April Daring Bakers' Challenge: Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake with Blueberry Lavender Topping!

Aaaand she's back! After taking a little hiatus to concentrate on the details of planning a wedding and getting into graduate school, I'm coming out my corner swinging with a particularly exciting Daring Bakers' Challenge. 

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.While the basic recipe is fantastic on its own, Jenny encouraged us to get creative and put our own spin on the cake. I've been obsessed with lavender-infused anything lately, so that provided the jumping off point for my brainstorm.


After a brief love affair with Smitten Kitchen's Key Lime Cheesecake, I came across this recipe in the Washington Post and decided to incorporate the key elements into Abbey's Infamous version. It's unfussy enough to please diehard cheesecake fans, but the addition of the honey and lavender along with the blueberries give it an added sophistication. 


Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake with Blueberry Lavender Topping 

CRUST 

• 2 cups vanilla wafers, crumbled
• 1 stick / 4 oz butter, melted
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

FILLING

• 8 vanilla wafers, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
• 3 tablespoons good-quality honey, such as wildflower
• 3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract (or the innards of a vanilla bean)

TOPPING

• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, stemmed and washed
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender (I found a small package for $3.99 at Kalustyans in New York's Curry Hill)
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (do not use low-fat or nonfat)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

PREP NOTES: While the actual making of this cheesecake is a minimal time commitment, it does need to bake for almost an hour, cool in the oven for an hour, and chill overnight before it is served, so plan accordingly.

EQUIPMENT: The creator of this recipe used to use a springform pan, but no matter how well she wrapped the thing in tin foil, water would always seep in and make the crust soggy. Now she uses one of those 1-use foil "casserole" shaped pans from the grocery store. They're 8 or 9 inches wide and really deep, and best of all, water-tight. When it comes time to serve, just cut the foil away.

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside.

Combine the crumbled wafers and 3 tablespoons of the honey in a small bowl.

Star thistle honey from my home state of MI.

Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, and lemon juice, and blend until smooth and creamy. Fold the wafer-honey mixture into the batter.

Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.

Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top.

While the cake is baking, prepare the topping: Combine the blueberries, water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the berries are very soft.

Add the lavender and remove from the heat. Let the mixture steep for 15 minutes, then transfer to a blender and puree. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. There should be about 1/4 cup of lavender syrup; discard the solids.

Culinary lavender

Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer on medium speed for several minutes, until it is smooth and creamy. Reduce the speed to low, then add the yogurt and the lavender syrup. If needed, use a spatula to make sure the mixture is blended together completely.

Remove the pan from the bain-marie and place on a wire rack; let it rest for 5 minutes, then spread the topping evenly over the cheesecake. Cool completely, then cover and refrigerate overnight (still in the springform or aluminum pan). Drizzle with honey or garnish with mint leaves prior to serving.

Blueberry Monkey Bread

Monkeys! Who doesn't love monkeys? They can fly spaceships, run hotels, play professional baseball, even catapult a B-List actor to the presidency! So what could be better than monkey bread?

One of my favorite ways to eat any kind of bread is to just pull off a chunk with my hands and go to town. Since monkey bread is simply a loaf comprised of bite-sized rolls, it's the ideal treat for the bread-loving savage. This particular recipe was inspired by the Fluffy Blueberry Cardamom Monkey Bread at Bake My Day and James Beard's recipe in his classic book, Beard on Bread. It's a sweet and spicy twist on such breakfast classics as the blueberry muffin or the blueberry pancake.

Blueberry Monkey Bread

• 2 cups milk, luke warm
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar
• 10 tbsp. butter
• 1 tsp. ground cardamom seeds
• 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 5 cups bread flour
• 1/2 cup blueberries (I used frozen)
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and let proof, 5 minutes. Combine the 2 tbs.sugar, 2 tbs. butter, egg, zest, cardamom, salt and 1 cup of the flour in a bowl. Add the milk/yeast mixture and stir with a spatula until smooth. Add 2 more cups of the flour and stir again to a smooth paste. Add another cup of flour and mix to incorporate, adding more of the flour as you think necessary. It should be a soft dough, but not so sticky that it adheres to the side of the bowl.

