Recent Articles
Peach Pie with Mixed Berries
Jul 22, 2010 Peaches, Pies and Tarts, Strawberries 2 Comments
Ok, I’m excited.
Really, really excited.
The reason I’m excited is because this pie recipe, is MINE. I created it- and … it tasted fine! It fell apart, but I didn’t mind. I was just happy there weren’t any major disasters.
I decided to make my own recipe… TIME OUT: I want to say right now that creating a pie recipe isn’t necessarily rocket science…. just know that I’m aware of that. Now, where were we? … because I wanted a pie, but I didn’t want it to have a pie crust top, I wanted streusel instead. I also wanted to add mixed berries instead of just blueberries or just blackberries to the peaches, and I couldn’t find a recipe that did those things. I also didn’t want to make my own pie crust… so the dough boy and I teamed up on this.
I used a mixture of the peaches I got last weekend in Porter, which were both the Bellaire and the Red Haven variety. Now, the Red Haven peaches are not particularly sweet, so I added more sugar that I probably would have if I had been using really sweet peaches. Next month, if I make this, I’ll probably use only 1/4 cup sugar instead of 1/2 cup. Just use your best judgement. If you want a sweeter pie, use more sugar.
Look at all the delicious fruit inside.
Peach Week Kickoff with Peaches in Wine
Jul 20, 2010 Appetizers, Desserts, Drinks, Peaches, Snacks 1 Comment
I hereby call this week… (drumroll please…)
Peach Week.
The reason?
I have a ton of peaches.
I know I’m starting this sort of in the middle of the week so it’s not really Peach Week, more like Peach mid-week or Peach Weekend, but nevertheless, we are going to talk peaches for a few posts. Since I’m drowning in peaches over here I feel like it’s all I can think about, therefore it’s all I am going to write about for a few days.
I hope that’s ok with you.
Beignets disguised as Cinnaminions
Jul 18, 2010 Breads, Desserts, Snacks 6 Comments
The fun thing about having kids around is that you make things that you wouldn’t normally think to make. For example, I never would have thought, on my own, to try and make home made Cinnaminions.
“What’s a Cinnaminion? That’s a weird word. I think you’re making things up!” you might say.
I-Hop has been promoting these sugar coated iced donut things for a while and calling them Cinnaminions, a play off of Despicable Me‘s Minions, which are the little yellow guys you see running around on all the previews.
These guys right here:
Homemade Edible Fruit Arrangement
Jul 11, 2010 Appetizers, Healthy, Tips and Tricks 7 Comments
It all started with a dream…and a very tight budget.
The dream of the perfect wedding shower for my friend Melissa that included an edible fruit arrangement.
Here is Erin who hosted the shower, with Melissa (the bride) admiring the napkins that Erin picked out. Melissa loves the small details.
The edible bouquet was going to be fun. We had the rest of the menu planned out but we wanted a way to display the fruit that was cute and different. Special touches like that are what make showers special, right?
So, we looked online and quickly found that fruit bouquets are expensive. A tiny one was over $60, and we didn’t want to focus on that as something we spent a lot of our money on. But Erin kept looking at the picture of the arrangement on the screen longingly, and after a while she said, “I think we could make that.”
I had my doubts, but I was willing. The day of the shower I showed up to Erin’s apartment with all of the fruit that the arrangement in the picture contained, and Erin was ready with a melon baller, skewers, a bucket, a cookie cutter, and a foam block. We used one of the green foam blocks you would used in a flower arrangement that crumble green flakes when you rub them. That worked perfect.
And we started cutting fruit. The melon baller was giving me LOTS of trouble, but we were able to form the balls well enough for them to look like spheres and stick them on the arrangement. The pineapple was cut with a flower shaped cookie cutter. The grapes and strawberries were just washed and used as is. That part was easy.
We laid a bunch of kale on top of the foam block to hide it, and then Erin stuck all of the skewers into the block. It may have been easier to stick them in as she went, because she did stab herself several times putting the fruit on the skewers with forest of sharp skewers around. It worked out though.
After a while, it started to look pretty much like the picture.
And it looked great with the rest of our spread.
If you want to try making one of these, basically all you need is a LOT of grapes (they go on almost every stick), some pineapple, honeydew, and strawberries. You’re welcome to copy off of our picture! If you come up with a different but cute arrangement send me the photos. I would love to see them!
