tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40471270079838353692024-03-14T07:26:49.031-04:00Chez AwesomeWhat was supposed to be the adventures of a first-time homebuyer in DIY home improvement but is now a cooking blog.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-49661507993460979272017-05-09T01:33:00.000-04:002017-05-09T01:33:07.998-04:00Repainting a Kitchen Aid Stand MixerHere's yet another "I'm not dead!" message. No, I'm not dead. Yes, I disappeared for a year plus. And yet again, things are very different.<br />
<br />
First off, I bought a house. (WHAT?!!!) I originally started this blog back in 2011 when I bought my first house, but then I hadn't bought a house because the seller had committed fraud. That's why most of the blog entries are about baking. For the first couple of years, I was settled in a nice house that I was renting and things were fine. Then I started moving every year into different apartments and my commute got longer, so it became more difficult to find the time to blog. Now that I've actually bought a house, I'm trying to start blogging again. The blog will have a lot more DIY content than baking content for 6-10 months, simply because there isn't a really functional kitchen right now and I'm at the beginning of the remodeling process. Hopefully I will have a lovely, complete kitchen at the end of this and will go back to baking posts as well as DIY.<br />
<br />
This post is half and half baking and DIY: how to repaint a Kitchen Aid stand mixer.<br />
<br />
I received one as a present several years ago and I love it, but the color was not my favorite. It was also the reason that the price had been dropped. (I also love finding great deals so it made the present even better to me that my mother found it on super clearance.) Kitchen Aid had made a deal with the pink-ribbon-for-breast-cancer group where they donated some amount of profit for every stand mixer in the pink-ribbon color that was sold. But that pink color is really bright and not the best for a small kitchen appliance, so they didn't sell well. My mother found this stand mixer for something like 50% off. <i>Awesome!</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2EhJL82rZInrwWerWhabr91IWDAzpbF7Q00sMtrOh60pwvbHOvzb7D51yChdbdHg02ogOqfveybwitQVegYplzhuxva-1DIoCVXqao4dV_uKC50rt4JH4rR5zTEL-vduVezc8deag5L29/s1600/before_after.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2EhJL82rZInrwWerWhabr91IWDAzpbF7Q00sMtrOh60pwvbHOvzb7D51yChdbdHg02ogOqfveybwitQVegYplzhuxva-1DIoCVXqao4dV_uKC50rt4JH4rR5zTEL-vduVezc8deag5L29/s320/before_after.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<i><br /></i>
There were two blog posts about repainting Kitchen Aids that I used as guides: <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-paint-a-kitchen-mixer-apartment-therapy-tutorials-218461" target="_blank">Apartment Therapy</a> and <a href="http://realitydaydream.com/how-to-paint-your-kitchen-aid-mixer/" target="_blank">reality day dream</a>. They were both very helpful and made me think that I could actually do this project, but they were also a little bit light on the details. The most important thing I can say about my experience is this nugget of wisdom: don't be stupid like me. In this case, "stupid" means deciding that something small can be fixed and making an even bigger problem out of it.<br />
<br />
This project should have taken about a week, but it took me about 2 weeks due to a combination of things that I ran into that weren't mentioned in the blogs I looked at and me doing stupid stuff. I also used just about an entire spray paint can of color and clear coat due to the number of repaints and touch-ups that I did. The good news is that even with all of the mistakes I made, the results look great. If I can do this, anybody can do it.<br />
<br />
This entry is very image heavy because it's easier to show some of the details using pictures rather than with a description.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Materials for repainting a Kitchen Aid stand mixer:</h3>
<div>
<ul>
<li>good quality cleanser + rags</li>
<li>paper towel</li>
<li>rubber gloves</li>
<li>painter's tape</li>
<li>phillips head screwdriver (plus a flathead screwdriver if you take out the carbon brushes)</li>
<li>small, angled-head paintbrush</li>
<li>plastic sheeting or a tarp</li>
<li>two small wooden blocks (or something else to elevate the stand mixer off the ground)</li>
<li>sandpaper or sanding block (180 to 220 grit)</li>
<li>good quality spray paint</li>
<li>good quality clear enamel gloss spray paint</li>
</ul>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Part 1: Preparation</h4>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The preparation is really important for this project. Before you do anything else, make sure to thoroughly wash the mixer with a good quality all-purpose cleanser to get any grease and food particles off of it. Anything that's left will be painted over. Next, take off the parts of the mixer that are easy to remove. Apartment Therapy recommends taking pictures of the mixer with all parts attached so that you know where to put things back on. I did not have any problem remembering where all of the parts went because I didn't take very many parts off. I put all of the screws and the feet into a sandwich baggy which kept me from losing anything important. Also, don't take the machine head off. You'll be tempted to but it's a real pain to get the alignment and balance right when you put it back on.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The attachment screw and plate at the front of the head are easy to remove: unscrew the big black screw handle until it comes out of the mixer and pull off the plate that's embossed with "Kitchen Aid". To remove the back hood, unscrew the small silver screw at the top back of the mixer. To remove the skinny silver strip that runs around the top body of the mixer, unscrew the two small silver screws that hold it in place at the back of the motor. You must remove the back hood first to get easier access to these two screws. This strip will have grease build-up on the inside of the strip and the machine head. That's a normal by-product of using this in a kitchen and doesn't mean that anything is broken. Clean the grease from the mixer head and the metal strip. The bowl clamping plate has 3 larger silver screws holding it in place to the base of the machine which are easy to remove.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlkxKtJS5fsN_q_z_5U31djfuiNUCVd2FtqdU7N01BUY81S4R4BalaYQkkF-SXFfNpbtbpecQTFfkD7a8pLsbCHZwoyQDBgy2xg5x5pJK6pmwpkilfWHaebKNjSLnI10L_oqj2wYNwHqX/s1600/remove1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlkxKtJS5fsN_q_z_5U31djfuiNUCVd2FtqdU7N01BUY81S4R4BalaYQkkF-SXFfNpbtbpecQTFfkD7a8pLsbCHZwoyQDBgy2xg5x5pJK6pmwpkilfWHaebKNjSLnI10L_oqj2wYNwHqX/s320/remove1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The back hood screw is at the top left (dark blue arrow), the silver metal strip is held in place by two screws at the back (white arrow), the bowl clamping plate is at the bottom of the stand mixer (dark blue arrow), and the attachment screw and plate are at the front of the mixer (dark blue arrow). If you're removing the carbon brush, carefully unscrew the two large, flat black screws in the middle of the body of the mixer (one on each side) and catch the springs and carbon brushes as they come out.