SECRET RECIPE CLUB: APPLE-CINNAMON BREAD

Posted in Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Sweets, Secret Recipe Club by sallybr

The month of August is coming to an end. The last Monday of this busy month brings with it a special revelation: which blog was I assigned to cook from as a member of The Secret Recipe Club? And who is posting something from my blog? Which recipe was chosen? So much excitement, so much fun… This month I was paired with a food blog Queen: Amy, the hostess of “Fearless Homemaker” has even been on TV! You can read about her first cooking demonstration by clicking here. And now, here I am, cooking a recipe from her blog. Too cool for words. If her blog is new to you, I strongly recommend you to stop by. Not only she has loads of wonderful recipes, but side-stories that are truly special, like her surprise wedding party. She and her partner invited friends over for a nice get-together, and all of a sudden both disappeared, changed into their wedding outfits, and next thing their guests knew, an orchestra was playing, a priest was arriving , and the party turned into their wedding! Now the family got bigger, as she and her husband recently welcomed the arrival of “The Fearless Baby“… Congratulations, Amy!

I had quite a few recipes on my final list to cook for the Secret Recipe reveal day: her Vegetable and Quinoa Pilaf, her Honey-Chipotle Turkey Meatballs, her Chicken Bolognese, and also her Nutella-Swirl Pound Cake. But, in the end, I went with an Apple-Cinnamon Bread, with chunks of apple permeating the cake. Yes, you guessed it, I took it to our department on a sunny Monday morning… 😉

APPLE-CINNAMON BREAD
(from Fearless Homemaker)

1 + 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup applesauce
pods from 1 vanilla bean
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups chopped Granny Smith apples, skin removed

for topping:
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 by 4 loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Reserve.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the eggs and beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add in oil, applesauce, vanilla, mix until smooth. Add the sugar and mix until well combined.

Slowly add in the flour mixture, incorporating until the flour is barely combined. Gently fold in the apple chunks. pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Prepare the topping: in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon. Sprinkle this topping over the batter in the loaf pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until loaf is golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool bread in pan for 10 minutes. loosen sides of the loaf with a knife and invert carefully. Cool the cake completely on a rack before slicing.

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ENJOY!

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to print the recipe, click here

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Comments: As Amy pointed out in her post, this bread smells WONDERFUL while it bakes. Cinnamon seems to do just that, fill the house with intoxicating aroma of deliciousness to come… I am not sure why I’ve been picking sweet recipes for the past few Secret Recipe Club adventures, but I’m enjoying the phase. And I suppose the members of our department don’t mind that either! 😉

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Amy, it’s been great to spend time on your blog, reading your stories, marveling at your photos.

I hope you enjoyed this month’s assignment as much as I did!

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To see what the other members of my group cooked up for today’s Reveal Day, click on the blue amphibian smiling at the bottom of the post. And if you are wondering who got my blog and the recipe chosen, go visit Karen’s site at Lavender and Lovage! 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Secret Recipe Club: Blueberry Galette

TWO YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, August 2011

THREE YEARS AGO: Journey to a New Home

FOUR YEARS AGO: Friday Night Dinner (very tasty pork medallions)

20Aug2013

BLACKBERRY-CHERRY SORBET

Posted in Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

When your office is next door to that of one of the best (and most generous) gardeners in the state of Kansas, be ready to receive amazing gifts, such as two boxes of freshly picked blackberries! We consumed some in their natural state, and decided to make a nice, refreshing sorbet with the rest. We’ve actually made two batches of this sorbet in the past month. I am sharing the recipe for the second version, which I think turned out to be the best, with the small amount of cherries plus a little unusual ingredient. Although some inspiration was found in Lebovit’s The Perfect Scoop, Phil devised his own recipe. Since we fully share our assets, I feel entitled to call it “our own”. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

BLACKBERRY-CHERRY SORBET
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

3 cups blackberries
1 cup pitted cherries
1 ripe banana
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2/3 cup sugar
1 + 1/2 cup water

Add the blackberries, cherries, and banana to the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth, cleaning the sides of the bowl a couple of times. Add the lemon juice, the sugar, and the water, and process everything together until fully smooth.

Keep the base in the fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours to cool completely.

Place the mixture in your ice cream maker and churn it according to the instructions of the manufacturer.

Scoop into a freezer-safe container.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The banana adds a nicer texture to the sorbet, which can be a bit grainy once it freezes, because there is no milk fat in it. You can barely taste it, though. Most recipes for blackberries or raspberries will instruct you to pass the pureed mixture through a sieve to get rid of the seeds. We decided to skip this step, and I’m glad to report that we did not mind the seeds at all. If you are looking for a real smooth texture, go ahead and sieve it away. If you don’t remove the seeds, the amount of sorbet made could be just a little big for your ice cream maker. If that’s the case, no need to worry, it’s the type of problem you should welcome with open arms (and a spoon). Save the excess, and follow these instructions: pour some of the sorbet base in a small bowl, add Greek yogurt and a handful of fresh blueberries on top. Enjoy late at night, early in the morning, or anytime you feel like it… it’s that good! 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Asparagus Pesto

TWO YEARS AGO: Chocolate and Chestnut Terrine

THREE YEARS AGO: Under the spell of lemongrass

FOUR YEARS AGO: Greens + Grapefruit + Shrimp = Great Salad!