Turn the dough out on a floured work surface and knead by hand, just a couple of times. For bulkrise, place in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 90 minutes. Punch the dough down and let it rest for 5 minutes. Return to a floured work surface and shape it into a ball. Let it rest for another 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, butter two loaf pans.

In a small saucepan, melt one stick of butter with the blueberries, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and the cinnamon. To shape, divide the dough into ping-pong ball-sized balls by rolling them in your hands. I dusted my fingers with a tiny bit of flour when the dough got too sticky to mold. Roll the balls in the butter mixture (I found a slotted spoon quite helpful) and line each pan with them, arranging in loose layers. Pour what is left of the butter mixture over the top of the loaves. Cover loosely with a foil tent and let the dough rise to the top of the loaf pans, about a half hour. Place both pans in a preheated 375F oven and bake for 40 minutes, until golden.

Makes two loaves.

From the Let's Get Real, I'm Never Going to Do This Department

How to Make Your Own Vanilla Extract 

This is up there with churning your own butter. It doesn't sound all that hard, but neither does sewing my own curtains, and I don't do that either. What the hell are mother-in-laws for, anyway?

(Belated) January Daring Bakers' Challenge: Tuiles

How I long for summer.

Given the decedence of last month's yule log challenge, how fitting that the Daring Bakers kicked off the new year with something light. For January, Karen a.k.a. Baking Soda at Bake My Day! and Zorra a.k.a. Kochtopf at 1x umrühren bitte challenged us, the daring bakers of the internets, to create tuiles, a thin, crisp cookie that is molded into various traditional shapes while still warm. They may be rolled into cylandars and filled with whipped cream, shaped into cones for ice cream, made into fluted baskets -- you name it. This particular recipe comes from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink. Vegan and Chocolate Tuiles can be found in Finest Desserts by Michel Roux.

For me, the best part about this challenge was that it gave me an excuse to try out of one of my favorite Christmas presents, David Leibovitz's The Perfect Scoop. In honor of Rafael Nadal's ass-stomping performance at the Aussie Open, I decided to go with the Spanish treat Leche Merengada: a frozen meringue with a hint of lemon and cinnamon. (Sidenote: If some tool shed tries to tell you that  an ice cream maker is not an essential tool for a baker, run. Run far and run fast, because that person is trying to suck your life force.)

Jesus, Rafa, can't you wait a half hour? 

I was too lazy to try to make stencils for my tuiles, so at first I tried piping some free-form circles and butterflies. Except after a few minutes in the oven, my butterflies started to look like ladybugs. Actually, that one in the lower right-hand corner kind of looks like a butt. You can understand why I didn't try any more butterflies.

 

Eew?

Maybe if I shaped them with a rolling pin? 

 

Trust me, they don't look any more like butterflies right-side up.

Now they looked like Pringles, which was a slight improvement, but not exactly what I was going for. On to the cigars.

Just a cigar.

Muuuuuch better. The easiest way I found to shape the cookies was to pick them up with a spatula directly from the oven and drape them over the round handle of a wooden spoon. Then, using a kitchen towel to protect your fingers, gently mold the cookie around the handle (or dowel, or whatever) and hold it there until it firms up, about 45 seconds.

The end result: crispy, buttery, delicious. A perfect accompaniment to the delicate flavor of the Leche Merengada. This paring could only possibly be improved by the addition of a little espresso poured over the top. Maybe not for Rafa, though. He's hyper enough.

Ceeeelebrate Good Cakes, COME ON!

 

I can't help it, y'all! The Hope, it overtakes me! Must...look...at...OBAMACAKES!

Seriously, how awesome is today? Also, what do you think Bushie was thinking about during Obama's speech? I think he was counting down the minutes until he could get in that helicopter and pop an O'Doul's.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Roundup

C is for Cookie, originally uploaded by AMagill.

