Fig Tartines

A group of my friends get together every month or so for a dinner/pot luck/ cooking party we call Chez Bushwick. While we were cooking I made a quick munchie which was a great snack for the chefs.

Ingredients

• 4 Figs
• 1 Loaf of bread
• 1 Cup of Ricotta cheese (Here’s a great recipe for homemade ricotta)
• Honey
• Salt

Instructions

1. Cut the bread
2. Spread cheese on bread
3. Thinly slice figs and place on bread
4. Sprinkle with honey and salt
5. EAT!

Gojee.com Launches !!

You must be wondering, what exactly is Gojee? Well it asks you what you’re in the mood for and recommends recipes based on your cravings from contributors, which including Food52.com, Tartlette and many others from around the web (including ME! Yay). It’s such an honor to be a contributor amongst such amazing bloggers. All of them inspire, humble and motivate me to keep baking, blogging, styling and photographing. I can only hope to be as good as them as time goes on. 

When you go to the site, you’ll first see this:

Beautiful, right? And then if you type in a craving… You’ll get something like this:

I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do. 

Cherry Blondies for a date that never was…

This guy Adam asked me on a date. I said yes. I usually say yes when that happens. He didn’t believe that I really bake as much as I said I do, so I decided to bring a treat on our date. I decided to make these in a muffin tray because I wanted to be able to throw a couple in a Tupperware in my bag. It also needed to stay in one piece through a day of consulting around NYC.  I decided to play with this recipe because I knew my brother would love them. I reduced the white chocolate to make them less rich and my brother diggs cherries. 

Well, Adam decided to make plans, confirm plans and then never respond to me with the details of the plans. So by 5 PM the day of the ‘7PM’ date, I decided to eat the blondies. It was the right choice.

Cherry Blondies

Ingredients

• 150g Good Quality White Chocolate
• 75g Butter
• 125g  Sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 150g Plain Flour
• 150g Fresh Cherries
  

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350oF.
2. Grease a muffin tray
3. Pit and chop the cherries in half.
4. Break up 75g of white chocolate and melt  over a bowl of simmering water 
5. Cream together the butter and sugar in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
6. Add the eggs one at a time and make sure they are completely combined after each 
7. Mix in the vanilla.
8. Add the melted chocolate and stir through.
9. Sift the flour over and fold into the chocolate mixture.
10. Roughly chop the remaining chocolate
11. Add the chopped chocolate and cherries and fold through the blondie mixture.
12. Spoon the mixture into the muffin tins about 3/4 of the way full and then gently tap the tray on the counter to flatten and smooth.  
13. Bake for 30-40 minutes in the oven or until toothpick comes out clean

OliveOil Shortcake Cupcake Stuffed with Strawberry Caramel Topped with Salted Caramel Buttercream

It was my friend Ruti’s birthday and she doesn’t like things too sweet so I came up with this strange olive oil shortcake with salted caramel… I was a bit worried but everyone seemed to love them. Some people even ate two!

Olive Oil Shortcake

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2/3 cup milk (low fat or regular)

Filling

• 1 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of water
• 6 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup of diced strawberries
• 2.5 teaspoons of salt (add more to taste)

Icing

• 2 Tablespoons of caramel (from filling)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 1 stick salted butter
  
• 1 stick unsalted butter
  
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Olive Oil Shortcake

• Grease 12 count muffin pan
• Preheat oven to 350
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until smooth.
• Blend in melted butter and olive oil.
• Stir in half of the flour mixture, followed by the milk.
• Stir in the remaining flour mixture, stirring only until no streaks of dry ingredients remain and batter is just combined.
• Pour into prepared muffin pan.
• Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clear or with just a few moist crumbs attached.
• Set aside and let cool

Salted Caramel Filling

• Prepare all your ingredients, and be ready to move fast as caramel is a quick process.
• Add sugar with a 1/2 cup of water into a large heavy bottom sauce pan. Stir
• When comes to a boil stop stirring and let boil until all water evaporates and the sugar turns a dark amber color
• Add in butter, and stir.
• Once melted remove from heat, count to 5 and add in cream and salt. Whisk till incorporated
• Pour 3/4 of the liquid into a glass mason jar
• Add strawberries to remaining 1/4 of caramel and stir over medium head for about 15 minutes or once the compote has a nice flavor.
• Remove from heat and cool
• Cut a small round piece out of the tops of each cooled cupcake
  
• Pour in 1 teaspoon of caramel. 
  
• Replace the cake piece and set cupcakes aside.

Frosting

• In a large bowl cream the butter and salt together until lightened and fluffy.
• Add powdered sugar and beat at a reduced speed
• Mix until thoroughly combined.
• Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the caramel. 
  
• Beat on medium high speed until light and airy, and completely mixed (about 2 minutes).  Mixture should be ready to use without refrigeration.  
• Top caramel-filled cupcakes with frosting. Add a slice of strawberry if so desired!
  

