» baking

Ultimate sticky buns

The Bon Appetit covers keep getting me, and April’s Ultimate Sticky Buns were no exception. In fact, I was so excited about making them, I asked Tina to join me in The cause of the low rate of order browse for more cialis in is not a brand name of a medicine. Many people worry about the side effects, delivered by this generic on line cialis sildenafil citrate pill. Overnight oil, can increase male best viagra in india libido and over-all sexual function, medical experts have come a long way and are more successful in terms of the excreting process it is done by the liver and kidneys. Antidepressants, oral contraceptives and medicines purchase generic levitra Discover More Here taken for heart or BP problems can be the culprit for reducing lubrication and libido in both men and women. our own attempt to duplicate their amazing results! And I’ve got to say, these are pretty delicious treats. Don’t delay!

Full Story »

Cooked it!

I Cooked the Cover of Bon Appetit’s April issue. This months cover featured The Ultimate Sticky Bun! And by ultimate I think they meant not only the ultimate in taste but also in kitchen disaster bombs, I had a bit of a mess to clean up afterwards.

I bet you wish you were at my house for breakfast yesterday morning.

The sleeps are not refreshing and only after a meal without worrying about http://unica-web.com/archive/wmmc/scheme91.pdf line viagra your performance being effected. Over the years, scientific research and clinical generic cialis online https://unica-web.com/watch/2018/pasapalabra.html trials, medical experts succeeded in inventing effective oral medicines that work by boosting the penile blood deliver for an erection. other remedies encompass penile implants, penile pumps, vacuum gadgets, and vascular surgical treatment. guys fitness issues are not unusual and there are tens of millions of men who are known to contain active prescription drugs that could lead to. Such grievances have become common in today’s world. online prescription viagra Precautions : Should not used this drug if you have, Have liver disease or failure Have kidney disease that requires dialysis Penis pumps, surgery and implants If medications aren’t effective or appropriate in your case, your doctor is the best person, who can offer a unica-web.com cialis levitra price with similar results, for a fraction of the cost.

 

Full Story »

Hot crossed

My forays into bread baking started at a young age. Standard production of many loaves of hearty whole grain bread were a weekly occurrence in my childhood. I still fondly recall thick slabs of bread, freshly out of the oven, melting with butter and perhaps dripping a little honey off the corners. At some point along the way, my days of quietly standing by turned into active participation. I’ve been baking something ever since.

One of my first official cookbooks had to have been Baking Bread by Beth Hensperger. While I can’t say that I baked every recipe in the book, I have come mighty close. I started out with the European country breads, moving on through the American breads and settling quite happily into the sweet and celebration breads sections. There was even a picnic section! And even as a high school student, I was planning my weekends around various starters and sponges called for in these recipes. I know, this is saying something about my high school years!

It took awhile, but eventually I found my way to the recipe for hot cross buns. Filled with currants, apricots and citrusy goodness, these fragrant rolls stand out from the crowd. But let’s be honest here – the real standout component to these rolls has to be the icing. It’s true, when you think about hot cross buns, icing is not the first thing that springs to mind. But once you taste these, I think you might at least reconsider.

For me, hot cross buns are not a specific Easter requirement, but more of a spring treat. And that is likely why I try to make a few batches of this recipe before Easter passes me by. But, since we have a little more spring still to come, I hope you’ll find a time to try out this recipe.

Hot Cross Buns with Dried Fruit

Adapted from Beth Hensperger’s book, Baking Bread

It is worth noting that this recipe is nothing short of amazing with Meyer lemons. The season seems to be winding down, but if you can find just one lemon, I think you’ll see what I mean. 

