I'm a Sell Out

Um, yeah....so remember in my first blog post ever where I wrote "Well, for one, I don't have a fancy schmancy camera, so you won't be seeing overly artistic pictures." (See: Well, here we are) Uh, yeah. Well, um, I um.... *gulp* I TOTALLY GOT ONE!

Oh. Huh. What do you know? Y'all are still reading. Well aren't y'all troopers. I guess you're used to people lying to you...like meanies, losers, and politicians. Well, I bought a fancy schmancy camera so now you guys can TRULY see what kind of a mess I make. :)

In other news, I bought a new mixer! OK, no, I'm not tossing dough around on ALL fancy shmancy and new items (get it...dough...baking blog...???) I found a vintage ten-speed mixer on craigslist. Ain't she pretty?

Hear her roar! She's ferocious, I tell ya!

(RooooOOOOOooooooaaaar!)

Well, to make amends for breaking down and buying a new camera, I decided to bake a new and somewhat time consuming recipe. And more than just that....I used yeast for the first time!

I also used my mixer for the first time and it didn't disappoint me. I turned it on and BAM! Instant mess.A geyser of sugar burst out from the side of the bowl and onto my counter. Sweet! I knew this mixer was a match made in heaven.

Now, I'm not all about messes of course. I also have some helpful tips to make the baking process go faster. Like this: Forgot to put the butter out to warm up to room temperature? Got a radiator? Problem fixed. Warm butter in no time! So, back to this whole yeast thing. It's true. I've never used the stuff before. I don't know why it took me so long to use it because it can create a GREAT mess. A STICKY mess. An ALIVE mess.
(Cue Jaws music)

Dun duh.

Dun duh. Dun duh dun duh dun duh dun duh DAAAH!

Sticky Buns from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.

Sticky Buns
6 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
5 1/2 Tbsp shortening or unsalted butter or margarine
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp lemon zest, grated
3 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour or all-purpose flour
2 tsp yeast
1 1/8-1 1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk , at room temperature
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar (6 1/2 Tbsp sugar plus 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon)
walnuts or pecans or other nuts (optional)
raisins (optional)

Caramel Glaze
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 lb (2 sticks/15 Tbsp) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 tsp lemon, orange or vanilla extract

1. Make the buns: cream together the sugar, salt, and shortening or butter on medium-high speed in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a large metal spoon and mixing bowl and do it by hand). Whip in the egg and lemon extract/zest until smooth. Add the flour, yeast, and milk.
2. Mix on low speed (or stir by hand) until the dough forms a ball. Switch to the dough hook and increase the speed to medium, mixing for approximately 10 minutes (or knead by hand for 12 to 15 minutes), or until the dough is silky and supple, tacky but not sticky. You may have to add a little flour or water while mixing to achieve this texture. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature for about 2 hours.
3. Mist the counter with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, lightly dusting the top with flour to keep it from sticking to the pin, into a rectangle about 2/3 inch thick and 14 inches wide by 12 inches long for larger buns, or 18 inches wide by 9 inches long for smaller buns. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the surface of the dough and roll the dough up into a cigar-shaped log (starting at the long end), creating a cinnamon-sugar spiral as you roll. With the seam side down, cut the dough into 8 to 12 pieces each about 1 3/4 inches thick for larger buns, or 12 to 16 pieces each 1 1/4 inch thick for smaller buns.
4. Make the glaze: in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine sugar, brown sugar, salt, and butter, at room temperature. Cream together for 2 minutes on high speed with the paddle attachment. Add the cup corn syrup and 1 teaspoon lemon, orange or vanilla extract. Continue to cream for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Use as much of this as you need to cover the bottom of the pan with a 1/4-inch layer. Refrigerate and save any excess for future use; it will keep for months in a sealed container. (Erika's Extra: This will NOT look like a glaze. It will look like taffy. Don't be fooled! Becomes a glaze in oven.)5. In your glazed pan, sprinkle on the nuts and raisins. Lay the pieces of dough on top of the caramel glaze, spiral side up, spacing them about 1/2 inch apart. Mist the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap or a food-grade plastic bag. Let rise for 75 to 90 minutes, or until the pieces have grown into one another and nearly doubled. Preheat the oven to 350 F with a rack on the lowest shelf.
6. Bake the sticky buns for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remember that they are really upside down (regular cinnamon buns without the glaze are baked right side up), so the heat has to penetrate through the pan and into the glaze to caramelize it. The tops will become the bottoms, so they may appear dark and done, but the real key is whether the underside is fully baked. 7. Cool the buns in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes and then remove them by flipping them over into another pan. Carefully scoop any run-off glaze back over the buns with a spatula. Wait at least 20 minutes before serving.
Bake well and prosper!

Egg on my fingers (you thought I was going to say face, didn't ya?)

There must be some professional way to separate an egg. I am sure there are videos on youtube about it. However, I've never researched the topic. Instead, I gingerly crack the egg and break it apart while keeping the yolk on one half. Then I pray and cross my toes that while I transfer the yolk back and forth in the shell halves that it doesn't slip out with the egg white. Well, I am usually successful. I just end up with some egg on my fingers. So, here's a lovely recipe that requires the separating of an egg. Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Miniature Cakes (from my Mom’s Best Recipes Cookbook)

3-oz pkg of cream cheese, softened

1 egg, unbeaten

1 egg yolk, unbeaten (save white)

sugar

salt

1/2 C chocolate chips

3/4 C water

1/3 C salad oil (aka vegetable oil)

1 egg white

1 T vinegar

1 t vanilla

1 1/2 C flour

1/4 C cocoa

3/4 t baking soda

silvered almonds

(I used this for my cocoa. Silly Cow Farms. How could I resist?!)

