Another Baking Book Giveaway

EDITING because I got the voting end date wrong

Please vote for a good cause!

I'm doing another slightly different post from the norm to ask for your help and to offer free cookbooks in exchange.  I blogged earlier this year about my 3-week trip to Australia and New Zealand.  On the trip, I met an extremely nice couple, Eileen and Dick, who were wonderful people to tour with and just wonderful people in general.  Sadly, Eileen and Dick's grandson, Trey, was killed over a year ago by a drunk driver.  Trey was only 6 years old.  I don't have kids but I don't need to be a parent or a grandparent to know what a devastating loss it is for someone to lose their child.  Trey's family is coping with their grief and loss by trying to build a "field of dreams" in Trey's memory and they are in the running for a $50,000 grant from Pepsi to add to their fundraising efforts.  They're currently in 15th place but it's very competitive and they need all the votes they can get in order to win the grant.  There are only 10 voting days left.

I need your help!  Please click on the link below to vote for Trey's Field of Dreams so his family can get the Pepsi grant.  Voting ends on September 30 so I will draw winners on October 1.  http://www.refresheverything.com/trey

Here's how to enter the giveaway (you can do either or both):
1. vote through the link and leave me a comment in this post that you voted.  You can either login via facebook if you have a facebook account or you can register an email with Pepsi and vote (you don't need to be on facebook to vote, you just need an email address).  You can vote once a day and leave me a comment every day that you voted.  Every vote is one entry.  Make sure when you do vote that you login and click vote.  Your vote is recorded when you get the "Thanks" message (just logging in is not voting).
2. Email me power vote codes that come under specially marked Pepsi bottles (it's on the underside of the bottlecaps).  Each power vote code is worth 5 entries in the giveaway.  Email is pastrychef17@gmail.com.

I will give away 2 baking books from the list pictured below.  First prize goes to the person who sends me the most power vote codes.  That person gets first choice of TWO cookbooks from the list below.  Second prize is a random drawing from all the people who emailed me power vote codes and left comments saying they voted.  Second prize winner will be able to pick one cookbook from the list below after the first prize winner has picked.  Drawing will be held on October 4.

Thank you for helping out a worthy cause in memory of a little boy who was taken too soon from his family and friends.  Please pass the word along as much as you can and get others to vote as well.  Every vote really does count and I know Trey's family appreciates each and every one.

http://www.refresheverything.com/trey

List of baking books in the giveaway - click on the link to see more information about each book
Cocolat by Alice Medrich
Indulge by Claire Clark
The Art of Chocolate by Elaine Gonzalez
Grand Finales: The Art of the Plated Dessert by Tish Boyle and Timothy Moriarty (has a little wear)
Perfect Pastry by Nick Malgieri
Elegantly Easy Creme Brulee & Other Custard Desserts by Debbie Puente
Shortbread by Jann Johnson
Christmas Cookies from the Whimsical Bakehouse by Kaye Hansen and Liv Hansen
Chocolate Companion by Cynthia Shade Rogers

Care Packages for College Students

This post is going to be a little different from the norm since I haven't had time to bake lately so I don't have any new recipes or baking experiments to blog about.  But I've been meaning to write this one for a few weeks to talk about care packages again.  But this is aimed at those of you who've sent kids off to college.  I've mentioned my nieces have started at different colleges this year so that naturally kicks in my need to send them care packages. 

Baked goods, of course, go into the care packages and I choose the ones they like that will ship well.  But I didn't want to send just brownies or bar cookies.  I wanted to also send fun stuff or useful stuff or both.  What makes a care package "useful" for a college student might be different than a care package sent to a non-student.  For one thing, if they live in the dorms, you know space is a premium so you can't send really big stuff that'll take up space.  You also have to be mindful if they have a microwave or a small refrigerator in their room or not as that affects food choices.  And college students tend to move every year so you don't want to send them something fragile, cumbersome or  what they'll never use.