White Chocolate Ginger Ice Cream, Buttermilk Poundcake with Strawberry Ruhbarb Compote

This is a long over due post. I wanted to try and create a multi-component dessert. And well I’ve not learned how to plate so well just yet so I took refuge with a mason jar. Luckily this dessert was a huge hit and all the ice cream was served out in 10 minutes. Success. Big Success.

White Chocolate Ginger Ice Cream

I worked off of David Lebowtiz’ recipe with a few changes. I didn’t realize that its only 1 qt so you might double this.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 ounces chopped candied ginge
• 100 grams sugar
• 1 cup (250 ml) buttermilk
• 1 cup plus 1 cup heavy cream (500 ml, total)
• 8 ounces (230 g) white chocolate, finely chopped
• 5 large egg yolks

Instructions

1. Add the ginger, the sugar, the buttermilk and 1 cup of heavy cream to the saucepan and warm the mixture.
2. Cover and steep for at least an hour, or until there is a strong ginger flavor.
3. Put the chopped white chocolate in a large bowl.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, then add some of the warm ginger-infused cream mixture, whisking constantly.
5. Pour the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
6. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula until the mixture coats the spatula.
7. Strain the custard into the white chocolate, and stir until the chocolate is completely melted.
8. Discard the ginger.
9. Add the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream and chill completely. 
10. Once completely chilled, place in ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

To serve place some of the pound cake, ice cream and top with Strawberry Rhubarb Compote.

Buttermilk Poundcake Pie with Strawberry Rhubarb

As part of the memorial day feast I made a constructed dessert and needed a little pound cake. (That’s coming soon). I had a LOT of left over batter and Strawberry- Rhubarb compote so I baked it in a pie pan. I chose a pie pan mostly because I didn’t have a loaf pan where I was but none the less it came out really nice.

Poundcake

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter
• 3 cups white sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease one 9 round pan.
   
2. Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar.
   
4. Mix in the eggs, one at time, beating well after each addition.
   
5. Stir in the lemon and the vanilla extract.
   
6. Gently mix in flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 90 minutes.
   
8. Do not open oven door until after one hour. When cake begins to pull away from the side of the pan it is done. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Rhubarb- Strawberry Compote

Ingredients

• 2 pounds strawberries, halved if large
• 1 pound rhubarb, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 3/4 teaspoon grated lime peel

Instructions

1. Place 1 1/2 pounds strawberries and rhubarb in medium pot.
2. Mix in sugar, ginger, lime juice, and peel
3. Cook over high heat until sugar dissolves, stirring often
4. Boil 4 minutes, and be sure to stir consistently
5. Reduce heat to medium
6. Simmer just until rhubarb is beginning to fall apart, about 3 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and add in remaining strawberries.
8. Chill until cold. (I did this the day before so the flavors had more time to sit.)

Traditional Sweet Cherry Pie

For a memorial day get together I ran to whole foods to pick up some last minute ingredients and I saw bing cherries that were perfectly in season. They just looked so good I wanted to keep as much of the natural flavor as possible. I had originally prepared to do a lattice but then I was just inspired, and my friend Amy had a star cookie cutter and so it happendl

I saw this recipe on my favorite, Smitten Kitchen and made just a few very small changes.

Ingredients:

• I used this dough recipe from SK
• 4 cups pitted fresh cherries
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2/3  cup brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small bits
• 1 egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons water
• Coarse sugar, for decoration

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Stir together the cherries, cornstarch, sugar, salt, lemon and almond extract gently together in a large bowl.
3. Roll out half of chilled dough on a floured work surface to 13-inch round. Gently place it in 9-inch pie pan, trim edges evenly around the pie dish
4. Spread filling into pie crust, discarding the extra liquid in the bowl. Place bits of cold butter in the filling. 
5. Roll out the remaining dough leaving about double as thick as the bottom crust and cut out stars with cookie cutter.  Place around the top ensuring all the edges of the stars are touching each other. 
6. Brush the egg wash over over pie crust, then sprinkle with coarse sugar
7. Bake the pie in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes.
8. Reduce the temperature to 350°F. and bake the pie for another 25 to 30 minutes more, or until the crust is golden.
9. Let the pie cool on a rack.

My Professional Kitchen Debut - Craft Restaurant

Yesterday I spent about 7 hours helping out Executive Pastry Chef Jennifer McCoy and the Pastry department at Craft Restaurant. Well, I should say they were helping me out but either way, it was quite the experience.

When I walked in, I was really nervous. I saw Jenny right away and she brought me to the back, grabbed me a chef jacket, an apron, and hand towels. I had three hand towels on me (two dry and one wet). Then I came out and she gave me a tour. I met a TON of people, saw a bunch of equipment I’d never touched before. I’m probably going to have to relearn some of that and the names, but I remember the names of the pastry team. I spent time with Meredith the Sous- Pastry Chef, Eve and Kelsey who were on PM/Service shift and Anastacia (sp?) who was a prep chef (I think). I meant to take a photo in the chef gear but I was eager to get started and nervous, so I just forgot.