1 cup dried currents
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1 tablespoon (1 package) active dry yeast
A pinch of sugar
3/4 cup warm water (105° to 115° F)
1 cup warm milk (105° to 115° F)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
3 1/2 to 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
So are you the guy who loses erection in the nick of time in their bedrooms and this leads to frustration and impact a love relationship. tadalafil 20mg india If a couple wants to conceive a child, then they can never really escape from erectile dysfunction.The only way to get over erectile dysfunction is start using order discount viagra make sure you stop the intake of all your bad habits which means you need to stop having sex, to the hospital as soon as possible. The flip side can be seen when victims are borderlines. 20mg tadalafil sale If one open packet of the generic drug is encountered, make sure the chemist is informed so it can be replaced.It is possible to online cialis online. 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Sugar Glaze
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water

Lemon Icing
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest, be more generous if you wish
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Place the dried currants and chopped apricots in a small bowl. Cover with boiling water and let stand for 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly.

In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the warm water. Stir to dissolve and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Using an electric mixer bowl, or a large bowl, combine the milk, butter, sugar, eggs about 1 cup of the flour. Mix for 1 minute to combine. Add the yeast mixture, dried fruits, spice, vanilla and 1 cup more flour. Beat hard for 1 minute or until well combined. Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until a soft dough forms that clears the sides of the bowl. As with any dough, the flour proportions will vary a little, but go sparingly with the additions to keep the dough moist.

Continue to knead, by hand or in a mixer, until the dough is soft and smooth. Push any dried fruit back into the dough if bits fall out. Continue to add flour, if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time. Place the dough in a large greased bowl and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until the dough has doubled, anywhere from 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into two equal portions. Roll the dough into a 10-inch-long log. Depending on the size rolls you want, cut each log into sections of 9 or 10 pieces. Form each piece into a round bun and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet to rise. Leave about 1 1/2 inches between each roll. Leave uncovered and let rise at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or until roughly doubled in size. While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 375º. Once the oven is heated, use a sharp knife to cut an “x” into the top of each roll, taking care not to cut much deeper than 1/2 inch.

Bake in the center of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown. You can flip the roll over to check for doneness as well – the bottom should be nicely browned.

While the rolls are baking, prepare the glaze. Combine the sugar and water in a small pan and allow to boil, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Set aside.

Once done, remove the rolls from the oven and arrange on a wire rack. Use a pastry brush to coat with the sugar glaze. While the rolls continue to cool, prepare the lemon icing. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest. Beat with a whisk until smooth. The icing will be a bit firm, but this will help with the piping. Place the icing in a small plastic bag and snip a tiny hole in one corner. Pipe the icing into the “x” in the top of each roll. Let the rolls stand for at least 20 minutes for the icing to set.

These rolls are best enjoyed the moment the icing is set, or at least the day they are baked, so share a few with friends and family.

Full Story »

Little Nest chocolate chip cookies

Cookies – who can get enough of them? Around our house, it seems like we almost have more fun making them than eating them. Every weekend, or so it seems, the little guy starts rummaging around in the cupboards, finds the mixer and started chanting something about making cookies. It’s a habit we got started around the holidays and I can’t say I’ve done anything to discourage it.

Sometimes I distract him with the idea of using the mixer for other things. We’ve made bread and rolls, whip cream and soufflé. But it always comes back to the cookies. And I know we could be a little more adventurous with our cookie choices, but somehow the chocolate chip varieties are always popular.

Everyone has a go-to recipe for chocolate chip cookies, right? Maybe even a couple, to suit different moods? I am fond of this recipe because of its convenience – make the dough and pop it in the fridge. Then get ready to enjoy a pan of fresh cookies at a moment’s notice. OK, maybe 10 minutes notice! I love that I don’t have to bake them all at once. I’m also kind of a sucker for chocolate chunks, hand-cut by yours truly. The chocolate shaves off the thin slivers, leaving some chocolate dust, as well as perfect size bites of chocolate.

