Showing posts with label Desserts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Desserts. Show all posts

Friday, March 28, 2014

Sugared Crescents

This is the last weekend of spring break.  It has been a much needed break.  I feel it was far to short.  I'm not sure if I am zen enough to return to work on Monday.  Work has been extra challenging this past month.  I've been trying to sort out my feelings about it over this past week away and have come to an impasse with myself.  I am not willing to give up, so I need to move forward.  Thus I'm declaring this weekend the weekend of Crescents. It's something I have not made before.  And something very French.  I feel that in order for me to move forward I need to get back to the things that I use to love.  I need to remember that I use to love using my weekends to make lovely things in the kitchen. 

First up: Sugared Crescents

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup warm milk
  • 1 Tablespoon dry active yeast 
  • 1 & 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup sugar 
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 stick melted butter
  • 5 cups of flour (add more if needed)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
  • Egg wash
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 tablespoon water 
  • 9 tablespoon sugar
Directions:
  1. Combine 1/2 cup milk and yeast.
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  3. Stir.
  4. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to rise.
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  6. Pour 1 & 1/2 cups of milk into stand mixer.
  7. Add salt, sugar, eggs, butter, yeast mixture, vanilla, and flour.
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  9. Turn mixer on low and let ingredients come together.
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  11. Allow mixer to knead dough for another 20 minutes.
  12. Cover with a cloth in a warm place and let rise to 1 to 2 hours.
  13. Punch the dough down.
  14. Pour a couple of tablespoons of oil on work surface and cover hands with oil as well.
  15. Turn the dough out onto the work surface and bring ends towards the center making a neat ball.
  16. Make ball into a log.
  17. Cut log into three equal pieces.
  18. Shape each into a ball and set aside to rest.
  19. Whisk together  2 eggs and 1 tablespoon of water, set aside.
  20. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  21. Set baking rack in the middle.
  22. Roll a dough ball as thin as you can into a circle.  
  23. Lightly sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of sugar.
  24. Cut diagonally 5 or 6 times (like a pizza).
  25. Roll the crescents starting with the thickest end, rolling towards the thinnest end.
  26. Place shaped crescents onto a baking sheet, end down, about 2 to 3 inches apart.
  27. Allow them to rise for 15 to 30 minutes.
  28. Brush with egg wash.
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  30. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
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Friday, November 29, 2013

Thanksgiving Recap

My friends I had not meant to be away from this space for so long.  I've been so busy with work and not really doing anything else that I haven't had anything to share with all of you.  Here are some of pictures from our feast yesterday.

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Finishing up the last of the meal!

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Getting back to normal

The apartment is almost done.  Just a few little things still need to be taken care of, but for the most part everything has a place and it feels like a home.  Even the kitties are getting back to their normal selves.


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Mamasita exploring her new favorite place to sit

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Sugar cookies


003 A plate full of cookies
I've been wanting sugar cookies for several days now.  But most of the recipes that I find require eggs.  So today we are making egg-less sugar cookies.  The weather was bad so I decided to stay home instead of going to the speaker tonight.  Though I did study today from 8:30 am to about 2:00 pm and I worked out so that means I deserve cookies right?  Right!

Sugar cookies
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Ingredients:

  • 1 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar 
  • 1 cup unsalted butter ( 2 sticks)
  • 1/4 cup whole milk (we no longer drink skim or fat free)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 & 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda 
Directions:
  • Cream together sugar and butter
  • Add remaining ingredients and combine
  • Refrigerate for two to three hours 
  • Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit 
  • Roll out 
  • Use cookie cutters 
  • Bake for 8 minutes 
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Thursday, May 2, 2013

New Yogurt Cake!

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Tomorrow, is my last day of practice teaching.  It has been a long hard ride, but the end of this year of Montessori training is in sight.  Today has been a good day.  We were able to get a special dispensation from the California DMV to have our car smogged when we return in July and Alex was able to get a YEAR extension for renewing his driver's licence.  I was worried that I would have to drive all the 3,000 miles home to Cali in July, but now I do not have to.  Happy Day!

Saturday, January 19, 2013

How to conquer a day.

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Oh, it's just a Saturday in January.  The last day of the worst week of the year.  Not my worst week, but in general this past week is the worst week of the year.  I thought that fact was interesting.  

