sweet things Archive

mini strawberry & goat cheese turnovers

This weekend, I had the pleasure of hosting a bridal shower for my friend Cait. Cait is getting married to Zak on July 9th, and I have the honor of being in her bridal party. While I may not be able to claim the actual initial introduction of them to each other, I will claim partial credit for their union. Nich and I were friends with both of them and we definitely did our best to nudge them towards each other last summer (although, lets be honest…they didn’t need much nudging!). And now, this summer…they are getting married!

I will say that Cait is one of the most darling & stylish people I know. If you have any doubts about her adorable-ness, take a look at her & Zak’s wedding blog. Yep. It is totally adorable.

In any case, knowing Cait’s knack for all things culinary (in addition to being adorable, she is quite handy in the kitchen) I knew I wanted to make a few extra special things for her bridal shower. So I asked myself: What Martha Stewart Would Do? And I decided that Martha Stewart would throw a picnic themed bridal shower, with a vast assortment of summertime goodies. The other bridesmaids ran with the picnic theme and brought of host of amazing edibles, but being the over-acheiver Martha Stewart wannabe that I am…I still made four different items for the shower. I pored over recipes all last week, and eventually decided to make the following items for the shower: smashed pea & mint bruschetta; potato salad with a yogurt, dill, arugula; deviled eggs with goat cheese, lemon, and dill; and miniature strawberry goat cheese turnovers.

I didn’t get a chance to take pictures of all of the food, but I will do my best to post all of the recipes this week – with or without pictures. I was really pleased with how everything turned out. It all tasted so good, and everything was remarkably quick and easy to make. I think Martha would be proud. So, here is the first of the bridal shower recipes.

Miniature Turnovers: With Strawberry, Goat Cheese & Honey
*Makes 12-15 mini turnovers

1 small container of ripe strawberries
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tbl brown sugar
Goat cheese (at room temperature)
Honey
Fresh thyme (optional. I was going to put in fresh thyme and then forgot! But I think it would be really really good!)
2 pie crusts, thawed (*I was too swamped to make pie crusts from scratch, so I bought the frozen ones from Trader Joes and they work wonderfully.).
Flour, for working rolling out the crusts
1 Tbl Milk
1 Tbl white sugar

1. Wash, trim, & dice strawberries and place into a small bowl. Season with nutmeg and brown sugar. Set aside for later.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

3. Remove the thawed pie crusts from the package. Take one crust, and place it on a floured surface. Roll the crust until desired thickness (**since these are such mini turnovers, you don’t want a terribly thick crust. I found that the pre-made pie crusts needed to be rolled out thinner.) Use a small bowl, cup, biscuit cutter to cut out rounds (I used a very small bowl, probably 2.5 to 3″ across). Place rounds on a cookie sheet for assembly. Form the pie crust scraps in a ball and roll to desired thickness. Repeat until you use all the dough from both crusts. Two crusts should make 12-15 rounds.

4. Smear a small amount of goat cheese on the center of each round (1/2 to 1 tsp). Place a small amount (1 tbl or so) of the strawberry mixture on top of the goat cheese. Drizzle with honey. Fold the round in half, and carefully press the edges together with your fingers to create a seal. Use a fork to create ridged edges (if you so desire). Make sure to score the top of the turnover (either poke with a fork or use a knife to create a slit), so that the turnover can breathe. Brush the top with a slight amount of milk (making sure not to brush the ridged edges, as they will burn). Sprinkle a small amount of white sugar on top of each turnover.

5. Bake in the center of a 350 degree oven until golden brown. 12-15 minutes.

**Note, I also made a savory version of these turnovers for the shower with bacon, blue cheese, and carmelized onions. Both were incredibly delicious, but I think I liked the strawberry turnovers just a tiny a bit more. There is just something so pretty about the red fruity strawberry goodness that oozes out of the turnover crust!

mother’s day brunch: french toast bread pudding

Happy Mother’s day, everyone! Today was such a lovely day, and I am grateful to have such a fantastic mom.

