Inner Beauty

I have a love/hate relationship with this month's Daring Baker's Challenge, Opera Cake. Mothers don't make this cake. It will surely result in child neglect. In fact I started making it on a sunday and didn't finish until tuesday. I was pretty annoyed on Tuesday when my kitchen looked like it blew up, the kids were not quite taken care of, and I had what I thought was a disaster of a cake on my hands, too.
Half of the cake stuck to the tinfoil in the bottom of the pan (that's why the recipe calls for parchment paper, I guess) so I made a few mini opera cakes with the bits and peices of cake that I could peel off of the tinfoil. So I was pretty frustrated by the time I finally finished making the cake, but then when I tasted it suddenly it was all okay. It wasn't pretty, but we all agreed that it was tasty.

I came away with my new favorite buttercream, and ideas of how to make the cake simpler and more delicious- by making just the cake, buttercream, and sugar syrup (no mousse or glaze). Oh yeah- and next time I will be buying almond meal at whole foods instead of blanching and processing my own almonds.

Inner Beauty

I have a love/hate relationship with this month's Daring Baker's Challenge, Opera Cake. Mothers don't make this cake. It will surely result in child neglect. In fact I started making it on a sunday and didn't finish until tuesday. I was pretty annoyed on Tuesday when my kitchen looked like it blew up, the kids were not quite taken care of, and I had what I thought was a disaster of a cake on my hands, too.



Half of the cake stuck to the tinfoil in the bottom of the pan (that's why the recipe calls for parchment paper, I guess) so I made a few mini opera cakes with the bits and peices of cake that I could peel off of the tinfoil. So I was pretty frustrated by the time I finally finished making the cake, but then when I tasted it suddenly it was all okay. It wasn't pretty, but we all agreed that it was tasty.

I came away with my new favorite buttercream, and ideas of how to make the cake simpler and more delicious- by making just the cake, buttercream, and sugar syrup (no mousse or glaze). Oh yeah- and next time I will be buying almond meal at whole foods instead of blanching and processing my own almonds.

Here's the recipe, but just the parts I recommend.

For the cake (Joconde)
6 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tbsp. (30 grams) granulated sugar
2 cups (225 grams) ground blanched almonds
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
6 large eggs
½ cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour
2 Tb orange zest
3 tbsp. (1½ ounces; 45 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Divide the oven into thirds by positioning a rack in the upper third of the oven and the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425◦F. (220◦C). Line two 12½ x 15½- inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans with parchment paper and brush with melted butter.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a handheld mixer), beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy. If you do not have another mixer bowl, gently scrape the meringue into another bowl and set aside. If you only have one bowl, wash it after removing the egg whites or if you have a second bowl, use that one. Attach the paddle attachment to the stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer again) and beat the almonds, icing sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and voluminous, about 3 minutes. Add the flour and orange zest and beat on low speed until the flour is just combined. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture and then fold in the melted butter. Divide the batter between the pans and spread it evenly to cover the entire surface of each pan.
Bake the cake layers until they are lightly browned and just springy to the touch. This could take anywhere from 5 to 9 minutes depending on your oven. Place one jelly-roll pan in the middle of the oven and the second jelly-roll pan in the bottom third of the oven. Put the pans on a heatproof counter and run a sharp knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Cover each with a sheet of parchment or wax paper, turn the pans over, and unmold. Carefully peel away the parchment, then turn the parchment over and use it to cover the cakes. Let the cakes cool to room temperature.

For the syrup:
½ cup (125 grams) water
⅓ cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
1 to 2 tbsp.coconut extract

Stir all the syrup ingredients together in the saucepan and bring to a boil.Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

For the buttercream (YOU WILL NEED AT LEAST DOUBLE THIS RECIPE- I WOULD TRIPLE IT)

1 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar (Used to say 2 cups but should be 1 cup)
¼ cup (60 grams) water (Used to say ½ cup but should say ¼ cup)
seeds of one vanilla bean (split a vanilla bean down the middle and scrape out the seeds) or 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1¾ sticks (7 ounces; 200 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature (Used to say 1¾ cups of butter but it should be 1¾ sticks).
Coconut Extract- about 1 Tablespoon)

Combine the sugar, water and vanilla bean seeds or extract in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves.

Continue to cook, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 225◦F (107◦C) (Note: The original recipe instructs to heat the syrup to 255◦F (124◦C). We heated it to 225◦F and it worked just fine. However, if you are concerned, then by all means heat your syrup to 255◦F.) on a candy or instant-read thermometer. Once it reaches that temperature, remove the syrup from the heat.

