Pots du Creme

Sometimes life calls for you to be fancy.  This is not one of those times.  In my life, fancy needs to be achieved inside of 30 minutes or I call it "rustic."  I found this recipe a few months ago and it reminded me of a chocolate mousse I used to get in my hometown.  It was the mousse all others have since been judged. Pots du Creme is a little denser in consistency (the way I prefer it) whereas mousse incorporates more air typically. If your spoon can't stand straight up in the cup it isn't serious.  This recipe is serious and so easy you will have time to do something pampering.  (Dessert and pampering - yes please!)  Also, this recipe has eggs but no dairy so by my calculations you can reduce the guilt by 35%.  Did I mention it has no added sugar?  Reduce guilt another 25%!

I made this for a friend of mine who is a pastry chef and she assumed (rightly so) that I had been slaving over the stove all day.  Best dessert EVER! This pots du creme literally take minutes.  MINUTES! The flavor is intense and rich but still has a lightness and creaminess to it. The recipe calls for cardamom but it is June and 80 degrees in Seattle (which is like 110 degrees in Dallas) so I am going to use mint instead.  The cardamom is awesome though so make sure you make this more than once please. Simple - you prep all the ingredients and then throw them all into the blender!  GENIUS!
If the need to be fancy is just too overwhelming, I would add a little lemon scented whipped cream.  Be fancy for your fine self :) 

adapted fromThe Blenderist.

BLENDER POTS DU CREME

PREP TIME

10 mins

TOTAL TIME

4 hours 10 mins

Serves: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 8 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
• 3 eggs (room temperature)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/8 tsp of peppermint extract (try to use the best stuff you can - the less expensive stuff is pretty astringent)
• Pinch of salt
• 5 oz hot coffee or espresso

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine the chocolate chips, eggs, vanilla and ground cardamom in the blender on medium-high speed until fully combined.
2. While the blender is still running, remove the funnel cap from the top and pour the hot coffee in to the mixture slowly. The coffee must be very hot for the mixture to set.
3. Mix for approximately 1 minute until smooth.
4. Divide the mixture in to 4 small cups or ramekins.
5. Cool in the fridge until set, approximately 4 hours.

Graham Crackers

I just discovered Graham Crackers.  I know that seems like a strange thing in your 40's to discover but I never thought I liked them.  My mother occasionally sandwiched peanut butter in between the crackers as a last resort snack but other than that they were not part of my lexicon. 

I made a cheesecake a few weeks ago and usually I make it with a Ginger Snap crust (because I don't like Graham Crackers...) but the person for whom I was making the cheesecake requested Graham Crackers.  I made the crust and had half a box left over.  Hungry, while binge watching House of Cards, I routed through my cupboard for anything that could pass as dessert and came across the half box of unappealing Graham Crackers.  HOLY COW - I LOVE THEM!  Now I am obsessed with the darn things!  I have begun tasting different brands to see which ones I like best.  I have had them in my lunch as a snack everyday for two weeks because I can't wait until I get home to have one.  Saturday, I was running errands and I put a few in my purse as a safety measure just in case I was stranded in the Lowe's parking lot and couldn't find my way out.
It's bad.  Very bad.

Kind of the best part is that they are almost a health food.  Most of the time they are made with whole wheat flour and honey.  In fact, Sylvester Graham, from whom they derive their name, was a minister in the 19th century and an early whole grain supporter.  Technically, Graham Flour is whole wheat flour not ground as finely.  So you have whole wheat = good, honey = good, cinnamon (anti-inflammatory) = good, sugar = bad but could be worse, and that's about it! 

Tonight in honor of you (and really me :)) I am making homemade Graham Crackers!  I am using Alton Brown's recipe because he has undoubtedly exhausted every possible outcome of a sub-standard cracker and why put myself through some kind of test he has already passed. 

Ingredients

• 8 3/8 ounces graham flour
• 1 7/8 ounces all-purpose flour
• 3 ounces dark brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 ounces unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes and chilled
• 2 1/4 ounces molasses
• 1 1/2 ounces whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Place both flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Add the molasses, milk and vanilla extract and process until the dough forms a ball, approximately 1 minute. Press the ball into a 1/2-inch thick disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Unwrap the chilled dough and place it onto a large piece of parchment paper and top with a second sheet of parchment paper. Roll the dough out until it is 1/8-inch thick. Slide the rolled dough and parchment paper onto a half sheet pan. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and cut the dough, using a rolling pizza cutter into 2-inch square pieces, by making vertical and then horizontal cuts all the way across the dough. Trim off any excess. Using a fork, poke holes all over the top of the dough. Leave the crackers on the pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 25 minutes or until the edges just start to darken. Remove from the oven, set the sheet pan with the crackers on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Once completely cool, break into individual crackers and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

What the heck are Garlic Scapes?