When I asked my mom what she wanted for mother’s day she was very clear in her wishes. She only asked for two things: she wanted her kids (and significant others) to make her brunch and she wanted us to help work on the house and yard (as my parents are putting their house on the market).

I was in charge of the brunch menu, and despite my pleading, my mom indicated that she really wanted a sweet brunch. I’ve been in a decidedly savory brunch phase lately, and so I had to do some thinking. But then I thought about the brunch spot down the street from Nich and I’s house that serves a bread pudding french toast with a mint and bourbon syrup. It is to die for. It is one of those brunch items that can turn a savory brunch eater into a sweet brunch eater (because, lets be honest: there are two types of brunch eaters. the two rarely mix). Plus, my mom loves bread pudding more than any person I know. So, french toast bread pudding was a mother’s day brunch must-have.

After perusing a few recipes, I settled on one from the Food Network. I think it was the addition of spiced pears (or what I would call a pear compote) that sold me on this recipe. In any case, this recipe requires very little prep work (rip some bread, put it in a pan, pour and egg and milk mix over it and let it sit over night. tada!) and yet it tastes like a little piece of french toast heaven. In addition to the spiced pears, I also made from fresh whipped cream (with vanilla and muscavado sugar) which was a great decision (and who counts calories for mother’s day brunch? or ever, really?).

So, here is the recipe (with my twists, because I can never just leave a recipe be.)

French Toast Bread Pudding with Spiced Pears
Adapted from the Food Network

Ingredients
French Toast:
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 loaf (about 1 pound) challah or brioche, or any soft, egg-enriched bread (I used Challah and it was amazing)
6 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar (I didn’t actually include sugar in the egg mix, I totally forgot it! However, I dont actually think it needed it as the Challah bread is already sweet. Instead, I sprinkled dark brown sugar over the top of the french toast right before I baked it).
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Spiced Pears:
2 tablespoons butter
2 firm-ripe pears, cored and cut into chunks
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Nutmeg, to taste

The night before, make the French toast: smear the butter over the bottom and sides of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish or other shallow 2-quart baking dish. Tear the bread into small pieces and scatter in the dish.

In a large measuring cup or small bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until light. Add the milk and vanilla and whisk well. Pour over the bread evenly. Tamp down the bread with a spoon or spatula to submerge each piece in egg mixture. Cover with foil, gently pressing down so the foil is right on the surface of the mixture. Refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, remove the dish and slide it into a cold oven with the foil on. Turn oven on to 350 degrees F. After 25 minutes, gently pull off and discard the foil. Continue to bake until pudding is puffed and golden brown, about 20 more minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the spiced pears: melt butter in a wide frying pan (preferably nonstick) over medium-high heat then add the pears. Stir until pears are coated well with butter, then sprinkle brown sugar, cinnamon, and a good pinch of fresh nutmeg; continue to cook until pears soften.

To serve, spoon bread pudding onto plates and top with spiced pears (and whipped cream, if you so desire). Can also be served with maple syrup.

olive oil rosemary cake

I’ve had this recipe for awhile now, and I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to use it. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I’m not much of a baker. I’m not sure why, but I know that I enjoy cooking quite a bit more than baking. I think that with baked goods, I always fear that they will sit around my house and I will eat every last morsel (and consequently turn into a pumpkin). So, needless to say, I only bake when I have someone to inherit my baked goods. Last week, when our friends Laura and Jarron invited us over for dinner – I finally had my excuse to make this cake (and ensure that it would be shared and eaten by people other than myself).

While the ingredient list may seem odd to some, I was really excited about the prospect of using rosemary in a cake. I’ve baked desserts with olive oil plenty of times in the past, but I had never used rosemary in a dessert. Seeing that it is my favorite flavor in the whole world, I figured that using it in a cake would be a very wonderful thing. And, alas – it was. This is the perfect dessert for those who don’t have a sweet tooth (ahem: my husband, who doesn’t really like sweet things at all). The rosemary adds a subtle earthiness, while the vanilla and lemon give the cake a delicate sweetness and brightness. The original recipe did not call for lemon zest, but I think the lemon is what made the cake a truly special dessert. It was just so simple, and so good. I highly recommend that you try it!