In small bowl at medium speed, beat cheese, egg, egg yolk, 1/4 C sugar, and dash of salt until smooth; then stir in chocolate chips. Set aside. In large bowl bowl, combine egg white, water, salad oil, vinegar, and vanilla; beat well with fork. Sift into this flour, 1 C sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and 1/2 t salt. Stir with spoon until well combined. (See the two finished mixtures below.)

Fill each cupcake paper about half full with cocoa batter. Onto center of each, spoon 1 T cream cheese mixture. (Smaller if you are making minis)

(Isn't that picture beautiful? Doesn't it make you want to cry just thinking about all those mini cups of goodness?!)

Generously sprinkle tops with sugar and almonds. Bake 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until cupcakes are golden. Cool in pans 10 minutes; then remove to rack to finish cooling. Makes 15 large cupcakes, or ~30 minis.

Bake well and prosper!

National Pie Day

I woke up today and read on some one's twitter post that it is national pie day today. No kidding. http://www.piecouncil.org/ So, I decided I would make a pie....my first one to make EVER. Well, I like chocolate, so I went from there and found this piece de resistance: Double-Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie. And from the first step I knew that it would be a great recipe. Why? Because I was already making a mess. In fact, I made a LOT of mess. Oh, and the second step? Yep. Mess.

I had to use my old dilapidated mixer for the heavy cream and the mixer only has one speed. SUPER FAST.

So, sometimes I have to put my hand over the bowl to make sure things don't spray everywhere. Well, it REALLY got me this time and I was NOT a happy camper. This is me being angry at my silly mixer. (Anyone care to donate a kitchen aid mixer to me?)

I even discovered I made a mess that I didn't see happen.

Chocolate on the floor?! That's not where that belongs. It belongs in my mouth!

Double-Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie (from http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/double-chocolate-peanut-butter-pie)
Ingredients

CHOCOLATE CRUST INGREDIENTS

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (1/2 cup)
1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
8 ounces chocolate wafer cookies (from a 9-ounce package), finely ground (2 cups)

PEANUT BUTTER FILLING INGREDIENTS
8 ounces cream cheese, softened (1 cup)
1 cup chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup well-chilled heavy cream
3/4 cup salted roasted peanuts, chopped
Kosher salt
CHOCOLATE TOPPING INGREDIENTS
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions
MAKE THE CHOCOLATE CRUST: Preheat the oven to 375°. In a medium glass bowl, combine the chocolate and butter and microwave at high power in 20-second intervals until the chocolate is melted. Stir well, then stir in the cookie crumbs. Press the cookie crumbs over the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan and 1 1/2 inches up the side. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, or until set; the crust will continue to firm up as it cools.

MEANWHILE, MAKE THE PEANUT BUTTER FILLING: In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the cream cheese with the peanut butter, sugar and vanilla extract until blended. In another large bowl, using the same beaters, whip the chilled cream until firm. Fold one-third of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture to loosen it, then fold in the remaining whipped cream and 1/2 cup of the chopped peanuts. Spoon the filling into the crust, smoothing the surface. Sprinkle lightly with salt and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.

MAKE THE CHOCOLATE TOPPING: In a medium glass bowl, combine the chocolate with the heavy cream and microwave at high power in 20-second intervals until the chocolate is melted and the cream is hot. Stir the chocolate topping until blended, then let cool to barely warm, stirring occasionally.

Spread the chocolate topping over the peanut butter filling and refrigerate until just firm, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of chopped peanuts around the edge of the pie. Carefully run a thin knife around the pie crust to loosen it, then remove the springform ring. Using a sharp knife, cut the pie into wedges. Run the knife under hot water and dry it between each cut.

Make Ahead
The pie can be covered and refrigerated overnight. Garnish with the chopped peanuts before serving. Serve the pie chilled or slightly cooler than room temperature.

(Erika's Extras: Warning: This pie is SUPER peanut-buttery the first day! Best to wait a day until serving. Also, I found that every step produced a little more crust/filling/topping than needed. Solution: take the extra chocolate wafers and dip in filling/topping and enjoy!!!!) :)

Bake well and prosper!

I'm the next Charlie Chaplin

I can't help it, but every time I eat peas, I make this little fella.

Yep, that's two green eyes and nostrils looking at ya.

When I was a kid, I saw the Charlie Chaplin Table Ballet where he puts two forks into bread rolls and does a dance with them. (Youtube it!)

Well, this is my alien. It stems from my loving what Charlie Chaplin did. My alien always demands that I take him to my leader and I show him the way.....into my mouth. (Yes....I'm looking into clinical help for this.)

Pea Alien

Take two cooked peas and insert the two prong ends of a fork into them. Voila! (LOL)

Bake well and prosper!

A Nice Idea for a Saturday Morning

When I was a kid, I used to wake up every Saturday and watch the Saturday morning cartoons. I had it down to an art. Once Garfield and Friends was done and the credits were rolling on channel 42, I would switch to channel 24 for The Tick. Life was good. Life was simple. I had a schedule and I was happy.

My joyous days of watching cartoons are long gone, but my good, simple, happy times on Saturday mornings are not. Introducing a simple, good, and happy recipe:

Lemon Pancakes with Blueberry Compote

All you need to do is find a pancake mix or recipe you like and add some lemon juice.
I really like Highland Sugarworks buttermilk pancake mix. Unfortunately, pancake mix and flour are quite the same and I got the mix EVERYWHERE (please see the aqua blue arrows in the picture below.)

All over my clean dishes. :( Yes, I'm even messy on Saturday mornings. *sigh*

So, make the pancakes and then add some blueberry jam on top. (Compote...jam....whatever. I told you this recipe would be simple!)

Voila! Simple and lovely pancakes that will make you and your tummy happy. You can get all the above baking items at Whole Foods....except the mess. I personally own that item.

Bake well and prosper!