Meyer Lemon and Pistachio Shortbread

Every year, around Christmas time, I get this craving for pistachios. It must come from my childhood memories. Every year, my mom, sister and I made a point to ALWAYS get my father a selection of nuts from a local nut shop. Of course, we always had to make sure there were pistachios in the box. We actually usually got enough to last a month. I think Dad always thought he was extra special, when in reality, it was for us to snack on during the days to come. That fact does not diminish his awesomeness, by any means, because eating the pistachios was always more fun because I did it with him. I think my craving was stronger this year since I wasn't able to make it home and I was a bit homesick.


It just so happened that a friend of mine was having a procedure a few weeks ago, and I wanted to send something to help with the recovery. I started to go through my list of recipes I've been waiting for the right time to make and came across these. They were perfect...quick, easy and shippable, not to mention they were pistachio!


These definitely hit the spot and the care package was well received. I'm hoping to make these again soon and ship some off to my Dad.

Meyer Lemon and Pistachio Shortbread (Adapted from Cannelle et Vanille)

Ingredients
227 grams (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
60 grams (1/2 cup) powdered sugar
2 Tbsp meyer lemon juice
zest of 2 large meyer lemons
4 grams (about 2/3 tsp) fine sea salt
60 grams (1/2 cup) pistachios, finely chopped
280 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour

Directions

In a large bowl, cream the butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add the lemon juice and zest and cream for an additional minute until smooth. Add flour and salt and mix until just combined. Add the chopped pistachios and mix until well blended.

Divide the dough into two parts, and roll each into a log about 2-inches in diameter. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and referigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. When the dough is chilled, use a sharp knife to cut 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch thick disks from the log. Bake on a parchment covered cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden.

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As you can tell, I've been a little distracted and my baking has become sporadic at best, and my blogging non-existent. Well, I think I have a very good reason, as we've had an addition to the family...well 3 to be exact. Last August, we found 5 kittens under our back deck, the results of strays in the neighborhood.


They were only 4 weeks old and had to be bottle-fed for awhile, but since everyone has found their homes and we're not outnumbered by cats any more (one is my sister's), things seem to be looking up. I hope you start to see a lot more of me.

Blueberry Cobbler

Blueberries are one of my favorite berries. I've been known to pick up a pint at the farmer's market that stops by work and just snack throughout the afternoon. The husband doesn't like it so much because he knows by just looking at me (I don't know how he does it!) and is upset when nothing comes home for him. However, I managed to snack on something else a few weeks ago and brought home a nice quart of blueberries to help celebrate the hub's birthday.


Yes, the hub's birthday is at the end of June and I'm just getting around to posting this. It's not for lack of tastiness as I thought this was awesome. S thought the blueberries were a bit to sweet so I might be more aware of the original sweetness of the berries before adding all the sugar, but the cardamom in the biscuit batter made for a nice spice to offset the sweetness. This was my first time using caradmom and I really enjoyed it. It's unlike anything I've used before and despite a little spill across the kitchen floor, it won't be the last. I actually used cardamom seeds and ground them myself in our new grinder. It worked out very well and the aroma filled the kitchen for the evening.

Blueberry Cobbler (Adapted from Gourmet Magazine via Foodnetwork.com)
Makes 4-5 servings

Ingredients
2 cups blueberries, rinsed and dried
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cornstarch
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp ground cardamom
pinch of salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions
~Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
~Butter an 8-inch glass pie plate.
~In a large bowl, toss blueberries, sugar, zest, lemon juice and cornstarch until well mixed. Transfer blueberry mixture to the pie plate.
~Bake blueberry mixture for 5-7 minutes, using a cookie sheet under the pie plate to catch any blueberry mixture that bubbles over.
~Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt until mixed.
~Add cream, and stir until a dough forms.
~Drop dough into 5 mounds on top of blueberries.
~Return to oven and bake for another 20-25 minutes until the biscuits are cooked through and golden.

Enjoy!

Where, Oh Where have I been?

I apologize for being missing for so long. I'm not really sure where I've been. To be honest, I've been in a slump. I haven't produced anything wonderful lately, and I hesitate sharing anything less than what I find spectacular, because you deserve that. But it's not just a baking and photography slump, but a life slump. However, I seem to be on the mend mentally and will have some posts coming soon.

In the meantime, I want to say that I belong to a wonderful community of foodies on the What's Cooking board on the Nest. I haven't been there very long, but these group of people are so kind and caring. I love how we have come together to help a friend, most of us have never met.