Whoo! I tell you, that yule log just took the life right outta me. After a project like that, what I really want to do is get back to basics, refine my bread technique, maybe tackle a baguette -- we're facing down a long stretch of frigid days here in New York, so now, even more so than during the holidays, is the time when I crave the comforts of home and hearth.

Today I'd like to begin what I hope will become a series of round-ups of recipes for a single baked good, each great in their own way. Given the time of year and my tendency toward SAD-induced moping, I thought I'd start with something nostalgic: chocolate chip cookies.

Heidi Swanson's Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies Versions of this recipe can be found online, but for the love of all that is good and holy, buy Heidi's book. There are SO many healthy and delicious recipes in there, and every single one has been a hit for us, particularly these cookies. Mesquite flour is a bit esoteric, but it lends such a warm, faintly cinnamon-y flavor that I've come to think of it as a spice - a relatively small amount goes a long way. These cookies are great for when you're craving something familiar, but you're bored with the same ol', same ol'.

Kinda Healthy-ish Chocolate Chip Snacking Cookies
Everything's more fun when it's mini! Read all about my original recipe here.

That Crazy NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe That Everyone Went Bugshit About
I reacted to this recipe in the same way that I reacted to the Arctic Monkeys (remember them)? All of a sudden everyone was making it and having breathless conversations about it, but before I actually got around to trying it the fever had died down and it didn't seem worth the effort any more. But Jacques Torres is pretty infallible in my book, so who knows? If someone would care to weigh in, I'm all ears.

Original Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies
If it ain't broke, don't fix it - am I right?

French Yule Log

It’s the moment we wait for every month: the Daring Bakers’ Challenge! This December my Christmas wish came early when I learned that we would be making a holiday yule log. It was more than I dared hope, since I knew that the DBs made a yule log last year, but my joy quickly turned to anxiety when I learned that we wouldn’t be making the rolled-up cake log with which I was most familiar, but rather an entrements or cream dessert in the French style consisting of SIX separate components: almond dacquoise biscuit, chocolate mousse, crème brulee, dark chocolate ganache, praline crisp, and chocolate icing. Recipes for each graciously contributed by Flore at Florilege Gourmand.

A classic in French cinema.

The challenge hosts, Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux assured us that the log wasn’t nearly as difficult or time consuming as it appeared. To add another ladle of guilt, daring Hilda is six months pregnant and claimed to put the whole thing together in a day and a half. That meant that I, being of sound mind and empty uterus, should be able to whip it together over a weekend.

Except it took more like a week. Plus the week beforehand assembling all the ingredients and debating what kind of pan to use. Next time around I might cut some corners, like using rice cereal for the praline crisp instead of making crepes from scratch, or using Nutella instead of making my own praline paste. There was also a solid five or six hours spent standing at the kitchen counter and whimpering, but if pressed, I could probably pare that down to two and a half.

Champagne Juleps, anyone?

But enough whining, let’s talk about taste. The weekend before Christmas, my dude and I threw a little cocktail party to wish everyone safe travels, so he mixed champagne juleps and I served the Log. Holy Showstoppers, Batman, it was a hit. The layers were all right where they were supposed to be, and the $7 snowflake sprinkles added just the right amount of drama. I was so proud. It was like watching my little baby win Miss Grand National Star Grand Supreme.

There are dozens of potential flavor variations for this recipe, so I'm not even going to begin to catalog them all here. For that, I'll leave you in the very capable hands of Miss Hilda, who has posted an excellent rundown, including tips from David Leibovitz and Daring Baker Fairy Tartlette. Of course, if anyone has any questions they'd like answered from the amateur's perspective, I'm happy to field them.

AWWWWW.

snowman cupcake 5342 R, originally uploaded by nicisme.

I want these to appear at my next holiday party. Someone hook a Kat up!

Fine, here are the instructions. Do I have to do everything?

Thoughts on Chicago Deep Dish

By now I've made it very clear how much I love to make pizza at home, but I haven't mentioned that some of my clearest food memories from childhood took place in a suburban Chicago pizza parlor.

