Dessert Extravanga 2010

December 10, 2010

What I enjoy most about hosting a dessert party is I am free to bake a variety of desserts.  I don't experiment with a lot of new recipes since I need stuff that actually turns out well and, depending on who's coming, I also like to make things I know my guests will like and maybe even asked for specifically.  New recipes are higher risk in case something goes awry and they're not fit to be served.

During my dessert party, one of my friends, Cheryl, asked if I made my favorite desserts for the party.  Yes and no.  Yes because I am naturally going to make the stuff I like.  But also no because I don't really have a particular favorite.  I like sugar in all forms almost equally.  But there are a couple of guiding principles I use when it comes to baking for a crowd.

First is to offer a variety of flavors that your guests will like, likely have had before and would want again.  When you have a bunch of different people with different tastes, there almost always isn't one universal crowd pleaser and that's okay.  I like it better when some people favor one thing and others favor different things.  Then every dessert gets a chance.  When I baked for my party, I had chocolate (of course), pumpkin, cream cheese, pecans, dulce de leche, and red velvet flavors.  A little something for everyone.  The most notable thing I skipped this year though were lemon bars.  I had planned on them but just ran out of steam.

Second guiding principle is whenever you offer a variety of desserts, make them bite-sized  It's nice for people to be able to sample as many different things as they want and they can do this more comfortably if not every choice was super-sized.  When I was in culinary school and we were always able to sample everything we made, Chris, one of my classmates, would refrain from items that came in larger portions because "it was too much of a commitment".  So true.  If you commit to a full-size cupcake, for instance, there's less room for the truffles, brownies, cookie, petit four, etc.  I tend to follow the moderation rule in portion sizes when I do a dessert bar - my only exception this year was jumbo chocolate chip cookies (more on that later).

Third guiding principle that helps shape my menu is the right combination of what I can make up ahead of time and what needs to be done at the last minute.  Some last-minute things are unavoidable but you don't want too many of those or you'll be exhausted and frazzled before the first guest arrives.  My do aheads are mostly making up cookie doughs that just need to be baked the day of the party.  This year, that list included:

Russian Tea Cakes (new recipe)
Chocolate Chip Cookies (new recipe)
Cocoa Kiss Cookies
Pecan Shortbread

The make-the-day-of list was:
Black Bottom Brownies (new recipe)
Red Velvet Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Pumpkin Cookie Cakes
Peanut Butter & Chocolate Kiss Cookies
Butter Toffee Crunch Shortbread

I also did a chocolate fondue so I made rice krispie treats and sliced bananas for dipping.  The dessert bar "after" picture

And to keep my guests from becoming completely sick on sugar, I did a few savories as well.  Lumpia that my mom made for me ahead of time that I fried that night:

 

I also bought a few packs of savory appetizers from Trader Joe's and Target: mini quiches, puff pastry cheese puff thingies (forgot what they were called but they tasted good) and little pigs in a blanket (not pictured)

 

My weakest point was probably drinks.  I don't drink alcohol and wouldn't know what to serve if anyone did drink.  I had water, sodas and hot tea (sorry, coffee drinkers, no coffee either).  But fortunately, my friends are pretty forgiving on that score and everyone seemed to have a good time.  As I advertised beforehand, whatever they didn't eat during the party, they took home with them.  I'm a believer in the doggie bag.  In this case, I had Christmas-themed ziploc bags and paper plates ready to bag up the take-home treats.  Have to end the evening on a high note.

Hosting a dessert party

Every other year, I host a holiday dessert party at my house.  Okay, this is only the 2nd time I've done it and the first time was 2 years ago but it's my intent to keep having these every two years.  Why every two and not annually?  Mostly because I only go all out with Christmas decorating every other year so that's when it makes the most sense to have people over.  If you saw the plethora of decorations I put up (and take down), you'd know why it's not an annual effort.

In any case, I thought I'd write about what it takes to host a dessert party and some tips and tricks that might be useful for anyone else.  I'm also looking for helpful hints if anyone's got any.  Entertaining doesn't come easily to me.  I like having people over but I don't like hordes of people over.  To me, a successful party isn't standing room only but having just enough people that you can actually talk to everyone and have real conversations.  Meaningless small talk is torture.  I like real interactions.  I also don't cook, don't drink and am not equipped for having more than 8 people over if I want to serve a real sit-down dinner. So I don't do it.  Instead, I play to my strengths and host a dessert party.  That I can do.

