Dulce de Leche Banana Cream Pie

This was amazing. I just have to figure out how to stabilize the dulce de leche because it ended up making the pie a runny mess, which is why I don't have a photo. But it was a delicious runny mess. I used the Dorie Greenspan recipe for pastry cream with an extra teaspoon of vanilla (I did use a vanilla bean as well), almost a 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg and lightened it a bit with sweetened whipped cream after it had cooled. I made the dulce de leche in the oven using David Labovitz's brilliant method and made the trusty Smitten Kitchen all butter crust. I layered the dulce de leche, bananas (thinly sliced), and pastry cream twice. Oh my, it may be my new favorite pie, and I don't usually get excited about banana cream. So if you have any ideas on how to stabilize the dulce de leche, let me know.

Nana's Bread

Yesterday I decided to bake Nana's bread. Growing up I thought her bread was the best in the world, but during the last 10 years it simply became the best toast in the world, but untoasted it was just ordinary. Making her bread 3 times in the past week has helped me figure out what happened. The original recipe (from my great grandmother) calls for melted shortening. After my Papa's heart attack and subsequent surgery 6 years ago she started using olive oil instead and replaced the sugar with honey. She also started baking the bread longer, why I don't know. I've tweaked it a bit and last night the loaves where moist and delicious. I made 3 loaves of bread and used the last quarter of dough to make what just might be the best cinnamon rolls of all times.

Nana's White Bread

3 tsp dry yeast

2 1/2 c warm water

4 c all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/3 c olive oil

1/3 c melted butter

6 Tbs sugar

6 tsp salt

2 c warm buttermilk (use the real thing, not powder)

7 to 9 c all-purpose flour

Sprinkle the yeast onto the warm water and add a pinch of sugar. Let sit until yeast has proofed and risen considerably. Meanwhile combine 4 cups flour and baking soda in a very large bowl. In a smaller bowl combine the olive oil, melted butter, sugar, salt, and buttermilk. When yeast has proofed add along with buttermilk mixture to the flour and baking soda. Stir to combine with a wooden spoon. Continue to add flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. When dough becomes too difficult to stir, knead in the remaining flour. (Don't add too much and don't add too little. With practice you'll figure out just how much to add.) Knead the dough 100 times, adding more flour as needed, until dough is smooth and satiny. Shape into a ball, rub top with olive oil, and cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Set in a warm spot to rise. (This can take 2 to 3 hours.) When dough has doubled in size punch down and cover and let rise a second time. When dough has again doubled punch down and divide into fourths. Grease 4 bread pans (or 3 if you want to make cinnamon rolls). Flatten each quarter of dough, removing all of the bubbles, and roll up to make a loaf, being sure to pinch the seam and the ends. Place in pan, seam side down. Repeat with remaining dough and once again cover and let rise until doubled. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool slightly in pans (about 3 minutes) and then remove from pans and let cool completely on cooling rack.

***Cinnamon roll variation

You can obviously use all of the bread dough to make these cinnamon rolls rather than just a quarter, but it will make a lot!

If you like raisins, combine 1 c raisins with 1 c boiling water and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Let sit until they absorb some of the liquid, then drain and set aside until ready to use. This is very good!

Before flattening dough knead in:

zest of 1 orange

1 vanilla bean, scraped

2 T sugar

until mixed into dough. Flatten as much as possible and brush with melted butter. Generously sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. (Be generous!) Add raisins if using. tightly roll up into a long log and cut with string or floss every 1/2 inch. Place rolls into greased 9x13-inch pan and cover and let rise until doubled. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool slightly then cover with glaze.

Glaze

1 c powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 T melted butter

2 to 6 T milk

Stir until combined. Adjust milk/sugar proportions to reach your desired consistency.

I firmly believe cinnamon rolls should be eaten warm. Simply pop one in the microwave for 20 seconds and prepare to become addicted.

My First Daring Baker's Challenge - Heaven on a Dessert Plate!

The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

RECIPE SOURCE:
Mascarpone Cheese – Vera’s Recipe (Baking Obsession) for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese
Savoiardi/ Ladyfinger Biscuits – Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home
Tiramisu – Carminantonio's Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007

My Substitutions:

• The zabaglione calls for Marsala wine but instead I used sweetened fresh orange juice instead with an extra teaspoon of vanilla.
• The original recipe calls for 2 cups of brewed espresso, but instead I simmered 4 tablespoons cocoa powder, 4 tablespoons sugar, and 2 cups of water in a small saucepan until thickened and combined. I omitted the teaspoon of rum extract and instead added 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

If you never make this recipe you should at least make the mascarpone cheese. The tricky part is finding cream that is NOT ultrapasturized. I found such cream from a local dairy so it is possible. It is amazing, not difficult at all, and once you've made it for yourself you won't buy it from a store again.

