Thanksgiving

As you may have noticed from past years, we are very into Thanksgiving. This year was no exception. In fact we really went above and beyond the usual because we invited our English family for their first Thanksgiving. It was really lovely!

We made the usual turkey with all the trimmings, including mom's incredible stuffing, cranberry sauce (the jelly kind that holds the shape of the can, of course--is there any other?), and gravy. We. Also had two kinds of potatoes: mashed potatoes with a hint of sour cream and sweet potato and yam casserole with mini marshmallows. We also had Brussels sprouts and green beans with lardons and homemade buttermilk biscuits.

For dessert I made, as per usual, a trifle. This year, since my kitchen aid is on the fritz (long story) I decided not to go with my usual pound cake recipe and instead modified the lemon loaf cake we made at the FCI to be a vanilla loaf cake. It wasn't as dense and delicious as a pound cake, but it was pretty darn good (and it was for the inside of a trifle, so it actually may have been better a little lighter.) I layered the cake with my usual chocolate mousse, a vanilla whipped cream/crème fraiche mixture, and sliced strawberries. Delicious!

One of my cousins can't eat gluten, so I also made individual gluten free trifles with gluten free, lemon cornmeal loaf cake, the whipped cream/ crème fraiche mixture, and fresh blueberries. The chocolate mousse was gluten free, but it didn't seem to work with the lemon cornmeal loaf. I didn't taste the whole thing, but the elements were good and it was a hit. By the way, I made the individual portions in martini glasses--a cute trick to make a trifle (gluten free or not) a bit more elegant.

I also made apple tart with a gluten free, walnut shortbread crust and pumpkin seed toffee brittle. The tart came out wonderfully. The toffee came out delicious, but not quite right. I think I mixed it a bit too much so it started to cool and turn opaque before I poured it out. It was absolutely incredible taste wise, so I didn't really mind that it looked slightly wrong.

Overall, all the food was a great success, the night was a ton of fun, and I think we may just have a new family tradition!

Simple Pita Chips

In my endeavor to make non-desserts for guests, I decided to make pita chips to complement the hummus (with toasted pine nuts, yum) that my mom made. They are really very simple. Just cut a pita into wedges--the pita I was working with was on the larger side so I did eighths, but sixths or even quarters may work better if the pita is small to start. You can split the pita wedges in half or leave them like pockets, it's up to you. I left the pockets this time but splitting them would be good too. Then spread them on a parchment paper lined, lightly oiled baking sheet. Then lightly drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake until lightly browned and crispy, flipping them half way through and drizzling with a bit more olive oil. Serve warm or room temp. It's that easy!
 

Caprese Salad Two Ways

Top: family style plating
Bottom: cocktail party/buffet plating

Recently we decided to make a nice fresh Caprese salad. We wanted a more classic look than the tomato and mozzarella plate I made a few months ago. We also wanted it to be easy to eat at the family style meal we were planning--just grab a stack and put it on your plate. We came up with two platings. One is better for a family style meal and one is better for a cocktail party or buffet plating, though either plating could work for either use.

Almond Joy Fudge~With Recipe

I love fudge but I don't always feel like dealing with the typical candy making exceed sizes like making cooked sugar, so I really love "fake" fudge made with a condensed milk base. I know it isn't fudge in the strictest sense, but it is close enough. I have made this fake fudge before, but this is my own recipe (based very loosely on a Nigella Lawson fudge recipe from Nigella Express, I believe.)

Ingredients:

• 14 oz good dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 14oz can condensed milk
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 3/4 cup slivered blanched almonds
• Pinch salt

Procedure:

1. Line a 9x9in pan with foil and lightly butter the foil.
2. Combine the condensed milk, butter, salt, and chopped chocolate in a saucepan. Put over low heat and warm until the chocolate and butter is melted, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula.
3. Promptly but not too vigorously, stir in the coconut and almonds.
4. Pour into the pan and even out the top.
5. Allow to set on the counter for at least 30-60 min and then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for another 2 hours or overnight.
6. Slice into one inch squares with a sharp knife and store in one layer or in multiple layers with wax paper between them in an airtight container in the fridge.

This fudge should be stored cold but it can be left out for hours, which is convenient if you want to give it as a gift. And fudge makes an excellent gift!