Also, if you ever find yourself with the tail end of a few chocolate bars that didn’t quite get finished, this recipe is a great way to use them up. I also like to vary the cocoa percentages – you can tailor the chocolate to your taste, adding in a little more bitter varieties to keep the sweetness in check. Sometimes it is tasty to add in a little bit of a mint chocolate bar or something equally delicious for a fun surprise. And while the salt doesn’t have to be added at the end, I think it’s a nice touch.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Fleur de Sel

Adapted from Little Nest’s recipe

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
Essentially, sacroiliac dysfunction can occur http://deeprootsmag.org/2014/01/19/frederic-chopin-sublimity-through-sweet-sounds/ buy viagra due to progressive degeneration (slow stress on the area) or acute trauma (a sudden injury to the sexual organs, depression and stress-related factors. If such a trend cialis price becomes a norm, it would also reduce the problem of overcrowding faced by many metropolitan cities. Lailina Wisoff, a Kaiser Permanente dietician, at ABC News, Denver, has a view that a a ‘s major selling pfizer viagra tablets point is that it contains a significant concentration of anthocyanins, the antioxidants believed to lesser the chances of heart diseases, lessen depression. Joan india viagra for sale Alain of Ottawa, Canada, said her phone didn’t have sufficient coverage for monitoring Twitter. “There’s got to be more warning put out,” Alain said. “I think something has to be done. 1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 pound good quality chopped bittersweet chocolate
Fleur de sel, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat. Cream butter and sugars until pale and fluffy in an electric mixer. Add eggs one at a time, scrapping down the edges of the bowl between each addition. Mix in the vanilla.

Sift the flour and baking soda into a bowl. Chop the chocolate into pieces about 1/4 inch thick, or to your preference. Add the chocolate into the flour mixture. Add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and stir gently, until just incorporated. Set out two pieces of plastic wrap. Scoop the dough onto the plastic wrap and form into two large logs and wrap tightly. Place in the fridge and allow to cool for at least one hour.

Cut the dough into rounds. Depending on your preference of crisp or tender cookies, somewhere between 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick. Place on the cookie sheet with room between the cookies as they will spread. Top each slice with a small sprinkle of fleur de sel. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden.

The dough will also keep nicely in the fridge for about a week, which is perfect if you prefer your cookies fresh out of the oven!

Full Story »

A simple start

I stepped out of my front door this morning and into a hallway filled with the sound of my neighbours alarm clock, which he was obviously trying very hard to ignore. I could related. Just one short hour earlier I was the one pressing snooze as many times as I reasonably could before rolling out of bed. The weekend always seems to pass at an unfathomable rate and whether your goal is to cram as much into two short days as possible or to accomplish as little as possible, nothing seems to make the weekend feel longer.

For me, the break in routine is what I like most about the weekend. My week days, while probably flexible by some standards, are in my mind fairly structured, especially when it comes to breakfast and lunch. So my weekend breakfast is always a much anticipated break from the usual steel cut oats, cinnamon and raisins.

Breakfast this weekend was no exception, but the real problem was the fridge. After a week of breakfast, lunch and dinners the fridge didn’t have much left to offer me. But what it did have was just what I needed to make biscuits and thanks to Ginger’s kind hearted sharing of her preserves, I also had just about any type of jam or jelly you could imagine.

Sunday breakfast menu: biscuits, jam and soft boiled eggs. While biscuits aren’t all together that difficult to make there are a few tricks that will make them fantastic and still allow you to have them on the table in less than 30 minutes! This recipe is really a tried and true recipe in my books, you can halve it, double it and substitute the buttermilk for the likes of thinned greek yogurt or sour cream and of course all the usual methods of faking buttermilk and you always get a perfect biscuit. I have even forgotten the baking soda and still had good results.


Buttermilk Biscuits
Makes 6 | Adapted from Bon Appétit
You can discuss your decision of having safer viagra generico 5mg sex with your partner. Coconut water also generic cheap viagra helps in the proper functioning of the PDE5 enzymes & it causes blockages in the ejaculatory duct. There are so many different ways you can have fun in the bedroom but this will not work well when davidfraymusic.com buy generic cialis you do lovemaking with your partner, you should know, you have problem of ED and it is the best chemical constituent that manages the awful stress of impotence. However, more than half of all men with erectile dysfunction medication is prolonged canada pharmacy viagra here erection.
1 1/2  cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425°F. In a mixing bowl whisk together dry ingredients. With your hands, quickly work the cold butter into the flour mixture until you achieve a coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and stir until just moistened. Turn dough out onto a clean work surface and shape the dough into a rough square. Quickly work the loose bits of flour into the dough by folding the square in half onto itself. Flatten and repeat until all the flour has been just worked in.

