Banana Pecan Breakfast Cake

After a very long sabbatical (and by sabbatical I mean lack of motivation and time) from cooking, I've recently begun taking baby steps back into the kitchen. And considering that desserts and all culinary variations of it have always been one of my favorite "food groups" it's hardly surprising that I would celebrate the return to blogging with something sweet.

I've long been a fan of Monica Holland's website "Lick the Bowl Good" since I found out about it through another online baking group when I first started my own blog. However, like the majority of the books in my cookbook collection, I pretty much gazed upon her baking from a distance and never tried a single recipe. I've yet to understand this phenomenan apart from the fact that I am a culinary paradox. But, when I found out there was a facebook page that was baking their way through her first book, it took me nearly 2 minutes to decide that I wanted to be a part of it. And even more surprisingly, only a few days before I actually cooked from the book.

As recipes go, this was a fairly simple one which is always a powerful motivator for someone who needs to strengthen their culinary muscles again. Most of the ingredients are ones you're likely to have in your pantry already and can be in the oven within 20 minutes or so. Because of some food sensitivities to gluten and dairy (the latter is something that I'm mourning in particular), I had to make a few changes to the recipe by substituting Pamela's gluten free flour for the all purpose flour, apple sauce for the butter and a mix of rice milk and vinegar for the buttermilk called for in the recipe. And although I'm sure this made some changes to the overall flavor, the texture of the cake was amazing. Given that I wasn't able to cream the butter and sugar together, the crumb and height of the cake was perfect for me and I loved the hint of sweetness that the apple sauce bought to the cake was well. Definitely a cake I would bake again, although I think next time I would like to toast some pecans and add them into the batter to compensate for some of the flavor that might have been lost by removing the butter.

Although this month I'm not including the recipe for this particular post due to lack of time ( a choice between typing up the recipe and finishing an assignment for one of my classes- and the class won this round)  the recipe itself can can easily be found in many bookstores such as Amazon or even in your local library. Look for "Lick the Bowl Good: Classic Home-Style Desserts with a Twist" and turn to page 151. You'll thank me later.

Gluten Free Vanilla Bean Scones

I have always been a big fan of scones. Whether it's with jam, whipped cream or just a light glaze, the scone is sublime because it's the perfect platform to add pretty much anything to. When I found myself some months back in need of scones (and by that I mean, I was in need of something sugary to start out my day) I went looking around online to see what I could find that would actually match up with a somewhat sparse looking cupboard. I found this recipe for Vanilla Bean Scones over at The Pioneer Woman and was pleasantly surprised by how easy they were to make with a few minor modification (No offense to Ms. Drummond, but I had to have scones faster than the recipe allowed). I also went with a full size scone as compared to petite because I had a brand new scone pan that I had to use so that I could rationalize buying it. Please check out the full post for Petite Vanilla Bean Scones over at the Pioneer Women's website for some great step by step instructions as well as gorgeous photos that will make you want to make scones for yourself.

Vanilla Bean Scones
From the Pioneer Woman Website

For Scones:

• 3 cups Gluten Free Flour
• 2/3 cups Sugar
• 5 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 2 sticks chilled butter
• 1  Large Egg
• 3/4 cups Heavy Cream 
• 2 whole Vanilla Beans

FOR GLAZE

• 5 cups Powdered Sugar, Sifted
• 1/2 cup Whole Milk, More If Needed For Thinning
• 1 tbsp Vanilla Bean Paste 
•  Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Split the vanilla beans down the middle lengthwise and scrape out the vanilla beans. Stir into cream and set aside  for 15 minutes.

Sift together flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. 

Add egg to vanilla cream and combine with flour mixture. Be careful not to over stir. 

Take spoonfuls of dough and press into scone pan. If you're braver than I, or if you don't have a scone pan that you have to prove you needed to spend a small fortune on, turn dough out into floured surface and press together until you have some semblance of a rectangle. Roll out slightly and cut into 12 rectangles. 

Bake for approximately 20 minutes, testing the scones with a toothpick if you're like me and slightly overfilled the scone pan, and remove from oven before it begins to brown. Cool for 15 minutes, and remove to cooling rack. 

Add vanilla bean paste (or vanilla bean, cut in half with beans scraped out) to milk and allow it to sit for several minutes before adding powdered sugar. Mix well and dip cooled scones into vanilla glaze mix. Transfer scones to parchment paper and allow glaze to sit for an hour (or if you're like me as long as you're prepared to wait when you're hungry). 