So what can you send?  I had to think back to my own college days to try and remember what I would've liked at their age.  I also tapped my friends' knowledge and experience and they helped me come up with a great list of ideas, some of which I've implemented and some of which I'm holding back for future packages.  One thing I had to update is my knowledge of how far technology has come since my college days.  Quarters for laundry?  No need - now they just swipe their student IDs in the washing machines and dryers to pay for washing and drying each load.  Film for cameras?  In this day and age of cell phone cameras and digital cameras, forget it.

The key factors in my mind are the items had to be consumable, would get daily or near-daily use, be something they actually needed but didn't already have, and/or be something fun.  There's no one-size-fits-all list for everyone since the whole fun of a care package is to tailor it to the specific recipient's needs and wants.  I know a lot of my nieces' likes and dislikes so I had a lot to work with.  For their first one, I included:
- a stapler, staple remover and staples set
- packets of green ginger tea (they love tea)
- individual packets of Crystal Light (for something cold to drink since it was summer when I sent it)
- movie pack of Skittles (a favorite candy of theirs plus I didn't have to worry about it melting in summer temps like I would have with chocolate)
- highlighters
- 8 GB flash drive (for saving files from their laptop and plugging into a computer lab computer to print if they don't have a printer in their room)

In subsequent "follow ups", I also gave them each a mini LED flashlight they can keep in their purses and have handy if they're ever on campus at night, packs of microwave kettle corn, crackers and other dorm food-type snacks for when they're studying or else have to eat on the run on their way to class.  I also like to package food items in individual-sized portions so that they can share with their friends.  College and dorms are about communal living and making new friends.  Nothing like sharing treats to cement new friendships.

Other suggestions people gave me but which my nieces already had so I didn't include:

• post-it notes
• Command hooks for hanging stuff in their dorms
• Nail polish, nail polish remover, and other nail care items
• Shower caddy for carting their shower essentials from their room to the communal bathroom
• combination lock
• Robe

I'll save the rest for future care packages - I don't want to ruin all of the surprise.

Same packing tips apply as with all packages: pack carefully so that the items don't move around a lot or at all.  I used medium flat rate boxes so I didn't have to worry about weight.  Time when you send a package.  If it has something perishable in it, try sending on a Saturday or Monday so it arrives early in the week.  If you send mid-week and chance a Saturday arrival, if the dorms don't handle mail on the weekends, your package will sit there a couple of extra days until they deliver again on Monday.  I've also discovered that what I sent to one of my nieces took an extra day to be processed through campus mail.  A package I sent across the country arrived a day earlier than a package I sent to my niece in-state because of that extra processing day so now I have to plan accordingly.

Oh, and most importantly, include a handwritten card telling them how much you love them and how proud you are of them for being where they are and making the most of their opportunities.  And if your handwriting sucks like mine, cash in the same envelope is good too :).

Oreo Caramel Brownies

Brownies - made September 17, 2011 from King Arthur Flour Baking Companion (book #162)

You might remember my earlier attempt to take a simple brownie recipe and make it more decadent by having an Oreo crust for the bottom layer, covering it with a layer of caramel and putting the brownie on top of it. That attempt didn't turn out as well as I would've liked so I decided to try again to coincide with my niece's visit from college for the weekend. Then I could load her up with most of it to take back to her friends in her dorm.

This stab at brownie decadence came out better than the last time. I think I hit on the right ratio of Oreo cookie crumbs and butter - use 2/3 of a package of Oreos (the regular size package, regular Oreos, no double filling), process in the food processor until they're all crumbs, add half a stick or 4 tablespoons of melted and cooled butter and mix until you have a uniform consistency with the crumbs. Pat that into a 9 x 13 pan lined with foil sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and smooth into an even layer. Then I melted a 14-ounce package of Kraft caramel bits with a little milk. I didn't measure the milk but added enough to get a thin liquid consistency. You don't want the caramel to be too thick or too chewy when it cools.