First rule of thumb when having people over to eat: don't give your guests food poisoning.  That sounds funny but I bring it up only to emphasize the importance of having a clean kitchen and following proper food safety guidelines.  The last thing you want someone to do is walk away from your party feeling sick from more than just overindulging.  If you invited them, one would hope you'd like them well enough to keep them healthy.  In practical terms this means using fresh ingredients and nothing beyond the expiration date.  I've mentioned before about having to bake something because I wanted to use up an ingredient (milk, buttermilk, etc) before it expires.  Never use old ingredients!  Fortunately I bake so often and so much that ingredients don't last long in my fridge or pantry, as evidenced by my frequent trips to Costco to load up on butter, sugar, eggs and so on.  

Second rule, which also plays into the first one, is clean as you go.  Not only does it lessen the work later on but you also decrease the risk of any cross contamination and a bigger mess as you bake.  Wipe the counters often - the last thing you want when you're busy baking is inadvertently setting a baking pan on a messy sticky counter, having that stick to the underside of your pan which you then put in the oven and next thing you know you're having to scrub both the pan and the oven because of the transference.  Save yourself the headache and clean up as soon as something spills.

Third, plan ahead - figure out what you want to make ahead of time, get your ingredient shopping done and make up what you can ahead of time.  I have to admit, this time around, I was a little less prepared.  I was still busy with work, other holiday parties as an attendee, and with holiday stuff in general.  Not to mention I kept changing my mind as to what to make for the party.  But I've been baking long enough that I knew generally what ingredients I needed to stock up on and what types of things to make.  I don't believe in baking anything before the day of the party because I believe in maximum freshness. I'm not serving my friends day old desserts!  But I did make up cookie doughs and put them in the freezer a few days prior so they only have to be baked ahead of time.

One tip that really helps me prepare for the dessert party: on the morning of the party, I set up all my serving dishes where I wanted to have them on my breakfast bar and how I wanted to arrange them.  Then I put slips of paper with whatever I was going to make that was going on that particular serving dish.  That not only helped me decide exactly what I was going to make but also kept me on track throughout the day on what I had already done and still needed to do.  As each thing got made and put in its serving dish, I threw the slip of paper away and kept checking to see what was left to do.  It worked beautifully to keep me on track.

 

This is the "before" picture.  The "after" picture - to be continued....

Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies - made December 5, 2010 from Martha Stewart Cookies (book #21)

Up until last month, I'd never had a whoopie pie.  I knew what they were - cakey cookies sandwiched with filling - but I'd never made them before.  Maybe it was because I didn't think cookies should be cakey.  We all know how I feel about that subject.  Maybe because I thought the name was silly - it's a pie?  It's a cookie?  It's whoopie?  Okay, I get odd notions sometimes.  In any case, whoopie pies were not in my every day baking arsenal.

However, last month, I made the Spiced Pumpkin Cookie Cakes which were essentially pumpkin whoopie pies.  Those turned out pretty well so I was a bit more broad-minded when I saw this recipe for peanut butter whoopie pies from Martha Stewart's Cookies book.  It was the same concept - cakey chocolate "cookies" with peanut butter filling.  The main selling point though was it used 2 cups of buttermilk and I had a pint to use up this week before the expiration date so it seemed like a good opportunity to make whoopie (yeah, you know I had to get a bad pun in)....pies.

These turned out really well.  The batter is softer than a cookie dough but more firm than cake or brownie batter.  I used two spoons to shape the blob of cookie dough/batter back and forth before dropping onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.  I made the blobs fairly smooth and they smoothed out even further and baked into thick, puffy cookie-like shapes.  I wouldn't call them cookies though since they had the texture and softness of a little cake.  Definitely only bake these for 8 minutes as that's long enough to give them a nice, moist texture without being raw or dry.  I only made half the peanut butter filling recipe since I tend to go light on fillings and knew a full recipe would be too much.  I ended up a little short but I sandwiched the remaining cookies with dulce de leche that my friend Jenny brought back for me from South America.  Heaven.  Instead of cookies or "pie", think of these as little chocolate cakes sandwiched with peanut butter filling.  Regardless of the nomenclature, they go down really well and look nice too.

