Dave Bakes

The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie I Ever Had!

2012-01-18T11:28:00.000-08:00

Luckily, I do not need to be on a gluten-free diet, but I do know some people that are, and so I always like to try out recipes that claim to be close to their gluten-laden counterparts. This one did not disappoint. If someone made these for me and said they were made with regular wheat flour, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. In other words, they weren't pale in color, they weren't grainy, or too cakey, and they didn't have any sort of aftertaste.

It's from a book called "Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cookies" by Alice Medrich, and it has so many classic recipes, but with different hints that maximize qualities that one often looks for in these types of baked goods., such as refrigerating cookie dough overnight, or putting the brownie pan in an ice bath to keep it gooey on the inside. I will likely be making more cookies and bars real soon.

The recipe called for xanthan gum, which I did have to buy at a special grocery store (Puget Consumer's Co-op), not Safeway or QFC. It also called for brown rice flour, potato starch, and oat flour. Bob's Red Mill (BRM) offers all of these products, but I do know that even while a regular-type grocery store often carries BRM flours, they often don't carry all the products offered by BRM.

Homemade Oreos

2011-11-23T15:47:00.000-08:00

I made these a few days ago, using this recipe.

I wasn't as pleased as I thought I would be with them. I guess my expectations that they were going to taste just like the store-bought version was extremely high. Oh well.

the color of matcha

2011-09-18T21:52:00.000-07:00

Matcha Cookies!!

Sorry, I haven't posted in quite a long time. I was making stuff here and there, but never picked up a camera just to document it, simply because they were things that I've either made before, or that many other people have made before. But I figured that it may take awhile before I make anything that is strictly mine, so I decided to go ahead and post about these cookies. You can find the recipe here.

Cardamom Coffee Cake

2011-04-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

This is widely made, but usually in a 10-inch Bundt pan. It is orginally from the Moosewood Restaurant Cookbooks, by Mollie Katzen. I made one in a 9-inch cake pan by halfing the recipe. I think next time, though, I will obey the recipe and NOT sprinkle the nut/sugar mixture on top, because some of the walnuts were slightly burnt on the top, which was kinda nasty. It still came out rich and dense, though, with a very rich golden brown color! I think Cardamom has become my favorite flavor.

oops, I did it again!

2011-03-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

No, I am not a Britney fan. I'm referring to the fact that every time I try to bake a cake for myself for my birthday, it fails. This year was no different. This year's mishap was Banana Coconut Cake. Too heavy, and the frosting was basically Whipped Cream with rum. It did not hold the heaviness of the cake, which didn't have a good or strong enough banana flavor. It wasn't bad, just not that good. It was kinda like eating banana bread with whipped cream. I will say that this year was different in that at least it wasn't my fault; it's just that the recipe wasn't that good.

So anyway, I thought I'd post about something completely not baking related...moss terrariums!

Being that I planned to do this last fall and now today was my birthday, I decided it was time to get it done. So first I got the cookie jar from Goodwill(for $2!), then went to an aquarium store in the International District, where they sell charcoal in bulk by the pound! Then I went to Lowe's to get some soil. I was all set, except for the moss! I was able to find tons of moss bordering the property where I live! It took me about five minutes to set up, and I'm really happy how it turned out. The porcelin pig figurine was a rummage sale find from last week.

is it a pie? is it a cake? no, it's le gateau breton aux pommes!

2011-02-06T21:23:00.001-08:00

Breton Apple Pie. It's very French. So happy I finally made this! I added a few things to the Nick Malgieri recipe from his book The Modern Baker. I added a couple of tablespoons of lemon zest, about a tablespoon of ground ginger and 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, and finally about 6 Tablespoons of Laird's Apple Jack Brandy!

madeleine please!

2011-01-09T20:41:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to make these, and so I thought I'd start with what seemed like a basic recipe, but with a little oomph!

From foodnetwork.com, madeleines using browned butter! I only had three eggs instead of four, but that didn't seem to matter at all!

the best pumpkin pie ever!!

2010-11-25T14:46:00.001-08:00

I multiplied the recipe by 1.5, because I bought these unusual pie pans that were 11.5 inches in diameter. It seemed to work out fine.

chocolate mini cupcakes with peanut butter buttercream

2010-11-22T19:25:00.000-08:00

recipe here. Except I made them minis here. Gotta be careful with the oven time, though. I think I burned a few of them at the bottom. Still good, just not as good.

LOBSTER ROLL!