While the syrup is heating, begin whisking the egg and egg yolk at high speed in the bowl of your mixer using the whisk attachment. Whisk them until they are pale and foamy.

When the sugar syrup reaches the correct temperature and you remove it from the heat, reduce the mixer speed to low speed and begin slowly (very slowly) pouring the syrup down the side of the bowl being very careful not to splatter the syrup into the path of the whisk attachment. Some of the syrup will spin onto the sides of the bowl but don't worry about this and don't try to stir it into the mixture as it will harden!

Raise the speed to medium-high and continue beating until the eggs are thick and satiny and the mixture is cool to the touch (about 5 minutes or so).

While the egg mixture is beating, place the softened butter in a bowl and mash it with a spatula until you have a soft creamy mass.

With the mixer on medium speed, begin adding in two-tablespoon chunks. When all the butter has been incorporated, raise the mixer speed to high and beat until the buttercream is thick and shiny.

At this point add in your flavouring and beat for an additional minute or so.

Refrigerate the buttercream, stirring it often, until it's set enough (firm enough) to spread when topped with a layer of cake (about 20 minutes).

Flan

This is my brother-in-law, Ryan, with his chicken. He has no taste. The man literally can not taste. It happened in a longboarding accident which resulted in a head injury which resulted in a loss of smell which resulted in a loss of taste. Ryan continues to eat pretty much what he ate before the accident (not always. I saw him mix milk and apple juice once, when there was just a little bit left of each. That was nasty, Ryan.)

Anyway, this post is dedicated to Ryan, who I thought of when I ate half of this flan in one afternoon. It had the smoothest texture to ever grace my lips, and the texture of his food is very important to my brother-in-law. It's also very important to me, so I'll be making this again.

This was my first flan attempt, and it came out pretty well, but the sugar was a bit too caramelized. Next time I will follow America's Test Kitchen's recipe and use half water/half sugar, and hopefully that will eliminate any sugar lumps. Waiting for the sugar lumps to dissolve was the reason I continued cooking past the caramelized peak.

Actually, I don't really know how it is supposed to look or taste, really. I don't eat flan much and never order it at restaurants because I don't love that burnt sugar taste. But somehow the texture made up for it and I found that I had eaten half of the pictured flan, sliver by sliver, in one afternoon.

This recipe made 6 custard cups of flan (they looked adorable, but I took them to a cinco de mayo party, so there are no pictures) plus this breadpan of flan, which would probably serve 5 people or so.

Flan

15 egg yolks

2 cans evaporated milk (14 oz
cans)

1 1/2 cans condensed milk (12 oz
cans)

Sugar

Cheesecloth

Aluminum foil

Create burnt sugar: boil 1 C sugar and 1/2 C water over medium-high heat until 300 degrees or straw-colored. lower the heat until its 350 degrees (amber colored). Pour some into the dishes you will be baking your flan in. Work quickly as the sugar will continue cooking in the pan. I used breadpans and custard cups. You might have extra burned sugar.

Flan: Separate yolks. Remove all white as possible. Add evaporated and condensed milk. Mix mixture with a spoon and try not to create bubbles. Strain the mixture with a cheesecloth to remove the excess white part of the egg. Pour into dishes and cover them tightly with aluminum foil.

Create water bath by arranging flan dishes in a deep aluminum pan (ones used for roasting or those used for serving in buffets will do nicely) filled with water halfway of the flan dishes. Add more water in the middle of the cooking time, if needed, to prevent burning of bottom. Cook in oven at 350 F for around 30-40 minutes for smaller flans, and more time for bigger flans The water-bath is more like “steam-cooking” than baking. Insert a toothpick in the center to check if done.Cool in the refrigerator for a few hours.

bragging

This has nothing to do with food but I have to brag a little about my fantastic, talented husband.

Ryan's website launched earlier this week at http://www.ryandartdesign.com/

He submitted his table to MocoLoco.com, a modern and contemporary design blog, and they posted it here. And yes, it's a table and not a bench. However, it can hold the weight

The Winner Is...

Paige and Garrett!

Congratulations! I'll be in touch for your mailing address!

If I had a $25 Gift Certificate to Amazon.com

Then I could have bought 2 of the cookbook I bought today, and it would have cost me nothing.

Amazon.com and half.com are my favorite places to buy cookbooks, so I am having an Amazon give-away.

Just comment on this post. Make any (appropriate) comment and you'll be entered in a drawing to win. Then you could get this book I've been wishing for

Or maybe this pan, if you like brownie edges.