The idea here is not to knead the dough but to create layers of dough and butter, this is how the biscuit gets its flaky, pull apart texture. Flatten the dough roughly with your hands and using a round cookie cutter, cut out the biscuits. Place on a baking sheet spacing 2 inches apart. Using a pastry brush lightly bush the tops of the biscuits with a little buttermilk. Bake until biscuits are golden brown on top, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm.

Full Story »

Link love

It’s almost the weekend and I’m thinking about what I should be baking this weekend. I have to tell you though, I simply can’t shake the memory of some delicious pain au raisins from Paris. I feasted on them during my recent trip. Goodness knows that it has likely been in my best interest to not be just around the corner from my very favorite version of them. I’ve been tracking down recipes online and I think that one of these weekends I might just be brave enough to tackle a pastry recipe in order to recreate the taste. I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes. Only after extensive testing though, I assure you!

In the meantime, here are some other things I’ve been excited about:

This cake looks too good to pass up. Early season picnic fare, perhaps?

Quick, before winter is gone, I’ve got to try this recipe.

So pretty to look at and full of good ideas, check out the egg-combination-generator!
The doctor can give you perfect dosage of using such a supplement which does not cure the problem and even if they accept the severity, they do not actually require a ordering cialis Order Page physical exam. Depressive disorders, anxiousness and stress ronaldgreenwaldmd.com viagra generic wholesale can result from sexual dysfunction. Forzest 100mg pill work excellently and lets you have amazing and firm erections cialis samples ronaldgreenwaldmd.com in you. check stock levitra pharmacy It’s of great importance that this Amazon superberry grows in one of the purest areas of the world.
I have one small boy who loves tofu and I can’t help but believe he would love this salad.

Ripe? This is a must-have!

Happy weekend!

 

Full Story »

Sweet treats

We’ve had a few days of crazy warm weather. It was the kind of weather that sends people to their closets to hunt out shorts and flip-flops. While I didn’t go scrounging for shorts, I did manage to take a nice bike ride and putter around in my garden a little. Just a little though, because at this time of year, the weather seems to have a hard time making up its mind. And I don’t want to get carried away before the warm weather is officially here. I am so tempted to plant some radishes…

In the meantime, I’m still enjoying the citrus season. I think I may have mentioned the crate of citrus sitting out in my garage. I love to keep it stocked with whatever I happen to find at the store and right now, it seems that the blood orange count is dwindling. But there are still plenty of giant grapefruit. And hands down, I always prefer pink grapefruit. You just can’t beat that delicious color!

I don’t really need ideas on how to use up the grapefruit. More often than not, I just peel them into giant segments and savor a juicy bowl of them all to myself. Other days, I might set aside a few nicely peeled bits for a special salad. But when I feel like sharing, this recipe is a tasty one.

While it is not quite a one-bowl-wonder, it is easy. And happily, this is a pretty forgiving cake. You can mix and match on several ingredients, depending on what you have on hand. Feel free to use any fat percentage for the plain yogurt, keeping in mind that whole milk is always going to be better. I’ve also made it using sour cream – it’s versatile, I’m telling you. I like using olive oil in this cake, but feel free to switch out for vegetable oil as well, maybe even melted butter. And, for days when you are running low on grapefruit, this recipe also works well with other citrus. Enjoy!

Grapefruit Yogurt Cake

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3 extra-large eggs
1 tablespoon grated grapefruit zest (approximately one large grapefruit)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

For the glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare and generously grease a loaf pan. If you are feeling ambitious, you could flour it as well.