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwygIlIn0qLHDK9mtYANZPffncGu8VMYaP3vkv5R4RCCXNueeR0n88Xu1hBvERRCSLKK7MdDMqx0nCk9stCITGljtvwEo3rGZu4bJIe-l2ZfLUS0M8vwLJg23isI7l44mMRaH5aV0pMwM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.25.19+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwygIlIn0qLHDK9mtYANZPffncGu8VMYaP3vkv5R4RCCXNueeR0n88Xu1hBvERRCSLKK7MdDMqx0nCk9stCITGljtvwEo3rGZu4bJIe-l2ZfLUS0M8vwLJg23isI7l44mMRaH5aV0pMwM/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.25.19+PM.png" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After removing the bowl clamping plate</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_NUnU8nN0L2OpyMGbjL1SLJs4W7qMRqcxeZjbLBqEC0ottLPw90-LLpTUCSLxE0wcfW3OilAjQur0jZHr5z_ODuMFkfaJCBe75NnrnStu4_Wnpt61XfUMvOu2yJi1HFy1HSmgMJbv3gW6/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.25.36+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_NUnU8nN0L2OpyMGbjL1SLJs4W7qMRqcxeZjbLBqEC0ottLPw90-LLpTUCSLxE0wcfW3OilAjQur0jZHr5z_ODuMFkfaJCBe75NnrnStu4_Wnpt61XfUMvOu2yJi1HFy1HSmgMJbv3gW6/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.25.36+PM.png" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After removing the attachment screw and plate and the skinny silver metal strip that runs around the mixer. Clean the grease off from under the silver metal strip.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKXm0XWDC9T3RlWOVBHHq9NxCPAUnQ2Y7LpLRTamGVFYGGW-FSgA7KpErr7BV48pUZLHeN9RVTwD-xVH8kI-LYnDTeglp92Xf_CIxhOQRwb4wl9-o3cl2awNq1fxJk-rmjq6bIWd5m804C/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.25.56+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKXm0XWDC9T3RlWOVBHHq9NxCPAUnQ2Y7LpLRTamGVFYGGW-FSgA7KpErr7BV48pUZLHeN9RVTwD-xVH8kI-LYnDTeglp92Xf_CIxhOQRwb4wl9-o3cl2awNq1fxJk-rmjq6bIWd5m804C/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.25.56+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clean off the grease that's on the inside of the silver metal strip.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
I ended up removing the carbon brush screws (the two large, flat black screws on either side of the mixer) but you may not need to do that for your color. The pink was so bright that is was still visible on the inside of the screw holes, so I decided to remove the carbon brushes to paint the holes. If you decide to remove the carbon brushes and screws, be careful when unscrewing the brushes. There is a strong bronze spring that is held in place by each of the screws, and the carbon brushes are on the end of the springs. When you unscrew the carbon brush screws, the springs will try to pop out with a lot of force. Make sure that you don't loose the carbon brushes because the stand mixer can't work without them. (See below for more details on the carbon brushes.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To remove the feet, turn the stand mixer upside down. My mixer has 5 white rubber feet that easily pull off and on. I stored them in the baggy with the rest of the screws while I painted the mixer.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Once you have removed all of the parts that you want to, gently sand the stand mixer. The goal is to remove the glossy top coat without removing the paint. You do not want to sand through to the metal. I used a 180 grit sandpaper block, and cut out small pieces of 220 grit sandpaper for small, hard to sand places. The sandpaper block is very useful for this type of project and is worth the money. Sand the mixer in a gentle circular motion. You will see white dust accumulating and the mixer will lose some of its shine. Wipe all of the dust off the mixer with a damp paper towel or rag. Make sure to get all of the dust so that it doesn't end up glued to the mixer with paint.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM7D1evwDW1VwmcvZxzk5NX29hmV15XwbBiCIZ7iINlIRwIlzbJus2qx_otKjP24Ms4J0xUqqpKC3PYHH1Et3c3XqRnbAciHf77RrKFAYXQOkBZ72VVvPMl2bcer2ch4KZiDCYL5Sr8K1m/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.26.34+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM7D1evwDW1VwmcvZxzk5NX29hmV15XwbBiCIZ7iINlIRwIlzbJus2qx_otKjP24Ms4J0xUqqpKC3PYHH1Et3c3XqRnbAciHf77RrKFAYXQOkBZ72VVvPMl2bcer2ch4KZiDCYL5Sr8K1m/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.26.34+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a big difficult to see in this picture, but the mixer has been sanded and is not as shiny as it originally was.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifUD-5INeIrnhNkpt2YyfFNN0lbUJQsVfeN2IN8KTrdJWDU80AJwdycs_SBpgLnoxtQnztppGHwsHz7fjpcgUC6BVRzOwewBxdY4M7YONuqXf_tWARPyNPjLxsvXTHL1aXUyuTtL_Ig3hy/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.26.51+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifUD-5INeIrnhNkpt2YyfFNN0lbUJQsVfeN2IN8KTrdJWDU80AJwdycs_SBpgLnoxtQnztppGHwsHz7fjpcgUC6BVRzOwewBxdY4M7YONuqXf_tWARPyNPjLxsvXTHL1aXUyuTtL_Ig3hy/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.26.51+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sanding is easier to see. I had to sand some of this in straighter lines rather than in circles because of the shape of the mixer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />You want to be sure that you have completely taped up any part of the stand mixer than you don't want paint to get on. Feel free to use more than one layer of tape. To cover screws, put a piece of tape over them, trace the outline of the screw with your fingernail, and either cut the tape with your fingernail or with a box cutter to lift off all of the tape except what's directly over the screw.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2G3K8EoDQvB7BgsHSKjXBT-2NoITK4D-eYnwzmkdUlvW8x03F6ZkWecvvmD6o_cqD9J2wTZS-OAF8nqT4xbanZP7HPyaBrwCnpVmT893pIlG1Ip7v53T6jM_fu8Nh-9FAOjG7-zua5ZQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.27.07+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2G3K8EoDQvB7BgsHSKjXBT-2NoITK4D-eYnwzmkdUlvW8x03F6ZkWecvvmD6o_cqD9J2wTZS-OAF8nqT4xbanZP7HPyaBrwCnpVmT893pIlG1Ip7v53T6jM_fu8Nh-9FAOjG7-zua5ZQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.27.07+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Put a large piece of tape over the screw, find the outline and cut around it, and remove the excess tape.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiss0z9i4w99hv0pAgdly5K-C-WAf6wd2JlyIEUwXgU-lavV55QSzzw_se2KbhVT2F88KMRWa3JWj1WMHZqON2wcYCexmmdhQmniPPAtTJaCLd5ZJ35a4Rhe7f3RMQ5rgqx_xvMdnlsKcZ8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.27.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiss0z9i4w99hv0pAgdly5K-C-WAf6wd2JlyIEUwXgU-lavV55QSzzw_se2KbhVT2F88KMRWa3JWj1WMHZqON2wcYCexmmdhQmniPPAtTJaCLd5ZJ35a4Rhe7f3RMQ5rgqx_xvMdnlsKcZ8/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.27.24+PM.png" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the screw covered and the motor and power cord taped off.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Make sure to cover all parts of the motor. I covered the motor with a small sheet of plastic drop cloth, and then taped over the entire motor. To keep the cord clean, I taped halfway down the cord and then put the rest in a plastic bag, which I taped in place to keep it from sliding. Make sure to put the bag far enough down the cord that it's easy to move the cord out of the way, and that the bag isn't hanging straight off the top of the cord or it will fall into the wet paint on the neck.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I taped over the control knobs and then taped down the control arms as far as I could until they went into the machine.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Nmp2IN5knYEuLw53eEFDiUFyTYghLUo808txPJ2rAGTVNn5aN_vLR5w4ZTKWxAS9cemx2v4hg1AhwuiK2PZ9ouGiDi00h2Hnxk4swBqQlj8DEmZ2CBd0-hX0FUTPZGNkuwkadXvG3cbf/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.27.39+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Nmp2IN5knYEuLw53eEFDiUFyTYghLUo808txPJ2rAGTVNn5aN_vLR5w4ZTKWxAS9cemx2v4hg1AhwuiK2PZ9ouGiDi00h2Hnxk4swBqQlj8DEmZ2CBd0-hX0FUTPZGNkuwkadXvG3cbf/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.27.39+PM.png" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Control knobs and arms are taped. Next, I taped up all of the remaining metal parts. Note that I did not sand the rotating underside of the machine head.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The most awkward parts to tape are the small metal parts that are in the rotating underside of the machine head. It's important to not push the spring upwards when putting tape on the attachment coupler or the tape will get pushed down by the force of the spring. Don't miss the two small screws that are behind the rotating part. To tape the circular metal band that runs around the rotating machine head, I used small pieces of tape that were short in length because they were easier to place accurately.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
