boston creme puffs

There are a million reasons why I love my husband and these last two years we have been married. But last Sunday I was reminded how thankful I am for Ben's love of Boston Creme Puffs, because they are a truly delectable dessert. It wasn't until Ben and I moved to Boston and were exploring the North End for the first time that he told me his favorite dessert was a Boston Creme Puff. I've had creme puffs before; no big deal. But I must agree that the Boston variety is incredible.

So to celebrate our 2nd anniversary, I made Boston Creme Puffs. I would like to thank my mom for the pastry cream recipe, which is incredible. For the creme puffs, I used the wonderful and standard Better Homes and Gardens recipe, which is classic and perfect. And for the chocolate ganache, I used dark chocolate with a little bit of cream.


Pastry Creme
6 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup flour
2 cups milk or half-and-half or cream, heated
A little additional milk, if needed

Flavoring: 1 T. vanilla, or 1/2 T vanilla and 2 T. rum or kirsch
1 T. unsalted butter, optional

Whisk the yolks in the saucepan, gradually beating in the sugar and salt; continue whisking 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is thick and lemon colored (you can use electric beaters). Sift on the flour and whisk it in. Then, by dribbles at first, blend in the hot milk or cream.

Whisk rather slowly over moderate heat. As the custard comes to a boil, it will start to lump - beat vigorously to smooth it. Then change from whisk to wooden spoon, and stir over moderately low heat, reaching all over the bottom of the pan, for 2 minutes , to cook the flour. You will have a thick sauce that holds its shape softly in a spoon - if it seems too thick, set again over heat, whisking in droplets more of milk. Remove from heat and blend in the flavoring and the optional butter (I didn't use).

Stir up frequently until cool, then pour into a clean bowl, press a sheet of plastic wrap into the surface to keep a skin from forming, and refrigerate. May be refrigerated for 2-3 days. Whisk up the chilled pastry cream and taste carefully - you may want to correct the flavoring, or you may wish to lighten it by fold in a little whipped cream. 1/3-1/2 cup heavy cream (whipped) should be enough to whip for a moderate lightening.

fondant

For anyone wanting to venture out into the land of fondant, here is a great recipe and instructions: http://whatscookingamerica.net/PegW/Fondant.htm.

Marshmallow Fondant
16 ounces white mini-marshmallows (use a name brand - quality does matter)
2-5 T water
2 lbs powdered sugar (use a name brand)
1/2 c shortening

First you melt the marshmallows and the water in the microwave slowly (30 seconds at a time) so that it melts without overheating. When you dump 3/4 of the sugar on a WELL greased counter top and pour the melted marshmallows on top. With your hands well greased (just embrace the Crisco at this point, trust me) start to kneed the marshmallow mixture, remembering to pause to re-grease your hands. Kneed for 5-8 minutes until nice and uniform.

I failed to re-grease my hands, so a few minutes in I was a marshmallow mess, which caused me to get marshmallow cream all over my kitchen because I couldn't it off my hands. I recommend re-greasing every 2 minutes as you kneed, even if it isn't sticking yet. Because once you notice the sticking, you are too late.

After letting the fondant sit in the fridge for 2 hours (well greased in a zip-lock bag), it was perfect to be rolled out and put on the cake. I was really impressed with how easy this was to make and how managed it was.

spud nuts

If you haven't tried homemade potato donuts (aka spud nuts), you really have to try them. After talking with a friend last week about how much we like donuts, we decided that making some donuts and playing games would be a great fall activity.

I pulled out the family spud nut recipe last night and decided to half it, since there were only going to be a few of us. This turned out to be a good decision, since a half of the recipe made over 3 dozen donuts.

Spud Nuts

5 ¼ T yeast
¾ c warm water
1 ½ T sugar
3 c milk
3 t salt
¾ c sugar
3 eggs
½ c oil
1 ½ c mashed potatoes
9 c flour
oil to fry

Dissolve yeast in water and sugar. Add wet ingredients and stir. Beat in half of flour. Add flour until soft dough consistency. Let rise until double. Roll out and cut into shapes (rectangles, square, circles). Spray baking sheets or kitchen table to non-stick cooking spray and then place donuts on surface to rise 15-20 minutes. Fry in medium-hot oil until brown on both sides (2-4 minutes). Let cool slightly on paper towels and then top with sugar or glazes (maple is always the favorite, trust me).

