Club Cuisinart Blog

Baking Bread For the First Time

Christina Fong — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:46:00 -0400

There’s really nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread. It’s truly a treat for all five senses, and if you’ve never experienced it, you don’t know what you’re missing.

It’s understandable why many people haven’t bothered to make their own bread at home. The process can be a bit intensive for something that’s so readily available in supermarkets but if you enjoy baking and are looking for your next challenge, here it is! And trust us, like anything homemade, you’ll be able to taste the difference between your bread and store-bought bread. Just remember to read all the instructions before you start, get the best ingredients you can find, and take your time. Great bread can't be rushed.

We also realize we should've started you off with something a little simpler but we believe in you. Now go make some bread!

Crusty French Bread
Makes 2 loaves

2⁄3 cup warm (105–110°F) warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
3 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose or bread flour
1 cup cake flour
1⁄3 cup wheat germ
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 cup cold water
Extra flour for dusting bread

Place warm water in the mixing bowl of your Cuisinart™ 5.5 Quart Stand Mixer. Stir in yeast and a tablespoon of the flour; let stand for 5 minutes, until mixture is foamy and bubbly.

While yeast is proofing, combine 3 cups of all-purpose flour and ½ cup of cake flour with the wheat germ and salt. Add the cold water and the flour mixture to the yeast mixture. Insert the dough hook and mix on speed 2 for 2 minutes. Combine remaining flours and reserve. Continuing on speed 2, add the remaining flour mixture 1 tablespoon at a time until a dough ball forms that clings to the dough hook and cleans the sides of the bowl. Set the timer for 4 minutes and the speed to 3 to allow the dough to knead.

Dust dough ball lightly with flour and place in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm, draft free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Punch dough down, recover, and let rise again until doubled in size. (This last rise can be omitted if pressed for time, but makes for a more flavorful loaf, with a more artisanal bread texture and crust.) Punch dough down and divide into 2 pieces. Shape each into a long narrow loaf, about 16 to 18 inches in length, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Dust loaves generously with flour. Make 4 or 5 diagonal slashes in the top of each loaf about ¼-inch deep using a serrated knife. Bake in preheated 425°F oven 25 to 30 minutes until browned and hollow sounding when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.

Bread slices best when allowed to cool completely before slicing.

"Peep"ing Into Spring

Rebecca Marber — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:00:00 -0400

Easter is on it’s way, and whether you’re celebrating or not, Peeps are a seasonal favorite. I must say, I’ve always been a Peeps fan but I think it’s because they carry a certain sentimental value. That’s what’s so great about these homemade Peeps--the sentiment is there, but so is the taste.

I’m going to a friend’s house for Easter brunch this year and I decided I wanted to bring something festive for the host. After letting my friends try them, they had the same reaction I did--loving the fluffly sweetness we all indulged in several. We all agreed they were better than their store-bought alternatives.

These make for great Easter Sunday basket “stuffers.” You even can get more creative with the chocolate decorations. I started off just melting the chocolate chips to make eyes for the chicks, but after my first few Peeps, I decided they needed to have some other expressions. After making these I have a whole new appreciation for homemade candy. It may take a lot of love, but in the end they’re definitely worth it!

Homemade Peeps

Ingredients

2 packages gelatin
3/4 cup water, divided
2 cups sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups yellow sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
Candy thermometer

Directions

Add gelatin to 1/4 cup of water. Allow for gelatin to soften.
Add 1/2 cup of water, corn syrup, and sugar to large saucepan. Insert a candy thermometer to side of pan and cook mixture until it reaches 235 degrees.
Remove mixture from stove. Add to mixer and begin mixing on low speed. Slowly increase to high until mixture turns opaque in color. Add vanilla, and beat until ingredients are uniformly mixed and stiffen. This should take 10-15 minutes.
Assemble piping bag; use a one-half inch round tip for ease. Prepare a baking sheet by placing tin foil over it. Sprinkle a generous layer of yellow sugar on top of the lining.
Place mixture into piping bag and begin to shape peeps on top of yellow sugar. Start with a one inch long base; this should be tear-drop shaped, the point being the tail of the chick. Then create next layer of body--this one more of an oval shape, the tail sticking out from below. Taper the third layer, much more narrow in diameter, and release for the tip of the piping bag slowly to create beak.
Take remaining yellow sugar and cover the top sides of the peeps. Melt chocolate chips in microwave, and use a toothpick to dip into melted chocolate, and draw on eyes to the peeps.

Lemony Fresh Lemon Cookies

Christina Fong — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:03:00 -0400

Because lemons taste so light and tart, we often forget they’re in peak season during the winter months. However, that doesn’t stop us from considering lemon cookies one of our favorite springtime treats, and it’s officially been spring for three days now.

These lemon cookies are the perfect combination of sweet and tart, and not only that, but they are also super easy to make! It doesn’t matter if you’ve never baked a single cookie before. Bake a batch of these, and you’ll feel inspired. So we’ve mentioned how delicious and easy they are to make. Did we also mention that lemon juice is packed with vitamin C as well as potassium, fiber, and flavonoids? But enough talk. Let’s bake!

Lemon Cookies
Makes 2 dozen

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Zest of one lemon
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients (except for powdered sugar) and set aside. Use a mixer to beat sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Then beat in egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Slowly pour in mix of dry ingredients while blending with mixer.

Roll a teaspoon of dough into balls and lightly roll them in powdered sugar. Place the balls on a lined baking sheet with about 1 1/2 inches between each of them. Bake for about 10 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven and let cool for a minute or two before transferring to a cooling rack.

Perfectly Moist Banana Bread

Rebecca Marber — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 10:00:00 -0500

There’s nothing better than a slice of banana bread for breakfast or dessert. I always find, though, that everyone likes their banana bread with different ingredients. Some are grossly offended by putting nuts in their recipes, while others think chocolate has no place in a banana bread either. If one thing is sure, it’s that most people like their bread to be perfectly moist.

I’ve gone through quite a lot of banana bread variations, and this one turned out to be extra moist, just the way I like it. I like mine with a hint of coconut and semi-sweet chocolate that melts in perfectly (the center of this bread is a chocolatey, molten heaven). Feel free to withhold these “superfluous” ingredients if they don’t match your own tastes. I’ve found other modifications to classic banana bread recipes that not only make this bread healthier, but taste better too! I use whole wheat flour instead of white, stevia and splenda instead of regular sugar, and applesauce instead of butter, which really adds to that much-craved moisture.

Perfectly Moist Banana Bread

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas
2 cups whole wheat flour (substitute for almond flour for gluten-free)
1/2 cup stevia
1/2 cup splenda
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 tbsp vanilla
2 eggs (beaten)
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup bakers shredded coconut

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Using a potato masher, mash bananas and set aside.
Mix whole wheat flour, baking soda, stevia, and splenda in a medium bowl.
Add bananas and all other ingredients to bowl. Mix until becomes a batter, but don’t overmix (chunkiness is good for texture of bread).
Grease loaf pan and pour batter into pan. Bake for 50-60 mins (depending on moisture level desired).
Let cool, and then remove from pan to be served.

A Little Soufflé and A Lot of Love

Christina Fong — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 11:44:00 -0500

If you’re looking to impress someone special on Valentine’s Day, then it may finally be time to tackle the soufflé. While it has a reputation for being difficult to master, this dish is perfectly doable once you take the pressure off yourself and carefully read the instructions.

Something to keep in mind is when the instructions say “fold,” it means “fold.” The magic behind this dish are the tiny air bubbles you’ve whipped into your egg whites so treat them with care. In the end, it’s perfectly OK if your soufflé deflates! In fact, most soufflés fall shortly after being removed from the oven. So if you want your guest to see the puffed up dish in all its glory, serve it immediately after removing it from the oven and let it sit before digging in (warning: it’s hot).

And if all else fails, remember: practice makes perfect! It may a few tries but in time, you'll fall in love with this dish (if you haven't already).

Chocolate Soufflé Cake
Cuisinart Original
Makes one 10” cake or 8-10 8 oz. ramekins

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chopped, + more to prepare the cake pan
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
9 large eggs, separated
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided, + more to dust cake pan
2 large egg whites
1 tablespoon water
1 pinch table salt
1/3 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
whipped cream (optional)
fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 10x3-inch round cake pan or 8-10 ramekins. Cut a circle of parchment paper to line the bottom of the pan; butter the parchment; dust entire pan with sugar. Clean the lip of the pan so no butter or sugar is on it. Reserve.

In a heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water, melt the chocolate and 2 tablespoons of butter. Keep warm; reserve. In a large bowl, mix the egg yolks and 3/4 cup of sugar, using a Cuisinart® Hand Mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, until pale and thickened. Whisk in the cooled chocolate mixture. Reserve.

Wash and dry the whisk attachment well and whip all the egg whites, water and salt until foamy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add the remaining sugar and whip to a medium-stiff peak, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir a very small amount of the meringue into the chocolate/yolk mixture. Gently fold 3/4 of the meringue into the lightened chocolate/yolk mixture, using a large rubber spatula until the ingredients are incorporated. Sift in the flour and gently fold into mixture. Gently fold the remaining meringue. Pour into prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes, until cake has puffed and appears dry, but still soft to the touch.

Turn cake out onto serving plate and remove pan and parchment. Top with whipped cream and strawberries, if desired. Serve immediately.

5 Basic Baking Tips for Beginners

Christina Fong — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 12:08:00 -0500

If you’ve got an overactive sweet tooth, then it’s time to sharpen those baking skills for when those cravings unexpectedly creep up on you. Whether it’s your first time baking or you’re still getting the hang of it beyond the use of store-bought cake mixes, there are a few key tips to remember before jumping into the wonderful world of baking.

1. ALWAYS read the instructions before you begin. This way, you have a better understanding of the ingredients involved, the steps in which you must prepare your ingredients, and the amount of time required.

2. Always MEASURE the ingredients you’ll be using. Especially if it’s your first time baking a recipe, use the exact measurements provided and adjust as needed for future batches. There’s more of a science to baking than there is to cooking.

3. Don’t forget to PREHEAT the oven! Baking with an initially cooler oven will yield undesirable results such as lack of rising, minimal browning, unusual textures and longer bake times.

4. Do NOT overmix the batter. Doing so releases gluten (protein), which will give your baked goods a much tougher texture. Instead, mix until everything is just combined and the flour is longer visible.

5. Let your finished product COOL in the pan/tray for about 10 minutes (possibly longer depending on what you baked) after removing it from the oven. You run the risk of having it fall apart if you remove it any earlier. This is also important for when you want to decorate cakes.

What other basic baking tips do you want to add to our list?

An Apple Chip A Day

Christina Fong — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 12:05:00 -0500

The holiday season is well underway and amidst all the party planning, family visiting arrangements and gift shopping you need to do, you also have a teething baby to deal with. Kill two birds with one stone and pump out a batch of party treats while simultaneously taking care of your baby’s teething pains with a healthy helping of Homemade Apple Chips.

Delicious for both adults and babies alike, these natural chips are easy and inexpensive to make and don’t contain any secret additives or mystery ingredients. To make them more resistant to your baby’s constant gnawing, just cut thicker apple slices. They may resemble more cookie than chip, but as long as they still tempt your baby’s taste buds, you’ll hear no complaints.

A platter of these also works great for a holiday party! You can dress them up with some brown sugar or experiment with other flavors that may work well with apples and watch your friends, family or co-workers discover a whole new world of chips they may have never known.

Homemade Apple Chips
Makes 2 cups

2 large apples
4 cups apple juice
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 300° F. Thinly slice apples (if you want, core the apple beforehand) about 1/8-inch thick with a mandolin or knife. Combine apple juice and cinnamon in a large bowl and place your apple slices into the bowl. Let it soak up the sugar for about 10 minutes. Then place them on a cooling rack atop a baking pan or baking pan lined with parchment paper. When laying them on down, do not let them overlap. Place them in a single layer. Bake for about 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how chewy or crisp you prefer your apple chips.

*Note: If you cut thicker slices, be sure to increase baking time as needed.

Great Grand Granola Bars

Katie Marber — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 12:03:00 -0500

While the Thanksgiving season is behind us, the real holiday rush has just kicked into full gear. You may find yourself on the run, and if breakfast is not a top priority, it may get neglected from your diet. To guarantee a high-paced and energized morning, prepare a batch of Great Grand Granola Bars ahead of time for grab-and-go mornings.

These granola bars are jam-packed healthy fats and proteins, and the fiber and complex carbohydrates in the whole grains ensure long-lasting energy. A turn-off for some for store-bought granola bars are the high content of processed white sugar, while the crumbly dryness has been known to avert others from this breakfast choice. What distinguishes this recipe as a winner is the combination of the mouth-watering coconut sweetness with the intense, aromatic note of cardamom. Pair this granola bar with a cupful of berries and you’ll want to be sure not to skip the most important meal of the day.