Sweet and Sour Chicken

One of my favorite Chinese dishes has always been takeout Sweet and Sour Chicken, with its thick,sweet sauce and breading that always appeals to the sugar/carb lover that I am. Unfortunately, due to a gluten sensitivity I don't have a chance to indulge my culinary addiction as often as I used to which is why I jumped at the chance to make this slightly healthier, gluten free version of it. Overall, this is a somewhat labor intensive dish primarily because of the number of components that needed to be measured out but  once that was out of the way, the rest of the dish came together in about 15 minutes. As a personal preference, I did substitute chicken for pork as well as using ginger paste instead of chopped ginger but the overall flavors still blended together well. The recipe is definitely a modified version of traditional sweet and sour Chinese food but as long as I can have my sweet and sour chicken again, I can happily live with that. At least I will once I get over the number of dishes I have to wash now. 

Overall grade: A

Sweet and Sour Chicken

from: Quick & Easy Chinese by Nancie McDermott

2 tbsp dry sherry 

1 tbsp gluten free soy sauce

1 tsp salt

Sweet and Sour Sauce

2 tbsp water

2 tsp cornstarch 

1/4 cup chicken stock 

2 tbsp cider vinegar

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp ketchup 

1 tbsp pineapple juice 

Chicken

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp ginger paste

2 tsp garlic

2/3 cup chopped peppers (sweet red, orange and yellow)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup pineapple chunks

8 oz sliced chicken

3 tbsp chopped green onion

Combine soy sauce, sherry and salt and stir until blended well. 

To make the sweet and sour sauce, combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside. Combine chicken stock, vinegar, sugar, ketchup and pineapple juice in small sauce pan. Whisk until blended well and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Cook for one minute. Stir in cornstarch mixture and cook until sauce becomes shiny and thick. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm. 

Heat large, deep skillet over high heat. Add oil and swirl to coat pan. Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add bell peppers and onions. Cook, tossing often, until fragrant and beginning to wilt. Add pineapple and cook for one minute longer. Remove mixture from pan and set aside. 

Add chicken to the pan, spreading it out in a single layer and cook undisturbed until edges change color, about 30 seconds. Toss well and cook, repeating this often, until most of pork is no longer pink. 

Add sherry soy mixture and toss well. Return bell pepper mixture to pan and mix well. Add sweet and sour sauce and cook, tossing often, until all ingredients are evenly seasoned and coated. Add green onions and toss again. Serve immediately. 

Pennsylvania Dutch Corn Fritters with Maple Mustard Sauce

It's been a long time since I've been able to get into the kitchen and do cooking of any kind. And by that, I mean I've just been too lazy and unmotivated to do cooking of any kind between classes and work. But there comes a time in all of our lives when we realize that we just cannot cope with takeout food of any kind one more time without suffering the consequences. I had been intending to make ice cream over the weekend but came across "A Reader's Cookbook" in the bargain bin at my local Jewel and spend the next 15 minutes reading through the recipe and zipping around the store to find the ingredients while simultaneously annoying the living daylights out of everyone else who was trying to complete their last minute panicked Easter dinner shopping as well. 

Overall this was a fairly simple recipe to pull together. I substituted gluten free flour for this due to food sensitivities and omitted the cayenne pepper as well as the lemon juice(none in the house). I also halved the recipe and still ended up with plenty of fritters but kept the ratio of the sauce as was because there can never be too much maple mustard sauce in my opinion. Frying foods are never one of my favorite things but apart from a minor oil splatter that hit my hand I survived with my sanity and health intact. While I liked the overall recipe, I would probably make a few more changes to it in the future such as adding a bit more maple syrup (the quantity of mustard overpowered the syrup) and add more onion as well as salt to the fritters themselves. Grade B+. 

Pennsylvania Dutch Corn Fritters with Maple-Mustard Sauce

slightly adapted from "A Readers Cookbook" by Judith Choate 

FRITTERS

2 1/2 cups thawed frozen corn kernels

2 large eggs separated

1/4 cup scallion greens

2 TBSP & 2 TSP  all purpose flour

1/2 tbsp sugar

Salt to taste

1 cup vegetable oil

MAPLE MUSTARD SAUCE

1 cup dijon mustard

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1 tsp lemon juice

Place egg whites in a mixing bowl and using an electric mixer, beat until stiff peaks form. 

Mix together scallion greens, flour, sugar, salt and corn together. Add egg yolks when blended. Fold in beaten egg whites until just blended. 

Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. When oil is very hot, drop corn batter into oil by  heaping tablespoons. Fry, turning once, for about 5 minutes or until fritters are crisp and golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove fritters and place on paper towel to drain. Serve warm or at room temperature with honey mustard sauce. 

Photo: Art Museum in Black and White

Between class and dental work, no time for baking. Soon, my little kitchen, soon.

Quick Pasta Bolognese

Sometimes, panic is a good thing. And by that, I mean when I'm frazzled from studying and figure it's time to take a break by doing some cooking to get out of the academic funk. I have always had a fondness for Pasta  Bolognese and somewhere in my collection of dusty, unused cookbooks is a different recipe (one that takes twice as long as this new version) which I always trot out when I want to impress .  But I also have a fondness for simplification especially when I have a paper to write and a test to study for. Given how simple this was to make, and how good it tasted, this might be my new favorite Bolognese recipe. Overall grade: A

Quick Pasta Bolognese 
Adapted slightly from The Best Simple Recipes by America's Test Kitchen

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion chopped fine
1 carrot, diced into small chunks
16 oz meatloaf mix (pork and beef)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dry white wine
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 pound gluten free spaghetti
salt and pepper

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in large pot. Place 1 tbsp oil in large skillet turn heat to medium high until oil starts to smoke slightly. Add onions and carrots and cook for 5 minutes or until tender. Add meat and cook, using potato masher to break apart meat until it is no longer pink for about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add wine and cook until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook until slightly thickened, approximately 2 minutes. Add cream and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Cook pasta and drain. Return to pot and add sauce, tossing to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 4.

Roasted Halibut with Asian Cilantro Sauce

Thanks in part to a long weekend and some extra free time, I finally ran out of excuses and followed the trail of  imaginary bread crumbs back into the kitchen. As I've been relying way too much on prepackaged food and/or using ice cream for my dinners as of late, I'd had my eye on this for awhile in the hope of kick starting a healthier lifestyle. Sadly, this was cooked only because I was growing irritated with watching a baseball game but I'd like to think that getting this made at all is still a battle won. Overall, given my tendency to overcook fish, the green bean and mushroom blend was the biggest hit but this was still a quick, light Sunday lunch that I would make again as long as I had a kitchen timer on hand. Although the recipe calls for adding additional salt and pepper to taste to the vegetable medley and the cilantro sauce, I omitted it without any taste lost as a result. Overall grade B+.

Roasted Halibut with Asian Cilantro Sauce 
slightly adapted from Bon Appetit - Fast Easy Fresh 

2 cups loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves (1 large bunch)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 green onion, chopped
1 tbsp ginger paste
5 tbsp olive oil (recipe calls for safflower oil)
2 tsp Asian sesame oil, divided
3 tsp soy sauce, divided

2 8 oz halibut fillets, each 1 inch thick
4 oz green beans
10 oz fresh stemmed shiitake mushrooms

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place cilanto, lemon juice, green onion and ginger in food processor along with 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp sesame oil and 1 tsp soy sauce and puree.

Place fish fillets, green beans, and mushrooms in single layer on baking sheet. Whisk remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, sesame oil and soy sauce in bowl to blend. Poor over fish, green beans and mushrooms. Toss green beans and mushrooms to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until fish is opaque in center and green beans are crisp-tender, approximately 8 minutes. Divide among two plates and serve with cilantro sauce.

In Lieu of Cooking

 I've been either busy or lazy or both which is never a good combination in life when it comes to choosing cooking over takeout. This is a photo I took about two months ago after Spanish class.

Grilled Gorgonzola Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes

I had every intention of being superwoman this weekend - I was going to leap over Spanish infinitive verb endings with a single bound, rescue the world from assorted superlatives and defeat the evil infinitive and negatives words therefore making the world safe again for those of us who are currently befuddled by taking accelerated language courses in the summer. And completely clean the house. In other words, I was panicking over a final exam three days away.

I should confess, I am just about as confused as I was this morning. Sometimes the best laid plans are bound to disintegrate rapidly as soon as they feel that first cold touch of reality. Sinus headaches and sisters don't help matters much more either. Which is why I am glad that, despite slamming face first into the proverbial end of semester wall today, I still decided to get into the kitchen and cook something so that I would feel like I had accomplished something that had a breath of creativity in it.

It helped greatly that the recipe itself was pretty quick to pull together...combine the sauce in a blender, grill the chicken and serve. My kind of recipe for a day that just never quite got started. And all that butter basted chicken does help tame the stress to more manageable levels. Overall grade: A+  for being a quick and easy Sunday night dinner that I would make again.


Grilled Gorgonzola Chicken
adapted from "The Great Big Book of Butter Cookbook"

Gorgonzola Sauce
3/4 cup greek yogurt
3 oz cream cheese room temperature
5 tbsp gorgonzola cheese
2 tbsp chopped green onions
1 1/2 tps pepper with finely grated lemon zest
1/8 tsp salt

Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 tbsp butter, melted
Salt and pepper to taste
4 tomatoes, cut into slices and grilled

Preheat grill to medium heat.

In blender, mix yogurt and cream cheese until smooth. Add gorgonzola, green onion, lemon pepper and salt. Process until combined. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Brush chicken with small amount of melted butter then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill chicken, uncovered, over heat for 5 minutes on one side. Turn and cook for another 7-10 minutes.

Serve chicken with cheese sauce and garnish with roasted tomatoes.

Lemon Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Feta

Lately, I've been trying to focus more on eating healthier due in part to the cold hard truth..I am getting older. And after 40, while the mind might say "Of course you can still eat like you were in your 20's" your body is not going along with the sentiment at all. That's why I liked this recipe after finding it in one of my rarely used cookbooks (thanks to easy access to takeout and a genetic predisposition to laziness). Apart from having to slow down long enough to cook the pasta and toss the dressing, this was simple enough for me to pull off after a long day at work. Due to a gluten sensitivity, I used gluten free rice pasta but the flavor of the dressing helped make that difficult to taste. I also cut back slightly on the bell peppers as I'm not a huge fan of them.  Overall, a solid A-.


Lemon Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Feta
Adapted ever so slightly from "Bon Appetit - Fast, Easy, Fresh"

7 oz tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp whole grain mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp finely grated lemon peel

12 oz penne
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1  cup multi colored bell peppers
1 1/2 cups feta cheese crumbled
1 cup chopped green onions

Combine first five ingredients in bowl until blended. Add pepper and salt to taste.

Cook penne in boiling water until tender. Drain pasta and transfer to large bowl. Add tomatoes, bell peppers, feta cheese and green onions. Pour dressing over and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mongolian Beef

I'm always surprised but delighted when I reach one of those lovely and often unexpected zones in life where classes are going well, the cat and I are are healthy, and I'm spending time away from the computer even if all I do is lay on the couch and read a chick lit book or anything else that I'm not going to be graded on. When these rare opportunities hit, it's often (happily) accompanied by the motivation to get into the kitchen and cook something delicious instead of relying on microwaved quick meals like I do during the week.

I had been planning on making this for awhile, but never managed to coordinate time and schedule to do so but this weekend, after finally getting my head (somewhat) wrapped around Spanish indefinite pronouns for Spanish 102, lo and behold I had a stress free afternoon and an working air conditioner which made cooking seem like a great idea.

I made a few minor modifications to the recipe. Given the amount of soy sauce and hoisin sauce, I omitted the 1/2 tsp of salt the recipe called for along with swapping terriyaki sauce for dark soy sauce because I couldn't find that in a gluten free form. Apart from having some cooking stir fry issues related to not having the heat high enough, it turned out pretty well even if it was slightly done due to my inherent nature to instinctively overcook meat (I think it's genetic). I found the dish to be a little on the salty side, so I think I would like to see if I could find a low sodium gluten free soy sauce the next time I tried this.

Overall, a good dish and quick to prepare with my handy cup of microwavable rice (laziness has to win out somewhere in life). Overall grade: B+ .


Mongolian Beef 
Adapted slightly from Quick & Easy Chinese by Nancie McDermott

2 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
3/4 lb thinly sliced beef
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp dry sherry
1/2 tsp gluten free terriyaki sauce
1 tsp sugar
10 green onions
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 tsp Asian Sesame Oil

In medium bowl, combine soy sauce and cornstarch, mixing well. Add beef and toss to coat. Set aside for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine hoisin sauce, sherry, soy sauce and sugar and stir to mix well until sugar is dissolved.

Trim green onions, halving them crosswise and separate green portion from white. Cut white part of onion in half and then cut into 1/2 inch lengths. Chop green tops crosswise into 1 inch lengths.

Heat vegetable oil in wok or large deep skillet over high heat. Add garlic and toss well. Add beef and marinade, spreading beef into single layer and letting it cook for 30 seconds without stirring. Toss well and add green onions. Cook, tossing often, until beef has changed color and green onions are shiny, fragrant and slightly wilted.

Add hoisin sauce mixture, toss well and add sesame oil. Toss again and transfer to serving platter. Serve warm or hot. Serves 4.

TCS: Individual Meringue Blobs/Cups with Lime Cream

INDIVIDUAL MERINGUE BLOBS/CUPS WITH LIME CREAM AND FRUIT

From: The Cake book by Tish Boyle

Optimism always reigns in my at least mind when it comes to culinary matters. Given my fondness for devouring the Miss Meringue cookies from my local store  and spending the rest of the day on a elevated sugar buzz, I had no qualms about trying this recipe despite my ongoing issues with egg whites that have at times in the past led to me having to leave the kitchen  and console myself with something deliciously unhealthy while I get over the latest egg white episode. However, I am pleased to announce that I have successfully conquered (for the most part) the egg white phobia even if it is clear from the photo that my piping skills are still lagging far behind. 

This was, surprisingly, at least for me a fairly easy recipe to assemble although it helped greatly that it could be done in stages. While I liked the meringue, I actually enjoyed the fruit with just the lime cream alone much more than the completed project. Without the meringue, it's definitely more on the tart side so I think I might sweeten the whipped cream a little more before folding it into the lime curd the next time. Overall, a yummy dessert, one that I hope to be able to serve to guests some day when my piping skills are a little more polished. 

For the recipe, please check out Tish Boyle's great book "The Cake Book" and look for page 290 or check out this link  at Cookstr for the recipe as well as the nutritional values. Until Monday, I am in complete denial of these pesky nutritional values however so I will be blissfully enjoying this dessert until then. .

Please check out the other Bakers over at The Cake Slice for their lovely and delicious posts on this month's recipe! 

For the Love of Bacon

Lo, it's been a long long time since I've posted about food, much less about the love of my love, bacon, due in part to going back to school to finally finish my bachelor's degree sometime in the next four, five, or six years (working full time and going to school part time makes for one crazy bacon fan). But I cannot excuse my neglect of bacon no matter how busy things have gotten. Sometimes, we have to make time for those happy, delicious moments in life which naturally include the culinary masterpiece known as bacon jam. Some time back, I had persuaded one of my coworkers to make bacon jam for our office which was so spectacularly wonderful that I cannot understand why she wouldn't want to spend her entire day to make this for us again. However, it was a happy day for me when I came across Martha Stewart's version of it (genius that she is) which involves crockpots and the same decadent deliciousness and realized that I could make Bacon Jam all by myself. And given the fact that Baconfest Chicago 2012 is this upcoming Saturday and I have tickets, I raise a cracker smeared with bacon jam to all of my fellow baconators around the world who, along with me, hold this fine food in such high regard. 

• 
  
• Martha Stewart's Bacon Jam
• from MarthaStewart.com 
• 
  
• 1 1/2 pounds sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
• 2 medium yellow onions, diced small
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 3/4 cup brewed coffee

Directions

1. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is lightly browned, about 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet (reserve for another use); add onions and garlic, and cook until onions are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add vinegar, brown sugar, maple syrup, and coffee and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up browned bits from skillet with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes. Add bacon and stir to combine.
2. Transfer mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker and cook on high, uncovered, until liquid is syrupy, 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Transfer to a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped. Let cool, then refrigerate in airtight containers, up to 4 weeks.

TCS: Tiramisu Cake

Life got in the way for a couple of months which meant I missed out on making some delicious cakes with my fellow bakers over at The Cake Slice. And given the fact that there's a whole lot of nothing going on because I'm sick, I figured for awhile that this was going to be a month I missed again which would have been a shame as I love love love Tiramisu.

As cakes go, this was pretty good. It's not the time of cake to bake on a whim...in fact, I ended up baking it two days before everything else and it still turned out well. The only major substitution I made was to use gluten free flour due to a gluten sensitivity in the house and that worked much better than I had expected especially with a genoise base cake.

Overall, I'm glad I tried it but I"m not sure I'd make it again. It was a bit of a complicated cake but a delicious one. My main problems were in not listening to the instructions...when it said to whip the marscapone for 30 seconds, I didn't think that was long enough and whipped it a little longer which ended up giving it a curd like texture for awhile until the rest of the ingredients were added. Also, I used a springform pan just a little bigger than the cake which may have been the reason for the uneven layer of frosting.

Overall Grade B+

Gluten Free Baked French Toast

It's been awhile since I've been able to bake along with Club Baked. But, as I am a french toast girl at heart when it comes to breakfast, this seemed like a good recipe to get myself back into my baking state of mind. As I'm gluten sensitive, the only major change was to swap out gluten free bread for the challah. This unfortunately did add a bit of blandness to the dish especially since challah tends to be a rich buttery bread. I think that this could easily be rectified by using a flavored half and half to add a bit of a flavor punch. Give the fact that gluten free bread tends not to be the sturdiest bread in my opinion, it still held up fairly well under the overnight soak with the egg/milk/half and half mixture and I only had a few minor problems with turning the bread slices over the next morning.

I would try this again, just with a few tweaks. Definitely, the first would have to be more raspberry sauce (can there ever be enough of that?). In addition, I would like to try toasting the almonds before sprinkling them to give it a richer and nuttier flavor and add more cinnamon - although the recipe called for a 1/4 tsp I used a full tsp and thought it needed more.Overall, a good breakfast dish . For the recipe, please check out Julie's blog, "A Little Bit of Everything" to see how she fared and don't forget to check out the other bakers over at Club Baked for their valuable feedback on the recipe.

Bourbon Baked Beans

Bourbon Baked Beans 
from Cooking Light: Comfort Food 

I had thought about not posting this recipe due to the...ahem...less than appetizing appeal of the photo. My fault in a couple of ways. I took the picture late at night when the lighting was bad and I slightly overcooked the beans thanks to my decision that cooking them on top of the stove was just as good as baking them in the oven AS THE RECIPE CALLED FOR (when will I ever learn) .  But having devoured a plateful I decided that photo or no photo, the recipe was too good not to be shared. 

Given the fact that this was the first time I cooked with navy beans and the 8 hour soaking process, I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out. There's a delightful tangy sweetness to them thanks to the maple syrup and mustard with an underlying smokiness that in due entirely to me doubling the quantify of bacon called for (can there ever be too much bacon?). I would definitely make these again, maybe, just maybe, with following the directions this time.




Bourbon Baked Beans 
from Cooking Light: Comfort Food 



1 pound dried navy beans (approximately 2 1/2 cups)
3 slices applewood smoked bacon (I doubled to 6 slices)
1 cup finely chopped onion
5 cups water divided (4 cups + 1 cup)
1/2 cup maple syrup divided
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp bourbon divided
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
Chicken sausage(I just can't have baked beans without sausage)

Sort and wash beans; place in large dutch over. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; cover and let stand 8 hours or overnight. Drain beans. Wipe pan dry with paper towl.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat pan over medium high heat. Add bacon to pan and cook 4 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 1/2 tbsp drippings in pan; crumble bacon. Add onion to pan and cook 5 minutes or until onions begin to brown, stirring frequently. Add beans, bacon, 4 cups water, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/4 cup bourbon and mustard, worcestershire sauce and black pepper to pan. bring to boil, cover and bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours.

Stir in remaining 1 cup water, 1/4 cup maple syrup and 2 tbsp of bourbon. Cover and bake for 1 hour or until beans are tender and liquid is almost absorbed. Stir in vinegar and salt. Yield: 6 1/2 cups.

Gingerbread Souffle

You know you have a serious sweet tooth when you're laying on the couch most of the weekend with a bad head cold and can still motivate yourself to bake dessert. I'm not sure if making this was good for my heath since dairy and head colds are not a match made in heaven, but my inner child thinks it's a damn fine idea. Then again my inner child thought it made sense to eat cheese puffs for dinner tonight.

I haven't made a lot of souffles in my lifetime but even so, it still seemed like a lot of time was required required between steps. In other words, this is not a recipe to whip up on impulse and serve it for dinner. Between steeping and chilling, it takes at least 3 hours before you can even fold the egg whites in and pop the souffle into the oven. However, I was pleased with how well it turned out considering I used gluten free flour. Well, and also because my fear of working with egg whites still continues to worry me anytime I have to whip egg whites. 

Overall, a solid B+. It may be an A by the time this head cold is over and I find a sauce that would work well with the gingerbread flavor.  Although the recipe calls for a white chocolate vanilla creme anglaise, I wasn't terribly fond of the combo and would like to try the souffle again with a different flavor contrast.

Gingebread Souffle 
In The Sweet Kitchen by Regan Daley

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean, split
3 large egg yolks
2 tbsp molasses
1/2 cup gluten free all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnmaon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
4 large egg whites room temperature
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Unsalted butter and sugar for coating dishes
Individual Souffle Dishes 

1) Combine milk and vanilla bean in 2 quart heavy duty saucepan. Bring to just below a boil on medium high heat, then remove from heat and allow to infuse for 1 hour.

2) In medium bowl, whisk egg yolks and molasses together and set aside. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, spices and salt. Add 1/2 cup infused milk to flour mixture, whisking to form a thick paste. Add more milk if paste is too thick. Scrape paste into pot containing remaining milk and place over medium heat. Whisk constantly and cook mixture until thickened and smooth, approximately 5-7 minutes.

3) Pour hot mil mixture into bowl containing egg yolk and molasses mixture. Whisk to blend. Place plastic wrap directly onto surface of mixture and cut several slits into the plastic wrap, allowing stem to escape. Chill mixture a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.

4) Allow souffle base to come to room temperature for 1 hour before baking. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously coat souffle dishes with butter and sugar so that it is thoroughly lined, including rims.

5) Whip egg whites in very clean bowl until just foamy before adding cream of tartar. Whip until very soft peaks form before gradually adding sugar. Fold egg whites into base mixture in 3 parts, then divide amongst individual souffle dishes.

6) Place dishes on cookie sheet in center of oven for 16-20 minutes. Edges will appear slightly darkened and matte. Serve immediately using sauce of choice.

Nutmeg Spice Cake

When, oh when oh when oh when will I learn to READ the directions thoroughly when I'm baking.

Although you can't tell from this picture, I had made a gorgeous buttercream frosting earlier in the day. I'm talking glossy, fluffy almost too pretty to eat it buttercream. Which got stored in the fridge as I'd made the frosting before the cake. And then, the disaster. I pulled it out of the fridge and immediately started to mix it again in the stand mixer instead of bringing it back to room temperature first. The worst of it that I attempted to fix it on my own by throwing things into the buttercream to thicken it and pull it back together when all I had to do was leave it alone for another ten minutes and let it mix itself back into shape.

Still, never mind, the cake was really good. And in an effort to put a positive spin on my comprehension skills, I like to think that I saved myself a few thousand calories because had the frosting been delicious, I would have eaten it straight out of the bowl and skipped the cake altogether. Which would have been a shame as the cake is really good.

I made a few modifications to the cake by doubling the spices as I had attempted this once before sans frosting and wasn't terribly impressed with the flavor of the cake. I also submitted gluten free flour for the regular flour and cut back on the baking time by 5 minutes.

Overall grade: B. I liked the cake quite a bit. The frosting, even before I desecrated it, was a bit heavier and and butter than I normally like my frosting. I would definitely try the cake again, maybe with a apple based frosting that I think would go great with spiciness of the cake.

NUTMEG-SPICE CAKE
Modified from "Flour" by Joanne Chang 

CAKE
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 cups gluten free flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2  tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup nonfat buttermilk, room temperature


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat butter and oil on medium speed for 1 minute or until well combined. Slowly add sugar and vanilla and mix until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until combined.

In medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. On low speed, add 1/3 of flour mixture to egg butter mixture and mix until just barely combined. Pour in half of buttermilk and mix until almost thoroughly incorporated. Add half of remaining flour and mix until just combined, adding remaining buttermilk and mixing until incorporated. Add remaining flour mixture and mix until completely incorporated. Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans.