Mid-Michigan does not have a strong pizza legacy. When my parents ordered our regular Friday-night pie, it came from one of the chains and I liked it just fine. But when we went to visit my Aunt Karen in Aurora, IL, we got the real deal: gooey, tangy, crispy-on-the-edges Chicago deep dish. I would while away the 90 or so minutes it took to prepare our pizza playing Centipede while the adults drank draft beers. I have yet to feel the same level of elation in a restaurant as when my parents finally called me to table, not even when I got seated after waiting two hours for a bar table at Babbo.

My beautiful aunt passed away last weekend. She was far too young and, aside from her robust appreciation for pizza, beer, and other Chicago specialties, took excellent care of her health. I thought I still had many more years to share these memories with her. It's not fair.

It saddens me that I'm not able to be at her funeral today, but I thank you for letting me share with you. Now go share a slice with someone you love.

Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels

Notice that the title of this blog is not "Kat Makes Candy" or "Kandy Kat" or "Kat Kooks Kandy." There is a reason for that, other than the fact that those names are abhorrent. The reason is that making candy is hard. Even harder than baking. True, baking is an unforgiving science, but if you adhere to a good and proven recipe, you'll usually be okay. You may not have the prettiest cookie/cake/pie, but you'll be okay. Not so with candy making. If, for example, you do not temper your chocolate to the precise degree, you'll instantly drop dead. Don't ask me how I know this.

When I found out that November's Daring Baker's Challenge included an optional caramel candy recipe, I initially assumed I'd pass.We have enough junk laying around the apartment already, without adding my corpse to the detritus. But I am Chief Peanut Brittle and Fudge Officer at my parents' house during the holidays, so I thought it might be time to add to my skill set.

Even more so than with baking, the key to successful candy-making is precisely measuring out your ingredients and having them ready at hand when the time comes. I fumbled a bit with my vanilla at the end, and as a result my caramels were a bit tougher than I would've liked. You'll be relieved to know that I did not die, although I did suffer some first-degree burns to my fingers from "checking" the caramel too hastily. A small price to pay for broadening the ol' candy repertoire.

Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels

- Recipe from Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich -

Makes approx. eighty-one 1-inch caramels

• 1 cup golden syrup
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure ground vanilla beans, purchased or ground in a coffee or spice grinders, or 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks, softened

EQUIPMENT: 9-inch square baking pan, candy thermometer

1. Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with aluminum foil and grease the foil. Combine the golden syrup, sugar, and salt in a heavy 3-quart saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to simmer around the edges. Wash the sugar and syrup from the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes. (Meanwhile, rinse the spatula or spoon before using it again later.) Uncover the pan and wash down the sides once more. Attach the candy thermometer to the pan, without letting it touch the bottom of the pan, and cook, uncovered (without stirring) until the mixture reaches 305°F. Meanwhile, combine the cream and ground vanilla beans (not the extract) in a small saucepan and heat until tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Turn off the heat and cover the pan to keep the cream hot.



2. When the sugar mixture reaches 305°F, turn off the heat and stir in the butter chunks. Gradually stir in the hot cream; it will bubble up and steam dramatically, so be careful. Turn the burner back on and adjust it so that the mixture boils energetically but not violently. Stir until any thickened syrup at the bottom of the pan is dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, to about 245°F. (Kat sez: resist the urge to turn up the heat if the temperature gets "stuck." It took at least 20 minutes for mine to get from 235°F to 245°F, but be patient. You'll get there) Then cook, stirring constantly, to 260°F for soft, chewy caramels or 265°F for firmer chewy caramels.

3. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract, if using it. Pour the caramel into the lined pan. Let set for 4 to 5 hours, or overnight until firm.

4. Lift the pan liner from the pan and invert the sheet of caramel onto a sheet of parchment paper. Peel off the liner. Cut the caramels with an oiled knife. Wrap each caramel individually in wax paper or cellophane.(Kat sez: in my experience, caramels wrapped in wax paper stay soft longer than those wrapped in cellophane.)

November Daring Bakers' Challenge: Caramel Cake!