Then I chopped up the remaining Oreos in the package, mostly because I knew if I kept them, I'd eat them all. Instead of keeping temptation around, I added the chopped up Oreos to the brownie batter and poured that on top of the cookie crust and caramel layers. Because of the two bottom layers, testing for doneness using the toothpick test is a bit tricky because if you push the toothpick straight down, it'll likely always come up too moist because it's also picking up the caramel layer. Instead, I angled the toothpick so I was mostly testing the brownie layer instead of hitting the caramel layer. These did take a bit longer to bake than I expected and a crust formed on top which I wasn't wild about since I don't like crusts on my brownies. But overall, I was much happier with this version than the last time I tried to make this combo. The brownies were fudgy without being too gooey and the caramel kept things moist. The caramel wasn't as pronounced as I expected so next time I might try adding more caramel or swirling some of it through the brownie itself as well as having a caramel layer on top of the Oreo cookie crust.

My niece took some back to share with her friends in the dorms. Their feedback after taking the first bite: "Oh. My. God." I'll take that as an endorsement, lol.

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate

12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks, 6 ounces) unsalted butter

5 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

2 ½ cups (17 ½ ounces) sugar

1 1/3 cups (5 ¾ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

Optional add-ins: nuts, chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, caramel

1.    In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter together over low heat.  Set aside to cool slightly.

2.    In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, vanilla, salt, and sugar together until light and fluffy.

3.    Preheat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch pan.

4.    Stir the flour into the chocolate and butter mixture.  Fold the chocolate batter into the egg mixture, stirring to combine.  Stir in optional ingredients, if using.

5.    Spread the batter in the pan.  For an extra-glossy top, brush with 1 tablespoon milk.  Bake the brownies for 35 minutes; the top should be crisp but a toothpick inserted in the center will come out coated with chocolate.  Remove the brownies from the oven, and let them cool for several hours before cutting into squares.

Chocolate Nutella Cookies

Chocolate Nutella Cookies - made September 10, 2011 from simplyrecipes.com written by Elise Bauer

I don't get all my recipes from my cookbooks.  There are a lot of them out on the web and when someone recommends a particular site or blog that they enjoy, I like to take a look.  I take personal recommendations, well, personally.  One of my fitness friends, Barbara, sent me the link to this site and she was actually recommending the Orange Poppyseed Cookies.  I want to try that one too but in surfing the site, I came across this recipe for Chocolate Nutella Cookies a few months ago and filed it in my "still need to make" category.  I met friends last weekend and needed cookies to include in their goodie bags so this seemed like a good time to finally try out this recipe.

You can probably guess before I even write this that I left out the hazelnuts in this recipe.  I honestly meant to include them, thinking I had hazelnuts in my freezer but in searching through its frozen depths, I found almonds, pecans, peanuts and macadamia nuts but no hazelnuts.  Um, darn.  So I simply used chocolate chips instead.  I was a little worried about the dough as it seemed a bit soft for a cookie dough and was almost more like a thick brownie batter.  Usually when cookie dough is soft, it'll spread, even if you freeze the dough beforehand, which is what I did.

This did end up spreading and I don't know if that was because I hadn't frozen the dough long enough or the butter was too soft when I mixed up the cookie dough.  In any case, although the cookies spread a bit more than I would've liked, they still turned out pretty well.  This is the one cookie I wouldn't advocate really underbaking though.  If you do, you'll end up with mostly mushy middles like the texture of nutella in the jar (although some of you may actually prefer that).  But, baked - not overbaked - properly, this has a nice chewy texture, almost like a fudgy brownie.  I prefer it at room temperature as opposed to lukewarm, 10 minutes out of the oven, like I do with most cookies, mostly because I think it has a better texture at room temperature and the nutella flavor is more pronounced.

