Cinnamon Rolls in Poland

Right now I'm wrapping up the home-stay portion of my trip to Poland and I'm staying with a great couple, Eva and Lukasz, that are just a little older than me. They've been feeding me typical Polish fare and food that they typically eat (some Hungarian and Italian dishes). Most of it has been delicious and some of it has been completely new.

They both love travel and photography, so we've spent some time looking at their photos and talking about they're trips (Syria, Turkey, Italy), so I was slightly surprised when my description of cinnamon rolls didn't register at all. I couldn't explain cinnamon rolls sufficiently for them to actually imagine them properly, so instead, I baked cinnamon rolls for them. They loved them! A lot, so I'm leaving my metric converted recipe behind for their pleasure.

I had to adapt the recipe a little bit based on ingredient availability and I took a chance with the flour because I wasn't sure what the closest Polish equivalent to all-purpose would be (I used "tortowa", for any Polish readers). Also, I wasn't sure about all my options for frosting, but then saw Philadelphia cream cheese in the grocery, so I went for a cream cheese frosting, which was a huge hit.

I must say my favorite food experience in their home, so far, is "smalec." This typical Polish delicacy is a meaty form of lard that they typically spread on dark bread and eat either with beer in a pub or for breakfast with either tomatoes or cucumbers. This morning I had smalec with tomatoes and marjoram on dark bread with some tea. I think I'm going to try to have some everyday until I leave for Krakow, Poland. The photographs for this post were taken by Ewa (thanks for permission to use your photos!).

Cinnamon Rolls for Poland

3 (425 grams) to 3 ½ cups flour
1/3 (66 grams) cup sugar
pinch salt
3/4 cup water at 120° to 130° F. (approximately 180 milliliters)
1 larg egg
7 grams instant yeast (or one American packet of rapid-rise yeast)

Place 400 grams flour, the salt, and sugar into a bowl and mix. Add the yeast and mix again. Pour the warm water on to the flour mixture and being mixing. After stirring for about a minute add the egg. Stir until well mixed and dough pulls away from side of the bowl. If it's too sticky add a little flour at a time (maybe 20 grams or a small handful) until the dough forms a ball, but is still slightly sticky. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes to one hour.

When the dough has risen, scrape it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead into a smooth ball again. Roll out into a large, thin rectangle. Spread with a thin layer of soft butter. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar, until dark brown. Roll dough up into a log and cut into thick rounds. Place in a greased cake pan, cover pan with damp towel and let rise for about 45 minutes. Bake at 375° F or 180° C for about 15 minutes or until light brown. Remove from the oven and let rest for about 10-15 minutes. Frost with glaze or frosting(below).

Frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (approx. 112 grams)
1 cup powdered sugar (about 120 grams)
4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature (approx. 112 grams)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the cream cheese and butter together until well blended and smooth. Mix in the vanilla extract. Add half of the powdered sugar and stir until completely incorporated. Taste the frosting, if you want it sweeter add more powdered sugar.

Strawberry Margarita Shortcakes

Sometimes recipes come together over months and weeks of trying new things and pulling different components together, but sometimes you get a bit of inspiration and the recipe flows outward from your idea to an edible dish in just a few days.

Last week I was visiting Sugarlaws and saw a recipe for balsamic whipped cream. I have to admit that I wasn't too excited to try that particular recipe, but it got me thinking about what else I might add to some whipped cream. Somehow I ended up thinking about cream and tequila, despite my normal avoidance of tequila and tequila-heavy adult beverages. I realized that I hadn't given tequila a chance since early in college and perhaps my palate, or at least my budget, had changed since then.

However, tequila whipped cream seemed incomplete, so thought about what would pair well and I realized that lime and strawberry would work really well here and then strawberry shortcake was only a small hop away. I am not a fan of traditional strawberry shortcake - I want a moist, tender cake, not something crumbly. I experimented with an almond sponge cake, and found that it fit the bill. The strawberry/lime combo is nothing exciting and new, but after an appearance last year on a yogurt cheese cake, a couple friends have requested its reappearance.

I whipped it all up and served it at a Cinco de Mayo themed dinner this week to rave reviews. I found that the strawberries and whipped cream are very simple (If you want an easy preparation of this recipe, make the whipped cream and stawberries and serve over store-bought cake), but the cake benefits from a heavy-duty stand mixer. The amounts of sugar and tequila are dependent on personal taste and the natural sweetness of the strawberries, so consider these amounts suggestions and taste each part as you make it and right before serving. Adjust as necessary.

Strawberry Margarita Shortcakes

Serves 6
1 lb fresh strawberries
2 key limes
tequila (I suggest a high quality aged tequila)
sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Clean and quarter the strawberries. Place in a bowl and then using a microplane, zest the one whole lime into the strawberries. Juice the lime and add that to the strawberries. Add about a 1/4 cup of sugar and two tablespoons tequila. Stir gently and refrigerate until ready to use - at least 30 minutes.