When you tilt the head back, you will see a large silver screw head in the neck. This is an adjustment screw for the height of the rotating head relative to the bowl height (i.e. you use this to adjust the height of the whip if it's hitting the bottom of the bowl). You don't have to cover this if you don't want to but the end result looks better if you do (IMHO).</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIwbDyNfm2Xa1MxvEONPXE4vZv2qVsVI7dMdOt8jR3XtDpWdplnD-bvAgspNE-t0a9o7D-LahC0LPCF30pNMVBB1PBGHbjTghH3nEL4t0VOSIpR9z1tD8rZvuRRPzLTM3oRJj2suic8zi/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.27.58+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIwbDyNfm2Xa1MxvEONPXE4vZv2qVsVI7dMdOt8jR3XtDpWdplnD-bvAgspNE-t0a9o7D-LahC0LPCF30pNMVBB1PBGHbjTghH3nEL4t0VOSIpR9z1tD8rZvuRRPzLTM3oRJj2suic8zi/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.27.58+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The height adjustment screw is inside the neck.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Overall, it took me about 30 minutes to clean and sand the mixer and remove the parts, and then about 2 hours to tape up everything. Each time I thought that I was finished taping, I noticed another little screw. Take your time with this part and do it right! This will really help the end result look crisp and sharp.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Don't forget to put tape in the attachment hole to seal it up. You don't want to fill that with paint or it could cause problems when using attachments in the future. I balled up a piece of tape and used that to fill up most of the hole, and then put a flat piece of tape over the hole and gently pushed it in using my thumb. It filled up the hole and sealed it up to the inside edges.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jIkXT10HGmKAxkwFuNgF31kPV-MJL2YjensI1SsAbnm7t1fXzG0kVOuHFuf_SvgV6U5a-t6LIrIqnZbi5BkoNut7ZLHdE9tLcHA8CFxGRfpRA4lk2UEfx5z_-8l0TnHty09ecBJNMn9C/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.28.38+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jIkXT10HGmKAxkwFuNgF31kPV-MJL2YjensI1SsAbnm7t1fXzG0kVOuHFuf_SvgV6U5a-t6LIrIqnZbi5BkoNut7ZLHdE9tLcHA8CFxGRfpRA4lk2UEfx5z_-8l0TnHty09ecBJNMn9C/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.28.38+PM.png" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With all parts taped and ready to go. There is a big piece of tape in the attachment hole.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwWT85ht4mxiP-dompvY3y5L0M49yab969jxVtouts_TF0cmRpeYDS4jiNuC7HDhRtQM_nHY5hP-QsYL4qLOtWoA5cx15EbQ5Re9-sib9-FnJvRpTySdT12NGXUsMzyHOOOisLBc_yQ2tr/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.28.58+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwWT85ht4mxiP-dompvY3y5L0M49yab969jxVtouts_TF0cmRpeYDS4jiNuC7HDhRtQM_nHY5hP-QsYL4qLOtWoA5cx15EbQ5Re9-sib9-FnJvRpTySdT12NGXUsMzyHOOOisLBc_yQ2tr/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.28.58+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All taped up and ready for painting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<h4>
Part 2: Painting</h4>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This is where I made all of my mistakes. So again, my helpful advice is to not be stupid like me!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Based on my previous spray paint experiences, I use Rustoleum products. They spray well, cover well, are glossy and shiny when they should be, and the sprayers don't clog up. I was really tempted to paint the stand mixer teal (one of my favorite colors) but I decided to go with traditional navy blue because I haven't made any color decisions about my kitchen. Navy blue goes with many color schemes and I didn't want to take the time to paint it only to end up deciding to change the color because it clashes with the backsplash. I used a paint+primer product that works on metal (and other materials). You should only be spray painting metal in this project. The top coats were done with Rustoleum clear enamel gloss. This product is nice and shiny, and you will want to put on 3 to 4 top coats. Make sure to follow the specific instructions on the paint can!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhmrV4zhrBVKGzA0DVS2YuefeXsF4jGqVVtK_0OVuWOVg8UcVF5V8_6b1yDBqZaEfa8h9Vac3wlTVHkXYnMe0R4vUnsgkTX4uwU_psUJuW84ZTwl8Rojbau7cRSwYsUUNGmgphO3N3ELQY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.29.37+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhmrV4zhrBVKGzA0DVS2YuefeXsF4jGqVVtK_0OVuWOVg8UcVF5V8_6b1yDBqZaEfa8h9Vac3wlTVHkXYnMe0R4vUnsgkTX4uwU_psUJuW84ZTwl8Rojbau7cRSwYsUUNGmgphO3N3ELQY/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.29.37+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Navy blue and clear glossy, ready to go</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>First lesson learned: </b>do the painting with the mixer elevated off of the plastic or tarp, or pick up and move the mixer before the paint really starts to dry. In this case, the issue isn't that the paint will stick to the plastic and start to peel off when you pick the mixer up, it's that the paint will puddle at the bottom of the mixer and you will end up with a thick, lumpy edge of paint at the bottom. I put the mixer on a couple extra blocks of wood.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDoUVR_GLgx7MTrhO2foSt4w0CqTGk2JRR1JRahTb3UV4s_wZJnC7sJF1cbIxu6Tx_eXoUzONHgHnO9ELLpa8W-2R_rql09QNotHpT4QZRQYRKIjhNqR-5qo4m-zEhCxrbVdvD8BkRv2pP/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.29.52+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDoUVR_GLgx7MTrhO2foSt4w0CqTGk2JRR1JRahTb3UV4s_wZJnC7sJF1cbIxu6Tx_eXoUzONHgHnO9ELLpa8W-2R_rql09QNotHpT4QZRQYRKIjhNqR-5qo4m-zEhCxrbVdvD8BkRv2pP/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.29.52+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just after spraying on the first coat of navy blue. I haven't moved the mixer to the block and flange yet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Second lesson learned: </b>turn the mixer over and do the first coat from upside down. This sounds strange, but it's very difficult to paint some parts of the mixer when it's right-side up, like the rotating part of the machine head. Do the upside down coat first, and only worry about painting the areas that are obviously only easy to get to when the mixer is upside down. You don't need to do a full paint job on the mixer when it's upside down, you just want to hit the parts that you would need to turn the paint can upside down to hit when the mixer is right-side up.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhq7qz7NwTIMia7mpmdgj6QF4Bm1sfZs2eqy9mWcQp75ukDrnAyXiMQXCR5Nx5RJD7XexqpwS4gr68LJ8P13e9VLatljPJYc-Iz-XpxAi930lKjf_uAn3jOckdD82X2yJ9rj1g7QX7B8n/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.30.08+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhq7qz7NwTIMia7mpmdgj6QF4Bm1sfZs2eqy9mWcQp75ukDrnAyXiMQXCR5Nx5RJD7XexqpwS4gr68LJ8P13e9VLatljPJYc-Iz-XpxAi930lKjf_uAn3jOckdD82X2yJ9rj1g7QX7B8n/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.30.08+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Once the first coat was cured (24 hours), I turned the mixer upside down and got the rotating machine head part and the base of the mixer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Third lesson learned:</b> don't try to spray paint every nook and cranny. Both of the tutorials that I followed just said that they spray painted and then the whole mixer was done. That was not my experience at all. In fact, I made things harder on myself by trying to spray paint every inch. The paint ended up getting very thick in some places and then the thickened paint got scraped off by the movement of the mixer parts. Specifically, the speed adjustment knob arm and head locking knob arm (one on each side of the mixer) kept scraping off the paint and it took me days to figure out that I had sprayed on the paint so thickly that moving the knobs was what was removing the paint.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Instead of spraying every inch of the mixer with paint, use a thin, angled paint brush to get the parts that need only a thin layer of paint. To get the paint out of the can for the brush, hold the can a couple of inches away from the plastic drop cloth and spray out a small amount of paint. The paint will puddle up and you can dip the brush into the pool of paint.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
