Author Archives: sallybr

CAKE PUCKS

Posted in Chocolate Bonbons, Desserts, Desserts, Sweets by


Back in July last year, I shared my first adventures with cake pucks (for a flash back, click here). I’ve made quite a few since then, some with boxed cakes and home-made buttercream, some with cakes crushed into crumbs while still warm, skipping the addition of buttercream. In my opinion, the texture of the cake component suffers a bit if you don’t use a little buttercream, but I am sure that is a matter of personal taste. Some bakers swear by the warm crumbled cake. Today I want to focus on a different recipe, one that uses a peanut butter fudge instead of cake for the center. And I also want to show you a new type of cake puck, made with a smaller mold. So, without further ado, let’s go over the peanut butter version.

PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE PUCK CAKES
(from bentycakes)

2 cups granulated sugar
1 + 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
dash of salt
melting chocolate (such as candy melts)

Bring sugar and milk to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, whisk for 1-2 minutes. Add in vanilla, peanut butter and salt and mix until smooth. Working quickly, fill your small molds with the mixture.
The peanut butter fudge should set up pretty quickly at room temperature, but I prefer to stick in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.

Melt 17 ounces chocolate and a spoonful of refined coconut oil gently in the microwave at 50% power. for 1 minute. Place larger mold (with the Benty Cakes logo on the bottom) on the plastic tray and fill one cavity half full with melted chocolate.


Place chilled center on melted chocolate. Gently apply even pressure as you slowly press the center down until chocolate comes up from the sides and covers the top of the center. Scrape off any excess chocolate. If there is not enough chocolate to cover the center. Add chocolate and scrape away excess.
Tap the mold tray on the counter to eliminate air bubbles.

Let the pucks set in the fridge for 20 minutes or so, then gently un-mold. Decorate as desired.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: If you are a peanut butter lover in desserts these will blow your mind! The texture is creamy and luscious, and of course, the peanut butter with the chocolate around it is a perfect match. I will now show you mini-pucks, which I find even better than the original ones because they turn out as a two-bite thing, one is enough and not too much. You can order the set of molds by clicking here. Below, a comparison in size between this new version and the original.


This batch of minis was also made with the peanut butter fudge center…


As to decorations, I’ve been using several different techniques, one of them which I really love is painting the bottom of the mold with luster colors, then adding the chocolate on top

I love the way the surface turns out…

And using chocolate discs made with patterns using transfer sheets never gets old…

They also look pretty nice with just a drizzle of melted chocolate…

ONE YEAR AGO: Haniela’s Cheese Crackers

TWO YEARS AGO: Shrimp Tacos with Jicama-Mango Salsa

THREE YEARS AGO: Mini-Egg Brownies

FOUR YEARS AGO: The Luck of the Irish

FIVE YEARS AGO: When life gives you Eye-of-the-Round

SIX YEARS AGO: Carrot Cake Macarons

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Soup Saturday: Say Goodbye to Winter

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Manchego and Poblano Soup

NINE YEARS AGO: A Smashing Pair

TEN YEARS AGO: Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Crispy Chickpea and Caper Spaghetti

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Spring has Sprung!

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Chickpea and Fire Roasted Tomato Soup

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Double Asparagus Delight

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO:  Sun-dried Tomato and Feta Cheese Torte

CHICKEN BREASTS IN CREAMY TURMERIC-MUSTARD SAUCE

Posted in Poultry by

This is very rich with heavy cream, but if you don’t mind splurging a bit for a special meal, totally worth it. Boneless chicken breasts can dry up easily but in this method they stay moist and tender.


CHICKEN BREASTS IN CREAMY TURMERIC-MUSTARD SAUCE
(adapted from epicurious)

1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
¾ tsp kosher salt, divided
1 + ½ tsp. ground turmeric, divided
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
Herbes de Provence, to taste
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. whole grain mustard
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Heat oven to 375°. Mix 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp. ground turmeric in a small bowl to combine. Sprinkle 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts all over with flour mixture.