2010-11-09T12:56:00.000-08:00

These are popular on the east coast, and are basically more of a summer food.
They vary depending on which coastal state you buy them at. I made a couple of these over the weekend because a friend of mine visited Massachusetts and brought back a couple of live ones for us! Becaause they were live, I decided to make something simple; I didn't want to make something with many other ingredients that might cover or distract from the freshness of the lobsters.

So, my bread choice was a hoagy roll, rather than a thicker, denser, more rustic bread, which would've been too much. I also just slightly seasoned the meat with a little salt and pepper and about a teaspoon on mayonnaise and a very minute pinch of dill. I buttered the sides of the hoagy roll and toasted them on a skillet. I didn't think I was going to like these as much as I did, so I had to post about them here, even though they are not a baked good.

Happy Diwali!!

2010-11-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

I made pistachio cardamom brittle. From a facebook recipe.
I didn't see it as a traditional Diwali recipe, but I like cardamom alot, so there.

witch finger shortbread cookies

2010-11-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

Simply google witch finger cookie recipe, and you'll find many variations, but I think the ones that call for whole unblanched almonds for the nail portion of the finger look the creepiest. I would forgo the fake blood part, because it tends to look fake. That's all.

slow-cook your cheesecake!

2010-10-11T22:05:00.000-07:00

This is a cheesecake recipe you can slow-cook. It takes twenty minutes to assemble, and about four hours to steam and cool, plus at least four more hours to refrigerate. You need to have a springform pan small enough to fit into you slow-cooker. It's so smooth and creamy, but doesn't need gelatin like other cheesecakes I've made with similar consistency, and it also isn't as heavy or cakey as an oven-baked cheesecake. It was well worth the time.

Urban Rest Stop's 10th Birthday Party

2010-09-13T20:08:00.000-07:00

a fan of flan

2010-08-24T06:26:00.000-07:00

flan of the morning to ya!

I get so many happy memories of family when I see/make/eat flan. My first encounter with the dessert was as a small child with my parents, and my dad eating this weird golden yellow egg-like thing that was like jell-o, but with some sweet, brown juice with it! It was also the first time I saw my dad drinking adult beverages. He called it leche plan, because that's how filipinos say "flan". It was such a weird and wonderful mystery.

This is from the same recipe as last time, only I'm glad I didn't forget the sugar in the flan part of the recipe. (which wasn't too bad, except it was kind of like eating an vanilla flavored omelet with my cake!)

Oh, I added more orange zest to the cake, and cointreau instead of rum, to give the cake more orange flavor. I like oranges with strawberries! All it needs now is some whipped cream, but it's too early to wake up the neighbors with my electric mixer. (We have thin walls.)

meet ducky #3!

2010-08-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

Finally, I think I have the right look for the cake. Cartoony still, but ducky number 3 has his head held high and a definitely smile. Two things I realized the last duck lacked.

cartoon ducky

2010-08-12T20:08:00.000-07:00

I decided to follow the advice of a cake decorating guru, and combine equal amounts of gumpaste with sugarpaste or fondant, and to knead it for about 10 minutes before shaping it. The result is a smoother figurine. And I think the cartoonish ducks are happier looking, if not just more entertaining.

lonesome ducky

2010-08-11T22:48:00.000-07:00

I'm in the process of figuring out how best to make a cake
(and cake figurines) in honor of this place. The place uses
the rubber ducky as a symbol. I offered to make a cake for
their 10 year anniversary party. This figurine is about 2 oz.
and took me alot longer to form than I'd care to admit, but
I think I'm going for this look instead of something with
bigger, more cartoonish features.

flan cake w/ whipped cream

2010-08-08T18:51:00.000-07:00

I doubled this recipe, but, instead of a 14" cake pan, which would've been double the volume needed for the recipe, I used a 12" cake pan, because I wanted thicker cake and flan layers.

For the flan recipe, I omitted the orange rind, and added it to the cake recipe instead. For the cake recipe, I used frozen orange concentrate instead of orange juice, and used cointreau (orange liqueur) in place of the rum. I also baked the flan for about 20 minutes then added the cake batter on top and baked it further for about 25 more minutes.

When I took it out of the oven, the cake top was fairly golden brown, and was fully baked, so I don't know if the time given in the recipe has been tested out. It seems like would've been too much time.

For the topping, I simply made whipped cream with 1 cup whipping cream, 2 Tablespoons sugar, and 2 tsp vanilla.

