Crepes Suzette #10

                                           Crepes Suzette  (page 197-198)
                                           (4-6 servings)

   1 cup all-purpose flour                        1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
   Pinch salt                                         Finely grated zest of 1 orange
   1 large egg                                       10 Tbsp. unsalted butter
   1 1/4 cups milk, or more as needed       1/3 cup superfine sugar
   2 Tbsp.unsalted butter, melted and cooled   1/3 Grand Marnier, Cointreau,
   Vegetable oil for pan                                 or triple sec liqueur

  1. In a small mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Form into a mound, making
     a small well. Crack egg into well, and mix with a wooden spoon, gradually
     incorporating flour from sides.

2. Mix in 1 1/4 cups milk to make a smooth batter. Using a whisk, blend in melted 
   butter. Allow to stand for 30 minutes. Batter should thicken to consistency of 
   heavy cream; if necessary, add more milk to thin.

  
3. Lightly oil an 8-inch crepe pan, or nonstick skillet. Place over medium-high
    heat until hot. Pour about 3 Tbsp. batter into pan, just enough to coat 
   bottom, tilting pan so batter is even.

 4. When pancake has a bubbly surface, after about 30 seconds, carefully
     flip it with a spatula and brown other side, 20-30 seconds. Transfer finished 
     crepe to a large plate. repeat until batter is used, re-oiling pan about every 
     fourth crepe, and layering finished crepes with parchment or waxed paper.
     Allow to cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.

  

  5. In a small saucepan, combine orange juice, zest, butter and sugar. 
      Place over high heat and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium low.
      Simmer until syrupy, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.

  6. Fold crepes into quarters, and arrange in a circular pattern, slightly 
     overlapping, in a nonreactive skillet or other shallow flameproof pan. 

  7. Pour warm syrup on top, and place over low heat until crepes are warm,
      about 5 minutes. Place liqueur in pan that held orange syrup. When 
      crepes are hot, pour liqueur on top; carefully touch a flame to surface
      to light it. 
      Serve immediately, spooning crepes and sauce onto each plate.

                                                Wonderful!

Spicy Gingerbread #9

                                                     Spicy Gingerbread  (page 88)



      4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened       pinch of ground cloves
     
      2 cups all-purpose flour                                   1/8 tsp. cayenne

      1 3/4 tsp. ground ginger                                   1/2 tsp. salt

      1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon                                         1 tsp. baking soda

      1/2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa                             1 cup

      1/4 tsp. ground anise                                       1/2 cup dark brown sugar

      2/3 cup molasses                                             2 large eggs


             1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour one 9-inch round            
                 cake pan.

             
             
              2. Sift flour, ginger, cinnamon, cocoa, anise, cloves, cayenne, salt
                  and baking soda into medium bowl, and set aside.

              3. In a small saucepan, combine milk and molasses and warm over low
                  heat, stirring occasionally, until molasses dissolves into the milk.
                  Remove from heat and set aside.

             4. In the bowl of a mixer, beat butter on medium speed until light and 
                fluffy. Scrape down bowl, add brown sugar and beat until smooth 
                and light. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

              5. With machine on low speed, add flour mixture in three parts
                  and milk mixture in two parts. Spread batter into cake pan. 
                  Bake until gingerbread tests clean with toothpick-40-45 min.
                  Remove from oven, cool in pan 5 min.Turn out onto rack and 
                  cool completely.

                                       Serves 8-10    Enjoy!





                     

Strawberry Pavlova #8

                                            Strawberry Pavlova  (page 196)



4 large egg whites                                       1 pound strawberries, about
Pinch of salt                                               2 pints, hulled and halved 
1 1/4 cups superfine sugar, plus more for berries       or quartered
2 tsp. cornstarch, sifted
1 tsp. white-wine vinegar                              1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
Vanilla extract                                             2 cups heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and draw a circle on the paper, using an 8 or 9 inch cake pan as a guide.

2. In bowl of electric mixer, combine egg whites and salt. Begin beating at low speed, slowly increasing to high speed. Continue until satiny peaks begin to form. Gradually beat in 1 1/4 cups sugar a tablespoon at a time, until meringue is stiff and shiny.