Tiramisu Cake
Jul 7, 2010 Cakes, Chocolate, Coffee, Desserts 6 Comments
I realized today that I forgot to tell you what I made for Brian’s birthday dessert. He actually liked it, and his mom liked it so much that she asked for the recipe and has already made it and brought it to work, which is a very good sign.
It was a Tiramisu Cake, which was very easy but I did manage to mess it up a little. It didn’t affect the outcome too substantially, but enough to make me notice. This is a cake made from many of the same parts as tiramisu, minus the ladyfingers and plus the cake. You soak the cake layers in the espresso syrup that you create. The recipe says that you are supposed to double soak the top layer by soaking one side and then flipping the soaked side down on top of the bottom layer, then soaking again before frosting the entire cake. I didn’t read about the double soaking and I put a dry layer on top of an already frosted bottom, which made it impossible to unstick and soak the stuck side. SO, as a result my top layer was only single-soaked, which left the cake slightly dry. If I had double soaked the top layer though, it’s possible that the whole cake would have been extremely espresso-y and wet. I still think that would have been better though.
But, no one complained. It all worked out in the end.
I found the recipe on the Smitten Kitchen but she found it from a cookbook called Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.
Tiramisu Cake
For the cake layers:
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
For the espresso extract:
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder (If you are having trouble finding this, look in the International/Mexican section in the supermarket. I found it there. It wasn’t by the coffee. Instant coffee would probably work too, but the real stuff is in the Mexican section)
2 tablespoons boiling water
For the espresso syrup:
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon amaretto, Kahlua, or brandy (I used brandy because I had it… and don’t ask my why I had it. I was surprised too)
For the filling and frosting:
1 8-ounce container mascarpone
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon amaretto, Kahlua, or brandy (Again, I used brandy)
1 cup cold heavy cream
2 1/2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, or about 1/2 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips (I used bittersweet and it was wonderful)
Chocolate-covered espresso beans, for decoration (optional- I left them out)
Cocoa powder, for dusting
Getting ready:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9×2 inch round cake pans, dust the insides with flour, tap out the excess, and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.
To make the cake:
Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes. Add the eggs one by one, and then the yolk, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla; don’t be concerned if the mixture looks curdled. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, adding the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the milk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients); scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix only until the ingredients disappear into the batter. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, rotating the pans at the midway point. When fully baked, the cakes will be golden and springy to the touch and a thin knife inserted into the centers will come out clean. Transfer the cakes to a rack and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them, and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature right-side up.
To make the extract:
Stir the espresso powder and boiling water together in a small cup until blended. Set aside.
To make the syrup:
Stir the water and sugar together in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Pour the syrup into a small heatproof bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of the espresso extract and the liqueur or brandy; set aside.
To make the filling and frosting:
Put the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla, and liqueur in a large bowl and whisk just until blended and smooth.
Working with the stand mixer with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until it holds firm peaks. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir about one quarter of the whipped cream into the mascarpone. Fold in the rest of the whipped cream with a light touch.
To assemble the cake:
If the tops of the cake layers have crowned, use a long serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to even them. Place one layer right-side up on a cardboard round or a cake plate protected with strips of wax or parchment paper. Using a pastry brush or a small spoon, soak the layer with about one third of the espresso syrup. Smooth some of the mascarpone cream over the layer – user about 1 1/4 cups – and gently press the chopped chocolate into the filling. Put the second cake layer on the counter (NOT on the cake like I did) and soak the top of it with half the remaining espresso syrup, then turn the layer over and position it, soaked side down, over the filling. Soak the top of the cake with the remaining syrup.
For the frosting, whisk 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of the remaining espresso extract into the remaining mascarpone filling. Taste the frosting as you go to decide how much extract you want to add. If the frosting looks as if it might be a little too soft to spread over the cake, press a piece of plastic wrap against its surface and refrigerate it for 15 minutes or so. Refrigerate the cake too.
With a long metal icing spatula, smooth the frosting around the sides of the cake and over the top. If you want to decorate the cake with chocolate-covered espresso beans, press them into the filling, making concentric circles of beans or just putting some beans in the center of the cake.
Refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours (or for up to 1 day) before serving – the elements need time to meld. (I refrigerated for 4 hours which was enough time, but the longer the better I’m sure)
Just before serving, dust the top of the cake with cocoa.