It was only after trying it that I realized that I forgot to add sugar to the flan part. OOps! Still, I may make this again, possibly adding fruit of some sort or one other component, maybe something crunchy.

the beauty...

2010-08-05T23:05:00.000-07:00

...of this recipe, by Gale Gand, is its simplicity. Dark, not-too-sweet, moist, chocolate cake accompanied by a sweet caramel, highlighted by toasted coconut and roasted macadamia nuts. When you use a one-inch diameter cylindrical cutter, it makes it a bite size morsel serving, which 1)makes it easier to excuse eating two servings, but also 2)instantly makes it more elegant than a square or pie shaped serving. Make sure and warm the caramel sauce in the microwave so that it is warm and drizzles easily down the sides. I've brought this in to work a couple of times before and, like Gale mentions in her book, it is easily one of the most popular chocolate desserts I've served.

cupcakes in the morning

2010-07-24T17:18:00.000-07:00

Thursday night, I baked close to one hundred cupcakes. About 48 red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, and 48 chocolate cupcakes with strawberry cream cheese frosting. It's good to be back baking. I'll be baking cupcakes next week again. Maybe something more exciting and different.

swedish saffron rolls

2010-06-15T22:45:00.000-07:00

These were from a book called "Swedish Cakes and Cookies". The recipe calls for cottage cheese and saffron in a yeast bread that is not heavily sweet. Very basic and easy recipe, but I wish I had a way to make each piece more uniform. I doubled the recipe, and so I should've had 70, but only had 61, meaning some of the rolls were too big! Oh well...

I had to go to Guam and the PI for a family emergency, but I think I'm now back to baking. I will be moving into another apartment in the next few weeks, so may not bake during that time, until I set up the new kitchen. It's more exciting than it sounds.

brown butter roasted banana bread

2010-04-02T12:16:00.000-07:00

Think of it as accentuating the flavors of the butter and the banana. The recipe requires that you make brown butter, and roast the bananas, peel and all, first. Ity also called for whole wheat in the bread, but now I'm curious to make other things utilizing this technique of roasting the bananas and browning the butter. The result was something I would eat for breakfast everyday if I could, and it's fairly healthy.

alfajores!

2010-04-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

I decided to try once again to make my favorite cookies-Alfajores!! My first taste of them was at a taqueria in the Mission district in San Francisco a few years back. They are simply amazing! The last time I made them, I used a store bought container of cajeta for the filling; this time I heated sweetened condensed milk, stove-top method. If you do this method, make sure you puncture holes on top of the can, and be prepared to wait. It takes about 3-4 hours to carmelize! I used this alfajores recipe, which, so far, has been my favorite.

zebra cake!

2010-03-04T20:43:00.000-08:00

In saying goodbye, one caller at my work left this lovely, if not ambiguous, little gem, to one of my co-workers:

“You need to be welcoming of the zebra who may give you another entrance, or exit, where you didn’t have one.”

Which of course prompted me to google the phrase. While I didn't find anything remotely like the phrase, I did find a recipe for zebra cake in a few food/baking blogs!

So, I decided to try it out. It was easy enough to make, and one of those recipes that I think would be fun to make with a child, or a good dessert to bring to a potluck when you want to impress, but not overdo it.

One thing I want to try is to somehow increase the flavor of both the vanilla and the chocolate, maybe make it mocha, and the vanilla, maybe instead make it almond! I'll have to wait til next time. This was really good with a tall glass of ice cold (soy) milk.

Maroon and Olive

2010-02-16T10:42:00.001-08:00

I've always been attracted to the color combination of Maroon and Olive. So, for Valentine's Day, (after I made peace with the heavily marketed holiday forcing you to celebrate that which should come naturally), I wanted to make a light supper that showcased these colors.

I made Marinated Scallops Wrapped in Bacon and Cilantro Soup, from Season One of Adventures with Ruth, from the episode where she goes to Mexico, and also makes tamales! I rounded out the meal with some Champagne and Cassava Cake.

And I'm all pleased with myself that I pulled it off, and that My Valentine's Dinner wasn't a plethora of pink and red, or anything heart-shaped(not that there's anything wrong with having that, if that's what you like!) :)

cinnamon sugar churros

2010-02-15T18:24:00.000-08:00

Technically these are not baked, although that hasn't stopped me from posting in the past, so why should I start now?

I used this recipe, and made it one morning, intending to serve it for a work potluck later in the day, but decided as soon as I got to work that I needed to serve it right away, otherwise they'd probably be soggy by lunchtime!