I love foods with impossibly small growing seasons.  I always feel like they are challenging my creativity.  Squash blossoms, Fiddlehead ferns, Skagit Valley strawberries, and Garlic Scapes are among the cheeky foods that when I see them I have to throw all dinner plans to the wind and really step up my culinary game. 

Garlic Scapes (no idea why they are called that - I should probably look that up) are the flower stalk of garlic plant before the bulb is produced.   They are potent but mild and have a strong but pleasantly lingering taste. They add a unique and yet identifiable flavor in whatever dish you add them to.  They are great sauted either by themselves or with other vegetables.  (Duh - what is better than garlic and butter?)

My favorite thing to do is to make a version of pesto, then add it to EVERYTHING for about a week or two.  There is nothing that Garlic Scapes won't pair with - tomatoes, arugala, burrata - bing, bing dinner idea!  Scrambled eggs - yes please.  As a sandwich spread - mind-blowing.  Toss with pasta, add it as a pizza topping, try it on fish, on grilled beef, on roast chicken, or simply on a chip - this stuff is TASTY!  If I haven't convinced you yet we probably shouldn't be friends. Ce la vie.  No wait, how about that they are really pretty and when you pulse them into submission in your food processor they are the perfect green color!  PERECT!  Don't believe me?  Get ready to be amazed...

Modified from epicurious
YIELD: Serves 6 to 8 (makes 1 1/2 cups pesto)

Ingredients

For the pesto

• 10 large garlic scapes
• 1/3 cup unsalted almond
• 1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional but delicious)
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil           

Preparation

Make the pesto: Puree the garlic scapes, almonds, Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a food processor until very finely chopped. With the motor running, slowly pour the oil through the opening. Season the pesto with salt and pepper to taste. (The pesto keeps in the fridge, covered, for 1 week or frozen for a month.)

 

 

California Cookies

California Cookies

When I was in high school, I worked in a French pastry shop.  It was in a small seaside town in New Hampshire and they made everything from scratch.  The town had a great influx of tourists during the summer and the little café developed an exceptional reputation.  Eventually, the café expanded and they had not only had an outstanding patisserie but they also were known for coffee, breakfast pastries (cheese danishes that would make you cry), and cookies.

I have been thinking a lot about the café recently and wishing that I had saved some of the recipes or at least had access to them.  One cookie in particular got a lot of attention: the California Cookie.

The California Cookies were huge!  They had giant chunks of white chocolate, dark chocolate, pecans, and almonds in a brown sugary cookie dough.  The chunks were all cut by hand from big blocks of Callebaut chocolate.  Ok, this was in the 80’s before quality chocolate became a thing and they were using Callebaut for cookies!  (They also had the best hot chocolate on the planet because they scaled milk in a copper bowl, added sugar and real vanilla, and then whisked in chunks of Callebaut bittersweet chocolate – I have still never had better.)  but I digress.

So today I am recreating Café Brioche California Cookies from my memory.  I know the main ingredients because over the course of several years of working there I said the phrase “White chocolate, dark chocolate, pecans, and almonds” so many times that once I started thinking about the cookies the loop just kept repeating in my head.

Here goes:
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 granulated sugar
Cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, then add:
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Continue to beat on medium even more fluffy, then add:
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Mix until incorporated, then either on low or by hand add:
1/2  cup large chunks of semi-sweet chocolate (Callebaut)
1/2 cup large chunks of white chocolate (Callebaut or El Rey)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Drop large tablespoons of dough onto parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges start to brown.  Let cool before biting into the molten lava pile of chocolate chunks.  (I mention this because I made that mistake and now the roof of my mouth is very unhappy with me.)

all good things start this way

For the love of Cheesecake

The time has come to talk about cheesecake.  I have a lot to say.

1. Fact: 8 out of 10 times ordering cheesecake at a restaurant is disappointing. Don't do it - it is never worth the calories.

2. You are either a cheesecake purist or you like all kinds of goop on your slice. (This is the start of a much longer rant - I think if you need a lot of stuff on your food it is because the food is not very good to start with.)

3. Dispel the myth: Cheesecake is NOT hard to make - it is SUPER easy, it is baking it correctly that is tricky and even that is not that hard once you have done it a few times.

4. Cheesecake should be creamy, creamy, creamy!

5. Don't stress over the top cracking - you can cover it up!

6. Dry cheesecake is a sin so always error on the side of slightly underdone.

7. Don't skimp on the quality of the cookies you use for the crust - good cookies + good butter = good crust.  The variations are limitless.

Cheesecake is not my favorite cake to make but it is hands down my single most requested dessert to bring for birthdays, holidays, or gathering of friends.  I make a good cheesecake. I have made a lot of them over the years so I think practice in this case, makes perfect. 

I use the same recipe but modify it as needed for different flavors or occasions.  There is nothing fancy about it at all.  The recipe is from Bon Appetit from 2005 and they credit a restaurant called Zoom in Park City, Utah.  The original recipe, just the way it is written, is awesome. I encourage you to make it as your first attempt.  I guarantee you will not only be very proud of yourself but the people whom you feed will think you are a culinary rock star.  (Note - buy extra Skor bars.  My guess is that you haven't eaten one in a while and they are crazy delicious!).

