moly. This rich meal was consumed with a fine red wine from Argentina I received for my birthday - it has tones of berries and plums.I regret I made no vegetables to go with this but they would have been ignored anyway. We almost hurt ourselves trying to consume seconds. Good thing I made enough for lunch tomorrow!

Rainy Day Comfort Food

I LOVE risotto. It's a staple in our house and generally the first thing I look for on the dinner menu in a new restaurant. This is one of our favorites, "Risotto with Chicken and Caramelized Onions" from my Williams-Sonoma Risotto Book. It's not a stellar recipe, but simple (okay my idea of simple might not be yours; this is a four-burner to-do).  I substitute Marsala for the Madeira, and skip the leeks. I use one large hawaiian sweet onion, and I make only a half recipe which is enough for the two of us for two nights. Served with my favorite beer, Trois Pistoles (available at Trader Joe's) I'm in heaven. 

Fun fooding in Austin

After a fantastic home-made brunch of breakfast tacos at G & M's place, I left around noon-thirty and decided the capitol building was calling my camera out. I had taken my whole kit when I left this morning so I veered off at that exit, parked and walked around. I didn't know there was some sort of festival happening out on the lawns and I was lucky to get a parking spot for free, on a side street, in the shade, one block away. I walked directly to a tent where they had a pro kitchen set up complete with cameras, tv screens, mirrors to watch the cook, and lots of chairs. It was hot and that was shady and looked interesting so I sat down. I am so glad I did! Martha Hall Foose (someone I have never heard of) was giving a demonstration but I was more interested in hearing her stories. She was just captivating everyone with her humorous tales of the South. Really personal and very interesting stories, all connected to food. Fun! When she was finished I just had to buy the cookbook, "Screen Doors & Sweet Tea"; the recipes are right up my alley for after-work ease and they are things I *love*. I stayed and had her sign my copy too, just to complete my experience. When I got home I read the reviews on Amazon and people really love her book for all the reasons I do - she's a really fun storyteller. It's laid out well too, which is sadly not the case for my "Chocolate & Zucchini" book, hence is sits on my shelf. I'm already gobbling this one up and can't wait to get back home to my kitchen and try some of these things out!

Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée

This is my first attempt at Crème Brûlée. I've never made it mostly because I'm not a huge custard eater - being non-compatible with milk and all. But I had leftover chocolate dough from the Lemon Tarts, and this was the other recipe in the book that used chocolate shells, so...

I baked the shells and I'm getting a little better with finessing the dough into the molds without overlap. I also need to use less flour when rolling them out so I don't get the little bubbles in the texture. I got to go to Surfas and buy a torch (whee! more kitchen toys!) to torch the sugary tops. 

The custard came out beautifully and didn't turn into scrambled eggs (I was warned about them doing that). I enjoyed smelling the Tahitian vanilla bean as it cooked too :) I totally forgot to take the shells out of the molds before I poured the filling. Oops. Good thing I buttered the molds well; after they were set I was able to invert them and pop them right out! So far so good. 

Now's when I blow it. I tried to carmelize the top and just totally screwed them up. They melted! And I didn't get a good surface. I think the heat was too low. I did it in two layers of sugars just like the directions said; one layer of sugar, melt. Then the second layer of sugar to bubble and caramelize. Nope. It took way too long and I got burn marks on my edges and unset custard underneath. We ate two anyway (they tasted fine!) and popped two back in the fridge to set overnight. Which wasn't ideal, but it worked. If anyone has any tips on caramelizing I'd be very happy to hear them.

(Recipe from "Book of Tarts" by Maury Rubin)

Biscuit-Topped Chicken Pot Pie

I always forget how long Chicken Pot Pie from scratch actually takes. Just chopping all the vegetables (I like them pretty and square) took me 20 minutes. I did get a roasted chicken from Whole Foods which saved me from having to do that part. I did it in 1.5 hours and since I made the full recipe it lasted us three days so I guess that's okay.

(Recipe from Sunset Magazine)

Mom's Italian Sausage Soup

I love cooking in my Flame Le Creuset dutch oven. It is arguably the most used piece of artillery in my kitchen! The weather was teasingly dropping into a proper fall pattern for a few days and I got all excited and made this soup from my childhood. Then we were right back into indian summer upwards of 85 degrees. Le Sigh.

Mom’s Italian Sausage Soup (serves 4)

• 1 1/2 lbs Italian mild sausage
• EVOO
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1 28oz can Italian style pear tomatoes
• 3 14oz cans beef broth
• 1 1/2 C dry red wine
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 T chopped fresh parsley
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 medium zucchini chopped 1/4” thick
• 3 C uncooked bow-tie pasta
• Garlic Bread & Parmesan cheese

1. Heat pan and add EVOO. Remove sausage from casing and add to the pan, breaking it up into large chunks with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Add in garlic and onion and stir until limp. 
2. Add tomato & liquid and stir with a wooden spoon, breaking up tomato into pieces. Add broth, wine, and bay leaves. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes.
3. Add parsley, bell pepper, zucchini, and noodles. Cook until tender, approximately 8 minutes. Serve with garlic bread and grated or shaved parmesan cheese.

Lemon Tarts with Chocolate Shells / Spinach Salad

Tonight we have plans for dinner with Beeper and I'm bringing dessert and the salad. We chose Lemon Tarts with Chocolate Shells for dessert, so I made the dough this afternoon and baked the shells. Then I went next door and picked lemons from my neighbor's tree for the filling. Afterwards, I went to the Culver City Farmer's market and picked up spinach (the spinach in the photo is from we repeated this the following night!), walnuts, gorgonzola dressing, prosciutto, and a pear. We headed up to Simi Valley and she had made Coq au Vin and fingerling potatoes. X made French 75s while we finished the prep. I toasted the prosciutto and carmelized the walnuts. Then I prepared the lemon filling from eggs, lemon zest, sugar, and butter. That set in the shells while we ate. Well, while we stuffed ourselves! Everything was so good we all had two helpings!!

(Lemon Tarts with Chocolate Shells Recipe from "Book of Tarts" by Maury Rubin; Spinach Salad Recipe by us--see below)

Spinach Salad

• Cheese Marzetti Gorgonzola Cheese Dressing (find in the refrigerated section)
• 1 bag baby spinach
• 1/4 C dried cranberries or cherries
• 1 bartlett pear, thinly sliced
• 1/4 C chopped walnuts, caramelized (see below)
• 2 strips toasted prosciutto (see below)
• 1 T brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment and lay out the prosciutto strips. Bake 10 minutes until slightly crisp. Remove and let cool, then blot with paper towel to degrease. 
2. Lay out a sheet of parchment paper approximately 4” wide. In a small fry pan over medium heat, toast the walnuts for 1 minute. Add 1 T brown sugar and let melt for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula until the sugar has melted and coated the nuts. Remove nuts to cool on the parchment. Immediately pour a cup of water into the pan and place back over medium heat, stir for 1 minute and rinse. 
3. Place the spinach, cranberries, and pear in a bowl. Cut the prosciutto into 1” strips and add to bowl. Toss thorougly with 1 heaping tablespoon of dressing. Sprinkle caramelized walnuts on top.
   

Chocolate & Candied Ginger Tartlets

This is a standby at our house. Whenever I have time to make tarts this is the first one I reach for. 

(Recipe from "Chocolate & Zucchini" by Clotilde Dusoulier)