HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

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

The date came and went (March 11th), but only now I have a chance to share a few things I made for the occasion. As you may know, most of the sweets I bake we don’t get to eat, but this series of bakes is the exception that confirms the rule. We got to savor all the sweetness! But let’s start with the bread components.

FOCACCIA ART

Maybe you remember the Quilted Focaccia Buns of a recent past? I got this idea from the book Beautiful Bread, which I highly recommend, as Theresa Culletto shares amazing designs and all the tips to make them happen. It is all a matter of making a big enough dough to cover a large baking sheet, and then planning decorations with veggies cut in shapes.

It is quite amazing how much flavor and smell little pieces of leeks impart to the dough. You can also use chives for the stems if you prefer, they will likely be easier to work with, no real prep needed.

Moving on, I had to bake a sourdough, and chose a Springtime design for it…

And now, to the sweets… From Molly Yeh’s new book Sweet Farm, one of the most delicious cookies ever, a Cherry Mahlab Linzer! I cannot share the recipe for copyright issues, but I’m tempted to tell you that the book is worth it JUST for that one. Mahlab is a Middle Eastern spice that resembles cinnamon and imparts great flavor to the dough. I will be using it often.

The dough rolls like a dream, browns beautifully in the oven, and crumbles in your mouth with that texture that only almond flour will provide. Absolutely a must-make!

From the past, I re-visited the German Chocolate Macarons, which I did not have a change to taste the first time I made, but the feedback was so great, I was intrigued and could not wait to make again FOR US. Wonderful they were, all modesty aside… Recipe available here.

TWO VERSIONS OF BRIGADEIROS

Red Velvet and Lemon. They were both made with the same basic method: 1 can condensed milk + 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan. To the Red Velvet I added one full tablespoon of cocoa powder + 1/2 tsp Red Velvet Emulsion from LorAnn and a pinch of salt.

To the Lemon version, I added 2 tablespoons Lemon Curd (store-bought), and a pinch of salt. On a later version I added a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and some lemon zest, I liked that better. Both versions cooked the way described in this old post of mine.

And now, for the Piece of Resistance, THE CAKE! Choice of the husband, who found the recipe online and twisted my 65 year old arm to make it. Recipe published here, and also in his cookbook SWEET.

This is one amazing cake! Luscious, moist, tender, almost feels like flourless. The ganache on top takes it exactly there: over the top. And of course, I had to add a Brazilian flair to it and topped with Red Velvet Brigadeiros. And some luster powder. Because if I cannot bling on my own Birthday, there would be something wrong with me.

ONE YEAR AGO: Incredibly Simple: Air-Fried Salmon Bites

TWO YEARS AGO: Chocolate-Covered Oreos

THREE YEARS AGO: Pan-Steamed Broccoli with Miso Vinaigrette

FOUR YEARS AGO: Cookies and Rubber Stamps

FIVE YEARS AGO: Macarons for all Seasons and Reasons

SIX YEARS AGO: Lentils and Radicchio? Yes, please!

SEVEN YEAR AGO: Tres Leches Cake

EIGHT YEARS AGO: The Joys of Grating Squash

NINE YEARS AGO: Auberge-Pecan Walnut Bread

TEN YEARS AGO: Gluten-free and Vegan Raspberry Bars

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Lasserre, a French Classic

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Sourdough Bread with Walnuts and Dates

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Braised Brisket with Bourbon-Apricot Glaze

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: The Real Vodka Sauce

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Pork Tenderloin and Blue Cheese

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

13Jun2021

RASPBERRY BRIGADEIROS

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

A departure on the Brazilian classic, I love the way these turned out. The raspberry cuts through the sweetness and gives them a little sharp bite I find quite pleasant. If brigadeiros are new to you, I urge you to make a batch. You can start from the traditional version, or go straight for this dressed up variation.

RASPBERRY BRIGADEIROS
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

1 can (14 oz) condensed milk
1 tablespoon butter
100g white chocolate, cut in pieces
dash of salt
1/4 cup raspberry jam, seedless
1 tsp Amorettti raspberry flavor (optional)
nonpareils, white and pink
gold air-brush color (optional)

Grease a small baking dish with butter and set aside.

In a medium non-stick pan, combine the butter, sweetened condensed milk, and salt over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Once the brigadeiro mix is warm, add the chocolate pieces, the jam and continue stirring.

The mixture thickens after about 8-10 minutes, and once you can run your spoon through the middle of it without it running back together for 2-3 seconds, it is done. When it starts to thicken, add the raspberry flavor, if using.

Pour the mixture into the greased plate, and let it chill until you can handle it with your bare hands. Form little balls and roll on nonpareils to coat. If desired, add a little gold color with an air-brush. Place them in small candy cups.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Brigadeiros are very sweet by nature (reducing condensed milk leaves you no way out of it), but even those who are against overly sweet goodies will enjoy this version. The raspberry does its magic.