29Jul2013

SECRET RECIPE CLUB: LEMON POPPY-SEED MUFFINS

Posted in Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Sweets, Secret Recipe Club by sallybr

At the risk of repeating myself over and over and over, I must say the last Monday of each month makes me feel as happy as a kid in a toy store… Why? It is the day in which bloggers of my group at The Secret Recipe Club reveal which blog they were assigned to cook from, and post their recipes. This month, I could not be more pleased with my assignment. I got April’s blog, Angels Homestead. April is a very active participant of the club. You see, we have a Facebook group to discuss issues, make sure everyone is aware of what needs to be done (participation forms to be filled, upcoming Reveal Days), and April is always there with her very unique and personal touch. I was thrilled to cook from her blog! It took me just a few minutes to settle on a recipe, because right when I got the assignment I was wondering about something to bake and take to our department. Lemon poppy-seed muffins seemed perfect. And perfect they were! 😉

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If you want to make a batch of muffins to cheer your co-workers early in the morning, here’s the way to do it: before going to bed, measure the dry ingredients, place the flour in a large bowl, the baking powder and baking soda on small bowls next to it. Get the two eggs ready to go, same for poppy seeds, sugar, and lemon. Place paper liners in your muffin pan. Measure the butter, the yogurt (or sour cream), and place both in the fridge. Marvel at your uncanny sense of organization, and go to sleep. Have pleasant dreams.

Next morning, turn the oven on. Grab the yogurt from the fridge, zest and juice the lemon, add the poppy seeds and mix them al together.

Beat the sugar with the butter and the eggs, add the poppy seeds mixture, incorporate all very well. Add the dry ingredients and mix gently. Add scoops of the batter to the muffin pan, trying to add the same amount to each paper liner. If you are like me, at this stage of the day the caffeine has not kicked in yet, so your consistency won’t be stellar. Oh, well… Do your best.

Now, all you have to do is bake those babies, and get ready to brighten up the morning of your colleagues. If you can make that a Monday morning, even better… 😉

for a printable version of the recipe, click here

For some serious fun with the productions of my fellow Secret Recipe members, click on the blue frog that is smiling at you at the bottom of the post. She is a bit cross-eyed, but still pretty adorable.

April, I hope you know how much I enjoyed getting assigned to your blog this month! A real special treat… 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Secret Recipe Club: Mascarpone Brownies

TWO YEARS AGO: Salmon Tacos

THREE YEARS AGO: Cinnamon Turban Bread

FOUR YEARS AGO: Summertime Gratin

3Jul2013

ROASTED STRAWBERRY-BUTTERMILK SHERBET

Posted in Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Tomato, tomahto = sorbet, sherbet? Not quite. Tomato and tomahto are the exact same creature, whereas the other pair refers to different concoctions. Sorbet has no dairy in it, sherbet contains up to 3% milk fat (from milk or cream). Pass the 3% level and you’ll get to ice cream territory. Feeling enlightened yet? 😉 I found this recipe in the latest issue of Bon Appetit, and the words “roasted strawberry” and “buttermilk” made me dream. The stars must be in a lucky alignment, because very little time elapsed between reading the recipe and getting to work. Fresh blueberries were a perfect match for this slightly tangy dessert.

ROASTED STRAWBERRY-BUTTERMILK SHERBET
(adapted from Bon Appetit, July 2013)

4 cups strawberries (about 1 pound), hulled, halved or quartered
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup sour cream
Pinch of kosher salt

Heat oven to 425°. Combine strawberries and sugar in a 13 x 9 inches baking pan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean and add pod; toss to combine. Roast berries, stirring occasionally, until juices are bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let cool.

Discard vanilla pod. Purée berries, buttermilk, sour cream, and salt in a blender until smooth. Place in the fridge for several hours or overnight. Process mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer sherbet to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: My modifications of the recipe involved cutting down the sugar (the original called for 1 full cup) and reducing the buttermilk amount. The reduction in sugar had to do with our personal preference. The reduction in buttermilk had to do with the size of my blender. One cup filled it almost to the very top, a little more and we would have a buttermilk tsunami in the kitchen. I don’t think it made much difference, but check the link to the original recipe online in case you prefer to follow it. If you use the recipe I posted, please taste the mixture before you place it in the ice cream machine. You might prefer it a little sweeter than we do.

Add a little marshmallow topping and you’ll have a perfect dessert for the 4th of July celebrations: red white and blue, with Summer written all over it. 😉

For those who live in the US, have a wonderful 4th of July!

ONE YEAR AGO: Amazing Ribs for the 4th of July!

TWO YEARS AGO: Baby Back Ribs on the 4th of July

THREE YEARS AGO: Blueberry Muffins

FOUR YEARS AGO: A Pie for your 4th of July

16Jun2013

THE BEWITCHING KITCHEN TURNS FOUR!