Cookies

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder (I used 1 cup Pernigotti cocoa and ½ cup Hershey’s cocoa)

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups buttermilk, room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Filling

1 1/3 cup natural creamy peanut butter

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar

Coarse salt, optional

1.        Preheat oven to 400˚F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, buttermilk and vanilla.  Beat until well combined.  On low speed, slowly add dry ingredients, mix until combined.

2.       Drop 1 ½ tablespoons of batter onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.  Bake until set, about 8 minutes, rotating halfway through.  Do not overbake.  Cool completely on a wire rack.

3.       Make filling: With an electric mixer, beat peanut butter and butter on high speed until smooth.  Reduce speed to low.  Add confectioners’ sugar; mix until combined.  Raise speed to high and mix until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes.  Season with salt, if desired.

4.       Assemble cookies: spread 1 heaping tablespoon filling on the flat side of 1 cookie.  Sandwich with another cookie.  Repeat with remaining cookies and filling.  Cookies can be refrigerated in single layers in airtight containers up to 3 days.  Bring to room temperature before serving.

Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal Cookies - made December 5, 2010 from The Village Baker's Wife by Gayle & Joe Ortiz (book #20)

There are days when I love a good oatmeal chocolate chip cookie even better than a regular chocolate chip cookie.  Surprising since I consider a warm chocolate chip cookie one of my top 10 favorite comfort foods and desserts.  But, alas, you can't always eat a cookie when it's warm (it has to cool off sometime) and at room temp, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies get a slight edge, probably because a good cookie will have a more chewy texture.  Not to mention I feel (falsely) virtuous eating an oatmeal cookie - it's got oats after all.  Conveniently ignoring the sugar, butter, flour and chocolate chips, why, it's practically healthy.

The first thing I look for in a good oatmeal cookie recipe is that it has to have more oatmeal than flour.  If it doesn't, then it's just a cookie with oatmeal in it but it's not an oatmeal cookie.  Let's not even pretend about that. The second thing I check for is what spices are added to it.  Cinnamon and only cinnamon is my preference.  A pinch of nutmeg I can maybe flex on but otherwise, I don't like overspiced cookies with too many competing flavors.  It's an oatmeal cookie and you should be able to taste the oatmeal.  Lastly, I always substitute chocolate chips for the raisins.  I'm opposed to raisins.  Sorry, raisin lovers, but they're grapes gone wrong. The funny thing is, I love grapes.  I just don't like raisins.

In any case, this is a good oatmeal cookie recipe from The Village Baker's Wife cookbook.  This cookbook is from Gayle's Bakery in Capitola, CA.  I've had the good fortune to be able to go to that bakery whenever I visit my friend Jeannie who used to live a few blocks from Gayle's.  Capitola is also where the annual Wharf to Wharf 10K race ended up (you start in Santa Cruz and end in Capitola) and there's nothing like stopping off at Gayle's to load up on baked goods after you've run a 10K. My favorite at Gayle's is their "downtowner" which is a flaky pastry sprinkled with cinnamon sugar - yum.  I've never tried their oatmeal cookie so I decided to check out their recipe.  I used the convection setting on my oven and baked from frozen cookie dough and was pleased with how these turned out.  They didn't spread too much so they were thick and I baked them long enough to get the edges nice and crisp while the middles were chewy and moist.  I don't advocate really underbaking these since you want to bake them long enough to get the crisp edges but if you do underbake them, they'll still taste good, almost like an oatmeal muffin or scone in texture.  I prefer to bake them just long enough to get the crisp texture for most of the cookie but still have them be chewy enough because of the oatmeal in them.

1 cup (8 ounces) butter, at room temperature

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 ¼ cups firmly packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon baking soda

3 ½ cups rolled oats (quick-cooking or regular)

1 ¼ cups raisins, soaked and drained (I substituted chocolate chips)

1.        Preheat the oven to 350˚F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.       In the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cram the butter and sugars.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing the first one in before adding the second.  Mix in the vanilla.