Joe and Brook
A fellow Nestie and her husband have had a rough road these past few months, including fertility issues, multiple health scares, and three beautiful but very premature children. And although I have never met them, Brooke and Joe are amazing people with strength and faith I'm not sure I would have if I were in their shoes. You can read their amazing story on their blog at threecheersforbabies.blogspot.com.

Lily
Charlie
Annaleigh
These precious babies were born at 25 weeks and 5 days. The have shown tremendous determination in their first month of life, but they will be in the NICU for at least 2 more months. Due to Brooke's health scares, she had to stop working far sooner than expected and in addition to three children, I'm sure the medical costs are adding up fast. The wonderful community on the Nest have pulled together to help this wonderful family out.

I know that times are tough, but I wanted to show my support for these great people. I've added a link to a Chip In Page and if you're able to donate some spare change, I'm sure the family would be more than appreciative.

Have a wonderful evening and please give those you love an extra hug tonight.

Yogurt Mousse Cake

I have been eyeing The Cake Book cookbook for some time now. Lucky for me, I was eyeing it on my friends bookshelf. My friend is a professional chef, so the wealth of knowledge is unbelievable. It's probably one of my favorite past times to just cuddle up with a blanket and read cookbooks, imaging having the time to make all of the recipes in the books and those that I think of when the creative juices get flowing. One day I was hijacking my friends couch and cookbooks and found this cake. My friend was practically salivating when I was showing her this cake, as she is a dairy freak. Literally, I've seen her suck a milk carton basically inside out for the last drop of milk. Classy I tell you!

It just so happened to be close to her birthday, so I decided that a wonderful way to celebrate would be to stuff ourselves full of this cake. This cake was delicious. The cake was light and airy and the yogurt provided the perfect amount of tartness to complement the sweetness of the cake. The recipe originally calls for Earl Grey tea to be used to flavor the syrup to brush the cake layers, but I used Irish Breakfast and it was absolutely delicious. The light fresh flavors make this cake perfect for the spring. I will definitely be making this again.

Yogurt Mousse Cake (Adapted from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle)
Makes 8-10 servings

Ingredients

Classic Genoise
1 cup (3.5 oz) sifted cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
6 large eggs
3/4 cup (5.3 oz) sugar
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled in a 1 cup capacity bowl

Syrup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 Irish Breakfast tea bag
1 tsp lemon juice

Yogurt Mousse
2 cups plain organic whole milk yogurt
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups plus 1/3 cup heavy cream, divided
2 tsp unflavored powdered gelatin
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Honeyed Raspberries
2 Tbsp honey
6 oz fresh raspberries

Directions

Make the Classic Genoise
~ Position the rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of one 9x3-inch springform pan or two 9x2 round cake pans. Dust the pan(s) with flour and set aside.
~ Sift together the flour and salt in a medium bowl and stir to combine.
~ In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the eggs and sugar by hand. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the mixing bowl. Constantly stir the mixture and heat until the eggs are warm. Transfer to the bowl to the electric mixer and, using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until the mixture has tripled in volume, about 8 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the lemon zest and vanilla extract.
~Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture over the egg mixture and gently fold it in with a rubber spatula. Repeat sifting and folding in flour two more times.
~ Transfer about 3/4 cup of the batter into the melted butter. Stir until blended. Return to batter and fold in. Transfer batter to the prepared pan(s).
~If using 9-inch springform pan, bake for 25 to 30 minutes and if using two 9-inch cake pans, bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the tops spring back when lightly touched and cake tester inserted into center comes out clean.
~Cool the cake(s) in the pan(s) on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
~Invert cake(s) onto the wire rack and cool completely.

STORAGE: Store at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to a week.

Make the Syrup
~Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Stir constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture comes to a boil. Remove the saucepan from heat and add tea bag. Allow syrup to steep for 15 minutes.
~Remove the tea bag, making sure to extract any remaining liquid from the bag. Stir in the lemon juice. Allow mixture to cool.

