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Mystery Pie

Oo, what's in it? Is it magic? Is it money? No, sadly, this is my first attempt at an apple pie. The recipe suggested I decorate the top with stars. As I had none, I used the next best thing. What I learned is that, contrary to what Muriel (from Courage the Cowardly Dog) says, vinegar is not always the best secret ingredient.

(Several months after) CookieBar!

I wanted to write this a few weeks after CookieBar to give my inner fangirl a chance to calm down. I rose early (like 8am!) to get a train to New York, so that I could beat the line that would certainly stretch down the block for Dorie and Josh Greenspan's amazing cookies. Turns out I was the only one there, twenty minutes before it officially opened. Normally, I would have circled to block a few times so that I wouldn't seem too eager, but my brain said, "It's cold out here and there are cookies in there. Now, what do you think is the right thing to do?" I strolled in coolly and told Dorie that I admired her work, peppering my words with witty phrases that she repeats to this day. Oh wait, that wasn't me. That was nobody. I was less like James Bond and more like a pterodactyl, screeching something like "Jam, I like it! You supah crazy cool! Cookies! Graaaah!" while swooping at the luscious treats on the table.

Donna is smiling out of fear. Or pity.

Dorie seemed surprised by my sudden attack of mouthfoam, but was extremely gracious (free cookie, what up?). I purchased one of each cookie and lined them up. I won't name them but I tasted all of them and my god...

I ate these. Clockwise.

I cite Dorie Greenspan as a great inspiration, not just because her food is delicious, but because it is simple and imaginative. Her Jammers, the buttery sables topped with fruit preserves, are honestly everything I've ever wanted in a cookie. Dorie manages to find a home for every ingredient in each cookie, as if they all simply belonged together but hadn't yet met. I am glad that I was able to enjoy this showcase of Dorie's skill, however brief and lovely.

Aaand We're Back!

So it's been a while. I have been baking and even cooking, but not posting. I'm sure some of it is laziness, but mostly out of application stuff. That's done now (finally!) and here I am. So, some stuff:
- Next couple posts will be stuff I did weeks ago. No big deal.
- I have decided to transition into going vegetarian, which means there will be recipes for real food! I figure I don't really eat meat anyway, so why not make it official.
- I pledge to do a little better with pictures from now on. I've been using my phone mostly, but I will use an actual camera sometimes.
That is all.

CookieBar!

I had hoped that the pop-up store fad hadn't completely passed me by and, with the second coming of Dorie Greenspan's CookieBar, I can finally get in on this trend! She and son Joshua, aka "The Kid" will be setting up shop at 505 Park Avenue on February 7th until the 11th from 10am to sold out. They are featuring some standards like chocolate World Peace Cookies and Sarabeth-inspired Jammers, which are sables smothered in Sarabeth's heavenly jam and streusel (full menu here). Dorie has been such an inspiration for me as a home baker so, yes, I will be throwing elbows and plucking eyes out for one of the Strawberry-Raspberry Jammers. Be there, but do not test my fanaticism!

Rugelach

They know I'm talking about them.

This is my absolute all time favorite recipe in the whole of ever. During the year, they're cookies; during Lent, when I've given up cookies, they are pastries. That is how much I love rugelach. I use a modified version of Dorie Greenspan's recipe that comes out perfect every time (except once at New Year's, but they were eaten anyway, so whatevs). These pastries are fruity, nutty, and buttery; everything I love in a baked good. I again enlisted the help of my little sis in exchange for helping her study for chemistry/Spanish, though I am fluent in neither. I love when she is around because I think she is learning a lot, probably more about eating than baking, but what can you do?

Rugelach!
Makes 15 servings

Dough
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 cup butter, soft but cool
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cream cheese
(any of the above dairy can be swapped for light versions or even yogurt; still comes out fine)

Filling
1/4 cup your favorite jam
Finely ground walnuts or pecans

Finishing
1 egg white
Coarse sugar

1. Combine butter, cream cheese, and sour cream in a mixing bowl. Stir until all are well-mixed.
2. Add flour in thirds, thoroughly incorporating each before adding the next. You should end up with a lump of dough that doesn't stick to the bowl. If not, lift and fold the sides of the dough with a wooden spoon, "kneading" it until dough is achieved.
3. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and place in fridge for 2 hours or up to a day.
4. Unwrap dough and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out to a 24x8 rectangle.
5. Spread thin layer of jam over the dough's surface. If adding nuts, sprinkle them on top of the dough, then cover with plastic wrap or parchment paper and gently press them into the dough.
6. Starting from the far side of the rectangle, roll the dough into a tube. Using a sharp knife, cut tube in pieces approx. 1.5 inches wide.  Place pieces on baking sheet covered with parchment paper, non-stick baking mats, or just greased. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
7. About 10 minutes before the rugelach are done chilling, preheat oven to 350 and prepare egg white. When they have finished chilling, take baking sheet out and brush each cookie with egg white, then sprinkle a little coarse sugar over them. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until tops are slightly browned.