3.       In a separate bowl, combine the cinnamon, flour, salt and baking soda.  Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix just until incorporated.  Add the oats and raisins (or chocolate chips) until incorporated but don’t overmix.

4.       Drop by 2 tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.  Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown and still soft when gently pressed.

Totally Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Totally Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies - made December 5, 2010 from Big Fat Cookies by Elinor Klivans (book #19)

Sometimes a good chocolate chocolate chip cookie is hard to make, even harder than a regular chocolate chip cookie.  So much of their flavor and texture depends on the type of chocolate that goes into making them chocolate cookies.  Some chocolate cookies are like brownies in cookie form as they're so fudgy.  Others really are like chocolate chip cookies but are chocolate instead of brown sugar butter cookies.  I tried out this recipe from Big Fat Cookies and really liked it.  I used Pernigotti cocoa to get that rich, dark chocolate taste and they came out with crisp edges (once you let them cool) and the middles are wells of near-molten chocolate goodness.

Chocolate cookies are one of the few things I consciously try to time in the oven since you can't really go by how brown the edges are to see if they're done because - hello - the whole cookie is "brown" even before you bake them.  If you do forget how long they've been in there (which I've been known to do too often), you can also go by appearance.  The cookies should appear dry on top, or at least not look like they're still wet batter.  The good thing with chocolate cookies is it's also okay to underbake them since they'll set once the chocolate cools.  They do have a tendency to be a bit more fragile than your typical cookie, especially if underbaked, but they'll taste better underbaked than overbaked.  Just let them cool enough so the cookie stays whole when you lift it up from the baking pan - probably at least 10 minutes.  Which is how long you should give any cookie before you start chomping.

Despite how fabulous these are, regretfully, I can't recommend them for sending in care packages.  They'll crumble if your mailing box is handled roughly.  It won't affect the taste but still, it's a bit disappointing to your recipient to get a box of cookie crumbs.  So save them to enjoy at home and with your nearby friends.

2 2/3 cups (16 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

¼ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, slightly softened

½ cup packed light brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 large cold egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.        Position a rack in the middle of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 325˚F.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.       Melt 2/3 cup of the chocolate chips in the top half of a double boiler over barely simmering water.  Stir until melted and smooth.  Set aside to cool slightly.  You want it cool enough not to melt the butter mixture you’ll add it to later but not so cool that it hardens again.

3.       Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.  In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smoothly blended, about 1 minute.  Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing.  On low speed, mix in the melted chocolate chips until blended.  Add the egg and vanilla, mixing until blended, about 1 minute.  Add the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated.  Mix in the remaining 2 cups chocolate chips.

4.       Using an ice cream scoop or measuring cup with ¼-cup capacity, scoops mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies 3 inches apart.

5.       Bake the cookies until they crack slightly on top and a toothpick inserted in the center of a cookie comes out with moist crumbs, not wet batter, about 18 minutes.  Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

6.       The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Lemon Poppyseed Bread

Lemon Poppyseed Bread - made December 3, 2010 from Afternoon Delights by James McNair (book #18)

When I was in culinary school, James McNair, the cookbook author, came to promote his then-newly released cookbook, Afternoon Delights.  He did a baking demonstration and made one of the brownie recipes from his book and afterwards signed copies of his new book for us.  I think that's what introduced me to getting my cookbooks signed by the author.  It's not something I actively pursue since I have way too many baking books to make that practical but when the opportunity presents itself, I like getting a copy signed by the author and being able to tell him or her if I liked a particular recipe from their book or thank them for doing what they do. Either way, it's a nice memory to have, especially as I use their cookbooks over and over again.  Someday, if I can ever get to a cookbook signing by Lisa Yockelson, I'm going to be the biggest groupie around.

This is a nice afternoon tea bread, i.e. if you need something to serve at an afternoon tea or picnic, this makes a good choice.  It's tart and lemony, especially with the glaze and has a firm texture so it's not too delicate.  I've always liked the lemon and poppyseed combination.  The glaze does make it a bit sticky but it adds a great lemon flavor so don't skimp on it.  Note that you do have to plan a little ahead and soak the poppyseeds in the buttermilk for at least an hour before you mix up the rest of the ingredients and bake the bread.  I broke this up into mini loaf pans so I could give away smaller loaves as part of my Christmas gift giveaways.