Pour the cream into a bowl and zest one lime into the cream (you can add the juice of that lime to the strawberries as well). Add 1/4 cup of sugar and stir for a minute with a whisk. Add 3 tbs tequila and start whipping the cream. You want to reach soft peaks - any further and you'll start to make butter. This should be done no more than 15 minutes before serving.

The Cake:
6 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 almond flour (sometimes called almond meal)
3/4 cup sifted flour
3 ounces melted butter, slightly cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place a pan of water on the stove on medium high. Prepare a sheet pan by buttering it, lining it with parchment paper, and buttering the parchment.

Whisk the eggs and 1/4 cup of sugar together in a metal bowl. Continue whisking as you place the bowl over the boiling water and make sure that the bowl doesn't touch the water. Whisk the eggs until they start to foam and are hot to the touch (be careful to not let the egg get too hot, if they start to curdle, remove from the heat immediately and whisk vigorously until slightly cooled).

When the eggs are hot, transfer to the stand mixer with a whisk attachment and whip at high speed for about 3-4 minutes. You want the eggs to become creamy and whip up to soft peaks.

In the meantime, sift the remaining dry ingredients together into a bowl. The almond flour probably won't all fit through the sifter, but some will and the process of trying to push it through will break up any clumps. Add what doesn't fit through to the bowl and whisk it together.

Add the extracts to the melted butter and mix. Now you're going to mix the three parts together. The goal is to deflate the eggs as little as possible. You want to be quick, but gentle. Start by gently folding a third of the eggs into half of the dry ingredients. Add the butter and gently fold together. Add another third of the eggs and the rest of the dry ingredients and fold together. Fold the last of the eggs into the batter and spread evenly in the prepared pan.

Place in the oven and bake for about 12 minutes. You want the cake to spring back when you press your finger into it. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack. Cool for 15 minutes. Gently remove the parchment (I leave a few inches of parchment sticking up from both ends to serve as handles) and move the cake and parchment directly to a rack. Allow to cool completely.

Assemble:
Cut the sheet cake into 12 evenly sized squares. You could then use a large round can or cutter to make circles out of each square (like in my pictures), serve two whole squares to each person, or break each square into two rectangles. Lay one piece of cake on a dessert plate and top with a large dollop of cream. Spoon some strawberries and juice over the whipped cream. Repeat with another layer. Serve and enjoy with extra whipped cream and strawberries.

One Advantage of Being Forgetful

I've been intrigued by French style praline for some time, but never bothered to make any. Then I found a recipe that I wanted to try. I had the ingredients, made the hazelnut praline, and then, I got interrupted. At this point, I don't even remember what happened, but a couple days later, I realized I had some praline, but not the recipe it was part of.

Then a friend of mine asked for my Nutella ice cream recipe and I realized that the praline could be used to create a similar flavor profile. Since I couldn't come close to the same consistency as Nutella, I decided to use my food processor to break up the praline into a course grind.

This ice cream has a crunchy and gritty texture. The flavor is a combination of cooking some of the praline into the base, and then adding the rest at the end of the churning. My friends and family loved this new ice cream flavor, but my Mom still likes homemade browned butter pecan best.


Chocolate Hazelnut Praline Ice Cream
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup milk
2 cups cream
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbs vanilla

1 recipe hazelnut praline, finely ground*
1/3 cup cocoa
1 pinch salt
1/4 tsp additive

Directions:
Bring cream and milk to a simmer. Whisk egg yolks, vanilla, salt, and sugar together. Add the cocoa and whisk again. Add a ladle of hot milk and whisk quickly. Keep adding one ladle at a time, stirring thoroughly until the mixture is thin. Pour the chocolate mixture back into the milk/cream on the heat and stir constantly until mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. Be careful not to let the mixture boil.

Take the ice cream base off the heat and add half of the praline and stir for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Press on the back of the leftovers to ensure as much liquid as possible is extracted. Cover and put in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours. Put the other half of the praline in the freezer.

Churn the ice cream base in your preferred ice cream machine. When it's done churning stir in the remaining frozen praline and transfer to a container. Place the container into the freezer to ripen for a few hours before serving.


*Hazelnut Praline
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
8 ounces hazelnuts

Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Turn oven to 400F. Toast for at least 5 minutes after coming up to heat. Check often and when the skins are getting very dark. Remove from the oven and wrap in a towel. Let rest for 3 minutes and then rub the skins off.

Chop the cleaned nuts roughly. Spread out over buttered parchment. In a heavy pan melt sugar and water over medium heat. You're basically making a caramel so brush the sides of the pan with water to eliminate sugar crystals. Cook until the syrup is dark reddish brown. Remove the pan and pour caramel over the nuts. Allow to cool and harden. Break into smaller pieces before putting in the food processor.

Tasty Treats in Reasonable Sizes

The Barefoot Contessa has some outstanding recipes, but many of them are really designed for very large crowds. Most of the time when I'm cooking a "crowd" tops out around six. So a dessert recipe designed for a half sheet is a little excessive. Luckily a more reasonable 9x13 holds exactly half the amount - making adapting such a recipe much easier (minus the uneven egg count).