Holy cats. This month's Daring Bakers' Challenge certainly lived up to the "challenge" part of its moniker. But no complaints out of me; that's why I signed up for this group in the first place.

So, on with it: November's challenge brings us Shuna Fish Lydon's Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting, as well as an optional non-baked treat, Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels from Alice Medrich's Pure Dessert (more on that tomorrow). Both were bold choices, and I thank hosts Dolores, Alex, and Jenny for introducing me to not one, but TWO recipes that I would probably never have had the stones to try otherwise.

The making of this cake played out much like a pivotal scene in one of my favorite movies, "An Officer and a Gentleman," where Lou Gossett Jr's tough-as-nails Sergeant Foley pushes Richard Gere's Zack Mayo to his emotional breaking point. In my version, the role of Mayo is played by yours truly, and the role of Sgt. Foley is played by caramel syrup.

"Why don't you just give up, Kat?"

"Because I got nowhere else to go!" [sobs]

No, really - I had a five pound bag of granulated sugar and a raging head cold. What else was I going to do with myself on a rainy Saturday afternoon? Like Zack "Mayonnaise" Mayo, I pushed through the obstacle and tried again, this time with much improved results. Moving on.

With the caramel syrup out of the way, the rest of the cake came together relatively easily. I didn't have the recommended round 9-inch pan, so I poured the batter into a square 9-inch pan and hoped for the best. It came out of the oven looking lovely and golden, but it hadn't risen as much as I'd hoped, and when I turned it out onto a platter it looked a little...inadequate. Like, this cake was never going to be a commissioned officer, if you know what I'm saying, and I think you do. To give it a little more dignity, I cut it in half and made a 9 by 4.5 inch layer cake. Then I fought back my tears and saluted it.

A little whiskey and cake never hurt anyone

A final word of warning: this cake is S to the W to the E-E-T, SWEET, so (and I don't say this often) I recommend serving very modest slices for maximum impact. They'll go back for seconds, I promise.

Caramel lifts us up where we belooo-oo-ooong...

Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting

- All recipes courtesy of Shuna Fish Lydon -

• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)
• 2 each eggs, at room temperature
• Splash vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup milk, at room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Butter one tall (2 – 2.5 inch deep) 9-inch cake pan.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt and cream until light and fluffy. (Kat sez: I don't have a stand mixer, so I used my hand mixer on low/medium low)

4. Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.

5. Sift flour and baking powder.

6. Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}

7. Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan.

8. Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it.

Cake will keep for three days outside of the refrigerator.

Caramel Syrup

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup water (for "stopping" the caramelization process)

1. In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber. (Kat sez: for me, once the syrup started smoking it was already too late. the second time I attempted this, I took it off the heat at medium amber.)

2. When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back.

3. Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. (Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.)

Note: For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.

Caramelized Butter Frosting

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 pound confectioner’s sugar, sifted
• 4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2-4 tablespoons caramel syrup
• Kosher or sea salt to taste

1. Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.

2. Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.

3. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner's sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more, add a bit of cream and or caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner's sugar has been incorporated. Add salt to taste.

Note: Caramelized butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month. To smooth out from cold, microwave a bit, then mix with paddle attachment until smooth and light.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Copyright Time Inc, from the LIFE magazine photo archives on Google

I'm heading off to the mighty Midwest in a few short hours, but I just wanted to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving. Even if you're not American and/or observing the day, I hope you can at least enjoy this photo of a woman wearing a wedding dress made from turkey feathers holding a turkey carcass.

As a gift of thanks to our hosts (my parents), we're toting some sour cherries on the plane for Nick Malgieri's Once-A-Year Cherry Pie, which we like to enjoy all year long by hording summer cherries in our freezer.

Expect posts on pies, wholesome, middle-American fun and the next Daring Bakers' Challenge to come over the next several days.

Apple Muffins

The muffin of my eye

I promised you a recipe, and I shall deliver. Never doubt me, kittens.

