Cranberry-Apple Crisp, Oh My!

I have to say, I just love the crisps in Dorie’s book. I was quite pleased to see this recipe as this week’s selection for the TWD baking group. What could be a better autumn fall Sunday night dessert than apple crisp? I followed the recipe fairly closely, but made the following changes: First, I really didn’t envision coconut in the crisp, so increased the oatmeal by 1/2 cup and omitted coconut. Second, I used 1/4 cup whole wheat flour, rather than all white. Third, I mixed the topping in a mixer to maintain the integrity of the oats, rather than using a food processor and lose the great oatmeal texture. And the results were…stupendous! My family was in apple crisp heaven (and continues to be as we eat some of the leftovers for most meals of the day). Thanks, Dorie for a go-to crisp recipe that will be used time and time again.

Let The Baking Begin!!!

Every year as autumn begins and I celebrate another birthday at the end of October, I feel as if a significant season has begun. No, it is not the start of the hockey or basketball seasons, but the official start of the holiday baking season.  Although my actual baking does not really begin until early December, these days are filled with hours of dreaming, compiling my lists of new cookies to try, and going through a rigorous process of elimination as I determine which cookies will “make the cut.” Last year I ultimately baked about 1000 cookies that included 20 different varieties. There are the old “stand-bys” that family members will not allow me to change (Nancy Baggett’s Cranberry Ribbons, Maida Heatter’s Brown Butter Sandwiches, and Tish Boyle’s Tiger Caramel Sandwiches, for example), but there is still room for a few new varieties each year. I have a long list of cookies to sample before December including many from Nick Malgieri’s book, The Modern Baker and several from last December’s edition of Food and Wine Magazine.  Some of my recent trials include the oatmeal spice shortbread from Dorie Greenspan’s baking book (these are perfect and have made the cut) and “Sugar Between the Sheets,” a rugelach-like crescent in which you grind the nuts in the filling rather than keep them whole. It is from Julia Usher’s book, Cookie Swap,and the recipe is one I’d strongly recommend. I’d love to hear about any favorite holiday cookie recipes that are part of your repertoire.

Anyway, today my baking included making Pear and Cranberry Muffins from  the Sweet Melissa Baking Book. I love this recipe. I have made Strawberry-Rosemary muffins many times and trying another variation was a huge treat. As you can see from the photo, my daughter, Isabel and her friend, Sofia were quite glad that this was the Sweet Melissa recipe this week. Thanks, Jennifer, for choosing this recipe!

Sofia and Isabel Loving the Muffins!

Not Much to Say Besides, “Allspice Muffins”

First, I want to say, “thank-you” to those who sent me such sweet comments after my last post. Most came from people I have never met. It is really touching and amazing to think that I can write a few words at my computer and get kind responses after sending those words out into cyberspace. Thank-you. Second, I really don’t have much to say today. I did make the TWD Allspice Muffins. I could write about what it is like to make a recipe that my daughter has been BEGGING me to make ever since I purchased Dorie’s book. Or I could wax poetic about how wonderfully the muffins turned out and the joy I felt making them. But, the truth is, I don’t have much to say today. I took a picture of the muffins, but left it at home on my computer. They were an absolute success, made my house smell very good on Sunday morning and will definitely be part of my rotating list of muffin recipes that I make. Thank you, Dorie!

Autumn’s Endings and Beginnings

I have had a very difficult two weeks. A close friend passed away, leaving me with so many questions about life, death, friendship, and family. My friend was courageous; single-minded; determined; and much, much larger than life.

I have loved the fact that she really embodied so many contradictions. She was elegant and able to interact with people of the highest rank or station, yet always reminded people of her humble small town roots. She was constantly discussing her lack of college degree, yet could run circles around people with Ph.D., MD, and JD degrees. She loved nothing more than to call one of her friends with a piece of gossip, yet kept a confidence better than anyone I know. She faced a cancer that was more challenging than I could ever possibly imagine, yet she often told me she counted herself as the luckiest person in the world…too lucky to buy a lottery ticket and cheat others from the opportunity of winning. The world is a grayer, quieter, less optimistic place with her passing. I miss her.

