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currant-rosemary bread

the rosemary put on quite a show in the herb garden. not only was it about 4 feet tall, it was covered in blooms. the honeybees were working those flowers like crazy too. not one person walked through without noticing the shrub, yes shrub-it is that big now. hard to believe that just two years ago, it was in a tiny little plastic pot from the nursery. we only placed it in the bed to fill a hole. if only i had this much luck with everything i plant!

with the bumper crop of rosemary, i decided to make a yeast bread rather than a cake to take to the garden. then, while skimming through some of my cookbooks, i found an interesting recipe in a book that has been living on my shelf but has seen very little use. i cannot remember when i bought this copy of beth henspergers "bread for all seasons" but the recipe for rosemary raisin bread was the perfect compromise; a yeast raised coffee cake that is both bread and cake. brilliant, just brilliant i say! best part, very little kneading!!! best part, the bread toasts nicely so dont worry about it getting stale, just slice it and toast it.

since i prefer currants, i used them in place of the raisins and i gave them a good soak first. it is important that you plump up the currants in some hot water or they will dry out the bread. first, measure the currants while they are small and dry. place them in a pan and cover them with water. bring the water to a boil over medium heat. immediately turn off the heat, remove the pan from the burner and allow the currants to sit in the water until they cool. drain off any excess liquid before using the currants. while the recipe calls for 1-2 teaspoons of dried rosemary, i used fresh leaves from the garden. since the flavor of dried herbs are usually a little stronger, i would generally say to use half but for this recipe, i think using more of the fresh is a good thing. the fact that it is softer than dry rosemary is also a plus since there arent any twig like pieces to pick out.

CURRANT ROSEMARY BREAD

1 large bundt or tube cake serving 16

2 cups currants

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

pinch of sugar

1 cup warm water, 105-115 degrees 5 1/4 to 5 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped a bit 2/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder 1/2 cup sugar 1 tablespoon salt 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 4 eggs plump the currants by covering them with water in a sauce pan and bringing them to a boil. immediately turn off the heat and set the pan aside to cool, 20 minutes or so. strain them well before using. in a small bowl, combine the yeast with the pinch of sugar and the warm water. stir to dissolve and then let it sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. spray a large bundt or tube pan with grease, or brush it with some oil, set it aside. in a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine 1 cup of the flour, dry milk, sugar, rosemary, salt, olive oil and the eggs. beat this mixture until smooth. add the yeast mixture and 1 1/2 cups more of the flour. beat for 1 minute and then let it sit for 20-30 minutes. add the currants, and the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until a soft dough forms that clears the sides of the bowl. if necessary, mix by had at this point. the dough is capable of absorbing a lot of flour so add it cautiously-it should not stick to the bowl much and will no longer have a "wet" appearance. turn out the dough onto a floured work surface and knead until smooth and springy, about 3 minutes. if needed, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time to prevent sticking. form the dough into a cylinder that will fill the tube pan evenly. you can place it in the pan and squeeze it and shape it to fit the pan evenly. brush it with a little oil, cover with plastic and allow it to rise at room temp until double, about 2 hours. about 20 minutes ahead of baking, preheat the oven to 350. bake the cake until it has filled the pan, is evenly browned and firm to the touch. this will take about 45 minutes to an hour, a cake tester can be used to check the interior. when done, turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool completely. serve with softened butter and jam if you like. the leftovers make amazing toast too so none should go to waste!

pear cranberry crumb cake with almonds

the calendar says spring but the weather says fall. we seem to be having cooler mornings as if it were heading into fall. why just last night, they issued a frost warning for our area. if only our last frost date hadnt been a month ago, i might not have minded it so much. we have been working hard in the garden and beds have been filled with plants that cannot withstand such temperatures. that said, it should not surprise anyone that i am baked a cake laced with pears and cranberries rather than the typical sour cherries or strawberries found this time of year.

how can you not love a crumb topped cake? especially if it is hiding a layer of spiced fruits! if you take it a step further and add chunks of almonds to the crumb topping and a little almond paste to the cake-you have a heavenly excuse to put down the garden tools and take a cake break! when cranberries come into season, i always tuck a few bags into the freezer. it is a nice surprise when i am digging around in search of inspiration for a cake. keeping a can of almond paste in the closet is a good idea too. when i purchase a new can, i open both ends, take out the neat cylinder of paste and cut it into 4 equal pieces. since the can contains 8 ounces of paste, i end up with 4 two ounce pieces. by wrapping each in plastic and storing them in a container in the freezer, i always have some available. and that means i always have another tasty inspiration for cake.

PEAR CRANBERRY CRUMB CAKE WITH ALMONDS

1 (8") square cake serving 12-16

crumb topping 1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour 1/2 cup rolled oats 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter cut into cubes 1/4 cup chopped almonds fruit filling 1 large, ripe pear-i used a danjou 1/2 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen and thawed 1/3 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice almond cake 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 2 ounces almond paste-at room temp 1 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 eggs 2 1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour 2 1/4 cup baking powder 1 cup milk preheat the oven to 350. grease and flour an 8" square baking pan and set it aside. make the crumb topping by combining the flour, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon. using your fingers, rub the butter cubes into the dry ingredients until it begins to form crumbs. take care not to go to far with this step or the crumb layer will be gummy; they should still be somewhat free flowing and a mixture of loose dry ingredients and small to medium clumps with the oats still obvious. add the almonds and toss it together gently. set this aside. peel the pear and cut it into cubes. combine it with the remaining ingredients and set it aside while you prepare the cake layer. to make the cake, cream the butter with the almond paste, sugar and salt until it is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. add the eggs slowly and scrape the bowl as you go. place the flour and baking powder into a sifter or a mesh strainer and sift it over the batter. fold it a couple times and then sprinkle the milk over the top. fold this together until no streaks remain and then scrape it out of the bowl and into the prepared pan. spread the batter out in an even layer. top the cake evenly with the fruit and the sprinkle the crumbs over the fruit so that it is covered but peeks out in spots. bake until a pick inserted comes out clean, about an hour and 15 minutes. cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes. to remove the cake from the pan, place a baking sheet over the top of the cake and invert it. the pan should slide right off. place your serving plate over the bottom of the cake and invert it again. now go out to the garden and eat cake! if you need me, i will be out in the garden with cake...

floral baby cakes; twd/bwj

this weeks tuesdays with dorie challenge was upside-down baby cakes with rhubarb. sounds tasty doesnt it? knowing that i would need fresh rhubarb for the recipe, i went to the grocery store and what they were asking $5.99 per pound for wasnt worth a dime. generally, "my neighborhood kroger" (as they so like to call themselves) carries frozen, sliced rhubarb but they no longer do so. the recipe lists a selection of fruits to substitute but nothing sounded interesting. while looking at the photo for the recipe, i noticed that the cake pictured was topped with sage leaves, that caught my attention. further reading revealed a paragraph at the end of the recipe on making the cakes with scented geraniums-bingo! well, kinda sorta. i do not have any scented geraniums. but i do have an herb garden that has many plants in bloom: sage, thyme, borage and rosemary are all covered in blooms. borage won. to see the recipe, visit the blogpage of our host this week, erin, of when in doubt-leave it at 350. to see what all of the other participants made, visit the tuesdays with dorie website.

my husband likes to surprise me with food gifts. for christmas, he tucked a bottle of kewda water, also called kewra water, into my stocking and i have been waiting for a recipe to use it in. it is very floral, like rosewater on steroids and it was the perfect addition to my little cakes. if you want to try some, head to an indian market since it is a popular addition to indian pastries and desserts. the recipe is pretty versatile, the kewda water was an easy 1 to 1 substitution for the suggested rose water. the recipe also called for creme fraiche or sour cream-i had neither and used buttermilk with perfect results.

once the simple butter cake recipe was mixed, i gently dropped a scoop of batter over each flower in the cups of the mini muffin pan. if you use edible flowers, be sure they have not been treated with pesticides. since the borage flowers came from my garden, that wasnt an issue. my mini cakes baked up quickly, about 12 minutes at 350 using a heaped #70 scoop per cup. pretty little cakes, perfect for a trip to the garden-i always bring a cake to share!

guess again cake and the importance of following directions...

there are few scents as intoxicating as the smell of a spice cake in the oven. immediately, the house feels warm and inviting. once it comes out of the oven, very few can resist the urge to grab a knife and slice a thick slab. just be sure to take it out of the pan first...and speaking of that pan, if the directions call for you to grease and flour it, please, for the love of cake, heed the warning.

sad but true, i did not do as the directions instructed and the results were a lovely cake coated pan. sigh. doubly sad since not only do i bake for a living, but that recipe was one of my own; i broke my own rule. my excuse, i was in a hurry. even worse, i needed the cake for a meeting and there was no way to hide this. so, off i went, head hanging low and my lame excuse at the ready for anyone who dared to ask. funny thing is, no one seemed to think much of it. sure, they were a little surprised that i could have such a mishap, but none were the least bit shocked. it was if they knew something i didnt and had just realized...regardless, i came home with a tray holding just a few small chunks and some crumbs. apparently, they liked it. when they learned the cake had a secret ingredient, they went back for a little more. it was fun making them guess. spice cakes are easy to hide unusual ingredients in since the spices tend to mask the flavors of the other ingredients. are you curious about that ingredient? well, believe it or not, it was a can of crushed tomatoes. once baked, the tomatoes are not obvious in either appearance or taste. they do add some wonderful color and lots of moisture.

GUESS AGAIN TOMATO CAKE WITH PECANS AND RAISINS

makes 1 (10-12) cup bundt pan serving about 16

3/4 cup golden raisins

3/4 cup pecan pieces

3 cups cake flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

8 ounces unsalted butter, softened

2 cups dark brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1 can (14.5 ounce) crushed tomatoes-make sure they do not contain things like garlic and herbs!

preheat the oven to 350. grease and flour the bundt pan. place the raisins in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a gentle boil. remove from the heat and allow them to cool completely in the water. drain well.

toast the pecans on a baking sheet for 5-7 minutes, allow to cool before using. in a mixing bowl, combine the cake flour, baking soda and the spices. in a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. add the eggs and mix completely, scrape the bowl and mix it in. place the dry ingredients into a sifter or mesh strainer and sift them over the butter mixture. fold it a few times by hand. pour the entire can of tomatoes over the top of the batter and fold it all together. fold in the raisins and pecans and scrape it into the prepared pan. bake until a tester comes out clean, about an hour. cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. invert onto a rack and allow it to cool completely.

buttermilk cake with fudge frosting: my favorite birthday cake

when it comes to birthday cake, i love a homemade cake. homemade from scratch that is. people are always scared to bake one for me though. they think that because i can bake, that anything they do would never be good enough. then they either make one from a mix or buy one from the grocery store. 4somehow, that is supposed to be better than anything they could make. i will never understand that logic, and those cakes will never convince me that they couldnt do any better-just that they werent willing to try. good cake isnt hard to make. you just have to follow a some important rules: 1. use heavy gauge pans for even baking. 2. preheat the oven for at least 20 minutes and use an oven thermometer to check the temp. 3. read the entire recipe, twice, and check to make sure you have everything needed before you start. 4. room temperature means that the ingredients are about 70 degrees so let the cold stuff sit out for a while. 5. measure properly. 6. use a timer rather than glancing at the clock and winging it. 7. test the cake for doneness near the minimum baking time-if it says 40-45 minutes, check it at about 38-40 minutes and adjust the additional baking time as needed. 8. cold cake layers are easier to frost and slice but cakes should always be served at room temp; let it sit out before serving if you had it in the fridge.

VANILLA BUTTERMILK CAKE WITH INSTANT FUDGE FROSTING

makes an 8 inch triple layer cake serving 12-16

4 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

3 cups cake flour

2 cups sugar

4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 ounces unsalted butter, at room temp

frosting, recipe follows

preheat the oven to 350. spray 3 (8") heavy gauge metal cake pans, line them with paper(wax or parchment) and spray again.

whisk the eggs, yolk, vanilla and 1/4 cup of the buttermilk to combine. set aside. place the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl. with the mixer on low speed, blend the ingredients to combine. with the mixer off, add the soft butter and the remaining buttermilk. mix on low to blend. turn the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. add the egg mixture in 3 additions, scraping the bowl well as you go and mixing only to combine thoroughly. divide the batter between the 3 pans and bake until a pick inserted comes out clean, 28-32 minutes. allow the cake to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, turn out on to a rack and cool completely before frosting it.

the layers can be wrapped and cooled in the fridge overnight to make frosting easier but serve it at room temperature for the best flavor and texture.

INSTANT FUDGE FROSTING

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

4 1/2 cups powdered sugar, no sifting needed!

12 ounces unsalted butter, softened

6 tablespoons half and half

1 tablespoon vanilla

using a large capacity food processor, place all of the ingredients in the bowl and pulse to combine. allow the machine to run and process the frosting until it is smooth and glossy.

to frost the cake, place one layer, domed side down, on a cake plate. top it with 3/4 cup of the frosting and spread it to the edges of the layer. top it with the next layer and repeat the process. place the top layer on the cake and using the remaining frosting, frost the sides and top of the cake. if you would like to pipe a border or other decorations, be sure to set aside about 3/4 cup of frosting to use in a piping bag.

adapted from my first book, sky high

sweet potato-cinnamon swirl coffee cake

if you havent already figured it out, i have a thing for bundt cakes. whether they are chocolate, loaded with spices or chock full of fruit, i love them. more than likely, i just love the pans. i dont eat large quantities of the cakes-just slivers here and there. but i do love hunting for bundt pans in the thrift stores and i have at least half a dozen different pans to choose from. bundt cake recipes are generally pretty flexible and if you have one good one, you can easily turn it into a dozen great recipes. this recipe would easily work with pumpkin or butternut squash. it would also work with apples or pears that were chopped rather than pureed. theres a few to get you started, how many more can you think of? trust me, i will do more than just think about it.