3. Sprinkle in cornstarch, white-wine vinegar and a few drops of vanilla, and fold in gently. 

4. Mound onto parchment within circle, and shape into a disk, flattening top and smoothing sides. Place in oven and immediately reduce heat to 300 degrees.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn off heat, and allow meringue to cool completely in oven.

5. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine strawberries, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, balsamic vinegar and sugar to taste. Cover with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes, and up to 2 hours.

6. To serve, invert meringue onto a plate, and carefully peel off parchment. (Crisp top of meringue will now be against plate.) Whip the 2 cups of heavy whipping cream, until it is thick enough to hold peaks. Spread it evenly over meringue. Cover cream with strawberries. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Baking as Therapy...

Is baking therapeutic? I guess the answer would depend on how you define therapy. Words such as healing, restorative, or having positive effects come to my mind when I consider what therapy intends to do for a person. Therapy can also provides a diversion from something.


Right now I am writing this, rather than studying for an economics final exam. I am seeking diversion in the form of writing...which I enjoy much more than studying economics! Before I sat down to write this, I took two sticks of butter out of the refrigerator, to remind me to make some cookies later today. 
When I took the butter out, I asked myself why I felt the need/desire to bake cookies. It is almost felt as a visceral need. We don't need more desserts around here. It is the physical/emotional/sensory experience of making the dough, and baking the cookies that I am craving. I don't eat everything I bake...which is a good thing!


If baking is therapeutic, (and I believe it is), then it is a very inexpensive form of therapy. In addition, it has benefits for others, as well as myself.

Now that I've gotten this down on paper, I can go back to economics for awhile,
before the kitchen overtakes me!

Apple Crepes #7

                                                   Apple Crepes  (page 201)

  7 Tbsp. unsalted butter                           2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored 
 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour                     and cut into rounds 1/4 inch thick
 4 large eggs
 2 cups milk                                               Whipped cream or ice cream for garnish
 1 1/2 tsp. salt
 2/3 cup milk

1. Melt 3 Tbsp. of the butter. Let cool.

2. Place flour in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center. Add eggs one at a time, stirring in gently to mix eggs gradually with flour.

3. Add milk a little at a time until it is smoothly incorporated. Add salt and 2 Tbsp. sugar, and stir to mix. Pass batter through a fine sieve; then mix in melted butter.Refrigerate up to 12 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

5. Place an 8-inch nonstick omelet or saute pan over medium heat. Add 1/2 Tbsp. butter and 4-5 apple slices. When butter starts to color, turn over apple rounds, and pour in 1/4 cup crepe batter, tilting pan to coat it evenly.

  6. When batter is set and browning at edges, flip crepe with a wide spatula. Top with 1/2 Tbsp. of butter. Sprinkle evenly with 1 Tbsp. sugar. Brown about one minute and flip again. Immediately transfer to a baking sheet and place in oven. repeat with remaining ingredients. Transfer crepes to individual dessert plates. Top with whipped cream or ice cream.

  Great for dessert or breakfast!

Some thoughts on Julia Child...

Yesterday I bought the book As Always, Julia, which details the friendship Julia Child had with Avis Devoto through letters. Avis was her pen pal and literary mentor. In addition, it tells the story of the evolution of Mastering the Art of French Cooking from its inception to its publication.

Julia's letters to Avis reveal the trials and rewards of "translating the genuine taste of French cooking into American cooking."

One of the reasons I am so interested in this book, published in 2010, is that it focuses on the importance of letters in the form of "snail mail"....becoming obsolete in our current times. Letters that are handwritten and sent on stationary with a postage stamp require time, thought and a bit of money.

How different our communications would be with one another if we slowed down a bit, and took the extra time to send a card or letter to someone! This book captures the evolution of a deepening friendship through letters. The same type of book (I would argue),couldn't be written from email correspondence, as that type of communication is hasty and often not very thoughtfully written.

   

                                                   Julia working with her mentor/teacher Max Bugnard
                                                   in 1955. 

Pie Crust #6

                                                                         Flaky Pastry  (page 522)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
1/2 cup very cold vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces

    
1. Sift flour, sugar and salt into medium mixing bowl.

2. Add shortening and, using fork, toss to coat well. Using pastry blender, or two knives, cut shortening into flour mixture until it resembles a rather lumpy, coarse meal.