Ingredients:
Serves 12

2 ½ cups rolled oats
½ cup whole wheat flour
1/3-cup ground flax seeds
2 ½ cups shredded coconut
½ cup pure maple syrup
½ cup brown rice syrup
2/3 cup smooth, unsalted almond butter
1-teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon cardamom

Instructions:
Cover a 9 by 13 inch pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, blend almond butter and syrups together. In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients. Then combine the wet and dry ingredients until incorporated. Evenly spread the mixture into the pan and bake for 20 minutes or until just browned. Let cool, and then cut into 12 bars and wrap individually in plastic wrap. These should be either refrigerated or frozen.

Baked Apples and Your ABCs

Katie Marber — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 10:00:00 -0500

Now that the Halloween festivity has run its course, we are more than ready to welcome the coming of Thanksgiving. With this, certain flavors come to mind, among which, the sweet taste of apple reigns supreme for many. While this autumn fruit acts as a key ingredient in recipes for countless Thanksgiving favorites, we often do not consider the complexity of choosing which apples to snack on and which to bake with.

Yes, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, and this golden rule can be followed with ease when knowing the perfect type to snack on. It’s important to know the distinction between Fugi and Gala apples, which are commonly placed next to each other at the grocery store! A crisp sweet Fugi makes the perfect mid-afternoon snack, whereas the Gala is better in a dessert recipe. Sometimes known as a “designer” fruit, the Honeycrisp ranks highest in the lunchbox hierarchy due to its exceptionally crisp and sugary flavor, complemented by a harmonious trace of tartness. This awesome and fibrous snack does not, however, work best for baking.

When baking, common apple choices include Granny Smith, McIntosh, Rome, and Gala. Rome and Gala apples tend to be more mealy and grainy, making them better suited for baking. While Granny Smiths tend to be crisper than McIntosh, both flavors do wonders in baked recipes. The Granny Smith adds a tart sharpness, whereas the McIntosh more subtly complements a dish with its soft sweetness. Now that all the facts are on the table, try this Cuisinart Original Recipe for warm, sweet, delicious – plain-and-simple – Baked Apples!

Ingredients:
Serves 4

¾ cup packed brown sugar
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ cup dried cherries or cranberries
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
4 medium-large baking apples (Rome, Granny Smith, Braeburn, or Gala)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces
¹∕³ cup apple juice or cider

Instructions:
Mix brown sugar with cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Set aside ¼ cup sugar mix for topping. Add cherries, raisins and almonds and combine to make filling. Core apples ¾ of the way down. With a melon baller, scrape out a small cavity (about ¼ cup). Peel top ¹∕³ of the apples. Stuff some filling in each cavity. Reserve any excess filling. Place prepared apples in ceramic pot of the Cuisinart® Slow Cooker. Sprinkle remaining sugar and spice mix over tops. Dot each with ½ teaspoon butter. Pour apple juice around edges. Cover and press the on/off button to turn the unit on. Set time to 4 hours and press Low. Slow cooker will automatically switch to Warm until ready to serve. To serve, place apples on dessert plates. Top with any loose nuts and fruit. Drizzle with pan juices.* *Note: You can thicken the cooking juices to make a sauce. Carefully strain liquid into a Cuisinart® 1¾-quart saucepan; set over medium high heat and boil until reduced and thickened. Pour over apples or serve on the side.

Pear Ginger Scones

Katie Marber — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 11:45:00 -0400

There’s nothing like a moist and warm scone topped with cream for breakfast every now and then. While this baked pastry tends to be shunned by dieters in order to avoid empty calories, this version of a classic British breakfast or teatime treat packs a punch, containing ingredients with several health benefits. This recipe will assuage some of the guilt associated with this delicious breakfast indulgence while still causing your taste buds to sing: Pear Ginger Scones!

First off, by cutting the all-purpose flour with an equal amount of whole-wheat pastry flour, your scones will be more fibrous, especially with the addition of the rolled oats. Baking fruit in any pastry raises its nutritional value, and pear season typically ends in October, so act fast! A great source of fiber, pears also contain antioxidants, vitamins and nutrients. For years, ginger has been used for medicinal purposes, such as heartburn and migraine relief. If you are pregnant or know someone who is pregnant, ginger has been used to treat morning sickness, making these scones a wonderful breakfast choice. Finally, the juicy fruitiness complements the buttery pastry while the ginger adds a complex flavor that is unparalleled!

Pear Ginger Scones
Serves 12

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoons ground ginger
¼ cup finely chopped crystalized ginger
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons chilled reduced-fat cream cheese
2 tablespoons chilled butter
¼ cup canola oil
1 cup diced, peeled large pear
¾ cup low-fat buttermilk

For Topping:

1 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons raw sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine whole-wheat flour, oats, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and whisk to blend. Using a pastry blender, cut cream cheese and butter into dry ingredients. Add oil and stir with a fork. Add pear and toss to coat. Mix buttermilk and vanilla extract in measuring cup and stir just enough with the dry ingredients until the dough clumps together.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead several times, being careful not to overwork it. Divide the dough in half and pat each piece into 7 1/2 – inch circle. Then cut each circle into 6 wedges and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with the tablespoon of heavy cream and sprinkle the raw sugar.

4. Bake the scones for 20-30 minutes, or until firm and golden, and let cool before serving.

Turning Trash into Treasure with Choco-Chip Banana Bread

Katie Marber — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 10:00:00 -0400

Many college students tend to throw away produce that rots before it’s eaten. While this surely happens in many households, someone on a budget, in particular, hates wasting precious fruits and vegetables. When you notice bananas turning brown, instead of giving them the heave-ho, you can either freeze them or whip up an easy and delicious batch of Chocolate Chip Banana Bread! This warm baked treat epitomizes autumn comfort food that the whole house would love to indulge in.

This recipe calls for one cup of very ripe mashed bananas. Depending on your household’s differing predilections towards this sometimes debatable fruit, you can choose to add more for a stronger, distinguishable banana flavor. The addition of sour cream contributes to the banana bread’s sensational moisture that is simply melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

A trick that I’ve learned after many banana bread experiments is to cook it for less time than normal recipes call for, because once removed from the oven, it continues to cook and firm up. Another important piece of advice is to eat it warm, either straight from the oven or reheated in the oven or microwave. While yummy at room temperature, this treat is elevated into the category of divine when slightly hot.

For a more breakfast-appropriate pastry, cut back on the amount of chocolate chips; however, I always say the more chocolate, the better, especially if you intend on serving this as an afternoon snack or dessert. Kids, teens and adults alike will beg you to make another batch once this one disappears. Although it’s considered to be “bread,” it’s truly a phenomenal dessert that nobody will be able to resist!

Choco-Chip Banana Bread
Serves 12

Unsalted butter for pan
1 stick salted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 cup ripened mashed bananas
½ cup sour cream
½ - ¾ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 8x5x3-inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, then beat in eggs. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt, then add to the butter and sugar mixture until just combined. Mix in mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla until combined. Stir in chocolate morsels and pour into loaf pan. Bake for about an hour, or until cake tester comes out clean. Allow ten minutes for cooling and enjoy!

Molasses Ginger Cookies - Perfect for Autumn

Jean at Delightful Repast — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 10:44:00 -0400

Unless it contains a seasonal fruit, a cookie isn’t really a seasonal food. But my nose tells me different! On a crisp autumn day, I crave the heady aromas of cinnamon and ginger wafting out of the oven. An old-fashioned molasses ginger cookie seems just the right thing to pair up with a glass of milk for a wholesome after-school snack during the first semester.

Whether you like a soft, chewy cookie or a crisp one (snap), you can use the same recipe. For crisp cookies, just bake a bit longer. Be sure to cool cookies completely before storing and to store soft cookies and crisp ones in separate containers.

Molasses Ginger Cookies
Makes 4 dozen 3-inch cookies

4 packed cups (20 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
2 large eggs

1. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and spices.

2. In large bowl of electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add molasses, then eggs, and beat until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in flour mixture. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place #40 scoops (1.5-tablespoon, 1.25-inch balls) 3 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes. For crisp cookies, bake a bit longer, watching carefully so that they don't burn.

4. Cool on baking sheet for 1 minute, then remove to wire racks to cool completely. Store in airtight container.

Baby-Friendly Cinnamon French Toast

Katie Marber — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 10:05:00 -0400

Once babies start to develop motor skills and coordination, a whole new world opens up right in front of their eyes, and mouths! Although Cheerios are an easy go-to breakfast option for tots, you can experiment with other tiny bite-sized finger foods, like Baby-Friendly Cinnamon French Toast!

Cubes of warm soft French toast will surely induce those precious dimples, whether you mix in cinnamon, serve with berries – or both! Not only does cinnamon infuse the batter with wonderful flavor, but it has been known to hold health benefits. Not to suggest that you throw out the Pepto and replace it with this spice, cinnamon is used by some to treat nausea, diarrhea, indigestion and even colds. It surely beats sugar!

Whichever recipe you decide, make sure to use whole-wheat bread, pass on the syrup and leave out the egg whites. Holding off on egg whites within the first year has been known to prevent food allergies. However, after six months, you may introduce the yolks.*

The best part about this recipe is that by baking the loaves instead of using a pan, the whole family can enjoy this meal at the same time. That means no more cold French toast for the cook! The time it takes to bake this breakfast allows you ample time to get your little one dressed and ready for whatever the day has in store.

Baby-Friendly Cinnamon French Toast
Makes 8-10 Servings

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 loaf whole-wheat bread
4 egg yolks*
1 1/2 cup low-fat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Cinnamon for topping
Fruit topping of choice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Stir together the melted butter and brown sugar and spread around the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Place a first layer of bread slices in pan. Beat eggs, milk, cinnamon and vanilla, and then lay half of this mix on top of the bread slices. Top with the second layer of bread slices, and coat with the rest of the egg mix. You can also make this the night before and store it in the refrigerator until the morning. Sprinkle top with cinnamon and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Add toppings and serve in cubes to your little one and let the rest of the family dig in!

*Consult with your doctor about the right time to introduce egg yolks, for every child is different

Tearless Teething Zucchini Bread Sticks

Katie Marber — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 10:30:00 -0400

We can all agree that there is nothing worse than watching your baby suffer. A close second is not knowing the cause of your little one's tears. Once infants reach about 6 months, a source of pain may come from the miserable teething process. To assuage your crying baby, bake something delicious, warm and comforting, like Zucchini Bread Teething Sticks.

Although not all baby's undergo the same teething patterns, those who's teeth grow in gradually can benefit from this oral pain alleviator. When served ten to twenty minutes out of the oven, the soft texture and warmth soothe your child's tender gums. Just make sure they have cooled enough, as to not burn a sensitive mouth.

Not only do these bread sticks provide a nurturing solution to the painful teething process, but they also contain important vitamins and minerals for your growing baby. The substantial amounts of Vitamin A, potassium and calcium contribute to overall healthy development. To avoid serving pesticides in your kitchen, choose organic zucchini whenever you can.

Your little one will love this teething soother just as much as your older ones. With the fantastic flavor from the cinnamon or nutmeg that the whole family can savor, this truly is a homerun in the oven!

Zucchini Bread Teething Sticks:
Makes 1 loaf

1 small zucchini, about 5 to 6 ounces
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or nutmeg)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a loaf pan well. Assemble Cuisinart food processor with the shredding disc and shred the zucchini. Remove and reserve in a separate bowl. Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking powder together in a small mixing bowl. Place the oil and brown sugar together in food processor work bowl fitted with metal chopping blade. Process for 20 seconds, scrape bowl and process again for 10 mroe seconds. Add eggs and process 20 seconds. Add dry ingredients to work bowl and pulse until combined. Pulse in shredded zucchini and process for 15 seconds. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake until a cake tester comes out clean; 45 minutes. Cool cake completely. Slice cake into 1/2-inch sticks.

Never Too Late for a Crepe

Christina Fong — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 11:00:00 -0400

If you like pancakes, I dare you and your kids to not like…nay, love crepes. I remember seeing my mom eat them as a kid at IHOP but they always looked too fancy for my liking. I was used to good old fashioned buttermilk pancakes with nothing more than syrup and butter on top. Boy was I missing out. The first time I had them, I decided to try two: one filled with Nutella and another with ham slices. I was converted.

French in origin, crepes are deliciously thin pancakes that can be eaten individually but are best eaten with a sweet or savory filling of your choice. What’s great about them is their versatility—they can be served any way you want. Crepes can be prepared for all meals from morning to night, whether you want a light breakfast crepe or a heartier dinner crepe. You can go traditional with typical sweet fillings such as jam, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream or savory fillings like cheese, ham, and mushrooms. Of course, you aren’t limited to these choices. Let your mind run wild and test the boundaries of your curious taste buds.