Make the Yogurt Mousse
~Line a strainer with 2 layers of cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Add yogurt and let drain at room temperature for about an hour.
~Move drained yogurt (just over 1 cup) into a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Add lemon zest and vanilla extract and whisk to combine.
~In a small heatproof cup, put 1/3 cup heavy cream. Sprinkle gelatin over the cream to bloom (soften). Add 1 cup water to a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to water to a simmer.
~Meanwhile, in a large bowl beat the remaining 1 1/2 cup heavy cream until soft mounds begin to form. Slowly add confectioners' sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Be careful to not over beat.
~Place the cup with the cream and gelatin into the saucepan of simmering water. Stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Pour the gelatin into the yogurt and whisk until blended. Gently fold the yogurt mixture into the whipped cream.

Assemble the Cake
~Using a serrated knife, cut each layer of the Classic Genoise into 2 horizontal layers. (If making Genoise in a 9x3-inch springform pan, cut into 4 layers. You will only need 3 layers, so the remaining fourth layer can be yours to snack on!) Place a small amount of yogurt mousse on a cake board or cake plate to help prevent slippage. Place one layer, cut side up and brush the layer generously with the syrup, using about 1/3 of the syrup. Place about 1 1/2 cups of the yogurt mousse on the cake layer. Using an offset spatula, spread mousse to the edge of the cake layer. Top with second cake layer, cut side up, and brush with 1/3 of the syrup. Spread another 1 1/2 cups of the yogurt mousse over the cake layer. Place the final layer on top, cut side up and brush with remaining syrup. Frost the cake with the remaining mousse by placing it on the top of the cake and spreading over the top and sides. Refrigerate the cake while preparing the honeyed raspberries.

Preparing the Honeyed Raspberries
~Warm the honey in the microwave (about 10 seconds on high power) or in a small saucepan over low heat. In a medium bowl, pour the warm honey over the berries. Gently toss the berries until they are evenly coated with the honey. Arrange the berries in the center of the cake, piling them up. They will start to clump as they cool.

If desired, serve cake slices drizzled with mint syrup (below).

STORAGE: Store in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for up to 3 days.

Mint Syrup
1/4 cup loosely packed mint leaves
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp water

~Combine all the ingredients in blender or small food processor and process until mint is finely chopped. Transfer the syrup to a plastic squeeze bottle for easy plating.

STORAGE: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Enjoy!

Outrageous Brownies!

I think this brownie recipe was made for Ray. Ray is my coworker and a very close friend and loves to tell how he likes to make brownies and mid-way through baking, take them out and hit the pan on the counter to make a really dense brownie. Well today is Ray's birthday and I wanted to make something for him that he would really really enjoy. Happy Birthday Ray!

I am not the hugest chocolate fan, especially in baked goods, but these brownies do live up to their name...they are definitely outrageous. They are extremely dense but melt in your mouth. The walnuts provide a nice contrast in texture. The coffee lends a subtle flavor under the main chocolate attraction. And they have just the right amount of sugar to keep my sweet tooth happy while still providing a rich, tasty treat.

I will warn you that this recipe makes a lot of batter and a really large bowl is needed to make these. I had to switch out bowls when I things got to be too much. I made a full recipe and used 2 9x13 pans which seemed to work well. You can easily halve this recipe and bake in 1 9x13 pan.

Ina's Outrageous Brownies (from Ina Garten via Food Network)
Makes 20 large or about 40 smaller brownies, depending on cutting preference

1 pound unsalted butter, softened
1 pound plus 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips (divided into 1 pound for melting and 12 oz chips)
6 oz unsweetended chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
3 Tbsp instant coffee powder
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (1 cup for batter, 1/4 cup mixed with nuts and chocolate chip)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
3 cups diced walnut pieces (I roasted whole walnuts for about 8 min before cooling and dicing)

Directions
~Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 x 18 x 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.
~Melt together the butter, 1 pound of semisweet chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly. In a large bowl, stir together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla, and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.
~Stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips with 1/4 cup flour to coat. Then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan.
~Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie batter. Do not over-bake. Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.

Enjoy!

A Flock of Peeps

Growing up, I really really disliked Peeps. And I mean really. Probably because the only ones we had in the house were from last year, since my mom liked them rock hard. However after seeing this post on Erin's Food Files, I thought I get in the spring spirit and try these.

These were quite easy to make, although these photos are from my second batch because I changed my technique a bit and thought these were significantly better. The first batch, I followed the piping directions from Erin's blog and accentuated the tail, but I felt the two-peice chicks left somthing to desire. With the second batch, I did one continuous motion, starting at the tail, piping a 1 inch wide oval. At the front of the chick, I raised the tip and continued to pipe while forming the head. Then I started to reduce the pressure on the bag and brought the tip down to form the beak.