Today, I've been working on my last assignment in language, other than language materials that need to be made for my future classroom.  I'm on page ten of the paper and I still need to discuss music, literature, and history.   But, that'll be for another day.  

Today is a day for baking a cake.  
Not just any cake a Julia Child Mastering the Art of French Cooking cake and frosting.  

Thursday, December 20, 2012

No bake macaroons

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Happy Thursday before Christmas everyone.  I hope this holiday season is treating everyone well.  Yesterday was my last day of school for 2012.  The first semester of grad school is done!  
We had a holiday party and I made these lovelies.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Yogurt Cake

Tomorrow is the last day of my observation in a Montessori class room.  I've spend two weeks with this class and I hate to say good bye.  Everyone at this particular school has been nice and welcoming so as a thank you I made a lovely yogurt cake tonight. 

 Find the recipe HERE.  

The first time through the cake overflowed out of the pan down to the bottom of the oven the whole house smelled like something was burning.  I over cooked it.  Apparently my 45 minute timing for my California kitchen was too long for the Maryland one.

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Alex said we can eat that one and I should make a second.  

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Saturday, November 10, 2012

Apple Pie

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Tonight Alex and I made and apple pie from the last of the apples we picked.  

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Harry Potter Day

On this random day in the beginning of summer some girlfriends of mine and I decided it was a good day to have a Harry potter marathon and make some things from The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook.

We made:

Molly's Meatballs with Onion Sauce (pg 83)

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Sunday, June 17, 2012

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Sunday.  A day of rest.  A day of making food.  Comfort food.  Today I'm making a turkey, just like this ONE.   And something sweet.  I'm trying to use up all my food stuffs before we move. I had most of the ingredients for the Joy of Cooking Pineapple Upside down cake, so I altered the recipe to fit what I had.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake
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Saturday, June 9, 2012

BBQ and Brownies

Today my dear friend Steph and her husband hosted a BBQ.  If you don't know Steph here is a picture of her and her new Tatoo! Check out her Blog HERE.  She's really into different quilts right now and she talks about her cats like I do!  
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Sunday, May 20, 2012

Friday, May 11, 2012

Samoa Cake

I've been feeling down lately.  Stressed out.

Then I realized that's all I've been doing, stressing.

A girl needs to get out of the house.

Or stay in and bake!

A co-worker of mine challenged me to make this cake.

And I decided today was as good as any day to do it.

Now I'm feeling accomplished.

And a little bit happier.

Samoa Cake
Yes like the girl scout cookie
(my favorite girl scout cookie)
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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Pecan Meringues

Left over egg whites.

I had 8 of them from the honey tea cake.

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I couldn't just throw them away.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Honey Tea Cake

Happy Easter everyone.  I hope that your day is full of happiness and lots of chocolate bunnies.  Today, Alex and I are attending an Easter Tea party.
 This is the perfect opportunity to break out my new cookbook.
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On page 94 - 95 I found the following recipe that I thought would be perfect for today's festivities.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

50 WOMEN GAME CHANGERS #4 Martha Stewart: Chocolate Mousse

Today I listened to Joy the Baker Podcast.



While making a 50 women game changers in food recipe for number 4 on the list.

Martha Stewart.

Currently, I'm reading her unauthorized biography Just Desserts.
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I don't really have an opinion about her "domestic empire", but I do like to look at her ideas.

Like it or not Martha Stewart is here to stay.  She is part of our American culture for better or worse.

Now from her cookbook, "The Martha Stewart Cookbook: Collected Recipes for Every Day", I have made...
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Chocolate Mousse I (pg 406)

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Ingredients:
  • 6 ounces semisweet chocolate
  • 1/4 pound unsalted butter
  • 3 eggs separated
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 3/4 heavy cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
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Directions:
  • Melt chocolate with butter (this is where a double boiler would come in handy)
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  • Transfer to a mixing bowl and set aside to cool
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  • When chocolate mixture has reached room temperature, add the egg yolks and stir well
  • Beat the egg whites to soft peaks.
  • Beating continuously, add the sugar until stiff peaks are formed 
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  • Whisk a small portion of egg white into the chocolate mixture to lighten it.
  • Gently fold in the remaining egg white
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  • Whip the cream with the vanilla until stiff 
  • Fold it into the chocolate mixture carefully 
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  • Spoon mixture into individual containers (martini glasses?  Wine glasses?  Parfait dishes?)
  • Chill




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