SWEET POTATO-CINNAMON SWIRL COFFEE CAKE

1 (10) cup bundt pan serving 12-16

4 ounces unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

1 cup baked and mashed sweet potato-nothing added to it

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder 1teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 1 cup buttermilk 1/4 cup dark brown sugar 2 tablespoons pecan pieces, toasted and chopped small 1 teaspoon cinnamon preheat the oven to 350. grease and flour the pan and set it aside. in the bowl of a large food processor, combine the butter, sugar, sweet potato, salt and vanilla. pulse to combine. with the motor running, add the eggs, one at a time. be sure to scrape the bowl at least once. dump this mixture into a large mixing bowl. place the flour, baking powder and pie spice into a sifter or a mesh strainer and sift it over the batter in the bowl. fold the flour in a couple times, sprinkle the buttermilk over the surface and fold together until no streaks remain. scrape 2/3 of the batter into the pan and smooth out the top. in a small bowl, stir together the dark brown sugar, pecan pieces and the cinnamon. spread it evenly over the top of the batter. carefully top the ribbon with the remaining batter, smooth it out and bake until a pick inserted comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. cool in the pan for about 15-20 minutes and then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

chocolate mashed potato cake

when you have the responsibility of bringing a cake to a meeting each week, you can run out of ideas. after all, no matter how great something is, most people like variety. luckily for me, i have a large file of recipes and a fearless sense of adventure when it comes to baking cakes. so if you take that sense of adventure and add chocolate to it, chances are you get a good cake. when i wrote my second book, i included many cake recipes that were considered classics. cakes such as angel food, hummingbird, blackberry jam, tomato soup and many more. one of my favorites is a chocolate mashed potato cake. potatoes are a wonderful addition to cakes and breads. they add moisture and structure and very little potato flavor.

CHOCOLATE MASHED POTATO CAKE

1 (12 cup) bundt or tube pan serving at least 16

1 large baking potato

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cup cake flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

4 ounces unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

glaze recipe, follows

preheat the oven to 350. grease and flour a large bundt or tube pan and set it aside. peel the potato and cut it into large cubes. place in a sauce pot and cover with water. place over medium high heat, bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender. drain the water off and using a masher or a mixer, mash the potatoes until no lumps (or very small ones) remain. measure out 3/4 cup for the recipe. take the remaining potatoes, season them as you desire and eat them before they get cold.

in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, place the sugar, cake flour and baking soda and with the mixer on low, allow the mixture to combine, about 1 minute. add the potatoes, butter, melted chocolate and vanilla and mix on low speed to combine. raise the speed to medium and allow it to beat until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. while this beats, whisk together the eggs and the buttermilk. slowly add the mixture to the batter. scrape the bowl well and combine it completely. scrape the batter into a pan and bake until a pick inserted comes out clean, about an hour. allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes and then remove it from the pan to finish cooling on a rack. prepare the glaze recipe and glaze the cake after it is completely cooled.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE GLAZE

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate 1/3 cup half and half place the ingredients in a small saute pan over low heat. as it heats, stir to melt the chocolate. do not let it boil or simmer. keep stirring until half the chocolate is melted. remove from the heat and stir to melt the remaining lumps. use a piping bag or a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake.

carrot bundt cake with dried apricots and fresh pineapple

carrot cake-you either love it or hate it. personally, i am in the middle on this one. while i like raisins, i do not like them in a carrot cake. raisins in the batter-pass! give me a carrot cake with lots of coconut, walnuts, pineapple chunks and of course, shredded carrots, and i am a happy baker. so how can you improve on this perfection, besides slathering it with cream cheese frosting? quite easily, actually. when i wrote my first book, i was thinking of a carrot cake that i could serve at our holiday festivities with my cousins. several of them have sensitivities to peanuts and for a while, tree nuts were suspect too. that had me thinking...carrot cakes almost always have walnuts in them. so what if i switched over to walnut oil rather than the usual vegetable oils and left the walnuts out. that way, i could easily make the cake with a vegetable oil if the need arose. ok, nut issue solved! but what about the other stuff? freshly grated carrots-no changes needed here. shredded coconut; nope, it stays as is. pineapple??? of course, lets switch this to fresh, ripe pineapple. not bad, only about 100 times better than the crushed stuff in cans. but what about the texture? now that there arent any chewy nuts, it isnt very exciting. in stepped a bag of dried apricots and history was made. chewy, tart and full of apricotty goodness. now thats what im talkin about! so, is it possible to improve any further? you betcha, put it in a bundt pan and youre golden. and for the one i made to take to the garden recently, i threw caution to the wind and added some toasted pecan pieces, have mercy on my soul, for i am just a baker with a well stocked larder. i didnt mean anything by it...

CARROT-APRICOT BUNDT CAKE

1 (10-12) cup bundt cake serving about 16

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup wild flower honey-the darker ones have more flavor

1 cup oil-can be walnut, hazelnut or any other vegetable oil that is liquid at room temp

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

2 cups shredded carrots

1/2 cup dried apricots, finely diced

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple-drained

1 cup sweetened flake coconut

1/2 cup toasted pecans or walnuts

2 1/3 cup unbleached all purpose flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

preheat the oven to 350. grease and flour the cake pan. in a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, honey and oil. whisk it until combined. add the ginger, carrots, apricots, pineapple, coconut and nuts if you are using them. whisk to combine. place the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt into a sifter and sift it over the batter. using a spatula, fold the batter until it is combined and no streaks remain. scrape the batter into the prepared pan. bake until a pick inserted comes out clean, about an hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes. invert onto a rack to finish cooling. give it a little sprinkle of powdered sugar for decoration if you like. enjoy and may the force be with you.

meyer lemon syrup cake

for the last 12 or so weeks, i have been attending as many of the master gardener classes as possible. each week, a small group of certified members has attended in a sort of welcome wagon capacity. we also bring refreshments for the break. they have dubbed me the cake lady because i bring a cake each week. i suppose they could call me worse things than that...

a recent trip to the store yielded a mesh bag of meyer lemons. these lemons with orange colored skin, have a flavor that is not quite lemon and not quite orange and it is definitely worth seeking them out when they are in season.

if i am baking with citrus, the zest is the part i use. i used the juice to make a glaze that i brushed over the cake.