In my case, the area directly under the two control knob arms (not on the side of the machine but towards the interior, directly under the arms) were seriously problematic. I ended up cutting out a small square of sandpaper, sanding off all of the paint that I put on, and then lightly painting on a thin layer with the paintbrush. That was the only thing I tried that worked really well.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
To sandpaper under the arms, I took a small square of 220 grit sandpaper (maybe 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch), wiggled it under the arms so that it laid flat with the gritty side down against the paint and with a decent sized part of a corner sticking out, and then rubbed back and forth to get the old paint off. It's tricky but you can do it if you need to.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
There were also some smaller areas in the neck that were difficult to spray paint because the head had to be tilted back to access them so I couldn't paint them when the mixer was upside down, but I also couldn't get a good angle with the paint can because the neck didn't go back far enough. That ended up being another "super thick paint causing issues" area, and again I used a small square of 220 grit sandpaper to clean it up, and then used the little paintbrush to apply one thin coat of paint.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I recommend painting with the paintbrush before doing the first full right-side up coat of paint. This will make it easier to have the paintbrush-applied sections blend with the sprayed-on sections. Not that there is any obvious difference to the eye - I only know where they are because I painted them.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhUwpBZYePW3aUg9RVAjN4oZZGytYyFY2WSyzYMKsJ7vGsDEMBGHkUjKScYssrWEnlo9aQTw5DPcyLsxOnPJhoUGhGEGMm7pMkUezrDhBvIx4NrwdofekzPlcpTN6D3IZ9mzHPNAINSya/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.30.41+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhUwpBZYePW3aUg9RVAjN4oZZGytYyFY2WSyzYMKsJ7vGsDEMBGHkUjKScYssrWEnlo9aQTw5DPcyLsxOnPJhoUGhGEGMm7pMkUezrDhBvIx4NrwdofekzPlcpTN6D3IZ9mzHPNAINSya/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.30.41+PM.png" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first time I saw this, I thought it was because I hadn't moved the knob between coats of paint. That was true, but it kept happening after every repainting coat. I eventually sanded off the paint and redid it with a thin paintbrush.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMM2oNny4Q8kjINtdXz2kathd9iGN0b77iEuf14X1OTWaIbMbXBiT2zD7lRq6RnittUs97ds_gOTngOksZLvkaijBLkRWaJm6O7xHmJU3XywZGBskm168Wy75hv4zx_nQVRmjFnUiId4i/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.31.16+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMM2oNny4Q8kjINtdXz2kathd9iGN0b77iEuf14X1OTWaIbMbXBiT2zD7lRq6RnittUs97ds_gOTngOksZLvkaijBLkRWaJm6O7xHmJU3XywZGBskm168Wy75hv4zx_nQVRmjFnUiId4i/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.31.16+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The actual paintbrush. It's hard to see in this photo, but it's an angled brush.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79gMu3ZfLG5EoANLA9TxLu3IFrHXtBZMaz9mNfdVibI7ILbOkzFUs3Y8AItOEeKBwxDzmDqDD_GxZEv7QjZeEBCYHmacT3OnpI7Ralyn21cBdbatkRrq4xelW6sYL8ZF_045TjOuOfPH1/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.32.23+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79gMu3ZfLG5EoANLA9TxLu3IFrHXtBZMaz9mNfdVibI7ILbOkzFUs3Y8AItOEeKBwxDzmDqDD_GxZEv7QjZeEBCYHmacT3OnpI7Ralyn21cBdbatkRrq4xelW6sYL8ZF_045TjOuOfPH1/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.32.23+PM.png" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For some reason, the area right around the adjustment screw in the neck didn't take the spray paint very well. I ended up sanding it down and painting with the paintbrush.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFMgUQLftHFx8nb9io5CY5oOvLP0LykilfqnpdDSLwyXwqz8W-1WLui9rzf9CjhrL76WTohMSSNGSJ2YZGrKfF7xiOj1787RhEHTNfpQKyNeWqLHteZ9KStA2fZYjSk3sv-fktNnPeW-G/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.32.36+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFMgUQLftHFx8nb9io5CY5oOvLP0LykilfqnpdDSLwyXwqz8W-1WLui9rzf9CjhrL76WTohMSSNGSJ2YZGrKfF7xiOj1787RhEHTNfpQKyNeWqLHteZ9KStA2fZYjSk3sv-fktNnPeW-G/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.32.36+PM.png" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Because I was tilting the head up and down while the paint was wet, some paint got on the neck rotors and made the smooth tilting motion more sticky. I scraped most of the paint off with my thumbnail.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Fourth lesson learned: </b>only do very light coats of paint. It's tempting to do several thicker coats instead of 3-4 very light misting coats of paint. Don't do it! I had several drips that weren't visible when I was painting but once everything was dry, the outlines of the drips were obvious. There were several large drips on the neck that I ended up sanding back down to the original pink paint and then spraying again with navy blue and then clear.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Mentally prepare yourself for how long the painting part will be. When you're applying the new color, do several very light misting coats and don't rush things. Follow the instructions for drying times and curing times. I decided to let the navy blue paint cure before applying the glossy top coat, so that added 24 hours to my painting time. The curing time may be different depending on what product you use, so always follow the instructions for your paint.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The same lesson is true for the glossy top coat. Don't rush! Putting on a thicker top coat made the mixer so shiny and pretty, until I looked at the other side and there were big drips running down it. I tried to fix it by painting them out with the paintbrush but it was too late, and I had to wait until the paint had dried and then sand the drips off and repaint both the navy blue and the top coat. Don't be stupid like me!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