The caramel from the recipe is great for a go-to caramel recipe.  I use it on ice cream and it is always delicious.  For those who think they don't like cheesecake, this recipe can convert even the toughest of cheesecake haters. 

Here it is and thanks Bon Appetit for making me a cheesecake goddess.

Ingredients

Gingersnap crust:

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1 1/2 cups ground gingersnap cookies (about 7 1/4 ounces)
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar

Cheesecake:

• 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar (I always use white sugar)
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
• 5 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Caramel topping

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

• 4 1.4-ounce English toffee candy bars (such as Heath or Skor), chopped

Preparation

For gingersnap crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom of 9-inch springform pan with 2 1/2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Stir ground cookies, butter, and sugar in medium bowl until moist clumps form. Press cookie mixture firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. Wrap outside of pan with 3 layers of heavy-duty foil. Bake crust until firm and beginning to darken, about 14 minutes. Cool crust. Maintain oven temperature.
For cheesecake:
Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Beat in butter, then eggs, 1 at a time, until just blended. Beat in vanilla. Pour batter over crust in pan. Place springform pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to come halfway up sides of springform pan. Bake cake uncovered until filling is puffed around edges and moves slightly in center when pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove pan from water; remove foil. Place hot cheesecake uncovered in refrigerator overnight.
For caramel topping:
Stir sugar, water, and lemon juice in large saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until mixture turns deep amber, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, about 9 minutes. Add cream (mixture will bubble). Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until reduced to 1 1/4 cups, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Chill until thickened but still pourable, about 15 minutes.
Spoon caramel over top of cake just to edges (do not allow caramel to drip down sides). Garnish top edges with chopped English toffee. Chill at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours.
Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake; release pan sides.

Birthday Brunch

 

I am a very fortunate person.  I have a wonderful life.  An amazing family. Great friends.  A job I enjoy and that challenges me.  I have had enough adversity to appreciate to good times and to know a good thing when I see it.

Yesterday, I was reminded of all of these things rolled up into an amazing potluck, birthday brunch.  Good friends - the kind that can cook, bake, and appreciate a fine cocktail or two.  Work- because my kitchen is a meeting ground of Tovolo tools old and new where when 5 women are all using the kitchen at once and no one has to use the same spatula, spoon, turner, or spreader. (Ok in fairness on this one, I am kitchen tool glutton.  It would be really wrong if it wasn't actually part of my job. :) )  Everyone brought either a finished extravagance or ingredients to make a dish.  We started off with a glass of prosecco and St. Germain as guests arrived and continued to eat for almost 3 leisurely hours. 

 

It was a gorgeous day in Seattle!  To have a day at the beginning of May sunny and in the mid-60's is a gift.  There was not a cloud in the sky so we decided to move the whole party outside - dining table and all! It was like a scene out of Alice in Wonderland.

Thank you Birthday Fairy!

 

This is how to have a potluck brunch:

Gluten Free Coconut Waffles with fresh whipped cream and raspberries Cinnamon, cardamom rolls

Toast with French butter and fruit preserves

Triple Cream French cheese

Fruit salad with berries and  sliced mango

Homemade Lemon Curd - epicurious.com recipe

Roasted strawberry, brown butter biscuits - modified Joy the Baker recipe

Arugula, goat cheese, and shallot frittata

Vanilla Bean Meringues

Huck Finn cocktails

 

 

 

 

Huck Finn Cocktail Recipe

 

2oz. Old Tom Gin

 

2 oz. Joia Grapefruit, Chamomile, and Cardamom Soda

 

Lime squeeze/wheel

 

Add the OTG over ice cubes, add soda and a squeeze of lime.  Garnish with a lime wedge.

 

Thanks for...everything!

We have many days throughout the year that are set aside to honor someone or something.  We have President's Day in honor of past Presidents.  Memorial Day to honor those who have died in service to our country.  Earth Day to honor the Earth.  Shouldn't Earth Day really be everyday?  Without her we all specks of dust swirling into a black abyss. 

Earth Day is about not only raising our collective consciousness about the damage that has been done but also the glory of nature.  There is a great Rachel Carson quote:
"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find resources of strength that will endure as long as life lasts." 

I believe that spending time in nature grounds us.  The humble feeling you get sea kayaking or skiing on fresh snow.  The first time you take a child hiking and watch their wonderment - from the leaves crinkling underneath their feet, to looking high up into the trees, to touching a boulder and being surprised by its cold temperature.  Watching the sun rise or set, letting a wave catch your toes while they sink into a billion grains of sand, all of those moments and memories we take with us in honor of the earth.
Take a moment (and a doughnut) and sit outside for a few moments today, take a deep breath of fresh air, and say thank you as you exhale.