christmas favorites.

Christmas is a time full of memories for me, and it is by far a time that brings overwhelming emotions of all kinds. Many of these memories and emotions are tied to food shared with family and friends over the years. As I finished adorning my Christmas tree with paper cutout snowflakes with ancient Christmas carols playing in the background, I thought now would be a good time to share some of those favorite recipes (I'm long overdue for a post and heading into my first few days off in too long).

Beef Tenderloin with Roasted Shallots

3/4 pound shallots, halved and peeled
1 1/2 T olive oil
3 cups beef broth
3/4 cup port wine
2 pounds beef tenderloin roast, trimmed and tied
1 1/2 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried thyme
3 slices bacon, diced
3 T butter
1 T flour
4 sprigs watercress, for garnish


Preheat oven to 375. In a 9-inch pie pan, toss shallots with oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until deep brown, approximately 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine beef broth and port. Bring to boil. Cook over high until reduced by half. Stir in tomato paste.

Pat beef dry, sprinkle with thyme and salt and pepper. In a large roasting pan, set over medium heat, saute bacon until golden brown, remove and put beef in pan. Brown on all sides over medium heat. Transfer pan to the oven. Roast beef until meat thermometer registers 125 degrees. Transfer beef to platter and tent loosely.

Spoon fat off of top of pan drippings in roasting pan. Place over high heat on stove top. Add broth mixture, bring to a boil. Stir to scrape up any browned bits. Transfer to medium saucepan, bring to simmer. Mix 1 1/2 T butter and flour in a small bowl to form a paste, whisk into broth mixture, simmer until thickened. Whisk in remaining butter. Add shallots and bacon, season with salt and pepper.

Slice beef into 1/2" slices and serve with sauce.

We typically serve this beef with Parmesan smashed potatoes, roasted green vegetables and butterhorn rolls. It also makes for excellent beef sandwiches the day after Christmas.

Now, I know the following recipe may seem idiotically simple, but it really doesn't need any more than the ingredients listed...other than maybe some maple sausage, which is what we always serve alongside the french toast.

Apple-Stuffed French Toast

12 slices french bread
1 stick butter
1 can apple pie filling with cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
5 - 6 raw eggs
1 1/2 cup milk

Melt brown sugar and butter in a saucepan. Pour sugar mixture into bottom of greased 9 by 13 inch pan. Put six slices of bread on top. Spread pie filling on top of bread. Put remaining six slices of bread on top. pour egg-milk mixture entire pan of bread. Cover with foil and cool overnight. Bake at 350 for 45 - 60 minutes, uncover for final 15 minutes.

Blue Cheese and Spicy Pecan Salad

Pecans:
2 large egg whites
3/4 cup sugar
2 T paprika
4 1/2 cups pecan halves
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp cayenne
6 T cooled melted butter

Salad:
4 cups mixed field greens
1 cup crumbled bleu cheese
1/4 cup spicy pecans
2 green onions, chopped
1 granny smith apple, chopped
dressing

Dressing:
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 T cider vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp dry mustard
2/3 cup white vinegar
2 T Worcestershire sauce

For the pecans, preheat oven to 375. Beat egg whites and salt until foamy. Add all other ingredients except pecans and butter. Fold those in and spread on baking sheet. Bake 30 - 40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool.

This salad has special significance to our family because it was a classic of my brother-in-law's mom, Mary, who died of breast cancer 3 years ago. Although I didn't know Mary well, both my sister and my brother-in-law absolutely adored her. Dave often requests this salad for holiday dinners as it reminds both him and my sister of his mom. For that, it is one of my favorite things to prepare.

too much sugar? impossible.

A few years back I was planning to go to an alumni basketball game that a friend of mine was playing in. I wanted to bring a snack for him and the team during halftime and after the game. Since it was fall I thought maybe something incorporating Halloween candy might be fun. What I came up with has been a huge success, and every time I bring these bars to a social event they are a total and complete hit. Best of all? They take about 5 minutes to prepare, start to finish!


Harvest Bars

3 Tbsp butter
1 bag marshmallows
3 cups crispy rice cereal
1 medium bag m & m's (I use the dark chocolate fall colors bag)
1 bag candy corn
1 small snack size bag pretzel twists, broken to pieces

Spray a 9x13 inch casserole dish with cooking spray.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Add crispy rice cereal and crushed pretzels and stir to combine. Add m&m's and candy corn, and carefully fold in to mixture, being careful not to crush m&m's and candy corn because they will heat up from the heat of the marshmallows and butter. When just combined, spoon into greased dish and press down firmly. Cut into pretty small pieces - although I can eat a lot of them, they are pretty sweet for most people!

Notes: I spray my hands with cooking spray before I press down on the mixture - otherwise your hands will be a sticky mess. I have always thought peanuts would be delicious in these bars, but I've never tried it.

these are a few of my favorite things...

Something exciting happened to me this week - I was gifted a used KitchenAid mixer by the company I work for, D'amico and Partners. My boss gave it to me and it was one of the neatest gifts ever, as I have wanted a stand mixer for years now and just have never had it in my budget to afford one. It is a KitchenAid 5-quart Commercial Stand Mixer and is awesome!

