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All posts tagged dessert

A reason for messes: 10-minute strawberry jam

Strawberry Jam4

I could talk on and on about the value of simplicity — simple ingredients, simple work, simple living — but sometimes, I can honestly say you just have to make a royal mess of things to appreciate a job well done. Last night, while I scrubbed a few dishes and Jared helped tend to a bubbling pot of fruit and sugar, I thought to myself how lovely and simple the evening felt compared to the past few weeks. The thought barely escaped my mind when, quite suddenly, that bubbling pot turned into a red hot spring of craziness, spewing very boiling and very staining liquid from one end of the kitchen to the other.

Strawberry Jam6

Now I don’t know if it’s because I was watching 19 Kids and Counting at the time (the Duggars have a strangely calming effect on me) or because I slept a full eight hours the night before, but rather then send me into the typical stress-filled cleaning frenzy, this volcano of sticky preserves only fueled my satisfaction in the entire jam-making process. What is jam without the mess anyway? A sugary fruit mash at best. The real secret is in the chaos.

Strawberry Jam

Oh, and good croissants. The other secret is good croissants. Few things are more delicious than homemade jam on bakery-made pastry, and we’re fortunate to have an awesome German bakery nearby. Next time you’re cruising around Durham, be sure to check out Guglhupf. And order a few extra cherry Danish to take home because, well, you need no excuse.

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So back to the jam. This super simple recipe, which I happened upon while browsing one of my sister’s Pinterest boards (hey, gurl!), is a mere three ingredients long and takes little more than a bit of active stirring to get the job done. Yes, it might leave an impressive mess in its wake, but as noted earlier, that’s part of the process. It’s all worth it. Of course, it’s entirely possible that I was cooking with some exceptionally fervent strawberries, and perhaps the tamer varieties are less likely to bubble so enthusiastically. But I’m no scientist. Just a girl who’s a few splatters short of a clean kitchen.

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Simple Strawberry Jam
From Martha Stewart

• 1 ½ pounds hulled strawberries
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice

Place the strawberries in a food processor, and pulse until they’re coarsely chopped. Transfer the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice to a large skillet, and stir until combined.

Cook the strawberries over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the jam is thickened and bubbles cover the surface, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the jam to a jar (or two small jars), and allow it to cool to room temperature. Jam may be kept sealed in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Strawberry Jam2

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In case it helps put the flavor or texture into perspective, my mom says this strawberry goodness sounds a lot like the freezer jam my grandma used to make all the time. It’s sweet but not overly sweet like the store-bought stuff, and there’s plenty of zing from the generous bit of lemon juice. And we’re just jumping into strawberry season, so now’s the time to jam away! Just don’t forget those croissants!

XO,
Katrina

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6 Comments
by Katrina Tauchen on May 9, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Katrina Tauchen on May 9, 2013

http://splashofsomething.com/2013/05/09/a-reason-for-messes-10-minute-strawberry-jam/

Timers? Sweets? Huzzah! Sour cherry maple muffins

Cherry Maple Muffins

Although I do from time to time dream of the day when I’ll set a grand table and serve a Norman Rockwell-inspired meal amidst oohs and ahs from family and friends, most of the dishes and desserts that come from our kitchen are served to a gracious though not unusually enthusiastic audience — until last week, that is, when Beany learned her latest trick.

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Last week, Beany (who has become quite the little cookie monster, cupcake monster, anything sweet monster as of late) made the all-important connection between the kitchen timer and desserts. All at once, the onset of beeping sets off a series of events in our little girl’s day: stop what you’re doing, say “uh oh” while running toward the kitchen, stand by the dishwasher (our designated “safe” zone just out of the oven’s reach) and yell “yay, yay, yay” as loud as you can while clapping as quickly as possible. Talk about a receptive audience.

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The greatest part is, it almost doesn’t matter what I bake or whether she gets to try it right away. She’s just excited to be a part of it. And by the time I reach my third batch of cookies, when I’m burnt out from baking, ready to hang up the oven mitts and call it a day, there’s that Beany, still two big eyes under happy claps and cheers. I bet she’d cheer for the laundry if I turned the buzzer on the dryer. She’s pretty much the greatest that way.

