By Jeanne, on July 27th, 2011
Jana of Cherry Tea Cakes was our July Daring Bakers’ host and she challenges us to make Fresh Frasiers inspired by recipes written by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson in the beautiful cookbook Tartine.
Fluffy lemon chiffon cake, ice cold whipped cream, and just-picked organic strawberries. What more could you want from a summer dessert? Though it may appear daunting, all of the components can be broken down into manageable segments that can be spread over a few days. You won’t have to be in the kitchen all day to create such a masterpiece. And believe me, the taste is just as impressive as the presentation. The cake has a pleasant lemon flavor, while the pastry cream filling manages to bring out the fresh flavor of summer strawberries without overpowering them with artificial sweetness.
Continue reading “Daring Bakers Challenge: Strawberry Fraisier” »
By Jeanne, on July 17th, 2011
It’s that time of year when the population of squash grows at a seemingly exponential rate. You may enter your garden to find a new squash under each leaf, just when you thought you had consumed every squash in sight. We didn’t plant zucchini this year, but we’re still overwhelmed with the amount of squash to be consumed from our CSA and our friends’ gardens. We did, however, plant strawberries. Today we got the first three perfectly ripe and sweet berries that the bugs didn’t chomp first. And there are many more blooms that will soon turn to sweet red berries.
Continue reading “Strawberry Zucchini Muffins” »
By Jeanne, on July 11th, 2011
Creativity and innovation are the spice of life, but what good are new recipes if you can’t enjoy them again and again? A lunch invitation from my new friend Annie inspired me to dig up some of my old favorites and revive the sourdough starter that sat way in the back of my fridge, looking neglected and moldy. I’ve been craving the sweet, fluffy texture of Anadama Bread. One loaf for me and one loaf for Annie.
Continue reading “Monochrome Monday: Looking Back” »
By Jeanne, on July 2nd, 2011
Happy Summer! If ever there was a Happy Summer counterpart to the Happy Winter cake, this is it. Berries fresh from the CSA, fleetingly ripe and fragile, paired with a simple layer of vanilla cake makes for a perfect welcome to a sweltering hot holiday weekend.
Continue reading “Cherry Boysenberry Upside-Down Cake” »
By Jeanne, on June 27th, 2011
Erica of Erica’s Edibles was our host for the Daring Baker’s June challenge. Erica challenged us to be truly DARING by making homemade phyllo dough and then to use that homemade dough to make Baklava.
Are you still looking for that perfect arm workout? Or perhaps you’re searching for that zero-net-calorie dessert. Well, look no more, because made-from-scratch baklava is the answer! It will have you on your feet in the kitchen all day, running from stove to countertop to oven and back. You’ll be completing the near-impossible task of rolling dough into paper thin sheets. You’ll easily burn more calories making it than you gain by consuming it. And since every killer workout has an element of pure torture, you won’t even be able to enjoy the baklava until it sits overnight.
Continue reading “Daring Bakers Challenge: Maple Walnut Baklava” »
By Jeanne, on June 22nd, 2011
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”
-Charles M. Schulz
I made these muffins for my dear friend Monet. This incredible woman is surrounded by a loving network of family and friends, a darling housecat, and quite a fan base of fellow bloggers. She’s an extremely talented baker, so we all crowd around her blog eagerly awaiting the next recipe from her Austin kitchen, and the accompanying story or treasured memory that is inevitably woven into the prose. Even with such a large web of love and support, a strong soul can find itself worn down and weary in the face of tragedy. And for that, I prescribe double chocolate muffins and a large virtual hug, sent from my kitchen to Monet’s.
Continue reading “Double Chocolate Muffins” »
By Jeanne, on June 20th, 2011
Garlic is a relatively foolproof crop. It has to be, since we have an impressive yield in our yard this spring. Many of our other crops have been lost to frost, bugs, or general inattention. So it is especially satisfying to pull these fragrant bulbs out of the dirt and chop them up for use in just about any savory dish. I have yet to find a dessert calling for garlic. (If you know of one, please do inform me!)
Continue reading “Monochrome Monday: Garlic” »
By Jeanne, on June 6th, 2011
Today, I digress from baking to bring you a different sort of recipe – for developing black and white film. The process of developing film is really not that different from baking. It begins as you shop for ingredients or that perfect image, feeling the fruit in your hand to gauge ripeness or rotating the camera ever so slightly to frame the image as your mind envisions it.
Back in the kitchen, you consult a recipe. You may choose to follow it exactly as printed for a standard result or to vary the recipe and take your chances with the end product. In either case, the process is the same. Precisely-measured raw ingredients are mixed in a specific order, then allowed to set at a certain temperature for a specified length of time.
Developing my own film resonates with me, as does baking from scratch, for a few different reasons. It saves a bit of money, uses simple ingredients, and is more friendly for the environment than using chemical developers. Also, in a world where digital technology seems to be taking over each part of our lives, it’s a nice reminder that good old analog processes still produce results. It’s important to savor the process just as much as the result.
Ingredients, from left to right: instant coffee, vitamin C powder, washing soda (can be found at your local hardware store), black and white fixer (the only chemical needed), graduated cylinder or other container that measures milliliters, film developing tank.
Continue reading “Monochrome Monday: Photo Lab at Home” »
By Jeanne, on May 27th, 2011
The May 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Emma of CookCraftGrow and Jenny of Purple House Dirt. They chose to challenge everyone to make a Chocolate Marquise. The inspiration for this recipe comes from a dessert they prepared at a restaurant in Seattle.
I love a good baking challenge, but my favorites are the challenges that lend themselves to creative shapes. For these challenges, my mind is able to wander through mathematical equations, searching for an appropriate symbol or pattern to re-create in edible form. This month it’s one of my favorites: Pi.
As excited as I was to mold the marquise into a shape of mathematical significance, when the dishes had piled up and the dessert was finally plated, I discovered an irrationally fabulous combination of flavors.
Continue reading “Daring Bakers Challenge: Marquise On Meringue” »
By Jeanne, on May 17th, 2011
How to develop a recipe featuring New Belgium beer:
1. Buy two six-packs of beer to inspire recipe creation (I decided on Mighty Arrow and organic Mothership Wit).
2. Drink most of the beers, making sure to save a few for the recipe.
3. Spend all morning in the kitchen, creating a recipe that ultimately fails. Drink the remaining beers.
4. Buy another six-pack of organic Mothership Wit, because it will pair perfectly with the organic Meyer lemons from the CSA.
5. Bake cupcakes (make sure to add some beer!), and enjoy the remaining beers.
Continue reading “Meyer Lemon Mothership Cupcakes” »
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