EARL GREY SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Posted in Cookies by sallybr

Shortbread cookies have unique texture, and are surprisingly addictive. This version, flavored with tea and a touch of orange extract, followed the basic method from Helen Fletcher, described in her cookbook: Craving Cookies, The Quintessential American Cookie Book. The food processor makes perfect shortbread dough every single time.

EARL GREY SHORTBREAD COOKIES
(inspired by several sources)

4 bags of Earl Grey tea (about 8g tea, I used decaf)
310 g all purpose flour
48 g cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
227 g butter, very cold, cut into pieces
115 g powdered sugar
1/2 tsp orange extract

Heat the oven to 275 F.

Add tea, flour, cornstarch and salt to the food processor and process a few seconds to mix. Add the butter, process until it is dispersed in small pieces, stop the processor, add the powdered sugar and orange extract, and process it again until a dough forms. You can turn the processor on and off a few times for more efficient mixing. Once the dough starts to form and dance around the bowl, stop and gather it gently with your hands, forming a disc over parchment paper.

If you worked fast, you can proceed right away forming balls, each with 33g of dough. If the dough it too soft or feels at all warm, place it in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.

Working with one little ball at a time, press a design using your favorite cookie press coated with flour so it won’t stick. Freeze the cookies for 10 minutes, then bake at 275F for about 50 minutes over parchment paper. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Shortbread is perfect for pressing a pattern or using decorative molds, as there is no leavening agent in the dough. Freezing is an additional step that helps the pattern stay even better during baking. As to the low temperature, 275 F gives shortbread a wonderful texture. I saw that recommended in a couple of websites and cookbooks and gave it a try in this bake. Loved it. If you are not pressed for time, consider this little twist. I baked them for 55 minutes exactly, the edges were starting to get golden.

ONE YEAR AGO: Summertime Macaron Duet

TWO YEARS AGO: Pain de Mie Dressed up for Party

THREE YEARS AGO: Five-Stranded Bread

FOUR YEARS AGO: Green Olive Salad

FIVE YEARS AGO: Coffee Macarons Dressed up to Party

SIX YEARS AGO: Blogging Hiatus

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Tomato Tatin

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Headed to Colorado!

NINE YEARS AGO: Farofa Brasileira

TEN YEARS AGO: Thai-Inspired Pork Tenderloin

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: A yummy Brazilian cake: Bolo de Fuba’

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Summer’s Tomatoes

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Leaving on a jet plane…

13Aug2022

A TRIO OF LITTLE CAKES

Posted in Cake by sallybr

Mini-cakes are cute from the get-go, in fact most desserts made in single serving are pretty adorable by default. But some details can raise their level of cuteness even higher. Today I share three ideas to make mini-cakes a little more special.

The first method to make cute cupcakes is using a different shape of pan. Like this pan from Nordic Ware. I think the quality of their pans is hard to beat, and totally worth the price tag. They are heavy, well-made and bake like a dream. I usually still spray the inside with PAM baking spray, a light coating ensures nothing will stick in the little crevices.

LEMON MINI-BUNDT CAKES

LEMON MINI-BUNDT CAKES
(adapted from several sources)

125g butter (I used Kerrygold)
150g sugar
zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs (100g)
180 g all-purpose flour
1 + 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp lemon extract
for the glaze:
200g powdered sugar (1 cup)
Juice of 1 fresh lemon (amount adjusted for consistency)
sprinkles to decorate (optional)

Heat oven to 350 F. Rub the sugar with the lemon zest for a couple a minutes until very fragrant. Cream butter and lemon-infused sugar together. Add eggs one at a time, beating in slow speed until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and milk. Mix well to combine, then add the lemon juice and extract, whisking gently.

Pour batter into the pan a little over 1/2 full in each cavity, but not quite reaching 3/4 of the capacity. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, about 22 minutes. Leave the cakes in the pan for 5 minutes than invert and cool them completely over a rack.

Make the glaze by mixing the ingredients. You want a pourable consistency, but not too thick so that the ridges of the cake still show. Pour over the cooled cakes. Decorate with sprinkles.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

These lemon cakes are very moist, with intense citric flavor. I used a very thin glaze because I wanted the ridges to be evident. If making a regular cupcake, consider a much thicker icing that will stay on the surface a little better.