Bake for 30 - 40 minutes (25 if using smaller cake pans) or until cakes spring back when pressed in middle. Let cool completely before turning out on rack.

Sage and Pancetta Biscuits with Fontina Cheese

 I love cooking for myself on some evenings. Because of that I can decide that I want to have biscuits for supper and there's nobody around to tell me that it's not a balanced supper or encourage me to pair it with more than just butter.

 

I've spent some time this evening trying to figure out how I could describe my baking efforts tonight. Biscuits just don't seem to work because they don't look anything like them. And while these do resemble a hockey puck, they don't taste like them at all. Actually, they taste quite good which one should always expect with bacon, cheese and buttermilk.I did make these with gluten free flour but I don't think that's what caused the biscuit pucks to fail to rise. I'm pretty sure that they are  as small as they are because I rolled the dough out too thin before cutting them out. 

 

Seriously good biscuits/pucks though. Enough to motivate me to find something that would pair well with them and have a biscuit sandwich for tomorrows dinner too.

 

 

Sage and Pancetta Biscuits with Fontina Cheese

from: Bon Appetit Fast Easy Fresh

3 oz package thinly sliced pancetta, chopped
2 cups all purpose gluten free flour
2 tbsp sugar
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt (I used smoked salt - it rocked)
6 tbsp butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
1 cup coarsely grated fontina cheese
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp chilled buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Sautee pancetta in medium skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove form heat and cool.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl to blend. Rub in butter with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in fontina and sage, separating strands of cheese. Add 3/4 cup buttermilk and pancetta with pan drippings and stir until moist clumps form. Turn dough out into floured work surface and knead just until dough holds together, about 4 to 6 turns. Flatten dough to 3/4 inch thickness (totally missed the mark on that one!). Using floured 2 1/4 inch biscuit cutters, cut out rounds. Flatten dough to 3/4 inch thickness and cut out additional rounds until all dough isused.

Transfer biscuits to large ungreased baking sheets, spacing them apart. Brush biscuit tops with remaining buttermilk. Sprinkle with smoked salt (optional). Bake until biscuits are puffed and golden, about 14 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

TCS: Zebra Cake

Zebra Cake
 This months winning cake over at The Cake Slice was Zebra Cake. Which in theory, means that there should be even or semi even stripes of alternating chocolate and white cake.

Alas, not in my case.

 I have some serious cake envy right now after having looked over the posts of those who had baked early. My poor sad mutant cake looks nowhere near as pretty as theirs. I had a suspicion that something might be amiss when the chocolate batter seemed thick but somehow, despite the fact that the regular batter was thin, somehow I rationalized that this was how it was supposed to be..that there had been some culinary magic thanks to a little cocoa powder. In hindsight, I realize now that this was really nothing more than my sad math skills trying to eyeball what a third of the batter meant and missing the quantity completely. And sure enough, when the cake baked up, there was a core center of chocolate and a uneven ragged outer portion of plain cake and that was about it. Fortunately, the cake was tasty enough between all that butter and oil so it was still eaten even if is the ugly stepsister of cakes.

I thought briefly of trying to re-bake to see if it would turn out any better, but with the heat wave we're having in the Midwest, I just could not make myself turn on the oven.  And although the cake was tasty, it wasn't so "wow, this is the cake of cakes" for me so I don't see myself making this again. So I'm hoping for a better result with next months cake.

Please check out the other bakers over at the Cake Slice who made their cakes look so much prettier and stripey than I did.

Zebra Cake
From: Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman

Ingredients
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup whole or 2% milk
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder

Method
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9 inch pan, line with a circle of parchment paper, grease the parchment and dust with flour. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
Combine the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, stir in the milk, butter, oil and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary. Stir in the flour mixture, ½ cup at a time.

Transfer a third of the batter into another bowl and whisk in the cocoa powder.

Place a quarter cup of the vanilla batter into the centre of the pan and let it stand for a few seconds so it spreads out slightly. Place 2 tablespoons of the chocolate batter right on top of the vanilla and wait another few seconds until it spreads. Continue alternating vanilla and chocolate until you have used up all the batter and it has spread to the edges of the pan.

Bake until the cake is set and a toothpick comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan and invert the cake onto a cutting board. Peel away the parchment paper. Re-invert onto a wire rack and cool completely. Slice and serve.
Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for 3 days.