To help you along with your crepe adventures, here’s a basic recipe for you to try. If you see yourself making a lot of them in the future, you would probably benefit from buying a crepe pan. Otherwise, a regular pan (preferably a 9-inch pan) should do. Be warned: it might take a few tries to get a perfectly thin and rounded crepe but keep at it.

Crepes
Makes 8-10

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of water
1 tbsp of sugar
1/4 tsp of salt
3 tbsp of melted butter

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and puree for about 30 seconds. Let the batter sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes or if you have the time, refrigerate for about an hour. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and lightly coat with oil or butter. Pour about ¼ cup of the batter onto the pan and swirl it so it spreads evenly. Let it cook for about 30-45 seconds, flip it, and let it cook for another 15 seconds or so. Remove from pan to cool and repeat steps until the batter is gone.

Fillings and/or toppings you and your kids will enjoy:
Strawberries
Bananas
Honey
Nutella
Chocolate sauce
Whipped Cream

Dessert Spotlight: Fat Rascals

Jean at Delightful Repast — Tue, 29 May 2012 10:00:00 -0400

Fat rascals have been around since the mid nineteenth century, but are seldom found outside of Yorkshire, England. No, I'm not making disparaging remarks about people of Yorkshire! Fat rascals are tasty little buns, similar to scones, that go down a treat with a nice cup of tea or glass of milk.

It's been several years since I developed my recipe in honor of my Yorkshire grandfather (who may not have ever eaten a single fat rascal in his entire life, for all I know). Kids love this low-sugar treat because the buns have cute little faces, and they love putting on the eyes (dried cherries) and teeth (slivered almonds).

Fat Rascals
Makes 10 buns

1 1/3 packed cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2/3 packed cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup dried currants
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
1 large egg
3/4 cup milk, approximately
20 dried cherry halves
30 slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease, or line with parchment paper, a large baking sheet. In a medium bowl combine the flours, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Stir in the currants, being sure to separate any that are clumped together.
In 2-cup glass measure, combine egg and enough milk to make 1 cup liquid; reserve 1 tablespoon for glaze and pour the rest into dry mixture and gently mix with wooden spoon until just combined.
Divide dough into 10 pieces, each measuring 1/4 cup. Shape each into a ball. Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Flatten tops slightly. Brush tops with egg glaze. Decorate each with 2 dried cherry halves for eyes and 3 slivered almonds for smile. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature with butter.

Hazelnut Shortbread--A Cookie for the Grown-Ups

Jean at Delightful Repast — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:54:00 -0400

Yes, I call this variation on the barely sweet classic “a cookie for the grown-ups,” but children who have not grown accustomed to sugary treats will love it too. A traditional British biscuit (cookie) that goes well with a cup of tea, it also pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk.

Whatever other flavors one might add, the predominant flavor of good shortbread is butter. The tantalizing aroma of butter as the shortbread is baking is almost as enjoyable as the taste. With less than ½ teaspoon sugar per cookie, why not have two!

Hazelnut Shortbread
Makes 25 biscuits/cookies

1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 packed cup finely ground hazelnut meal
1 packed cup (5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

1. With electric mixer, cream butter well. Add sugar, vanilla extract and salt; continue creaming. Beat in hazelnut meal, then beat in flour. Scrape out onto piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap, shape into disk, wrap and chill for about 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On very lightly floured surface, roll or pat dough into a 1/4-inch-thick 7 1/2-inch square. Cut into 25 1 1/2-inch squares. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 16 to 18 minutes; edges will be just barely starting to brown.

Gluten-Free Pie Crust

Jean at Delightful Repast — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:45:00 -0400

A few years ago, when a friend lamented the lack of a good gluten-free pie crust, I accepted the challenge and developed this recipe. I’ve served it to many non-gluten-free people, and they are always surprised to hear it’s not my regular wheat crust. And gluten-free guests need to be reassured that it is indeed gluten-free!

Gluten-Free Pastry
Makes pastry for one 9-inch single-crust pie

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and frozen for 10 minutes
1 tablespoon lemon juice or cider vinegar
Ice water to make 1/2 cup

With metal blade in place, add sorghum flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, salt and baking powder to work bowl of food processor. Turn on for three seconds to combine. Add half the frozen butter and process for 10 seconds or until mixture has the consistency of coarse meal. Add remaining butter and pulse for six 1-second pulses, or until the frozen butter is the size of small peas.
In 1/2-cup measure, combine lemon juice or vinegar and ice water. Pour over all of flour mixture; pulse for six 1-second pulses or just until dough forms large clumps; do not over-process. If needed, add more ice water a tablespoon at a time, mixing with a fork.
Do not refrigerate dough at this point as with regular all-butter pie crust. Turn dough out onto lightly floured (gluten-free, of course) piece of plastic wrap. Form dough into a round disk, sprinkle lightly with gluten-free flour, top with another piece of plastic wrap and roll out to 12- to 13-inch circle. Remove top piece of plastic wrap. Transfer pastry, plastic-side-up, to glass pie plate that has been sprayed with cooking spray; remove plastic. Crimp the edge in your favorite way, and then pop the pie plate into the freezer for 15 minutes while oven preheats.

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Waffles

Jean at Delightful Repast — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:11:00 -0400

Waffles are a breakfast favorite even those with gluten and dairy allergies or sensitivities can now enjoy! Though there is no single gluten-free flour that can replace wheat flour, various combinations of flours and starches work quite well. (See The Gluten-Free Pantry)

Xanthan gum, a natural carbohydrate, stands in for gluten and helps hold the ingredients together so that gluten-free baked goods don’t turn into a pile of crumbs!

Instead of store-bought frozen waffles, keep a supply of homemade gluten-free dairy-free waffles in the freezer for a special treat on hectic weekday mornings. Just thaw the desired number of wedges in the refrigerator overnight (or in the microwave in the morning), pop them in the toaster, and enjoy!

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Waffles
Makes six 7-inch round waffles

1 1/4 cups brown rice flour
1/3 cup potato starch
2 1/2 tablespoons tapioca flour
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, room temperature, well beaten
1 3/4 cups soy or rice milk, room temperature
3 tablespoons canola oil

In 2-quart glass measure, whisk together dry ingredients. In a 1-quart glass measure, whisk together the eggs, nondairy milk and oil. Pour into dry mixture and combine. Let batter rest 5 minutes before using. Spray both upper and lower grids with cooking spray, or apply a little canola oil with a paper towel or pastry brush. Preheat waffle iron.
Follow directions for your waffle maker. If you have the Cuisinart WMR-CA or other 7-inch round model, ladle scant 2/3 cup of batter onto center of waffle iron; spread batter evenly over the grid. Close the lid and bake until the indicator light comes on and the audible tone sounds. Open lid and remove the waffle. Repeat with remaining batter. Transfer cooked waffles to a baking sheet and put in oven to keep warm while baking the remaining batter.

Cornbread Two Ways

Jean at Delightful Repast — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:07:00 -0400

There is lots of controversy surrounding cornbread. There's the question of sugar or no sugar. Milk or buttermilk. Flour or no flour. Yellow or white cornmeal.

We could never agree on cornbread in my family when I was growing up. My mother, having been raised in the English manner, favored what some call "Northern" cornbread—higher, fluffier, sweeter. My father, having been raised in the Southern manner, favored "Southern" cornbread—flatter, no fluff, no sugar. Of course, many Southerners would say that's okay, as far as it goes, but that it's not really Southern unless there's some bacon grease involved.

My recipe is something of a compromise, but leaning a bit more to the South. And you can make it two ways—baked in an 8-inch square baking dish or in a Belgian waffle maker! The waffle cornbread has the flatness and crunch so many Southerners love, and one could even brush the waffle maker with a bit of strained bacon grease for added authenticity.

Cornbread
Makes eight 2x4-inch servings or eight 4.5-inch waffle squares

1 cup stone ground yellow cornmeal
1 packed cup (5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon soda
3 large eggs
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup organic canola oil

That's one or two eggs more than you usually see in a cornbread recipe. Goes back to my vegetarian days when I was trying to squeeze in more protein anywhere I could. You could probably just use 2 eggs and increase the milk and buttermilk to 3/4 cup each.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Oil (or, if you want to get really Southern, bacon grease) an 8x8x2-inch pan or baking dish.
In medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In small bowl, whisk together wet ingredients. Add wet to dry and beat just until smooth. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake at 425 for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden. If you like your cornbread flatter, just use a slightly larger pan and bake for a shorter time.

One recipe makes two large square waffles in the Cuisinart WAF-100 4-Slice Belgian Waffle Maker, 2 cups of batter per waffle. Then cut each 4.5-inch square in half diagonally to make 16 triangles.
Serve hot with plenty of unsalted butter.

Classic Scones for Afternoon Tea

Jean at Delightful Repast — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 09:07:00 -0500

Classic scones are a must at afternoon tea—one of the three requisite courses—but can be enjoyed any time you sit down with a cup of tea or coffee. On days I’ll be having a late lunch, a warm scone for elevenses (British English for mid-morning tea break) will keep me going.

For an afternoon tea, clotted cream, lemon curd and strawberry or raspberry jam are offered with the scones. For everyday tea, though, you might wish to save the calories and have them plain. But can you really call that currant-filled, orange-scented, buttery goodness plain?

Though you more frequently see round scones, I always make the traditional wedge shape in honor of my grandmother, an Englishwoman of unquestionable baking skills. But I wouldn’t turn down a well-made round scone either!

Classic Scones
Makes 16 scones

2 packed cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Zest of one orange
1/2 cup currants or other chopped dried fruit
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 large egg*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Stir in orange zest and dried fruit to coat and separate. Add buttermilk, egg and vanilla; pour into dry mixture and gently mix until just combined.

*If you prefer to glaze the tops of your scones, beat the egg lightly and reserve one tablespoon to mix with a teaspoon of water to brush on tops only just before baking.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment and sprinkle two 6-inch circles lightly with flour. Scrape the dough onto the floured parchment and gently pat the dough, dusting with flour as needed, into two 6-inch rounds. Cut each round into 8 wedges. Pull the wedges out and space them an inch or two apart. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater

"" — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:59:00 -0500

Pumpkin pops up all over restaurant menus in the fall and winter, from savory soups and risottos to decadent flans and cakes. When it comes to the home kitchen, though, it seems to be a "one trick pony" reserved for pie making. Please don't misunderstand —I love pumpkin pie, both eating and making it, but there's so much more to do with this vitamin and flavor rich vegetable.

Starting off with a simple puree is a portal to many dishes. While canned varieties work fine, making your own is quick and easy using the food processor attachment on your Cuisinart Stand Mixer. Roasting locks in a deep rich flavor and you won't need to drain the puree to remove excess water. In its simplest form, pumpkin is a perfect first food for babies —gentle on the stomach with a yummy flavor they'll gobble up. My six-month old daughter is a big fan.

I'd been thinking about ricotta fritters lately. The Italian shop near my house makes it fresh and the taste is nothing like the packaged brands I grew up eating. The grains are creamy and sweet enough to eat by the spoonful. I wondered how pumpkin would taste in these light and airy pockets of fried dough. Pumpkin pie seasonings managed to work there into the recipe, with a hint of nutmeg and cinnamon. The results were delicious and while you'll want to eat them everyday, they're perfect for serving at a holiday cocktail party either as a savory starter with a spicy tomato relish or sprinkled with confectioner's sugar for dessert.

Golden Ricotta Pumpkin Fritters
Makes about 24 large or 48 small fritters

Homemade pumpkin puree lends a depth of flavor to this recipe. See the note below for making your own. These fritters cook up quick and are best served hot, so wait until guests start arriving to make them.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
8 ounces ricotta cheese
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Canola oil, for frying
Confectioner's sugar, for garnish

Fill a heavy-bottomed deep saucepan halfway with canola oil. Heat the oil to 375 degrees.
Meanwhile, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Add the ricotta cheese, pumpkin, eggs and vanilla extract to a medium bowl. Beat with a fork until mixed well. Pour over flour mixture and stir until wet and dry ingredients are incorporated, being careful not to overmix.
Drop a scant tablespoon of the mixture at a time into the heated oil (or 1 teaspoon if you're serving as an hors d'oeuvre). Fry until light golden brown, about 30 to 45 seconds on each side (less for smaller ones). Drain on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Pile drained fritters on a platter and sift powdered sugar over the top if serving for dessert.

PUMPKIN PUREE:
Cut a small pie pumpkin (also called sugar pumpkins) in half, scoop out the seeds and place cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 400º until flesh is tender when pierced with a fork, about 30 to 40 minutes depending on the size. Let cool completely, then scoop out flesh and add to the work bowl of the food processor attachment of your Cuisinart Stand Mixer. Process until smooth.

Gingerbread Muffins

Jennifer Perillo — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:03:00 -0500

I love gingerbread cookies, but my schedule doesn't always allow time for the rolling, cutting and decorating required. That doesn't mean I can't enjoy the flavor of my favorite cookie. What if I told you that comforting taste, laced with scents of cinnamon, ginger and cloves could be enjoyed in a muffin that comes together in less than 15 minutes?