PISTACHIO-ROSE MINI-CAKES

In this method, used by Sonali from sugaretal, you will need a silicone mold to bake the cakes. Then, after washing it well, the pan is used to apply the compound chocolate coating. The result is quite stunning, but the process pretty simple. I used this pan.

PISTACHIO ROSE MINI-CAKES
(recipe from Sonali)

To get the recipe, follow the link to her Instagram page.

After baking the cakes….

The silicone pan is washed and dried very well. I used a little gold luster powder to brush the bottom of the pan, then poured Candy melts dyed light green. Carefully brushed that all the way to the sides of each cavity and placed the cake back, snuggly, so that it would get a smooth coating on the surface. Make sure to do one little cake at a time, so that the melted compound chocolate does not harden.

The pan is placed in the freezer for about 30 minutes, so that the shell is properly formed and the cakes will release fully coated.

I am totally in love with this combination of pistachio and rose. In fact, I urge you to visit Sonali’s blog, full of elegant ideas for all sorts of desserts.

Finaly, the third way to dress up a cupcake, is making a few colors of Swiss meringue buttercream and creating a cute pattern on the surface. I followed the design of Liz Shim, available at Domestika.com

CUPCAKES DECORATED WITH SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

LION HEAD CUPCAKES
(design from Liz Shim)

I made a simple vanilla cupcake (recipe from America’s Test Kitchen), and a batch of Swiss meringue buttercream following the recipe provided by Liz Shim in her class. I coated the top of the cupcakes with buttercream, and separated small amounts to dye orange, brown, and black. Those were used to make all the details using star-shaped or round piping tips.

I hope you enjoyed this trio of cakes. There are many options for mini-cake pans at Nordic Ware, one more beautiful than the other: hearts, little houses, tiered little cakes, stars… just choose your favorite and play with cake flavors. I think the pan I used would be very nice with a red velvet cake too.

Coating a cake with compound chocolate is another great option to include in your repertoire, and Sonali is a pro at that. You might remember I’ve used her method in the past (click here).

As to piping designs with buttercream, it involves a bit of a learning curve. I am much more comfortable piping Royal icing, which stays put better and is less prone to melting with the heat of your hands in the piping bag. But I intend to keep practicing, so stay tuned!

ONE YEAR AGO: From our Garden to You

TWO YEARS AGO: Lady Bug Macarons

THREE YEARS AGO: Five-Stranded Braided Bread

FOUR YEARS AGO: Green Olive Salad

FIVE YEARS AGO: Coffee Macarons Dressed up to Party

SIX YEARS AGO: Blogging Hiatus

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Tomato Tatin

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Headed to Colorado!

NINE YEARS AGO: Farofa Brasileira

TEN YEARS AGO: Thai-Inspired Pork Tenderloin

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: A yummy Brazilian cake: Bolo de Fuba’

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Summer’s Tomatoes

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Leaving on a jet plane…

8Aug2022

BRAZILIAN CANDY: SURPRESA DE UVA

Posted in Brazilian cooking, Desserts, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Surpresa de uva means “Grape Surprise”. It is essentially the most traditional of all Brazilian sweets – the brigadeiro – hiding a full grape inside. Everybody back home loves it, but I must admit this was my first time trying one. It was not “a thing” when I was growing up a few years ago (cough, cough). We loved it so much that the husband requested me to work on a “blueberry surprise.” I am on it!

SURPRESA DE UVA
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

1 can condensed milk
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/3 cup white chocolate, cut in small pieces
pinch of salt
16 to 20 small seedless green grapes
sanding sugar to coat
sprinkles to decorate (optional)

Add the condensed milk, butter, heavy cream, chocolate and salt to a heavy non-stick pan and cook, stirring constantly over medium to low heat, until bubbly and the mixture starts to release from the sides of the pan. Once that happens, lower the heat as low as it will go, and keep stirring for another couple of minutes.