When I made my goals for 2010 I decided it was time to become a Daring Baker. I eagerly waited for the recipe reveal date and couldn't believe that my first challenge consisted of making my own mascarpone cheese, lady fingers, and a dessert that contains ingredients that I don't use due to religious beliefs. So after making a few substitutions, and several days of preparation, I created this beautiful desert for our Valentine's celebration.

I decided to make the dessert in a serving for two, and wrapped it with a chocolate ribbon. I lined souffle dishes with plastic wrap and then assembled the tiramisu according to the directions in the recipe. After chilling overnight I was able to finish them off with a chocolate ribbon.

I should have tempered the chocolate to give it a sheen, but I was running short on time so I simply folded a piece of plastic wrap into thirds and with an offset spatula spread melted dark chocolate on the plastic wrap. I let it cool until it was firm enough to mold and molded it around a can covered in plastic wrap that was the same size as the tiramisu. After letting it set a few more moments I unmolded it from the can, peeled off the plastic wrap, and molded it around the tiramisu on the serving plate.

Don't these layers look divine?

The remains. I froze the remaining two, thinking it would provide me with a treat later on, but wouldn't you know it even tasted amazing frozen?

Dear Kathy,

I haven't forgotten. And now it has to be amazing because I promised it by the end of the year and that was almost two months ago. So if you have any requests, let me know. It will happen, eventually. Thanks for being patient.

Adrienne

An accounting.

So I still have 5 lbs to go, not bad considering there have been 2 full weeks of sickness, and therefore 2 full weeks without exercise, in my life since I first set my goal, as well as several occasions for which I had to make treats containing vast amounts of butter and sugar. I am getting closer to my goal and I am also only eating those things that I truly want (for the most part) which is a good thing. Since I have been sick I have craved homemade chocolate pudding, baked apples with maple cream cheese, and my mom's spaghetti. I have made the first two items, and they were divine, but not the last because no matter how hard I try I just can't get it to taste exactly like my mom's spaghetti. I have also realized that I don't want to make my own spaghetti when I am sick, I want someone else to make it for me. And that someone is in Salt Lake. Sick with pneumonia. Maybe someone should go make spaghetti for my mom instead.

Waffles

This is another recipe from Eating Well. They are delicious, and even better when served with leftover raspberry puree from the cupcakes (see previous post) and lemon or orange curd, which if you make the wedding cake cupcakes is the perfect answer to the question of what to do with all of the leftover egg yolks. Maple syrup, is of course, always perfectly lovely and even better with a touch of freshly whipped cream.

Waffles
2 c buttermilk
1/2 c rolled oats
2/3 c whole wheat flour
2/3 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1/4 c brown sugar
1 T canola oil
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Mix buttermilk and oats in a medium bowl; let stand for 15 minutes.

Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.

Stir eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla into the oat mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; mix with a rubber spatula just until moistened.

Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray and preheat. Spoon in enough batter to cover three-fourths of the surface (about 2/3 cup for an 8-by-8-inch waffle iron). Cook until waffles are crisp and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.

Cupcakes

I detest cooking for people who don't comment on the food. It doesn't even matter if they like it (although that is obviously preferable) I just want to know what they think. A simple 'it's good' or 'not my favorite' does not suffice. Why is it good? What are your favorite parts? Or why don't you like it? What would make it better? I expect a conversation about the food. It isn't even a matter or pride or vanity because most of what I cook is from a recipe, a recipe that someone else created and therefore they get all of the credit. That's why I want to talk about it. I finally discovered why this bothers me so much. Cooking is my creative outlet, my art form. Even when I am using another person's recipe I am practicing skills and learning ingredient combinations. When I cook for a person and they don't comment it is exactly the same as having an art show and watching people look at the art work, your art work that you've spent hours preparing, and never getting any feedback. This has been on my mind for two reason, the first being that we had the perfect food guests over for dinner about 2 weeks ago and they gave ample feedback about the food, which I appreciated. The second reason is because of a gentleman at Church last Sunday who tracked me down to tell me about a cupcake that I had made that his wife brought home for him. I love people who talk about food, because I love to talk about food. They will surely talk about food if you make any of these recipes.