I've been eyeing this recipe for a while, but the prodigious amounts of butter have kept me at bay. However, an excess of maple syrup and butter caused me to consider a halved adaptation. Especially since I had some willing guinea pigs to test them out. Our professor had invited us to his house for dinner instead of holding class on campus - and by the time I got home there was only one left (the one that hadn't fit in the container I took with me). After some requests for the recipe I promised to post it here in the near future (which only meant a few weeks).

Fans of pecans, but not some of the other ingredients take heart. My mother, not a fan of honey (one of the original sweeteners) or maple syrup thought that I had probably ruined the bars by their inclusion. I took a batch home for Easter anyway and she didn't seem to mind. In fact both she and my father seemed only too happy that I was leaving the rest of the bars behind when I left.


Pecan Pie Bars

2.5 sticks unsalted butter
3/8 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark maple syrup (Grade B)
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 pounds pecans, coarsely chopped

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted*

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Start with the crust. Cream the butter and sugar together, until light. A standmixer can do this in about 3 minutes. A handmixer will probably take closer to 5. Mix in the eggs, salt, and the vanilla. Sift the flour and baking powder together. Mix the dry ingredients into the batter with the mixer on low speed until just combined. Press the dough evenly into an ungreased 9 by 13 pan, making an edge (about 1 1/2 inches high) around the outside. The dough is very sticky. Bake for 15 minutes, checking occasionally to see if the crust is slumping off the sides. If it slumps too much. Take the crust out of oven and, with a spoon, patch the sides with thicker parts of the bottom. You want a set, but unbrowned crust.

For the topping, combine the butter, maple syrup, salt, and brown sugar in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat until the butter is melted, using a rubber spatula to stir. Raise the heat and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the heavy cream, vanilla, and pecans. Pour into the crust. If you get the syrup right against the pan it will cook on and be hard to clean. Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Start checking after 25 minute. If the pecans are getting too dark remove from the oven. When done remove from the oven and allow to cool. Refrigerate until cold

To finish, remove from the refrigerator and using a spoon, scoop up some melted chocolate and begin drizzling over the top of the bars. After using up all of the chocolate return to the refrigerator to set the chocolate. This is easier to cut if very cold so remove from the refrigerator again, cut immediately, and serve.


* A few notes about chocolate:

• I prefer to use a makeshift double boiler to melt chocolate. Place a small metal bowl over a small sauce pan of simmering water. The bowl should sit snuggly in the pan without falling in far enough to touch the water. Add your chocolate and walk away until it has started to melt and then stir gently.
• If some liquid gets into your chocolate and it starts to seize add more liquid - milk, cream, water, coffee, whatever - it's counter intuitive, but basically you'll end up with a ganache that might not work for the recipe at hand but will be great with some cake or ice cream.
• If you're going to melt chocolate please don't use chocolate chips - they have added stabilizers that interfere with a smooth melt. Use a good chocolate bar or something in bulk from the likes of Scharffen Berger, Callebaut (which I can get at my local co-op), or Ghirardelli (which is available in every grocery store I've ever been to).

Kumquat Yogurt Cake

As planned here is the recipe that inspired the marmalade making frenzy. It's an adaptation of Clotilde's yogurt cake. The nice thing about this recipe is that it's very easy to make and even if you don't want to try making your own kumquat marmalade you can use store bought (orange, lemon, lime - whatever flavor/brand you like the most).

I wasn't sure exactly how this would turn out when I started, but I made two - one to take to work to share with coworkers and the other to share with my graduate class. Between both cakes I only had one piece left, which was important since I hadn't photographed it in advance.

For those of you that are sick of marmalade posts, this is the last one planned. No promises that it won't make a return appearance in the future though.

Marmalade Yogurt Cake
Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups Greek yogurt (I used Fage 2%)
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tbs dark rum

3/4 marmalade

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F and prepare a 10-inch round cake pan (butter and line with buttered parchment).

In a large mixing bowl whisk the eggs to break up the yolks. Add the yogurt and sugar and blend together. Stir in the extracts and rum.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda in another large bowl. Sift half of the dry mixture over the the wet ingredients. Stir gently to combine. When nearly all the dry ingredients are incorporated sift the remaining flour mixture and stir until just combined.

Put the marmalade in the bottom of the pan and spread out almost to the sides of the pan (an offset spatula works great for this). Gently pour and scrape the cake batter over the marmalade.

Move the pan to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until done. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Let rest for 10 minutes and then invert onto a serving platter/cake stand. Tap on the bottom of the pan to help loosen the marmalade coated bottom. Remove the pan and peel off the parchment (carefully, so that you don't remove the marmalade). If some marmalade does come off with the parchment, just scrape it back onto the cake. Allow the cake to cool completely before serving.

Serving Suggestion:
Combine 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt with 2 tbs of marmalade and stir well. Serve a dollop of this mixture on each slice.