Olive Oil Rosemary Cake
adapted from The Babbo Cookbook by Mario Batali
makes 1 loaf

1 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar, plus an additional spoonful for topping
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (good quality olive oil)
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbl Lemon zest
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves, plus 1 sprig for topping

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees (I cooked mine at 350 as my oven tends to be a little funny). Grease and flour a loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together for several minutes, until pale and foamy. With the mixer running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil in a thin stream. Add the vanilla, then gently fold in the chopped rosemary and lemon zest. Add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle delicately with the reserved spoonful of sugar, covering the surface with a light dusting. Place the reserved rosemary sprig gently on the top (it will sink in as the batter rises around it, so no need to push it down). Bake 45 minutes, until the cake is light golden and a tester comes out clean.

guest blog: Joe’s chocolate chip cookies

Foreword: A special thank you to Lindsay for letting me guest-blog on Rosemarried, one of my and my girlfriend’s favorite blogs. I mentioned that I was baking cookies and she offered (perhaps jokingly) to let me be a guest author. Be careful what you wish for. :)

It’s better to do one thing well, than many second-rate, as the saying goes. Nowhere in my life is this maxim more truthful than in my baking. I have always prided myself on my chocolate chip cookies. That’s pretty much all I do, and I do it well. I won’t even attempt to feign humility on this. “Why does no one else seem to take as much care with the details?” I asked myself at the tender age of 13. Even that young, I knew there had to be MORE — more to be desired from the various homemade cookies that are available to a suburban American boy with an unreformable sweet tooth. I developed this recipe over the period of several years, partly by trial and error, partly inadvertently (much like the invention of modern athletic shoes). The method is just as important as the ingredients so pay attention.

The recipe’s origins are shrouded in a little bit of mystery. My mom got it from her best friend’s sister, who somehow got it from the secret recipe vault at a cookie shop. I didn’t ask too many questions, as the LAST thing I need is a visit from the cookie mafia.

Bottom line: if you’re feeling lonely, whip up a batch of these, mention it on Facebook, and watch as your house suddenly becomes very popular. Make sure you’ve got plenty milk!

Joe’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 50-ish cookies

1 lb. butter
2 Cups dark brown sugar
1 1/2 Cups granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbs baking soda
6 Cups white flour
4 Cups (24 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS:
1.) Melt/soften the butter either in the microwave or by letting it sit out for a while;
2.) Also let the eggs sit at room temperature for a while before mixing; this helps the eggs emulsify with the butter;
3.) Mix in the chocolate chips by hand (yes, with your actual hands); why? Don’t question the method! They just taste better this way;
4.) After mixing let the dough chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours; this will help the finished cookies have that perfect balance of size and thickness I so longed for as an early teen.
5.) Created well-rounded balls slightly smaller than ping pong balls, placed 3×4 on cookie sheets;
6.) Bake at 350 degrees (or 325 for convection ovens) for 12-15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through; once the cookies start to brown ever-so-slightly you have a small window in which to work; I prefer to undercook them slightly (better underdone than overdone) — they will have a much better extended life in the freezer this way. Nobody likes slightly burnt cookies. Nobody. You’ll get the hang of it.
7.) Add some walnuts/pecans if you want.

Happy baking!

bittersweet.

A while ago, I was in the produce section of the grocery store, pondering possible vegetable choices for dinner. Out of the blue, an East Indian woman approached me and she started talking to me as if we knew each other. She talked at length about her thoughts on food and cooking. She told me that energy flows through everything – through me, through the vegetables I was holding in my hands, through all parts of life – and that I needed to think about these things when I prepare food. She told me that I needed to cook with love, and that when people eat the food I make – they will literally be able to taste love.