I started baking muffins using a biscuit-making technique last year, and it's my best kitchen experiment to date. No mixer required, no butter to soften or cream, and it's a one-bowl recipe too! A recipe this easy and delicious makes me wonder why baking gingerbread isn't a year-round event.

Gingerbread Muffins
makes one dozen

2 cups (8.5 ounces) flour
1/2 cup (4 ounces) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon (11 grams) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) sea salt
1 teaspoon (4 grams) ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon (3 grams) ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons (4 grams) ground ginger
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) cold butter, cut into 12 pieces
1/2 cup (112 ml) molasses
1 cup (8 ounces/225 ml) buttermilk
2 teaspoons (10 grams) coarse sugar, for sprinkling tops (optional)

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Grease one 12-cup standard size muffin tin or fill with paper liners; set aside.
Add the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices to a deep bowl. Whisk to combine. Add butter and using a pastry blender, or your fingers (my preferred method), blend until it forms a sandy-looking mixture.
Add the buttermilk and molasses to a small bowl and beat with a fork. Pour over the flour mixture and stir, using a fork or wooden spoon, until just mixed and there are no visible traces of flour. Spoon into the prepared muffin tins and sprinkle tops with an even amount of coarse sugar, if desired.
Bake 18 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

In Season: Pears

Marisa McClellan — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 13:54:00 -0400

Apples are seen as the star of the autumn fruit scene. They come in a variety of bright, shiny colors, have crisp, crunchy flesh and taste pleasingly sweet and tart. Pears aren’t as eye-catchingly glossy and they have a slightly less assertive flavor. However, as I’ve gotten older, pears grab my attention, and shopping dollars, far more than apples. They have a certain culinary humility and lack of flash that makes them good players in baked goods and preserves. Pears also dress up better than apples ever can, achieving easy sophistication simmered in honeyed wine or baked into an elegant tart.

In the following recipe, pears play two roles. After being peeled and chopped, a smaller amount is set aside raw, while the rest head into a saucepan to cook down into a rough sauce. The sauce helps keep the finished muffins moist and the raw bits add texture. The muffins can be eaten warm or frozen to extend their life. Day old muffins are best toasted and buttered.

Pear Almond Muffins
Makes 12

3 large pears, peeled, finely chopped and divided
1/4 cup softened butter
1/2 cup well-packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with butter and set aside.
Set aside 3/4 cup of the chopped pears. Place the remaining pears in a saucepan with 1/4 cup water and simmer until soft enough to roughly mash with a fork. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
Add the butter and brown sugar to a large bowl. Beat on medium-high speed until it becomes light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat to combine. Add 1 cup of the cooked, cooled pears and stir until integrated.
In a separate bowl, add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and grated nutmeg; whisk to combine.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in thirds, each time mixing to fully integrate before adding more.
Once all dry ingredients have been mixed in, add the reserved chopped pears and the toasted almonds. Stir until just combined.
Evenly spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the tops are browned and a toothpick comes out mostly clean.

Save It for a Rainy Day

Rebecca Marber — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:32:00 -0400

The other day as the sun crept behind the clouds, I could tell a storm was about to break loose. Most were troubled by this interruption of summer weather; however, I couldn’t help but welcome a night of relaxation. I cozied up onto the couch and flipped through some channels. However, I quickly realized that something was missing: the smell of fresh baked goods to replace the cold air taking over my apartment.

That’s when I remembered. Oh right, I’m trying not to eat those warm, delicious treats I love so. But what if comforting desserts don’t have to come at a nutritional price? Now there’s a novel idea.

The pile of week old bananas sitting in my kitchen came right to mind. They were too brown to eat but too perfectly suited for banana bread to throw away. Something had to be done. A little brainstorming and a trip to the store later, I was busy at work creating my Butter-less Banana Nut Bread—a healthier rendition to one of my all-time favorites.

Butter-less Banana Nut Bread uses applesauce instead of butter and spelt flour instead of white flour to cut out 840 calories, 90 grams of fat, and 242 mg of cholesterol from the entire loaf. The applesauce is crucial to reducing fat levels while keeping the bread nice and moist. The spelt flour adds a rich, nutty flavor to each slice and delivers valuable minerals and vitamins which white flour does not. Though I couldn’t bring myself to ditch the chocolate chips, I guess that’s always an option as well, shall you be so ambitious.

Butter-less Banana Bread
Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas
¾ cup sugar
½ cup cinnamon applesauce
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp vanilla
2 cups spelt flour
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions:

Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and preheat oven to 350°F.
Mash bananas and sugar in Cuisinart™ Stand Mixer and let sit for 10-15 minutes.
Next add the eggs and beat until combined, soon followed by the applesauce. Once combined add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and vanilla and beat well.
Little by little add the flour. *Make sure not to over-beat, spelt flour needs less than white flour*
Place walnuts into Collection™ Elite Collection Chopper/Grinder or manually chop into tiny bits, about 1/8 of a fingernail. Stir in walnut bits to mixture.
Add chocolate chips to mixture and stir until evenly dispersed.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool, remove from loaf pan, and enjoy!

Easy Summer Baking

Jennifer Perillo — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:20:00 -0400

Turning on the oven is the last thing most people want to do come summertime. Sure there’s good reason to take dinner outdoors when the temperatures rise into the 90s, but with a little planning, baking can still be a part of your summer dessert strategy. After all, berry season means it’s time to make pies!

An early lesson I learned is to get baking out of the way in the morning, before the day really heats up. Now about those pies, I’m going to take a few steps back. I love pies. I’ve made many in summers past, but sometimes I want that fruity fix without the rolling or fussing with a crust. Lesson two for summer baking—keep it simple. No need to sweat over the perfect crimp or overworking the dough. Cobblers and crumbles deliver the same sweet satisfaction, and require less prep time.

Of course, sometimes you want to bake your cake and eat it too. For just that very occasion, I present you with my new summer dessert—cobbler cake. Imagine a cakey biscuit studded with fresh, juicy bits of berries and fruit, baked in a pie plate. Yes, it really is the best of both worlds…err all three worlds, that is.

Peach Blueberry Cobbler Cake
Makes one 9-inch round cake

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
8 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 16 pieces
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
2 peaches, sliced (leave on the skins)
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Grease a 9-inch glass or ceramic pie plate.
Whisk the flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the butter and rub together quickly with fingertips until small, pea-size pieces form. Pour in the buttermilk and stir until it just comes together to form a batter. Fold in the peaches and blueberries.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pie plate and smooth top into an even layer using a rubber spatula. Sprinkle top with extra sugar, if desired. Bake for 35 to 37 minutes, until golden brown and a metal skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

Jennifer Perillo — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:30:00 -0400

The strawberries are here! If you were anywhere near the farmers’ market at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn a week or two ago, you may have heard me singing the praises of the season. After what seemed like an endless winter, and more than three feet of snow here in New York City, those ruby red orbs of fruit were enough to make me do a happy dance.

In fact, my excitement took hold and I found myself buying four more quarts of berries at another farmers’ market three days later. My intention was to start stockpiling homemade jam, but I realized I was out of pectin, so it was time to go to plan B.

At first my thoughts went to pie, strawberry rhubarb to be precise. Then I decided to make my lazy girl’s version of pie and went with a crumble after browsing around Heidi Swanson’s blog, 101 Cookbooks. Last year I created a lovely, nutty oat crumb topping, as a way to skip making a double piecrust. This time I decided why fuss with a crust at all, since I love the crunchy texture a good crumb topping lends to each spoonful of the jammy fruit filling. I’ve since bought pectin to get jamming season underway, but this crumble has nothing to worry about—it’s definitely here to stay for the long haul.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble
Serves 8 to 10

For the topping:
1 cup (115 grams) old fashioned oats
1/2 cup (70 grams) whole almonds
1/4 cup (60 grams) packed brown sugar, light or dark
Pinch of kosher salt
4 tablespoons (2 ounces butter) melted, plus more to coat baking dish

For the filling:
2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) strawberries, stems removed and cut into quarters
4 stalks (12 ounces) rhubarb, tough ends trimmed & cut into 3/4 inch pieces
3/4 cup (6 ounces/150 grams) natural cane sugar
1 tablespoon (10 grams) cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Coat the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie deep dish pie plate with butter; set aside.
To prepare the topping, place the oats in the bowl of food processor. Pulse a few times until they become coarse textured. Add the almonds and continue pulsing until the oats break down into a medium-fine textured flour and the nuts are finely chopped. Add the brown sugar and salt; pulse 2 to 3 times until combined.
Transfer mixture to a small bowl, drizzle melted butter over the top and rub together with fingers until the oat-almond mixture combines to form little pea-size clumps.
In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar and cornstarch together until combined. Pour the fruit mixture into the prepared pie plate and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the filling. Bake for 35 minutes, until the topping is deep golden and the fruit juices are bubbly. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before serving. Leftovers should be stored covered in the refrigerator.

A Royal Breakfast

Jennifer Perillo — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 13:26:00 -0400

The week a little bit of history is taking place will have many Americans setting their alarms to wake before the birds. In case you’ve been totally out of touch, Prince William is getting married and there hasn’t been an affair this grand since his mother, Princess Diana walked down the aisle. We all know how tragic that ended, which is why I’m particularly excited about this Friday’s wedding.

I’m not one for realty television, and tabloid news holds no allure. I do believe in happy endings, though, and as a mother myself, I want to see Princess Diana’s son get their fair-share of happiness. So, with that in mind I’ll be in attendance this Friday morning. It’s perhaps the best wedding invitation too—no fussing with gowns, hair or make-up. My pajamas, fuzzy slippers and a pot of hot tea to enjoy with a fresh batch of English scones is all I’ll need to make my grand entrance.

English Cream Scones
Makes 10

Unlike American scone recipes, which produce a wet, shaggy-looking dough, this one if more sturdy and easier to press out. The scones are what I like to think of as a sweeter, more structured, version of Southern biscuits.

1/2 cup / 125 ml plus 2 teaspoons heavy cream
1 large egg
1 cup / 128 grams whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup / 135 grams all purpose flour, plus more sprinkling
1/4 cup / 47 grams natural cane sugar
1 tablespoon /14 grams baking powder
1/4 teaspoon / 2 grams fine sea salt
5 tablespoons / 2.5 ounces very cold unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces

Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.
Using a fork, lightly beat the cream and egg together in a small bowl; set aside.
Add the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt to the bowl of your Cuisinart food processor. Pulse once to combine. Add the butter and pulse a few more times, until it forms a sandy-looking texture with some pebble-sized pieces. Pour in the cream-egg mixture, and pulse again until it forms a ball of dough, about 10 to 12 one-second pulses.
Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured counter. Knead it once or twice to give the dough a smoother appearance. Using your fingertips, press the dough out into a 1/2-inch thick circle. Dip a 2 1/2-inch round cutter into flour, and cut out the scones—it’s okay to re-roll and press the dough out again once if you need to.
Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes, until bottoms are deep golden and the tops are barely tanned-looking. Remove from oven and rest tray on a wire rack and let cool 10 minutes before serving. Leftovers may be stored in an air-tight container and heated in the toaster the next day.

Easter Treats

Jennifer Perillo — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 10:22:00 -0400

I’ve been thinking lately how Easter feels like a mash-up of Christmas and Halloween. We’ve got the mysterious figure who sneaks into the house—my daughters think it’s really Santa in a bunny suit. Then there are the overflowing pastel baskets, bursting with chocolate bunnies and an endless supply of candy.

Come dessert time, the last thing I want to do is serve another sugar-loaded sweet. This year I decided to make carrot cupcakes, figuring I could convince the kids they’re the Easter Bunny’s favorite too. Most carrot cake recipes are too dense and oily for my taste, but that was an easy enough fix once I swapped in light coconut milk for part of the oil. A neutral oil, like vegetable or sunflower is generally used, but the olive oil sitting on my counter wanted in on the action. I had a hunch it would work nicely with the nuttiness of the whole wheat pastry flour too. As for the sugar rush, there’s not a speck of refined sugar in this recipe. The cupcakes get a naturally sweet boost with pure maple syrup from the farmers’ market, which added an extra bit of moistness too.

Since I was on a dairy-free roll, I decided to stick with that theme for the icing. In the past, I’d been hesitant to use shortening in frosting, though it’s an inexpensive trick many bakeries rely on. In the interest of keeping an open mind, I bought some non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening in the health food store. A quick whirl in my stand mixer with some confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract yielded an irresistibly fluffy frosting. A thin swipe was all these cupcakes needed to show the Easter Bunny who’s really the boss around here.