1 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt (not fat free)

¼ cup poppy seeds

Solid vegetable shortening, at room temperature, for greasing (I just use nonstick cooking spray)

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2 tablespoons finely grated or minced fresh lemon zest

1 tablespoon pure lemon extract

Lemon glaze

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1.  In a bowl, combine the buttermilk and poppy seeds and let stand for about 1 hour to soften the seeds.
2. Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.   Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with shortening (or spray with nonstick cooking spray). 
3. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Whisk to mix well and set aside.
4. In another bowl, combine the butter, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, lemon extract, and buttermilk-poppyseed mixture and mix until well blended.  Add the flour mixture, about 1 cup at a time, and mix gently just untol incorporated.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
5. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. 
6. To make the glaze: in a small saucepan, combine the sugar and lemon juice.  Place over medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Remove from the heat and set aside.
7. When the bread is done, remove the pan to a wire rack.  Pierce the top of the bread all over with a toothpick or wooden skewer.  Using a pastry brush, brush the glaze all over the top of the bread until absorbed.  Set aside to cool completely.
8. Wrap the bread tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature overnight for better flavor and easier slicing or up to 1 week.

Molten Chocolate Babycakes

Molten Chocolate Babycakes - made December 2, 2010 from How to be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson (book #17)

I’d blogged some time ago how I was always asked by my sister for lava cake as a dessert and I’ve tried different recipes each time as I didn’t feel like I’d found a good one yet.  Some were too rich, some didn’t bake properly, some were “just okay” in taste or texture.  Thanks to Nigella Lawson, I might’ve found a keeper.  This one is rich but has good flavor and texture and is perfect in small doses, complemented by vanilla ice cream.  It was easy to make and I made it up ahead of time since I needed it for dessert after dinner with friends.  Because it was chilled, rather than relying on baking it longer in the oven as the original recipe recommended (something I’ve tried in the past and, depending on the recipe, ended up overcooking it or not cooking it enough so that the outside was done but the inside was still cold batter!), I actually put each ramekin in the microwave for 20 seconds to take the chill off before I put them into the preheated oven.  That seemed to work pretty well.  They weren’t quite molten so I probably left them in the oven a minute too long but were still soft and good, especially when topped with vanilla ice cream.  I would advise making this in small ramekins and cutting the baking time by 3-4 minutes, depending on the size of your ramekins.

And of course, what’s always critical in any recipe with such a high proportion of chocolate is to use the good stuff.  I used Ghirardelli 60% cacao for this one and they turned out pretty well.  I imagine they would be even better with Lindt or Valrhona at a higher cacao content.  If you’re having people over for dinner and/or dessert, this is a perfect make-ahead dessert with little fuss.  You can make the batter a day or two ahead and keep them chilled and covered already in their ramekins. The original recipe calls for upending the cakes and plating them when they come out of the oven but I rely on serving in the ramekins topped with ice cream.  The less a warm chocolate cake is handled, the better.  Let yourself or your guests enjoy plunging that spoon through the ice cream to get down to the warm, molten cake.  I’ve never had anyone complain that they had to eat out of the ramekin than on a dessert plate.

Scant ¼ cup soft unsalted butter plus more for greasing

12 ounces best bittersweet chocolate

½ cup sugar

4 large eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

6 individual 6-ounce custard cups, buttered

1.       Unless you are making these up in advance, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2.       Melt the chocolate and let it cool slightly.  Cream together the butter and sugar, and gradually beat in the eggs and salt, then the vanilla.  Add the flour, and when all is smoothly combined, scrape in the cooled chocolate, blending it to a smooth batter.

3.       Divide the batter between the 6 custard cups, arrange on a baking sheet and place in the preheated oven.  Cook for 10-12 minutes.  Let cool slightly then top with vanilla ice cream.

Serves 6

ETA: I don't know why my pics are coming out so dark.  I switched to a new camera that focuses on closeups better and I take the pics with as much light as possible and they come out all right on my computer but when I upload to my blog, they become darker.  Huh.