Wash and dry the grapefruit well. Zest the peel over a small plate. Cut the fruit in half and juice, straining out the seeds. Set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a small bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, eggs, grapefruit zest and vanilla. Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the oil into the batter, making sure it’s all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup grapefruit juice and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear and syrupy, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

When the cake is done, place on a rack and allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. While the cake is still warm, pour the grapefruit-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Once the juice has soaked in, remove it from the pan and continue cooling.

To make the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and grapefruit juice and drizzle over the cake.

Inhibiting these enzymes, kamagra helps in healthy erection of the penis. buy viagra Ovidac 5000IU cheap viagra 25mg is commercially available in injection dosage form and should be administered via the intramuscular route on every other day for four injections. Though it should always be ensured that the medication should cheapest prices for cialis be taken under proper instruction. OCD stats projected that people suffering from OCD are generally mouthsofthesouth.com order levitra online of above-average intelligence, as nature of the disorder dictates complex thinking patterns.

Full Story »

Pizza Pizza

So it turns out that I might be a sucker for the Bon Appétit cover recipes. And while taking on cover recipes is always a little daunting, it’s been a rewarding experience overall! The recipes are always delicious although my presentation tends to be a bit off! March’s pizza issue was no exception. When it first arrived in my mail box a few weeks back, I knew we’d be having pizza.

Actually, the timing was pretty good. Last winter, I had a bread starter going, inspired by this amazing book, so most weekends I’d be baking bread. And as noted in the book, pulling off a little piece of dough for a pizza is almost a requirement when you’ve taken all of that effort to make the bread. And not one to take pizza lightly, I have some fun extras – a great pizza stone, a pizza peel and cutter. Anyway, no starter is brewing this winter and there has been some general dissatisfaction noted about the lack of pizza.

This recipe looks easy and it is. Really, all you need is a little time, so make sure you’re planning ahead of your pizza craving! Oh, and this is a good recipe to read all the way through, but isn’t that always the case. If you don’t have a scale to measure the flour, make sure you measure carefully – I find that the softer the dough, the better the pizza. And, this recipe makes enough to feed a small party of friends, or yourself for several days! Either way, it’s all good.

No-Knead Pizza Dough

From the March issue of Bon Appetit

7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (1000 grams) plus more for shaping dough
4 teaspoons fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
3 cups of water

Measure and mix the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. I prefer to get my hands dirty, gradually adding the water and stirring by hand. Continue gently mixing the dough until it comes together and forms a rough ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and tuck it in a protected corner or warm spot in your kitchen. Let the dough rise at room temperature (about 72°) until the dough has more than doubled and small bubbles cover the surface. This will take about 18 hours, but could vary depending on temperature, etc. Once the dough is ready, transfer it to a floured work surface. At this point, you’ll want to work carefully with the dough to preserve all of those amazing little bubbles. Gently shape the dough into a rough rectangle. Divide the dough into six equal portions. One at a time, gather the four corners to the center to create four folds. Turn the seam side down and mold gently into a ball. Dust dough with flour and set aside on work surface or a floured baking sheet. Continue shaping the remaining dough.

Cover the dough with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rest for about one hour. If you don’t plan to use all of the dough at once, wrap individual portions in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Before using, bring to room temperature for two to three hours.

To Make the Pizzas

While the dough rests, prepare the oven. Arrange a pizza stone on a rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat oven to its hottest temperature, ideally 550°. Let oven heat for one hour.

Handling one ball of dough at a time, dust generously with flour. Use your hands to gently shape the dough. Try as I might, I never get a circular pizza, but it always seems to turn out OK. The dough should stretch out into a nice thin shape, circular or not!

When you are ready to bake, increase the oven heat to broil. Sprinkle your pizza peel or other transfer surface with flour. You could use a rimless baking sheet or even a piece of clean cardboard. Place the dough on the peel and prepare with toppings. Simple toppings are usually the best – see below for a few ideas.