A Riff on Dressy Applesauce

I love reading recipes and ogling gorgeous food photography. I have binders of printed recipes from blogs and websites and a compulsive desire to buy cookbooks that I barely keep in check. That is partially why I am so excited about the new Gourmet website.

It has a look and feel that I prefer to Epicurious and interesting articles. I especially like their "Politics of the Plate" column with recent posts about the FDA's definition of milk, and the ridiculousness of organic seafood and the USDA's pending rules.

While perusing the site for the first time I stumbled upon an interesting dessert recipe designed for one. However, it was the picture and the idea, not so much the actual recipe that caught my attention. The idea is to dress up applesauce, but I'm not a big applesauce fan (at least since I've been old enough to drive). So I took the picture and came up with an idea that I thought would be a tasty alternative.

The result is a fast way of taking a pear and making an outstanding dessert in about 10-15 minutes. Think pear crisp for one. Although for one it's a large dessert (or slightly decadent breakfast), it can easily be split for two. The recipe also scales really well. Use your favorite pear variety, but choose one that is still on the firm side of ripe; I used a red d'Anjou.


Pear Crumble
Ingredients:
1 firm-ripe pear
1/4 tsp vanilla
2 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 slice crusty bread (I used half of a ciabatta roll)
1 scant tbs butter
2 tbs chopped walnuts
pinch salt
2 tsp brown sugar

Directions:
Core and chop pear into a medium dice an place in a small bowl. Heat a small skillet on medium. Add the vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon to the pears and stir to coat well. Scrape the mixture into the skillet and cover.

Cook for about 2 minutes, then stir. Cover again and cook for another 2 minutes. Uncover and cook the pears, stirring gently, for about another minute. The pears should have soften and released some moisture, but not started to disintegrate yet.

Scrape the pears and any liquid into a serving glass or bowl. Place the skillet back on the burner.

Add the butter to the skillet. Quickly process the bread into crumbs in a food processor or chop finely with a chef's knife. When the butter has melted add the breadcrumbs, nuts, and salt. Cook until the crumbs start to color and then add the sugar. Cook for another minute stirring vigorously (the sugar will make the mixture start to stick if you don't).

Add the topping to the pears and (if desired) top with some vanilla whipped cream.

Christmas Packages Part 2 (in Lent, no less)

I had originally envisioned at least three different posts about Christmas treats, but since I've been negligent, I'm going to wrap it up with this post. In the interim I have been cooking and I hope that I'll stay on task for at least the next few weeks.

My Christmas packages were a mix of candies and cookies, so today I'm going to share my turtle recipe. This is an adaptation of my mother's recipe for turtles. In fact, my mother came up and stayed with me a few days after my knee surgery to help me get around and while she was there she helped me make the turtles that I gave out (the pictured ones are from my first batch).

The turtles start with small piles of pecans, then you pour hot caramel over them, followed by a drizzle or brushing of dark chocolate. The most important non-cooking aspect of this recipe is humidity - if it's very humid you're likely to end up with Southern pralines and not caramel. Also, take care not to stir the caramel too much after taking it off the heat and work quickly to minimize the chance of crystallization.

I buy my cream from a local dairy that produces exceptionally rich Jersey cream. If you're buying a mass market product you'll probably want to add 2 tbs of butter to the recipe to increase the butterfat content.

Turtles
Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla

1 cup pecan (whole look better, but smaller pieces are easier to work with and eat)
3 ounces melted dark chocolate (I used 60%)

Special Equipment:
Heavy pot (at least three quart), preferably enameled cast iron
Candy thermometer

Pour cream into the pan and set on medium heat. Pour sugar slowly into center of the cream (so as not to get any crystals on the sides of the pan). Add the salt. Put the lid on the pan and let come to a boil.

Remove the lid, insert thermometer and cook mixture, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 250F.

While the caramel is getting up to temperature lay out sheets of parchment paper, and form little mounds of pecans, if using pieces about 1 tbs, or if using whole pecans about three pecans each.

After getting up to temperature remove the caramel from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Working as quickly as possible, pour about 2 tsp to 1 tbs of caramel on each mound and allow to set up. Drizzle or brush melted dark chocolate over the top of each mound. If you're a particular fan of sea salt caramel you could also drop of few course flakes of salt on the still soft chocolate.

Place turtles in an airtight container and eat within a few days.

Christmas Packages Part 1

There is not a strong Christmas cookie tradition in my family - when we were young my sister and I would cut and decorate the requisite sugar cookies, but by the time we reached our teens we mostly abandoned this particular tradition. The culprit - no one in our immediate family really likes sugar cookies.

This doesn't mean that food doesn't play a large part in our family traditions - Mom makes caramels, turtles, chocolate-covered peanuts, and old-fashioned chocolate fudge. My mother does not actually make fudge most years because my maternal grandmother makes fudge for each of her sons and son-in-laws every Christmas and each of her grandchildren that is out on their own (quite a few of us now), requiring so much cream she should invest in a dairy.

Last year, however, I began the search for at least one cookie recipe that could become a new family tradition. I found browned-butter spoon cookies, which were very popular (one friend even specifically requested them about four months ago). This year I have expanded upon the tradition. I made several cookies and candies to give to my co-workers in colorful take-out style boxes, and I am going to blog about several of the successes (I know it's a little late for many people to try these out before Christmas this year, but maybe these will inspire bouts of cookie experimentation next year).

The first recipe I'm posting about is my first attempt at biscotti. I'm not usually a biscotti fan, but these were well received and I even liked them. The recipe is greatly adapted from a recipe in the Des Moines Register, given to me by a co-worker. I will be numbering these posts and starting each one with the same top photo.

In the future I would make a few changes from this first attempt. I used dried, unsweetened bing cherries, which were fine, but they are very dark. Dried sour cherries would be more festive and probably work better with the pistachios. I realized too late that I did not have any light olive oil, so I mixed a neutral oil with some good olive oil and I think that worked well. I am able to purchase shelled, unsalted pistachios. If you can only buy salted pistachios in the shell that is fine, but you need a cup, shelled and you should reduce or cut the salt from the dough completely. Also, my mother says the biscotti would be even better dipped in chocolate.


Pistachio and Cherry Biscotti
Makes about 20 biscotti (minus the broken ones and knobby end pieces)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup light olive oil (or as I used 1/8 cup olive oil and 1/8 cup grapeseed oil)
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon real almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pistachios
1 cup dried cherries (bing are usually a little bigger than sour, so you may want to cut them in half)

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Put the oil, eggs, sugar, and extracts in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the salt, if using, and stir.

Sift the flour and baking soda into the bowl and mix well. Stir the pistachios and cherries into the dough to evenly distribute.

Lightly flour the counter and scrape the dough out. It may be slightly sticky so shift a small amount of flour over the dough to help keep it from sticking to you or the counter. Halve the dough and shape each half into a long log and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten to about 3 inches wide and make sure that the logs are about 3 inches apart.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the logs start the brown lightly on top. Remove from the oven a set on a baking rack to cool for 15 minutes. Transfer one log to a cutting board. Using a serrate knife cut each log on the diagonal into about 1 inch slices. Move each slice to a parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with the second log.

Bake the slices for about 20 minutes or until the biscotti are dry and lightly browned. Transfer the biscotti to a cooling rack to cool completely. Dip in melted dark chocolate if desired, or place immediately into a tin or air-tight container until ready to serve or gift.

Recreating that Black Pearl Flavor

I haven't suddenly stopped cooking, but I have been away (again) from writing on my blog. In the interim, I've found some new favorite recipes and a new favorite chocolate.

First, a shout out to Freya at Writing at the Kitchen Table for her outstanding tiramisu. I have tried numerous so-so recipes in the past, but for some reason her simple rendition made me try yet again, and this time, I was blown away. I have been raving about this recipe and several friends have exhorted me to post again soon, if only to link to the recipe. I also used this recipe as an excuse to try a new ingredient that has recently made it onto local store shelves - pasteurized whole eggs. While they worked fine, I don't think they'll be replacing the local eggs I usually buy (which I have eaten raw many times without incident).

The second shout out is to Myriam at Once Upon a Tart for her outstanding apricot tart. I substituted some juicy peaches for the apricots, since I could only find some sad examples of apricots. Myriam also gets credit for kicking me in the butt to get this post out by delaying the most recent round of Browniebabe of the Month, so that I had no excuse for not posting.

The inspiration for this entry came from my recent exposure to Vosges Chocolates. I first read about Vosges when Heidi posted about Full Moon Brownies. I recently happened to find myself in possession of three different chocolate bars: a Black Pearl, a Barcelona, and a Creole. All three were delicious, but the Barcelona (a dark milk chocolate with smoked almonds and gray salt) is probably my favorite eating chocolate; however, the Black Pearl is what I decided to use as the basis of my new brownie.

Rather than try to source enough bars, I decided to recreate the flavors by going to Penzey's Spices and getting some wasabi powder and black sesame seeds. I started with those two spices, some fresh ginger, and some dark chocolate. After a few, less than successful attempts, I decided to add coconut as well and for some reason that was the magic addition.

I also substituted whole wheat pastry flour for the all-purpose flour. I took these into work to some rave reviews and one complete rejection. Today, I tried them out on my family and they were less than enthusiastic, however I love these brownies and I plan to add them to my repertoire. I hope you enjoy them.


Chasing Black Pearl Brownies

8 ounces dark chocolate
10 tbs unsalted butter, cut into small cubs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup peeled ginger (about a 4 inch piece)
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut + 1 tbs water
1/2 cup black sesame seeds
1 tsp wasabi powder
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbs milk
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

10-inch square cake pan
Preheat the oven to 350F.

Method:

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.

Place the ginger in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides, add the coconut, and water (to help rehydrate the coconut so it doesn't dry out the brownies). Process again until both the coconut and ginger are very fine.

Remove the melted chocolate from the heat and add the butter. Stir until the butter is melted and incorporated (this cools the chocolate so that it doesn't cook the eggs).