Golden Banana Cake

Golden Banana Cake - made September 10, 2011 from Simply Sensational Desserts by Francois Payard (book #161)

Several people have recommended that I should roast bananas before using them in baking.  I always mean to because it sounds like it would be additional delicious flavor but I typically end up putting overripe bananas in the freezer to use later and when I thaw them, the bananas are mush and probably wouldn't roast well.  This time, however, I finally remembered to keep ripe bananas out and roast them before using.  These weren't super-ripe bananas like I would normally bake with but I figured roasting them would make them flavorful enough.

Hmm, not sure that ended up being a good call.  I think two things went wrong: 1) I should've used over-ripe bananas like I normally do.  The ones I used were ripe but not over-ripe.  And we all know over-ripe bananas are the best to use to bake with.  2) I don't think I roasted the bananas long enough to really let them caramelize which is the point of roasting them in the first place.  The reason I know I didn't roast them long enough is they weren't mushy enough when I took them out of the oven to mash up.  They didn't smell caramelized either, just banana-y. Bad sign.  I don't know how this recipe would've turned out if I had properly over-ripe bananas.  The texture came out okay but it wasn't fabulous.  I gave some to my parents and my mom's opinion: "this isn't very good".  Ouch.  Honest to a fault, my mom - lol!  I didn't think it was that bad.  But it did have more of the dense texture of a bread than a real cake so that probably didn't help.  If you do try this recipe, go with the ripest, blackened-skin bananas you can find. 

 1 cup (145 grams) all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of baking soda
8 tablespoons (1 stick - 113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons (20 grams) olive oil
3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar
4 large eggs
1 extra-ripe medium banana, peeled and mashed

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Dust the pan with flour, tapping out the excess.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter, olive oil and sugar at low speed. Increase the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the mashed banana. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula.
4. Bake the cake for 55 to 60 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on the rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days, 1 week refrigerated or 2 months frozen.

Individual Glazed Chocolate Buttermilk Cakes

Individual Glazed Chocolate Buttermilk Cakes - made September 10, 2011 from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle (book #160)

 

I'm always on the lookout for good chocolate cake recipes.  I want something moist throughout, including the edges, with a deep dark chocolate flavor that can be complemented by a good fudge frosting or contrasted with a vanilla or caramel frosting or glaze.  Whenever I try to make a standard 8 or 9" layer cake, I'm always just slightly dissatisfied with the results.  Either the taste is good but the texture is too light or too dense or the texture is perfect but the taste wasn't anything special.  Or I can get both taste and texture but the cake as a whole is too delicate to successfully frost, slice and present.  Something goes wrong.

So that's my long lead in to say this cake recipe is awesome!  It makes up for the Baked Fudge Pudding debacle.  Tish Boyle - and I say her name with the same reverence I say "Rose Levy Berenbaum" and "Lisa Yockelson" - does it again with a fantastic chocolate cake.  I loved the dark chocolate taste of this cake and the texture was moist and cakey but not too light or too dense.  I didn't glaze with the Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze that she recommended but instead made up my own Kahlua glaze with Kahlua, confectioners' sugar and a little milk.  My glaze didn't turn out very pretty but I preferred something less chocolaty to complement the chocolate cake.  There was just enough batter to fill 3 Bundt-lette pans so I haven't made this as a layer cake yet but I think it would be a good candidate for one the next time I do want to make a chocolate layer cake.

The other reason I really like this book is besides having fantastic recipes that are easy and straightforward to make, she includes weight measurements along with volume measurements.  Weight measurements are more accurate than volume measurements, especially with dry ingredients.  If you don't have a digital food scale, I recommend getting one for the best baking results.

1 cup (4 ounces/114 g) cake flour

½ cup (1.6 ozs/46 g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks/6 ozs/170 g) unsalted butter, softened

1 ¼ cups (8.8 ozs/250 g) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

¾ cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons Kahlua, optional

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 ounces (113 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, or ¾ cup miniature semisweet chocolate morsels

Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

3 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.   Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350⁰F.  Generously grease the molds of a 6-cake Bundtlette pan.  Dust the molds with flour.