And whatever you do, don't use the mixer until all of the paint is cured. Curing is different from drying - paint that is dried to the touch hasn't completely bonded chemically to whatever object it's on and can still be messed up. Generally you need to wait 24 to 48 hours for the colored and clear paint to completely cure. A good way to test if the glossy top coat is cured is to press on it with the edge of your fingernail. If that leaves a small indentation, then it hasn't finished curing.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Fifth lesson learned:</b> natural light is best. I did the original two coats of navy blue in the basement with fluorescent lights because it was raining (ah, the Pacific northwest) but on the second day it actually got sunny. That's when I moved the mixer outside to the front porch and the drips in the navy blue paint were suddenly really obvious. If it's at all possible, do the painting part in natural light, next to a window or outdoors.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Sixth lesson learned:</b> most mistakes are fixable. With a fancy shmancy project like this, it was surprising how easy it was to fix stupid painting errors.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The first big mistake I made was that I dropped the mixer when I was carrying it upstairs.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGfgjuNzOz1XdhIDnb0At7DbY9Yey66DZwgIDjGf_yTwDYmiwFj_gY0LJoO2ZOoKcdYhQ5XB5OV5mdCBfvlmfSlu7MaW3YSwZss5q_D-gbPrKf6oa2yJjWW5XN_9VvdyRhlrmGtN6H6odw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.30.25+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGfgjuNzOz1XdhIDnb0At7DbY9Yey66DZwgIDjGf_yTwDYmiwFj_gY0LJoO2ZOoKcdYhQ5XB5OV5mdCBfvlmfSlu7MaW3YSwZss5q_D-gbPrKf6oa2yJjWW5XN_9VvdyRhlrmGtN6H6odw/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.30.25+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The big ding is right below the screw.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The mixer ended up with a big ding right below the screw on one side of the neck. I tried to fix it by spraying on more paint, which did not work:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6Nv_jKGizQNskwerSihhbK_ZqcreJ9U2fsCt_ctdeYuLmVWw6fFH2S0QM6GkaHujv3rdYzdW3P69yTtV_TbowRT5P1kvqn-Aj2T96nEZ5aG0qXB899IbyiZVwI9wGK4JBAa1tTL3BaWE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.31.01+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6Nv_jKGizQNskwerSihhbK_ZqcreJ9U2fsCt_ctdeYuLmVWw6fFH2S0QM6GkaHujv3rdYzdW3P69yTtV_TbowRT5P1kvqn-Aj2T96nEZ5aG0qXB899IbyiZVwI9wGK4JBAa1tTL3BaWE/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.31.01+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big bubble of paint</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I added too much paint too quickly and while I covered the ding, I ended up with a paint bubble above the screw and a thick paint edge at the base of the machine head.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If you make a mistake, wait for the paint to dry (about an hour or so), sand off the mistake, and repaint. The sanding block and the sheet of sandpaper were both useful for this. I used the sanding block for the larger mistakes and the sandpaper for the hard to reach mistakes.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishw54a_EkKoKqe-XmCLd2aEuY0n8UfKi-dvWDg0z7tD_0joEVNp2PbIcVLmSnOLbQt8NyTmBACRKMBU8IzSxp-9BKWfngcuJfO55w53tcWBEmEhqnmgJlIJ3aB0CsjYGBMFkJCrD6LuQC/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.33.44+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishw54a_EkKoKqe-XmCLd2aEuY0n8UfKi-dvWDg0z7tD_0joEVNp2PbIcVLmSnOLbQt8NyTmBACRKMBU8IzSxp-9BKWfngcuJfO55w53tcWBEmEhqnmgJlIJ3aB0CsjYGBMFkJCrD6LuQC/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.33.44+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is actually a different mistake in the same spot caused by me trying to fix yet another, different mistake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If you end up getting paint on something metal, you can literally scrape it off with your fingernail once the paint has dried. Don't try to get the paint off when it's wet because you'll just end up smearing the paint around. Once it's dry, gently scrape it off with your fingernail.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Due to the truly ridiculous number of mistakes that I went back and fixed, I ended up using the entire can of navy blue paint and glossy enamel paint. If you're more careful than I am, it will take less paint and less time (because I had to wait for the paint to dry after each mistake). It should take about a week total for the entire project (including the curing time) but it took me a good two weeks.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
My mixer has gotten a lot of use and has accumulated some decent nicks and bumps. There are some small areas where the paint isn't quite smooth and not quite as shiny due to the bumps but I'm probably the only person who'll notice. It's okay to repaint an old mixer that gotten banged up. Just do your best to sand out the paint scrapes and bumps as much as possible.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Because it was so easy to fix mistakes, it was also easy to decide to paint an area that I originally wasn't going to paint. This is the carbon brush screws areas.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The large, flat black screws on both sides of the head of the mixer are the screws that hold the carbon brushes in place. These guys:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVTuSMwqQJmPc1snrDVm6H7MBl0BuaThaK62y3DvnuOovee6UxcyM17DyPP545XbDs-v2IHQkYF-W4S1Apur8zTYusYoGpeo5Ns79oTC8noBzPUymiJ2twQd5a-8bAdoF0sGu8A5chTM6/s1600/carbon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVTuSMwqQJmPc1snrDVm6H7MBl0BuaThaK62y3DvnuOovee6UxcyM17DyPP545XbDs-v2IHQkYF-W4S1Apur8zTYusYoGpeo5Ns79oTC8noBzPUymiJ2twQd5a-8bAdoF0sGu8A5chTM6/s320/carbon.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can still see the pink around the inside edges of screw holes so I decided to take out the screws and paint the holes blue.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Neither of the two blogs that I used as guides mentioned anything about these screws and all of the final pictures look great, so I suppose they didn't have any issues with them. But on my machine, the bright pink paint on the inside of the screw holes was blindingly obvious. So after I finished the entire paint job, I decided to remove these screws, paint the holes with the paintbrush, and put the screws back in. These screws hold the carbon brushes, which are on long springs. One end of the spring pushes against the inside of the screws and one end has the brushes which are pushed into the carbon holes:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4ylEhbnau1PvLt4LB-cIeZwHaBEE97g5ukhM-1RyE5JXUnUstaih3KsO7GZsXr-51NnuD_Mr5lozQJzsHPjtxGnT_-qYv1we2iF1s5lpuCDtnbRS0k1tk4xhS_6SKQpjpBwEkQMKzUCL/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.33.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4ylEhbnau1PvLt4LB-cIeZwHaBEE97g5ukhM-1RyE5JXUnUstaih3KsO7GZsXr-51NnuD_Mr5lozQJzsHPjtxGnT_-qYv1we2iF1s5lpuCDtnbRS0k1tk4xhS_6SKQpjpBwEkQMKzUCL/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.33.22+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the screw removed. I've also sanded down the problem area below the head tilt arm and I painted the screw hole and that small area at the same time using the paintbrush.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Be careful when you unscrew the screws because the springs are pressing on them and will literally try to spring out of the holes if you just pull the screws out like they were normal screws. When you've got the screws loosened, slowly pull them straight out the holes. The end of the springs sit inside a small circle on the interior end of the screws. Once you slowly remove the screws, you can slide the springs out. The carbon brushes are on the end of the springs:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZODBnmYOD2JfJDSDZ3osUq3IEgI6f6D_ARTTmq-0qCfbNoaKeaaCy5Hn61F-ZjSsf8F1K6MU5NbYhGNS1BauIsyOtNo_pduA4NAnrKIJucJhZ0DwkKwDOMMawHWmwpitFicQoAJ4K5yx3/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.34.