Add the ginger/coconut mixture, black sesame seeds, wasabi, vanilla, milk, sugar, and salt. Mix well.

Add the eggs, mix, and then add the flour and stir until just combined.

Pour into the prepared pan (I butter the pan, line it with parchment and then butter and flour the parchment).

Bake for about 25 minutes or until mostly set. Let cool for 10 minutes on a cooling rack and then remove the brownies directly to the cooling rack to finish cooling. Cut into squares and enjoy.

Brownies and Beer

I've had several bottles of oatmeal stout sitting in my refrigerator for a couple of months. I originally bought them to mess around with real beer floats and I did come up with a formula I liked, but I still haven't tried it out on anyone else. Now I was left with four bottles of stout, and while I could just drink them, I remembered that I had a stout cake recipe tucked away somewhere. That got me thinking about baking with the stout and I ended up trying it out with some brownies.

Since I had just made a cream cheese brownie I decided to use that recipe as a base. I wanted to add a flavor to the cream cheese, but I thought that using stout in both components might be too much, so I settled on espresso for the cream cheese. The espresso and stout worked well together.

I made a half batch two weeks ago and took them to work. I did not come home with any brownies, so I took that to mean they were a success. I decided to try them one more time before posting, and an office social provided just the opportunity. They were a hit again and this time I got pictures. Alas, I cannot take credit for the photography for this post since Dana took all the pictures with the camera I gave her for Christmas. Nor can I take credit for the beautiful setting – the kitchen window and garden both belong to Martha, a master gardener and coworker.

As I was pursuing this idea I discovered a new blogging event – Miriam's browniebabe of the month – which had already happened once before. The whole idea is for a bunch of people to try out brownie (or blondie) recipes and submit them in a bid to have Miriam declare a favorite. Now brownies are a very personal food – some people are devotees of fudgy brownies (such as myself) and other people are major supporters of cakey brownies (I think you might as well eat cake, but cake is only worth eating with really good frosting all over it!). I love the idea behind this event and its a great way to find new ideas for your own kitchen. I know the matcha cream cheese brownies from the last round-up sounded really good to me.

Pick-me-up Brownies

I have given the metric and standard amounts for all the ingredients because I made the brownies in metric and the cream cheese mixture in standard – then I created approximations in both. I really do like weighing baking ingredients, but getting weight measurements in American recipes is all but impossible.

Brownie Batter

125 grams / 4.5 ounces dark chocolate (60-70%, I've made it with both and a mix)
85 g / 6 tbs unsalted butter
150 grams sugar (¾ cup sugar)
50 grams flour / ½ cup minus 1 tbs flour
¼ tsp salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup (80 milliliters) reduced stout from an 8 ounce bottle (I used an oatmeal stout)

Cream Cheese Mixture

8 ounces (226 grams) cream cheese
2 ounces (60 milliliters) espresso
2 tbs (20 grams) sugar
2 tbs (15 grams) flour
1 egg

1 10 inch square cake pan (about 25 cm)

Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C).

For the brownies:

Open the bottle of stout and pour into small saucepan and turn on medium heat. You'll need to watch it in the beginning as the carbonation may cause it to boil over even at a low temperature. You want to reduce it to about 1/3 cup which should take about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat when ready to cool slightly.

Place butter and chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat. Stir occasionally until evenly mixed. Remove from heat.

In another bowl beat eggs and sugar until well mixed and then add the salt. Stir into the chocolate mixture and then add flour and stir until just mixed.

For the cream cheese:

Beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and espresso until lump free. Add the egg and flour and mix well.

In a prepared pan (see note) pour enough brownie batter to just cover the bottom of the pan. Spread with a spatula as needed. Then pour a ripple of cream cheese mixture in thick lines until almost covering the brownie batter. Pour half of remaining brownie batter over the cream cheese and then the rest of the cream cheese, followed by the remaining brownie (a zigzag pattern looks nice, but is not necessary).

Place in oven to bake for about 30 minutes. You want the brownie set, but still fudgy. Remove from oven and rest on cooling rack until cool. Remove from pan and slice into small squares.

Notes:
I like to prepare pans for baking by buttering the pan and then cutting parchment paper so that it covers bottom and sides of the pan. I cut the paper so that two sides stick up above the edge of the pan - it makes it easy to lift the brownies straight out of the pan that way.


Use your preferred method for layering the cream cheese mixture with the brownie batter. The batch that is featured in the pictures was layered by Dana and she made a nice drizzle pattern for the top, but that is definitely not necessary.

Shrikhand remix

So about a month ago I stumbled on a recipe for shrikhand (a strained yogurt dish) while browsing through blogs. Based on the picture and the description I decided to try it out and, surprisingly, I had all the ingredients on hand. I found this particular treat on Becks and Posh, a blog I have been reading since I began reading food blogs.