Brownies

Baking brownies is a great group activity. I was planning on having dessert ready when our family friends came over, but I got busy with other things and didn't have a chance to throw anything together. So their daughters and I decided to make dessert. I suggested brownies. Obviously brownies are always popular. But the real motivation was that there are different simple tasks--chunking up chocolate bars, melting chocolate and butter, sifting flour, etc--that are perfect for little helpers to do (well the melting chocolate was for a slightly less little helper (she'd probably be annoyed that I think of her as little, but that's how it goes with people you knew when they were babies). I digress. Plus there's no need for an electric mixer for brownies, so its nice to take turns mixing.

On a related note, the brownies we made were very good. They are from Nigella Lawson's new (well not new, but newest) cookbook Nigella Kitchen. They really are good and simple. Unfortunately I'm still not used to having a convection oven and I can't figure out if there is a way to use it without the fan, so these got slightly over baked. Happily they were still delicious, just not as gooey as I like my brownies. And most importantly we all had fun!

Pinterest

By the way, I'm on pinterest now! I'm still figuring it out, but I actually think I like it. It's a good repository for ideas. So visit my pinterest page and follow me @PastryPlace to see not only things I've made but things I plan to make and the occasional random thing that I like or draw inspiration from in some way.

Hazelnut Chocolate Tiramisu

This is a twist on a classic Italian tiramisu. I used Frangelico instead of Marsala and added layers of grated bittersweet chocolate on top of every layer of sabayon. The Frangelico sabayon was a bit sweeter than the the classic Marsala so I didn't sweeten the espresso for the lady fingers as much as normal and I ended up grating bittersweet chocolate between the layers. The chocolate helped cut the sweetness a bit and upped the chocolaty-ness of the tiramisu, so it was aces in my book!

Since I figured I'd give some of the tiramisu away, I decided to use small, clear, plastic cups to make portable individual servings rather than making one large thing that I'd have to slice or scoop up. I think I may have to try this again in mini chocolate cups--it'll be delicious and cute!

Another photo!

Apple Chamomile Bread Pudding~with recipe!

The great thing about bread pudding is that it is the perfect vehicle for whatever's you have lying around. You can use any stale bread you want: white bread, rye bread, brown bread (although probably not the grainy kind), pecan bread, croissants, etc. The custard is versatile as well. Want a coffee bread pudding? Stir in some brewed coffee or even instant espresso granules. How about vanilla or orange or cinnamon? Use extracts or scald the milk, steep with vanilla beans, orange peel, cinnamon sticks, you name it, and allow to cool before stirring in the eggs. Then you can add any number of things, from coconut to cocoa powder from raisins to fresh apple.

In this case I had a half a loaf of stale sourdough bread and a new box of chamomile, honey, vanilla tea that smells delicious but is a bit odd to drink plain. I thought it needed something to cut the sweetness of the tea and sugar so I sliced up a Granny Smith apple to mix in. Delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 loaf stale crusty white or sourdough bread
• 2 large eggs
• 1 firm, tart apple (such as Granny Smith)
• 1 cup milk (skim is fine)
• 2 camomile, vanilla, honey tea bags (or camomile tea bags, plus 1 tsp honey and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract)
• 1/4 cup sugar

Method:

1. Lightly butter a loaf pan or spray lightly with cooking spray
2. Scald milk, take off heat, put in tea bags (or tea, honey, and extract), cover with plastic wrap and allow to steep for 15 min)
3. In the meantime cut bread into approx 3/4 inch cubes and place in medium bowl
4. Beat eggs lightly to break yokes and whites
5. Put bread and eggs into a bowl and mix to coat
6. Add milk and toss to coat every piece, making sure to add enough to have a bit left over in the bottom of the bowl (you may have left over flavored milk or you may need to add a bit extra milk depending on the staleness of the bread)
7. Let sit for 30 min on counter (or if you are squeamish about leaving raw egg mixture at room temperature, in the fridge for 60 min)
8. Slice the apple into very thin (approx 1/8 inch) slices, just before you are ready to use the bread/egg mixture
9. Add 1/2 the sugar and the sliced apple, toss
10. Stuff into the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with the rest of the sugar
11. Bake at 350 until browned and crisp on top and cooked throughout, about 25-35 min