I approve of the union.

That's what my dad said when my husband asked for his approval before proposing to me. Dear Chocolate and Cheesecake, I feel the same way about you.

These chocolate-coated cheesecake lollipops are as delicious as they sound! Plus, look how cute they would be for a party! Especially if your wall color matches them as adorably as mine does! I knew my mac n' cheese walls would be good for something.

They're kid tested and approved. Also husband-tested. Ryan REALLY liked them, and he thought they were the perfect size for an after-dinner treat. I thought they were the perfect size to go back for seconds and thirds.

Thank you, Elle – Feeding My Enthusiasms and Deborah – Taste and Tell, for hosting this lovely Daring Bakers challenge. It was right up my alley. Click here to see other Daring Bakers Posts about this challenge.

Here are the adjustments I made:

I baked it without a waterbath because I needed to use a springform pan. So I put a ban of boiling water on the lower oven rack while my cake baked above it. Then I baked it more gradually, at 325 degrees for 15 minutes, then 225 for 2 hours. Then left it in the oven to cool for about 20 minutes. I chose this method because some daring bakers were having trouble with the stated baking method.

Also- I would now recommend dipping them so as to cover the entire cheesecake part with the chocolate- that way if you need to refrigerate them for a few days the cheesecake part won't dry out

Cheesecake Pops
Makes 30 – 40
Pops
5 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¼ cup heavy cream
Boiling water as
needed
Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks
1 pound chocolate, finely
chopped – you can use all one kind or half and half of dark, milk, or white
(Alternately, you can use 1 pound of flavored coatings, also known as summer
coating, confectionary coating or wafer chocolate – candy supply stores carry
colors, as well as the three kinds of chocolate.)
2 tablespoons vegetable
shortening
(Note: White chocolate is harder to use this way, but not
impossible)
Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, colored jimmies,
crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees) - Optional
Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.
Set some water to boil.
In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese,
sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the
whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low
speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.
Grease a 10-inch
cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place
the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water
until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake
is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.
Remove the cheesecake
from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with
plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to
overnight.
When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake
into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully
insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops,
uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.
When the cheesecake pops
are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double
boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of
simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring
often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir
until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate
will lose it’s shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and
shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.
Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces
on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.
Quickly dip a frozen
cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely.
Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll
the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a
contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk
chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean
parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting
more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.
Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.

Easy Peasy

The baby is squirming around on a blanket on the floor next to me. The toddler is sleeping. This post will have to be too quick to be any good. But do you know what is really good despite being ridiculously quick and easy? Peanut butter squares. Easy enough even for a mom with a 3-week old baby to make.

They are pretty much Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, but prettier. Isn't there something alluring about the sharp, contrasting layers of chocolate and peanut butter? It's just so graphical, and you know how hungry graphics make me.

I got the recipe from Nigella.com, and my only suggestion is in the cutting. The first time I made them, they looked horrible because I tried to speed up the setting by refrigerating them. Then the chocolate cracked when I cut them. So don't refrigerate, just let it set on the counter. If the chocolate is too hard to make those pretty, sharp layers, then dump them chocolate side down on a cutting board and then cut them.

Peanut Butter Squares

for the base:
quarter cup brown sugar
1 and three quarter cups powdered
sugar
half stick unsalted butter
three quarters cup smooth peanut
butter

for the topping:
7oz milk chocolate
3oz semi-sweet chocolate
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 x 9 inch square brownie tin, lined, preferably,
with Silpat

Stir all the ingredients for the base
together until smooth. I use the paddle attachment to my mixer. Press the sandy
mixture into the lined brownie tin and make the surface as even as possible.To
make the topping, melt the chocolates and butter together (in a microwave for
ease, for a minute or two on medium) and spread on the base. Put the tin in the
fridge to set. When the chocolate has hardened, cut into small squares –
because, more-ish as it undeniably is, it is also very rich.Makes approximately
48.

Reason for Delay

Haven't been cooking or baking anything lately. Just enjoying this sweet little face! I will be back soon with a new recipe!

And the winner is....

Toni!

Congratulations, Toni, and thanks for the brilliant frosting solution for the cranberry cake!

The winner was determined randomly. I wrote the names of all the entrants (there were 11, total) on a peice of paper, my husband picked a number (14) and the person I landed on when I counted to that number was the winner.

You walk the line

You guys are such good, rule-abiding entrants.

All 5 of you.