I went with two colors, pink and white, and added a touch of gold because these brigadeiros had to be dressed for a special party. Have you heard that a certain food blog will turn 12 years old very soon? I say no more for the time being…

ONE YEAR AGO: Kale and Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken Breasts

TWO YEARS AGO: Memories of Pasteis

THREE YEARS AGO: And now for Something Completely Different

FOUR YEARS AGO: Parsnip, Coconut, and Lemongrass Soup

FIVE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, October 2016

SIX YEARS AGO: Paleo Moussaka

SEVEN YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, October 2014

EIGHT YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, October 2013

NINE YEARS AGO: Crimson and Cream Turkey Chili

TEN YEARS AGO: Taking a break from the nano-kitchen

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Chocolate Chip Cookies

6Jul2018

BRIGADEIROS FOR THE FOURTH OF JULY

Posted in Desserts, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Brazil meets USA, big time! A traditional Brazilian delicacy dresses up in American colors for one of the biggest holidays celebrated here, Independence Day. We were invited for dinner and fireworks over at a friend’s home, and on a last-minute move, I prepared these babies to take with us. They are a departure of the classic Brazilian brigadeiros, made with cocoa powder. In this case, I flavored them with a touch of coconut extract, but probably should have added more than I did, the flavor was barely noticeable.

PATRIOTIC BRIGADEIROS
(from Easy and Delish)

2 (14-oz) cans sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or substitute 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract)
food coloring (Red and Blue)
red/white/blue sprinkles (optional)
white chocolate ganache to drizzle (optional)

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: If you’ve never made traditional brigadeiros, or worse yet – have not even heard about them, please read my old blog post to fix this major gap in your culinary knowledge. It’s important. It was really fun to make these, I advise you to use two cans of condensed milk, so that you have enough to play with. With this amount, I made 26 brigadeiros. They are rich and sweet, so one or two is all you’ll need. But they bring me so many nice memories of my home country, I usually have a bit of a hard time stopping at two. So I accept my weakness, and move on. And jog on. Weight lift on. Kickbox on… you get the picture… damage control.

You can definitely use different colors to celebrate your favorite team, your school, your mood. Halloween Black and Orange brigadeiros might be the rage this year (wink, wink).

ONE YEAR AGO: Kaleidoscopic Macarons

TWO YEARS AGO: Zucchini Noodles with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

THREE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, July 2015

FOUR YEARS AGO: Sous-vide Pork Chops with Roasted Poblano Butter

FIVE YEARS AGO: Roasted Strawberry-Buttermilk Sherbet

SIX YEARS AGO: Amazing Ribs for the 4th of July!

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

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Blueberry Muffins

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

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20Dec2013

PUMPKIN BRIGADEIROS

Posted in Brazilian cooking, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Brigadeiros are the most popular Brazilian candy, mandatory item at Birthday parties. I blogged about them here, and shared a coconut variation here. This recipe has been sitting on my Pinterest cooking board ever since I saw it on Denise’s site, From Brazil to You, around Halloween. You should definitely stop by her site to see how she shaped each one as a cute little pumpkin. Knowing my limitations, I simply rolled them as traditional “brigadeiros” and coated them with the shimmer sugar Phil recently bought for me, adorable husband that he is. And, by the way, in Portuguese, pumpkin brigadeiros = brigadeiros de abóbora. if you want to say it as a native Brazilian, listen to yours truly by clicking this audio link

PUMPKIN BRIGADEIROS
(slightly modified from Denise’s blog)

1 (14 oz or 396 g) can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Granulated sugar for rolling

Grease a dish with unsalted butter and set aside. Place about 1 cup of granulated sugar on another plate and set aside.

Mix the condensed milk, pumpkin puree, butter, and spices in a saucepan over medium heat. Non-stick is best. Cook, stirring constantly in order to avoid burning, until thickened enough that the bottom of the pan shows through briefly when the mixture is stirred, and runs to the sides of the pan slowly if gathered in the center of the pan with a wooden or plastic spoon– this should usually take approximately 10-12 minutes, depending on your stove.

Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla, and pour mixture into the greased dish. Let cool. The brigadeiro dough can be refrigerated for about 20 minutes before rolling into balls if desired. Then wet your hands with cold water and shape the brigadeiros into balls, using a tablespoon as measure. Roll each one in sugar, and place in small paper cups.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This was a delightful take on a Brazilian classic! They are sweet with all the condensed milk, but the pumpkin offers a nice counterpart. I took a batch for a potluck dessert party, and lots of people asked me for the recipe, so I guarantee that whenever you make these babies, they will please your guests!

I bet you cannot eat just one… 😉