Dairy-Free Carrot Cupcakes
Makes 12

For the cake:
1 1/2 cups (200 grams) whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon (2 grams) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) fine sea salt
1/2 cup (125 ml) lite coconut milk
1/2 cup (125 ml) pure maple syrup
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 tablespoons orange juice, preferably fresh squeezed
1 1/2 cups (130 grams) shredded carrots
1 cup (110 grams) pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (62 grams) sweetened dried cranberries

For the frosting:
1 cup (154 grams) non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening, such as Spectrum
1/2 cup (59 grams) confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners; set aside.
In a deep bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
In a separate bowl or deep measuring cup, use a fork to beat together the coconut milk, syrup, oil, egg and juice. Pour over the flour mixture. Using a wooden spoon, stir until just combined and there are no visible traces of flour. Gently stir in the carrots, pecans and cranberries. Evenly spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until a metal skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven when done and set the tray on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
To make the frosting, add the shortening, sugar and vanilla extract to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Start on low speed until the sugar is mixed in, then increase mixer to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Spoon an even amount of frosting onto each cupcake, then use an off-set spatula or butter knife to spread frosting to the edges.

Passover Treats

Jennifer Perillo — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 10:33:00 -0400

Next week is the start of Passover, and I’ve been thinking about what dessert I’ll serve for a while now. Not having been raised Jewish—I’m an Italian-Catholic gal who married a Jewish-Italian guy, I don’t have staple recipes that were part of my holidays growing up. My mother-in-law is not much of a cook either, so I don’t have the benefit of learning alongside her in the kitchen (though my husband often tells me his grandmother was a pretty good baker). Still, I try to do my best hosting the Jewish holidays to instill the traditions and memories of my daughters’ roots.

A few years back, I came across a recipe that seemed a perfect marriage of my Italian food history and the restrictions from using flour and butter in kosher Passover desserts. While I know nothing I prepare is technically kosher since I’m not Jewish, I try to follow the kosher laws for cooking as a sign of respect to my mother-in-law. It is the one connection, perhaps the only way, we can really relate to each other. After 15 years, I’ve come to learn it’s more important to focus on what unites us since she gave me the greatest gift of all—my husband.

So, what is this magical dessert you’re wondering, right? It’s my spin on a classic Passover treat. Coconut macaroons are quite popular, but I wanted something a bit fancier. My inspiration came from the Northern Italian Cookbook by Francesco Ghedini. It’s a hybrid of sorts, combining both elements of a classic soft French macaroon and a crisp meringue. The crisp exterior is meringue-like, yet the center is tender, with a subtle chew. Ghedini’s recipe, which I’m including for you below is for almond macaroons, and reminds me of cookies a pastry shop near my house sells. I decided to put my own spin on things, and made an espresso version too. Regardless of which one you make, remember cooking is an extension of our hearts. And in this case, it really is the thought that counts.

Almond Macaroons
Makes 24

1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup sliced almonds
1 teaspoon almond extract

Grease and flour two baking sheets, or line with a nonstick liner (such as a Silpat). Set aside.
Combine salt and egg whites in the bowl of your Cuisinart Stand Mixer. Beat until frothy using the whisk attachment.
Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture forms stiff peaks, about five minutes in total from the time you start adding the sugar. Gently fold in the almonds and almond extract. Drop onto the sheet by heaping teaspoonfuls, leaving about 1-inch between each mound. Let stand on tray for one hour.
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven and set tray on a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will continue to crisp as they cool.

Espresso Macaroons
Makes 24

1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Grease and flour two baking sheets, or line with a nonstick liner (such as a Silpat). Set aside.
Combine salt and egg whites in the bowl of your Cuisinart Stand Mixer. Beat until frothy using the whisk attachment.
Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture forms stiff peaks, about five minutes in total from the time you start adding the sugar. Gently fold in the espresso powder and vanilla extract. Drop onto the sheet by heaping teaspoonfuls, leaving about 1-inch between each mound. Let stand on tray for one hour.
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven and set tray on a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will continue to crisp as they cool.

Childhood Memories

Jennifer Perillo — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:01:00 -0400

We didn’t eat a lot of candy growing up, but I do remember my mom’s favorite were Chunky Bars. I found them intriguing, that dome of chocolate studded with raisins and nuts. I always thought there were peanuts, but a little research revealed it was really a mix of brazil nuts and cashews. The original confection was created right in my hometown in New York City, a fun fact I can’t wait to share with mom.

I have another surprise the next time I see her too—chunky bar cookies. While recipe testing a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies recently, I started thinking about those candy bars. Adding a handful of nuts and chopped chocolate to the dough seemed like a delicious idea. I went with walnuts because that’s what I had on hand, but still think peanuts, or even pecans, would work in a pinch. I felt like a kid again from the very first bite—kind of like a fountain of youth for my tastebuds.

Chunky Bar Cookies
Makes 4 dozen

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup natural cane sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup raisins
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
Whisk oats, flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl; set aside.
Cream butter and sugars in the bowl of your Cuisinart Stand Mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure to beat well after each addition. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture. Beat until the ingredients are mixed well. Stir in the raisins, chocolate chips and walnuts.
Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of dough (about 1 1/2-inch mounds), 2-inches apart, onto prepared baking sheets. Bake 12 minutes for chewier cookies or 14 minutes for crisp ones. Remove from oven and let rest on baking sheets for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Time to Make the Doughnuts

Jennifer Perillo — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:47:00 -0500

Light and airy, yeast-raised doughnuts were a favorite growing up, especially glazed ones with sprinkles. As an adult I became more partial to cake doughnuts. The sturdier construction ensured it stood up well to a few dunks in a mug of coffee. The problem, though, is those calories were much easier to burn as a kid than as a busy mother of two—chasing after a toddler is workout of another kind.

Recently I found an easy solution to marry all my cravings into one perfect doughnut—light enough to defy gravity, but enough heft to stand up to a dunk or two, and with a lot less calories than traditional fried doughnuts. Baked doughnuts are not only a healthier alternative to satisfy cravings, they’re also ready in less than 10 minutes—just the amount of time you need to get a hot cup of coffee brewing.

Lemon Buttermilk Doughnuts
makes 6

1 cup (4.65 ounces/132 grams) whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup (2 ounces/56 grams) natural cane sugar
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder
1/8 teaspoon (1 gram) baking soda
¼ teaspoon (2 grams) sea salt
Freshly squeezed juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
Scant 1/2 cup (110 ml) buttermilk, well-shaken
1 large (50 grams) egg
1 tablespoon (14 grams) butter, melted
Confectioners’ sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Coat one 6-doughnut nonstick baking pan with cooking spray; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest.
In a measuring cup, use a fork to beat the lemon juice, buttermilk, egg and melted butter until well blended. Pour over the flour mixture and use a wooden spoon to stir together until just combined. Evenly spoon into the prepared doughnut pan and bake for 8 to 9 minutes, until doughnuts are golden and spring back when touched.
Remove from oven and let cool for 2 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Use a small strainer to sift Confectioners’ sugar over tops before serving, if desired.

Family Memories

Jennifer Perillo — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 10:49:00 -0500

Finding ways to combat all the commercialism during the holidays can be challenging. Connecting in the kitchen is a good way to help children understand these special moments are really about family and traditions—the best gifts . You’ll be creating memories to last a lifetime, and beyond as they hopefully pass these traditions onto their children.

Cookies are always a fun baking project, but during Hanukkah I find myself making doughnuts to bring to celebrations with our friends. Sufganiyot, jelly-filled doughnut, are a traditional sweet served during this Jewish holiday, also known as the festival of lights. Not only are they pretty easy to make—just make sure to allow proper rising time, it’s a very kid-friendly recipe too. They can help work the dough, cut it out and fill them too—leave the hot oil and frying to mom and dad.

Mini Jelly Doughnuts
Inspired by Lara Ferroni’s recipe for raised doughnuts
Makes 8 to 10

1 teaspoon of active dry yeast
1/3 cup milk, heated to 110ºF
1 large egg yolk (save white for later use)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (135 grams) bread flour
2 teaspoons superfine sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons (17 grams) butter, softened
Vegetable oil for frying
Granulated or Confectioner’s sugar, to coat (optional)
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

In a medium-sized deep bowl, combine the yeast and milk. Stir in half the flour. Using your Cuisinart hand mixer, beat in the egg yolk and vanilla until just mixed, 15 to 30 seconds. Add the remaining flour, sugar and salt, and beat until just mixed, about 30 seconds. Add the butter and beat incorporated and dough is smooth, about 15 seconds.
Cover bowl and let sit in a warm draft-free place until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Gently press dough down, cover and place in refrigerator for 1 hour.
Line a baking sheet with a non-terry cloth towel. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out until 1/2-inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, cut circles—you should have between 8 and 10, including re-rolling the scraps once. Place the doughnuts on the tray and cover gently with another non-terry cloth towel. Place in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in volume, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, fill a 4-quart pot with 2-inches of vegetable oil. Heat to 360ºF, using a deep-fat fryer thermometer to test the temperature. Add 2 to 3 doughnuts at a time, and fry for 1 to 2 minutes per side. Place on a paper-towel lined dish to drain. Repeat with remaining doughnuts.
While doughnuts are still slightly warm, roll them in some granulated sugar, if desired (if using Confectioner’s sugar, wait until they are filled to sprinkle it over them). Fill a pastry fitted with a wide round tip with the jam. Insert the tip into one side of the doughnut and fill. Repeat with remaining doughnuts. Best served same day they are made.

Let Them Eat Cake

Jennifer Perillo — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 11:42:00 -0400

Since my daughter started elementary school, every year has introduced us to a new food allergy. With all the calls to duty, from bake sales to classroom birthdays, food allergies can feel like an obstacle for families not used to working with a new set of ingredients. Rather then fret over what you can’t use, embrace the ones at your disposal.

Canola oil is a good substitute for butter in cakes and cupcakes. Almond milk and soy milk make a great stand-in for cow’s milk. Instead of using egg replacers, Greek yogurt is a good swap (1/4 cup per egg), provided there are no dairy allergies to take into consideration. Cooking is a source of comfort, and should be inclusive and fun for everyone. Here’s a recipe that proves you can have your cake and eat too.

Deep Chocolate Cupcakes (gluten and dairy-free)
Makes one dozen

When buying an all-purpose gluten free flour mix, look for one that doesn’t use bean flours (chickpeas or fava beans), as they produce an off-putting taste in the final product. To make your own mix, check out this recipe from a friend and author of the new cookbook Gluten-Free Girl and The Chef: a love story with 100 tempting recipes.

2 cups (8.5 ounces) all purpose gluten free flour mix
1/4 cup (1 ounce) 100% cocoa
1 tablespoon (11 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) coarse sea salt
2 teaspoons instant espresso dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water
3 large eggs (200ml), at room temperature
1 (8 ounces) cup sugar
1/2 cup (125ml) canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (225ml) almond milk

Preheat oven to 350º. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.
In a deep bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt until well combined.
In a separate clean bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, vanilla extract and almond milk. Pour over the dry ingredient mixture and stir, using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, until just mixed and resembles a thick batter.
Evenly spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin cups. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from tin and place on wire rack to let finish cooling completely.

Flatbread Pizza

Jennifer Perillo — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 10:51:00 -0400

Years ago, I lived around the corner from a restaurant called Lento’s in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. One taste of their pizza, and it’s no surprise I became a regular fixture. In the world of gas oven vs. brick oven vs. wood burning “who makes the best pizza”, Lento’s was truly unique and had no competition.

The crust was crisp, almost cracker-like, defying gravity, no matter what type of topping it needed to support. For years, I scratched my head in disbelief wondering how they did it—the recipe was a family secret. More than 10 years after my first bite, I discovered the answer in my very own kitchen. Sitting there, rather innocently on the counter, was my jar of baking powder. After creating a recipe for an easy butter crust using baking powder, it occurred to me that not only does this important ingredient add a bit of rise, it gives a little elasticity to the dough. Just enough in fact, to make it forgivingly easy to roll out without worry of tears or holes.

Now we can enjoy pizza during busy weekdays and satisfy last-minute cravings without an overnight rise. A delicious welcome for the back to school craziness that descends upon us this time of year.

Flatbread Pizza
makes two 16-inch pizza pies

For the dough:
2 cups flour, plus more for kneading
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
3/4 warm water

For the pizza:
1 cup marinara sauce
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

To make the dough, add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a deep bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the olive oil and water, and stir with a fork until the mixture forms a rough dough.
Dump dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 1 to 2 minutes until smooth. Divide dough into two equal pieces. Wrap each piece in plastic or place in separate sealed zip top bags, and let rest for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425º. Lightly coat two 16-inch round pizza pans with cooking spray or brush with olive oil. On a lightly floured surface, with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out each piece of dough into a 16-inch circle. Place each circle onto a prepared pizza pan.
Spread equal amounts of sauce over each pizza crust. Sprinkle evenly with the parmesan, then top with the mozzarella cheese. Bake until crust is crisp and cheese is melted and lightly golden, about 15 to 18 minutes.

