Bakewell Tart June 27, 2009

I had a really hard time turning on the oven in this 90+ degree weather Wednesday night, but I knew it was then or never for this month’s Daring Baker’s Challenge.  I didn’t think the tart would be difficult at all, so I decided to go for it and make our air conditioning work a little harder than it should have.

Was it worth it…yes and no.  I will say yes because it was the challenge for this month, I’ve never made a tart and I didn’t want to miss out on another challenge in case I can’t get next month’s completed and possibly get kicked out of the group…I should really figure out how many more I can skip without getting booted.  I also say no because with the extremely warm weather, this tart just did not sound appetizing, but that’s ok :)

As you can see in the picture, my tart turned out pretty well.  I screwed up the crust, and knew it as I was making it.  It turned out too tough, I ended up having to add more water then the recipe calls for, which means I had to mix the dough more, I think less would have been best.  Oh well.  The taste had a nice subtly almond flavor with a nice hint of strawberry from my store-bought preserves.  I drizzled a white chocolate glaze over the top of the tart, which added a nice touch.  Would I make it again…maybe, but it’s not a dessert that I would rave about.

Do you want the recipe?  I’ll spare you the scrolling and have you check out Jasmine’s post at  Confessions of a Cardamom Addict or Annemarie’s post at Ambrosia and Nectar.

The June Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart… er… pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800’s in England.

Almond Bars June 23, 2009

Almond Bars

1 cup (1/2 lb) Almond Paste, grated

1 cup margarine

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

2 cups flour

Mix paste, margarine, sugar and eggs.  Add flour a little at a time.  Sprinkle lightly with sugar before baking.  Bake in a 9×13 pan at 300 degrees for 40 minutes.  Ovens vary, so watch closely.

Yes, it’s that easy!

Recipe from Protestant Reformed Cook Book

Eggs… June 22, 2009

What would you make if all these eggs were delivered anonymously to your house?

Sorry for the lack of posts…I’m blaming it on the beautiful hot and humid weather we are getting!  (no sarcasm intended)

Cinnamon-Streusel Coffeecake June 18, 2009

King Arthur is a flour company that makes an assortment of different flours.  I’ve never ordered from them but I get their catalogue every now and then, which has great looking recipes in it, including the Cherry Almond Cake I made just recently. 

This Cinnamon-Streusel Coffeecake also came from King Arthur.  Their website is full of all different recipes, from cakes and cookies to soups and pizzas. 

This coffeecake turned out really good but the next time I make it, there would be some definite changes.  It was extremely sweet, due to the filling and streusal topping.  I would make half the amount of the topping next time.  The topping took over the cake and crumbled off when trying to eat it.  I would also take it out of the oven sooner.  I think I over-baked it just slightly, but that’s my own problem.  If you want to see step by step pictures on how to make and assemble and read a blog post about this coffeecake, click here. 

Cinnamon-Streusel Coffeecake

Streusel Topping

1 1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

6 Tbsp butter, melted

Whisk together the above dry ingredients and add the melted butter, stirring till well combined.  Set aside.

Filling

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp unsweetened cocoa pwd (opt)

Mixing together above three ingredients.  The cocoa powder is for color only, not flavor.

Cake

3/4 cup butter

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 large eggs

3/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

1 1/4 cups milk

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9×13 pan. 

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, salt, sugars, baking powder and vanilla until well combined and smooth. 

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream/yogurt and milk until combined (lumps are ok).

Add the flour to the butter mixture alternately with the milk mixture, beating gently until just combined.

Pour/spread half the batter into the prepared pa, spreading to the edges. 

Sprinkle the filling evently atop the batter, shaking pan side to side if needed.

Spread the remaining batter over the filling and gently swirl the filling into the batter using a knife. 

Sprinkle the topping streusal topping over the batter.

Bake the cake until golden brown around edges and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40-60 minutes depending on your oven. 

Recipe and picture from King Arthur

Bargain Meal of the Week – Meijer June 16, 2009

Don’t forget to head on over to Mummy Deals each week for the Bargain Meal of the Week. 

This week, Patty Melts!  I’m looking forward to making these tomorrow for dinner.  I have some leftover mushrooms from our pizza on the grill last night to sauté for on top of my burger.  I’m making myself hungry just writing about it!

You can find the recipe on Clair’s money-saving blog at Mummy Deals.  Take a look around to find some other awesome bargains and deals, tips and tricks to save $$$!

 

Cherry Almond Coffeecake June 8, 2009

As said in King Arthur’s Winter catalog and also on-line, this is a sweet, moist cake that will get rave reviews.  And that’s exactly what it was, a sweet, moist cake with a light cherry and rich almond flavoring.  Delicious!