Bibinka My Way!

2010-02-14T20:18:00.000-08:00

Cassava cake (Bibingka with macapuno)

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 bottle macapuno (12 oz jar )
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 oz butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 packet (16 oz) frozen cassava, grated
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda

I totally winged this based on this recipe. First, I sifted the baking soda with the flour, and set it aside. Then I creamed the butter with the sugar, then added the two eggs, one at a time until blended. Then I added the macapuno, milk, vanilla, and the thawed out cassavaa. I sprayed a 9 inch square baking pan with non-stick spray, then poured the batter into the pan, and placed it into a 350 degree oven for approx 50 minutes. After taking it out of the oven, I let it sit for about twenty minutes. Next time, I might serve it with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

chocolate bundt cake

2010-01-31T20:51:00.000-08:00

Do you have an old standby for chocolate cake when you need or want it in a hurry? I have an old standby when I want something that is moist and rich and all that chocolate cake has to offer, but when I don't have the time or patience for making a chocolate layer cake.

It's called Hortensia's Best-Ever Chocolate Pound Cake, and it fits the bill, and it's not too hard to make. Tonight we had it with really good Vanilla Ice Cream, but it's also good with a chocolate ganache, if you're willing to make that. I've had it with just a dusting of powdered sugar, like the picture in the link, and it's still really good like that too.

the magic of coffee in a cupcake

2010-01-21T20:49:00.000-08:00

I needed a recipe for a coffee cupcake that uses sour cream. After googling for awhile, I noticed a recipe that kept cropping up on blogs and sites, also called Mezzo mezzo cupcakes. Although I was skeptical of the recipe because it says to use a wooden spoon and to stir rapidly, it looked like it had a fair amount of coffee flavor (three tablespoons of espresso powder), plus a fair amount of sour cream for the yield (one cup for about 15 cupcakes), I decided to give it a go. I like my cupcakes fuller, with more batter per cup, so I only made 13 with the recipe.

I was surrpised with the color and look of the tops! They are probably more like muffins without the frosting, but I really like the way they look. The only problem is right now, it is about 9:30pm, and if I did try one, I'd probably end up being wide awake all night, because I'm really sensitive to caffeine in anything. I guess I have to wait til tomorrow morning...oh well.

Here's the recipe.

old fashioned beef stew!

2010-01-17T11:28:00.000-08:00

I know that this is not baking, but since when did that stop me? I just wanted to post a picture of my latest slow cooker meal. I cooked it overnight, and we had it for a late breakfast/lunch.

here's a very brief version of the recipe:
put into insert of 5 quart slow cooker: 6 yukon potatoes, quartered, 4 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces, 2 onions, quartered.

beef chuck, about three pounds, chopped, seasoned with salt and pepper, coated with some flour, browned in a skillet with some olive oil, deglazed pan afterwards with about 2 cups of a mixture of sherry, beef broth and V8. all put in the insert of the slow cooker on low for 10 hours with one bay leaf thyme, marjoram, salt and pepper. add about 2 cups of peas, and 2 cups corn, an hour before serving, and stir.

big ass banana bread!

2010-01-15T17:45:00.000-08:00

It sometimes comes in handy to have huge cake pans from having made wedding cakes. I used a 14 inch diameter round cake pan. I wanted to make banana bread huge and round. Why? To bring it into work. Why? No reason, other than it has been a stressful workweek for many at work, including myself.

I doubled a recipe I found for banana cake in a book called Savour The Pacific, A Discovery of Taste, by Annabel Langbein. Then I called it banana bread when I brought it into work. I find that it usually gets a nice reception when I tell them it's banana bread, because they usually think of banana bread as small heavy loaves, and this is somewhat lighter than a banana bread, and round! I'd put the recipe here, but only if I see it already online. I can tell you it was about quadruple times a regular banana bread loaf recipe. It had about eight bananas! It's a great book, btw. Go get it.

retro cake recipe: Tomato Soup Cake

2010-01-07T20:32:00.000-08:00

I think red velvet cake used to be considered "retro", but now that it has surged in popularity for these past several years, it doesn't seem like such a retro cake anymore. So that's what led me to make this cake, tomato soup cake, also known as mystery cake in the Joy of Cooking cookbook. I needed a retro cake for a retro themed potluck at work!