Heat 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a medium ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Cook chicken until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side; transfer to a plate. Reduce heat to medium; heat remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in same skillet. Cook the shallots sprinkled with Herbes de Provence until soft and fragrant. Add the heavy cream, turmeric, mustard, honey, black pepper and the remaining salt. Bring to a simmer, then return chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet.


Transfer skillet to oven and bake until sauce is slightly reduced and chicken is cooked through, 20–25 minutes.Remove skillet from oven (HANDLE WILL BE HOT!) and transfer chicken to a cutting board. Let rest 5 minutes, then slice against the grain ¼” thick. Return chicken to sauce, place back on the stove for a couple of minutes just to warm up the slices in the sauce. Serve right away.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Normally I do not make recipes with so much cream and saturated fat, so this was a departure from the way we eat. It was delicious indeed! I was afraid the heavy cream would dry out too much during baking, uncovered, but it was not the case. Keep an eye on it, add a little water if it is getting burned. I love turmeric… And PLEASE be sure to remember the handle will be hot. I did not, and paid a painful price. Enough said.

ONE YEAR AGO: Shokupan Marbled Black Sesame Bread

TWO YEARS AGO: Chicken with Pasilla-Pecan Sauce

THREE YEARS AGO: A Versatile Silicone Pan

FOUR YEARS AGO: Buffalo Chickpeas

FIVE YEARS AGO: Bi-Color Croissant and Pain au Chocolat

SIX YEARS AGO: Lemon-Blueberry Entremet Cake

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Walk Strong3: Jessica Smith’s latest workout program

EIGTH YEARS AGO: Pork Medallions with Black Berry Compote

NINE YEARS AGO: Indian-Spiced Chicken with Chickpeas and Spinach

TEN YEARS AGO: Curry Cardamon Cookies

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, March 2014

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Boeuf Bourguignon for a Snowy Evening

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Chickpea Salad

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Soft Spot for Chevre

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Roasted Onion and Asiago Cheese Miche

FAYE PALMQVIST AND MINI-LOAF CAKES

Posted in Cake by

Today I want you to meet (at least virtually) a very special baker, Chef Faye Palmqvist. She hosts a group on Facebook that is geared towards advanced baking, often involving one of her specialties, mini-loaf cakes. They are elegant, unique, and she sure knows how to make them ultra special. You can visit and join her group for free, clicking here. Without further ado, here is my batch of Vanilla Cake following her recipe perfectly adapted for the mini-loaf environment, with a slight twist on her Swiss Meringue Buttercream, incorporating Nutella into it.

I cannot share the recipe, as it is copyrighted from her cookbook, available in her website. But her method produces flawless cakes that bake perfectly in the little aluminum tins (like these ones).

Below, the prep work and the pans before and after baking.

I used one of her methods to pipe the buttercream that I find quite attractive and was suprisingly easy to accomplish!

I hope you join her Facebook group to profit from her knowledge and meet other baking aficionados. On Tuesdays, she posts a feature where you can ask any question about baking, other days are dedicated to professional baking – advice on selling, advertising, stuff like that. And she often encourages members to share pictures of their bakes, so it is a friendly and warm spot in the internet. I feel that is what we all need right now.

ONE YEAR AGO: For the Love of Broccoli

TWO YEARS AGO: Spanakopita, Crackers and the Adventure of Phyllo Dough

THREE YEARS AGO: Chicken Noodle Soup

FOUR YEARS AGO: Floral Chocolate Stick Cookies

FIVE YEARS AGO: Sally’s Spicy Mango and Coconut Macarons

SIX YEARS AGO: Bouillabaise for a Chilly Evening

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Bergamot-Cherry Macarons

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Roasted Veggies with Queso Cotija Dressing

NINE YEARS AGO: Creamy Broccoli and Mushroom Casserole

TEN YEARS AGO: Maple Walnut Biscotti

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Barley Risotto with Peas

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Oatmeal Fudge Bars

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Cauliflower Steaks

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Soft Spot for Chevre

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Quick sun-dried Tomato Crostini