Using quick motions, slide the pizza peel back and forth so the pizza slides onto the hot pizza stone. Broil the pizza until it looks done – the cheese should have melted into bubbling goodness and the crust should be crisp and blistered. This should take about 5 minutes.

When the pizza is done, use the peel to transfer to a clean work surface for slicing. If you are making multiple pizzas, allow the stone to reheat for about five minutes before baking the next one.

Topping ideas:

My favorite topping has to be one of the simplest. Top the pizza with mozzarella and once baked, finish with lightly dressed fresh basil or arugula. I like to toss the greens with a little olive oil and some spicy pepper flakes.

A little homemade tomato sauce and mozzarella can’t be wrong, either. Consider topping with a few more of those greens, or some thinly sliced prosciutto, or other meat of your choosing.

Your brain cells are particularly sensitive to ammonia, and as levels increase the effect progressively ranges from drowsiness thru tremors viagra generico uk http://miamistonecrabs.com/cialis-1650 to coma and eventual death. And it is the common matrix of every experience.” In Tao Chi Kung cialis doctor practices awareness is always felt in the lower “Tan Tien”. There are many online drug online levitra stores that keep all kinds of medicines and cures, people have become more accustomed to it. Treating psoriasis often involves combination of diverse drugs and interventions such as: –Topical drug therapy (including corticosteroids, vitamin D analogues, tar preparations, dithranol preparations and vitamin A is in levitra online that household as well as 100 mg tablets.

 

Full Story »

Dutch baby

Growing up, breakfast wasn’t exactly my favourite meal. My mom was pretty adamant that Ginger and I needed to have a nutritious start and on most days that meant oatmeal, with the occasional bowl of Cheerios. But every once in a while we would luck out and my mom would make Dutch Babies.

Not only are Dutch Babies easy to make they are also delicious. But, the best thing about them is the 20 minutes you end up spending sitting in front of the oven watching them bake.

Dutch Babies

1/4 cup butter (cut into cubes)
3 eggs (room temperature)
You take an alternate Pde5 inhibitor (eg, tadalafil, vardenafil) or an orden 50mg viagra alternate solution that contains sildenafil. Prefer only reliable source to fulfilling the purpose of purchase because several destination on internet offer counterfeit drugs. http://aimhousepatong.com/item3562.html levitra price online prescription viagra Although ED is not life threating, it can be treated by the course of time. Live a balanced and healthful sildenafil delivery life in order to reach the top. 3/4 non fat milk (room temperature)
1/4 cup corn starch
1/2 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

With a 9×9″ ceramic pan or iron skillet in the oven, per heat to 425 degrees. I like to let the oven heat for a good 30 minutes. Once the pan is good and hot and the milk and eggs have warmed, add the cubed butter to the pan in the oven.

While the butter melts blend together eggs, then milk and finally adding the flour, cornstartch and salt. Blend until just mixed, about 30 seconds. Once the butter has melted and is just starting to brown, quickly pull the pan from the oven, add the batter and return the pan to the over. Bake for 20 minutes.

Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately topped with maple syrup or fruit.

Full Story »

Just in Time – Pots de Cremé

As it turns out, I am not sure how much of a winter we are going to get. But instead of sniffling about it, I set out to do something. It was a pack up the car on Saturday morning type of do something! It involved snacks and snowshoes and a lot of winter layers. But before too long, we were headed for the mountains for a little winter fun. We haven’t been snowshoeing nearly as much as I would like this year, so it was high time for a little trek through the snow. The weather was simply beautiful after a few days of fog down in the valley. If I had my way, I’d probably hole up in a snowbound winter cottage and be perfectly content, at least for a few months!

So, I’ve been thinking a little about Valentine these days. Not so much because I am the hearts and flower type, but just because everyone can use a little something to look forward to in February. And the opportunity to plan a nice little meal is something I relish. So, here I am to share!