MEYER LEMON SYRUP CAKE

1 (10-12) cup bundt cake serving about 16

8 ounces unsalted butter, softened

2 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

zest of 2 meyer lemons

4 eggs

4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups buttermilk

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed juice from the zested lemons

3 tablespoons sugar

preheat the oven to 350. grease and flour a bundt pan and set it aside. place the butter into a mixing bowl with the sugar, salt and zest and on low speed, mix to combine. turn the mixer up to medium and allow the mixture to cream until light and fluffy. add the eggs, one at a time and mix to combine. scrape the bowl as you go. from here on, it is best to mix by hand so if you are not using a wide shallow bowl, transfer the batter to different bowl that will make folding the batter by hand a little easier. place the flour and baking powder into a sifter and sift it over the batter. fold this a couple times. sprinkle the buttermilk over the batter and gently fold until no streaks remain. scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a pick inserted comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

make the glaze by combining the juice and the sugar along with 2 tablespoons of water in a small pan. bring to a gentle boil and let it cook for a minute or two. be sure to do this over low heat or you will evaporate most of the glaze and be left with either a thick syrup or a burned pan...brush a little of this over the cake while it is still in the pan. after it has cooled in the pan for about 10-15 minutes, invert the cake onto a rack, pierce it with a fork a few times and brush the remaining glaze over the top and the sides of the cake. allow it to cool completely before cutting.

raspberry swirl cheesecake

people ask me how i manage to stay thin when i bake so many sweets. its easy, i make it a point to not bake the sweets i find impossible to pass up. that folks, is why i very rarely make a cheesecake! but every now and then, i bake one just so i can have a sliver or two. when i had my bakery, i made lots of cheesecakes; we sold them wholesale and had several clients that would order them in quantity. with as many as i was making, i perfected my technique and learned just what it took to make a cheesecake with out a crack in the middle. my list of rules isnt too long but if it is followed exactly, i can pretty much guarantee that your cheesecake will not crack. 1. reach over the name brand cheese-the one named for that yankee city and grab the full fat store brand because believe it or not, it makes a better cream cheese. 2. throw away the springform pan-yes, thats right, throw it away. grab a heavy duty cake pan. the thicker the gauge, the better, because it will insulate the cake more as it bakes. springform pans are made from a thin gauge metal and they allow the cake to over bake more easily. the best part, a cake pan will not leak-another check in the plus column. 3. never mind the water bath. again, you heard that correctly. it isnt necessary and it can be dangerous. 4. combine your ingredients(softened at room temp first) in a food processor-it will not incorporate air like a mixer will and air is your enemy. air expands when it is heated and when you incorporate lots of it into a cheesecake, the cheesecake expands and souffles when it bakes. and what do souffles do when they get to hot? they collapse and crack and look awful. 5. here is the tricky part-keep in mind that a cheesecake is not a cake, it is a custard that is treated like a cake. when the cake is about 3/4 of the way into the baking process, take it out of the oven and run a knife all the way around the edge to release the cake from the pan. only insert the knife about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch down the side of the pan. why do this? if you dont, the cake will not be able to shrink after baking-remember that first part, its a custard and not a cake. custards need to shrink and contract a little after baking. if you dont release it from the pan, the only thing it can do is crack down the center-the sides are stuck to the pan and the middle is the only part that "gives".

6. lastly, cheesecakes baked in a cake pan need to chill for about 8 hours before you unmold them. to do this, wrap a flat plate with plastic wrap and spray it with grease. heat the bottom of the pan over the burner on your stove-it should be a little warm, not hot. gently give it a side to side shake to loosen it. place the plate on top and invert-the cake should slide out. place your serving plate on the cake and invert it again.

PERFECT RASPBERRY SWIRL CHEESECAKE

1 (8") cheesecake that serves about 10

crust

1 1/2 cups cookie crumbs-i like to use something lowfat like biscotti

3 tablespoons sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and a little on the hot side

cheesecake

1 pound cream cheese-full fat, soft and at room temp

2/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/3 cup sour cream

4 eggs

1/4 cup seedless raspberry puree

preheat the oven to 300. grease or butter the pan. combine the cookie crumbs and the sugar. add the butter and with your fingers, mix to combine. dump the crust into the bottom of the pan and spread it 2/3 of the way up the sides and across the bottom so that it is an even thickness. set aside.

to make the cheesecake. place the cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla, lemon zest and sour cream into the bowl of a food processor. pulse to combine. add the eggs, one at a time and process to combine. scrape the bowl after each egg is mixed in. pulse it a few times to be sure it is evenly combined. reserve 1 cup of the cheesecake batter and pour the rest into the prepared pan. mix the raspberry puree into the reserved batter and drizzle this over the top of the cake. gently swirl it using the handle of a spoon or your finger tip.

to bake, place it in the center of the oven for for 45 minutes. remove the cake from the oven and release it by running a knife around the edge as described above. return the cake to the oven, turn off the heat and let it stand in the oven for 15 minutes. to check it for doneness, the cake should be firm around the edges when you touch it gently but still seem a little jiggly in the middle. it should not look liquid in the middle and if you touch it gently, it should not stick to your fingertip. if you have followed the directions and your oven temp is accurate, the cake should be perfectly baked at this point. allow the cake to cool on a rack for an hour and then chill it for at least 6-8 hours. unmold the cake according to the instructions above.

madeleines; twd/bwj

if you ask me, marcel proust was nuts. he went on about madeleines, or at least that is how the story goes. after baking them with this recipe, i can only ask why? what is so wonderful about madeleines?

this week, the tuesdays with dorie bakers made the madeleine recipe from the baking with julia book. to see the recipe, buy the book or visit the blogpage of our hosts for the challenge, katie and amy of counter dog.

so what is my problem, why am i hating on proust and his beloved madeleines? they are not very exciting. kind of dry actually and a little flavorless too. then again, that is what most genoise cakes are, dry and flavorless. made that way to soak up the flavor from the fillings and booze that they sandwich together in multilayer cakes served by the slice. these little buggers didnt just ask to be dunked in tea, they begged!

to make it interesting, i made two batches. the first batch i flavored with freshly grated lemon zest and the second, with some cocoa powder and some cinnamon. neither batch was worth indulging in if you ask me. i brought them to a meeting and shared them. the tasters enjoyed them and several dunked them-confirming my theory on the dryness. would i make them again-not likely with this recipe. while all madeleine recipes call for whipping eggs and sugar until the ribbon is formed, most have more than just flour a touch of butter and a little vanilla for flavor. my own recipe includes coconut and is much moister and more flavorful than these.

the instructions from the recipe call for greasing and flouring the plaques. not a good idea. if anybody ever asks your opinion, tell them to just grease the pans or simply brush them with melted butter. the flour and grease form a coating that stays on the madeleines and gives them a white washed effect. it isnt noticeable on the lemon ones but it sure is on the chocolate ones. believe it or not, the cleaner pan of the two in the photo, just used grease-no flour at all.