QUILTED FOCACCIA BUNS

Posted in Breads by

I stumbled on this recipe by accident, and could not wait to try it! It led me to buy a wonderful cookbook, called Beautiful Bread, by Theresa Culletto. This particular recipe is not in the book, but is available in her site, and you can check it out here. The book is amazing, all sorts of ideas to turn bread into art pieces… I love this kind of stuff so much! But without further ado, here are my quilted babies…

QUILTED FOCACCIA BUNS
(from Theresa Culletto)

pre-ferment:
146g bread flour (about 1 cup)
125g cool water (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

for the dough:
all the pre-ferment
450g bread flour (about 3 cups)
285g warm water (about 1 + 1/4 cup) 285 grams
1 + ½ teaspoons instant yeast
12g salt (2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

toppings of your choice, cut in small pieces. Avoid veggies that are too full of liquid, if using mushrooms it is best to sautee them before adding to the bread.

Make the pre-ferment the day before by mixing all ingredients and allowing to ferment covered at room temperature.

Next day, make the dough. Place the water and the yeast in a large bowl. Add all the pre-ferment and 1 tablespoon of oil. Mix with your hands to try to dissolve the pre-ferment in the water, then add the flour and the salt. Mix all ingredients together until the dough just comes together in a shaggy ball.
It will appear lumpy and sticky. Let it rest covered for 15 minutes.


Make a set of folds, let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Do three sessions of foldings with 15 minute rest between the sets, for a total of 45 minutes. Now ferment the dough for 2 hours.

Divide dough by cutting one third and two thirds. The larger piece will be spread out with your fingers onto a baking sheet you have prepared with parchment paper and flour . you should stretch the dough out to be approximately 12×6.

Make the strips for the lattice: take the smaller piece of dough ( 1 third) and roll out to a 12×6 rectangle on a well floured surface. This should be about ¼ inch thick when done. With a ruler and a pizza cuter make 1/4th inch thick strips 12 inch long , separate and place strips on well floured parchment. You will end up with about 16 strips. Set aside.

Cut the main dough into 8 equal pieces about 3×3 each . Separate each piece to place them about one inch apart. Brush each square with egg wash. Starting at the corner of the pan begin placing strips in one direction and then diagonally to cover the buns with a lattice. Trim back to 1 inch around buns using scissors. Tuck the loose ends under the buns.

Brush egg wash over each bun and begin decorating with various vegetables. Be sure to tuck them in so they do not cover the crisscross lines. After the buns have been decorated you can sprinkle with a little salt. Bake immediately in 425 degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I had a total blast making this recipe, and my main tip for you is to make sure the ends of the strips are well tucked underneath or they will flip and rise up during baking. I think I should have cut my veggies a little smaller but for a first time I am quite thrilled with the results. Huge thank you to Theresa for such a detailed explanation, I love how the strips almost looked like laminated dough on top. Very cool technique!

I did not tell the husband I was making these buns, just very casually informed him we would have bread ready later that Saturday. You should have seen his face when he saw them in the kitchen in all their quilted glory. He thought I was a genius, but I told him, nah, it is all Theresa’s fault!

ONE YEAR AGO: Chocolate-Covered Oreos

TWO YEARS AGO: Zucchini-Chickpea Baked Bites

THREE YEARS AGO: Slow-Cooker Hoisin Pulled Pork

FOUR YEARS AGO: I Will Cracker you Up

FIVE YEARS AGO: Pickling Ribbons

SIX  YEARS AGO: Green Beans and Carrots with Spicy Almonds

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Quiche 101

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Persian Butternut Squash Soup

NINE YEARS AGO: Walnut Cranberry Sourdough Bread

TEN YEARS AGO: Ottolenghi in Brazil?