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZODBnmYOD2JfJDSDZ3osUq3IEgI6f6D_ARTTmq-0qCfbNoaKeaaCy5Hn61F-ZjSsf8F1K6MU5NbYhGNS1BauIsyOtNo_pduA4NAnrKIJucJhZ0DwkKwDOMMawHWmwpitFicQoAJ4K5yx3/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.34.17+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These keeps your machine running</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Although the carbon brushes look like they're square shaped, they actually not. Three of the four corners are 90 degrees, but one of the corners is actually 45 degrees and that side of the carbon brush is visibly flattened compared to the other three. You can kind of see it in the picture above. This is important because the carbon brushes have to be reinstalled correctly or the motor won't turn on (if you're lucky). Here are a couple of links about people who have removed the carbon brushes and what happened when they didn't put them back in correctly: <a href="http://www.fixya.com/support/t8641992-took_out_two_black_flat_screws_side" target="_blank">question 1</a> and <a href="http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f84/kitchenaid-mixer-broken-75872.html" target="_blank">question 2</a>. Don't be intimidated by these stories but do remember that the orientation of the carbon brushes is important.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
To put the carbon brushes back in correctly, look down the holes for the carbon brushes using a flashlight. You'll see that three of the corners at the ends of the holes are ninety degrees and that one corner has a small bump shape in it. This bump doesn't run the length of the hole - it's only at the end in the inside of the machine head so that's why you need the flashlight to see it. If you know what you're looking for, it's easy to find. The motor shouldn't turn on if the rotation of the carbon brushes are wrong. So if you think you've got them in correctly but your stand mixer doesn't turn on, double-check them.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If you're lucky, the springs will stay in place when you remove the screws and you can carefully paint around them.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If you're really lucky, you've got an original color that doesn't show through and you can just skip this.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<h4>
Part 3: Reassembly</h4>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Hooray, you've made it! </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Once the paint has completely cured, you can put all of the parts that you took off back on. With the exception of the carbon brushes, there isn't anything complicated about this part. The screws on my bowl clamping plate, skinny metal strip, and back hood were all slightly different sizes so I literally couldn't mix them up. It took about 5 minutes to reattach everything. Make sure you put the skinny metal strip back on before the back hood.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbUvux63IuKSU33l6KqwtLAtghrQiImIk29r4DSAyM9-AsquUMTqBk4CKA7YhH3jBWiiZ-oy8OEI0-GHeT_shsn343TqSkjGrK53I4fjcxKJt0tSyyNDvLRgj5SfJVIJL0kZVxEKpWDs1/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.35.08+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbUvux63IuKSU33l6KqwtLAtghrQiImIk29r4DSAyM9-AsquUMTqBk4CKA7YhH3jBWiiZ-oy8OEI0-GHeT_shsn343TqSkjGrK53I4fjcxKJt0tSyyNDvLRgj5SfJVIJL0kZVxEKpWDs1/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.35.08+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It turned out so pretty!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
One everything was put back on and I was ready to celebrate, I discovered the gross amount of adhesive left on the power cord from the painter's tape. Glue is a pain to remove, but fortunately I had a bottle of gojo:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtYCMZke_y38YlGUXRShyphenhyphen00Te58z4naZL0JyErfj1qLI6HQq4sp3faLKBKFK-49TBJnDiMtEmGV6FgO5E60vvS-1sQR50Hig0rnfihwvzxbDTOD_tmcjeXxuVa4rbW7bar_jXwfNs5WAdl/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.35.46+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtYCMZke_y38YlGUXRShyphenhyphen00Te58z4naZL0JyErfj1qLI6HQq4sp3faLKBKFK-49TBJnDiMtEmGV6FgO5E60vvS-1sQR50Hig0rnfihwvzxbDTOD_tmcjeXxuVa4rbW7bar_jXwfNs5WAdl/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.35.46+PM.png" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I adore this stuff</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I've always kept a bottle of gojo around ever since my high school days when we used it in auto shop. It's a very serious exfoliator and it smells good, like oranges. I used a green scrubber pad (like for washing dishes) with gojo and it removed the adhesive from the power cord and all of the paint from my hands (which is why I've got rubber gloves listed in the materials section).</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
At the end of this, I absolutely love the way my stand mixer turned out and I'm not sorry that I tried this.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphTW-_t8BgmQes1KomY1shyphenhyphenfTyTtMFpUNl6-Vxo_POoxuVgJkvayo8CrJRFR8fh9vf4CxAtl2bsBM_z26Ovs-43QIBlSRI-rIoJ80o4GxijZxx7exa0uqwbGrYirUncFFm63DUb58dwLb/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.36.16+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphTW-_t8BgmQes1KomY1shyphenhyphenfTyTtMFpUNl6-Vxo_POoxuVgJkvayo8CrJRFR8fh9vf4CxAtl2bsBM_z26Ovs-43QIBlSRI-rIoJ80o4GxijZxx7exa0uqwbGrYirUncFFm63DUb58dwLb/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-08+at+2.36.16+PM.png" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classic navy blue goes well with stainless steel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-62840004316634344012016-04-05T01:42:00.000-04:002016-04-05T01:42:57.543-04:00Matcha Mother's Swiss Roll (Vanilla, Green Tea, and Chocolate Swiss Rolls)I apologize for the terrible post title but I couldn't resist the urge to make a stupid pun.<br />
<br />
Usually I start a post with a story or an explanation of how I decided to try making the recipes covered in the post. But this time there's nothing special about it: I just googled recipes that use matcha (green tea). I was in the mood for baking something that was matcha flavored, found a recipe for a green tea Swiss roll, and liked the look of it. Nothing fancy.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_roll" target="_blank">Swiss rolls</a> apparently aren't Swiss at all. They come in a variety of flavors and the filling (usually whipped cream) can also have pieces of fresh fruit in it. It turns out that I spent my childhood eating the "Hong Kong" style of Swiss rolls from the Chinese bakeries in San Francisco without realizing that the European versions are much sweeter. I prefer the less sweet style, especially when it lets the taste of any fruit in the filling come through more (mango!!! yum).<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://kitchentigress.blogspot.com/2015/02/matcha-green-tea-azuki-red-bean-roll.html" target="_blank">green tea Swiss roll recipe</a> I found by googling comes from <a href="http://kitchentigress.blogspot.sg/" target="_blank">KitchenTigress's blog</a>, and she is from Singapore. I got lucky and happened to find a recipe that is in the Hong Kong style without knowing it. I tried three different cake variations (vanilla, matcha, and chocolate), and two different filling variations (flavored whipped cream only or whipped cream with fruit).<br />
<br />
While looking up Swiss roll facts for this blog post, I also found out that most people have trouble with the cake cracking and splitting when they roll it. I did not have any of these problems when using KitchenTigress's recipe as the base for my experiments. This is because Kitchen Tigress designed her recipe to produce a cake that is 1) moist and 2) stretchy and flexible.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/food-and-friends/chocolate-swiss-roll-cake/" target="_blank">The Pioneer Woman's post on Swiss rolls</a> shows an excellent example of the cake cracking. This is not a criticism of the Pioneer Woman, it's just the reality that most people face when making Swiss rolls.<br />