When they look like they're plotting, you know they'e done.

When I finish these, I go to bed and wake up to an empty baking sheet the next day. My family has no sense of self control around them and that's fine because I'd eat them all myself. Lord, forgive me for I have nommed.

Pasta from Scratch

Decided to try making "food food". Here, my fettuccine dreams realized, however imperfectly. The noodles are different lengths and widths, some somewhat dented from my trying to reshape them, and some have corners. But, with a little mozzarella and black pepper, it was still delicious. Recipe from Ideas in Food, an amazing book whose energy got under my skin and had me spend my MLK day playing with pasta.

Ideas in Food: A Book Report

I've never read Ideas in Food in blog form, opting instead to wait for the book and I'm glad I did. Instead of slogging through the extensive archives, this book lets me benefit from their distilled knowledge. The result : the concentrated passion and daring of two people who just love food. Authors Aki Kamozawa and H. Alexander Talbot joyfully describe the evolving nature of cooking for both enthusiastic home cooks and the seasoned professionals. I equally enjoyed their anecdotes and the in-depth food science explanations. This combination creates this incredible energy that compels you to the kitchen to perform your own experiments. Roasted pasta? I've got to try that.

The authors are obviously very advanced and occasionally the tone is one of a professor who skips steps to avoid confusing students, which irks me but the extra detail probably would just confuse me. Also, I will probably avoid the BBQ rigatoni and grilled potato ice cream recipes, but these bizarre combinations only underscore the fearlessness required in the kitchen.

Sweet Revenge

Picture by Jessica, not the internet. 

On our first bakery tour, over the summer, my sisters and I only made it to one of the five we'd picked out, but we clearly chose the right one in Sweet Revenge. Truth be told, we went there first because the name sounded good and the website was pretty. But look at that picture! Frosty lemonade and gorgeous cupcakes! Pictured are the Dirty (chocolate), the Pure (vanilla), and the Crimson & Cream (red velvet). I think, by these three basic flavors, you can tell the quality of any bakery. If you can't get those right, what's the point? These were delicious, flavorful and moist. Excellent ingredients and simple, clean baking. Just perfect.

Cupcakes Gone Corporate

Yesterday, the New York Times announced that popular cupcakery Crumbs Bake Shop is merging with an investment company and will soon be publicly traded. The bakery plans to expand from its 34 current locations to more than 200 nationwide over the next four years. Now, I'm pulling for long term growth on the cupcake trend as I'm sure many are, but 200 locations?  Honestly, I will shell out $4+ for a well-done cupcake for years to come, possibly forever, simply because I don't like making them (There, I said it.) But I have to believe Crumbs is contributing to the idea of the "cupcake bubble". Part of what makes the treats so special is that they are so familiar, yet bakers everywhere have elevated them to a luxury good, worthy of the higher price. For the cost of two gourmet cupcakes, you could buy a dozen from say, Giant, or just make them yourself, but Giant isn't paying for Madagascar bourbon vanilla and you don't have the time to figure out if you've over-stirred the batter. So you leave it to the experts.

The problem lies in the idea that this trend will last forever. Chocolate certainly did, why not cupcakes? Because anyone can make them. The cupcake bakery is going to continue to attract even more former lawyers, corporate types, out of work architects, and home bakers. Already, you can just about find three cupcake shops within a square mile in any city, though most likely, only one is any good. Cupcakes won't lose their allure (how could they?) but those architects are going to continue to flood the market and Crumbs has got TNT by the dam.

I only hope that those frosting-mongers masquerading as cupcakeries (I'm looking at you, Red Velvet and Baked and Wired) will either die out or learn to step it up in case Crumbs Walmarts all over everyone.Yet Crumbs, if you can hear me, congratulations. I have often ended an outing with a friend in your intimate shop, sharing a cupcake or a slice of apple crumb cake. You are not my favorite, but I have been satisfied. I am fascinated by what you are doing and can't wait to see how things turn out. Don't burst my bubble.

Walnut Slug

Nom.