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Roasted Winter Vegetables with Miso-Lime Dressing

TWELVE YEARS AGO: 2012 Fitness Report: P90X2

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Caramelized Bananas

FOUTEEN YEARS AGO: Roasted Lemon Vinaigrette

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Whole Wheat Bread

THREE ADORABLE COOKIES

Posted in Cookies by

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COOKIE #1

VANILLA ELDERFLOWER PINWHEEL COOKIES
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

2¼ cups (282 g) all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (98 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (80 g) powdered sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tablespoon (12.5 g) vanilla sugar
1 tablespoon elderberry powder (like this one)
tiny amount of purple food gel dye, if needed
white coarse sanding sugar

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and powdered sugar together on medium-high until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the egg and vanilla, mix to combine, and then scrape down the bowl using a rubber spatula. Add the flour mixture and use a rubber spatula to mix until well combined.

Divide the dough in half, add elderberry powder and food gel dye to one half, and mix until fully incorporated. Divide both halves of the dough in half again so you end up with two equal portions of vanilla dough and two equal portions of elderberry dough.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll each portion of dough out to a roughly 8-x-10-inch (20-x-25-cm) rectangle. Place a purple dough rectangle on top of a vanilla rectangle and use a rolling pin to gently press them together. Repeat with the other rectangles of vanilla and elderberry dough. Starting with the shorter side, roll the rectangles of dough into logs. Tightly wrap the two logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and preferably overnight.

Heat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper or perforated silicone baking mats. Remove a cookie log from the refrigerator and let it warm up for a few minutes at room temperature. Roll on sanding sugar to coat the surface. Using a sharp knife, cut each log into ¼-inch slices. Place on the prepared baking trays and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden. Repeat with the remaining dough.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here



Comments: Depending on the brand of your elderberry powder, you might not need the food gel dye. I used a very small amount, delivered with a toothpick. The sanding sugar coating is optional but I think it adds a lot to the overall look of the cookie.

.

COOKIE #2

TARTLET MOLDED COOKIES
(adapted from The Art of the Cookie)

200g all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
150g granulated sugar
1/2 large egg (whisk and add about half, no need to be too precise)
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon heavy cream
softened butter to coat tins
pink, red and white sanding sugar

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2—3 minutes. Add the egg, cream and vanilla and beat on low speed until the egg is completely incorporated. Beating on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and continue to beat until almost incorporated.

Press the dough into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

Coat the tartlet tins of your choice with softened butter using a brush. Shower them with sanding sugar to form a layer at the bottom and edges. Place the tins on a baking sheet. Press a ball of dough in the tin, filling each 3/4 of the volume. Bake at 350F until set but not getting too much color, 15 to 18 minutes. Let the cookies sit in the tartlets for five minutes then remove gently using a small spatula if needed to help. Tapping the tins should work fine. Careful, they stay hot for a while.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Those are just adorable indeed. Best consumed the same day, but if you keep them tightly closed in a container they will be ok next day. Probably any cookie recipe will work, make sure to make it a little softer than usual for cutout cookies, that’s why the heavy cream is a good addition. Chocolate dough could be great, I intend to give it a try soon.

.

COOKIE #3


CHOCOLATE AND ORANGE PINWHEELS

You’ll get a perfect swirl using Matt Adlard’s technique! I can’t share the recipe, you need to be part of his BAKE IT BETTER club, which is easy to do with a click here. Totally worth it!

ONE YEAR AGO: Ube Sourdough, Two Ways

TWO YEARS AGO: Brown Butter Dulce de Leche Cookie Cups

THREE YEARS AGO: Chicken Poblano Tortilla Soup

FOUR YEARS AGO: Kung Pao Chicken

FIVE YEARS AGO: Galette de Rois

SIX YEARS AGO: Sous-Vide Overnight Oatmeal

SEVEN YEARS AGO: A Valentine’s Day Opera

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Incredibly Simple Times Four

NINE YEARS AGO: Walnut-Cranberry Sourdough Bread

TEN YEARS AGO: Ottolenghi in Brazil?

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Roasted Winter Vegetables with Miso-Lime Dressing

TWELVE YEARS AGO: 2012 Fitness Report: P90X2

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Caramelized Bananas

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Roasted Lemon Vinaigrette

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Whole Wheat Bread