My first task was putting Streusel on the Muffins. They do a take away at the end of the night. One of Tom Colicchio signatures. (It’s his restaurant, if you didn’t know and Yes he’s a judge on Top Chef). After putting on the topping of 164 muffins, we put them in the oven and timed them for 12 minutes. Then I turned them. And then the buzzer went off. Jenny showed me how dark they should be and how light they can be. They were done and on the cooling racks they went. I forgot about them until the busers came in for service, put them in celophane bags and prepped them for the end of the night.

Then I worked on prepping the Banana sorbet. which was measuring, checking the sweetness by its fractal. I used this cool gadget that told me the number. Once I added enough simple syrup to get it to fractal 29, I had to sift the Banana into another container and that took me about 40 minutes. Yup. I felt very close to that banana after getting it into the container. Then I put tape on the container, marked what it was and the date and put it in the walk in fridge.

Then I did the passion fruit sorbet and learned how to work with Glucose. I messed up and put too much. To take it out of the container I dipped my hand in ice till it hurt and then grabbed the glucose. Such an interesting texture.

The PM staff showed up and I started working with Kelsely. I scaled a few different recipes for her. (That mean measure out all the ingredients). And then she had me chop 100 ounces of rhubarb. I weighed, washed and then proceeded to chop. Kelsey gave me two knife instructions, then Meredith and then Jenny. Oh how patient they were. I finally started to get the motion and uniform cuts. But if practice is what I wanted, that is definitely what I got. I even have a tiny blister on my hand to prove it. And I need to practice cutting this week at home. Like practice a LOT.

What I was most impressed with was how well the kitchen runs. Everyone knows what they are doing and when. The pastry team was so sweet and welcoming. And if you don’t know this restaurant, you must eat there. Everything I tasted was amazing. And believe me, I did a bit of tasting, and even more smelling. Uh, when that long haired chef took out the Potato Gratin from the ovens, I could feel the drool dribble on my chin. At the end of my day, Jenny had me try all the sorbets and ice creams. Wow, long pepper, Smoked Salt, Butter cream Rhubarb and the banana. Which after my day, I felt especially close to.

I really can’t wait to go back.

Baklava for a fun Greek Themed Dinner Party

photo credit: Nico

I went over to my friend Phil’s for a fun feast of Greek food. Everyone brought or made something from salad to lamb and I of course brought dessert. Such a fun night, from the cooking, and the drinking to the dancing and the chatting. It’s such a great way to build friendships and experiment with cultures.

I’m not in love yet with this Baklava recipe. I don’t like how the Phyllo Dough curved on the edges and was very hard to cut. BUT it did taste nice, which was great. It also took a long time for me to get it to cook accurately. There was a lot of food in a small oven which might have been the issue. I’ve not worked with Phyllo Dough before and definitely need to get use to it.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

• For the filling:
• 1 lb. walnuts, coarsely ground (ground separately from the almonds)
• 1/2 lb. almonds, coarsely ground
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

• For the syrup:
• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 10 whole cloves
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 lb. phyllo pastry sheets
• 1/2 lb. unsalted butter, melted

Instructions:

1. Mix the walnuts, almonds, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
3. Carefully remove the Phyllo roll from the plastic sleeve.
4. Cut the sheets in half to make two stacks of 9 x 12 inch sheets. To prevent drying, cover one stack with wax paper and a damp paper towel while working with the other.
5. Using a pastry brush, brush the bottom and sides of a 9 x 12 rectangular pan.
6. Layer six sheets of Phyllo making sure to brush each with melted butter.
7. Add half of the nut mixture in an even layer.
8. Flatten with a spatula
9. Continue layering another 6 sheets of phyllo. Add the remaining nut mixture in an even layer.
10. Top with the remaining phyllo sheets.
11. Before baking, score the top layer of phyllo . Place in the freezer for 30 seconds and it will make it easier to score.
12. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until the phyllo turns a rich golden color.
13. Prepare the Syrup While the Baklava is Baking:
14. In a medium saucepan, combine the water and the sugar and mix well. Add the cloves and simmer over medium high heat for about 20 minutes. You want the syrup to be slightly thickened.
15. Remove from the heat and discard the cloves.
16. Stir in the juice of half a lemon. Allow the syrup to cool slightly.
17. When the baklava is out of the oven and still warm, ladle the syrup carefully into the pan.
18. Baklava can be refrigerated or stored at room temperature.

Blueberry Lavender Blondies for a dinner party

I made these Blueberry Crumb Blondies for a friends welcome home dinner party. It was a really easy recipe and people really seemed to like them. It was especially good cause it wasn’t too sweet, and went nice after a rich dinner.

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Zest and juice of one lemon
• 4 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup lavender sugar
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and liberally grease a 9×13 inch pan.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder.
3. Mix in salt and lemon zest.
4. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough should remain crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.
5. In another slightly larger bowl, stir together the lavender sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice.
6. Gently mix in the blueberries.
7. Place the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown.
9. Wait till it is completely cool before cutting. Took about an hour or so to cool.