Tips:
1. Letting the dough rise for a full hour or until double is key. Letting the cut donuts rise for 20 minutes before frying is even more key. If you dough is not rising, then your donuts will be doughy and hard, instead of really puffy and soft.

2. Fry a few donut holes first to make sure the oil is hot enough. If the oil is hot enough, it will bubble around the dough right away. The donuts should take no more than 2-3 minutes per side to get nicely browned. The donuts should puff of a lot as they cook, which will make them nice and soft inside.

3. The best glaze is maple glaze. To make this, put 1/2 t of maple flavoring, 2-3 T of milk, and enough powdered sugar to make a nice glaze that you can dip the hot donut into. If you are doubting how maple could be better than chocolate, just trust me.

4. These donuts are best hot and shared with friends. A whole recipe will make around 6-7 dozen donuts, so be sure to invite enough friends over and make lots of glaze.

lava cake

Kalli, one of my new friends in Boston, introduced Ben and I to lava cakes over the weekend, and I was instantly in love. I've had similar ones, but they involved putting truffles in the middle of each cake. This recipe makes more a fudgy cake batter, which when cooked has a nice and firm crust and then a gooey inside. Chocolate lovers beware!

Lave Cake
4 squares bakers semi-sweet baking chocolate
½ c butter
1 c powdered sugar
2 eggs + 2 egg yolks
6 flour

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, butter 4 custard cups (or 6-8 ramekins), place on baking sheet. Microwave butter and chocolate on high for 1 minute or until butter is melted. Whisk until chocolate is completely melted into butter. Stir in sugar and whisk eggs and egg yolks, then stir in flour. Divide batter between cups. Bake 13-15 minutes until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 minute then run a small knife around edges to loosen then turn over onto dessert dishes. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream or fruit.

amazing chocolate chip cookies

I need to thank my friend SueZann for making her amazing chocolate chip cookies at a dinner on Sunday. They were some of the best chocolate chip cookies I have had, which is saying something because I usually don't like most that I try.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 eggs
2/3 c shortening
2/3 c butter
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
2 t vanilla
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
3 1/2 c flour
1 c chocolate chips
1 c butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and add butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, shortening and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

tropical lime torte with mango compote

My mother made this dessert at my wedding luncheon and everyone was blown away. We were serving cheese cakes and a chocolate cake later that day at the wedding reception, so my mom decided to pick something different for the luncheon. This dessert was so incredibly fabulous that I think I wanted to lick my plate clean. Please note that this recipe does take some preparation (refrigeration over night), but it is well worth the effort.

Torte
4 large eggs
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon grated lime peel

1/2 cup dark rum
1 16-ounce frozen all-butter pound cake, thawed
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature

Compote
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lime peel
4 large ripe mangoes (5 to 6 pounds), peeled, pitted, diced
lime slices

For Torte: Whisk eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, lime juice and lime peel in heavy medium saucepan to blend. Whisk over medium-high heat until mixture thickens and just comes to boil, about 6 minutes. Transfer lime curd to small bowl; press plastic wrap directly onto surface. Chill until very cold, at least 3 hours and up to 3 days.
Line 9 1/4x51/4x23/4-inch loaf pan with 2 layers of plastic wrap, leaving long overhang. Stir rum and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in small bowl until sugar dissolves. Trim brown layer from outside of cake. Cut cake horizontally into 3 equal layers. Beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy; gently fold in cold lime curd.
Trim bottom cake layer to fit pan bottom; reserve cake trimmings. Brush layer on both sides with 1/3 of rum syrup. Place in pan; spread 1 1/2 cups lime curd mixture over top. Brush second cake layer on both sides with 1/3 of rum syrup. Place in pan; spread remaining lime curd mixture over top. Brush third cake layer on both sides with remaining rum syrup. Place on lime curd mixture; press to adhere. Press reserved cake trimmings around sides. Cover torte with plastic overhang. Refrigerate torte at least 1 and up to 2 days.

For Compote: Stir first 4 ingredients in large bowl until sugar dissolves. Mix in mangoes.
Cover; chill up to 1 day.
Using plastic as aid, lift torte out of pan and unwrap. Cut crosswise into 12 slices. Arrange slices on plates. Top with compote. Garnish with lime slices.

streusel kuchen

Last night I taught our monthly cooking class for Enrichment, and I decided to teach on making bread, since it is so easy to make, but yet a lot of people have never tried it. We made two batches of french bread and then two pans of Streusel Kuchen (German Crumb Cake). The recipe came from my great grandmother, and it is absolutely fantastic. You literally combine the ingredients and press it into a pan and bake.

The french bread was a huge hit! I also brought along my dipping spices, which always make bread better. After that, we talked while the Streusel Kuchen baked in the oven, and then I passed around pieces of the cake for everyone to try. We had about 30 women at the cooking class, so it was a great success.

Streusel Kuchen
3 T yeast
½ c warm water
1 c scalded milk
½ c butter
½ t lemon extract
2 eggs
½ c sugar
4-5 c flour1 t salt

Combine yeast and water and let grow. Melt butter in scalded milk. Add to yeast mixture along with the eggs, sugar, and extract. Add flour until dough is soft and still a little sticky. Press into pan and rise for 20-30 minutes. Combine sugar, flour, butter and sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Glaze with ¼ c lemon juice and 2-3 c powdered sugar. Best if served warm.

Crumbles:
1 c flour
1 c sugar
½ c butter

Glaze:
¼ lemon juice
2-3 c powdered sugar

the BEST cupcakes in DC

As a baker myself, I'm usually skeptical of reports of great cakes or cupcakes. Often I have a slice of cake and think "my own carrot cake is better than this." If you are a food snob like myself (or love cupcakes), then you MUST try out Frosting, A Cupcakery.

My friend Michelle is one of the most talented bakers I have ever met and just opened her own cupcakery. Last weekend I had the pleasure of tasting her amazing cupcakes, and I was honestly blown away by the presentation and taste. The cupcakes were impeccably frosted and so delicious that I may or may not have eaten a few in one sitting. My favorite flavors were the Cookie MOMster (chocolate cupcake with almond and Oreo butter cream frosting) and Babas Baby (carrot cake with cream cheese frosting). The menu is HUGE and is full of so many delicious options.

My friend Emily also came over to taste test the cupcakes, and we both agreed these were by far the best cupcakes in DC. The shop is still not open yet, but you can order cupcakes to be delivered. If you love cupcakes, you must try these.

the best chocolate frosting i've ever had

I am not exaggerating that this is the best chocolate frosting that I have ever had. Thanks to Jenn Fox for introducing me to this frosting and providing her recipe. She even told me that it has been used to woo men. I'm so not surprised.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted

2 ½ cups powdered sugar

1 ½ tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 ½ cups or 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup heavy whipping cream, at room temperature

Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder into a large bowl. Add the butter and using an electric mixer on low speed beat until smoothly blended, about 2 minutes. Add the unsweetened melted chocolate, vanilla and heavy cream, mixing to incorporate. On medium speed, beat the frosting for at least 3 minutes, until it looks smooth and creamy and the color lightens. Once the cupcakes are frosted they can be left for up to three days at room temperature or stored in the refrigerator. Makes enough frosting for one box cake or cupcakes.

cupcakes

Last Sunday when Ben was visiting Boston, I had five hours to burn before church (thank you, 3:00 pm church). After making six books and completely running out of paper, I decided to bake cupcakes. I searched my cupboards and found my Valentine's Day sprinkles (actually the only sprinkles I own), which seemed perfect with the holiday quickly approaching. Ben and I actually hate this holiday, but I couldn't find anything wrong with making pretty cupcakes for myself to enjoy. Despite the fact that it was fast Sunday, so I couldn't taste the batter or frosting as I was making them, they actually turned out quite well.

I had a fantastic time decorating the cup cakes with heart and kiss sprinkles, as well as coconut.

the famous double chocolate chip cookies

For anyone who has had these frozen little nuggets of deliciousness, you know just how amazing these cookies are. They were first discovered by my brother Garrett, probably over 10 years ago, and they have quickly risen in popularity. When I bake cookies, I almost always bake these double chocolate chip wonders. So here is the recipe to make everyone's day brighter:

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c butter, softened

1 c brown sugar

3/4 c white sugar

1 t vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/2 c flour

1/2 c cocoa

1 t salt

1 t baking soda

1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips

Beat butter, sugars, and vanilla until mixture is well mixed. Add eggs and mix until it becomes lighter in color. (You will notice that if you let is mix 1-2 minutes more than just "combined" the mixture gets lighter in color, which is good.) Add the dry ingredients and stir in completely. Mix in the chocolate chips by hand. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

I prefer to make my cookies softer, rather than crispy on the bottom, so I don't bake them over 10 minutes. I have also found that they taste best when frozen (both because it keeps them from drying out and frozen chocolate is amazing). Try the cookies frozen; I dare you.

joys of Christmas baking

I love all things Christmas. Ben was nice enough to let me decorate early this year (before Thanksgiving) because I was so excited about putting up the ornaments that I made last year with my sister and mom. In lieu of a tree, I decided to hang them on our baking rack, which is doing an excellent job at being festive. We also put up some white Christmas lights in the kitchen.