I stumbled across this one when I was living beyond my means in a studio that was ramshackle in every way but happened to have a decently-sized kitchen. I cut the cable to save money, but the Time Warner tech took pity on me and left me with two channels: the Food Network and Spike. One morning I watched Ellie Krieger make these muffins, and a couple hours and a few episodes of "Man Versus Beast" later, the apple-cinnamon smell was wafting through my overpriced shoebox.

The recipe makes a dozen, but I like to freeze them and sling 'em in the toaster oven on chilly mornings.


Apple Muffins

- Adapted from Ellie Krieger's recipe on FoodNetwork.com-

Make a dozen muffins

• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup natural applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
• 1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
  
  

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a muffin pan or fill with liners.

2. In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, the walnuts and cinnamon.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flour, baking soda and salt.

4. In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and oil until combined. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in the applesauce and vanilla.

5. Whisk in the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Whisk just until combined. Gently stir in the apple chunks.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan and sprinkle with the walnut mixture. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of 1 of the muffins comes out clean.

7. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and unmold. Cool completely on the rack.

Woe is the Sick Baker

A few weeks ago I complained that the mild weather was foiling my favorite autumn pastime of making and consuming warm, comforting baked goods. Well, I finally got my wish. It's just a few degrees above freezing now, but am I buzzing around the kitchen in a cloud of flour? No. I am lying on the couch mainlining tea and Emergen-C while watching "Jon and Kate Plus 8." Because I have a miserable cold, and multiple birth programing is the only thing that gets me through, apparently.

On Monday I stayed home from work, so after thirteen or so hours of sleep I summoned the energy for a batch of Kinda Healthy-ish Snacking Cookies, but after a week of inertia I'm jonesing for another challenge. So take heart, my Baking Kittens! I'll be slinging a spatula again in the very near future.

Big, buttery hugs,
Kat

The Donut Hole

The Donut Hole, originally uploaded by GarySe7en.

At least it's not glazed.

Yes We Cake!

From Smohundro's Flickr Photostream

I meant to say this yesterday, but I think I was still in shock: November 4th, 2008 at around 11pm EST will go down as one of the coolest/proudest/most patriotic moments of my entire life. I didn't think that my friend Jessie's chili could be improved upon, but washed down with the sweet taste of victory after eight years of bitterness and disgust? Yes, yes it can.

UPDATE: There is an entire Yes We Cake website full of President Cake-Elects! And it's run by Melissa of Cake Hero! Melissa made a Morrissey cake for our friend Tony's birthday a few months back, and it was amazing, although I didn't know whether I should eat the cake or throw it on my mom's carpet and write tear-stained poems in my room. But anyway, thanks for the tip, Nina and Dan!

Bare Necessities (Plus)

Does Anyone Have a Whisk?, originally uploaded by pattie74_99.

As I've mentioned before, the Dude and I are getting married this summer, which I've heard from other home cooks is the greatest thing that could ever happen to your kitchen. That got me thinking: when friends and family start asking what we'd like as gifts (even though they know perfectly well that the only thing I've ever wanted was a pony, *gah*), what should I say? We're pretty set on the basics - measuring spoons, mixing bowls, spatulas - but what slightly esoteric tool or piece of equipment can you not live without? Lemme know in comments pls thx.

Something Completely Different, End-of-October Edition

About once a month, I like to break with the theme of this blog and post something I'm just obsessed with. Last night I actually stayed up late enough for The Colbert Report, and it's a good thing I did, because Stephen was in rare form. Enjoy.

October Daring Bakers' Challenge: Pizza Tossing!

Pizza Napoletana

I am very excited to announce that I recently joined the Daring Bakers, an online community of baking enthusiasts who all bake the same thing, then blog about it on the same day at the end of the month. I look forward to getting to know all my fellow baker-bloggers, and to pushing my baking to the limit.

So! On to this month's challenge. October being National Pizza Month, hostess Rosa of Rosa's Yummy Yum's appropriately selected Peter Reinhart's Basic Pizza Dough from his acclaimed cookbook, The Bread Baker's Apprentice. It's a great choice, and a favorite of some of my online idols.