Yeap, we have only 5 entries so far for the Williams-Sonoma gift card contest. (LMP vs. Swedish apple pie from Paige, Sugar cookies vs. sugar cookies from Deborah, Chocolate Chip cookies vs. chocolate chip cookies from Kimmy as well as Sara, and Lemon Bars vs. Lemon Bars from Blair)

Anyway, I wanted to let everybody know that you've been very good about posting recipes with glaring similarities to mine. However, if you'd rather, your similarities can be a little more abstract (ie: they both contain eggs, they both go well with ice cream, I crave them both at midnight, whatever)

After all, this is really just a way for me to finagle your best recipes out of you.

good luck!

Free stuff- it's better than food!

I might have told a few of you that I would be doing some give-aways. So, without further ado, here is how you can win a $25 gift certificate to Williams-Sonoma (where you can finally get the set of 3 fuzzy chicks you've been dying for!).

It's a showdown.

Pick one of the recipes that I have posted (it doesn't have to be one you have made). In the comments section for that recipe, tell me about a recipe that is similar in some way, but superior to the one I blogged about. And don't forget to post your actual defending recipe.


For example, you could oppose my favorite brownie recipe with your favorite brownie recipe. OR maybe the similarities between my recipe and yours would be less obvious- just explain what they have in common and why you think your recipe is better. Then prepare for my brownie to beat your brownie up, because it will.


The winner will be chosen randomly from all the contest entries. But, since I am making up the rules as I go, if your entry is especially entertaining or convincing then maybe you will be entered twice. The deadline for entries is in one week- March 15th at 11:59 pm.

Thank you, Wendy!

Here's to my all-time favorite dessert.
Go ahead, call me boring, but I don't think there is a dessert that can stand up to the tastiness of a chocolate chip cookie with a cold glass of milk. Or, when I'm feeling fancy, a warm cookie with a scoop of ice cream.

Everybody seems to have their favorite recipe and I have found mine. Actually I found it about a year ago, and I have been meaning to share it with you for a while. I like my chocolate chip cookies buttery and chewy, yet crispy on the edges. I am also a firm believer in adding enough chocolate chips to contrast the buttery dough but not overwhelm it. This recipe accomplishes all of that. The only drawback (in some cases, benefit) is that the dough must be refrigerated before baking. Otherwise, with this brown sugar and butter- heavy recipe, the cookies will just spread too much. I am also a fan of freezing the dough in little balls for later use- with this recipe there is no need for defrosting before baking.

I don't know much about high-altitude baking, but if you are high-altitude I think this recipe might need some tweaking.

This recipe is based on a recipe by Wendy Gaynor that was printed in New York Times Magazine. From what I gather, she used to own a bakery called Ruby et Violette in New York City that is famous for its cookies. It sounds like a fun pit stop for the next trip to NYC to try an exotic cookie flavor or two. But then again, it would be near impossible to beat the classic chocolate chip!

Here she is:

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

8 oz butter, room temperature
1 C brown
sugar
1/2 C white sugar
2 eggs
2 C flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp
baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
2 C chocolate chips

Cream butter. Add
sugars and beat until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time.

Mix the flour and
baking soda together. Add this to the butter mixture at a low mixer speed until
it is just combined. Add the vanilla extract.

Beat on medium until
blended, then add the chocolate chips and stir them in.

refrigerate until
dough is completely chilled, then drop by teaspoonfuls on an ungreased cookie
sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-11 minutes.

If your dough is spreading too much, try freezing it in little teaspoon-sized balls, between sheets of wax paper, then bake it straight from the freezer.

TRADITION!

Let's talk more about Valentine's Days of yore. I think the reason I like Valentine's Day so much is because my parents made it special by doing nice things for us. They snuck into our rooms while we were sleeping and left us valentine cards and little presents. Valentine's day was just a nice day to say "I love you" in a family kind of way. It wasn't just about romance.


And not just about the agony of deciding how to sign the Valentines I gave out to my classmates- should it be "from, Holly" or "Love, Holly"?

And another heavy thought for my first grade brain- what did it mean when that one boy gave me a real valentine- like a Hallmark card, not the kind with a picture of the Jetson's on it that came in a pack of 30?

Yes, I am grateful for my parents who made sure this day was about more than that.

It was about family. And sugar cookies. My mom always made the cakey kind with lots of piped frosting on top. They actually looked like valentines, and I thought they were so pretty. We decorated them with sprinkles and red hots.

This Valentine's Day I am lucky enough to be staying at my parent's house, enjoying cookies with excessive amounts of frosting.