when sitting side by side, you can easily tell which had flour in the pans.

lemon zest added a hint of lemon flavor that improved the taste of the otherwise eggy little treats. still wasnt enough to tempt me into eating more than one. to see how the rest of the bakers did, visit the tuesdays with dorie page.

potato bread

its confession time. ive made this bread before-several times actually. making it for this weeks tuesdays with dorie challenge was not much of a challenge for me. actually, i was looking forward to the bread-it is simple and almost guaranteed to work each time. this weeks challenge is hosted by dawn of simply sweet so if you are looking for the recipe, buy the book or visit dawns blog.

this right here was the only hiccup in my plan: no russet potatoes in the house! actually, i made the bread with a combination of yukon gold and russian banana fingerlings and of course, 1 lonely rose potato.

when cooked, they were a buttery yellow, except that rose colored one which stayed a subtle pink shade.

all mashed up and ready to mix-the pink is no longer obvious

when the potatoes were mashed and mixed into the dough, it wasnt very obvious that i used potatoes with color. the directions tell you the first mixing stage will resemble pie dough and that was a very accurate description.

it starts off looking dry and then transforms into a soft and sticky dough.

as stated in the mixing directions, the dough is very similar to brioche in behavior as well as appearance.

but when the mixer stops, after the full 11 minutes, it is most definitely a bread dough.

the loaves are easy to shape and quick to rise.

and just as quick to bake!

restraining myself was the hard part-who can resist warm bread?

just look at the interior! i subbed a cup of whole wheat flour for the all purpose flour and split the remaining amount evenly with bread flour and all purpose flour to make up for the lack of structure of the creamy potatoes. in the end, it worked like a charm and i will not hesitate to use different potato varieties in the future. bake on friends and be sure to visit the tuesdays with dorie page to see how the other bakers did!

coconut tea cake

each week, i bake a cake to take to the new group of students attending the master gardeners classes. this week, i had to do a bit of foraging in the cupboards-i hadnt gone to the grocery store and my options were few. for some reason, which i cannot explain, i found 5 cans of coconut milk in the closet. then, while searching for some shredded coconut, i came across a package of fresh-frozen coconut from birdseye. it is finely shredded and barely sweetened but most importantly, it tastes pretty close to fresh coconut and it doesnt involve the hassle of opening a coconut and removing the flesh.

since there are at least 50 students in the class, i made a big 10" (12 cup) tube shaped cake.

after the cake cooled, i dressed it up with a simple glaze and sprinkled some toasted coconut over the top.

COCONUT TEA CAKE

1 (12) cup cake serving 16-20

7 ounces unsalted butter, softened

2 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 eggs

4 cups all purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup finely grated fresh coconut (or the frozen shredded, thawed)

1 can coconut milk, whisked smooth if lumpy

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3-4 tablespoons of half and half (or coconut milk if you have some extra)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup shredded coconut, toasted (or not if you prefer)

preheat the oven to 350. grease and flour a large tube or bundt cake pan and set aside. place the butter, sugar, salt and 2 teaspoons of the vanilla into the bowl of a food processor. pulse to combine. with the machine running, add the eggs, one at a time and allow to mix in. scrape the mixture into a large mixing bowl since the rest of the ingredients will be folded in by hand. place a mesh strainer or a sifter into a bowl. place the flour and baking powder into the strainer/sifter and set aside. stir the shredded coconut into the mixture-make sure there arent any hard lumps of coconut in the batter by breaking them up with your fingers. sift the dry ingredients over the batter. fold the mixture a few times and then pour the coconut milk over the batter. carefully fold together until no streaks remain. scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a pick comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. remove the cake from the pan and allow it to cool on a rack.

when the cake is completely cool, whisk the powdered sugar with 3 tablespoons of half and half and the vanilla. add additional half and half as needed until you have a thick glaze. using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake. decorate with a little toasted coconut.

enjoy!

mocha chip cookies; twd/bwj

when you join a group of bloggers dedicated to preparing every recipe in a specific book, you do not always have a say in what is made next. we put it to a vote but as votes go, the recipe with the most votes is the one chosen to be prepared next. some recipes are simple and quick, others are time consuming, stretching across several days from start to finish and the latter describes our previous challenge. after the hard work of making croissants from scratch, we were rewarded with a simple as well as easy batch of cookies. to see the full recipe, consider buying or borrowing (from a library) the book, baking with julia. and for those not so inclined, visit the website of this weeks host, peggy of galettista.

the cookies consist of an unlikely combination of chocolate pieces with coffee and dried apricots. my first reaction was not encouraging. i made the choice to use milk and white chocolate chips, instant espresso powder and half of the amount of chopped apricots called for in the recipe. as always, when i make cookies, i use a scoop to portion them out. this way, the cookies are almost identical in size which allows them to bake more evenly. the recipe called for chilling the dough first, then shaping them. with my experience in large scale baking on a daily basis, i felt they should be scooped first then chilled; that is so much easier on the scoop and my right hand!

since i planned to take these cookies to a meeting, i multiplied the recipe and made a batch and a half. with my handy purple scoop, i easily made more than 70 cookies which was plenty for everyone to sample as well as leave a few at home for my husband.

the comments some of the other bakers made was that the cookies were thinner than expected. my guess is that the oven temperature was off. my oven has the option of using convection. when using the fan, the general rule of thumb is for the temperature to be reduced by 25 degrees. with that in mind, i baked the cookies at 350 with the fan on. now wait a minute, the recipe instructions call for baking at 350-how is this a reduced temperature? the toll house cookie recipe, and these are almost identical to the toll house recipe, calls for baking the cookies at 375. with the reduced amount of flour in the recipe, the cookies spread thinner so the only way to stop that is with a higher temperature to force the dough to set and halt the spreading. another note, that time of 10-12 minutes was totally impossible for a temp of 350. as a matter of fact, i used a higher temp with convection and it took 12 minutes per pan minimum(and yes, i keep a thermometer in the oven). think about it, the dough was chilled for hours, it needed longer time in the oven to warm up, spread and set. if you used the temp of 350(regular oven) and cold dough for 10-12 minutes, your cookies most likely came out thin because of under baking which caused the structure to collapse when they were removed from the oven.

in the end, i came home from the meeting with an empty plate. a couple people hunted me down to ask me about them. having tasted them, i was surprised. never would i have thought that dried apricots would blend with espresso. would i make these again? maybe, but i would add a couple extra tablespoons of flour. be sure to visit tuesdays with dorie page to see what the other bakers came up with.

this year's baking of the bread, joan's irish soda bread

can you believe it is that time again? well it is, and i did it again. every year on or around st. patricks day, i make a loaf (or two) of my aunt joans irish soda bread. this year was no different except that i took it out to the garden to share it with my volunteers. since i have posted the recipe before, here is the link. my request, bake a loaf and make a promise-help keep the roads safe, dont drink and drive and please, stop someone who has been drinking from driving. stay safe my friends.

dinner for two: barley risotto and roasted brussel sprouts

my quest for a lower cholesterol level continues. over the last year, i have taken to preparing vegan dinners several times a week. generally, i make sure that there are leftovers as well so i can also get a lunch or two out of them. luckily, there are so many good books and websites out there to guide me. and before you think that vegan cooking is simply utilizing meat substitutes, think again. sure that is a reasonable line of thinking but truth be told, there are so many options that never include meat (or any animal products) to begin with. besides, many of those simulated meat and dairy products are highly processed and that makes them a little less appealing to me.

in the past, i have mentioned my tendency to shop in thrift stores. one of my other favorite haunts is mckays books. if you live in nashville (as well as knoxville and chattanooga), then you are familiar with the place. in short, mckays is one of the largest used book stores around. and by large, i mean large. my husband and i will go there and easily spend an hour or more perusing just a few of the shelves. the prices are very reasonable and the selection ranges from vintage to new with all of the bases are covered. while scanning the shelves, i have found books on just about any type of cooking or baking. just dont expect to find everything all of the time. repeat visits are necessary if you are really looking for a specific book or type of book.

it took me several visits, but i managed to find two of the vegan books i wanted and one of the best scores ever, a $2 copy of how to cook everything by mark bittman. while this book is not the least bit vegan, many of the recipes can be easily adapted if necessary. while rummaging through the cupboards in search of an easy dinner, i came across a jar of barley. my first thought was of a risotto made of barley and sure enough, bittman delivered in the form of a simple and fool proof recipe.

just like with arborio rice, the barley is slowly cooked in a saute pan with mushrooms, onions and herbs. stock is added, bit by bit, to produce a creamy and pleasing texture that is not clumpy or heavy. the recipe can be made with any kind of stock but the best part is that it does not call for cheese so there was no need for me to use a vegan cheese substitute. the mushrooms, onions and herbs as well as some white wine, provided plenty of flavor.

and since a meal of barley seems a little lacking, i roasted up a bunch of brussel sprouts using a recipe for roasted cauliflower steaks. it was simple; mix up the spiced oil blend and rather than brushing it onto thick slabs of cauliflower, then simply coat the brussel sprouts with the oil. they cook quickly and i only had to turn them over once, in short, an easy dish to prepare since the risotto required some attention.

BARLEY RISOTTO AND ROASTED BRUSSEL SPROUTS

serves 2

BARLEY RISOTTO ADAPTED FROM HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING BY MARK BITTMAN

3 cups hot vegetable broth, approximately-more may be needed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup finely diced onion

1 cup finely diced mushrooms-any kind

1/2 cup pearled barley, rinsed

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

salt and pepper to tast

1/4 cup dry white wine

keep the stock over low heat so that it remains hot. heat the olive oil in a saute pan or skillet over medium-low heat and saute the onions until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. add the mushrooms and saute until they are soft and have given up their juices, about another 5 minutes. add the barley and stir until glossy, about 1 minute. add the herbs, salt, pepper and the wine and turn the heat up to medium high and let the wine reduce until it is almost gone. reduce the heat to medium-low again and begin adding the broth, 1/2 cup at a time. stir frequently until the liquid is almost evaporated but do not let it dry out or it may scorch. continue adding the broth as needed until the barley is tender, at least another 30 minutes. serve immediately.

ROASTED BRUSSEL SPROUTS ADAPTED FROM THE ROASTED CAULIFLOWER RECIPE ON GLUTEN FREE FIX

1 pound fresh brussel sprouts, raw

2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ginger 1/4 teaspoon paprika freshly cracked black pepper

preheat the oven to 400. cut the brussel sprouts in half. mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl. toss the sprouts in the oil mixture and spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet that is lined with paper. roast until caramelized on the outside, about 20 minutes.

cinnamon swirl coffeecake

as always, when i head out to the demonstration garden, i go with a cake in hand to share with my fellow volunteers. a simple vanilla cake with a ribbon of cinnamon sugar, nuts and chocolate chips is a pretty typical choice.

to make it look pretty, first choose an interesting pan. i have many tube pans in my collection and some are plain while others like the one i used, have patterns.

cinnamon swirl coffeecake

1 (12 cup) cake serving 12 to 16

8 ounces unsalted butter, softened

2 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 eggs

4 cups all purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups buttermilk

1/3 cup cinnamon sugar (or 1/3 cup sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons cinnamon)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup pecans or walnuts

preheat the oven to 350. grease and flour the cake pan and set aside. place the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla into the bowl of a food processor. pulse to combine. add the eggs, one at a time and pulse to combine. scrape the mixture into a large mixing bowl. place the flour and the baking powder into a sifter or a mesh strainer and sift it over the batter in the bowl. fold the batter a few times, add the buttermilk and mix until no streaks remain. carefully spoon 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar over the batter and then top it off with half of the chocolate chips and nuts. carefully top this with half of the remaining batter and carefully spread it into an even layer. sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar, chocolate chips and nuts over the batter and then top it off with the remaining cake batter. spread the top of the batter so that it is even and touches the sides and middle core of the pan. bake until a pick inserted comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then invert it onto a rack to cool completely. when the cake is cool, sift a little powdered sugar over the top. cut with a serrated knife. leftovers, if there are any, will freeze nicely. just wrap slices well and freeze for a month or two. to defrost, let the slices sit out at room temperature with the plastic still on them.

this is how i roll; croissants, anyone?

so, if it is tuesday, it is time to bake with julia, right? oh, thats right, its wednesday and i am a day behind. such is life, my life, a day late and a dollar short. whatever. luckily for me, this weeks challenge was one that i was really excited about. back in the day, i made croissants daily. but back then, i did it with a dough sheeter, not a rolling pin. this was going to be a bit of a challenge after all. if you arent already familiar with the tuesdays with dorie group, we are a bunch of bakers working our way through the book, baking with julia. for the recipe to this weeks challenge, visit the page of this weeks host, amanda of girl + food = love. if you would like to see how the rest of the group did, check out the tuesdays with dorie page. before we get started, let me share a few of my observations, opinions and what nots. first of all, i only followed the instructions for assembling the dough and making the folds. and if you ask me, the directions were not always easy to follow. and judging by some of the other bakers results, i was not the only one who had this issue. needless to say, i did not always do as instructed by the recipe.