Now, I must admit that when I first learned of this challenge, I was a little disappointed. As y'all know, I make a lot of pizza, so I thought it would be too easy for me, thus negating the whole "challenge" part of the equation. However, this challenge was a bit more complicated than I anticipated. First of all, it requires a long, overnight rise, making it a significant departure from my usual throw-it-together, ready-in-90-minutes recipe. Secondly, the challenge required us to actually TOSS the dough. You know, like this guy:

Okay, maybe not exactly like that guy, but still: different = scary. Since I wasn't feeling confident about my crust, I decided to play it safe with the toppings. I made one classic Napoletana with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and slivered basil, and the old pizza parlor standby, pepperoni. Luckily, I had little to fear, because although this recipe may seem complicated at first, it's actually quite straightforward, and if you allow for the full rest and rise, you get a crust that's light on the inside, crispy on the outside, and gives Patsy Grimaldi a run for her money.

Basic Pizza Dough

- Original recipe taken from The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart -

Makes 6 pizza crusts (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter)

• 4 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour or all purpose flour, chilled
• 1 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. instant yeast
• 1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but it’s better with)
• 1 3/4 cups water, ice cold
• 1 tb. sugar
• Semolina/durum flour or cornmeal for dusting

DAY ONE

1. Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer).

2. Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough. On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed. If it is too wet, add a little flour (not too much, though) and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.

3. Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper.

4. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas). NOTE: To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts.

5. Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball. NOTE: If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.

6. Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap.

7. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to thee days. NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil (a few tablespoons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.

Couldn't have done it without my favorite pink hoodie.

DAY TWO

8. On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour. Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches in diameter. Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours.

9. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F/260° C).
NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan.

10. Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles). Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper. Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss.

I miss my pizza stone.

NOTE: Make only one pizza at a time.During the tossing process, if the dough tends to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and re-flour your hands, then continue the tossing and shaping.

In case you would be having trouble tossing the dough or if the dough never wants to expand and always springs back, let it rest for approximately 5-20 minutes in order for the gluten to relax fully,then try again.You can also resort to using a rolling pin, although it isn’t as effective as the toss method.

11. When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter - for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough), place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan.

12. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.
NOTE: Remember that the best pizzas are topped not too generously. No more than 3 or 4 toppings (including sauce and cheese) are sufficient.

13. Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes.
NOTE: After 2 minutes baking, take a peek. For an even baking, rotate 180°.If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone or jelly pane to a lower shelf before the next round. On the contrary, if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone or jelly.

14. Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.

REMARKS

Here are the recipes I used to make my Pizza Napoletana and Parlor Style Pepperoni Pie.

Classic Red Pizza Sauce

- recipe from The Kitchn -

makes about 5 cups

• 10 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 28 ounce can tomato puree
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
• 3 tablespoons fresh basil, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

Lightly saute the minced garlic in olive oil over medium heat until golden. Add the tomato paste and fry with the garlic. Add to the rest of the ingredients and blend in a blender or food processor.

This keeps up to a week in the fridge and much longer frozen. Freeze in individual bags, then defrost overnight, snip off a corner and squeeze out the sauce.

Pizza Napoletana

• 3/4 cup Classic Red Pizza Sauce (recipe above)
• 1/4 lb. fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• handful fresh basil, slivered

Spread sauce over stretched dough in a thin, even layer. You should be able to see through the sauce to the dough in some places. Evenly arrange mozzarella slices and sprinkle with basil. Bake as recommended above.

Parlor Style Pepperoni Pie

• 3/4 cup Classic Red Pizza Sauce (recipe above)
• 1 cup mozzarella, shredded
• 2 oz. sliced pepperoni
• 1/3 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
• 2 fat cloves garlic, sliced

Spread sauce over the dough in a thin, even layer. You should be able to see through the sauce to the dough in some places. Top with a layer of mozzarella, then pepperoni, then a light sprinkling of cheddar and garlic slices. Bake as recommended above.

Do I Need This?

Per Alton Brown's advice, I try to avoid bringing unitaskers into my kitchen, but I don't know, this bread warmer seems worthy of an exception. What's more seductive than a warm bun?