These aren't as pretty as my mom decorates them, but they were delicious nonetheless!




Here is my Grandmother's recipe:

Nostalgic Valentine's Day Sugar
Cookies

1 C shortening
1 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1/2 C milk
4 tsp baking powder
1tsp salt
4 1/2 C flour (about)

Cream together shortening and sugar. Add vanilla
and add eggs one at a time. Combine dry ingredients and add mix dry in
with the wet. Roll out, use heart shaped cookie cutters, and bake at 350 for 8
minutes. Frost with buttercream frosting.

There is one little catch...

I don't care if it was created by Hallmark, I love Valentine's Day. I loved it even when I didn't have anybody to love, and I would merely hope that on that day, some romantic boy would do something crazy or romantic or unexpected to declare his adoration for me. That would have been so fun...

Sadly, after 4 years of marriage, it still hasn't happened. Ryan and I celebrated our first Valentine's Day together 3 weeks after we were married. Ryan celebrated by falling asleep for an all-night "nap" immediately after devouring the delicious meal I toiled over all afternoon for him. I celebrated by doing the dishes then watching TV. So much for the "honeymoon phase".

Valentine's Day has never really lived up to my expectations, but I still love it, so I wanted to share a few ideas for your Valentine's Day treats. Here's the first one!

When I saw this cake, by Peabody, I knew I couldn't resist making it. It is just so pretty and so PINK! Of course, hers was much prettier than mine so you should really check out her post. It is a white chocolate mousse cake with cranberry frosting.

I loved the cake- it got rave reviews all around. It was very moist, and kind of dense but still somewhat soft and springy. The taste was delicious and the white chocolate was detectable, but not too much. The cakes were very thin, so even with three layers and frosting it was not a tall cake.

The frosting. I loved the cranberry. The little, tart, juicy bits were perfect to offset the sweet white chocolate cake. But herein lies the catch. Check out the recipe. It is not a typo. It calls for 6 sticks of butter IN THE FROSTING! So, though delicious, it was pretty greasy. Not to mention that each (small) slice of cake I served contained 1/2 stick of butter (44 grams of fat and 400 calories!) in the frosting alone. Even I, The Glutton, could not stomach that. But I could stomach some of that- so I scraped off only half of the frosting and enjoyed the rest of the cranberry butter...er...frosting.

Next time I will experiment with the frosting- I think we could cut out a few sticks and still have a decent frosting on our hands. I'll let you know.

White Chocolate Cranberry Cake

White Chocolate Mousse Cake
4 TBSP unsalted butter, cut into 1 TBSP pieces, plus 1 TBSP melted
12 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
10 large egg yolks
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup all-purpose flour
6 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 325F

Lightly coat three 9 x 1 ½- inch round cake pans
with some of the 1 TBSP melted butter. Line the bottoms with parchment paper, then lightly coat the paper with more melted butter.

Melt the chocolate and butter on top of a double
boiler.

Place egg yolks, ½ cup sugar, and vanilla in the
bowl of a standard mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on high until lemon-colored and slightly thickened, about 4 minutes.

Add the melted white chocolate and beat on medium-high until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Use a rubber spatula to fold the flour. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and set aside.

Place the egg whites in the clean bowl of a stand electric mixer fitted with a balloon whip. Whisk on high for 45 seconds until soft peaks form, then add the remaining ¼ cup sugar and continue to whisk on high until stiff peaks form, about 45 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Add about a third of the egg whites to the egg yolk mixture and fold to incorporate, using a rubber spatula. Add the remaining egg whites and fold until the mixture is uniform in color. Immediately divide the batter into prepared pans, spreading it evenly with a rubber spatula.

Bake on the top and center racks of the oven until a toothpick comes out clean , about 21-22 minutes. Halfway through rotate the pans 180 degrees and switch racks. Remove cake from oven and let cool
for 30 minutes. Invert the cake layers onto cake plates. Carefully peel away the parchment paper. Refrigerate the cake layers uncovered.

Cranberry Icing
1 ½ cups fresh whole cranberries
1 ½ lbs(6 sticks…yes 6) unsalted butter, cut into
1-TBSP pieces, softened
2 ½ cups powder sugar, sifted

Place cranberries on a baking sheet and bake in a 325F oven for 8 minutes, until they start to burst. Then put them in a bowl and place in fridge.

Place butter in the bowl of a stand electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low for 1 minutes, then increase
speed to medium and beat for 1 minute. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides. Add the cranberries and mix on low speed for 15 seconds, increase to medium speed and mix for 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl.