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Of course, I can’t expect the claps to continue forever and ever if I don’t reciprocate with cheer-worthy treats, and Beany was a happy camper with these cherry maple muffins. Sure, she gave them rave reviews before they even made it out of the oven, but the love continued well into the tasting phase.

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Cherry Maple Muffins2

Cherry Maple Muffins
Adapted from Rivka, Food52.com 

• ½ cup grade B maple syrup
• ¾ cups plain yogurt
• ¼ cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• zest from 1 orange
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup canola oil
• 2 cups fresh or frozen cherries, pitted and halved (if using frozen, make sure they’re thawed completely)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 12 muffins tins with parchment liners.

Mix together the syrup, yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla and orange zest until well combined. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking power, cinnamon and salt. Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and stir gently to incorporate. Add the oil, and gently fold it into the batter until it’s completely absorbed. Then gently fold in the cherries (Note: I like to reserve a few cherries to sprinkle on top of the batter once it’s poured into the parchment liners so the finished muffins have pretty cherry pieces right on top.)

Pour the batter into the muffin cups until they’re about ¾ cup full. Drop the last few cherry pieces on top (if you saved any), and then sprinkle the tops with a light dusting of sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick just comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the pan as soon as you’re able, and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.

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Who’s your best kitchen cheerleader? Do you have a favorite recipe that always elicits happy squeals from the diners in your life? I’d love to hear about it!

XO,
Katrina

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by Katrina Tauchen on April 30, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Katrina Tauchen on April 30, 2013

http://splashofsomething.com/2013/04/30/timers-sweets-huzzah-sour-cherry-maple-muffins/

Admiration and emails — and lemon cream cheese cookies

Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies-open2

This cookie is based on a recipe that’s been saved on my computer for more than a year. It’s from Merrill Stubbs at Food52, and I remember saving it simply because I think Merrill is the cat’s pajamas. If she says it’s a hit, I believe her. Allow me to explain.

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For the first 16 or so years of my life, I thought Katie Couric was the coolest. I wanted to be a broadcast reporter, and the years Couric spent on the Today Show mixed with her noticeable morning perkiness — which I still very much relate to and appreciate, by the way — pretty much solidified her awesomeness to me. Once I hit college, however, my ambitions to be on camera fell behind my ambitions to be a writer. That, and I learned quickly that it was totally uncool to say you wanted to be like Katie Couric at journalism school. Oh, college.

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Truth be told, my unabashed love of Katie Couric has subsided a little, but I’d still probably spout off all those embarrassing “You were my favorite growing up, you’re so awesome, please sign my trusty reporter’s notebook” lines if I saw her on the street today. But my interests have changed, and my aspirations have evolved, which gives opportunity to celebritize a whole new slew of cool cats. In the past few years, I’ve become engrossed in the food blog culture, not just because I write a food blog of my own but also because I love reading those stories, trying the recipes and being part of that community. When I came across Food52 a few years ago (concurrent with my attainment of Amanda Hesser’s The Essential New York Times Cookbook), I felt as if I’d found my ultimate Web-based happy place.

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So I started reading all the stories and dabbling with some of the recommended picks. Perhaps no surprise, my favorites were — and still are — almost always those from the site’s founders, Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs. I started seeking out more of their writing, other cookbooks, columns and the like. I’d click with admiration through photos of the Food52 test kitchen and imagine how great it must be to go to work there every day. And I’d say unrealistic and irresponsible things to Jared like, “Let’s move to New York! We can be waiters, and I’ll moonlight at Food52. Huzzah!”

Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies both

So there’s some backstory. Jared knows all of this. And he knew this when he emailed Merrill Stubbs (yes, emailed her!) last December to ask about a watch of hers with a turquoise strap that I had admired in a video on the Food52 site. He said he figured it was a long shot, but he was in search of the perfect Christmas present for his wife and wondered if Merrill (I’ll say Merrill here because my sweet husband was totally on a first-name basis with her via email) would be willing to share a bit about her lovely timepiece. Although he found out that the watch was no longer available (not to mention a bit out of his graduate student budget), he was happy that he asked. And when Christmas morning rolled around, though Jared did give me a new watch that I love, even better was when he showed me the secret correspondence that had transpired between him and Merrill. They had a nice little chat back and forth about the watch, their respective baby daughters and wishes for a happy holiday season. I was amazed. And it was awesome.

Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies

So now we’ve come full circle, back to the cookies. When I saved this recipe, I mentally noted that I’d pull it out on a rainy day, when I was out of impressive berry-filled breads and mile-high cakes to share. It seemed so simple that I was in no hurry to try it, but I should have known that it was worth an immediate trip to the kitchen. After all, if you can trust a person’s taste in watches, then you can certainly trust her taste in cookies. And if ever there was a perfect cookie, this might be it. They’re crisp around the edges, impossibly chewy in the center, perfectly sweet and wonderfully simple. Try them with the lemon or without. My guess is you’ll love them either way.

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Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies5

Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies
Adapted slightly from Merrill Stubbs, Food52.com

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 ounces plain cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• zest from 1 lemon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, cream cheese and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the lemon zest and vanilla, and mix to combine. Slowly add the flour and salt until just incorporated, then give the bowl a good scrape and the mixture a quick stir to make sure everything is mixed in.

Drop the dough into rounded tablespoons (I used a 1-inch cookie scoop) about 1 ½ inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the edges turn a nice golden brown (Be careful not to over-bake!). Cool the cookies for a minute or so on the cookie sheet, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

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So that’s the story of my shameless admiration of a news anchor and a food writer. But really, I’m happy to tell the tale. I think everyone needs a Katie Couric in his or her life. Or a Merrill Stubbs or Amanda Hesser. We all need someone we look up to and whose work we admire. And we most certainly need someone who can recommend the best cookies.

XO,
Katrina

11 Comments
by Katrina Tauchen on April 11, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Katrina Tauchen on April 11, 2013

http://splashofsomething.com/2013/04/11/admiration-and-emails-and-lemon-cream-cheese-cookies/

A tale of time and taste: Sour cherry cream cheese coffee cake

Sour Cherry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake4

Some recipes are wonderfully simple and can be whipped up in a flash. You don’t really have to plan for them (aside from having the ingredients), they’re easy enough to make while your mind juggles other matters, and you can mix them up in the time it takes for your toddler to pull out everything but the last two travel mugs from her favorite kitchen cabinet. Cookies, brownies and muffins all fall in that category for me: the anytime category. Sometimes timing is everything, and the timing you need is fast. But this is not one of those recipes.

Sour Cherry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake8

Sour Cherry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake7

This is one of those recipes for which you make the list ahead of time and have a baby wrangler on standby. But don’t let that scare you because it’s well worth the effort!

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Sometimes you just have to get your hands dirty, make a mess of a half dozen bowls and work those oft forgotten muscles that nothing but a good kneading seems able to reach. Sometimes you need to remind yourself that those lovely cakes lining the glass of the local bakery didn’t appear in an instant, that they were lovingly poured over by a hard-working baker, probably in the wee hours of the morning. This will also serve to remind you exactly why a slice of cake can run you $4 a pop. Oy!

Sour Cherry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake2

Again I have to say, please don’t be scared off by all of this effort. This cake, though time-consuming, is still relatively simple at its core, as is true with most baking. It’s just a matter of following instructions and enjoying the process. And maybe keeping the kiddos out of the kitchen for a pinch (though a bowl filled with plastic cookie cutters does work as 15 minutes’ worth of wonderful distraction).

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In the end, your efforts will be rewarded. Sour cherries and cream cheese make a winning combination, and when baked into a yeasted coffee cake, magical things happen. The cake is rich, sweet and gigantic, which really is ideal because all that time in the kitchen deserves at least a few extra slices.

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Sour Cherry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Sour Cherry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Adapted just slightly from Martha Stewart

For the cake:
• ¼-ounce envelope (2 ¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons plus a pinch granulated sugar
• ¾ cup whole milk, warmed to 110 degrees F
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting surface
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• zest of ½ lemon
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for bowl and parchment
• 1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon heavy cream for egg wash
• 1 ½ cups pitted fresh of thawed frozen sour cherries

For the filling:
• 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg yolk
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

For the glaze:
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons whole milk

To make the dough: Whisk the yeast and a pinch of sugar into the milk in a small bowl. Let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. In the meantime, whisk together the remaining ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar, the egg, egg yolk and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add the foamy yeast mixture, and whisk to combine.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whisk together the flour, kosher salt and lemon zest. Add the egg mixture, and beat on low until it’s fully combined, about 30 seconds. Switch the paddle attachment for the dough hook, add the butter and beat at a low speed (I used speed 2 on my KitchenAid mixer) for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, soft and slightly sticky.

Butter a large bowl. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead it a few times until it’s smooth. Place it in the buttered bowl, turn it so it gets coated with the butter, and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough stand in a warm place for 1 ½ to 2 hours until it has doubled in volume.

To make the filling: Stir together the cream cheese, egg yolk and confectioners’ sugar. Once the dough has doubled in volume, punch it down and transfer it to a floured work surface. Let it stand for 5 minutes.

Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 20 by 16 inches (about 1/8 inch thick). Brush the edges with egg wash. Spread the cream cheese filling over the dough, and top that with the cherries. Starting with one of the longer ends, tightly roll the dough like a jelly roll, and pinch the seam to seal. Roll the jelly roll into a snail shape on a parchment- or Silpat-lined baking sheet. Brush the top with egg wash.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and let it stand in a warm place for about 30 minutes, until it has risen by half.

Remove the plastic wrap, and cut six ½-inch slits into the top of the dough. Bake the cake, rotating halfway through, for about 55 minutes, until it is golden. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Continue baking the cake until it is deeply golden, 15 to 20 more minutes (cover with foil if top gets too dark). Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let cake cool.

To make the glaze: Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and milk. Drizzle it over the cooled cake. Let it set for 5 minutes before serving, until the glaze has hardened a bit.

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This cake officially joins the ranks of our company-approved menu items. Not only is it delicious, but it can also be made ahead and tastes just as good the next day. Make and bake it the night before, then save the glazing for the morning, right before serving. You might even get some oohs and ahs as you drizzle on those finishing touches. Or at the very least, feel free to ooh and ah yourself. Mm, good cake.

XO,
Katrina

8 Comments
by Katrina Tauchen on April 1, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Katrina Tauchen on April 1, 2013

http://splashofsomething.com/2013/04/01/a-tale-of-time-and-taste-sour-cherry-cream-cheese-coffee-cake/

Like living in a pancake: Maple yogurt pound cake

Maple Yogurt Pound Cake6

Imagine waking up to the smell of maple permeating from all corners of the room. It’s faint enough to not overwhelm you but strong enough to conceal the slow-cooked curry next door. As you roll out of bed and greet the morning (a bit bouncier than usual, of course, as maple is a wonderful incentive to start the day), you smile because you know good things are on the horizon. The sun seems shinier, the birds sound chirpier, and the whole day already feels sweeter. That’s life inside a pancake, my friends. And it is awesome.

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“It’s like we’re living in a pancake.” Those were the exact words uttered in our house at that magical moment when the smell of what was baking escaped the oven and reached our senses. It’s been a while since I’ve been so excited to try something based on smell alone.

Maple Yogurt Pound Cake

But that’s how baking is supposed to be, right? It’s the smell that draws you in; it’s the flavor that makes you stay. Luckily, this maple yogurt pound cake lives up to its fragrant hype.

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I suppose I should also note how super simple the recipe is. A bit of sifting and stirring is all it takes. And so long as you butter your loaf pan liberally to avoid any pesky stick-the-the-sideness, it’s sure to emerge golden and lovely.

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And it’s so, so delicious. Actually, I baked this pound cake two days in a row last week, not because I botched the recipe the first time but because it’s totally true what they say: Once you’ve lived inside a pancake, it’s hard to imagine living anywhere else (or something like that).

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Maple Yogurt Pound Cake
Adapted just slightly from Rivka, Food52.com

• ½ cup grade B maple syrup
• ¾ cups plain yogurt (I used regular yogurt, but Greek would work, too.)
• ¼ cup sugar
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• zest from ½ lemon or orange (I’ve tried both ways and honestly liked it equally.)
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup canola oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter an 8 ½-by-4 ½-by-2 ½-inch metal loaf pan.

Mix together the syrup, yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla and lemon or orange zest until well combined. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking power, cinnamon and salt. Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and stir gently to incorporate. Add the oil, and gently fold it into the batter until it’s completely absorbed.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan, place the pan on a baking sheet in the oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center just comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully remove it from the pan and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack.

Maple Yogurt Pound Cake2

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What’s your favorite breakfast to wake up to? Are there any recipes that have won you over with their scent alone? Do tell!

XO,
Katrina

17 Comments
by Katrina Tauchen on March 26, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Katrina Tauchen on March 26, 2013

http://splashofsomething.com/2013/03/26/like-living-in-a-pancake-maple-yogurt-pound-cake/

Pretty in pictures, lovely in words: Orange and cranberry fairy buns

Fairy Buns2

When I’m cruising Pinterest or flipping through cookbooks or magazines, it’s usually the photos that pull me toward a recipe. I consider myself a writer much more so than a photographer or baker, so I do feel a bit shameful in admitting that I’m so easily influenced by visuals first and words second, but when push comes to shove, we’d probably rather eat a gorgeous-looking cupcake than a wonderfully worded ode to its light and airy texture.

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Pictures are powerful, though it’s good to remember that there are always exceptions. Every so often I happen across a lovely recipe whose text wins me over, and those are the days when I breathe a sigh of relief in knowing that the written word is still pretty powerful, too. I’ve written about my Avoca cookbooks before, and even though I flip through them often, I love that I still find new nuggets of wordy wisdom nestled within their pages. For instance, in Avoca Tea Time, it reads: “Measurements are more exact [in baking] than in any other branch of cooking, but too often this is taken literally. You need to feel your ingredients. There is no point in adding all the milk if the mixture ends up looking sloppy. Be patient and explore.”

This recipe for fairy buns is adapted from Avoca Tea Time as well and won me almost entirely with its name. I baked them on Sunday, which happened to be St. Patrick’s Day. Now whether you envision fairies as friendly pixies or devious mischief-makers, most would agree that fairies and leprechauns go hand in hand, so fairy buns seemed an appropriate treat for the day. Although the cookbook offered no photo to show me what to expect, it warned that these treats are “a favourite for children’s parties, but it is well worth making an excess as adults seem to rather enjoy them, too.” I heeded their advice — and was quite glad for it.

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Words are wonderful. Of course, photos never hurt. While mixing the fairy buns, I was patient and explored, as the cookbook advised, and found myself adding citrus and cranberries to liven up the tiny treats, which made for even happier, sunnier shots. It was actually a rather dreary day outside, but oranges are great at brightening, in flavor, in words and in photos.

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Fairy Buns

Orange and Cranberry Fairy Buns
Adapted from Avoca Tea Time

• 120 grams unsalted butter
• 120 grams sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 150 grams all-purpose flour, sifted
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• zest of two oranges (about 2 teaspoons)
• 3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed orange juice
• ½ cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
• 150 grams confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons warm water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, and line muffin tins with 18 muffin papers. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add the orange zest, and mix until well combined.

In another bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the orange juice, and mix until well combined. Add the eggs alternately with the flour mixture, and blend until just combined. Gently fold in the cranberries.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins, and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, until a toothpick comes out just clean.

Stir together the confectioners’ sugar and water in a small bowl until well combined. Then, once the buns have cooled for a little while, spread the icing over their tops, letting it drizzle a bit down the sides.

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How do you go about choosing recipes? Do you flip through photos? Look for certain ingredients? Jump on board anything with a zippy title? Do tell!

XO,
Katrina

14 Comments
by Katrina Tauchen on March 19, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Katrina Tauchen on March 19, 2013

http://splashofsomething.com/2013/03/19/pretty-in-pictures-lovely-in-words-orange-and-cranberry-fairy-buns/

Simplicity and flavor: Tiny maple cream tarts

Maple Tarts2b

Often when I’m baking, I catch myself wondering how something with so few ingredients can possibly turn into a dish worth sharing. Then, nearly as soon as I finish the thought, the oven timer dings and I open the door to a find a lovely reminder of how amazing a few simple ingredients can, in fact, be. If ever I waver in my trust of a modest recipe again, I’ll think of these tiny maple tarts. Then I’ll run to the kitchen as fast as my hungry legs can carry me.

Maple Tarts3b

I’ve been on such a tart-baking kick lately, ever since picking up a four-pack of tartlette tins a few weekends ago, and though I considered tucking this away for a while so as not to post two tarts back to back, I decided it was worth sharing now. As I mentioned, this recipe is wonderfully simplistic. For the crust, I used the leftover pâte sucrée from last week’s apple tartlettes, so aside from a bit of rolling and a single bowl’s worth of whisking, the tiny tarts practically made themselves.

This recipe is everything a good maple tart should be: sweet, creamy, caramely and rich. They’re good at room temperature, though I actually preferred them straight from the refrigerator the next morning. (Yes, we ate tarts for breakfast. Being a grownup is grand.) Beany could hardly contain her maple tart love; a single bite elicited high-pitched squeals and a succession of fast-moving claps, which are the telltale signs of her supreme approval.

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Maple Tartsb

Tiny Maple Tarts
Adapted from Food52.com

Makes 7 to 8 4-inch tartlettes

For the pâte sucrée (crust):
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes

For the maple cream filling:
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup maple syrup (preferably grade B)
• 1 ¼ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

To make the pâte sucrée: In the large bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, place the flour, confectioners’ sugar and salt, and pulse a few times to combine. In small bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolk and vanilla, then add it to the flour mixture. Add the butter cubes, too, and pulse to incorporate the eggs and butter, just until the dough comes together. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, and knead it for a minute or two until it’s smooth (careful not to overwork it!). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let it chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Divide the pâte sucrée into four equal pieces, and roll each piece out on a lightly floured surface into a circle about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer the dough circles to four 4-inch tartlette molds, and press the dough firmly into them and up the sides. Run a rolling pin over top of the molds to cut off the excess dough, which can be rerolled and used for three to four additional tartlettes (I was able to get 7 total tartlettes from one batch of pâte sucrée). Allow the dough-lined molds to chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F, and place a baking sheet on the center rack. Take the tartlettes out of the refrigerator, line the tart dough with parchment paper, and fill it with pie weights, dried beans or rice. Bake for 12-15 minutes, then remove the pie weights and parchment and place the tarts back in the oven to cook until the bottoms are dry, about 5 minutes more. Remove them from the oven, and let them cool completely.

To make the filling: Lower the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl (one with a pouring end works quite well), whisk together the sugar, maple syrup, cream, vanilla and flour until smooth. Pour the mixture into the cool crust, leaving a bit of room on the top for them to rise while baking. (Depending on how many tartlettes you’re making, you might have a bit of filling left over. I poured my excess filling into two small ramekins and baked it that way. Alternatively, you could make one large tart instead, which will use most, if not all, of the filling. Just alter your cooking time, noted below).

Bake the tiny tarts until the maple cream just sets (it should still jiggle a little), 15 to 18 minutes (20 to 25 for a large tart). Let them cool slightly, then carefully remove the molds. Finish cooling on a wire rack.

Maple Tarts4

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XO,
Katrina

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by Katrina Tauchen on March 13, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Katrina Tauchen on March 13, 2013

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French apple tartlettes? Bon appétit!

Apple Tartlettes

It feels like it’s been forever since I baked from a good old-fashioned, paper-bound cookbook, and I forgot how much I missed the feel of those pages. Unless you’re unreasonably careful, cookbooks always share reminders of their use, and all those drips of batter and smears of butter across flour-speckled pages remind the book that it is, indeed, loved. Flour is easily wiped from the face of my iPad (thank goodness!), but my cookbooks take a beating. I dare say they might be better for it.

Apple Tartlettes2

The cookbook from which this recipe is adapted, The Cook and the Gardener, is one that I’ve had in my collection for nearly two years now but that has sat rather still amidst all the business bustling around it. The book is by Amanda Hesser, and basically it captures the stories and recipes that came from a year of living in the French countryside. It’s a good one, and the recipe is a good one, too. Although baking these adorable tartlettes is actually quite simple (both the methods and ingredients are of the back-to-basics sort), they end up looking like something that might belong in the front of a sweet little bakery. A French bakery, peut-être? J’espère bien!

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Apple Tartlettes3

Caramelized Apple Tartlettes

Adapted from The Cook and the Gardener (Hesser, p. 427)

For the pâte sucrée (crust):
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes

For the filling:
• 6 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 7 to 8 crisp apples (Honeycrisp, Granny Smith or whatever else you like), peeled, cored and quartered
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• flour for rolling out the pâte sucrée
• homemade whipped cream (optional)

To make the pâte sucrée: In the large bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, place the flour, confectioners’ sugar and salt, and pulse a few times to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolk and vanilla, then add it to the flour mixture. Add the butter cubes, too, and pulse to incorporate the eggs and butter, just until the dough comes together. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, and knead it for a minute or two until it’s smooth (careful not to overwork it!). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let it chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

To make the filling: In a small bowl, whisk together the sugars and cinnamon. Melt the butter in a large iron skillet or cast-iron pot over medium heat. Add the apples, cut side up, and sprinkle them with the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Let the apples cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, until they just start to become soft and begin to color. Be sure to turn them from time to time so they cook evenly. Once they’re cooked, remove them from the heat, and allow them to cool.

Divide the pâte sucrée into four equal pieces, and roll each piece out on a lightly floured surface into a circle about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer the dough circles to four 4-inch tartlette molds, and press the dough firmly into them and up the sides. Run a rolling pin over top of the molds to cut off the excess dough, and save it for another use. Allow the dough-lined molds to chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F, and place a rimmed baking sheet on the center rack. When the apples are cool and the dough has chilled, place the apples in the tartlette shells, and pile them until they form a soft mound. You should fit about 6 to 8 apple quarters into each. Press them in firmly so the apple mound isn’t more than ½ to ¾ inch higher than the rim. Spoon any extra sauce from the pan around the apples (it should come up to nearly the top of the tartlette molds).

Place the tartlettes on the baking sheet, and bake them for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pastry is cooked and the apples are caramelized. Remove them from the oven, then use potholders to place a baking sheet over the top of the tartlettes. Press the baking sheet down to condense the tartlettes, until the apples are nearly level with the rims of the molds. Some juices will spill over the sides. Allow the tartlettes to cool for a little while with the baking sheet on top. Then, carefully lift off the baking sheet on top, and lift the tartlettes off the other baking sheet. Allow the tartlettes to cool for another 10 minutes, then carefully push them out of their molds and place them on a baking rack to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream.

Apple Tartlettes4

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XO,
Katrina

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by Katrina Tauchen on March 8, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Katrina Tauchen on March 8, 2013

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Are we pastry, or are we baked good? Strawberry banana muffins

Strawberry Banana Muffins

I think the world would be a better place if everyone ate more muffins. Have you ever been upset while eating a muffin? Or if you were upset when you started, were you upset by the time you finished? Probably not. And if you were, you probably just got a bad one.

Strawberry Banana Muffins3

Muffins could be world–changers because they’re such wonderful equalizers. Their recipes are often basic, they don’t require lots of expensive cooking gear, and though I wouldn’t call them foolproof (you can over-mix a muffin to a sad, tough death), they don’t call on fancypants skills that only formally trained chefs possess.

Strawberry Banana Muffins7

Yesterday, Jared, who is a graduate student at Duke University, came home and informed me that one of his classes spent a modest amount of time discussing the appropriate labeling of the muffin: Is it a pastry, or is it a baked good? (Apparently the instructor appeared in class with a muffin that day, to which one student said, “That’s a nice-looking pastry.” Quite expectantly, debate ensued.) So, you see? The great equalizer. Muffins can simultaneously squelch our hunger, raise our moods and give our nation’s great young minds reason to continue their quest for knowledge.

Strawberry Banana Muffins5

Perhaps these strawberry and banana muffins won’t change the world at large, but I bet they’d make your family pretty happy. And little change can lead to big change. Isn’t that what they say? Maybe muffins can move mountains.

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Strawberry Banana Muffins6

Strawberry Banana Muffins

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• ¾ cup chopped strawberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and butter 12 muffins cups (you could line them with paper liners if you’d prefer). Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and set it aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter with a hand mixer until it’s creamy, then gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat well.

In a small bowl, give the strawberries a light mashing with a fork, then transfer them to a mesh sieve and squeeze all the excess water out of them. The muffins won’t bake up right if they’re too watery. Add the strawberries to the bananas, and stir to combine.

Back to the butter/sugar/egg mixture: Add the dry ingredients alternately with the banana/strawberry mixture, adding just a bit of each at a time. Beat after each addition until smooth (but don’t mix any longer than you have to).

Fill muffin cups nearly full, and bake them for 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out barely clean. Remove the muffins from the pan as soon as you’re able, and allow them to cool on a cooling rack.

Strawberry Banana Muffins8

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So where do you stand on the great muffin debate? Pastry? Baked good? Doesn’t matter as long as they make my tummy happy?

And the debate rages on.

XO,
Katrina

7 Comments
by Katrina Tauchen on March 1, 2013  •  Permalink
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Life without a microwave: Brown butter Rice Krispies treats

Brown Butter Rice Krispies

We have no microwave in our home, and we haven’t since we moved here a year and a half ago. As apartment dwellers, we’ve spent the past five-plus years relying on the appliances our rentals provide, and when we moved here, there was no microwave. Gallant folks that we are, we decided to trudge on without one.

Funnily enough, the people our no-microwave situation seemed to affect the most were our respective moms. Both offered their condolences at our lack of a microwave, both offered suggestions as to where in our tiny apartment we might house one, and both even offered to buy us one should we decide the void was too great. They were sweet to offer, and zapping leftovers is a convenience I do miss on occasion, but the truth is, we made adjustments and are getting on just fine without one (though I will admit that I have yet to find a reasonable means of reheating my mom’s coffee when she visits, after she tops it off with a healthy glug of milk. Hmm…).

This no-microwave backstory is important to this post because it is precisely how my mom came to accidently invent something awesome. While she was staying at our house for a few weeks after Beany was born, she volunteered to make a batch of Rice Krispies treats (a family tradition that we can eat by the tray-full — seriously). She ran out to Target, bought all of the ingredients and was in the kitchen ready to whip them up before my post-pregnancy brain remembered we had no microwave in which to make them. No bother, she said. She’d make them on the stove.

Brown Butter Rice Krispies3

Long story short, we got to chatting, the butter got to bubbling, and it wasn’t until we heard it sputtering from the stovetop that we realized what was going on. After considering starting over, my mom decided to take her chances and finish the batch anyway. And it was from that near disaster that our first batch of brown butter Rice Krispies treats was born. When I’m 100, I’ll still think of it as one of my mom’s greatest culinary achievements. She made them for us at least two more times that visit.

For a good 15 months I’ve been crediting my mom as the inventor of brown butter Rice Krispies treats and the greatest accidental dish of all time, but just this weekend, while flipping through The Essential New York Times Cookbook, I found a nearly identical recipe. Craziness! I suppose what this really means is that my mom was inadvertently rolling with the culinary big dogs. Top Chef, watch out.

The recipe shown here is a hybrid of the NYT version and my mom’s. Although they aren’t the typical gooey treats you might remember from school, they make up for it with a rich, caramel-like flavor. They’re super chewy but pretty crunchy as well. I suggest cutting them into small bite-size squares for easy snacking.

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Brown Butter Rice Krispies2

Caramelized Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats

Adapted from The Essential New York Times Cookbook (Amanda Hesser, p. 708)

• 1 cup salted butter, plus more for buttering pan
• 1 16-ounce bag of marshmallows
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 12 ounces Rice Krispies cereal

Butter an 11-by-17-inch baking dish or rimmed baking sheet, and set it aside. Melt 1 cup of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Once it melts, it will start to foam. Stir occasionally as the butter turns to a clear golden color. It will then start to turn brown and smell nutty. Watch closely, and continue to stir often.

Once the butter is evenly browned, stir in the marshmallows and vanilla. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the mixture turns pale brown. Then stir constantly until it is lightly browned, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat, add the cereal and mix until well combined. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, and press down lightly. Let the mixture cool, and then cut it into small squares.

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Have you had any wonderful kitchen disasters lately? Botched recipes turned awesome? And is anyone else out there trucking on without a microwave? Do tell!

XO,
Katrina

6 Comments
by Katrina Tauchen on February 27, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Katrina Tauchen on February 27, 2013

http://splashofsomething.com/2013/02/27/life-without-a-microwave-brown-butter-rice-krispies-treats/

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