Cakes: A Short Jaunt Down Memory Lane

One blogger I follow, Dawn, of Simply Sweet, makes amazing cakes! She really needs to open her own bakery. (People use to tell me the same thing, but my cakes were nowhere near the perfection of hers - they were all probably just being nice.) 

Looking at her latest had me reminiscing of the cakes I made for our daughter's birthdays. Her parties were small productions, planned months in advance. Those days were fun!

Our daughter is now grown, recently college graduated, employed (and, in her field of study no less!) and out on her own, becoming a self sufficient, wonderful, caring, and loving woman. She truly is amazing.

I know we have done well raising our daughter, just by seeing who (or is it whom?) she has become and watching her succeed in life.

That is what it's all about isn't it? Having that sweet child to love, play, and grow with, which you hope will be for an eternity, but turns out to be such a short time (goes by way too fast). Raising your child to become nurturing, caring and respectable citizens themselves, and then responsible enough (and willing (she had no problem!), to leave the protective nest. 

Well, we have succeeded, and we are proud. Though there will always be that part of me that still wishes that when I go to bed at night, and wake up in the morning, that she is safe in her room down the hall..

Love you, Ash.

A few of my favorite cakes (photos of not so great quality photos - if I only knew what I would be doing today, 20+ years ago):

We threw a pool party for her 2nd birthday party. I recall when I gave birth that it was hotter than hot, and quite warm for her 1st as well. This year of course it turned out overcast and sprinkling! Good thing we also had one of those jumping apparatuses for the kids to play in.

The people are made from royal icing and the inner-tubes are mini chocolate donuts.

 The Emerald City I made from paper towel tubes and wooden balls (oh, how fun it would have been to make an edible Emerald City!)

 This has to be my favorite of favorites. :)

 Teddy Bear Picnic party. My first attempt with fondant & marzipan.

The year (10th) Ash and her friend Tiff made the cake. How could we have forgotten to take a picture!?! This is the drawing I did in the scrapbook. It was a chocolate cake with white frosting in the center and the only icing on the outside was the pumpkins and vines. It really was stunning and delicious.

 This one I did for my nephew's 6th birthday.

Ah- memory lane. That was fun.

Book 103: The Perfect Scoop

by David Lebovitz

My first encounter with Mr. Lebovitz (not personally), was with this delicious ice cream that I came upon while browsing Fine Cooking's website. And ever since then, it seems that every ice cream recipe I came across referenced this book.

How could I pass it up? I couldn't.

I have a tendency to lean toward the unusual; so when I saw this recipe for Orange-Szechwan Pepper Ice Cream I could not resist - after all I have a whole bag of these peppercorns on-hand from my Wok Wednesdays cooking group.

Szechwan (Sichuan or Szechuan) peppercorns have a unique flavor and aroma that is hard to describe. It is said that it almost has a lemon like flavor - in a way it does. Beware, they do at times (depending on the quality of your peppercorns) give a numbing sensation to the tongue when eaten. Some find this exciting, where others may find it annoying - me, I think it's interestingly cool.

My ice cream did not have the intense orange flavor I was hoping for. Unfortunately orange season has passed its peak and the oranges that were available to me were imported from Australia, and not very flavorful. All I could really taste is the peppercorns (which I like), with a very slight orange undertone. 

I would like to make this again when oranges are at their best, or maybe replace some of the milk with orange juice/concentrate or add a drop of pure orange oil. With more orange flavor this ice cream can be fabulous; I know, for I squeezed some juice over the ice cream, and it tasted great against the flavor of the peppercorns. Do make sure your oranges are prime, should you try this yourself.

There are so many interesting flavors in this book I want to try: Goat Cheese Ice Cream (my favorite cheese - I've even made a Goat Cheese Cake - it's delicious!), Green Tea Ice Cream, Fresh Fig Ice Cream, Pear Granita, Rice Gelato (think rice pudding) - the list goes on.

This book also includes recipes for mix-ins, such as peppermint patties, croquant (French for "crunchy"- made of toasted nuts covered in caramel), candied cherries, sauces, toppings, and even vessels (cookie cups, cones, meringue nests) to put your ice cream in. It's a great ice cream book - probably the only one you will need.

amazon

 Szechuan Peppercorns

 I toasted the peppercorns in my wok before grinding.
(The recipe does not call for them to be toasted.)

Peppercorns are added to a milk, cream and sugar mixture, and brought to a simmer. Orange zest is added and left to steep for one hour (off heat) at room temperature before straining, then mixed with egg yolks and the remaining cream. Chill for several hours or overnight.

Pour the chilled mixture into an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions.

I ended up making an orange sauce from the juice of the leftover oranges, to which I added a dash of Grand Marnier, to drizzle over the ice cream. This was a good call.

Prosciutto, Melon, and Arugula Salad

 

When summer gives you melons, make a delicious summer salad!

In our household during the summer months we like to buy a variety of melons to cut up and have on-hand in the fridge for easy snacking. I came upon a photo of this salad on The Peasant & The Pear's Facebook page and just had to try and re-create it.