Gradually add the powder sugar while mixing on the lowest speed until combined, about 1 ½ minutes. Scrape down again. Beat on
medium-high for 1 minute until very soft and fluffy. Remove bowl from mixer, and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the icing until thoroughly combined.


To assemble the cake:
Remove the cake layers from fridge. Fit a pastry bag with a large star tip. Transfer 1 cup of the icing to the pastry bag and set aside at room temperature. Use an icing spatula to evenly spread 1 cup of the remaining icing over the top of one of the cake layers, to the edge. Use a wide utility turner to remove the second layer from the cake plate and place it on the icing. Spread another cup of icing over
that layer to the edge. Top with the last layer. Gently press the layers into place. Using a sharp knife to trim away any rough edges around the cake. Spread the remaining icing evenly over the top and sides of the cake.Using the pastry bag, pipe a ring of 8 to 10 evenly spaced cranberry icing stars along the outside edge of the top of the cake. Refrigerate cake for at least 1 hour before cutting and serving.Heat blade of a knife under hot water and wipe dry before
cutting each slice. Slice the cake while still cold, then keep slices at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
*Source: Adapted from I’m Dreaming of a Chocolate
Christmas by Marcel Desaulniers

LMP

I have an announcement to make: From now on I will refer to lemon meringue pie as LMP. I earned it during this month's Daring Baker's challenge.

LMP is not usually my cup of tea- why make LMP when lemon bars have a higher crust-to-curd ratio? So I have never made it before, but I really enjoyed making this month's challenge. Learning how to make a classic dessert is always fun, and it makes me feel nostalgic even though I have no recollection of eating homemade LMP in my childhood. Or ever. So I guess I've only had store-bought, maybe? Luckily this concoction was much yummier.

My husband was a big fan of this pie. The extra sweet pie crust offset my (too) tart lemon curd filling. If I were to make this again I would add the lemon juice gradually, and taste-testing often, as I have a sneaking suspicion that some lemons are just more tart than others.

Also, the filling wept like a baby after we cut the pie. Is this normal for LMP? I wouldn't know. Many Daring Bakers complained of soggy crusts, but my brilliant husband stored our pie on a sland so all the liquid drained away from the pie- so the crust stayed good for at least 2 days.

The crust was...different. It had an unusual amount of water and sugar. It was butter based. Pretty much it was a sugar cookie. I think it worked well with the filling, but as the recipe is written I found it almost unworkable. Next time I will add the water gradually, as I ended up with a sticky mess that couldn't be made into crust. So I reworked it, probably destroying any possibility of flakiness. Then I think I undercooked it a tad (I hate my new oven. hate.) I made the crust a little bit thicker than my normal crust just to balance out the lemon filling, and that detail was appreciated by Ryan.

I thought the meringue was perfect- and so beautiful! Sometimes the egginess of it grosses me out, but this was a good meringue recipe.

I discovered during this challenge that LMP is a LOT more labor-intensive than lemon bars. Advantage lemon bars again. So, if you are a die-hard LMP enthusiast, or you are feeling nostalgic, see the recipe below. And visit other Daring Baker's blogs right here. Otherwise I refer you to the recipe that would turn anybody into a believer- Mrs. Dart's Lemon Bars.

Lemon Meringue Pie
Makes one 10-inch (25 cm) pie

For the Crust:
¾ cup (180 mL) cold butter; cut into ½-inch (1.2 cm) pieces
2 cups (475 mL) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (60 mL) granulated sugar
¼ tsp (1.2 mL) salt
⅓ cup (80 mL) ice water

For the Filling:
2 cups (475 mL) water
1 cup (240 mL) granulated sugar
½ cup (120 mL) cornstarch
5 egg yolks, beaten
¼ cup (60 mL) butter
¾ cup (180 mL)
fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon zest
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

For the Meringue:
5 egg whites, room temperature
½ tsp (2.5 mL) cream of tartar
¼ tsp (1.2 mL) salt
½ tsp (2.5 mL) vanilla extract
¾ cup (180 mL) granulated sugar