tres quesos cheesecake

2010-01-07T20:17:00.000-08:00

Tres Quesos = 3 cheeses. I really just called it that because I had 8 ounces of ricotta that I needed to use up, and 8 ounces less than the required cream cheese of this mascarpone cream cheese cheesecake recipe. I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but it seemed fine to me. I left it in the oven for an extra 20 minutes, and I suspect it has to do with the increased water content of ricotta versus cream cheese. It also developed a golden skin on its surface, which reminded me of a custard pie. I added a raspberry coulis. Basically, the coulis is just a 16-ounce bag of thawed frozen raspberries placed in a food processor with about 1/3 cup baker's sugar, blending it, and then straining it through a sieve to remove the seeds. Raspberry Coulis is my favorite, but it's kind of a pain to make. I prefer not to heat it like other recipes I've seen for raspberry sauce.

Leche Flan 2009

2009-11-28T11:09:00.001-08:00

This is from Patricia Quintana's Mexico's Feasts of Life.

Here's the recipe:

2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups water
10 eggs plus 4 yolks
2 cups sweetened condensed milk
2 cups whole milk
2 1/2 cups evaporated milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract(or use vanilla bean)

*I added 1 lb. cream cheese, softened and blended in with egg mixture. Adding cream cheese to the flan makes this "flan napolitano", according to my partner.

Prepare burnt sugar topping: Place the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan. Stir and then simmer over low heat until the sugar totally dissolves and the mixture is dark brown color.

(I actually raised the heat because it didn't brown, so I'm not sure about why it says on low heat.)

Pour the burnt sugar into a 10-inch ungreased mold, tipping the mold to evenly line the bottom. Allow to cool.

(It doesn't say how large the mold needs to be, and I suspect there is some variance allowed with this.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

Prepare the custard: Beat the egg and egg yolks. Place the three milks in a separate mixing bowl and stir well. Blend the eggs and milk, then stir in the vanilla. Pour custard into the prepared mold. Place in a larger mold or pan filled with 1 inch of water. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool, then refrigerate overnight. Unmold before serving. Serve chilled. Serves 8-12.

(When unmolding, be sure to find a platter or dish that has a rim or edge to make sure the extra fluid doesn't spill unto the table!)

Spinach Curry Stew with Rice and Cilantro

2009-11-18T22:50:00.000-08:00

I debated whether to just call it spinach curry stew, but the rice and cilantro are very much an integral and defining part of this stew. This was taken from a book called The Best 125 Meatless Main Dishes, which I've had for 10+ years. I've made it a handful of times, and, true to it's description, it "warms the soul" and "invites you to the table." The only thing I changed was that I used regular canned diced tomatoes, not low sodium canned diced tomatoes, which is what the book suggested. I also added some salt, to balance the sourness of the 1/2 cup lemon juice.

Spinach Curry Stew w/ Rice and Cilantro
yield: 4 servings

good with a crusty artisan bread.

Unsalted buter 2 T
onion 1 small, diced
garlic 3 cloves, minced
fresh ginger, grated 1 T
sherry 1 T
diced tomatoes 1 14.5 ounce can
cumin seeds 1/2 tsp. crushed
ground coriander 1/2 tsp
ground tumeric 1/2 tsp
cayenne 1/8 tsp.
whole fennel seeds 1/4 tsp. crushed
hot water 4 cups
basmati rice, uncooked 1/2 cup
spinach, frozen, 10 ounces
fr. cilantro, chopped 1/2 cup
lowfat milk 1 cup
lemon juice 1/4 cup
salt and black pepper, to taste

Melt the butter in a stockpot and saute the onion, garlic, ginger for several minutes. Add the sherry and continue to saute for about five minutes. Add the tomatoes, cumin, coriander, tumeric, cayenne, fennel. Cook 8 minutes, stirring occassionally. Puree in a blender or food processor, then return to the pan and add the water and rice. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat, and cook for 15 minutes. Add the spinach, cilantro, and milk. Heat through. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Serve immediately*

*In my case, it's for tomorrow. We have a potluck at work. In my opinion, while it does taste good immediately, it tastes even better the next day, like a lot of stews, where the flavors sit and intensify, and blend better, I think. It really goes well with some sort of crusty, artisanal bread or baguette. Enjoy!

easy candied yams (or sweet potatoes)

2009-10-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

Perfect for Thanksgiving.