I also love all the cooking and baking that comes with the holidays, because it means that I get to spend time making delicious food I only make once a year and often with friends. My dear friend Jocelyn wanted to learn the art of bread making, so we convened in her darling green kitchen one Saturday morning with Kim to see what we could create. (Notice how I match the kitchen?)

We made two batches of pumpernickel (one of my favorites) and the Spencer family famous French Bread (that is to die for, trust me). After some helpful tips like (the water should be warm like a baby's bath, don't over kneed the dough, and rise the dough in a slightly warm oven for 20 minutes) we ended up with really amazing bread.

Enjoying the fruits of our labors.

Pumpernickel Bread

½ c + 2 T warm water
1 ½ T dark molasses
1 ½ c flour
⅓ c medium rye flour
⅓ c whole wheat flour
1 T unsweetened cocoa
1 t salt
2 T butter (or oil)
1 ½ t yeast

Dissolve yeast in warm water and let sit 10 minutes. Stir in molasses and butter. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add half at a time. Dough should be soft, but not sticky. Knead until smooth. Let dough rise until double (about 45 minutes). Punch down and shape into a rounded ball. Let rise for 30-40 minutes. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

French Bread

2 ½ c warm water
2 T yeast
3 T sugar
¼ c oil
1 egg yolk
6 c flour
1 t salt
1 egg white

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water, letting it grow for 5-10 mins. Add oil, yolk, salt, and 2 c flour. Stir until smooth. Add remaining flour until dough is soft but not sticky. Set in greased bowl to rise until double. Punch down and form into 2 loaves. Let rise until double and brush with egg white. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

I also got to spend a few hours this last Saturday with Kim making the most delicious sugar cookies. I am a sugar cookie purest; I don't eat any one's cookies but my own. The secret: add 1 tsp almond extract to the dough and a little to the glaze. It makes the flavor much better. I also dip my cookies in a glaze, which is easier than frosting (since the glaze smooths itself out, requiring so spreading) and hardens so that you can stack them in a container.

Now I am looking forward to some more baking with Ben's family and maybe trying out some new dishes.

the tipi cake

Theme cakes are a family tradition. We grew up eating cakes shaped like bunnies, rockets, and merry-go-rounds and then started venturing out into things like violins, sheep, baby chicks, and skateboards. When I first moved to DC, my sister and I got the idea to make one of our all time favorite theme cakes: a pyramid. However, the story about that cake will have to wait since I don't have pictures of it available. This post is dedicated to the tipi cake which I made for my work's bake off two years ago, which I might add, I won.

I entered the bake off thinking it would be fun, but once I decided to do a theme cake, it really became a challenge. I had a whole list of ideas, but settled on the tipi cake for a few reasons: 1) it seemed very appropriate for Thanksgiving, 2) it would be relatively easy to construct, and 3) my family actually owns a tipi, which is another post entirely.

Back to the cake. So I decided to stack about 4 layers of cake and then carve with a knife to create the right shape and frost. Then, I placed kabob skewers on top of the cake as the poles, and then rolled out fondant for the tipi skin. I had been working with fondant for a few years, so making the tipi skin was no problem and actually turned out to be quite easy. The final part was actually my favorite: painting the tipi. My roommate Jami helped add the final finishing touches to our Indian tipi with a few crescent moons, deer, and arrows.

The tipi in all its glory.

Jami's hunter and moon phases.

A little turkey and squash decoration we did last minute.

streusel kuchen

This post is in honor of my German grandmother who handed down so many wonderful German recipes through her daughters. I inherited my dislike for measuring from her. Almost all of her recipes she knew by heart and just estimated everything. In fact, a few measurements she made up terms for (like a glug of corn syrup).