For the Crust: Make sure all ingredients are as cold as possible. Using a food processor or pastry cutter and a large bowl, combine the butter, flour, sugar and salt. Process or cut in until the mixture resembles coarse meal and begins to clump together. Sprinkle with water, let rest 30 seconds and then either process very briefly or cut in with about 15 strokes of the pastry cutter, just until the dough begins to stick together and come away from the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and press together to form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 20
minutes.Allow the dough to warm slightly to room temperature if it is too hard to roll. On a lightly floured board (or countertop) roll the disk to a thickness of ⅛ inch (.3 cm). Cut a circle about 2 inches (5 cm) larger than the pie plate and transfer the pastry into the plate by folding it in half or by
rolling it onto the rolling pin. Turn the pastry under, leaving an edge that hangs over the plate about ½ inch (1.2 cm). Flute decoratively. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the crust with foil and fill with metal pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool completely before filling.For the Filling: Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan. Remove from the heat and let rest 5 minutes. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. Add the mixture gradually to the hot water, whisking until completely incorporated.Return to the heat and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. The mixture
will be very thick. Add about 1 cup (240 mL) of the hot mixture to the beaten egg yolks, whisking until smooth. Whisking vigorously, add the warmed yolks to the pot and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in butter until incorporated. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla, stirring until combined. Pour into the prepared crust.
Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the surface, and cool to room temperature.

For the Meringue: Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, salt and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, beating until it forms stiff, glossy peaks. Pile onto the cooled pie, bringing the meringue all the way over to the edge of the crust to seal it completely. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a rack. Serve within 6 hours to avoid a soggy crust.

What's the buzz?

There's something different about The Glutton.

Have you noticed my new accessory in the box to the right? I thought I should explain myself. I haven't sold the blog, I have just entered into a symbiotic relationship with Foodbuzz- I give them a spot on my website and they give me a spot on theirs. So if you visit Foodbuzz and look up a Raleigh zip code- 27614, for example, then you will find my blog listed, as well as some other local blogs and restaurant reviews and such. Better yet, look up your own zip code because Foodbuzz connects the online foodie world with your local food scene. I am enjoying it- and I am not even qualify as a foodie. Don't I have to swear off cake mixes for that?

By the way, there is something else that is different about The Glutton. We have moved into our house (hooray!) so I plan on upping the requency of my posts- at least until the next kid comes along (2 months! ahh!). So , now that I'm officially in North Carolina, what I'm trying to say is "Y'all come back now, ya hear?"

Logs. Yum.

Just a little disclaimer: I am having issues with my camera card and loading pictures. I have been putting off posting because of it, but now I have decided to go ahead and post without the pics for the time being. Bear with me.

Ah, the Yule Log. A treasured tradition for many; my family thought The Log was just hilarious. Here is the picture of Ryan and I holding the Yule log. He is laughing because he just learned that this was my own creation. What's so funny about that?

My sister thought it was unappetizing to decorate a cake to look like a rotting log with mushrooms growing on it. I'm not sure why everybody else kept laughing at The Log, but that's what they did. Maybe they couldn't help themselves because it turned out so darn cute.

I loved this challenge because. It was really fun to decorate. I had more fun with this than with any other Daring Baker challenge yet. It doesn't get better than wood-graining a cake and sculpting little mushrooms out of marzipan. A good time was had by all.

As for the taste, it was pretty good. Classic, light cake with classic, fluffy buttercream frosting on the outside. I made mine chocolate as I don't do coffee. I also chose to use almond flavoring in the filling, which I enjoyed. It went over okay, but we had some leftovers, so I think I will try a different recipe next year. Yep, I will be logging it up again next Christmas.

New Additions

After much ado about almost losing my hard drive, I am back to blogging (but without pictures for the moment). You'll also have to excuse my writing and lack of train of thought today. Ryan is listening to the Smashing Pumpkins and it's really hindering my creativity.

Now, about food. A food blogger, even a less-active food blogger, shouldn't let thanksgiving go by without blogging about it. Especially if the food was as spectacular as ours was. I'm not taking the credit for it- it's so good to be with Mom and Dad for the holidays!

First of all, our turkey was the moistest and most flavorful its ever been, thanks to Elise (and her mom) from Simply Recipes and her fantastic turkey instructions . My mom used the Williams-Sonoma brine and spices, with Elise's roasting instructions. Simply Recipes is my go-to blog when I need step-by-step, tried and true instructions for basic things. Every recipe I have tried from Simply Recipes is fantastic. I am especially a fan of Elise's curry chicken salad, and I add a scoop of homemade apricot chutney, which makes it even better. That's a tangent worthy of another post.

Back to Thanksgiving 2007 . This year the gravy was outstanding. It was perfect gravy, enhanced by the lovely turkey-roasting herbs from Williams-Sonoma. You've gotta try the herbs.

For my contributions to the spread, I made two new items. Two new additions that are now traditions for me, they were that good.