The result matched the beautiful picture from the blog, but I have to admit that I was underwhelmed. I found that the strong, distinct flavors of the cardamom, saffron, and rosewater did not work for me, but I thought that with a light hand and some additional sweetness that I could come up with something I liked. Lately, I've been experimenting with my trusty KitchenAid ice cream maker and decided to try a frozen yogurt version.



Then life intervened and warm weather distracted me by calling my attention to my shiny, new grill. That is until I realized that my sister was coming to visit this weekend for a wedding. I thought that she might like this, so I pulled the recipe back out and decided how I was going to tweak it.

I went with a thick, Greek-style yogurt for the base, and decided that I did not need to drain it because I thought the texture would be just about right. I thought that my sweetener should bring more to the table than just sweetness, so local honey jumped to mind. I started with just 1/2 a cup for the four cups of yogurt, but when I added another 1/4 cup it balanced the tanginess of the yogurt perfectly. I used about the same amount of the other flavorings as the original recipe called for with only one cup of yogurt, but since my recipe called for four cups the flavor was much more subtle. If you really like any of the flavors (cardamom, rosewater, or saffron) you may want to double or triple your preferred spice (or all of them).

The shrikhand I made first was a beautiful deep yellow, but this is just off white. I added roughly chopped pistachios, which added flecks of bright green and vibrant scarlet. My sister and I both really enjoyed this warm weather treat (so did several of her friends).

Another funny thing has happened since I started planning this post. Starting last month, I began participating in Sugar High Fridays. Last month I prepared a raw cocoa nib panna cotta. I went to Is My Blog Burning to see what the next SHF theme would be and low and behold, Monisha of Coconut Chutney was hosting Sugar High Friday #30 - Flower Power. The rules were simple, use flowers or floral extracts to create something sweet and link back to the posting. What great fortune - I had just created a dessert that used a part of a flower (saffron) and a floral extract (rose water), so now my post had two purposes, preserve a recipe that I think turned out really well, and participate in a fun blogging event. I can't wait to see what everyone else came up with!



Shrikhand Frozen Yogurt

Makes just over 1 quart

4 cups thick, creamy yogurt (I used a Greek-style yogurt)
3/4 cup honey (local if you've got it)
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon saffron thread
1 Tablespoon rosewater
1 cup shelled pistachios, roughly chopped


Place yogurt and honey in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Using a mortar and pestle grind the saffron threads into a powder. Add cardamom and using the pestle grind together with the saffron powder. Add the rosewater and work with the pestle until the powders are distributed evenly in the liquid.

Pour this liquid into the yogurt and stir until well mixed. Refrigerate for at least two hours to ensure that it is completely chilled.

Following your ice cream maker's instructions churn the yogurt until well frozen and then add the chopped pistachios. Transfer into a container and place in your freezer to ripen for about 4 hours and then serve. If freezing longer, transfer the yogurt to the refrigerator about an hour before serving to soften.

Enjoy!

Spring Grilling and a twist on unbaked cheescake

We've been having unseasonably warm weather lately (upper 70's, usually we're in the low 50's) and I've used this opportunity to get acquainted with the massive gas grill and rotisserie that my parents gave me for Christmas (spring grilling is much more fun than spring cleaning). I've done chicken breasts with just salt and black pepper, ribeye with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika (a new favorite), and this weekend I tried out Elise's Smoked Paprika Chicken on my rotisserie.

The chicken, and the whole meal, turned out great. I supplied the chicken and green salad, while Katie brought some sun-dried tomato and rosemary bread. She also brought some fresh mozzarella and cherry tomatoes to make a tasty and simple bruschetta.

The real reason for the night's festivities though, was for me to tryout a recipe that I came up with after seeing the Lavender and Lemon Verbena Limeade on A Fridge Full of Food. I remembered a recipe I tested a couple of months ago for Leite's Culinaria, that involved replacing some of the cream cheese with yogurt in an unbaked cheesecake (I would attribute it, but apparently the recipe didn't make the cut and I don't have a copy anymore, leave a comment if you know the author and cookbook and I’ll update this post).

At the time I remembered thinking that the lavender would be better if it was part of the filling, rather than the crust, and I really liked the zing that the yogurt added. When I saw the limeade recipe an idea came together. I would replace all of the cream cheese with yogurt, but I'd drain the yogurt first and I'd put lime and lavender into the filling. I really like gingersnap crusts (which is strange since I don’t really care for gingersnaps), so I decided to make a fresh ginger gingersnap dough to serve as the crust. I served the cheesecake with strawberries that I macerated in lime juice overnight. Everyone really liked the result, but this morning I've found that the crust is all soggy. In the future I might seal the crust with a thin (very thin) layer of white chocolate so that it can’t absorb all the excess moisture from the filling. Once the crust was a little soggy though it reminded me of the cookie part of a Nabisco Fig Newton - I haven’t had one of those for years!

I hope you enjoy the recipe and if anyone tries it, please leave a comment and let me know how it goes.