How does one go about re-creating something they have never had before? I could see from the photo they used a balsamic glaze to drizzle on the melon balls, but I was curious as to what the arugula was dressed with. I went to the restaurants website menu to read the description - not much help. Just listed what was easily seen in their photo. So I did a Google search for melon and prosciutto salad. As you can imagine there is an abundance of recipes for this type of salad.

I ended up going with my usual salad dressing I make (walnut oil, Cabernet vinegar, sweet-hot mustard, salt and pepper), subbing balsamic vinegar in place of the Cabernet vinegar to dress the arugula. I tossed the melon balls with a little olive oil and salt (as one of the many recipes I read, had done), and topped the salad with a few shavings of Parmesan. I then made a balsamic reduction to drizzle over the salad.

This turned out to be a very tasty!

Book 102: Barefoot Contessa | Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust

by Ina Garten

I did it again. I purchased another cookbook (two actually - stay tuned for a post on an interesting flavored ice-cream), what can I say; I love cookbooks. After making this delicious recipe I had found on-line, which just so happens to be in this book as well, I had no choice but to order Ina's latest.

What is it with Ina. Her recipes are always so simple, yet taste so good. Good food does not have to be labor intensive. Just grab one of her books and find out for yourself.

I was having Greek salad for dinner and was wanting some bread to go along with it. I was looking for something quick (no yeast) when I came across these bread-type sticks, which turned out to be a perfect accompaniment and could not have been easier or quicker to make.

This recipe consists of only 6 ingredients: frozen puff pastry (which is always good to have on hand), Dijon mustard, egg, Gruyére cheese, Parmesan cheese, and flaked sea salt.

Once your puff pastry is thawed (it's best to thaw it in the refrigerator overnight, though I placed mine in the refrigerator that morning and it was ready by dinner time), you roll it out, spread it with mustard, add cheese, fold, cut, give it an egg wash, sprinkle with more cheese and a sprinkle of salt - go easy here - I myself went a bit too heavy on the salt. (I am still new to using these finishing type salts.) Bake.

Viola! Deliciousness on the table.

Thanks, Ina.

Success meter (1-3): 3

 amazon

Those lovely looking crostinis on the cover, is the delicious recipe I found on-line.

How simple is this?

I like to make a recipe as per the instructions first time around, as I did here. Personally, I am not fond of Dijon mustard, its OK. I still thought these were tasty, though next time I will omit the mustard and use cheese only, or sub in my favorite mustard, Inglehoffer Sweet Mustard. Go with what you like - you can't go wrong with puff pastry.

After rolling out your dough to an 11x13-inch rectangle, you are instructed to cover the lower half with the mustard, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Brush the border with the egg wash and fold the top half over the bottom half, lining up the edges...

..Wait! What about all this cheese - it cannot possibly all get sprinkled on top. Though this is how the recipe reads. I could not proceed this way. I had to put a little bit on the inside. Just a little.

After folding over and aligning the edges, you chill the dough for 15 minutes. During this time, I read, and re-read the recipe. I just could not imagine not using some of that cheese on the inside of the batons. The recipe does not state to do so. However, after like the third time reading the recipe, I actually read the blurb above the recipe, "The batons are filled with spicy mustard and sharp Gruyère ."

Someone goofed on the proofreading. No worries. I pulled my dough from the refrigerator and pulled it apart (hence the sad looking rectangle of dough below), and added more of the cheese. I am a much happier camper now. :)

After chilling, trim the irregular edges with a knife.

Cut the dough into approximately one-inch strips. You will have about 10 to 12 batons.

Don't throw those scraps away! Bake them up as well - they are just as delicious.

Cheesy goodness.

WW: Stir-Fried Cilantro Chili Noodles with Egg

Wok Wednesdays wokking through Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge
by Grace Young






Wow! What fabulous flavor! I can't stop thinking about this stir-fry.

I know there are people out there that will shy away from this dish for their dislike of cilantro. All I can say is, you may be sorry. Grace mentioned on FB (we are very fortunate that Grace herself is an active participant in Wok Wednesdays) that for those of you not wanting to use cilantro, you can sub in basil, parsley, or even dill, though she herself has never tried these herbs in this stir-fry.

Using those alternate herbs will definitely change the dynamics of this dish. I suggest making half the recipe using cilantro to see what you think, or make this for a pot-luck dinner or lunch, then you can have yourself just a taste - but once you do, you may want to grab the whole thing for yourself and run! It's that good - seriously.

For this recipe you start out by making an egg "pancake". It is just two eggs, beaten, then cooked just until the bottom starts to brown and the egg becomes set; flip it over to finish cooking, for about five more seconds. Transfer your pancake to a cutting board to cool. Once cooled it is sliced into thin strips.

While setting up your mise en place, soak your vermicelli rice noodles as instructed in the recipe. After soaking, you are to cut the noodles into 6- to 8-inch lengths using kitchen shears. I was lucky, the noodles that I purchased were already cut to size.