Granted, a lot of what this woman said made no sense to me at all. In my typical American fashion, I was in a hurry and was in no mood for a 20 minute conversation in the middle of the produce section. But on days like today, when I approach cooking (and life) with a heavy heart, that I wonder about what she said. When I am sad, can you taste it in my food? When I feel love in great abundance, can you feel it in every bite? I don’t know. Somehow I doubt it, but I also want it to be true. It seems that food has become my art form, my one great artistic expression of myself. I am not a writer, I am not a painter, I am not a musician. But I still feel the need to express my creative viewpoint. And for now, that creativity is manifesting itself through cooking. I am not sure what that means, exactly. But I do know that I want to cook with love. And I want that love to be felt – however that may be.

That being said, it was with a heavy heart that I made a small batch of (vegan) lemon and ginger scones. While they sound like a bright and chipper recipe (and they are!), I was in no such place. I made the scones for my little sister’s bridal shower. And, of course, a bridal shower is usually a very happy thing. But, alas, my sister is currently in Uganda (and is getting married to her sudanese fiancee in Uganda), and therefore was not able to attend her own shower. I can’t go to the wedding and I don’t know when my sister will be home. I miss her terribly, and I think about her often. And while the shower was to celebrate her marriage to Stephen (which is a beautiful and wonderful thing), I still felt sad. I felt guilty for not being able to afford a plane ticket to Africa. I felt lousy that I have planned so many friends weddings in my lifetime, and yet here I am across the planet for my sister, unable to help at all. Throwing a shower and making some scones seems like such a small gesture when your baby sister is getting married.

Alas, I put on a brave face and I made some scones and I helped throw a shower. And you know what? It was delightful. It was such a lovely mix of family and friends, all there to support Candyce in her African wedding. We told stories, we laughed, we cried – and, of course we ate scones. Sometimes life is bittersweet like that. I suppose maybe its appropriate that lemon and ginger scones were my pastry of choice. A little bit bitter, but mostly sweet. (And…most of the attendees didn’t even know the scones were vegan. I’m tricky like that).

I won’t pretend that these scones are some great metaphor for my sister’s African wedding. But I do know that I made them with love – even if that love was tainted with a little bit of sadness. And, if I do say so myself…the scones were quite tasty. With recipes like these, Orthodox Lent hasn’t been that bad. Honestly, I’m really enjoying the vegan diet. That being said, here is the recipe. And, here is to Candyce and Stephen and their upcoming nuptials! I love you both.

(Vegan) Lemon Ginger Scones
(Adapted from this recipe from Vegan Yum Yum)
(Note: This recipe can be made the “normal” way by substituting butter for margarine and milk for soy milk. Also, I served the scones with lemon curd which is definitely not vegan, but super delicious on the scones! You can purchase lemon curd at Trader Joes or you can make it from scratch. Here is my recipe. )

2 Cups All- Purpose Flour
2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
Zest of 1 Lemon
1/3 Cup Earth Balance Margarine
3 Tbs Maple Syrup (or regular sugar)
1/2 Cup Soymilk
2 Tbs Lemon Juice

Preheat oven to 400º F.
Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl (flour through zest). Mix the wet ingredients together (syrup, soymilk and lemon juice) in a separate small bowl. Using a pastry cutter or a fork (I always just use my fingers), blend the Earth Balance into the dry ingredients until there are no chunks of margarine left and the mixture looks like damp sand.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and mix with your hands to form a soft dough. Only mix until just combined, adding more flour if the mixture is too wet. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and roll out to a slab 3/4″ thick. Using a biscuit cutter or a glass with about a 2″ diameter, cut out your scones. Press the scraps of dough together, roll out again, and continue cutting scones until you’ve used up your dough.

Transfer scones to a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper, or a non-stick mat. Brush the tops with a mixture of earth balance margarine and lemon juice. Sprinkle the tops of the scones with lemon zest and granulated sugar (I used raw sugar as I like the texture and look).

sweet potato biscuits.