First you'll need about six medium sized sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into ½ inch slices. Boiled for about 15-20 minutes until soft to a fork. Arrange in baking dish and set aside

In small sauce pan, add: one stick butter, about a cup brown sugar, ¼ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp nutmeg, about half a cup maple syrup, pinch salt, ¼ cup half and half or cream. Melt and bring to boil. Pour evenly over yams in baking dish. Top with nuts. Bake at 375 F for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and add marshmallows and put back for about 10 minutes. Top with toasted coconut if desired.

the autumn apple

2009-09-28T07:51:00.000-07:00

What fruit do you associate with fall?

I don't know why, other than I think it has to do with caramel apples and bobbing for apples on Halloween, and Halloween is in the fall, and so I associate apples with autumn, even though they are available pretty much year round.

I made these using this recipe for the cupcake, and pretty much winged the buttercream recipe. This is what I think I put in the buttercream: 2 sticks of butter, softened and beat until fluffy, then added 12 oz melted white chocolate and 1 box of confectioner's sugar (1 box = 1 pound. Then I put in the refrigerator because it was too warm. After it cooled, I added another stick of softened butter and about 4 oz of cream cheese. Lastly, I put about 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. I think I could have decreased the frosting recipe by a third, for 40 cupcakes.

The apple topping, I first sliced up a granny smith apple very thinly, using a commercial meat slicer. Then I made a simple syrup and soaked the slices breifely for a few minutes, then arranged them on a baking tray sprayed liberally with some non-stick cooking spray. You can use a silpat if you have one. I then let them sit in a 200 degree F oven for about an hour and forty five minutes. If you bake them for 1 1/2 hours, they'll be done, but I wanted them to be crispier and browner.

los super elegantes!

2009-09-25T20:33:00.000-07:00

Probably the most listened to song on my ipod. Something about male and female vocals in a alt/pop band I find so soothing, don't know why. But I've always liked men and women collaborating in song.

Sorry for the baking hiatus. It's a combination of car problems, sickness, a wedding, being broke, and hot weather. I promise you will see a cake or dessert in a few days.

I think I finally approximated my mom's adobo

2009-09-17T22:21:00.001-07:00

Talking with other pinoys, there seems to be many different types of adobo, and some people like a recipe that is more vinegar-y, while others prefer a thicker sabao, and more soy sauce. I lean towards the vinegar, but last time I made this, I think I added way too much vinegar.

Here's what I did this time:

one chicken, cut up into parts
one bay leaf, two small onions, sliced
about three inches medium ginger, slicd thin
four cloves garlic, peeled, chopped finely
two medium potatoes, quarter cuts
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tsp oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar

place all except salt in large pot on medium high and bring to boil, then turn down heat to medium low and simmer til cooked. test meat, ensuring no pink fluid or pinkness, or bloodiness near the bone. salt to taste.

Tahini Rolls (Honey Sesame Rolls)

2009-09-16T11:21:00.000-07:00

...or "This is Why I'm Fat"

One of my favorite things to make is Sukkar Bin Tahin, (Beirut Tahini Swirls), which I got originally from a book called "Home Baking: The Artful Mix of Flour and Tradition Around the World", but I've always wanted to see what it would look like if an enriched dough was used.

So, I used half of a standard cinnamon roll dough recipe like the one used here, but instead of cinnamon, or cardmom, I used a honey/ground sesame filling. For the honey/ground sesame filling, I used a 1/4 cup of honey and 1/4 cup tahini (which is ground sesame, and can be found in most grocery stores.) and 1/4 cup butter, and blended it in a food processor. This filling took the place of the butter spread in the recipe and was a little runny and made it harder to roll up, but I managed. For the topping, I went with a simple mix of cream cheese, about 4 oz, mixed with some honey, about 2 Tablespoons, and about a teaspoon on vanilla.

I'm fairly happy with the results, but next time, I think I might try to make the filling less runny, and maybe use sugar instead of the honey, with the tahini. I also felt that the cream cheese was too overpowering, so I might omit that, or use melt butter and honey to accentuate the sesame, without covering it.

grandma's polvorones (filipino cookie)

2009-09-06T23:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, this isn't really my lola's recipe, but how far off can it be? All the recipes I've seen online so far contain usually the main four ingredients--flour, butter, sugar, and milk powder. I couldn't find whole milk powder, so I used the dreaded non-fat dry milk powder, and just hoped for the best.

Lola, who turned 97 at the end of August, introduced these to our family when I was about five, and I've always wanted to make these, but never could figure out where to get the mold. I even checked a store called pinoy grocery, but no luck. So I finally went on ebay, and there were tons of polvoron molds for sell! Anyway, so these are my favorite cookie, and I had my grandmother to thank for introducing them to me. Oh, and my offset spatula came in really handy in packing the polvoron flour into the mold, as you can see in the second picture. Recipe is from here.