I thought it fitting to christen my new mixer with my all-time favorite cookie recipe. I have been known to actually just eat the whole batch in it's dough form before I get around to baking the cookies themselves, but this time I managed to bake them up and they were great. I was so surprised at the size of the 5-quart bowl, after only having experience with the standard size mixer. My batch of cookie dough only took up a quarter of the bowl! All in all, I am very pleased, and can't wait for the opportunity to do some more baking with it.

Triple Chocolate Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/5 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2/3 cup chopped dark chocolate
2/3 cup chopped milk chocolate
2/3 cup chopped pecans




Preheat oven to 350. Cream together the butter and sugars until a bit fluffy and pale. Add the oil and eggs and beat until well combined. Mix in vanilla. In a seperate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in the chopped nuts and chocolate by hand.

Drop by heaping tablespoons full onto ungreased cookie sheet (I use a Silpat) and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Dig in!

the only french i know.

When my sister had her baby, my precious nephew Aidan, she was given the usual array of meals by friends and relatives: lasagnas, garlic breads, salads, loafs of breads, cookies and muffins. But one gift stood out amongst the rest, and it was one of the most delicious soups either of us had ever tried. The giver of the soup was gracious enough to give the recipe to my sister, who lovingly passed it on to me. I don't have the name of the lady who originally made the soup for my sister, so unfortunately I can't give her credit. But I know she is out there somewhere, and I love her for this soup!

Soupe au Pistou

For the soup:
One pound Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled
1 large onion, chopped
4 Tbs olive oil
1 pound tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped*
3 quarts water
1 1/2 cups diced potatoes
1 1/2 cups diced carrots
1 cup sliced leeks
1 cup celery leaves
1 Tbs Kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups cooked navy beans
1 1/2 cups green beans, cleaned and snapped
1 1/2 cups diced zucchini
1/2 cup vermicelli

For the pistou:
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
5 Tbs dried basil**
2 Tbs tomato paste
6 Tbs olive oil

In a 6 quart kettle, saute onions in oil three to four minutes. Add tomatoes, cook an additional three to four minutes. Add water and bring to a boil. Add carrots, potatoes, leeks, celery leaves, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered fifteen minutes. Add navy beans, green beans, zucchini and vermicelli. Simmer fifteen minutes or until vegetables are tender.

To prepare pistou, combine all ingredients to make a paste. Thin by stirring 1/2 cup of the soup broth into the paste. Stir pistou into soup kettle.

*Unless it is the absolute peak of tomato season, I suggest using canned whole tomatoes, which will offer a much better result than tomatoes that are not local, fresh and ripe.
**I choose to use fresh basil whenever possible, and as this is simply a pesto sauce and I always use fresh basil for pesto, I would suggest using approximately 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil in place of the dried basil.

This soup would go great served with a caesar salad and some really great crusty bread. It is also wonderful reheated, so it's a nice one to prepare on a cold fall or winter Saturday and have on standby to pull out on a busy night. I hope you enjoy this as much as my sister and I do!

toast with jam.

I am currently in the throes of my love affair with fall. When the high temperature for a day is 56, nothing can go wrong in my world. I'm happy as a clam. One of the main reasons I'm happy as a clam is that my oven is no longer an enemy - causing my apartment to be literally unbearable, my nights to be unsleepable and my hair to be unmanageable (with sweat). Now my oven serves as a warmer on cool evenings and the best potpourri one can imagine with all the different goodies it produces on a daily basis.

Yesterday I made a fall staple in my book - Cracked Wheat Bread. My mom baked this bread when I was little, and just the smell of dough itself brings me back to childhood. I love it, and I think you will too. This bread is particularly fantastic toasted with a generous slather of both butter and homemade strawberry rhubarb jam.

Cracked Wheat Bread

1 cup oatmeal (the original recipe calls for quick oats, I use old-fashioned)
1 cup cracked wheat (Bulgar)
3 Tbs shortening
1/2 cup dark molasses
2 tsp Kosher salt
3/4 cup brown sugar

Pour 4 1/2 cups boiling water over above ingredients. Set aside to cool for 30 minutes. Add 2 packages dry yeast and enough flour to easily handle (about nine cups). Knead, let rise until doubled. Punch down, and let rise until doubled again. Put in pans (three), and let rise once again for about 10 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 - 45 minutes.

Enjoy...both this bread and fall!

a toast to coconut!

Coconut is magical, and indeed, the Coconut Mini Bundt Cakes with Cream Cheese Icing and Toasted Coconut I prepared for my cousin, Lana's wedding reception this past week were magical and a true success!

Coconut Mini Bundt Cakes with Cream Cheese Icing and Toasted Coconut

For the cakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 7-ounce package flaked sweetened coconut, divided

For the cream cheese icing:
2 3-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
Remaining coconut

Spray two mini bundt cake pans with cooking spray and preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar and butter on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Turn the mixer speed to low, and add the eggs one at a time, beating 1 minute after each. Beat in the vanilla and almond extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat again briefly.

Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately to the butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Fold in only 1 1/3 cups of the coconut.

Fill each mini bundt cake mold with 1/3 cup batter. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 11 to 14 minutes on the top and lower-middle racks of oven, then reverse the positions of the two pans (putting the one from the top on the lower middle rack and vice versa), and bake another 11 to 14 minutes or until the cake tops are golden and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean. Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes before flipping onto drying racks. While cakes cool, prepare cream cheese icing and toasted coconut.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract and almond extract until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 1 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. Gradually beat in as much of the remaining sugar as needed to reach a comfortable spreading consistency.

To prepare toasted coconut, spread remaining coconut in a thin layer on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees 3 minutes. Turn the coconut and bake for another 5 - 10 minutes, turning every minute, until coconut is a golden brown and crispy to the touch.

Frost cakes generously with either a piping bag or a spatula. Sprinkle with toasted coconut to cover.

Enjoy!

my first post. my first blog.

Well. I think that at this point in my culinary love affair, I'm going to start posting and sharing and learning.

I suppose this post should be in regards to the baking I did this past week for my cousin, Lana's wedding. When she approached me two weeks before her wedding to ask me if I would be willing to bake mini bundt cakes I thought she was a little crazy. Of course, though, I said yes. She handed me three mini-bundt cake pans and the inspiration for the bundt cake idea, a photo from a 2004 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings and said "Thanks!" The rest was up to me.

Through some trial and error I finally nailed down the recipes to a variation on Barefoot Contessa's Coconut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing and a modified version of Orangette's Sour Cream-Banana Cake.

I've posted some photos here of my mom and I decorating the cakes. I would say in general the whole process was a great success. I baked a total of about ten hours prior to the wedding day, freezing batches as I went. I baked a total of 60 coconut cakes and 70 banana cakes. The wedding was about two hours outside of Minneapolis at a old barn in Wisconsin. This did not provide much in way of preparation options on-site, but luckily I have an aunt who lives only ten miles from the wedding site! So, morning of, my mom and I made the drive to said aunt's house and set up shop glazing, icing, frosting and caramelizing bananas for all of the cakes. We then loaded up the car with the cakes on cookie sheets and drove paved and dirt roads as carefully as we could and made it to the barn without incident.

The wedding was beautiful, the cakes were awesome, and I got my first glimpse of the feeling of a successful gift of baking on such a grand scale.

I will post the recipes that I used, and simply include the modifications I made, making them my own.

Sour Cream-Banana Mini Bundt Cakes with Caramel Glaze, Caramel Buttercream and Caramelized Banana Discs

For the cake:
2 cups sifted cake flour
¾ cup plus 2 Tbs sugar (I used fine-grained unrefined cane sugar, which worked fine)
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 large ripe bananas (about 225 grams, peeled)
½ cup sour cream (not low- or non-fat)
2 large eggs
1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
10 Tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the glaze:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 tsp Kosher salt

For the buttercream:
1/3 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup - 1 1/2 cup reserved glaze
2 Tbs heavy whipping cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners sugar

For the caramelized banana discs:
1 -2 bananas
2 Tbs butter


Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray two miniature bundt cake pans with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a food processor, purée the banana and sour cream until completely smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla, and process briefly to combine. The puréed mixture will be light yellow and quite loose. Add the softened butter and about ½ of the puréed mixture to the dry ingredients in the bowl. Beat to combine on low speed; then increase the speed and beat for about 90 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and add the rest of the purée, beating to combine well. The batter will be light tan in color and should be smooth and creamy. Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pans (I feel that 1/3 cup in each of 12 mini bundt cake molds is the appropriate amount). Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cakes are golden and toothpicks inserted in the center come out clean and dry. Remove the cakes from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes, and then flip the cakes out onto a drying rack. Allow to cool for at least 10 additional minutes before icing.

While the cakes are cooling, prepare glaze. In a medium saucepan, melt butter and sugars over medium to medium-high heat. Add salt. Cook for two minutes. Add heavy whipping cream and stir to combine. Boil for an additional two minutes. Remove from heat and stir. Allow to settle for a few minutes. To glaze cakes, simply drop into saucepan and turn with tongs and a spoon. Remove from saucepan, allow to drip, and set on parchment paper. Reserve leftover glaze for caramel buttercream.

For the buttercream, cream the shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add 2/3 cup of the reserved glaze, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla extract. Gradually add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, add up to all of the reserved glaze and additional heavy whipping cream until buttercream has reached a consistency that will be conducive to piping in a drizzle over cakes. Spoon buttercream into plastic bag or pastry bag. Snip end for a very small drizzle and pipe drizzle in back and forth motion over all glazed cakes. Be generous!

To prepare caramelized bananas, slice bananas into 1/8" thick discs. Melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Place all banana slices in pan at once, allow to cook for 4-5 minutes. Flip with one or two forks. Allow to cook to a deep brown on other side before removing and placing on paper towels to dry. Garnish bundt cakes with one to two caramelized banana discs.

Hopefully this is the first of many posts. I will post the coconut cupcake recipe soon, and hopefully many more sweet things will follow.