<br />
The other major difference I found while googling is that people recommend rolling the cake while it's hot and letting it cool down, then unrolling it to fill it and then re-rolling it back up again. I let the cake cool down completely before spreading on the filling and rolling and didn't have to rush through any steps.<br />
<br />
This was the result of my first attempt at a Swiss roll using <a href="http://kitchentigress.blogspot.sg/2014/09/swiss-roll-video-recipe.html" target="_blank">Kitchen Tigress's Vanilla Swiss roll recipe</a>:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT9DtTwExKqUPWPdOILtxVFsScK24oV2hcvmedsItSzAdHkAgt_3D786f8J_Ir7ZjVQnctwpbp2sj_oTfJkTTM483oncnhhiyD2fMc6DQNmGTv2vEysRk1dnanfA5IeXpHzaXBWUQ7RFgu/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+8.37.57+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT9DtTwExKqUPWPdOILtxVFsScK24oV2hcvmedsItSzAdHkAgt_3D786f8J_Ir7ZjVQnctwpbp2sj_oTfJkTTM483oncnhhiyD2fMc6DQNmGTv2vEysRk1dnanfA5IeXpHzaXBWUQ7RFgu/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+8.37.57+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vanilla Swiss roll with whipped cream filling and mandarin orange slices<br />The little black square is where a piece was when I dusted with powdered sugar but I ate the piece before I took this picture.<br />It was great.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The hardest part of the green tea recipe was remembering to double the ingredient quantities after converting from metric to imperial units.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a>Because Kitchen Tigress is from Singapore, all of the units in her recipes are for weight instead of volume and in metric instead of imperial units. Keep in mind when reading her original recipes is that her oven is also in Singapore so it's half the size of an American oven, which means that her baking pans are half the size of ours and so her ingredient measurements are for what we would consider to be a half-sized dessert. I have converted everything but you can go back and check if something looks wrong. (To make things more confusing, she used a larger pan for the original Swiss roll recipe so those ingredients are not doubled, but a smaller pan for the matcha Swiss roll recipe so those ingredients are doubled. I've got the correct amounts you'll need for <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-Natural-Aluminum-Commercial/dp/B000G0KJG4/ref=sr_1_5?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1459829761&sr=1-5&keywords=cookie+sheet" target="_blank">a standard American cookie sheet</a> ~17" X 11".)<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Here are the experiments that I tried:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ol>
<li><a href="http://kitchentigress.blogspot.sg/2014/09/swiss-roll-video-recipe.html" target="_blank">original Swiss roll recipe</a> (whipped cream filling and mandarin orange slices from Trader Joe's) (pictured above) (success)</li>
<li>original Swiss roll recipe with cocoa powder added to make it chocolate (not a success)</li>
<li><a href="http://kitchentigress.blogspot.com/2015/02/matcha-green-tea-azuki-red-bean-roll.html" target="_blank">green tea Swiss roll recipe</a> (with almond whipped cream filling) (definite success)</li>
<li><a href="http://kitchentigress.blogspot.com/2014/09/chocolate-swiss-roll-video-recipe.html" target="_blank">chocolate Swiss roll recipe</a> (whipped cream filling and morello cherries from Trader Joe's) (not a success)</li>
<li>green tea Swiss roll recipe modified with cocoa powder instead of matcha powder to make it chocolate (with Nutella whipped cream and chopped hazelnut filling) (definite success)</li>
<li>original Swiss roll recipe (whipped cream filling and fresh blackberries) (success)</li>
</ol>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
I don't know why Kitchen Tigress's vanilla (#1) and matcha (#3) recipes worked so well but the chocolate one failed (#4). The texture of the cake from #4 was not nice at all - dry and dense and heavy.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The technique in the matcha recipe for adding a powdered flavor works quite well (#5) and I would recommend using this recipe for adding any powdered flavors, while keeping in mind that the amount of oil is lower in the matcha recipe than in the original recipe and may need to be increased a bit depending on what you've added. Experiment #2 was just a confirmation that Kitchen Tigress was correct about adding cocoa powder to the original recipe: the cake was just a dry, hard mess.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
As far as cake and filling combinations go, let your imagination run wild! For example, I used blackberries in experiment #6 because I saw them at the grocery store and that's when I decided to put them in the filling. I'm thinking of trying another experiment with making a mango cake.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
You can also vary the sweetness by changing the amount of sugar in the filling. I recommend that you don't adjust the amount of sugar in the cake by very much because it can make the cake either very sticky or very dry. The cake itself is not very sweet by American standards but you can easily add sugar to the whipped cream filling, or you can use a sweeter filling (like Nutella in experiment #5) to increase the sweetness.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Swiss Roll Recipe</h4>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><a href="http://kitchentigress.blogspot.sg/2014/09/swiss-roll-video-recipe.html" style="font-size: small;" target="_blank">original recipe</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> from Kitchen Tigress</span></i></span></h2>
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>4 large egg whites (140 grams)</li>
<li>0.27 cup granulated sugar (60 grams)</li>
<li>4 large egg yolks (60 grams)</li>
<li>0.4 cup cake flour (40 grams)</li>
<li>1/16 teaspoon salt</li>
<li>1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract</li>
<li>0.27 cups vegetable oil (60 grams)</li>
<li>butter (for greasing the pan)</li>
<li>heavy whipping cream (~1 cup per cake)</li>
<li>sugar</li>
<li>any extracts (if desired)</li>
<li>fresh fruit (if desired in filling)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<b>Directions</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Pre-heat the oven to 400 F (200 C). Grease a cookie sheet with butter and line it with parchment paper. Make sure to remove any trapped air bubbles under the paper by running the edge of your hand over the paper to the ends of the cookie sheet.<br />
<br />
Whisk the egg whites until a thick foam forms, like bubble bath. Slowly add the granulated sugar while keeping the hand mixer running. Continue to mix until the egg whites have firm peaks (a hooked peak remains when the beaters are lifted from the egg whites).<br />
<br />
Add the yolks to the egg whites one at a time. Mix on a slow speed until each yolk is completely incorporated.<br />
<br />
Sift half of the cake flour into the egg mixture. Add the salt. Mix the flour into the eggs with a whisk; do not use a hand mixer. Sift the remaining half of the cake flour into the batter and mix with the whisk until just even. Add the vanilla extract and the vegetable oil. Fold into the batter with a spatula until just evenly mixed, banging the mixing bowl against the countertop 2-3 times.<br />
<br />
Pour the batter onto the cookie sheet and spread it out with the spatula as evenly as possible, making sure to push the batter into the corners of the pan. Jiggle the pan until the batter is level. Bang the pan against the countertop twice.<br />