I love this song

2009-09-04T14:16:00.000-07:00

The Great Intoxication by David Byrne

Who Disco?
Who Techno?
Who Hip-Hop?
Who Be Bop?
Who's been playing records in his bedroom?

Who rocks out?
Who's spaced out?
Who brings you?
Who sings you?
Who's still workin' on his masterpiece?

The great intoxication
The mental generation
Sound effects & laughter
Stupid ever after
Hopin' it was cranked up
Loud enough for you to hear

He's drunk and he's insistent
Shy but he's persistent
Boisterous & jumpy
Disorganized & funky

Every day he wonders
What the hell she sees in ME?

Ah, but who saves you?
Who craves you?
Who Heartbreaks?
Who love makes?
Look into the eyeball of your boyfriend

Who drives you?
Capsized you?
Who shakes you?
Who wakes you?
Who's still workin' on his masterpiece

balsamic vinegar and strawberry cupcakes

2009-09-04T00:02:00.000-07:00

The flavor is described online as celestial. And I just realized that it is now September, and summer is virtually over, but I haven't really enjoyed that flavor combo yet.

So, of course, I had to think up a cupcake version! I think that is part of the fun of the whole cupcake craze!

And what I'm finding out is, just when I think I've come up with something that hasn't been done, I google it, and sure enough, it's ALL been done already!

I did see some amazing interpretations of strawberry and balsamic vinegar cupcakes, including a savory version, from Christie at Coco Bean. and this one looks good, and not too difficult.

In the end, I decided to go with a buttermilk cake recipe, but to add balsamic vinegar to the batter, and then to add some sliced strawberries in the center and tops of each cupcake. I found one cake recipe, the Buttermilk Country Cake, in the Cake Bible. The recipe can be found at Dishing Up Delights. I simply added about three tablespoons to the batter, which turned it into a more malt color. I think next time I might add even more balsamic vinegar, or perhaps make some sort of sweet balsamic vinegar syrup.

I was going to use some left over cream cheese frosting from last week, but then I thought that it might drown out the balsamic vinegar flavor and hide the strawberries on top, so instead I decided to go with a simple powdering of confectioner's sugar on top. But beware! Next time you might see these with more vinegar, and maybe a drizzle, or lines, of white chocolate and balsamic vinegar syrup.

Enjoy!

Jamie Oliver's Chicken in Milk

2009-09-02T21:00:00.000-07:00

Okay. This was not bad, considering you just fry it up a little bit, then stick it in the oven, but I just wasn't as thrilled as I thought I would be. Maybe when the partner comes home, I'll see how a hungry person reacts to the scent of it. Maybe I'm still not completely over my cold, so I didn't have a huge appetite. Or Maybe it was because it was tempting to just buy the already-roasted-and-ready-to-go chicken that they were selling at the grocery store, instead of the lemons, chicken, cinnamon and sage that I didn't have on hand.

Or maybe I was just disappointed that, after and hour and a half, there was no major browning, no crispy skin, like in the pictures. I guess I could go out and buy a blow dryer, so I could blow dry my chicken, as kitchn.com suggests, but there would be no other use for a blowdryer in our household, since we usually both get buzzcuts. Two things I did like about tonight's dinner: I made this thai rice recipe, and I really liked the 10 garlic cloves, which were incredible! I wish I had some nice bread to slather the garlic on.

a cold

2009-09-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

Dealing with a cold is usually not a big deal for me, but this last cold kicked butt. And it effectively kept me from baking this last weekend. So, I'm going to post a picture of a beach on Guam, called Ritidian Point. Enjoy! Don't worry, if you thought there was a connection, there isn't! See how I am? As soon as I'm done hacking and sneezing, coughing and wheezing, I'll be back with a baking vengence, I promise.

For more pictures of my trip to Guam back in February, go here.

I want a kid

2009-08-26T15:47:00.001-07:00

and frosted!

2009-08-25T23:28:00.000-07:00

(these are the ones I get to keep, due to some of the white chocolate that didn't completely melt, causing slight piping issues-see the cupcakes in center and right.)

Finally. All sixty red velvet. Frosted with a white chocolate cream cheese frosting, again taken from my old standby book, The Cake Bible. I finally finished boxing them and putting all the boxes in the fridge. The red velvet cupcakes have lots of oil and sugar to keep them moist, but I usually don't put cakes in my fridge, just cuz they tend to dry out quite a bit.