Today, I made stollen, a German sweet bread/fruitcake. I enlisted the help of my little sister, who couldn't get behind the name "stollen" as it reminded her too much of Stalin and renamed it the "walnut slug." And yeah, I could see some similarities in the way the rolled loaf is shaped a bit like a slug and the molten nut mixture could be compared to slime. In any case, the rolled slug version ended up being tragically more than the twisted and baked version, but it was delicious anyway. Recipe adapted from Apricosa and halved because I have no need for two loaves of bread:

Garmisch Nut Stollen / Garmischer Nußstollen

From Cuisine: The Magazine of Fine Food and Creative Living, December 1979

Makes 1 loaf

 

Milk Mixture:

1/2 cup milk

1/4 c. unsalted butter

A shake of salt

Yeast Mixture:

1 package active dry yeast

2 tsp. sugar

1/3 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)

Main Mixture:

1 egg

1 egg yolks

1 Tbs. sugar

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 cup raisins

Nut Filling:

2 egg whites at room temperature

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup of ground walnuts

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. water

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For Finishing:

1 egg yolk

2 Tbs. whole milk

2 tsp. sugar

Never got to the icing...

Heat milk, butter, and salt in microwave or sauce pan until butter is melted.  Stir to mix, then set aside and let cool until lukewarm.

Dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm water and let stand for 5 minutes until foamy.

In an electric stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the eggs, then gradually add sugar and beat until thick and lemon colored. Beat in the lukewarm milk mixture and 1 cups of all-purpose flour until smooth.  Beat in the yeast mixture.

Add the remaining ingredients (1 ½ cups flour, spices, and raisins) and mix together.  Switch to the dough hook after dough comes together and knead for 5 minutes.  Let rise covered in large greased bowl in the refrigerator until doubled (4-5 hours) or overnight.

Make Nut Filling:  Combine all ingredients in medium sized saucepan. Cook, stirring over low heat until warm and sugar dissolves.  Cool to room temperature.

Walnut Slime. Sick.

Prepare Stollen:  Remove dough from refrigerator and let it come to room temperature, about 30-60 minutes.  Place a 24 x 12-inch piece aluminum foil on work surface and lightly flour foil.  Roll dough on foil into a 22 x 12-inch rectangle.  Spread nut filling over dough, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides.

 

Mix the egg yolk and 2 tablespoons whole milk in a small bowl.  Brush border with part of the egg mixture. Roll up dough beginning at long edge, using foil to help turn dough. Pinch seam and ends to seal.

The Slug, raw and baked.

Using long sharp knife, cut roll crosswise in half.

 

Transfer pieces to baking sheets lined with parchment paper.  Cut one piece lengthwise in half, then working quickly, twist halves together with sliced edges turned upward to form a loaf.  Pinch ends together. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Bake stollen 15 minutes; brush with part of the egg mixture.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake 10 minutes.  Brush with remaining egg mixture; sprinkle with 2 teaspoons sugar. Bake until golden and nut mixture is set, at least 10 minutes.   Cool on wire racks 30 minutes. (My stollen only just managed to make it out of the oven before being devoured.)

Drizzle with white icing, then slice and serve!

A word on yeast: I have had trouble with getting the ratio of yeast right in the past and ended up with sticky and formless dough. This dough is either more forgiving or adding a little more flour, about 1/4 cup helped make it come together quickly.

Banana Cranberry Muffins

Sick. The boyfriend and I spent time with each other's families and our friends for the holidays. The week started out cheerful and optimistic and ended with large bowls of soup on the couch. Blargh. However, in order to make it seem like I don't spend all my free time watching reruns of The Simpsons, I dragged myself into his kitchen to make some muffins with fruits of the season: bananas and cranberries. This recipe yields a dense, yet moist cake that holds everything in place, so nothing is sinking and everything stays well-mixed. Recipe from The Wooden Spoon:

Makes 12 muffins

1 egg

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup milk 

3 mashed bananas (Not a huge fan of banana chunks, so well-mashed is better)

1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup dried cranberries (wanted fresh, but it is what it is.)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees (F)

Combine the egg, oil, milk in a bowl and stir well. Add in the mashed bananas and stir.

Measure out the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt on top of the wet ingredients, then stir just to combine. Add in the cranberries, and mix just long enough to distribute evenly and have all the dry bits moistened. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Really easy and hardy and the dough seems like it can hold a lot of different add-ins. Maybe more fruits and nuts next time. Hopefully these will speed our recovery from these miserable colds.