I did use a piping bag with Wilton tip # 1A (about a 1/2-inch wide), but a ziploc bag with a corner cut off will work just as well. I would suggest pulsing your sugar crystals in a food processor a bit to get a finer texture. I did this with the second batch and I felt it was a much more pleasurable experience to eat.

It's an added bonus to say these are fat-free. (Ignore the whole empty calorie thing)

Marshmallow (From Martha Stewart, seen on Erin's Food File)

1 pkg unflavored gelatin (2 1/2 tsp)
1/3 cup cold water
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar

Directions
~In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle gelatin over 1/3 cup cold water. Let gelatin sit for about 5 minutes to soften.
~Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, mix 1/4 cup water and sugar. Heat over medium heat, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved. Stop stirring to prevent sugar crystals from forming, and place candy thermometer in sugar syrup. Wipe sides of saucepan with a wet brush to if sugar cyrstals have splashed onto the sids. Boil sugar until the syrup reaches the soft ball stage (238 degrees).
~Remove from heat and add to gelatin. Gently stir the mixture to combine and cool slightly. With the whisk attachment, beat on medium high speed until soft peaks form and the marshmallow holds its shape, about 8 to 10 minutes.
~Transfer marshmallow to a large piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip and use immediately.

To form Chicks
~Sprinkle some coating sugar on the bottom of a lipped baking sheet.
~Pipe a 1-inch wide oval that is about 2 inches long. At the end of the oval, continue piping while raising the tip to form the head. Slightly move the tip back towards the tail of the chick. After the head is formed, bring the tip forward and down while releasing the pressure to form the beak.
~If desired, coat your finger tips with some confectioner's sugar and use your fingers to form more of a tail on your chicks.
~Immediately pour more sugar over the chick. Using a small icing spatula, lift more sugar onto uncovered spots on the chick. (I also used the spatula to prepare small mounds of sugar to turn the chicks into to help get complete coverage)
~Move completed chicks to another cookie sheet to allow to set.
~Use either royal icing or cocoa powder mixed with water. I applied the cocoa mixture with the tip of a toothpick.

~You'll probably be able to have to soften the marshmallow in the microwave a couple times in the process to keep it pipeable. I reheated it for 10 seconds and the consistancy returned, but it's best to work fast.

Almond Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling

These were the second type of cupcakes that I made for my monthly Stamp Camp. I think these were my favorite, only because I love almond and cream cheese. I mean, what's not to love.

The cakes were sweet and light. The almond wasn't overpowering but complimented the raspberry filling well. I think the only thing I would change is to not add Amaretto to the frosting, but actually add almond extract to bring more consistent flavor throughout the entire cupcake.

Almond Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling (Adapted from Apple a Day)

Makes 24 cupcakes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter, at room temperature (1 1/2 sticks)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp almond extract

1 cup milk

5 egg whites, at room temperature

1 cup raspberry preserves, slightly melted

Directions

~Place oven rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Prepare pans by lining with cupcake holders.

~In a medium bowl, add flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk to combine and aerate.

~In a large bowl, beat butter until fluffy on medium-high speed.

~Gradually add sugar to butter, and cream until well combined. Beat in vanilla and almond extracts.

~Reduce mixer speed to low and alternately add flour and milk into batter until just combined, in 3 batches.

~In a seperate bowl and with clean beaters, whip egg whites into stiff peaks.

~Fold the egg whites into the batter in three batches. With a spatula, mix the first batch in to lighten the batter. With the remaining batches, fold carefully, trying not deflat the batter.

~Using a standard-size ice cream scoop or large spoon, divide batter into cupcake liners.

~Bake approximately 20 minutes until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing and continue to cool on racks.

~Once cool, remove a small cone of cupcake from the center. Add raspberry preserves with a piping bag or a spoon.

~Top with cream cheese frosting (to follow) and garnish with a fresh raspberry or toasted sliced almonds.

Cream Cheese Frosting (Adapted from Apple A Day)

16 oz cream cheese, softened

6 Tbsp butter, softened (3/4 stick)

1 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp almond extract (I used Amaretto but probably should have used the extract)

Directions

~In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter together on medium-high speed.

~Beat in vanilla and almond extracts.

~Reduce speed and add confectioner's sugar a spoonful at a time.

Store compiled cupcakes in air-tight container in refrigerator for up to a day. Bring to room temperature before serving. Enjoy!