Best of Intentions

Well, there I was, almost 38 weeks pregnant and feeling pretty good. Looking forward to making a fabulous ginger cake to take to a friend's dinner party this weekend. It was going to be great.

...and then...last night...I sneezed. And all my hopes were dashed.

Turns out I pulled a muscle in my back, if you can believe it. Who does that? Apparently pregnant women in their 38th week do that, all the time. And so the ginger cake, I'm afraid, is not going to be made this month. I can barely breathe deeply; never mind trying to whip and mix and bake a 3 component cake. Sigh.

But I've been so very delinquent in my blogging in the last couple months, despite the fact that I've been baking! So I thought that my time recuperating from my fateful sneeze could be spent blogging about baked goods passed. So here we go...

May: Free For All

I made April's recipe for my freebie.
Check out my fruit tart!

This was my very first fruit tart ever. And I was really pleased with the recipe. It was very straight forward and almost fool-proof. What amazed me was how quickly the pastry cream turned from soupy to custard. I looked away for a second, and there it was. Yum.

I was a bit intimidated by the idea of arranging the fruit, but I think it turned out pretty well. And well, as my mom always says, it all tastes the same in your stomach!

June: Crepes

For the first time in a while, Jay and I were able to wake up late on a Saturday morning. And it was a beautiful Saturday morning, for that matter. So obviously, it was the perfect opportunity to make a special breakfast: Spinach, portabello mushroom and gruyere crepes and dessert crepes with varying combinations of strawberries, honey-sweetened ricotta cheese and nutella. Dessert after breakfast--can't beat that.

July Recipe: Chow's Ginger Cake

This month's recipe was chosen by Gretchen. The recipe for Ginger Cake below is her absolute favorite dessert. It comes from a great restaurant here in San Francisco, CHOW, and the recipe was published by SF Gate who also admire chef Tony Gulisano's recipe. Gretchen is challenging us to replicate this dessert and "attempt to achieve the gooey, moist, delicious consistency that Chow achieves every time". 


There are three components to the recipe - the cake, caramel and whipped cream. If you read through the SFGate article, it suggests serving it with Vanilla Ice Cream, or Pumpkin Ice Cream like Chow does, but the recipe only calls for whipped cream. Feel free to make your own ice cream in addition to this months recipe if you have the equipment. Try also to stick as close to the original as possible so we can see who makes the gooiest cake possible. Sorry to those of you who don't live in San Francisco and have no frame of reference for this cake (I haven't eaten here yet so I'm just as clueless). But, I have a feeling you will be able to make it.... and possibly even enjoy it. If you need to make adjustments for dietary restrictions feel free. Here is one source for substitutions. 


Remember to post during the last week of the month and by the 31st. Looking forward to seeing your cakes!

Credit: Craig Lee / Special to The Chronicle; styled by Julia Mitchell

Chow's Ginger Cake with Caramel Sauce and Whipped Cream
SF Gate, courtesy of Chow Restaurant, San Francisco
Printer Friendly Version


The secrets:

Two kinds of ginger: Loads of fresh ginger, backed by the powdered product, gives the cake a fresh spike of flavor. Dark molasses: This adds a rich, earthy element to the blend. Warming before serving: While the cake is good cold, it tastes even better gently reheated in the oven. Caramel sauce: The caramel adds a pleasant dose of sweetness and sets this cake apart. Serves 16
Ginger cakeButter and flour to prepare pan
2 ounces ginger, peeled and finely grated on a Microplane (about 3 tablespoons)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup rice bran oil or other neutral flavored oil
3/4 cup dark molasses (see Note)
4 large eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon baking soda
Caramel sauce1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup heavy whipping cream at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into pieces
Whipped cream1 cup very cold heavy whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon Tahitian vanilla extract
1 tablespoon powdered sugar, + more to garnish
For the cake: Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly butter a 9- by 9-inch cake pan and dust very lightly with flour or line with parchment paper (see Note).
Combine ginger with 1/2 tablespoon water in a mixing bowl; add sugar, oil and molasses. Mix on low speed. Add eggs; continue mixing at low speed until fully incorporated.
Combine flour, cinnamon, cloves, white pepper, ground ginger and baking soda in another mixing bowl. Add dry ingredients slowly to the egg mixture, continuing to beat slowly, scraping mixing bowl occasionally. Increase speed to medium for 2 minutes. Scrape; decrease speed to low and slowly add 3/4 cup hot tap water. Mix until just combined, occasionally scraping. (The batter will be slightly thin.)
Pour into prepared cake pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes.
For the caramel sauce: In a medium-size stainless steel pot, combine sugar and 1 3/4 cups hot water, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add corn syrup and cream of tartar; mix. Wipe down the inside of the pot with a wet towel to remove any sugar crystals. If needed, also brush inside of pot just once with a wet pastry brush. Bring to a boil over high heat without stirring, until mixture becomes a deep caramel color or a candy thermometer reaches 335°.
Remove pot from heat and immediately add cream in a slow stream while stirring (be careful - it will pop and sputter). Whisk in salt and the butter, a little at a time.
The caramel sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated. Carefully reheat in a water bath or in a microwave before using. Makes approximately 2 cups.

For the whipped cream: Vigorously whisk cream, vanilla extract and powdered sugar in a cold bowl until the cream reaches soft peaks. You want the cream to be relatively soft so it can slowly run over the sides of the cake. Makes about 2 cups; refrigerate leftovers to use another time.
To finish: (At Chow, the cake is cut into 2-inch squares and reheated 2 1/2 minutes in a 350° oven.) Place the cake square in a shallow bowl, top with caramel sauce and a dollop of whipped cream. Finish with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Note: If you plan to turn the cake out of the pan before cutting, also use the parchment paper, which helps the cake release more easily. Dark molasses (also labeled "full") is more intensely flavored and less sweet than light or mild molasses. Avoid using blackstrap, which is less sweet and has a stronger flavor than dark molasses.

My House is a Crepe House

I hope all of you had a nice time making crepes this month. Check out my post on the Lovely Lady Baker blog!

Crepes - just like my grandmother made!

I was excited when this month’s recipe was crepes, as crepes have a wonderful memory for me.

When I was growing up, I lived a long way from my grandmother, my mother’s mother. But on the rare
occasion that I was sick and staying with her, she would make my favourite foods, in an effort to get me to eat. And one of my favourite things was pancakes – as we called crepes, when I was young. My grandmother made them so wonderfully – in a pan with lots of butter, served with lots of sugar and lemon juice, rolled up! (I confess that my grandmother’s pancakes were even better than my mother’s!!)

So it was with great joy that I made this month’s recipe.

The Alton Brown recipe was really great. It was simpler and possibly more delicious than the recipe that my mother gave me about 20 years ago, or the other one I have used many times, from The Commonsense Cookery Book (compiled by The Public School Cookery Teachers’ Association of New South Wales, 1960).

And as we were going to have it for dessert, I decided to wrap each crepe around balls of raspberry-swirl ice-cream, and served with some raspberries.

But they were so good, that I had to have some more.

This time, I had them just like my grandmother made them, rolled up with lots of lemon juice and sugar – truly perfect!

Plus, I have some batter left, and lemon juice too, so I think I might have to have more tomorrow!

June Recipe: Crepes!

Espresso Crepes with Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce

This month's recipe is crepes. If you have never had a crepe before, they are magnificent little pancake like discs filled with a variety of fresh fruits, or vegetables, eggs, and potatoes. Below you will find Alton Brown's recipe with three variations: plain, savory and sweet. 


You may choose which ever batter preparation you like, and fill it to your hearts content with fruit, nuts, herbs, cheese, etc. And if you are feeling extremely indulgent, top it with ice cream. You can also form them into little vessels for your ice cream. Be Creative and have fun. It will be great to see all of your creations. 


Now, go forth and purchase Nutella! 

Here are step by step images and instructions for How to Make Crepes  

Crepes Three Ways

Alton Brown - Food Network

Ingredients

2 large eggs

3/4 C milk

1/2 C water

1 C flour

3 T melted butter

Butter, for coating the pan

In a blender, combine all of the ingredients and pulse for 10 seconds. Place the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This allows the bubbles to subside so the crepes will be less likely to tear during cooking. The batter will keep for up to 48 hours.

Heat a small non-stick pan. Add butter to coat. Pour 1 ounce of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove to the cutting board. Lay them out flat so they can cool. Continue until all batter is gone. After they have cooled you can stack them and store in sealable plastic bags in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for up to two months. When using frozen crepes, thaw on a rack before gently peeling apart.

Savory Variation Add 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 C chopped fresh herbs, spinach or sun-dried tomatoes to the egg mixture.

Sweet Variation Add 2 1/2 T sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 2 T of your favorite liqueur to the egg mixture.




Here are some links to Creperies for menu inspiration.


