Monday, May 31, 2010

Short stacked


Extra buttermilk + last of my all purpose flour = 1/2 stack of buttermilk pancakes.

recipe: Martha Stewart's Best Buttermilk Pancakes

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 3 cups buttermilk
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1/2 teaspoon for griddle
PREPARATION
  1. Heat griddle to 375 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine. Batter should have small to medium lumps.
  2. Heat oven to 175 degrees. Test griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If water bounces and spatters off griddle, it is hot enough. Using a pastry brush, brush remaining 1/2 teaspoon of butter or reserved bacon fat onto griddle. Wipe off excess.
  3. Using a 4-ounce ladle, about 1/2 cup, pour pancake batter, in pools 2 inches away from one other. When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.
  4. Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes on a heatproof plate in oven. Serve warm.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Red velvet rejects


These cupcakes came out a little burnt from yesterday's baking spree. At first I was just going to eat them all myself- not wanting to subject anyone to my baking-gone-wrong, but then I got an idea. Since it was just the bottoms that were a bit toasty, I trimmed them, cut the remaining cupcake in half and filled the slices with left over cream cheese frosting. The result: Red Velvet Reject Sandwiches...I even made sandwiches with the toasty ends, for those who don't mind a bit of burnt flavor.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

My cupcakes runeth over



To celebrate Jam's HS graduation, I made mini cupcakes (Chocolate and Red Velvet, both with cream cheese frosting). I thought they would be cute, bite-sized, easy to serve and fun to eat. What I didn't think about was how many each recipe would make or how to transport ~200 baby cupcakes.

Chocolate Cupcakes

recipe adapted from bon appetit's June 2010 Chocolate-Raspberry Layer Cake

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
  • 1 3/4 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup water
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs
PREPARATION

Position racks in top and bottom third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line baking pans with cupcake cups. Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into large bowl; whisk to blend and form well in center. Whisk 1 cup water, buttermilk, oil, and eggs in medium bowl to blend. Pour wet ingredients into well in dry ingredients; whisk just to blend. Divide batter between prepared pans.

Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool completely in pans on cooling racks. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover cakes in pans and let stand at room temperature.

*note: I found this recipe very easy, with great results. Next time, I might try making the original cake recipe.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

From Paula Deen's Grandmother Paul's Red Velvet Cake recipe:

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2 ounces red food coloring
  • 2 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar
PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter, beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Mix cocoa and food coloring together and then add to sugar mixture; mix well. Sift together flour and salt. Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Blend in vanilla. In a small bowl, combine baking soda and vinegar and add to mixture. Pour batter into lined cupcake pan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from heat and cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 lb (16 oz) cream cheese
  • 2 sticks (1cup) unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
PREPARATION

In a medium bowl, cream cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla extract, blend well. Slowly add powdered sugar at low speed. Blend well. Frost cupcakes.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Waste not, want not


This is what happened to the egg whites left over from the lemon curd.

Meringue Stars


recipe from Epicurious.com

INGREDIENTS
  • 3 large egg whites, at room temperature 30 minutes, divided
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3 pinches of cream of tartar, divided
  • 3/4 cup superfine granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons instant-espresso powder
  • 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 (3 1/2-ounce) bar 70%-cacao bittersweet chocolate, melted
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • Equipment: 3 (12-inch) disposable pastry bags; a 1/2-inch star tip
PREPARATION

Make vanilla and coffee meringues:
Preheat oven to 200°F with racks in upper, middle, and lower thirds of oven (or use 2 racks and bake in batches). Line 2 or 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Beat 1 egg white with vanilla (for vanilla meringues) and a pinch each of cream of tartar and salt with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until it just holds soft peaks. Add 2 tablespoons superfine sugar, a little at a time, beating, then increase speed to high and beat until meringue holds stiff, glossy peaks. Fold in 2 tablespoons superfine sugar gently but thoroughly.

Transfer meringue to a pastry bag fitted with tip, then dab some meringue under corners of parchment on all baking sheets to secure to sheets. Pipe 1-inch-wide stars (1 inch high) about 1/2 inch apart.

Make coffee meringues using same amounts and procedure as above but using espresso powder (1 1/2 teaspoons) in place of vanilla.

Make chocolate meringues:
Sift cocoa through a fine-mesh sieve and whisk together with 2 tablespoons superfine sugar.

Beat remaining egg white with a pinch each of cream of tartar and salt with mixer at medium-high speed until it just holds soft peaks. Add remaining 2 tablespoons superfine sugar, a little at a time, beating, then increase speed to high and beat until meringue holds stiff, glossy peaks. Fold in cocoa mixture gently but thoroughly.

Transfer meringue to a pastry bag and pipe more stars.

Bake meringues:
Bake, switching position of upper and lower sheets halfway through baking, until dry, crisp, and firm, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (Meringues are done when they release from parchment.)

Turn off oven and cool meringues in oven with door propped open about 1/2 inch using handle of a wooden spoon 1 hour, then slide parchment with meringues onto racks to cool completely.

Dip meringues in chocolate:
Line a large baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

Stir together chocolate and vegetable oil until completely smooth. Peel meringues off parchment, then dip bottom of each into chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. Transfer meringues to lined baking sheet, arranging as close together as possible, and when baking sheet is full, freeze meringues just until chocolate is set, about 3 minutes. Remove meringues from freezer.


* I decided not to dip them in chocolate...and the tips I thought would make stars didn't make stars.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

When life gives me lemons...


Lemon Meringue Pie with Pecan Crust

recipe from Epicurious.com

INGREDIENTS

For crust
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup finely chopped pecans
  • 1/3 cup cake flour
  • 3 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 3 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 3 tablespoons (about) ice water

For filling and topping
  • 1 3/4 cups plus 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 5 large eggs, separated
  • 2 tablespoons grated lemon peel

  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar