Last week I didn't post. Which wasn't really by choice, but my excuse isn't very good either. I had a first draft due of an appellate brief, which took up a lot of last weekend. This isn't a good excuse because my purpose in starting this blog was to make sure I made time for cooking and baking and last week I just didn't. But instead of beating myself up about it, and boring you with details about shepardizing cases (*yawn*), I decided to make red velvet cupcakes. With cream cheese frosting. So we're good now, right? Friends again? (yeah, I thought so).
These are, in the words of Tom, "stupidly good." And I have to say I agree. They are light, fluffy, and the cake has a depth of flavor (thanks, I think, to using half olive oil, half vegetable oil and because of the buttermilk). And if that couldn't get any better, the frosting is insane. If I hadn't made it myself, I would think there were drugs in it. So give these a shot - I promise, they are worth it.
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
2 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted
2 tbsp. cocoa powder, dutch processed
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup olive oil
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. red food coloring
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. white distilled vinegar
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl whisk flour, cocoa powder and salt.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar and oils on medium-high with an electric-mixer. After about 2 minutes the oils and sugar should be combined. Add eggs one at a time and mix until fully combined. Add food coloring and vanilla.
3. Reduce the speed to low and add 1/3 of the flour mixture. Then add half of the buttermilk. Add another 1/3 of the flour. And then the rest of the buttermilk. Finish with the remaining flour. Be sure to mix thoroughly after each addition.
4. In a separate small bowl add the baking powder to the vinegar. The mixture will foam. Add the mixture to the batter and mix on medium for about 15 seconds.
5. Divide into 24 paper-lined cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes. A cake tester should come out clean.
6. Cool completely and cover with cream cheese icing (recipe below). For extra cuteness, sprinkle with chopped pecans.
Cream Cheese Frosting
6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1. Cream the butter and cream cheese for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing completely after each addition.
2. After the sugar is completely incorporated, add the vanilla and mix until combined.
I first tried to make a beef stew a couple of weeks ago and it didn't go well. Before that, if you'd asked me, I would have said screwing up stew was impossible. But take it from me, if you add potatoes way too early (some how forgetting that starch will break down if cooked for too long) you get something closer to mashed potatoes mixed with the insides of a pot pie without the delicious crust.
Anyway, this second attempt is much tastier and sits squarely in the "stew" category texture-wise. As usual, I love to add vinegar at the end right before serving as a way to create depth of flavor. But if that's not your thing, this stew doesn't need it - it's flavorful and hearty on its own, making a great dinner for a cold winter night. And regardless of what the groundhog says, I think we have a few more of those left.
Tomato, Beef & Bean Stew
1.5 lbs of stew beef
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 can crushed tomatoes
3 carrots, sliced
1 can white beans
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1. Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the meat, about 5 minutes.
2. Remove meat from pan, reduce heat to medium. Add onions and garlic to pot and cook for about 2 minutes. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil.
3. Add meat back into the pot and also add, tomatoes, carrots, and white beans.
4. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. 5. Add salt, pepper, and parsley. Stir and serve.
This recipe is not easy. There are many steps and a lot of waiting around for dough to rise. Which is a little bit frustrating, because *ideally* you have these fresh out of the oven in the morning. So to make that a reality I was "patiently" staring at dough at 11:30 on a Friday night. After an introduction like that you may be wondering why I bothered posting this at all. But you just have to believe me when I say that the taste truly does make it worth it.
The dough is yeasty and buttery and almost has the texture of a popover, but without all the air inside. This must come from letting the mixer do its thing for about 15 minutes (which, at 11pm, I thought might have my neighbor knocking on my door...). So if you have some time, and are up for a bit of a challenge, why not be rewarded with these delicious little guys?
[ps: I just got a flash and clearly haven't really figured out the best way to use it. Thanks for bearing with me :o)]
Kugelhopf Rolls barely adapted from theKitchn
2 tablespoons warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons dry, active yeast
1/3 cup warm whole milk
1 3/4 cup divided
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/8 cup granulated sugar
1. Stir together the water and yeast until dissolved. Mix in the milk.
2. Add 3/4 cup of flour until it forms a smooth batter. (I had to add a little extra water at this step).
3. Cover and let sit for at least 20 minutes. It should double in size.
4. In a separate bowl mix eggs, yolk, almond extract. Stir this into the yeast mixture after it has risen fully.
5. In your stand mixer bowl combine 1 cup flour, sugar, and salt. Stir in the eggy-yeast mixture, mixing until it forms a shaggy dough.