The Crepe Place, Santa Cruz CA
Flip Happy Crepes, Austin TX
The Crepe Cafe, a very commercial but tasty looking venue 

Lemon Sandwich Cookies

For May’s independent study baking project, I baked lemon cream sandwich cookies. The recipe came from Citizen Cake in San Francisco. I love sandwich cookies: lemon cream, Oreos, Nutter Butters…So I thought this might be a fun thing to do. Also, lemon season is ending soon, so this was a nice way to get a quick lemon recipe in. The cookies were pretty easy to make. You have to plan ahead a bit because you need time to refrigerate both the dough and the filling. I used a decorative cookie cutter which made the cookies look prettier. Note to self: “The fancier the cutter, the prettier the cookie.” The recipe called for lemon zest – I was careful to only zest the yellow part of the peel to avoid the bitter taste. The cookies were yummy the first day and even better the second. They make a great lunch box cookie, for those of us packing lunches! The recipe:

Lemon Sandwich Cookies
Adapted from Citizen Cake, San Francisco
For Cookies
½ Tbsp. grated lemon zest
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 sugar
½ tsp. salt
1 large egg yolk
¼ tsp. baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour

For Filling:
3 Tbsp grated lemon zest
¼ tsp. salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted (after measuring)

Equipment:
A 2-inch round cookie cutter

Make Cookies: Boil lemon zest and juice in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1 Tbsp, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Beat together butter, sugar, and salt with an electric mixer at 5 minutes. Add yolk and egg, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in lemon reduction. At low speed mix in baking soda and lour until just combined. Form dough into a 6-inch disk. Chill, wrapped, until firm, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375°F with racks in middle and upper positons. Butter 2 larage baking sheets. Rool out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin to a 13-inch (1/8-inch-thick) round. Cut out cookies, rerolling dough once. Bake 1 inch apart until edges are golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Make Lemon Filling: Mince zest with salt. Beat butter with a electric mixer until light and fluffy, then beat in zest paste. Reduce speed to low, then mix in sugar until well combined.

Assemble cookies: Spread filling (about a rounded Tbsp) on half of the cookies and sandwich with remaining cookies. Press slightlly, then smooth edges with a butter knife or small spatula. Chill until filling sets, about 30 minutes.

Fresh Starwberry Pie ~ Gluten Free

In March my daughter had to begin a Gluten Free diet. She's now feeling great, but it's been a learning process for mom. Just when I finally felt all grown up and confident in my baking skills, I feel like I'm starting over learning about rice flour, sweet rice flour, brown rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, corn flour, almond flour, dry egg replacer, xantham gum...I could go on and on. We've been experimenting with a wide variety of recipes - some good, some not so. One of my saving graces has been the late Bette Hagman's "Gluten Free Gourmet" cookbook series. Not only are they quality recipes, there is variety and kid-friendly options. She offers good information on Gluten Free living as well. Seems everyone knows someone with special diet needs, so I thought I'd share with you a new recipe I tried.

This week we attempted something new - gluten free pie crust. And, I must say, it was a flaky success. I don't know about where you live, but the strawberries are perfect and abundant this year in Kansas. So we made fresh strawberry pie this morning - literally walked outside, picked the berries, and made a pie. Can't get any fresher than that. I followed the recipe listed below as written. One thing to note before beginning, the crust needs time allowed to chill. Since I'm impatient, I put it in the freezer for about 15 minutes and found it easy to work with. It's very light and airy, not like typical pie crust dough. It reminded me of icing made with shortening - that kind of bulk without the weight. The only change I would make, not suggested in the recipe, Is that it probably needs foil around the edges to keep from browning too much. The edges of the crust were nicely browned when the bottom of the crust was still a bit too soft. Otherwise, a great pie and crust!

Gluten Free Ricotta Pastry

1 1/2 c. white rice flour

1/2 c. tapioca flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. xantham gum

1 c. melted margarine

1/2 c. ricotta cheese

1/2 c. sour cream (no substitutions)

Sift together the dry ingredients. Mix together the margarine, cheese, and sour cream. Stir in dry ingredients. Chill for at least 2 hours, or until dough is easy to handle. Roll out dough on a rice-floured plastic as it may be sticky. Using a second piece of plastic keeps it from sticking to the rolling pin. Transfer to your pie pan/plate and flute the edges. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool before filling.

Fresh Strawberry Pie Filling

1 qt. fresh strawberries

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 t. salt

1/2 c. water

1 1/2 T. cornstarch

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened

3 T. sugar

In a sauce pan, put 1 c. sliced berries, 1/2 c. sugar, salt, and 1/4 c. water. Bring to boil. Cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix cornstarch and remaining water. Add to sauce pan. Return to heat. Stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Allow to cool. Mix into remaining fresh berries.

Mix cream cheese and sugar. Spread cream cheese mixture on the bottom of the cooked, cooled pie crust. Add berry mixture on top. Chill until firm. Approximately 7 servings.