Cherry Almond Cake

Streusel Topping

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup almond paste, crumbled

1/4 tsp almond extract

5 Tbsp cold butter

Whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt.  Crumble in the almond paste and add the almond extract.  Work in the cold butter (I grated this) till the mixture becomes crumbly.  Set aside. 

Cake

1/2 cup soft butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp almond extract

2 eggs

1 2/3 cups flour

2/3 cup sour cream

Filling:  21-oz cherry pie filling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9×13 pan. 

Beat together the butter, sugar, salt, baking powder and extract until fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.  Add the flour in thirds, alternately with the sour cream, blending well after each addition (but don’t overmix). 

Spread the batter in the prepared pan.  Top with the cherries and streusel topping.

Bake the cake for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze.

Glaze

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/4 tsp almond extract

2-3 Tbsp milk or cream

Combine the confectioners’ sugar, almond and just enough of the milk to make a pourable glaze.  Drizzle it over the cooled cake. 

Recipe from King Arthur

Beatty’s Chocolate Cake June 7, 2009

A couple weeks ago, while on vacation, I was watching the food network and caught Barefoot Contessa where Ina Gartner was making Beatty’s Chocolate Cake.  The secret ingredient:  coffee.  This is added to bring out the chocolate flavor. 

This cake had a loose very-moist crumb and if I didn’t dump the coffee in the cake batter myself, I wouldn’t have believed there was coffee in it because there was not a hint of coffee flavoring in the cake.  I do think the coffe brought out the chocolate flavor as it was supposed to.  For the frosting, I used a swiss meringue chocolate buttercream, so rich and silky. 

This cake is probably one of the easiest and least time-consuming chocolate cakes I’ve made from scratch.  Very easy to whip together.  The frosting on the other hand, is a bit more invovled. 

One thing to warn you about this cake is it rises quite a bit, so don’t over-fill the pans before baking!   

Beatty’s Chocolate Cake

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup good cocoa powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk, shaken

1/2 cup oil

2 large eggs, at room temp

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Preheat the oven to 30 degrees.  Grease 2 8-inch round cake pans.  Line with parchment paper, then pan again.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low spread until combined.  In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry.  With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Pour the batter into the pans and bake for 30-40 minutes, until cake tester comes out clean.  Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal.  With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting.  Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of cake.

Recipe from Food Network

Super Stuffed French Bread Pizza Rustica June 1, 2009

Scrounging through blogs, looking for a new recipe to make, I ran across La Mia Cucnina who made Rachael Ray’s Super Stuffed French Bread Pizza Rustica.  I stopped there, made an ingredient list and ran off to the grocery store.  Well, after I went through my kitchen to pull out the ingredients I already had, so really, all I needed was little bit more ricotta and a loaf of french bread.  Not bad for the long list of ingredients!

This was a great twist to pizza burgers.  The recipe says it feeds 4, but I feed 6 plus leftovers!  It’s very filling.  Unfortunately, I forgot the leftovers at my parent’s cottage and before I could call to tell them I was on my way to get them, they were already gobbled up.  Even though I would have loved those leftovers, I’m glad they could enjoy them after unpacking from a long holiday weekend in Michigan. 

Super Stuffed French Bread Pizza Rustica

1 (2 ft) loaf french bread (I used a Vienna loaf, which was about 4 inches wide)

1 lb sweet Italian sausage

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2 large cloves garlic, chopped

1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups ricotta

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 pound sweet spressata, chopped (I omitted this)

1/2 stick pepperoni, chopped (I used already sliced pepperoni)

10 oz shredded mozzarella

10 oz shredded provolone

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (I omitted)

Pizza Sauce (my addition)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Split bread lengthwise and hollow it out. 

Heat a skillet over medium high flame and brown sausage.  Brown and crumble sausage.  Add red bell pepper, onion and garlic.  Cook 3 to 5 minutes, add spinach.  Remove mixture from heat and season with a pinch of salt and black pepper to your taste.

Transfer to a bowl.  Combine sausage and veggies with ricotta, Parmesan, sopressata and pepperoni.  Fill bread shells with meat mixture (this is where I spread pizza sauce over the top and then pepporoni slices on top of that).   Mound with mozzarella and provolone cheeses.  Place in hot oven on cookie sheet and bake until cheese melts and bubbles and bread is super crisp, about 10-12 minutes.  Top pizzas with oregano and hot pepper flakes.  Serve immediately.

Recipe from Food Network