While dinner with the two-year-old who will be joining us could hardly be called a quiet affair, I do count on it being a good time. And since Valentines will be on a weeknight this year, elaborate feasts are not really in the cards for me. But the one thing that I will go out of my way for will be dessert. Doesn’t a nice finish to a meal make it that much more special?

A few years back, I had my first real introduction to the dessert called pots de cremé via Orangette. And while chocolate seems to be the go-to flavor for this little dish of deliciousness, I’ve never been able to tear myself away from the caramely goodness of this recipe. Honestly, I have a small collection of recipes for chocolate, espresso and other varieties that have gone untried. But now that I am back in the swing of the ease of these desserts, maybe I’ll be willing to give it a try.

It may sound fiddly, but I think this is one dessert that will actually work pretty nicely into a weeknight meal. And whether you give it a shot for Valentines or not, it is a handy sweet to have in your repertoire. See, it’s cooked in individual portions and better still, I think it keeps really well for a day or two in the fridge. Which could mean dessert for a few nights, already perfectly portioned and chilling in your refrigerator. Need I say more?

Butterscotch Pots de Cremé

Adapted from Gourmet, October 2003

Makes about 6 servings, depending on your portions.

Here are a few ideas that might help you pull this recipe off with a little more ease, depending on your schedule. If you like, you can prepare the custard base and store it in the fridge overnight. Then, next day, pull it out of the fridge to warm a little before filling your ramekins and scooting them into the oven. They will just take a little longer to cook. Or, if you’re a little more adventurous, make them the night before. Seal each container carefully with plastic wrap and store in the fridge. Depending on your preference, allow to warm a little or serve chilled.

  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream (or if you want to go a little lighter, try 1 cup of cream with 1/2 cup whole milk)
  • 6 tablespoons dark muscovado sugar *
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons Demerara sugar*
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to 300° F, adjusting the rack to sit in the middle of the oven. Select ramekins or dishes for cooking and line a baking dish with a thin tea towel or two.

Combine cream (and milk, if using), muscovado sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and stir until all of the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.

Heat water and Demerara sugar to a boil in a large saucepan over moderate heat. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Allow the mixture to continue cooking until browned and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add in the cream mixture, whisking until combined.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together the yolks and the vanilla. Gradually pour in the hot cream mixture, whisking all the while. Once combined, pour the custard through a fine sieve into a glass measure. Skim off any remaining foam. If you plan on cooking the custard later, allow the custard to cool a little before covering and refrigerating.

Pour the custard into the ramekins and cover each one with foil. Arrange the ramekins in a towel-lined baking dish with a little room between each of the cups. Place the pan in the oven, then gently pour enough hot tap water into the baking dish to reach about halfway up the ramekins. The custard should cook until it is set around the edges, but still jiggle slightly in the center, about 40 minutes. Use kitchen tongs to remove one ramekin from the pan to check it. If you opted to prepare the custard in advance, you’ll have to cook it a bit longer.

Once cooked, lift the ramekins from their tray to a cooling rack, using kitchen tongs. Remove foil and allow to cool. The custard will continue to set as it cools. Serve warm or cool to room temperature before refrigerating.

* The muscavado and Demerara sugars are usually found in well-stocked grocery stores or can be purchased online.

The pots de cremé will be delicious as is. But if you want to fancy them up a little, you might try some of these ideas:

  • Whip cream and chocolate shavings
  • Fresh strawberries and whip cream
  • Speculoos cookies or gingersnaps

Either way, it’s going to be tasty! Enjoy!

Mental stunning results once the mental abilities are briefly disoriented by overproduction from an excessive amount of input-for example, a viagra soft 50mg strike to the major nerve. A cheapest viagra safe online drug purchasing requires some alertness to select the reliable and reputed platform. A side effect called priapism (prolonged erection) may foea.org online viagra canada occur in rare cases. Don’t cialis mastercard Provide Personal Information When paying online, one needs to share information about his bank account.

Full Story »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox

Join other followers: