Category — Baking Recipes

This past weekend, I was treated out to a lovely dinner at a 2 star Michelin restaurant in Los Angeles called Providence. The standout dessert was their “banana bread pudding” and barley ice cream. I wasn’t too fond of the ice cream because of the strong star anise flavor, but the “pudding” was amazing! It had a gelatinous texture with a strong banana bread taste. It made me crave banana bread non-stop!

image via Roaming Belly

Here is an AWESOME banana bread recipe from What Megan’s Making with kitchen suggestions by me!

Best Ever Banana Bread

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/4 cup sugar (cute measuring cups from Anthropologie)

2 eggs

5 overripe bananas

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

2 Tbsp wheat germ

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease 2 loaf pans (Rachel Ray Loaf Pans from Target) . Cream together the shortening and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer (Cuisinart Hand Mixer from Best Buy). Add the eggs and bananas; blend until the bananas are thoroughly mashed. Sift the flour, salt and baking soda into a separate bowl; stir in the wheat germ. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and blend until just mixed. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans, dividing it evenly. Bake for 40-50 minutes. The bread is done when the top springs back after being pressed in the center with fingertips.

I’ve never celebrated Chinese New Years, but I may start with these delicate pineapple tarts from kokken69! Check out kokken69‘s recipe and images below and get a head start on the celebration!

Suggestions by me!

Recipe :
Pastry (Adapted from Ju’s Recipe)

200g            All purpose flour
50g              Corn flour
1 tbsp          Icing sugar
1/4 tsp         Salt
140g            Butter
2                  Egg yolks
1/2tsp          Vanilla extract
1.5 tbsp       Cold water

1 egg yolk for glazing

Method :
1. Sift flour,corn flour,icing sugar and salt together in a mixing bowl. Refrigerate for 5 mins. (Strainer-Sifter from Crate & Barrel)
2. Cut chilled butter into cubes.
3. Add cubed butter into flour and work the butter into the butter with finger tips until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
4. Mix egg yolks, vanilla extract and cold water together in a cup. Add this to (3). Work briskly with finger tips to mix the liquid with the flour. Gather the dough into a ball and refrigerate for 10-15 mins.
5. Roll out dough to 0.8mm thickness. Cut dough with pineapple tart cutter. (Ateco Linzer Tart Cookie Cutter)
6. Brush egg yolk glaze over the cut dough.
7. Place a ball of pineapple jam on the dough.
8. Bake at 160C for 20mins. Cool down and store in air tight containers.

Pineapple Jam (Please refer to Wendy’s post if you need more details)
Recipe
1000g         Semi ripe pineapple, cut into chunks and puree in a blender. (Cuisinart SmartPower Blender)
150g             Castor sugar
1                   Lime juice
2                   Twigs of cinnamon

Method
1. Place pureed pineapple into a large heavy pot.
2. Add lime juice, and cinnamon. Heat over medium heat until 80% of moisture has evaporated. Stirring occasionally.
3. Add sugar. Stir once and leave to reduce further over medium -low heat until jam is 90% dry.
4. Increase heat and continue heating for another 10mins. Stirring 2-3 times to avoid burning.
5. Reduce heat to low and further dry up jam.
6. Remove from heat and cool down completely.

So, I gave up sugar–I’m trying to get to being a bit more toned! But of course, as soon as the regiment starts, all I can think about are crispy, crunchy sugar cookies. Please make these for me!

Image and recipe via Marzipan and suggestions by me!

Brown Sugar and Spice Cookies

from Domino Sugar

1 cup firmly packed Light Brown Sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (or nutmeg if you prefer)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with Silpats or parchment.

Beat brown sugar and butter in large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until creamy.

Stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves and salt; gradually add to sugar mixture. Beat until combined. (Try this Chrome Dualit Professional Hand Mixer)

On well-floured surface, roll out half of dough at a time to 1/8-1/4 inch thickness. Cut into shapes with floured cookie cutters. (Star shaped cookie cutters will do the trick!) Bake on prepared cookie sheets 12-15 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

It’s the holiday season… you know what that means… Turkey Time!  My family is really small–there are just three of us, so it never makes sense to make a large turkey, but we do need something substantial to remind us that it is the holiday season!  These Turkey Meatloaf Muffins from blogger, For the Love of Cooking are perfection!

Find the recipe here.  Some items you may need before you get started:

1. Skillet like this Le Creuset Cast Iron 12-Inch Skillet.

2. Muffin tray like this Faberware Muffin Pan

3. Ice cream scoop like this Crate & Barrel Stainless Steel Ice Cream Scoop

Blogger, Everybody Likes Sandwiches put up a recipe for Apple & Sour Cherry Pie with crumb topping and I just about licked the computer screen. So beautiful, earthy, and screams autumn.

Here is Everybody Likes Sandwiches‘ recipe with kitchen recommendations by me!

apple & sour cherry pie with crumble topping

pie crust:
(crust adapted from Simply Recipes)
2 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 t salt
2 T sugar
3/4 c unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
1/2 c all-vegetable shortening
6-8 T ice water (Tovolo Perfect Cube Ice Cube Trays)

filling:
3 apples, peeled & sliced (Peel Away Apple Peeler)
2 c sour cherries
1 T rum
1/2 c sugar
2 T flour
2 t ground cinnamon
large pinch of ground nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves

crumble topping:
1/4 c flour
1/4 c oatmeal
1/4 c brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
3 T cold butter, cubed

1. Combine the flour, salt & sugar in a large bowl and give everything a good stir with a whisk. Add in the butter and use your fingers to break it down into a coarse oat-looking concoction – the largest butter lumps should be the size of small small peas. Add one tablespoon of water at a time, using a wooden spoon to start to gather the mixture into dough. Stop at 6 tablespoons (Williams-Sonoma Collapsible Measuring Cups and Spoons). Use your hands to create a ball. Too dry? Add one more tablespoon and try again. You don’t want the dough to be sticky or wet. It should be fairly dry but should hold together. Divide dough into 2 equal sized balls and wrap each ball of dough in parchment paper or plastic wrap. Flatten each dough ball with your palm into a 4 inch disc and refrigerate 2 hours. You’ll only need 1 pie dough circle for this recipe. You can use the other remaining pie dough to create another pie or freeze a well-wrapped dough for up to 3 months.

2. Preheat oven to 400F.

3. Place one chilled dough disc onto a very lightly floured silpat mat or piece of parchment paper. Place another silpat mat or parchment over top and roll out your dough. No need to flour your rolling pin (Sur La Table Rolling Pin) since your pin won’t touch the dough. When the dough is about 1.5-2 inches wider than your 9″ pie plate, stop rolling. Remove the top layer of parchment/silpat and gently grab the bottom layer and place into pie plate so that the dough is roughly centered. Remove the remaining paper/silpat and tap the dough into place

4. Using the end of a butter knife (Charlemagne Butter Knife) , create a decorative edge using 2 fingers pointing inwards to the pie and the knife end pointing out in between your 2 fingers. This creates a scalloped edge. You may have to trim your edges and patch up any tears with the remaining scraps. Or you can crimp with a fork. Place pie dough in the fridge. Phew! That wasn’t so hard, was it? Now let’s get started with the filling!

5. In a large bowl, combine all the filling ingredients, giving everything a good stir. Set aside.

6. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the flour to the cinnamon. Cut in the butter cubes and use your hands to blend the butter into the dry mixture. Create nice sized crumbs. If the mixture is too greasy, add in more flour. If it’s too dry, cut in some more butter. Set aside.

7. Remove chilled pie crust from the fridge and add in the apple/sour cherry filling. Lightly pack topping over the filling and place pie on a baking sheet covered with silpat or parchment. Bake pie on baking sheet until topping is golden, about 35 minutes – cover the crust edges with foil if necessary to prevent over-browning. Reduce oven temperature to 350F. Bake until apples in center are tender when pierced and filling is bubbling thickly on the edges, about 25-35 minutes longer. Cool until warm, about 1 hour. Serve with ice cream or whipping cream.

Oprah does it again!

image via Veggie 101

Ingredients:

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer (Kitchen Aid 5-qt Artisan Design Series) , on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in zests and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add half of dry ingredients, a little at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add crème fraîche and beat just until smooth. Add remaining dry ingredients and beat just until combined.

Transfer batter to pan and smooth top with a spatula (RSVP Spatula). Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until cake tests done in center.