6. Fit your mixer with the dough hook and mix on medium-high for 5 minutes.
7. Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, about 1 tablespoon at a time. Wait until each chunk has incorporated before adding the next; and scrape down the sides as needed.
8. Increase the speed back to medium-high and let it mix for 10 minutes.
9. Turn the dough out into a clean bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 1/2 hours.
10. Place the dough in the fridge over night.
11. The next morning (so glad you're still here!), turn the dough onto a floured working surface. Don't be afraid to use enough flour that it doesn't stick. Roll the dough into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.
12. Brush the dough with melted butter, leaving a dry perimeter and sprinkle with sugar.
13. Form the dough into a roll starting with one of the shorter ends and gently making your way to the other.
14. Cut the dough into 12 even slices and place in a muffin tin. Cover and let rise for an hour.
15. 15 minutes before baking, heat your oven to 375 F and bake them for 18-25 minutes depending on your oven. They are done when the internal temperature is 200 F.
I bought cake flour in July with the expectation of making scones. Fast-forward almost 7 months and I finally got around to using it. Not as I originally planned, but for these cute and tasty concoctions. They are definitely not scones, or biscuits, but are really more like breakfast cakes. They are not too sweet (just 1/4 cup of sugar), the glaze gives it a nice lemony kick, and the cake flour makes them super light.
They are the perfect way to make morning a little extra special. Or to bake for a friend coming over to study criminal law (as was the case here). They also come together and bake up really quickly, which is great if you have a legal writing assignment to finish. Enjoy!
Little Lemon Breakfast Cakes
2 cups of cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1 1/3 cup heavy cream
juice of 1 lemon
3/4 cup confectioner's sugarjuice of 1 lemon
1. Sift flour, baking power, salt and sugar together. Add the zest.
2. In a separate bowl combine the heavy cream and lemon juice. Slowly add the liquid mixture to the dry, stirring until just combined.
3. On a floured surface knead the dough. Don't be afraid to add enough flour to make the dough manageable. Gently spread the dough until 1/2 inch thick.
4. Using a biscuit cutter, cut circles and place on a parchment covered baking sheet.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes until the bottoms are just browned.
6. In a separate bowl whisk together lemon juice and confectioner's sugar. When the cakes are done, let cool for a few minutes and then cover with glaze.
In an attempt to embrace all of the wintry weather we're having, here is one more favorite cookie that my mother and I baked while I was visiting over my break from school. Spritz cookies are really easy to make (as long as the spritz gun cooperates), they are super fun to decorate, and are perfect to snack on as is or dipped in tea!
For those unfamiliar, a spritz cookie is made by filling a special "spritz gun" with a simple dough and picking different plates (pictured above) to form various cookie shapes. I think this is a must own for households with kids, but if you have tiny kitchen like me (with no kids) it is more of a luxury item. But visiting your mother's well-stocked kitchen is the perfect excuse to break it out and go to cookie-town. And if that's a place, I will be moving there post-haste.
My only warning for this cookie is that they are addictive (maybe it's the almond extract - is it just me or is that like the best thing ever?!). And so light that it is far too easy to eat an entire handful and still want more. Our game plan was to make the full batch, but to pack up a bunch quickly to take to friends. There was still a lot leftover for us - but really, we weren't complaining!
Spritz Cookie from Betty Crocker
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1. Heat oven to 400 F. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and scrape down the sides as needed to combine. Add almond extract.
2. In a separate bowl mix flour and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredient mix to the butter/sugar/egg mixture. Beat until combined.
3. Fill spritz cookie press and choose your desired shape plate. Using the spritz gun, fill an ungreased/unlined cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 6 to 9 minutes or until set, but not brown.
I'm sure others (especially fellow Slovaks) have their own recipe for mushroom soup, but this is ours. It is the epitome of a family recipe. Not written down anywhere (except for now of course) and many many tweaks over the years by great-grandmothers, grandmothers, and mothers.