One characteristic of German food is being tart. Lemon juice is a favorite ingredient of my grandmother, going in things like salad dressing, frosting, and carrot salad. This cake is our family's favorite German cake recipe. It is best served right out of the oven and frosted generously with the lemon frosting. Enjoy!

Dough:
3 T. yeast
½ c. water
1 c. scalded milk
½ c. butter
½ c. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. salt
4-5 c. flour
½ t. lemon extract

Crumbles:
1 c. flour
1 c. sugar
½ c. butter

Glaze:
¼ c. lemon juice
powdered sugar

Combine yeast and water (should be warm but not hot); allow yeast to grow for a few minutes. Mixture will get frothy and you will see the yeast growing. Scald milk by putting it in the microwave for 60-90 seconds. Do not boil, but heat until it is hot to the touch and too hot to drink. Combine butter and milk so that the butter melts completely. Add to yeast mixture along with the eggs, sugar, and extract. Beat with a mixer if necessary to make the dough smooth. Add flour and mix by hand once it gets stiff. Dough should feel like a soft bread dough (still a little sticky).

Press into pan (either two 8.5x11 or a large cookie sheet). Let rise for 20-30 minutes until dough about doubles. To make crumbles, soften butter a bit and then mix with ingredients with a fork. Sprinkle crumbles on top of risen dough and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Cake bakes very quickly, so keep an eye on it. Take out when it is just starting to turn light brown.

To make lemon glaze, add lemon juice and a 2-3 c of powdered sugar. Should be runny and easy to drizzle. Drizzle on top while still hot.

A recent email from a friend documenting her mom's and sister's baking extravaganza of 450 cupcakes made me reflect on just how wonderful these little bits of cake really are. They have a self contained wrapper, are just the right size, and, if made correctly, have a healthy layer of frosting on top.

I have to admit that the cupcake usually gets a bad wrap. Although delicious, they can easily go from wonderfully delightful desserts to quite horrid, unattractive not-worth-it calories. Think of how many cupcakes you have consumed that where either poorly frosted, without taste, or both.

So here is a shout out to all the wonderful cupcakes out there. Little cakes that are moist, packed with flavor, and most importantly, look even better than they taste. I think one of the keys to a well-done cupcake is the application of frosting. If you aren't handy with a knife and can't spend the time getting the frosting even and smooth, I highly recommend investing in a frosting bag and tips. Although it looks hard, it is actually quite easy to frost cupcakes with a tip (and a little practice). I also love the idea of having different colors of frosting and even adding sprinkles or fondant flowers on top.

Due to my obsession with baked goods and my love of dear friends, I recently volunteered to make a wedding cake for a friend's upcoming wedding. And this got me thinking, why not do a hoard of cupcakes for the wedding? I have no idea if my friend will like this idea, but cupcakes can look as fancy and nice as a cake. Plus the serving will be THAT much easier and you can also make a bizillion flavors. And I think cupcakes actually fit with a summer wedding.

wadding caek

My sister and I like to pronounce "wedding cake" with an accent that makes us sound like French food snobs, so it kind of comes out like wadding caek. This all started when we did our first caek for my sister's friend back when I was in high school. It was our first wadding caek attempt and turned out quite well for our untrained selves.

From their our love for beautiful caeks, and occasionally making them for our friends weddings, has only grown. The thing about wadding caeks is that they are beautiful, but so easy to completely ruin. I think the key to success is that less is more.

However, traditional American weddings are not simple. They are HUGE, extravagant, and purposely over-the-top. So this is my salute to some beautiful caeks that are elegant without being overly done.

1. the modern fondant

I love fondant. Once you have a general knowledge of how to work with it, it is relatively easy to use as long as you can work fast. I think this cake works even though it is modern because it is simple, the design isn't busy, and the color is very refreshing.

2. traditional flowers

Even though we have all seen this caek before, I love the design. Pillars are so 1992, so I am glad we are finally able to hide them with beautiful flowers and not cover the cake in a busy design. '

2. the hipster

Wedding caeks don't need to serve 150 people or be taller than a small child. Why not make a beautiful one to display and cut later into the reception. I especially like how this one has more color and style. White is beautiful, no doubt, but why not try something new?

Do you have any favorite wadding caeks or decorated caeks in general. I actually don't care that much what my wedding will be like, but for some reason beautiful cakes matter. I just think they should taste wonderful and look just as good.