every month, i attend a potluck dinner with my fellow master gardeners and i decided to make the croissants my contribution. in order to share them with everyone, i made mini croissants. i rolled the dough out to the required 15"x24" and cut it into 3 (5") strips. i marked the strips every 3 inches on one long side. to get triangles, starting at the other long edge, i marked it 1.5"in from the edge and then again every 3" across. using a rotary cutter, i cut the dough by going from bottom to top and back down to the bottom-connecting the cuts to make triangles. i did this with the other strips as well.

to shape them, i carefully stretched the dough and rolled them up. as i placed them on the pans, i curved the edges in a little. here is another way i departed from the instructions, i bagged the trays and put them in the fridge to rise slowly overnight rather than using the oven to proof them (more on that in a moment).

so easy to do

perfectly proofed. now, about the rising time. i noticed on a couple of the bakers blogs that their croissants melted. my guess is that the instructions were not clear. the contributing baker suggested rising them in an oven that was turned off. that gives the impression that at some point, the oven was turned on and heated then turned off. what she should have said was an unheated oven or a cold oven with a pilot light or an oven light turned on. a heated oven would cause all of the butter to melt out and the croissants would collapse in a puddle.

how do you know if you proofed them long enough, they should be more than double in size but still slightly firm to the touch. left-proofed, right-not proofed.

perfectly bronzed, and crispy and flaky

look at the lovely interior. a little chewy and a little flaky-tasty any way you look at it! thanks for hosting amanda. and one more note, these are for you grandma, something tells me that you would have enjoyed them...

valentine's day at the beard house

it has only taken a week but i think i may have finally caught my breath and gotten some sleep. after a 17 hour bus ride up, two jam packed-action filled days and another 17 hour bus ride home, i can truly say i have had a real career moment! at times, it was a little overwhelming-to just think about where i was and who else had been there. at others, it was just plain fun; we were so well prepared that everything went off without a single hiccup. however, since i was a little busy, i didnt take many photos-but i have a link to lots of them at the bottom of this post. these are a few of the photos i took.

the front door to the house doesnt look like much, i expected something a little grander. perhaps some stairs leading up to the door. but in the end, this made loading in a whole lot easier.

the kitchen, this is the backside of the pass.

the view into the kitchen from the far side of the pass.

the line. it should really be called the tunnel-as short and thin as i am, i felt a little large in this space.

red velvet cheesecake brownies. as a parting gift for all of the guests, i baked up 4 pans (see them lined up on the pass in the photo above?). need the recipe? click here. we were unbelievably lucky; our event was on 2/14 and there were not any events scheduled on the day before. we were allowed to load in and prep the day before. that meant we were not as rushed and had a little time to wander the area. when we finished prepping on 2/13, a few of us hit the streets and headed to chelsea market on foot.

like moths, we were drawn to the light...

i do not envy the person who had to attach all of those little lights.

we pigged out on gelato and sorbetto

then we headed up to the high line for a nap.

the old rail line that was converted into the high line park

love the way the building is staddling the raised railway, as if it is stepping over it

14th street-the meat packing district

it always amazes me that the roads are still cobbled in some of the neighborhoods of manhattan.

the uneven sizes and angles of the glass on this building made wonderful reflections. i could have spent hours photographing the building and the reflections. we headed back to the house so that we could go to dinner as a group. after a lovely dinner at mc cormick and schmicks, we walked to times square. having grown up in new jersey and spending many, many days and nights as well as working in new york city, i must say that times square at night is always impressive. a little overwhelming but always an adventure.

and then it was time to head back to the hotel-we had a busy day in front of us...

to see tons more pictures of all the food and the beard house, follow this link. and congratulations to tara(in the photo above)-she travelled with us and took all of the photos on the cafes website. didnt she do a great job?

macarons: how to relax and reload...

if you live in nashville, then you know where i have been. last week, a few of my coworkers and i made a 17 hour bus trip to new york city to prepare a special valentines day dinner at the james beard house. dont worry, at some point this week, i will post pictures and links to all of the clips and coverage. but after a three day whirlwind trip and another 17 hour bus ride home, i needed to recharge and reload. and since more than a couple hours of sleep was not an option, i decided to do what comes naturally-bake cookies.

in december, i participated in a book release event for the bouchon bakery book. and on friday morning, in a half hungover-half adrenaline overloaded state, i went for a walk on the streets of new york city. in my wanderings, i passed bouchon bakery and then later in the day, found myself on the bus watching my coworkers sample macarons from bouchon. so many pretty colors and enticing flavors. it dawned on me that i had never tried making that type of macaron. i had to reconcile that...

well it was close to valentines day

my technique needs work...

i need to get some red color-fuschia didnt cut it, they look like i flavored them with pepto bismal...

all filled and ready for a close-up. i plan to make these again. this time, i used the recipe from the bouchon bakery book. the recipe is out there on the internet but as a cookbook author, i suggest you buy the book or at least borrow it from a library or friend. and if not, i found it on the making of a foodie blog, but beware, sebastien rouxel works his recipes in grams and ounce conversions are tricky so your best bet is to work from his recipe in the book using the gram amounts rather than the ounce conversions on the blog page i linked to. good luck and may the force be with you...now, im off to catch up on some sleep.

sundried tomato focaccia

when it comes to simple and easy bread, focaccia is the only one you need to make. you can slice it into strips and serve it with a salad, cut squares and stuff them for sandwiches or you can simply eat pieces of it. there isnt any intricate shaping or special pan required; just your finger tips will do. the best part, the dough is so forgiving that mistakes are hard to see. even better is the fact that you can add just about anything to the dough and still get a good result. this weeks recipe from baking with julia is the focaccia featured on page 143 and is hosted by sharmini of wandering through. be sure to visit her page to see the recipe or better yet, pick up a copy of baking with julia-it is worth every bit of space on the shelf. to see what the other 100 or so bakers have come up with, visit the tuesdays with dorie page. a few notes to share. since there is just two of us in the house, i cut the recipe in half and made two small squares. while the recipe called for a 24-36 hour rest in the fridge, my life could only accomodate about 16-18 hour period. that is probably why i did not get all of the little bubbles on the surface. maybe next time, or maybe not. the bread was nice and light; the shorter resting did not seem to be a huge issue. since i was pressed for time, i didnt bother with the fresh herbs and just sprinkled a little sea salt on top of each loaf.

my sundried tomatoes came packed in olive oil. to add even more flavor to the bread, i used some of that oil in the bread too. it gave it a nice tomato orange shade.

the window pane test for gluten development. if you can stretch it out to a transparent window without tearing, it is ready.

shaped and waiting to be baked

after a light brush of olive oil, this loaf of bread is waiting its turn in the oven.

fresh from the oven.

be sure to check out the tuesdays with dorie page and bake along with us sometime!

that next big thing...