Remove from heat, transfer to a small baking dish to cool faster. Place in the fridge if you like to speed up the cooling process. Once at room temperature, grab small amounts with a spoon, spread on the palm of your hand and place a grape in the center. Carefully roll the mixture around (wet hands help), enclosing the grape. Roll on sanding sugar. Decorate with a sprinkle, if so desired.

They will keep at room temperature for a day or two, many days in the fridge, and even longer frozen.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: These are sooooo delicious! Brigadeiro is sweet, very sweet. The inclusion of the grape is brilliant, it cuts the sweetness with just the right amount of fresh. I envision a blueberry version in the future, trying to imagine the right flavor of brigadeiro to enclose it with. Stay tuned!

ONE YEAR AGO: Red Quinoa “Tabbouleh”

TWO YEARS AGO: Cucumber Salad with Yogurt-Harissa Dressing

THREE YEARS AGO: Sundried Tomato and Feta Cheese Torte

FOUR YEARS AGO: Hickory-Smoked Beef Tenderloin

FIVE YEAR AGO: Spaghetti Squash, Revisited

SIX YEARS AGO: Stir-fried Chicken and Cabbage in Spicy Almond Sauce

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Fifteen Years!

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Light Brioche Burger Buns

NINE YEARS AGO: Sourdough Blues

TEN YEARS AGO: Headed to Hawaii

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: A yummy Brazilian cake: Bolo de Fuba’

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Hidden Treasure

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Avocado Three Ways

4Aug2022

KAREN’S QUICK SHRIMP FRIED RICE

Posted in Seafood by sallybr

I jumped on this recipe right after I read the blog post in Karen’s site, because I knew we would love it. I modified it just a tiny bit, to adjust to our digestive issues – omitting garlic and onions. Visit her site for the regular version if you like. Fried rice with all kinds of different flavors is a dish I adore but very rarely order in restaurants because it is so heavy. And at the same time so easy to over indulge because one helping is never enough. I find myself going back for another little morsel of egg, another bite of shrimp, or chicken, and of course the rice just tags along… Plus the restaurant versions are normally loaded with too much oil and cornstarch-thickened sauce. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but for the most part a couple of hours later I am not feeling too perky… This version has all the goodies, but is considerably lighter. Using the shortcuts recommended by Karen turns it into one of the easiest dinners to prepare. Make it, and you can thank her later…

QUICK SHRIMP FRIED RICE
(slightly modified from Karen’s Kitchen Stories)

10 ounces jumbo shrimp, cut into thirds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons neutral oil such as peanut, divided
3 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
12 oz microwavable-ready to serve rice
1 package (12 ounces) frozen peas and carrots, thawed
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Toss the shrimp in the salt, pepper, and cornstarch and let marinate for 10 minutes.

Heat a wok or large skillet over medium high heat. When it is hot enough for a bead of water to evaporate instantly, add one tablespoon of the oil and swirl to coat. Add the shrimp and spread it out into a single layer. Let fry, untouched, for 30 seconds. Stir-fry the shrimp for an additional minute, until almost cooked through. Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon to a plate.

Reheat the pan and add another tablespoon of the oil. Add the eggs and swirl the pan to spread the eggs out to a thin layer. When they are almost cooked through, remove them to the same plate as the shrimp. Cut them into approximately 1 inch pieces.

Add the last tablespoon of oil. Add the ginger, cook for a few seconds, then add the rice and stir to incorporate the ginger. Spread and press the rice over the surface of the wok and let it cook, untouched, for about one minute. Toss the rice, respread it, and let it cook for an additional minute, untouched.

Add the soy sauce and toss with the rice. Add the peas and carrots, the cooked eggs, the almost-cooked shrimp, the rice vinegar, and the sesame oil. Stir fry all of the ingredients together to heat through and completely cook the shrimp. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and serve.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Above you see the rice I used, which was surprisingly tasty. I don’t normally buy this type of product but Karen’s post made me open my horizons. If you are in a hurry, this is the perfect shortcut ingredient. Same goes for the frozen peas and carrots. Leftovers were great next day too. I am a bit picky about seafood leftovers, but the shrimp held up ok. Not sure I would enjoy leftovers with salmon or another type of fish, but maybe your tastebuds are more user-friendly than mine.