I had a conversation with a coworker today about what seems to be a continued and sustained fascination with red velvet cake and cupcakes. I don't really know why that is, other than when I was a kid in the seventies, it seemed like THE cake to have for weddings and huge parties. I myself like the combination of silver as an accent color, so I usually put silver dragees on the cupcakes and use the silver liners.

60 cupcakes!!

2009-08-25T21:39:00.000-07:00

The thing about cupcakes baked at home is that you can only do 24 at a time, at the most. So these sixty cupcakes took me about three hours to do, even though I actually have six trays that hold twenty four each. I really should make the forsting now, since the last batch will probably be cool enough to start frosting, but I'm kind of sweaty right now, plus the Food Network is showing The Best Thing I Ever Ate, and they are talking about pizza!!!

Julia

2009-08-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

I finally saw Julie and Julia last night, among almost an all-woman audience, not that I cared. A couple of things I took from the movie was to not take life so seriously, and to try to be as supportive a spouse as Paul Child. I wonder how true to life the movie was.

Tonight I'm making about 60 red velvet cupcakes for a party tomorrow. Pictures soon to follow.

caramel sauce in the morning

2009-08-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

No, this isn't my morning cup 'o' joe. I realize the picture makes it look like something I drink, but no. This morning I made caramel sauce for waffle day, tomorrow. I work at a large office of about forty people, and some of us will have toasters (for eggo waffles), and some will even be bringing in their waffle maker and waffle mixes. Some people signed up to bring maple syrup or whipped cream, I will be bringing caramel and bananas, my favorite toppings for waffles and pancakes.

I used 3x this recipe, plus a tablespoon of unsalted butter, and a pinch of salt.

babycake

2009-08-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

This was a while ago, but one of the best cakes I've ever made, imo. Baking it and seeing it come out of the oven was sheer joy. I was amazed how full and fluffy and light the cake was. The guava jam was something different that I wanted for the cake. I don't care that the woman I made it for seemed to be taken aback by the number of plastic babies I placed on the cake. I enjoyed making this cake a lot. The cake was a recipe for White Velvet Cake found in the Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. The buttercream frosting, White Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting, is also from the same book. I used 2 smaller (6inch by 2inch) round cake pans, for a smaller cake.

dessert pizza time!

2009-08-20T21:56:00.000-07:00

Normally, on a hot day, I will not bake something that requires me to crank up the oven heat to 500 degrees! But there were two things that made me decide to do go ahead and put my baking hat on, figuratively speaking.

One was the hint of coolness in the evening air, the other was that I had purchased some fresh figs and some gorgonzola from downtown at Pike Place Market!
Beecher's sells Rogue Creamery's Oregonzola, which is a gorgonzola-style cheese aged a minimum of 120 days in a cave at their creamery, somewhere in southern Oregon, near the Rogue River.

I decided to make James McNair's Fresh Figs, Blue Cheese and Honey Pizza Dolce, from James McNair's book, Vegetarian Pizza.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon sugar (for yeast)
1 cup warm water
1 envelope yeast
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar, mixed in with flour
1/4 cup canola or other plain vegetable oil

toppings:

gorgonzola cheese, fresh figs-sliced, drizzle of honey for each pizza, walnuts-a few pieces per pizza. In the past, I've added sliced pears as well, which makes it kind of busy, but I like the combo. Didn't have pears on hand this time.

Directions

Dissolve the sugar and yeast in the warm water. Combine 3 cups flour and the salt and 1/4 cup sugar in a mixing bowl and dig a well in the center of the bowl. After the yeast mixture has gotten foamy, add to well in center of bowl, as well as oil to the flour in mixing bowl. Use a wooden spoon to stir from the center and gradually forma dough. Knead with hands for about five minutes. If it's sticky, add the additional 1/4 cup flour. Put in a bowl coated with canola or vegetable oil. Turn the dough to coat it with oil. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until double in bulk, about an hour.

This will make about eight pizzas. Top with toppings and bake at 500 degrees for 10minutes. I don't have a stone, but a baking sheet seemed fine.

It's a New Blog!

2009-08-16T23:25:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been making cupcakes, since people tend to like those, and they are easier to transport. The cupcake featured above with the blog title is an orange meringue cupcake. That cupcake gives me an excuse to bring out the blow torch, but in the end, I ended up making a mascarpone frosting instead. That was just a test cupcake.