some people have jobs, some have careers. some work because they have to and others work because they cannot imagine not working; its more of a "calling" than a job. for those of us who have careers and callings, we are lucky to also find ourselves in love with what we do. our lives become punctuated by big moments and accomplishments that more often than not, include our professional occupations. in the restaurant world, there are few things to dream of. the work is hard, it is stressful and physically demanding. most of us do not get many benefits and quite often the pay scale isnt very rewarding either-especially if you are a woman. even so, we get up at odd hours and work our asses off even when we are sick or have cut/burned/bashed ourselves to a point that would make others cry and give up. in the back of our minds, we dream of the day that...i know, its no different than any other career path but in our profession, at least the food is good. so where am i going with this? after 30 years of busting my ass, after countless burns and bruises and cuts, after writing 2 books, and on and on i could go, i finally found myself facing what could be considered a dream come true. a bonafide career defining moment. an honor so great that it is one that i simply cannot put into words so that it sounds like anything less than bragging. so instead, i bring you pictures.

it all starts with a simple sweet potato

and potato chips

onions tossed in seasoned flour by hand

crispy fried onions

the start of a casserole

tomme cheese made with milk from a cow named eileen

(honestly, im not making that up, her name really is eileen)

carrots mashed by hand

our own smoked pork loin

chicken breaded and fried

freshly fried chicken made from our secret recipe

squash ready for the casserole

profiteroles awaiting their filling

bittersweet chocolate

freshly shaved

can you feel the love?

as we worked in the kitchen, the tables were set. its almost showtime! the tension builds and we are ready. this is just a dress rehearsal, but we took it every bit as seriously as we will in two weeks. we are headed to the big city, about 900 miles northeast of nashville. yes, that big city, the big apple. were packing up our recipes and our knife kits and heading to manhattan. weve been invited to throw a little dinner party for valentines day. you wont find us in a restaurant or hotel kitchen. this isnt a pop-up dinner and there wont be any tents. we will be taking over a house in the village-greenwich village to be exact. and whose house is it, does it even matter? yeah it does, it belonged to a man named james beard-ever heard of him? and all tongue and cheek aside, none of the attitude or arrogance, i am honored to have this chance and even with all of the preparation we have done, a little nervous too. the james beard foundation put a nice bit up about us on their website, and we have even more up on cafe website. our local paper covered the rehearsal dinner and here is what they had to say about it. wish us luck, and stay tuned for more photos.

gingerbread beer bundt cake; a winner!

its a winner alright. like everyone else, i love a good contest. especially when i know i have the winning recipe. isnt it funny how that winning recipe never wins anything? maybe not so funny, but it doesnt stop me from trying. and try i did when food52.com ran a best recipe with beer contest this month. i knew i had the winning entry-who else would bake a cake with beer? apparently, several entrants had the same idea. but in the end, mine was the winner. honestly, mind=blown. one of the perks of the win, my cake got a glamour shot and a slide show which you can view on food52.com.

one of my favorite ingredients goes into this cake; sorghum. for those in the know, they understand why. it is all the flavor of molasses without any of the bitter or the black color. the syrup pressed from fresh sorghum canes is cooked slowly to reduce, clarify and concentrate the sugar as well as the flavor. it is also a less refined product and is frequently made in amish and mennonite communities which can make it hard to find. unless you live in the south, it is still pretty common here and we dont have to look very hard to find it. try looking in amish or mennonite stores, farmers markets or if you are lucky, the whole foods supermarket near you may carry it-they do in nashville.

the syrup starts out as a bright green juice but by the time it is cooked, it is a rich amber shade. it is never so dark that light cannot shine through it. so my apologies to the folks at food52.com-that looks a lot like molasses in your photos! looks like i am going to have to send you some southern love in the form of sorghum.

with my large collection of bundt pans, the hard part was choosing one.

spice cake with mustard, dos perros pale ale, chocolate glaze; nothing else needed exept a fork...

the marbleized interior of the cake

for the complete recipe, visit food52.com.

so many bakeries, so little time

when i visit new places, or even areas that i have been to before, i always look for bakeries. big surprise isnt it? not really if you know me-baking is what i do. it always interests me to see the trends in other cities.

atlanta is such a diverse "food" city. if you take a good look in the showcases of bakeries all over the city, there wont be any shortage of well done sweets and pastries. in my last post about atlanta, i featured the korean treasure, white windmill bakery and the award winning sublime donuts. on that same trip, i ventured into some other bakeries around the city.

breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? for me, that first cup of coffee is what is most important. pair it with a muffin and i am as happy as i can be. my daughter and i walked to highland bakery from her midtown apartment and indulged ourselves with coffee and muffins.

on another morning, we found ourselves over in northwest atlanta at henris bakery.

here we indulged ourselves in doughnuts and rugelach as well as coffee.

but no bakery tour of atlanta is complete without a trip to a cupcake shop.

we went to camicakes. they were every bit as tasty as they look. next time, i am walking to atlanta so that there is not a bit of guilt when i eat twice my weight in cakes and cookies and pastries and donuts and bread and...now, to put in that request for time off so i can go back-sweetie are you ready? your mother is coming back to visit!

french apple tart: tuesdays with dorie

as a person who bakes a lot of pies, i can honestly say that there isnt much you can do to improve an apple pie. sure you can change the type of crust or add different things to it but in the end, you still have an apple pie and what more could you want? chocolate may be my first choice in all other types of desserts and sweets but when it comes to pie, apple is always my favorite and a perfect choice for a cold and dreary winter day. this weeks tuesdays with dorie/baking with julia challenge is hosted by gaye of laws of the kitchen and the participants baked the french apple tart found on pages 379-381. to view the full recipe, visit gayes blog or be kind and buy a copy of the book, baking with julia; it is worth every penny! the recipe makes a 9" tart which was just too much for two people. first thing on the list was to make a quarter of the pie dough recipe. lurking in a bowl in the dining room was a group of apples left from thanksgiving; embarrassing isnt it. further inspections yielded a bag of fourelle pears (from the same holiday) living in the produce drawer in the fridge. needless to say, i had plenty of fruit to make the recipe!

the filling recipe is a little different. the apples were peeled, cut into cubes and mixed with the other ingredients. this mixture was spread out on a pan and roasted. two things, my apples were old and didnt give off much juice and second, i forgot the bread crumbs. neither caused problems-the filling mashed up nicely.

to keep it simple, i used mini pie pans rather than tart pans. the quarter sized batch of pie dough made 4 pie shells. i prebaked them all and froze two for another day. my favorite baking trick is to use a coffee filter to line the pie shell and then use glass marbles for weights.

the prebaked pie shells were filled with the mashed, roasted apples.

the pears were peeled and sliced thin.

then they were arranged around the top of the pie, brushed with a little melted coconut oil(rather than butter) and sprinkled with sugar.

hot from the oven, mmmmmmm....apple pie. it was real tasty with some vanilla ice cream!!! be sure to visit the tuesdays with dorie page to see how the rest of the bakers made out.