My current favorite frosting recipe by Sarah Magid. I made a fantastic cake for Connor's first birthday but the frosting was a flop, and this recipe saved the day. I've made the vanilla, the chocolate variation, and I added my own brown sugar variation to go with the orange cupcakes. Use a handmixer! I don't know why, but it works much better than a standmixer for this recipe. Her cookbook is lovely and it is called Organic and Chic: Cakes, Cookies, and Other Sweets that Taste as Good as They Look.

Vanilla Whipped Buttercream
2 sticks (1 cup) organic unsalted butter, softened
1 cup organic cane sugar
1 cup organic whole milk
1/4 cup sifted organic all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons organic vanilla extract

Cream the butter on medium speed, with a hand mixer until soft, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat on high speed until light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes.

In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup of the milk, the flour, and the vanilla extract, and whisk until there are no lumps. Over medium heat, slowly add the remaining 3/4 cup milk, whisking constantly, and cook until the mixture comes to a low boil. Then reduce the heat to low and keep whisking for a few more minutes, until the mixture starts to thicken.

Immediately remove the pan from the heat, but keep stirring. (After you have removed the pan from the heat, the mixture will continue to cook for a minute or two on its own. If you overheat it and get small lumps, try to whisk vigorously to get them out, or pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve.) If necessary, place the pan over a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and allow the mixture to cool. ***I always get small lumps and they always disappear by the end of the recipe.

Once the milk mixture has thickened, set it aside to cool to room temperature. You can stick it in the freezer to rush the cooling.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the milk mixture into the butter-sugar mixture. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add vanilla to combine.

Brown Sugar Whipped Buttercream: simply replace the sugar with brown sugar.

Chocolate Whipped Buttercream: This light and fluffy chocolate frosting tastes like whipped cream with a hint of chocolate: While the milk mixture is cooling, melt 4 ounces unsweetened or dark chocolate in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, or in 30-second bursts in a microwave. Cool to room temperature. With the mixer on low speed, combine the chocolate with the butter-sugar mixture.

Orange Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream
1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 c white sugar
3 large eggs
3 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure orange extract (or use extra orange zest)
zest of 1 or 2 oranges
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c milk

Turbinado sugar for decorating

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with 12 paper liners.

Place sugar and zest in the bowl of mixer and blend with fingers until fragrant. Add butter and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined. Add extracts.

In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, ending with the flour. Scrape down sides of bowl.

Fill cupcake liners with batter and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 3 minutes in pan and then remove to cool completely on a cooling rack.

***I made these in a mini-cupcake pan and so I greased the pan and coated it with white sugar. They make the perfect bite of cake. Frost with brown sugar buttercream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

The other cupcakes I made were for a group of 60 people so I made my wedding cake recipe and the chocolate cake recipe I posted last year. I filled both kinds of cupcakes with this raspberry filling with the addition of a bit more lemon juice. I frosted both with the vanilla whipped buttercream. These are truly divine.

My Wedding Cake
(You may want to cut this recipe in half because the original makes enough for 2 8-inch round cakes and 2 10-inch round cakes which makes a ton of cupcakes.)
12 egg whites
3 1/3 c white sugar
6 1/4 c cake flour (you must use cake flour)
3 T baking powder
2 tsp salt
4 c cold water
1 1/2 c vegetable oil
1 T lemon zest
1 T orange zest
1 T vanilla

If you make the entire recipe you will need a very very large mixing bowl. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Continue beating and gradually add 1 1/3 c sugar until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Mix remaining sugar (2 c), flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in 3 cups of water and all remaining ingredients. When smooth gently fold in egg white mixture, 1/3 at a time. Make sure it is fully incorporated or your cupcakes will not work. Gradually stir in remaining 1 cup water. Spoon into cupcake pan lined with paper liners until it is 3/4 full. Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool in pan for 3 to 5 minutes and then remove to cooling rack to cool completely.

The chocolate cake recipe here. Only fill 2/3 of the way full and don't worry if it sinks because you are going to fill them with raspberry filling anyway and then top them with frosting so no one will ever know.

I like to use a pastry bag to pipe my frosting onto cupcakes, it looks much prettier. I'm not the world's greatest frosting spreader.