Lavender Lime Yogurt Cheesecake

Filling:

About 3 cups drained yogurt (see comments below)

1 cup heavy cream

2/3 cup sugar (divided)

1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers

1 key lime

Crust:

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1/6 cup molasses (I don't particularly like molasses, so I diluted it with corn syrup)

1/6 cup corn syrup (My liquid measure also doesn't have 1/6 markings so I just eyeballed it and made sure the total of the two was 1/3 cup)

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (I use a microplane)

1 cup plus 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

Topping:

1 pound strawberries

2 key limes

¼ cup sugar

1. The night before you want to serve the cake, prepare the strawberries.

2. Rinse the strawberries and slice thinly into a container. Zest (with a microplane, you want the zest small) the two limes over the sliced strawberries. Sprinkle the sugar over the zest and strawberries. Juice the two limes and add the juice to the container. Cover the container and refrigerate until ready to serve.

3. Prepare the crust. Preheat oven to 350º.

4. Put butter, molasses, fresh ginger, and crystallized ginger in a mixing bowl. Mix well.

5. Add remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix until all the ingredients are evenly blended.

6. Using your fingers press the dough into 9-inch springform pan. You want a very thin layer on the bottom and a thin layer going evenly up the sides. The dough is sticky so you may need to sprinkle it with some flour as you work. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the dough seems firm. Allow to cool.

7. Prepare the filling. Using a mortar and pestle, grind the lavender as finely as possible. Place in a small bowl. Zest the lime with a microplane and place zest in the same bowl. Juice the lime and mix the juice into the lavender and zest.

8. Place the yogurt in a medium bowl. Add the lavender-lime mixture and 1/3 cup sugar. Blend thoroughly.

9. In another cold bowl begin whipping the cream. As the cream begins to thicken sprinkle the sugar into the cream and continue whipping until you have firm peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the yogurt mixture until evenly incorporated.

10. Scrap the yogurt/cream mixture into your cooled prepared crust and smooth the top. Place in the refrigerator uncovered for at least 4 hours to firm the texture and make it easier to cut.

11. Cut into slices with a warm knife and serve with a mound of the macerated strawberries.

Note:

To prepare the yogurt, line a mesh colander with four layers of damp cheesecloth (get it wet and then wring it out), and place over a large bowl. I had a 32-ounce container of lowfat yogurt and about 2 cups of lowfat yogurt from an open container. I placed all of this in the colander and folded the cheesecloth over the top. Let the yogurt drain for at least 12 hours. I had just over 3 cups of strained yogurt.

SHF - Raw Chocolate

Soon after discovering the varied and compelling world of food blogs, I discovered Sugar High Fridays (SHF), as created by the Domestic Goddess (who recently wrote a great two part contemplation on good food requiring effort). Now that I have my blog up and running I decided that it was time that I participated, so I hopped over to Is My Blog Burning (a great resource for food blogging events and a quick history if you don't have any idea what I'm talking about) to find out who was hosting this month's SHF. My timing must have been preordained because I happily discovered that Emily of Chocolate in Context is hosting SHF #29: Raw Chocolate. It just so happened that I had picked up some raw cocoa nibs recently and had been inspired to use them in an adaptation of Michael Chiarello's recipe for Cocoa Caramel Panna Cotta from The Essence of Chocolate.

I must admit that I have never tried panna cotta before (eating or making), so I am happy to say that I was extremely pleased with the result. Mine did not unmold like the picture in book, but I made one in a ceramic bowl, just in case. This was also my first time working with cocoa nibs. I had tried them before in various chocolate bars and bakery treats while traveling, but I could not find a local retailer that carried them. Then I found them at the local coop, but they were raw – most recipes I found called for roasted cocoa nibs, so I bought some, but I kept putting off trying them in something. This SHF left me with no excuses. While I did not attempt to try them in a completely raw recipe (if I want to taste the raw food movement I'll go to a restaurant), I do think that this was a great way to highlight the complex and unusual flavors of raw chocolate.

I developed this recipe for small portions since I developed it during Spring Break and many of my friends are still students and out of town, but I think that it should scale up easily. Small servings are perfect because this dessert is deceptively light for being based on half and half.


Raw Coca Nib Panna Cotta
Serves 4

Ingredients
¼ cup water
1/3 cup granular sugar
½ cup raw cocoa nibs
1 pint half and half
1 ½ teaspoons gelatin

Place half and half and cocoa nibs in a small saucepan and heat to medium until it is steaming (don't let it boil) and take the pan off the heat and cover for 30 minutes.

Combine the gelatin and 2 Tablespoons water in a small bowl and set aside.

Place the sugar in a small saucepan and add the remaining water. Bring to medium heat, and cook, swirling the saucepan occasionally to color the caramel evenly, until a medium amber (I'm never exactly sure what that is either, so if you're not sure it's better to go too light than too dark).

You may want to brush the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush if sugar crystals begin to form (I just purchased a silicon brush and decided that they are great for many uses, but I'm going to keep my old fashioned ones for pastry).

Strain the nibs out of the half and half and add the gelatin and caramel – reheat gently if needed to dissolve the caramel. Divide into four, 4 ounce molds and refrigerate for at least three hours.