An Easy Icy Delight

Jennifer Perillo — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 11:02:00 -0400

I can’t think of a tastier way to counteract summer’s heat and humidity than with a frozen treat. Eating ice cream every day, though, isn’t the best choice for adults or children. Luckily I found a healthier answer while making smoothies one morning. We all prefer them on the thicker side in our house, so I start off with just a bit of milk, adding more as I pulse the blender until it reaches the desired consistency. That’s when it dawned on me. A quick, cooling fix was only a few pulses away—no ice cream maker required.

Made of mostly fruit, with a splash of milk and smidge of sugar, this sweet treat is filled with all-natural goodness. One more reason I’m glad I have a freezer full of strawberries from this past season. Just imagine the possibilities by swapping in peaches, blackberries or raspberries.

Strawberry Banana Ice Milk
Makes about one pint

This soft-serve style ice milk has just a hint of sugar to balance the tartness of strawberries, making it light and easy on the tummy. You can also substitute almond or soy milk for a tasty vegan treat. Leftovers stored in the freezer will harden, but it easily reconstitutes with an additional splash of milk and quick pulse in the food processor.

2 cups frozen strawberries
1 frozen banana
1/2 reduced fat milk
1 teaspoon/6 grams sugar

Add all the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor or blender. Pulse until smooth and forms a soft-serve consistency. Serve immediately or freeze in a covered container (see instructions in headnote when serving from freezer).

Summertime Shortcakes

Olga Massov — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:00:00 -0400

Shortcake is typically thought of as something that’s accompanied by strawberries, right? But, why limit yourself, and only allow for the possibility of shortcake in the spring, when strawberries are in season? Why not continue the celebration year-round? Right now, while we are enjoying the peak of the summer and stone fruit truly shines, peaches make a wonderful accompaniment to the buttery biscuit. Heaped high atop your shortcake, and combined with freshly whipped cream, this summer dessert is not to be missed.

To bring out the natural sweetness in peaches even more, allow them to marinate with sugar and vanilla for about half an hour. In the pastry world, this is called macerating. Depending on how you like your shortcake, these can be made with either all purpose flour, or whole wheat flour. Using the latter gives you a heartier, chewier biscuit that’s a little bit more rustic. For a more traditional, crumbly biscuit, all-purpose flour should serve you well.

My favorite way to eat shortcake is right out of the oven, while the biscuit is warm and crumbly. How about yours?

Olga Massov authors the popular food blog, Sassy Radish.

For the Dough
2 1/2 cups whole wheat or all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter
3 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 large egg at room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk (use 2 teaspoons less if using all purpose flour)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Whipped Cream
1 pint heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar

For the Filling
2-3 ripe peaches
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a large bowl and a whisk in the freezer.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut your butter into large chunks and dump in the food processor. Empty the flour mixture on top of the butter, cover the food processor, and pulse the processor, cutting the butter into flour mixture, until the mixture is crumbly. You can also use a pastry cutter to do the same.

In a medium bowl, combine the egg, sugar, maple syrup, buttermilk, cream, and vanilla, and whisk everything together until uniform. Add all of the liquid to the flour mixture, and pulse a few more times until just incorporated, being careful not to overwork the dough. If doing by hand, mix using a fork.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead a few times until smooth.

Pat the dough out into a 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick 12 inch circle. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut the dough into biscuits, you should get about 16 biscuits. Transfer the biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet. Do not re-roll the dough - you’ll get dough that’s tough and not as crumbly. Sprinkle the tops of the biscuits with sanding sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the tops are golden. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving or cool completely on a rack.

Meanwhile, bring a pot to a boil filled with enough water to cover the peaches. Cut an “X” on the bottom side of each peach. Add to the boiling water and blanch for 30-60 seconds. Remove from water with a slotted spoon. Let stand until cool enough to handle, then remove the skin - it should come right off. Slice the peaches in half, remove the pits. Slice thinly, add to a medium bowl with vanilla and sugar, tossing to coat. Let sit to macerate.

While your biscuits are cooling, whip the heavy cream and sugar together, until stiff peaks form.

To serve, take one biscuit and cut it in half using a serrated knife. Spoon some whipped cream onto the bottom half. Place a generous heap of sliced peaches, and top with more whipped cream. Finish with the biscuit top. Serve immediately.

Breakfast Sundaes

Jennifer Perillo — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 10:42:00 -0400

Let’s face it, waking up for work or getting the kids ready for school is far from fun. On a Monday, it can seem downright cruel. Unless you’ve got a breakfast sundae waiting for you. The idea came to me while attending a business meeting. As I stared down at half a melon filled with yogurt and a sprinkling of cereal, I wondered what this would taste like if it was jazzed up. It didn’t take long before the wheels started turning, and I left that meeting with one thing on my mind. I added making some frozen yogurt to my list of things to do.

Frozen yogurt for breakfast isn’t really that far-fetched or crazy, at least when it’s homemade. You can control the sweetener—honey or sugar, and it just takes a little bit to balance out the tartness from the berries. Greek yogurt adds a pleasant tang and protein boost. The final touch, some scattered bits of crunchy cereal—I love Kashi’s Go Lean, and you’ll be ready to face whatever the day has in store.

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt
Makes 2 cups

This frozen yogurt is so light it's more like a creamy sorbet. It's an excellent way to use up the last local strawberries of the season.

½ cup milk
1 cup chopped strawberries
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon honey or sugar

Add all ingredients to the blender bowl attachment of your Cuisinart Stand Mixer. Blend at medium speed until smooth and mixed well, about one minute.

Pour mixture into the freezer bowl of your Cuisinart Automatic Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker. Let churn until thickened, 25 to 30 minutes. Freeze for two hours, or until firm enough to scoop.

Primetime Paninis

Jennifer Perillo — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:21:00 -0400

Sandwiches are a go-to lunch favorite, but come dinnertime I crave something with substance. What if I told you a satisfying meal is within reach without ever turning on the stove or oven? And it doesn’t involve chopping veggies to make a salad. All you need to do is plug in your Cuisinart Griddler. Paninis are a tasty way to enjoy a meal when you have little time or no desire to head into a hot kitchen.

All you need to get started are your favorite sandwich fixings and bread. Recently I was craving a BLT, but had used up all of my farmers’ market tomatoes. I decided tomato jam from the pantry was a more than acceptable stand-in. The pancetta, an Italian-style bacon, I had in the fridge would gussy this diner classic up a bit too. No lettuce on hand—it was the day before my normal market shop, I swapped in some fresh, thinly sliced mozzarella, ensuring it would all hold together as the cheese melted. As an after thought, I remembered I had some peppery arugula growing in the yard. Next time I intend to pluck some and stuff it inside too. Needless to say, everyone at my house is looking at sandwiches a little differently come 6:00pm.

PMT—Pancetta, Mozzarella & Tomato Jam
Makes one sandwich

2 slices white Pullman bread
3 cooked slices pancetta
3 thinly sliced pieces of fresh mozzarella
2 teaspoons tomato jam

Preheat Cuisinart® Griddler® in the closed grill position to 375°F.

Place one slice of bread on a counter or cutting board. Arrange mozzarella on top. Layer the pancetta over the cheese and spread the tomato jam on top. Top with the remaining slice of bread.

Place sandwich on the preheated Griddler. Cover, press lightly for 30 seconds and bake for 3 to 4 minutes until bread is grill marked and crispy and cheese is melted. Serve hot.

It's A Summer Squash Soiree!

Jennifer Perillo — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 09:42:00 -0400

I’m not sure what makes me more giddy about squash season—the slender green and yellow vegetable, perfect for slicing and sautéing, or the vibrant yellowish-orange blossoms that can be plucked and eaten before the vegetable blooms. Luckily my adoration for zucchini is being honored in this year’s 3rd Annual Summer Fest, a cross-blogging event founded by gardening maven, former Martha Stewart editorial director, and founder of A Way to Garden, Margaret Roach.

You’ll also find some enticing cucumber recipes, since the official theme this week is Cukes n’ Zukes. Some of favorites, going straight to the must-make files include:

Fried Squash Blossoms

Zucchini Stuffed with Herbed Couscous, Pine Nuts & Feta

Zucchini Noodles with Pesto & Sundried Tomato

Cucumber Mint Sorbet

Proscuitto, Sour Cream and Feta-Stuffed Cucumbers

Chilled Cucumber Soup with Fresh Mint & Dill

As for me, I’m bringing a different take on baking with zucchini to the party. Visit me at my other blog and get the back story on how this recipe for streusel topped zucchini coffee cake came to be. And the best bit of information I’ve come away with from Summer Fest 2010 so far—did you know that you can store grated raw squash in ziptop bags in the freezer? This is sure to open a world of possibilities come wintertime. Thanks for the tip Margaret!

Zucchini Coffee Cake
Serves 10 to 12

For the streusel topping

1 cup/4.25 ounce flour
1/2 cup/4 ounces sugar
1/2 teaspoon/2 grams kosher salt
3 ounces walnut halves, finely chopped
6 tablespoons/3 ounces butter, melted

For the batter

2 1/2 cups/10.5 ounces flour
1 cup/4.5 ounces brown sugar
1 teaspoon/2 grams baking powder
1/2 teaspoon/2 grams baking soda
1/2 teaspoon/2 grams kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon/1 gram allspice
Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon
3 cups/12 ounces shredded zucchini (skins on)
3 large eggs
1/2 cup/112 ml canola oil

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat an 8-inch by 12-inch baking pan with cooking spray or butter.

In a medium bowl, mix all the streusel topping ingredients until it forms a wet, sandy crumble; set aside.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, allspice and lemon zest together in a large bowl; set aside.

In a separate small bowl, lightly beat the eggs and canola oil. Pour over flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon—it will be very stiff, so don't worry. Add the zucchini and fold until mixed well (it will now look more like a thick batter).

Using a rubber spatula, spread into the prepared baking pan. Evenly sprinkle with the reserved streusel topping. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Crazy for Corn

Jennifer Perillo — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:37:00 -0400

All year long I stare at the half-shucked cobs of corn wrapped in plastic on Styrofoam trays at the grocery store, and my mind wanders to summer’s bounty of those sweet-tasting kernels. Well, no more waiting or staring wanderlust in the supermarket—corn season is in full swing here in New York City. While the window for these golden cobs is longer than say artichokes, which disappeared in the blink of an eye, I want to make sure I eat enough to satiate my dreams once the season ends.

It’s easy enough to enjoy grilled—I’m of the plain-jane corn camp, and skip the butter when enjoying it straight from the cob. And I’m covered in the chowder department, having recently made a quite lovely, creamless version. But what if I could also enjoy corn for dessert? What if I could enjoy it in my favorite summer sweet of choice—ice cream? The following recipe was an especially creative use of leftover corn cobs from which I’d removed the kernels to make a corn salad, so it’s bonus points on the waste not, want not scale too.

Nancy Olson, the pastry chef at NYC’s famed Gramercy Tavern made a corn ice cream last year that garnered the attention of Martha Stewart, so I knew this wasn’t a completely crazy idea. I’ve got a hunch if Martha tasted a spoonful of this creamy confection, scented with a delicate corn flavor and essence of lemon thyme, my phone might be ringing off the hook too.

Sweet Corn & Lemon Thyme Ice Cream
Makes 3 cups

2 cobs of corn, kernels removed and saved for later use
2 cups/450 ml whole milk
3/4 cup/4.5 ounces sugar
3 large springs fresh lemon thyme
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten (save whites for a later use)
1 cup/225 ml heavy cream

Chilled freezer bowl for you Cuisinart ice cream maker

Scrape remaining juice from cob into milk. Let milk steep with cobs overnight in a covered bowl in the refrigerator.

Heat milk, sugar and lemon thyme in a medium-sized pot over medium-low heat until hot but not boiling. Remove from heat. Discard thyme twigs; don't worry about the leaves as you'll be straining the mixture at the end.

Add egg yolks to a deep bowl. Slowly stir 1/2 cup of hot milk mixture into the yolks. Pour yolk mixture into the pot with the heated milk. Turn flame to medium-low and cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Pour through a strainer or sieve. Let cool completely in the refrigerator, covered, until it reaches 40ºF. You can alternately use a cold-water bath to speed up the cooling process.

Pour into the freezer bowl of your Cuisinart Ice Cream maker and churn according to individual machine instructions. Freeze until firm enough to scoop.

Basic Marinara Sauce

Jennifer Perillo — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 11:53:00 -0400

We can’t decide if sliced and tucked into a BLT or simply diced and tossed into salad is our favorite way to enjoy tomatoes. What we do know, though, is that nothing beats the just-picked taste of homemade tomato sauce.