I love this type of meal that is one bowl with everything: carbs, veggies, animal protein. Of course, you can make a vegetarian version using mushrooms or seared tofu, the basic mixture will shine no matter what…

Karen, I don’t know how many recipes I’ve made from your blog, including breads, sweets, savory stuff, but this one is another big winner!
THANK YOU!

ONE YEAR AGO: OMG Peanut Butter Bars

TWO YEARS AGO: Kansas Sunflower Seed and Black Walnut Macarons

THREE YEARS AGO: Curry Turmeric Sourdough

FOUR YEARS AGO: Black Olive Tapenade and Deviled Eggs

FIVE YEARS AGO: Blueberry Crumble Coffee Cake

SIX YEARS AGO: Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Bundt Cake

SEVEN YEAR AGO: Quinoa Salad with Red Grapes and Avocado

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Strawberry Coffee Cake

NINE YEARS AGO: Lemon-Poppy Seed Muffins

TEN YEARS AGO: Mascarpone Brownies

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Salmon Tacos

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Cinnamon Turban Bread

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Summertime Gratin

29Jul2022

A TRIO OF SUPERSTARS

Posted in Cake, Cookies, Desserts, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Today my blog pays homage to three amazing bakers who put great effort into each post they compose. Their blog articles end up as detailed tutorials that allow even a beginner baker to tackle what might seem very intimidating at first. I share three recipes, in the chronological order I baked them in the past couple of months.

SUPERSTAR BAKER #1
HELEN FLETCHER
BLUEBERRY LEMON POKE CAKE

BLUEBERRY LEMON POKE CAKE

One of the tastiest cakes baked in our kitchen, and I am not exaggerating. Moist. Sweet to the perfect level. Luscious. Everything works in this cake. For the recipe and very detailed tutorial, visit Helen’s blog with a click here. You will make a blueberry jam to fill the cake, and I advise you to give enough time to allow it to set a bit, just to make it easier to work with…. Below, a little comparison between Helen’s neat work and yours truly… my jam was still bit too loose. No major harm done, though, I just thought it was funny to share.

Helen’s site and her cookbooks are a constant source of inspiration for me. Plus, she is tremendously helpful and whenever I get into trouble I drop her an email. She has rescued me more than once. A lot more than once (wink, wink).

Every once in a while, Helen offers online classes, and I’ve taken a couple of them. One of my favorites was last year, in which she taught how to make Chocolate Tartlets with a caramel filling. A thing of pure beauty and absolutely decadent! Make sure to subscribe to her blog, so you get notification of upcoming classes.

SUPERSTAR BAKER #2
CAROLINE
RED VELVET OREO STYLE SANDWICH COOKIES

RED VELVET OREO STYLE SANDWICH COOKIES

Absolutely delicious, you can make them without the cutouts if you’d like to simplify your life, but of course turning them into Linzer territory is not a bad move at all! For the full recipe click here. I made a very slightly modification adding strawberry extract to the filling and a touch of pink gel color. Other than that, I followed her recipe to a T.

You can modify the filling, use jam, or Nutella, the cookies are very flavorful and will be perfect no matter your choice of filling. Caro has countless baking lessons in her site, I highly recommend you pay her a visit and subscribe to be notified of new posts. Caroline is one of the moderators of a Facebook group with almost 18 thousand members, for lovers The Great British Bake Off, and that’s how I got to know her. I don’t know how she manages to do all she does…

SUPERSTAR BAKER #3
TANYA OTT
RED VELVET CAKE DONUTS

As you can see, I’ve been on a red velvet kick lately. These are spectacular and simple to make, especially if you follow the detailed instructions and the very helpful video available in Tanya’s blog. Essentially two bowls, no need for an electric mixer until you get into frosting territory.

Another example of a great baking instructor, Tanya’s articles are always carefully composed, and I am in awe of the amount of work she puts into the making of each of the videos often included in her posts. In case you don’t know, Tanya was one of the contestants in season 5 of The Great American Baking Show, and I shared the tent with her a few times. She even got a handshake from a certain guy with penetrating blue eyes…