In a medium bowl, stir confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until well combined.

Transfer cake to a wire rack and allow to cool 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan, cool completely on rack, and drizzle with glaze.

Dear Martha Steward Living,

How do you make everything so perfect? How easy and delicious does this Chicken Tetrazzini look?

Serves 8

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced inch thick
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 pound linguine, broken in half
• 1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat shredded (about 4 cups)
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed and drained

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (Martha Stewart Collection Red Enameled Cast Iron Round Pot, 7 Qt.). In a large saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over high heat. Add mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing frequently (OXO® Stainless and Nylon Tongs), until tender and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, and set aside.
2. Make sauce: In same saucepan, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add flour; cook, whisking, about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, gradually add milk, broth, and wine. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and add 2 cups Parmesan and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Cook pasta 2 minutes less than package instructions for al dente; drain (MIU 4-qt. Colander) and return to pot. Add sauce, chicken, peas, and mushrooms. Toss well to combine. Divide between two shallow 2-quart baking dishes; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Freeze (see below) or bake until browned, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
4. To freeze: After placing pasta mixture in baking dishes and sprinkling with Parmesan (step 3), cool to room temperature. Cover tightly with aluminum foil, and freeze up to 3 months.
   To bake from frozen: Bake, covered with foil, at 400 degrees, until center is warm, about 2 hours. Uncover, and bake until top is browned, about 20 minutes more. Serve.
   To bake from thawed: Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Bake, covered with foil, at 400 degrees, until center is warm, about 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake until top is browned, about 20 minutes.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Chicken Tetrazzini – Martha Stewart Recipes

Ginger cookies are so perfect for fall! They’re deliciously spicy and chewy. Blogger Fig & Kindle posted a simple and delicious recipe that I am looking forward to trying this weekend! Find recipe here:

Chewy Cinnamon-Ginger Molasses Cookies

Here are some suggested items by me to make your Ginger Cookie experience much easier!

Microplane Grater-Zester from Crate & Barrel

Crate & Barrel Strainer-Sifter

Zak Designs Gemini Medium 3-Quart Medium Black Bowl, a heat proof bowl

Say it isn’t so! I’ve never seen croissants so perfectly baked at home,  but Tracey from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures did just that! I’m so jealous and terrified that if I ever attempted this recipe my croissants would go up in flames. For you brave bread souls:

Find the formidable recipe at Tracey’s Culinary Adventures!

Some things you’ll need:

Rolling Pin (J.K. Adams High Roller Gourmet Rolling Pin Individual Pieces Cookware)

Ruler (12-1/4″ long x 2″ Wide Aluminum Ruler)

Knife (Harold Import Company TBCL Cooking Knife 15 Centimeters)

Cannelle et Vanille is one of my favorite blogs out there. It’s written by Aran and wonderfully styled, photographed and curated. She has a true artist’s sensibility and I never walk away from her blog without feeling totally amazed and absolutely incapable!

This is an image from her post “Pear, Hazelnut and Brown Butter Cakes”.

Here is her recipe with suggestions by me!

“Pear, Hazelnut and Brown Butter Cakes
makes a dozen mini bundtcakes
1 cup (125 grams) superfine brown rice flour
1/2 cup (50 grams) hazelnut flour
2 Tbs (20 grams) tapioca starch
1/8 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
10 Tbs (140 grams) unsalted butter, browned
1/3 cup (85 grams) brown sugar
1/3 cup (100 grams) maple syrup
1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
2 eggs
2 pears, grated
1 cup (200 grams) superfine sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Place the butter in a small saucepan (Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Saucepan) and cook it until the milk solids start to turn brown on the bottom of the pan and smells nutty. Strain it and let it cool slightly.

In a large bowl (Sur La Table White Stoneware Batter Bowl), whisk together the first seven ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, maple syrup, eggs and vanilla bean. Add the cooled brown butter and whisk. Add the liquids to the dry ingredients and whisk until incorporated. Fold in the grated pears.

Divide the batter in the mini bundt pan mold (Wilton Excelle Elite 6-Cup Mini Bundt Pan). Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes.

Let them cool for a couple of minutes in the pan. Remove the cakes from the pan and toss them in the cinnamon sugar.