Basic Marinara Sauce
Makes two quarts

3 ½ pounds fresh plum tomatoes
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Score the tomatoes by cutting an “x” at the bottom. Place them in a deep, microwave-safe glass bowl and cover. Cook on high for five minutes, until skins begin to peel away. Let cool, then peel and discard skins. Puree using your Cuisinart® PowerEdge™ 700 Blender.

Heat olive oil in a deep pot over a medium flame. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute. Carefully pour in pureed tomatoes and stir well. Increase flame to high and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, add basil, season with salt & pepper and cook for 20 minutes.

Zucchini Parmesan Hummus

Jennifer Perillo — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 11:57:00 -0400

Necessity is indeed the mother of invention, especially when it comes to a fridge full of zucchini. This recipe hit a homerun with the kids, and it disappears quickly at backyard BBQs too.

Zucchini Parmesan Hummus
Makes about 2 cups

1 cup chick peas, drained & rinsed
1 cup roasted or grilled zucchini
Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Add the chick peas, zucchini, lemon juice, cheese, salt and pepper to your Cuisinart food processor. Process until mixture forms a chunky paste, about 45 seconds. Slowly drizzle in oil and continue processing until hummus becomes smooth and creamy, one to two more minutes. Serve with cut up vegetables, crackers, pita or slices of baguette.

Pies on the Go

Jennifer Perillo — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:21:00 -0400

Sometimes it seems a cruel twist of fate that berry season coincides with summer. I dream of making blueberry, peach and cherry pie all year long and when their time at the farmers’ market rolls around, the temperatures are so hot outside, turning on the oven for the hour or so they take to bake seems crazy. One such solution is hand pies.

Many recipes refer to these as fry pies, but hanging over a hot skillet is equally unappealing in the summer. Besides why add more calories and turn a lusciously delicious dessert into a heart-attack inducing treat? A few weeks ago I decided to give them a try in the oven. All it took was a 15-minute bake to produce perfect peach-filled pockets wrapped in a flaky crust. They also cool much quicker than a whole pie, which means less patience required until you can sink your teeth into some serious enjoyment. If you’re in a sharing mood, they also make for a tasty portable treat to pack in camp lunches or picnics.

Peach Hand Pies
Makes 16 to 18

Cherries or blueberries work deliciously in place of the peaches, so feel free to experiment until you find your favorite fruit filling—just be sure to keep the fruit amount at 2 cups

For the pastry crust:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
8 teaspoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 16 pieces
4 to 6 tablespoons ice cold water

For the peach filling:

2 cups peeled, diced peaches
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
pinch of salt

1 egg, beaten with a bit of water
coarse sugar for sprinkling, optional

To prepare the dough, add the flour, sugar and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until it forms a sandy crumb. Starting with 4 tablespoons, sprinkle the water over the flour-butter mixture and pulse until it forms a ball, about 45 seconds to 1 minute. Add another tablespoon or two of water if necessary. Dump onto an unfloured counter and form into a flat disc. Wrap in plastic or waxed paper and let chill until firm, but still pliable, about 1 hour (you can quick chill it in the freezer for 20 minutes too, which is what I tend to do while pitting the cherries).

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

For the filling, combine the cherries, sugar and all purpose flour, or tapioca flour if using, and salt. Stir to mix well and set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8 to 1/16-inch thick. Cut out 5-inch circles. It's okay to re-roll the scraps until all the dough is used up. Place cut circles on the prepared baking sheets (do not forget to place on parchment before forming pockets or they will be too delicate to transfer). Spoon 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of filling into the center of each circle, fold over, making sure the filling is not spilling out the edges, and crimp the edges with a fork. Pierce tops with the tines of a fork to create steam vents.

Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if using. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until golden. Let sit on sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Homemade Hot Pockets

Jennifer Perillo — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:50:00 -0400

The farmers’ market brings a surplus of bounty come summertime. In fact, some weeks I wonder how I’ll ever use up all I bought. Such was the case last week, and since my cooking week was cut short with a business trip, I went to work emptying the vegetable bin. Tomatoes were quartered, zucchini thickly sliced, eggplant diced and an assortment of onions—red, yellow, cippolini and leeks, went into a big roasting pan. So did the stalks I’d been saving after using the florets from a few heads of broccoli. I drizzled some extra virgin olive, sprinkled salt and freshly ground pepper over the whole medley.

Before I started prepping all those veggies, I preheated the grill. Yes—with record temperatures near 100ºF in New York City, I decided to keep the heat outdoors. Before putting the pan on the grill, I shut off the center burner, leaving on the two outer ones. This is called indirect grilling, and basically converts your grill into a makeshift outdoor oven. Not only were the vegetables imparted with a smoky flavor, they also became meltingly tender in about 20 minutes. The first night I tossed them with spaghetti, toasted pine nuts and parmesan cheese.

And when the thermometer finally dipped below 90º, I decided to make hand pies with the leftovers. The filling possibilities are endless but on this particular day I kept it simple with just chopped roasted vegetables and fresh ricotta cheese. The flaky pastry pockets were so tasty and fun to eat, my 7-year old even requested the leftovers for breakfast the next day.

Roasted Vegetable & Ricotta Cheese Hand Pies
makes 16 to 18

Easy to make and perfect for freezing, these savory pockets can be filled with any combination of leftover vegetables you have on hand. You can even crumble leftover cooked hamburgers and add it to mix.I find the filling doesn't need additional seasoning since the vegetables were roasted with olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper, but have included salt and pepper in the ingredients your's needs a boost. Last note—these heat up great in the microwave. In 12 seconds, mine were warm inside ad the crust retained a nice flaky crispness.

1 cup (6.5 ounces) roasted vegetables, chopped
1/2 cup (2/5 ounces) fresh ricotta cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste if needed
1 basic butter crust dough (recipe follows)
1 egg, beaten with a splash of water, optional

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line two 11-inch by 16-inch rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, mix the vegetables and ricotta cheese together. Season with salt and pepper, if necessary.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8 to 1/16-inch thick. Cut out 5-inch circles. It's okay to re-roll the scraps until all the dough is used up. Place cut circles on the prepared baking sheets (do not forget to place on parchment before forming pockets or they will be too delicate to transfer). Spoon 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of filling into the center of each circle, fold over, making sure the filling is not spilling out the edges, and crimp the edges with a fork. Pierce tops with the tines of a fork to create steam vents.

Brush tops with egg wash, if using. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden. Let sit on sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack. Serve warm. May be stored, wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. No doubt, they can also be stored in an air-tight zip-top bag in the freezer, though I don't know for how long since they get eaten too fast around here

Basic Butter Crust
makes two single pie crusts, one free form tart or 16 to 18 hand pies

8 ounces flour
1 teaspoon (5 grams) kosher salt
1 teaspoon (2 grams) baking powder
4 ounces cold butter
4 to 6 tablespoon ice cold water

Add the flour, salt and baking powder to the bowl of your Cuisinart food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until it forms a sandy crumb. Starting with 4 tablespoons, sprinkle the water over the flour-butter mixture and pulse until it forms a ball, about 45 seconds to 1 minute. Add another tablespoon or two of water if necessary. Dump onto an unfloured counter and form into a flat disc. Wrap in plastic or waxed paper and let chill until firm, but still pliable, about 1 hour (you can also quick chill it in the freezer for 20 minutes while you prep your filling ingredients).

Roll out on a lightly floured surface into preferred size and shape according to whatever recipe instructions you are following.

The dough can be stored, tightly wrapped, in the fridge for up to 3 days. I've yet to have one in the freezer, but imagine it'll store, well wrapped, for a month or two—just thaw it out in the fridge overnight before using.

Cocktail Cakes

Jennifer Perillo — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:04:00 -0400

Imagine serving up some pina coladas, strawberry daiquiris or margaritas on a dessert plate at your next summer cookout? It’s easier than you think with Booze Cakes (Quirk 2010), a new cookbook out this month. I put my Cuisinart Stand Mixer to the test last fall developing and testing out some very inspired and down-right fun desserts for the publisher, and if you think I’m biased, just ask my neighbors. One bite of the salt-rimmed margarita cheesecake and you’ll be asking for another round. Here’s a sneak peek at what I consider a quintessential New England dessert staple—whoopie pies! And moms, take heart, we’ve got an alcohol-free version, so even the youngest guests can enjoy the final course.

Rum & Coke Whoopie Pies
Makes 8
Recipe from Booze Cakes: confections spiked with spirits, wine and beer reprinted courtesy of Quirk Books.

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup cola

Fluffy Cream Filling
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup marshmallow fluff
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons light rum

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon liners.
For the cakes:
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

In a bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In another bowl, combine the buttermilk and cola.Add the buttermilk mixture to the creamed butter and egg mixture. Add the dry ingredient mixture, and beat until well blended.

Drop batter by the tablespoon full onto baking sheet, leaving plenty of room for the cakes to spread (8 per baking sheet) and bake 10 minutes or until set.

Remove from oven, and let the cakes cool on racks completely before filling.
For the filling:
In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and marshmallow fluff until light and creamy. Mix in the rum. On low speed, beat in the confectioner’s sugar. Once all added, turn speed up to high and beat until light and fluffy.

Spread an even amount of filling on the flat side of half the cooled cakes.

Place another cake, flat side down, on top of each filled whoopie pie. To glamorize, dust the tops with confectioners’ sugar, or roll them in mini chocolate chips or sprinkles.

Variations
Kid-friendly Whoopie Pies: Replace the rum in the filling with cola or root beer.

That’s the Way the Topping Crumbles

Jennifer Perillo — Mon, 10 May 2010 11:37:00 -0400

Throughout the year there are plenty of reasons to get baking. Perhaps it’s your kid’s school fundraiser, the church bake sale or a co-worker’s birthday. Cookies are the easy answer but you’ll soon find that the chocolate chips pile up since they’re a quick remedy for time-crunched volunteers. How do you make your treat stand out in a sea of sweets without spending hours in the kitchen? The secret is in the topping – think of it as the best accessory in your culinary wardrobe.

A good crumb topping livens up an otherwise ordinary coffee cake. I still remember the taste of the crumb on the cake from the bakery my family went to when I was growing up in Brooklyn, NY. It was plentiful, rich and yes, crumbly. We’d dab our fingers to pick the fallen crumbs off our dishes, like chickens hunting and pecking.

Crumb topping is also forgiving. Forget trying to get bakery-perfect muffin tops. Sprinkle some streusel topping and they’ll look and taste delicious. And pie-making season is just around the corner. Why fuss with crimping when you can just sprinkle some of this magic stuff on top? Here’s my basic recipe and a nut variation to get you started. It’s easy to make and fun to tinker with, so let me know what you come up with.

Buttery Crumb Topping
Makes enough to cover one 9x13-baking pan Make a double batch and store the leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer to have handy when you need to liven up an ordinary coffee cake or muffin. Be generous when you sprinkle it on muffins so it spreads across the tops as they rise.

2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter, melted

Place flour, sugar, and cinnamon in the bowl of your Cuisinart Food Processor. Pulse to combine. Slowly pour melted butter over mixture while pulsing, until mixture comes together, forming medium-sized pebbles. Using your fingers, sprinkle over cake or muffin tops before baking. May be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks or frozen for two months.

Nut Crumb Topping
Makes enough to cover one 9x13-baking pan This is a crunchy variation that gives an extra bite to your crumb topping.

Buttery Crumb Topping
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped

Prepare Buttery Crumb Topping according to recipe. Place prepared topping into a medium-sized bowl. Add walnuts and stir with a fork to combine. Using your fingers, sprinkle over cake or muffin tops before baking. May be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks or frozen for two months.

Baking with Olive Oil

Jennifer Perillo — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:40:00 -0400

Olive oil cakes are popping up all over café menus and upscale restaurants. After one bite, it’s easy to understand what all the craze is about. The flavor is lighter than butter, and you can use it at a moment’s notice since there’s no need for it to soften. The flavor is also chameleon-like, taking on the subtle notes of the particular brand or type you use.

My quest started after taking my 6-year old daughter to Maialino in New York City, a very high-end Italian restaurant. It was a special treat, getting together with a friend and her daughter for breakfast during our recent spring break. Honestly, I never thought breakfast could cost that much money. While the experience was once in a lifetime—for breakfast at least, I did walk away with the inspiration to go home and take my own investigations with olive oil beyond sautéing and salad dressings.

These muffins have a lovely, crisp top with a tender crumb underneath. Fresh lemons are key, so don’t think about using the bottled stuff. As for extra-virgin vs. regular olive oil, I tried both and while the extra-virgin one had a pleasant fragrant flavor, the ones made with plain olive oil were equally delicious.

Lemon Poppy Olive Oil Muffins
makes 18

2 cups flour
Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil or regular
Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup (125ml) milk

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line one 12-cup muffin tin and one 6-cup muffin tin with paper liners; set aside. Whisk flour, lemon zest, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds in a bowl; set aside.