In honor of Valentines day and all things “sweet” I feel it would be appropriate to share my recipe for Sweet Potato biscuits. This is one of my new favorite recipes – its easy, quick, delicious, and a nice twist on classic biscuits. Have I mentioned that biscuits are one of my favorite foods of all time? My grandpa used to make the best buttermilk biscuits growing up, and ever since then I’ve been hooked. There is nothing to dislike about buttery, flakey, carby biscuit goodness (I think I just made up a word and I like it: Carby). So if you take normal biscuits and add in the texture, color, and sweetness of sweet potatoes…I’m sold.

I wish I could tell you that I was whipping up some fabulous dinner for Nich in honor of valentines day, but alas we are going to pay someone to do that for us. I love cooking, but sometimes its nice to celebrate without having to clean up afterwards. :) We are staying at the Ace Hotel in downtown Portland tonight, and will be dining at Clyde Commons. I am so excited.

Anyway, if you are so prompted, you could make some sweet potato biscuits for your sweetheart. Or you could be like Liz Lemon and celebrate Anna Howard Shaw Day and make a batch and eat them all by yourself. Happy Valentimes, everyone. Lets eat some biscuits.

Sweet Potato Biscuits
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces (plus a little more for brushing on top of the biscuits)
3/4 cup Sweet-Potato Puree, chilled (To make the puree: Boil the sweet potatoes in water until tender. Blend, food process or mash until they are a puree. Season with nutmeg, brown sugar, and cinnamon.)
1/3 cup buttermilk

Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. With a pastry blender, two knives, or your fingers – cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, with some pea-sized lumps of butter remaining. In a small bowl, whisk together sweet potato purée and buttermilk; stir quickly into flour mixture until combined (do not overmix).

Shape the biscuits: Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead very gently until dough comes together but is still slightly lumpy. (If dough is too sticky, work in up to 1/4 cup additional flour.) Shape into a disk, and pat to an even 1-inch thickness. With a floured 2-inch biscuit cutter (or a juice glass! This is what I use), cut out biscuits as close together as possible. Gather together scraps, and repeat to cut out more biscuits (do not reuse scraps more than twice).

Bake the biscuits: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. with rack on lower shelf. Butter an 8-inch cake pan. Arrange biscuits snugly in pan (to help them stay upright). Brush with melted butter. Bake until golden, 20 to 24 minutes.

Lemon Mascarpone Tart (with Gingersnap crust)

So, I gave you the recipe for lime (or lemon) curd – and now I have a recipe for what to do with it! I had made a few batches of lemon and lime curd for Christmas presents, and had some leftover so I ‘invented’ this dessert. Its super easy to make, it requires no baking, is beautiful to look at, and it tastes amazing!

Tart Filling:

6-8 oz lemon or lime curd (see recipe for how to make your own here.)

8 oz Mascarpone cheese, room temp. (this is a soft cheese, akin to cream cheese that can be found in most grocery stores)

4 oz Cream Cheese, room temp.

1 tsp Vanilla

1/4 cup Powdered Sugar

Gingersnap Crust:

4 Tablespoons of butter (melted)

1 package of Gingersnaps (I used the Triple Ginger Snaps from Trader Joes, and didn’t actually need the whole package)

1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)

Blueberries

1. Use a food processor, blender, or a ziplock bag/rolling pin to crush the ginger snaps into small bits. Add melted butter and brown sugar until the mixture is evenly coated, moist, and can be pressed firmly into the bottom of a tart pan. Chill until butter has hardened, and the crust is firm.

2. Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer) blend the marscapone, cream cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Spread evenly over the gingersnap crust, being careful not to mess up your pretty crust. (*Note: for best results I microwaved the mix for just a couple of seconds to make it soft and easy to spread.)

3. Gently spoon lemon (or lime) curd over the mixture, out to the edges of the crust. Decorate with blueberries in any pattern that suits you! Chill for at least an hour before serving.