I bought the crystallized ginger for Molly's Cranberry Chutney last Thanksgiving, but I didn't actually make it until this year. We really missed out. Visit the first food blog I was ever addicted to, Orangette, and just look at this beautiful and festive-looking chutney. I actually don't think very many people ate any on Thanksgiving day (its our tradition to set out some cranberry relish or sauce, which only one or two people taste, then we put the leftovers in the fridge because we can't throw away all that perfectly good relish, and it doesn't see the light of day again until its thrown away a week or two later.)

I wasn't a total convert until friday, when I made a leftover turkey, cranberry chutney, and havarti sandwich. The Sandwich was even better than Thanksgiving dinner. I'm thinking of roasting another turkey justs for sandwiches.

Last, but certainly not least, is our new addition to the pie line-up. It's Mrs. Dart's mixed berry pie. If anybody out there has tried Mrs. Dart's lemon bars, you know that her baking is a force to be reckoned with. This latest pie is being added to my mental list of desserts to impress company with, if I should ever need to impress anybody. If we ever invited anybody over...

This pie is our favorite one from the Dart Thanksgiving, provided it's with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It features a delicious combination of berries and (surprise!) apricots, which I think is worlds better than any single-berry pie.

Here is the recipe. Oh yeah, Ryan swore that it had to be Mrs. Dart's pie crust recipe (an all-shortening crust with a bit of vinegar, water, and egg). I couldn't resist trying out Elise's combination butter/shortening crust, which was amazing (even Ryan liked it a lot). The butter/shortening crust had a little more flavor, and it has sugar in it, so it was a little sweeter. So choose your crust recipe according to your tastes.

Mrs. Dart's Mixed Berry Pie

2 9-inch pie-crusts (a bottom and a top)

filling:
2 C mixed
rasberries, blackberries, and blueberries

8 to 16 oz canned apricots, cut into fourths

1 can of cherries, NOT cherry-pie filling. You want unsweetened canned
cherries that you find near the pie filling or by dried
fruits

1 C sugar (or sugar to taste)

3 T tapioca beads

1 T lemon juice

-prick the bottom crust and prebake it at 350 degrees until it just barely
starts to get golden. This keeps it from getting too soggy when you add the
berries.

-mix filling ingredients gently, so as not to demolish the berries.

-dump the filling into the prebaked crust. Dot with 2T butter. Place
your top crust over the top and flute the edges. Cut a few slits in the top
crust. Brush with an egg wash (1 egg plus 2 T. cream, mixed) for
a shiny, professional-pastry chef kind of finish.

-cover edges of pie with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 45 to 50
minutes.

-allow to cool for about 25 minutes, it should be perfectly warm for
serving with a scoop of ice cream

Bostini Cream Pie

What an appropriate time for the Daring Bakers to celebrate Boston.

This month we made delicious Bostini Cream Pie. It was a delicious mini chiffon cake with an orange twist, sitting in a bath of creamy custard and drizzled with chocolate sauce.

Boston Cream Pie being one of my favorite desserts, I was excited to try this month's challenge. It was a hit with the whole family, and luckily the "8-serving" recipe actually made 20 servings (I made them in muffin tins as I do not have 7-oz ramekins). Leftovers were delicious, too, though I prefer it fresh so the cake is room temperature.

I liked the cake, but it doesn't compare to my favorite Boston Cream Pie. That's why I might not make this recipe again. My favorite is located at some very old restaurant in Boston. I don't remember the name of the place, just the loud-laughing drunk girl, good company, and delicious Boston Cream Pie with sliced almonds stuck to the side.

It wasn't too difficult to make. I have always had good luck in making custards and puddings, but this one started to get lumpy on me. I think I heated it too quickly. I salvaged it because I didn't have another 4 cups of heavy cream to spare. Also, the chiffon cake can be fussy. I had two muffin tins, and one I cooked until they were golden, the other I took out a few minutes before. They were done, but not at all golden. They looked kind of sickly white, actually, and I was worried about them. Turns out that sickly white made for a better texture.

If you decide to try the recipe, you can find it here http://alpineberry.blogspot.com/ . Note that you will need a LOT of cream and like 20 eggs.

Oh yeah, and here's a picture of last month's challenge. I cannot beleive I never posted about it because it was really to-die-for. The dough was so yummy with a hint of lemon. I only made the sticky buns, but if I was making the cinnamon rolls, I would add butter to the cinnamon filling. Other than that, they are perfect! Try this. http://creampuffsinvenice.ca/2007/09/30/a-daring-bakers-ode-to-buns-cinnamon-and-sticky-that-is/