Pumpkin "Bars" with Cream Cheese Icing

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Icing - made November 30, 2010 from More from Magnolia Bakery (book #16)

I love Magnolia Bakery.  They're based in New York and are famous for their cupcakes but ironically it was their brownies I liked best when I tried them in Manhattan several years ago.  Since then I've bought both their cookbooks as well as the Buttercup Bake Shop cookbook (same owners).  The recipes I've tried from all 3 cookbooks have pretty much always turned out so I had high confidence in this one.  That confidence wasn't misplaced.  This is a perfect dessert to bring to a potluck or any kind of gathering.  It bakes in a 9 x 13 pan so you'll have enough for a crowd and is very simple to make.  I think it took longer for my oven to preheat than for me to mix this together so if you're pressed for time this holiday season, this is a good option.

I wouldn't call them "bars" as much as I would call this a pumpkin cake, simply because the texture is all cake and isn't dense like you'd expect a bar cookie to be.  I omitted the pecans, of course, but if you want to dress it up a little, you could always add on cooled toasted pecans as a garnish to the frosting.  If you wanted to go a little fancier, make in 2 8-inch cake layers and frost with the cream cheese frosting then garnish with pecans.  Regardless of the shape and look, it tastes good, especially if you like the pumpkin-cinnamon-cream cheese flavor combination.

 

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ¼ cups canned pumpkin puree

1 ¼ cups sugar

¾ cup vegetable oil, preferably canola

3 large eggs, at room temperature

½ cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans (optional)

½ recipe Cream Cheese Icing

½ cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans for garnish

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.       Grease and lightly flour a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

3.       In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

4.       In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the pumpkin, sugar, oil and eggs until smooth, about 3 minutes.  Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Stir in the pecans, if using.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the pan comes out clean.

5.       Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before icing the top with cream cheese icing.  Garnish with pecans as desired.

 

Cream Cheese Icing (make only half the recipe for the cake)

16 ounces cream cheese

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

5 cups confectioners’ sugar

1. Combine butter and cream cheese and beat until smooth.  Add vanilla.  Add confectioners’ sugar gradually until desired consistency.

Caramel-Glazed Blondies

Caramel-Glazed Blondies - made November 29, 2010 from Cookies, Brownies & Bars by Elinor Klivans (book #15)

I normally don't like blondies.  To me they're usually wannabe brownies that missed the mark because they didn't add chocolate to themselves.  And the typical blondie is generally cakey but isn't a cake. If you want to be cakey, be a cake.  That's my prejudice against blondies.  However, I'm so glad I tried this recipe from Elinor Klivans because she blasted every prejudice I had against blondies.  These are good.  I'm talking flavor, texture, everything.  As in my usual taste test piece turned into 2 taste test pieces because the first piece was so good I had to have another (which I don't normally do).  The flavor itself is good - it's got a nice butterscotch flavor from the brown sugar and the caramel complements it nicely.  But it was the texture that sold me.  It wasn't cakey but would be fudgy if I could describe something non-chocolate as fudgy.  It was dense like a brownie but didn't pretend to be a cake by trying to be cakey.  It's hard to explain but this gets the thumbs up from me based on both flavor and texture.  One of my coworkers described it as "melt in your mouth".  I think that's pretty accurate.

I did "cheat" and use the last of my dulce de leche from South America instead of making the caramel from scratch (hey, it was getting late and I had to work the next day).  The only thing I would do differently next time (and there will be a next time) is instead of layering the caramel/dulce de leche on top all over the blondie, I would drizzle it so that it doesn't cover it completely.  That way the blondie isn't so overwhelmed by the "caramel".  The brown sugar/butterscotch flavor needs to stand on its own as it's a good flavor.  The only drawback to these blondies is with the caramel on top, they're a little difficult to cut cleanly as the caramel clings to the knife and you can't stack them or package them in plastic wrap very well.  But those are minor prices to pay for an awesome blondie.