2.   Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.  Whisk to combine, and set aside.

3.   In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until very creamy, about 2 minutes.  Gradually beat in the sugar, increase the speed to medium-high, and beat until the mixture is well blended and light, about 3 minutes.  At medium speed, beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

4.   In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk, Kahlua (if using), and vanilla extract.  At low speed, add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk mixture in two additions and mixing just until blended.  Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and stir in the finely chopped chocolate or semisweet morsels.  Scrape the batter into the prepared cake molds, dividing it evenly and smoothing the tops. 

5.   Bake the cakes for 25 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean.  Cool the cakes in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

6.   Invert the cakes onto the rack and cool completely.

7.   Make the glaze: Place the chocolate in the bowl of a food processor and process just until finely ground.

8.   In a small processor, bring the cream to a boil.  Remove from the heat and add the chocolate to the pan.  Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the glaze is smooth.  Stir in the vanilla extract.  Transfer the glaze to a small bowl.  Cover the surface of the glaze with a piece of plastic wrap and let cool for about 10 minutes before using.

Deep Dark Brownies

Deep Dark Brownies - made September 9, 2011 from Chocolate Bar by Matt Lewis and Alison Nelson (book #159)

 

I'm not sure I even remember when and where I got this cookbook or even why.  Probably because it had chocolate in the title and/or it was on sale and my Pavlovian response to either stimulus is to buy it.  I flipped through it for my baking challenge and nothing really caught my eye to try so I defaulted to the brownie recipe.  Turns out this brownie was well worth the $5 or $6 I paid for this cookbook even if I never try another recipe from it again.

This brownie has exactly the kind of texture I like - it's dense and fudgy but not overly mushy or underdone.  It's definitely not cakey and the chocolate is a dark chocolate taste, not overly sweet.  You can do almost any kind of add-in besides or in addition to chocolate chips since the texture can support it.  Plus it's easy to make.  Whenever I say that, I have friends roll their eyes and tell me "my brownies never turn out like yours."  I'm trying not to keep being baffled by that.  Brownies are so easy to make.  There isn't a magic formula to them but I'll tell you the number one mistake I think people make with brownies is they overbake them.  We're conditioned to "bake until done".  But "done" with a brownie is different than done with a cake or a cookie.  You know a brownie is done when a toothpick comes out clean at the corners but with a few moist crumbs in the middle.  Moist crumbs, not raw batter.  If you go for a clean toothpick test from the middle, your brownies are likely to be overbaked, especially at the edges and corners which will be dry once the brownies cool.  I try to take close-up pictures of the brownies I bake so you can see what I mean by a fudgy texture. 

Baking times also vary by oven and the times listed in recipes are meant to be a guideline, not an absolute.  Err on the side of caution and toothpick test your brownies at least 5-10 minutes before the recommended baking time on the recipe.  I've said this before and I'll keep saying it until everyone can make good brownies: chocolate "sets" as it cools so what might seem underdone or too moist when they're in the oven may become perfect and perfectly fudgy after you take them out of the oven and the brownies have cooled.

¾ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter

¾ teaspoon instant espresso powder

5 ounces semisweet chocolate

¾ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup light brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup chocolate chips, optional

1.     Preheat the oven to 350⁰F.  Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.

2.    Sift the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together into a bowl; set aside.

3.    In a medium-large, heavy saucepan, combine the butter and espresso powder and stir over low heat until the butter is melted.  Add the chocolate, stirring constantly until the mixture appears completely smooth, approximately 2 minutes.

4.    Take the chocolate mixture off the heat and add the sugars, mixing until combined.

5.    Add the eggs and vanilla and continue stirring until they are evenly incorporated and the mixture does not appear grainy.

6.    Sprinkle the sifted flour over the mixture and stir just until blended.  Stir in the chips, if using.

7.    Pour the batter into the greased pan and smooth the top.  Bake the brownies for 28 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.  Do not overbake.  Cool completely on a wire rack.