3. Add about 3 Tbsp. ice water, a tablespoon at a time, around edge of bowl. Using a fork, mix dough together as water is added; all the water may not be needed. The dough will begin to form solid lumps. When there are more lumps than loose flour, and the dough holds together when pressed against the side of the bowl, with floured hands quickly form the dough into a ball. 

4. Flatten ball into a large disk and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 days.

Some thoughts on blogging

I have only been blogging about baking for two months or so....but a few things have come to my attention related to baking. I have trouble doing these things:


#1: Follow the recipe precisely. * I am not a very precise person, so making   small changes, or omitting a minor ingredient doesn't bother me. However, it can create problems! 


#2: Follow the techniques precisely. *I am not a Cordon Bleu trained baker. I was "trained" at my mother's knee in the kitchen in our Concord, CA home. In high school I spent a lot of time trying out recipes of all kinds...especially baking recipes.


#3: Get clutter off the counter before taking pictures of the ingredients!
      I don't work in a professional kitchen. Rather, our kitchen is used by many    
      family members. Often, there are dirty dishes in the sink, and stuff left out on 
      the counter. Such is the life of a home-based baking blogger. 


#4: Be fully disclosing about any shortcuts I take from what the recipe calls 
       for. Recently my younger brother, (who is a renowned chef and baker in
     Little River, CA), questioned my following of a recipe...asking if I had used pie 
     weights in the pie crust. (I don't even own pie weights!)


#5:Try not to check the blog every day! It is hard to not check the stats every 
     day. I don't think they are accurate at all, but it is fun to check them.
     

Meyer Lemon Tart-Chez Panisse #5

   
                                                    Julia Child brought French cooking into  mainstream America

                                                    in the 1960's, with her PBS show "The  French Chef". Her influence

                                                    was much more than this however. Julia, with her humility

                                                    about mistakes, encouraged Americans to embrace home cooking,

                                                    and experiment with new ingredients, flavors and techniques.

                                                    In 1971, Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse in Berkeley.
                                Alice was influenced by her time spent in France, and 
                                wanted to use the finest of ingredients, as she believed
                                the best-grown food will also be the most delicious.
                                Chez Panisse is committed to using seasonal, organic 
                                products from local sources. 

                                       Meyer Lemon Tart  (page 280) *from Chez Panisse 
                                                             serves 8

In the bowl of a mixer, cream together 8 ounces softened butter (2 sticks), and 1/2 cup sugar. 

Add one egg yolk, and 1/2 Tbsp. milk, and beat to combine.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour with 1/4 tsp. salt.

Slowly add the flout to the butter mixture, stirring until completely blended.

Gather dough into 2 balls. Freeze one for future use.

Refrigerate the other ball of dough for at least one hour.

Heavily butter a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. *I used a pan with removable sides.*

On a lightly floured surface, roll out ball of dough to a circle 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to the tart pan, press into the pan, and trim edges. Prick the bottom with a fork, and place the shell in the freezer for 30 minutes.

                               While shell is in freezer, prepare the lemon curd: grate zest of lemons (5-6 Meyer lemons). Squeeze lemons to extract 1 cup of juice. In a medium, nonreactive saucepan, combine juice and zest. Add 1 cup of sugar, 5 1/2 ounces butter, and 1/8 tsp. salt. Place over medium heat, stirring once or twice, until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted.

In mixing bowl, combine eggs and remaining 7 egg yolks until blended. Slowly add hot lemon mixture to eggs until blended. Return mixture to saucepan, and place over low heat. Whisk constantly until mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency; do not allow it to boil.Remove from heat, and continue to stir to stop the cooking. Strain lemon curd into a bowl. Adjust sugar to taste; the curd should be tart, but may need additional sugar if the lemons were unripe. 

Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it right against the surface of the curd. Allow to cool.

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove tart shell from freezer. Line with foil and pastry weights and bake 10 minutes. remove foil and weights and bake until lightly golden, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

 Spoon lemon curd into tart shell, and smooth the top. Bake until filling has puffed around the edges, about 30 minutes. Cover edges with foil if necessary, to prevent over-browning. Cool to room temperature before serving.

                                Bon Appetit!