I was going to make only half the recipe to be served along side our salmon. In the end I decided to make the whole recipe and just send the leftovers into work with Andy for lunch.

I enjoyed this so much, I opted for seconds and left most of my salmon on my plate.

Success meter (1-3): 3

 Mise en place

Bowl 1: Beaten egg 

Bowl 2: Ginger, Anaheim pepper - sliced and minced (the picture showed them sliced, though the ingredient list called for them to be minced. I liked the look of the sliced, but wanted to have minced as well - to get a little spicy kick with every bite.)

Bowl 3: Broth - chicken or vegetable (I used vegetable, for I had an opened box in the fridge.)

Bowl 4: Soaked rice noodles

Bowl 5: Chopped cilantro, plus two stems for decoration

Bowl 6: Sugar, salt, and pepper

Bowl 7: Sesame oil

Just discovered my wok will double as a crepe pan!

After the egg has cooled, you slice it in quarter-inch strips. I also cut the longer strips in half - I don't think it was really necessary to do so.

When it comes to noodles, I find it easier to use tongs to mix everything together.

I am one who likes cilantro, and even I hesitated at adding the full amount (1 cup) at first; but I have learned to trust Grace's recipes - and it was perfect.

 Loved it.

My noodles appear thicker than the ones in the photo shown in the book. I used vermicelli rice noodles as called for, though I may have soaked them too long in fear they would not be al dente with the short cooking time (two minutes) in the wok, or maybe the size differs slightly from brand to brand.

The noodles had a slight gummy sticky texture, but my husband thought they were great. I didn't mind it so much, for this stir-fry was delicious. I do want to make this again, and not just because it's wonderful, but soaking the noodles as instructed¹ and not giving into my intuition to soak them longer, and see how they turn out.

One of the rules of the Wok Wednesdays group is we are asked not to post the recipes here on our blog. If you would like the recipe, you will find it on page 266 of Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge, which you can purchase at your local bookstore or find it at your local library. I highly recommend purchasing the book - you won't be disappointed. 

 

Wok Wednesdays is an online cooking group. If you would like more information click here, or visit us on Facebook. Would love for you to join us!
 
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 ¹Soak noodles in warm water to cover for 20 minutes or until they are soft and pliable.

After the initial 20 minute soak, my noodles were "somewhat" pliable, but not soft. I drained the water and added the hottest tap water and soaked for about another 5 minutes. Still feeling the noodles were on the firm side, I once again drained the water and added boiling water and soaked again for about another 5 minutes. They were closer to al dente, but the soaking water was milky. I am assuming this is starch leached out of the noodle - perhaps lending to the stickiness.

TWD: Summer Vegetable Tart

Tuesdays with Dorie baking through Baking with Julia
by Dorie Greenspan

Phyllo/fillo/filo, however you want to spell it, it translates to leaf in Greek. As you can see, it is tissue paper thin of unleavened flour dough that is stacked in several layers to get a crisp and flaky crust.

You often see it used in Middle Eastern dishes, such as spanakopita - those spinach filled triangles, baklava - the nut filled pastry covered in honey, and one of my favorite dishes, bastilla (spelled several different ways) - the chicken and almond dish covered in phyllo and dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

Using phyllo at home, I can take it or leave it - more likely to leave it. It is a pain to work with. You have to keep the sheets that you are not working with covered with a damp towel or they will dry out rather quickly and become unusable. And the sheets being tissue thin, they tear easily. You definitely need some patience to work with phyllo; and if you don't use it all, you can't refreeze it - it becomes brittle. So you have to use it up within two weeks time.

The filling for our tart is made from sautéed vegetables (onion, bell pepper, and mushroom), garlic, thyme, and goat cheese - my favorite! The recipe instructs you to gently stir in the cheese to the cooked filling to warm it up a bit, but not actually melt it. I opted to crumble the cheese over the phyllo before filling, and then again on top. I also added thyme, salt, and pepper to my cheese.

This tart has wonderful flavor, though next time I would opt for your typical tart/pie crust. I felt the phyllo was to light for the heaviness of the vegetables.

Success meter (1-3): 2.5

You start out by brushing clarified butter (I sprayed olive oil for this tart) on to the sheets and giving them a sprinkle of freshly ground pepper.

Here you can see just how thin the sheets of dough are. You continue the process of buttering and peppering your sheets one at a time until you have a total of eight layers.

All eight layers completed. Time to pre-bake the crust. This bakes for about ten minutes or until golden brown.

Fill with the sautéed vegetables and it's ready to serve. Personally, I don't find the crust visually appealing. It looks like parchment paper if you ask me.

Look at all those flaky layers.

I made a single serving as a trial run and found it awkward to handle the tart with the edges hanging so far over the pan. I also used butter (not clarified as the recipe instructs) this round to coat the sheets of phyllo. The butter version came out a bit more bronzed than the tart above sprayed with olive oil.

Anyone else's book falling apart from so much use?

Don't forget to browse the TWD LYL: Summer Vegetable Tart link, for other versions of this tart from all of the talented bakers in our group!