One of the great things about family recipes is how personal they really are. Each taste and smell evokes specific memories, but also a warm and cozy feeling. The other thing I love about recipes like this is how they change just a little bit with each generation. Some tweaks are just to improve taste, others are to make it a more perfect reflection of the cook. My grandmother added ketchup (a "secret ingredient") and my mother added malt vinegar right before serving, instead of the regular white vinegar as a nod to our love of British fish & chips. It remains to be seen how my sister and I will adapt this recipe as it settles into our kitchens, but it is exciting to think about. And certainly a wonderful inspiration in the kitchen.
Mushroom Soup from the Sedlar/Rash family collection
24 oz sliced button mushrooms, washed & patted dry with a paper towel
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shakes crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 32 oz boxes vegetable broth
1 19 oz can vegetable soup
4 oz pearled barley
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 egg
a few drops of water
1. In a medium sauce pan heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add half of the mushrooms and cover. Cook for about 3 minutes. Remove the cover and cook for an additional 4 minutes.
2. In a large pot put 1 box of vegetable broth, vegetable soup, and cooked mushrooms. Cook second half of mushrooms as in step 1 and add to the large pot.
3. Place lid over the large pot and simmer on low for about an hour.
4. After an hour, add the barley and cover. Increase heat to medium-low.
5. When the barley is cooked through (about another hour), remove from heat and let rest for about 1/2 hour.
6. About an hour before you are ready to eat, put the pot on medium-high heat and add some more vegetable broth if the texture is too thick (it should be closer to soup than stew).
7. In a separate bowl mix the flour, cornstarch and egg with a fork. It will be a very thick paste. Add a few drops of water. The desired texture should be like a very sticky dough - if it is closer to a batter, you've added too much water and should compensate with more flour.
8. Once the soup is simmering, it is ready for the dumplings. Using a fork and knife, cut small (seriously, not too big) pieces of the sticky dough into the soup. Stir after each forkful or the dumplings will stick to each other. Use all of the dough.
9. Let simmer for about 30 minutes - the dumplings do not take long and will start to float when they are cooked. Add ketchup and stir.
10. Remove from heat and serve with white or malt vinegar to individual taste.
It wasn't exactly planned, but I took almost a month off from blogging. And from really doing much of anything online. It was a nice change of pace; not to check email every five minutes and not to be logged on to facebook at all times. But as I sit in my parents living room on the new wireless network I helped them set up (along with google tv - which will be so cool once we figure out how to get it working!), I feel the need to re-connect.
So as a welcome to 2011 for you (and a sort of "welcome back" to the internet for me), here is one of my favorite holiday cookies. Each bite reminds me childhood and even if you don't have the same sentimental attachment, it really is just a delicious and light cookie to snack on. My mother and I laughed as we made this, because other than being shaped like a candy cane, there is really nothing candy-cane-ish about how we have always made this cookie. There is no crushed peppermint bark sprinkled on the outside and no peppermint extract added to the dough. This year, we didn't even have red food coloring - so our candy canes are white & green.
But they sure are yummy. So if you need a good cookie, and one that's fun to make with kids (of all ages) this will do the trick. And since the holidays have already flown by, feel free to make these in any shape you want - candy cane or not. enjoy!
Candy Cane Cookies adapted many years ago from Betty Crocker
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red (or green) food coloring
1. Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Cream butter, shortening, and confectioners' sugar until light and airy. Add the egg and beat on med-low, scraping down the sides until fully incorporated. Add vanilla and almond extracts.
2. In a separate bowl combine, four and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredient mixture to the butter/sugar/egg mixture. Beat on med-low until combined. You may need to add a little more flour (the texture should be silky, but not stick to your finger when you touch it).
3. Divide the dough in half. Place one half in a bowl and mix in the food coloring until the dough is completely colored (a fork works best for this).
4. Shape 1 teaspoon of dough from each half into about a 4 inch ropes. Place ropes side-by-side, press together lightly and twist. Complete each cookie one at a time - and be careful not to make them too big as they will puff up in the oven.
5. Place on a a parchment paper-ed cookie sheet and curve the top down on each cookie to form the cane handle.
6. Bake for about 9 minutes, or until set and very light brown on the bottom (watch them - because ours went from a little to a lot brown very quickly).
These are, in the words of Tom, "stupidly good." And I have to say I agree. They are light, fluffy, and the cake has a depth of flavor (thanks, I think, to using half olive oil, half vegetable oil and because of the buttermilk). And if that couldn't get any better, the frosting is insane. If I hadn't made it myself, I would think there were drugs in it. So give these a shot - I promise, they are worth it.