Over the weekend, my family was lucky enough to spend time with her middle child, my 14-year old daughter’s best friend. We spent time watching movies, cooking soup, listening to music AND making the apple crumble that was this week’s recipe. While I am curious to read what the rest of you have written about it, I found the apples to be a bit too sweet. When I make the crumble again, I will add less sugar to the filling (now that’s not something you’ll hear from my mouth too often!). That being said, the crumble, like many apple desserts evokes the feelings of fall, the world beginning its winter hibernation, and feelings that things are coming to an end while they are also beginning. The perfect dessert for my family and friends at this time.

Take a Chance…Take a Chance

As my children continue to grow up, I, like all other parents, find myself faced with decisions about when it is “safe” for them to engage in new activities. At what age could they navigate the stairs without me nervously accompanying them? When could they go on a play date without my drinking coffee in the kitchen of their new friend’s home, fearful that my departure would result in some catastrophe (or lack of perceived control)? Now that my daughters are 10 and 14 I seem to be faced with these decisions on a more, not less, frequent basis. Can my oldest daughter have an overnight with the rest of the varsity soccer team girls, most of whom are juniors and seniors? Can my younger daughter find her way across the school to her sister’s soccer game without my accompanying her every step of the way? I continue to struggle with what is safe, most convenient for me, and providing them reasonable opportunities to develop independence…so much to balance.

 So, yesterday, my older daughter asked to go to a movie with a friend. There have been a handful of times that I have dropped her off at the near-by theatre before the movie, stayed in touch by texting and then picked her up when the movie had concluded. It seemed to work out well. However, this time was different. My younger daughter wanted to join them at a movie that I really could not bring myself to see. We went back and forth about this. When we asked her, my older daughter was actually happy to have her along. She has been babysitting other peoples’ children for well over a year and was adamant that she would not “ditch” her sister or do anything to put her in danger. They were both thrilled by the adventure and convinced me that it would be safe. I nervously decided that I would “take a chance.”

We kept in touch by cell phone and I was contacted as the movie started. I suddenly realized that I was going to have about two hours to myself. What should I do? I decided to make Melissa’s scones. I started to put together the recipe. As I have written previously, I am nervous about changing recipes too much. I think when I develop a clearer understanding of the chemistry of baking, I might be less fearful. I had decided that I wanted to add more sugar to the scones.  One tablespoon did not seem sufficient, so I added 3. How would that impact the structure of the scones…I had no idea. Even though I had purchased an orange at the grocery store, at the last minute I decide to add ¼ cup of cocoa nibs to the recipe instead. Don’t ask me why, I just thought I’d “take a chance.”

 

Cocoa Nib Scones

All of my risk-taking worked out well! My daughters came to my car when I picked them up, giddy with the pleasure of their adventure. I learned how they had managed the money I had given them and what they had learned. My scones were also an absolute success. The texture was perfect…somewhat crunchy on the outside and flaky and rich on the inside. They were moist and no additional butter was needed as an accompaniment. The cocoa nibs added the perfect amount of crunch and flavor. The additional sugar was just right. They were not in any way too sweet and they did not need any additional jam or honey to give them more sweetness. I got the thumbs up from everyone as they tasted my creation based on Sweet Melissa’s recipe. Maybe I am learning I can “take a chance.”  Now I need to decide what to do about that sleep over.

TWD: Chocolate Souffle Dreams

I can’t really begin to tell you the amount of excitement I have had about this week’s TWD recipe: Chocolate Souffle.  A large part of my excitement is connected to the fact that for the last 5 years, or so, every January 1 when I have made my resolutions for the year I have stated, “This year I’m going to make a chocolate souffle.” At the end of each of these five years, as I’ve reviewed what I have and have not accomplished, I have had to face the fact that another year had passed and no chocolate souffle had been removed from my oven. I have made cheese souffles and even a couple spinach souffles, but up until yesterday I had never made a dessert souffle.

Some of the other aspirations that have been on my list have included: run 10 miles (done), travel to Australia (not done), bake 10 kinds of new cookies per year (done), get cement work done on the house (done), clean out my office (not done). Having an opportunity to complete a “resolution” that has been on my list for so many years was something that was quite exciting. Unfortunately, thinking about it for so long might have made my expectations too high. I’m not sure what the rest of the TWD bakers found, but my chocolate souffle did not turn out quite like I had hoped. I had my camera poised to take a picture, but the resulting souffle was a bit burnt on top and not attractive at all. I was afraid to open the oven too soon because of Dorie’s warning to not open the oven before the souffle is done. The chocolate flavor was extremely intense, thanks to the Valrhona chocolate I used, but the texture was somewhat dry. I paired my souffle with, of all things, David Lebovitz’s olive oil ice cream. My youngest daughter, who is typically rapturous in her praise of most things I bake, said, “Neither the souffle nor the ice cream would be very good on their own, but together they are quite tasty.” In some ways, I’d have to agree with her. Today, reflecting on what it means to have completed a goal and to feel disappointed with the results, I wonder what my next step should be. Do I keep trying to make a chocolate souffle that meets my expectations? Do I check it off my list and accept the defeat, only to choose something else to aspire to? Do I focus, instead, on perfecting Fallen Chocolate Souffle cakes, one of my favorite chocolate cakes to make? Whatever I decide, I am quite sure there will more chocolate souffles, of one sort or another,  in my future.

Sweet Melissa Tuesdays? Sundays With Dorie?

My intentions have been impeccable. I had the majority of the last week “off.” I should start by defining what that means. During a typical week, I work three jobs, not counting my time as a co-parent of two extremely engaged daughters. I had imagined that this last week of summer before school starts would be slow-paced, restful, and unstructured. Surely during this break I would be able to bake banana-apple bread, luscious lime cream meringue pie, and peach muffins. I even had plans to make a batch of M & M cookies for the neighboring twins in my free time. I expected time to read, run, take a few yoga classes, shop for school supplies and make sure my own teaching schedule was under control. However, as the week progressed nothing really went as I had hoped. My days were filled with children’s MD appointments, driving responsibilities and then more driving responsibilities. On Tuesday, I expected to pick up my daughter from her soccer scrimmage at 2. That would give me plenty of time to make the lime pie for Tuesdays With Dorie when I got home. I had already thrown together the crust (ground up Trader Joe’s ginger cookies, instead of graham cracker crumbs…PERFECT!). When I got there I learned that the team was actually at another field across town and likely wouldn’t be done for another hour. I dutifully drove there, but by the time I had retrieved my daughter and gotten home it was on to the next adventure…dance. I ultimately did complete the pie (I used the aforementioned ginger crust and a whipped cream topping instead of the meringue), but don’t believe that I completed it until 10pm that night….much too late to photograph or discuss my finished product on my blog. My banana-apple bread was derailed due to unripe bananas and the peach muffins (I had planned to try nectarine-basil) are still a dream due to unripened fruit, as well. I had to punt and make Melissa’s strawberry muffins instead (these are really some of my favorite muffins). I know there is a lesson in this week. Expect less of myself? Be “in the moment?” Stay up later and get up earlier? I am not sure. But I do know that if given the choice between surreptitiously hearing my daughter discuss the politics of being on the varsity soccer team with her new soccer friends or quietly having the day to myself to insure that my baking schedule is completed on time, I’ll choose the role of chauffeur every time. Stay tuned…my Tuesday brownies are cooling on the counter as I write and I have high hopes of them being completed and photographed before my Tuesday deadline. We’ll see.

Melissa's "Peach" Muffins...Made With Strawberries

Baking to the Beat of a Different Drummer

My intentions were good! I have been enjoying some extra time and freedom in my summer schedule and was certain that I would be able to bake the Banana Bundt Cake last week and the Brownie Buttons this week. My bananas weren’t ripe in time for last week’s deadline, so I didn’t get to the cake until yesterday (quite a success!) and my efforts to bake the brownie buttons were interrupted by a sudden hit of  heat and humidity. I’m behind in my baking schedule! I look forward to reading what the rest of the TWD bakers are doing, but I have no brownie buttons to gloat over…maybe next week:).

Recent update! I did go home after reading the TWD site and baked the Brownie Buttons. I doubled the recipe, probably made each “button” too big (I ended up with 16, I believe), and baked them for about 13 minutes. I used Valrhona Extra-Amer and, as you might guess, these turned out super-intense! But….I’m marching along with the rest of the Tuesdays With Dorie Group. Yeah!  My daughter suggested an edition that would make these bites have a molten center. I wanted to plop a mini peanut butter cup in the center of each one. In any case…the recipe was a success.

Eat What YOU Bake.

I read a fascinating article in the New York Times Magazine today by Michael Pollan. In it, he discusses, among many other things, Julia Child, how she influenced American Culture and cooking patterns, and how current culinary food shows reinforce the American love of eating rather than the love of cooking. He notes that the amount of time spent cooking, more than any other factor, is correlated with patterns of obesity. In short, the more time we spend really cooking and eating the food we cook, the less likely it is that we will be obese. The article ends with the following quote from Harry Balzer, food marketing researcher: “You want Americans to eat less? I have the diet for you. It’s short and it’s simple. Here’s my diet plan: Cook it yourself. That’s it. Eat anything you want—just as long as you’re willing to cook it yourself.” Hmmm! I’m guessing that would cut out many high-fat unhealthy items from our diets.

 I have been spending much of the day thinking about this article and my absolute love of cooking and baking. Many of the people I know are shocked to learn the kinds of things I might create from scratch. Gnocchi…why make it from scratch when you can buy it frozen from the store? Ice cream…who takes the time (see previous post…not much time is needed) to make it at home? Cakes…why make them if they do not come from a mix or better yet purchased from the local bakery? Even bringing some of the Baked brownies to a work potluck , the first inquiry I encountered was, “Did you really make these yourself?”  The question was asked as if I had just completed some unimaginable task such as building my house with my own hands or walking cross-country!

 Anyway, I guess some of the issues Pollan discussed are what has brought me to Sweet Melissa Sundays and Tuesdays With Dorie. I love to bake things from scratch and I love the idea of developing some kind of connections with other folks who I believe share something with me…a love of learning, baking and sharing those loves with others.

 Thanks, Sweet Melissa bakers for welcoming me into your group. I thought this week’s recipe, the Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies, was an ideal start. I have to admit, I approached the recipe with some skepticism. For several hours before starting, I thought of changes I could make to the recipe..add chocolate chips or chopped Butterfinger bars? Add vanilla (I have never seen a peanut butter cookie recipe without vanilla)? But…since it was the first week in the group (and I want to really belong), I thought I would stay true to the original recipe and I was glad that I did. While  I only ended up with 15 cookies (unlike Melissa’s promise of 24), and the cookies (albeit larger) took 16 minutes, not 10, I was extremely pleased with the results. My uniform creations looked much like a cookie you might encounter in a bakery and the chewiness was exactly what Melissa promised. Eat them, but only if you bake them yourself!

Sorry! I can't seem to rotate this photo correctly...but you get the idea!

Ice Cream…Yum!

I typically get overwhelmed as I think about making ice cream. I start focusing on the number of steps involved, concern about the custard curdling, and having to pull out a large piece of equipment…my frozen Cuisinart ice cream maker. The reality is that it doesn’t take much more time than making a pan of brownies or a batch of cookies. This summer I have been happily making goat cheese ice cream, vanilla (pictured above), strawberry honey and this afternoon I have a batch of lemon ice cream on the schedule. Future ice creams on the list (made by my oldest daughter) include roquefort honey (yes!), olive oil, and tin roof. I’ll let you know how they turn out. In any case, Dorie’s vanilla was the perfect foil to her Katherine Hepburn Brownies. What a perfect dessert for a warm summer evening.