½ cup unsalted butter

1 ½ cups brown sugar, firmly packed

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Caramel Glaze

¼ cup unsalted butter

½ cup heavy whipping cream

¾ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

1.        Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325˚F.  Line the bottom and sides of a 9 x 9 x 2” baking pan with aluminum foil.  Butter the foil or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2.       For the blondies: in a saucepan, combine the butter and brown sugar.  Warm over medium heat, stirring often, until melted and smooth.  Scrape into a large bowl and let cool slightly.  In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.  Add the eggs and vanilla to the butter-brown sugar mixture and mix until smooth.  Add the flour mixture and stir just until incorporated.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 20 to 25 minutes (this took almost 30 minutes in my oven).  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool until room temperature, about 1 hour.

3.       To make the glaze: in a saucepan, combine the butter, cream and brown sugar.  Warm over medium heat, stirring constantly, until melted.  Increase the heat to medium-high and boil for 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.  Let cool.  Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a bowl, then whisk in the cooled brown sugar mixture to make a smooth glaze.  Spread the glaze evenly over the cooled blondie, still in the pan.  Let stand until set, about 30 minutes.

4.       Lift the brownies out of the pan using the foil as handles and cut into squares.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.


 

Spaghetti Carbonara

Spaghetti Carbonara - made November 28, 2010

We interrupt this baking blog to post a recipe for “real” food.  Sort of real anyway.  I got this recipe from the coupon section of the Sunday newspaper a couple of weeks ago.  I clipped out just the recipe so I don’t remember the ad but I assume it was for Classico pasta sauce since that’s what’s specified in the recipe.  I love carbonara and simple pasta dishes are one of the few things I can make so this seemed like a good recipe to try.  I did my usual substitutions and modifications though – for one thing, I omitted the shallots because I didn’t know what they were and didn’t want to hunt for them in the produce section.  I assume they’re an onion-like thing so I was fine skipping them since I’m not fond of onions.  I also swapped in turkey bacon for the pancetta.  I like pancetta but bacon is easier to find and I like turkey bacon better than bacon bacon – less fat.  Instead of Parmesan cheese, I substituted a mix of 6 grated cheeses.  For no other reason than the bag of that was cheaper by 50% than the parmesan and cheese is cheese once you melt it into the pasta sauce (I can picture foodies shuddering at my heresy – sorry).  I also used whole wheat thin spaghetti noodles to add a little more fiber in.  Clearly I’m more comfortable making wild substitutions when I’m cooking real food than I am when I’m baking.

Despite all my machinations, the recipe turned out okay.  The trick with carbonara is you have to keep the pasta noodles hot since tossing it with the egg mixture is what cooks the eggs.  But you don’t want to cook the eggs as in scrambled eggs so much as you want to thicken them into a sauce and heat them enough to kill any bacteria.  The eggs/alfredo pasta sauce mixture didn’t have a lot of flavor.  I don’t know whether it was because the jar of pasta sauce didn’t have much flavor to start with or if that’s what I missed out on by not adding the shallots.  For my bland taste buds, this was okay but I have to admit I prefer Donna Hay’s carbonara recipe for real carbonara, even in all its full-fat glory.

1 package (16 ozs) spaghetti pasta

1 jar (15 ozs) Classico Light Cream Alfredo Pasta Sauce, or about 2 cups

4 eggs, beaten

½ lb thinly sliced pancetta, or about 24 slices (I used turkey bacon)

2 large shallots, chopped or about 1 cup

2 teaspoons minced garlic

½ cup dry white wine

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions and drain, reserving about ¼ cup of pasta water.  Return pasta to pot and cover to keep warm.  In a medium bowl, whisk together pasta sauce and eggs, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, brown pancetta for 3 to 4 minutes, or until crisp, turning occasionally.  Place pancetta on paper towels and coarsely crumble or chop, reserving drippings.
3. In the same skillet with reserved dripping, over medium high heat, cook shallots and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in wine and cook for another minute.  Remove skillet from heat.
4. Return pasta pot to stovetop over low heat.  Add shallot mixture to warm pasta and lightly toss with tongs.  Slowly add pasta sauce mixture, a little at a time, tossing pasta frequently to prevent eggs from scrambling.  Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, or until sauce is cooked through and thickened.  Add reserved hot pasta water if needed to thin sauce to desired consistency.  Add cheese, parsley and pancetta crumbles, and cook for another minute, stirring frequently.  Season with salt and pepper to taste if desired.  Serve immediately.