Posted in Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

June 16th, 2013

My beloved blog turns 4 years old today! To celebrate, I assembled all the cake suggestions my readers offered two years ago, assigned numbers to each of them, and drew the winner cake. Celia’s suggestion was the lucky one, so I gathered all ingredients, took a deep breath and made her White Chocolate Bundt Cake to celebrate the occasion…

She wrote a great post about this cake, one that made the process almost pain-free to a person who hyperventilates with just a glimpse of a Bundt pan. Those crevices are evil. To make matters worse, the cake included that dreadful step of creaming sugar with butter. But, a woman’s gotta do what a woman’s gotta do. I did not run away from it, kicking and screaming. Sometimes it is good to resist a first impulse.

WHITE CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE
(from Celia’s blog, Fig Jam and Lime Cordial)

for the cake:
450g all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
250g unsalted butter, softened
440g white sugar
1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
5 large (59g) eggs, at room temperature
115g white chocolate, melted and still warm
250g thick Greek yoghurt
115g white chocolate chunks or chips

for the topping (optional):
115g (4oz) white chocolate
65ml (¼ cup) heavy cream
115g (4oz) milk chocolate

Heat oven to 350F. Spray a 12 cup bundt pan with oil.

In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, beating for 20 seconds after each addition. Slowly beat in the melted white chocolate. Scrape down the bowl.

Add the flour mixture to the butter in thirds, alternating with the Greek yoghurt. Beat for 45 seconds after each addition. You want to end with flour rather than yoghurt (improves the final texture of the batter). Place the batter in the pan in three layers, separating each layer with the white chocolate chips.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, but start checking after 45 minutes. The top will be brown and a sharp thin knife inserted in the center will come out with a few crumbs on it. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then gently loosen around the edges before inverting onto a wire rack to allow the cake to finish cooling at room temperature.

Topping: In a glass or ceramic bowl, heat the white chocolate with the cream until just melted. Stir until smooth. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then drizzle over the cake. In a separate bowl, heat the milk chocolate in the microwave until just melted. Stir until smooth. Drizzle over the cake.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Things went extremely well with this cake from making the batter to inverting the pan to reveal a perfect cake in all its gorgeous glory!
I was already thrilled because contrary to 99.5% of the cake recipes I’ve tried, this one actually produced enough batter to fill the pan to proper capacity. Every other recipe leaves me wondering if my kitchen has some type of black hole that sucks cake batters and takes them to another dimension. Now, this is a nice looking Bundt pan, ready to be baked.

I baked the cake, allowed it to cool for 15 minutes in the pan, chronometer in hand, heart pounding fast. And voilá, when I inverted the pan, this is the vision I was rewarded with:

Is this a thing of complete beauty or what? I BAKED THAT! I know, I know, unreal… I did several victory laps around the kitchen island, then a few around the house. Oscar followed me, wagging his tail, Buck got scared and ran away to hide. Chief? He slept through the whole celebration, but I won’t take that personally. A 14-year old dog earned his right to sleep through anything!

Time to ice the cake. That’s when the road got a little bumpy. I should have read Celia’s post more carefully. She added a note to say that the white chocolate ganache is usually too liquid, so she prefers to simply melt the pure white chocolate to drizzle on top. Well, my ganache was so liquid it disappeared into the cake. I also did not do a very good job with the dark chocolate drizzle, so in the end I covered the whole cake with powdered sugar on top of the drizzle for cosmetic reasons. Over-kill? Maybe. I do agree with Celia, though. This cake is so amazing, a simple dusting with powdered sugar is more than enough. We took a platter to the department and everyone loved it!

One thousand four-hundred and sixty-one days blogging. Food blogging brings many wonderful things with it. First, the virtual connections made with readers and other bloggers. Too special for words. Second, it provides a journal of our adventures: travels for work and/or pleasure, a sabbatical with its nano-kitchen challenge, the move of our home and lab to Kansas. Third, it is a valuable database of recipes we tried and enjoyed. I normally don’t blog on a recipe that didn’t work, unless I feel it’s worth re-visiting it. Sometimes I like to pick a recipe at random from the index, and read about what was going on with us at the time. Were we in Los Angeles when I baked that? Was that post written during a dreadful ice storm in Oklahoma? Was Pits, our beautiful dalmatian still hanging around in our kitchen, stealing butter and T-bone steaks from the countertop? Has it really been four years? 😉

A very wise and dear mentor, Leon Rosenberg once told me: “Memory fails. Keep a diary. You will be glad you did”. I am sure glad I started this site, the closest thing to a diary I can keep up with…

To my readers, followers, fellow food bloggers, friends in real and virtual life, thanks for stopping by and warming up this place with your presence!
Now, I invite you to join me as I start the fifth year of Bewitching Kitchen!

ONE YEAR AGO: The Bewitching Kitchen Turns Three!

TWO YEARS AGO: The Bewitching Kitchen turns two!

THREE YEARS AGO: Bewitching Birthday!

FOUR YEARS AGO: Welcome to my blog!