In the bowl of your Cuisinart Stand Mixer, beat the eggs, sugar, olive oil, and lemon juice until thick. Add flour mixture and pour in milk, stirring well with a wooden spoon to combine. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 of the way. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, until edges are golden and center springs back when gently touched, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

The Wonder of Bread

Jennifer Perillo — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:52:00 -0400

There’s something so nurturing about making your own bread. The ingredients are simple—flour, salt, yeast and water, yet versatile and open to many flavor combinations to suit your taste. Before I made my first loaf, many years ago, I had been a bit intimidated by the process. How could such humble ingredients come together to form the crunchy, airy loaves I saw lining the local bakery’s windows. Surely it was something only a professional baker could do. I know that undoubtedly now, many dozens of loaves later, that making bread is not only easy—it’s loads of fun.

I feel like a kid again seeing the wonder of a science project, as all the ingredients react during the rising process to form a light, airy dough. I love shaping it too—baguettes, round boules, maybe even making it into fancy looking rolls. My absolute favorite part, though, is making the cuts, called “scoring”—this is where you really get to make your mark. I’m partial to an “X” on round loaves, as in this simple boule recipe below, but you can also make vertical slashes in it too. Whatever shape and scores you decide, this bread is perfect for everything from making panini, serving toasted then rubbed with garlic and drizzled with extra virgin oil or just eating a slice as-is.

Parmesan & Scallion Boule
makes 1 loaf

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup sliced scallions
3 cups flour
1 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 cup warm water

Heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a small skillet. Add the scallions and saute until fragrant and slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Add 2 cups of flour, cheese, salt and yeast to the bowl of your Cuisinart Stand Mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix to combine. Add the cooled scallions, warm water and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix on low speed to combine. Remove paddle attachment and fit with the dough hook. Gradually add an additional 1/2 cup of flour, mixing on low speed until it begins to form a soft dough (it will still be slightly sticky, and that's okay).

Sprinkle remaining flour onto a clean counter. Dump dough onto the surface and knead in as much of the remaining flour as necessary to form a smooth ball. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place until doubled in volume.

Once dough has doubled, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and punch down. Knead 1 minute, then shape into a round loaf called a boule. Brush top of loaf with remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Cut a 1/4-inch deep "X" into the top of the loaf using a sharp knife. Cover with a slightly damp clean kitchen towel and let rest until the boule has doubled in size.

While the dough is resting, place the oven rack into the center position. Place a pizza stone on the rack and preheat oven to 550ºF. When loaf has doubled in size, reduce oven to 450ºF, and, using a pizza peel, or the back of a sheet pan lined with lightly floured parchment, slide the loaf onto the stone. Bake for 25 to 27 minutes, until very nicely browned and hollow sounding when tapped. Remove bread from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about an hour before slicing.

A Lighter Muffin

Jennifer Perillo — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:00:00 -0500

I’m not one for whole-wheat flour. There’s something about the earthy flavor and it tends to make denser baked goods. Luckily I found a nice compromise at my local farmers’ market a few weekends ago: organic “half-white” flour. According to the producer, Farmer Ground Flour, this type is common in Europe, and is a blend of white and whole-wheat flours. The label describes it as a “medium protein bread flour that retains some of the bran and germ”. The texture is lighter than both whole-wheat and regular all-purpose white flour, without a discernible earthy aroma. Sounds like a win-win to me.

I used it to make a lemon-glazed raspberry cake for my mother-in-law’s birthday and then decided to tinker with my blueberry muffin recipe a few days later. I’m happy to report the result is a lighter, more delicate crumb and delicious with a smear of homemade butter. The only problem is it’s quite expensive at $5 for a two pound bag ($10 for five pounds). A more economical substitute can be made by sifting equal parts whole-wheat pastry flour and white flour.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins
Makes 18 standard size muffins

1 cup plus 1 Tbsp all-purpose white flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
freshly grated zest of 1 lemon
1 stick butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups frozen wild blueberries

Preheat oven to 350º. Line one 12-cup and 6-cup muffin tin with recycled paper liner, or coat with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, sift the whole-wheat flour and 1 cup of the white flour. Add the baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt and lemon zest and whisk to combine; set aside.

In a stand mixer fixed with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in the eggs until well combined. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk, beating until just combined.

Toss blueberries with remaining tablespoon of flour. Fold blueberries into batter. Evenly spoon batter into prepared muffin cups (it will be very thick) and bake until golden, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm or let cool completely in baking pan.

Tea Time? Scone Time

Jennifer Perillo — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:39:00 -0500

Years ago I used to treat myself to a few quiet stolen moments at a quaint little patisserie in my Brooklyn neighborhood. All I had to do was choose my tea flavor and minutes later a hot pot and a three-tiered tray of sweets and snacks arrived for my afternoon tea service. The finger sandwiches, queen’s cakes and madeleines were delicious but the most anticipated delight was the scone. They offered two to three varieties daily and the tea service included double cream and preserves. My method for devouring the tray of goodies was to start with the scone, figuring I could take the rest home if I got too full (which I usually did).

Two kids later, there’s not much time for those leisurely getaways, so I’ve done what any resourceful cook would do: I perfected my own scone recipe. Now the whole family can enjoy them, and they make a beautiful addition to my weekend brunch baskets.

Almond Scones
Makes eight
For a smaller serving size, divide the dough before shaping into ½-inch thick circles, the proceed with cutting into triangles. Check for doneness starting at 8 minutes.

2 cups flour
¼ cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons chilled butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon heavy cream
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup sliced almonds
coarse sugar for finishing, optional

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Add flour, baking powder and salt to the bowl of the food processor attachment of your Cuisinart Stand Mixer. Pulse to mix dry ingredients.

Add chilled butter to dry ingredients and pulse until mixture resembles a coarse meal.

In a small bowl, whisk together with 3/4 cup of the heavy cream, eggs and almond extract. Pour into the food processor and pulse until just combined and it forms a ball.

Turn dough out onto an floured work surface and shape into a ½” thick circle. Cut into eight equal triangles, and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Brush scones with remaining heavy cream and sprinkle tops with sliced almonds and sugar, if using. Bake 12 minutes or until bottoms are golden. Serve warm or store in an airtight container up to one day; reheat in a 350ºF oven for five minutes before serving.

Family Memories

Jennifer Perillo — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:38:00 -0500

There’s something very comforting about baking during the holidays. I think much of it has to do with connecting to times past and, in some cases, bridging the gap between loved ones long gone. This weekend I set out to make something to bring to a friend’s Hanukkah party, and was reminded of how my husband talks of his grandmother’s rugelach. His mother doesn’t care much for cooking, so it was no surprise she didn’t have the recipe. I wasn’t going to let that get in my way, though, and headed to the kitchen.

Turns out, the dough is only three simple ingredients: cream cheese, butter and flour. I opted for a raspberry walnut filling over raisin, and added a dash of cinnamon for an aromatic twist. At first, it may seem the cutting and rolling is time consuming, but I found after doing the first few, the rest flew by quite quickly. They may not be my husband’s grandmother’s, but he seemed happy as a kid munching away on them.

Raspberry Walnut Rugelach
makes 48

The dough needs some chilling time, which is fine for me because there's always laundry that needs folding.

For the Dough
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 ounces butter, softened
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Filling
1 cup raspberry jam
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

To make the dough, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the flour and salt and beat on low speed until completely mixed. Increase speed to high and beat for 30 seconds. Wrap dough tightly on plastic wrap or waxed paper and freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate for at least one hour.

Meanwhile to make the filling, add the jam, nuts and cinnamon to a small bowl and stir until combined; set aside, covered, until ready to use.

Divide the chilled dough into 4 equal pieces. With lightly floured hands, shape one piece of dough into a ball. Flatten slightly on a lightly floured surface, then roll out to 1/16" thick circle. Cut the dough into 16 equal triangles (you can use a pizza cutter and the same technique for slicing pizza to do this step).

Spread a small amount of filling—about a scant 1/2 teaspoon, on each triangle. Roll, starting with the thicker end of dough, towards the tip. Place on a silicon or parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 25 minutes, until golden. Let cool on sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool completely.

Gingerbread Dreams

Jennifer Perillo — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:53:00 -0500

My mom used to make gingerbread houses when I was kid. They were beautiful and quite elaborate, complete with mini ice cream cones camouflaged as trees under wispy layers of green-tinted royal icing. While we loved breaking into them and eating the remnants as kids, as an adult I’m more of a cake-like gingerbread fan. It’s also no secret that I adore chocolate, so a recipe that combines my love of both is heaven on a dessert plate. That’s exactly what I have for you below. I even gave it an easy sophisticated twist and added some orange zest to the batter. Dusted with a light layer of confectioners’ sugar, it’s a very grown up looking dessert with the flavor of a kid at heart.

Chocolate Orange Spice Cake
Makes one 9-inch layer cake

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
Pinch freshly grated teaspoons nutmeg
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of one orange
1/2 cup buttermilk
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan, or alternately coat with cooking spray; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Whisk to mix well; set aside.

In the mixing bowl of your Cuisinart Stand Mixer, combine the sugar and butter and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs and beat until mixed well. Add the molasses, vanilla and orange zest; beat until well mixed. Add half flour mixture and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Pour in half the buttermilk and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Repeat same process with remaining flour and milk. Scrape down sides of bowl and mix on medium-high speed for 30 seconds more. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 28 to 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Let cool two minutes in pan, then loosen springform ring. Cool completely and sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Apple Muffin - Redux

Jennifer Perillo — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:14:00 -0500

I have a habit, a compulsion really, of always tinkering with my recipes. It's not so much that I think they need improving—more the quest to always use new ingredients and techniques. Take my apple muffin recipe that came about two years ago after a day of apple picking. There's only so many pies one can make, and eat (or so I try to tell myself).

Well, a few weekends ago, I was wondering what would happen if I used shredded apples instead of diced chunks. I imagined they'd kind of melt into the batter, adding lots of moisture as well as flavor—almost like adding apple sauce. I also wanted to play around with the spices. What if I replaced the cinnamon with allspice? This fragrant flavor always plays back up to cinnamon, but this time I'd let it be the star. And so, my apple allspice muffins were born.

Apple Allspice Muffins
makes 12

For Crumb Topping:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour

For Muffins:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon allspice
8 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 cups peeled, shredded apples

Preheat oven to 375º. Grease or line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners. For the topping, mix all ingredients in small bowl with a fork until combined; set aside.

For the muffins, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and all spice in a medium-size bowl; set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one.

Beat in one third of the dry ingredients, then add one-third of the sour cream. Alternating between dry ingredients and sour cream, repeat until all ingredients have been incorporated. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in the diced apples.

Evenly divide batter into the muffin-tin cups. Sprinkle tops evenly with the crumb topping. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Really Better Banana Bread... No, Really

Jennifer Perillo — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:31:00 -0500

Bourbon and brown butter. Just uttering the words puts me in a good mood. Throw in a few really ripe bananas, and you’ll find me in the kitchen making banana bread. Earlier this year I posted a recipe for Better Banana Bread, and it really is better than any I’ve ever tasted or made. I know, you’re wondering why try to improve on something I already like? See, the problem is I fell madly in love with caramelized bananas while creating a Burnt Caramel & Banana Gelato this summer. Then Olga over at Sassy Radish posted a brown butter pound cake recipe. All of her waxing poetic about the taste of browned butter, well, it pushed me over the edge. It was time to take matters into my own hands (and kitchen). The bourbon just happened to be sitting on the counter and it seemed such a happy pairing, so who was I to get in the way?

Brown Butter Bourbon Pecan Banana Bread
serves 8 to 10

Many quick breads are one bowl and don’t require a mixer. That’s probably why they tend to be a bit heavy and dense. This one takes a few extra minutes, but the payoff is a lighter cake flecked with caramelized morsels of banana. And if you prefer an alcohol-free bread, just omit the bourbon.

2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons butter
3 very ripe bananas
2 large eggs
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon bourbon
1/2 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup toasted, chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350º. Grease the bottom only of a 9-inch by 3-inch loaf pan with butter. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.

Melt butter over medium heat in a small heavy bottomed pot. Cook until it begins to brown, but not burn; it will smell nutty and fragrant. Remove from heat, and let cool for 10 minutes.

Peel and dice one banana. Mash the remaining bananas in a small bowl; set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of brown sugar in a small skillet over medium heat until it begins to melt and turn golden. Add diced banana pieces and saute until well coated and caramelized. Remove from pan and set aside.

Beat eggs on medium speed in your Cuisinart Stand Mixer. Add remaining brown sugar and beat until foamy and combined. Add mashed banana, bourbon, and vanilla; beat until mixed welll. Scrape down sides of bowl again with rubber spatula.

On low speed, pour in 1/3 of the flour mixture. Increase mixer speed to medium and mix until just blended. Pour in 1/3 of buttermilk and beat until just blended. Repeat this process with remaining flour and buttermilk. Fold in pecans and caramelized banana pieces. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.