<br />
Bake on the middle rack of the oven until the middle of the cake is springy when pressed, about 10 to 11 minutes. Do not overbake! It is okay to open the oven and feel the cake several times. Remove the cake from the oven and drop the pan from onto the countertop from about 1 foot up. Drop the pan about 3-4 times. Using the edges of the parchment paper, pick up the cake and place it on a wire rack to cool. Peel the parchment paper from the sides of the cake and leave it for 20-30 minutes, or until cooled to room temperature.<br />
<br />
While the cake is cooling down, whip the heavy whipping cream until the whipped cream is very solid and nearly becoming butter. Add the amount of sugar you want and any extracts if desired.<br />
<br />
To assemble, place the cake on a new sheet of parchment paper, face down. Peel the parchment paper from the bottom of the cake. Spread the filling evenly over the cake. If using fruit, place it either in the middle of the filling in a line or sprinkle the fruit across the filling.<br />
<br />
Roll the cake from one of the long sides so that the resulting roll is long and skinny. When making the initial roll, try not to squish the cake so much that it cracks or smushes while also making sure that the roll is tight enough to be solid. You can squish the roll gently with your hands to make it more circular at this point. Wrap the roll tightly in saran wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to several hours (or overnight) to make sure the whipped cream filling is solid and to let the flavors mix. Make sure that the edge of the roll is on the bottom when you put it in the fridge. If desired, melted chocolate can be poured over the roll but should only be done within several hours of when the cake will be eaten. Do not pour chocolate on a roll and leave it overnight because the chocolate will seep into the cake and oil will separate out.<br />
<br />
To cut the cake, use a serrated knife and either wipe it clean with a towel or run it under hot water and dry it after every cut. This keeps the filling from sticking to the knife blade and being transferred to the outside of the roll on the next cut.<br />
<br />
You can store either a cut or uncut roll overnight in the fridge. If desired, sift powdered sugar (or any other powder) on the roll either before or after cutting it. Whipped cream can also be piped on top of each cut for decoration.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAE5hAXoZBP7jd6mgxD_n63ZxuzCSRcEjDeh0ZzeIT2O8bt9gXlhC-dEwZVZKkauFru0tcEE6V3yzVHSGiBTg-Ncw-PXlWSIS8Poy1b1mpzBLFvk47pRzHRW9cSZBwtIGkL3fg9JhPmpsE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.10.19+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAE5hAXoZBP7jd6mgxD_n63ZxuzCSRcEjDeh0ZzeIT2O8bt9gXlhC-dEwZVZKkauFru0tcEE6V3yzVHSGiBTg-Ncw-PXlWSIS8Poy1b1mpzBLFvk47pRzHRW9cSZBwtIGkL3fg9JhPmpsE/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.10.19+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Egg whites with firm peaks: the whites don't fall off the beaters and the peak made when the beaters are lifted doesn't fall back down into the whites.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxuF7uekP_nxHKybMzuxCbpI4bimuoAofPYQJdEi2sN_NOZllCmUe9T51It8HtjsysccXwmYNs6jfZr0wtrQxy6xYwwb8u3BqHTUmvId5KjNWZvgeSg-PH0faGtVZ9xxtUTRRt_-HchF-f/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.10.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxuF7uekP_nxHKybMzuxCbpI4bimuoAofPYQJdEi2sN_NOZllCmUe9T51It8HtjsysccXwmYNs6jfZr0wtrQxy6xYwwb8u3BqHTUmvId5KjNWZvgeSg-PH0faGtVZ9xxtUTRRt_-HchF-f/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.10.32+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With all 4 yolks beaten in.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95VNK9ebzEpos8IS6LqmWDbOqv4ruyfzwMWEonzIZHxYUlxQKLwsevPbc67abwvYVaBWeHfmMOI_8_Shyphenhyphene3NLydz25uOOG-9uJSz8Uc-oYJX4pCLtG2lh8fFP4bFmhUkyqa9FLoCst_al/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.11.01+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95VNK9ebzEpos8IS6LqmWDbOqv4ruyfzwMWEonzIZHxYUlxQKLwsevPbc67abwvYVaBWeHfmMOI_8_Shyphenhyphene3NLydz25uOOG-9uJSz8Uc-oYJX4pCLtG2lh8fFP4bFmhUkyqa9FLoCst_al/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.11.01+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the flour, salt, oil, and vanilla whisked in.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1Z_D-6eLgdx5ib27Dh5tDwIuMBL8YTh2AtsHgPRSipX2_HJBIW37HCMjD-Cm6jXs85hR_10K5XT5iX20nv4-iMi21C4hUuEoIm3WW3t8pf0yAQ-C3IPRALIFMjDW1m2EH9llaaFSHEra/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.11.15+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1Z_D-6eLgdx5ib27Dh5tDwIuMBL8YTh2AtsHgPRSipX2_HJBIW37HCMjD-Cm6jXs85hR_10K5XT5iX20nv4-iMi21C4hUuEoIm3WW3t8pf0yAQ-C3IPRALIFMjDW1m2EH9llaaFSHEra/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.11.15+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prepared cookie sheet</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI2MVewz06dBHj8TUVVyBwjiTBBkEWMvryWMd0S4-boIMNlgEjs9W_BxzVQkJ24UAT4lEHc-idtb9GQ5JHCMBewLrzuO3essycen8biz4gBnqsz7rrpMxtuiVtUUOgev6hAkJ3nM_MuHE3/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.11.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI2MVewz06dBHj8TUVVyBwjiTBBkEWMvryWMd0S4-boIMNlgEjs9W_BxzVQkJ24UAT4lEHc-idtb9GQ5JHCMBewLrzuO3essycen8biz4gBnqsz7rrpMxtuiVtUUOgev6hAkJ3nM_MuHE3/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.11.32+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The batter should be quite thick and you should need to push it with a spatula.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRD-b1bQJtnniNbyYLwPXuNMGvpdvBqCXoN79MMwR0kCOP4BxWx9o0zY0ZMSgW0ST12SQMYOZpneiK2zIF2Gh1CEoXvUA0R2UWWSMLYXwC0OM_zGO-nr8_66VKwVEdkF7Y2MIsQKTqhn7p/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.11.46+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRD-b1bQJtnniNbyYLwPXuNMGvpdvBqCXoN79MMwR0kCOP4BxWx9o0zY0ZMSgW0ST12SQMYOZpneiK2zIF2Gh1CEoXvUA0R2UWWSMLYXwC0OM_zGO-nr8_66VKwVEdkF7Y2MIsQKTqhn7p/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.11.46+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Batter spread out across the whole cookie sheet. The batter will make a thin layer and you will need to jiggle the cookie sheet quite a bit to get it as even as possible.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxejNaEhVUX5Na5SJka9RuRI6eE7WW7jx21k5AZI5GWAeTQwYxoLLJOkQpiO4F_xfn8PJAicFfFjFRLhXHMKgkesvMC6Fe40fyurP5OMhP3n898h6A-QyYUxkMCnq-lySy94wD1_Pjosn/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.12.07+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxejNaEhVUX5Na5SJka9RuRI6eE7WW7jx21k5AZI5GWAeTQwYxoLLJOkQpiO4F_xfn8PJAicFfFjFRLhXHMKgkesvMC6Fe40fyurP5OMhP3n898h6A-QyYUxkMCnq-lySy94wD1_Pjosn/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.12.07+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cake cooling down. Remember to peel the paper away from the edges of the cake.<br />This cake isn't cracked - I accidentally bent it towards the bottom when I picked it up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtBhEGEQsX8dUWihi_RKeXvKhm3iOUVUStU1p3XOXWy9jC4RAMSl2sb6fBV-eoPhIfHAjvm_YuaD36TwdJLvuB9Olsr4Kgk_dzkYlvKP-GO7rve2JznJEAhFjjvHQhyaUdGNSQjNe_jQCu/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.12.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtBhEGEQsX8dUWihi_RKeXvKhm3iOUVUStU1p3XOXWy9jC4RAMSl2sb6fBV-eoPhIfHAjvm_YuaD36TwdJLvuB9Olsr4Kgk_dzkYlvKP-GO7rve2JznJEAhFjjvHQhyaUdGNSQjNe_jQCu/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.12.22+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spread with very firm whipped cream</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTtxFmCpAqcXi3zAz-cipLK8TqDhtk5EpfzDI3nuX8QZnN8QPoS_aRmcMe4xRwb8jfWwaJ0ssPZuVm2pHBqRehH09EG2lthIMliNN_dBArQEmJWo4QsN4ZJnk9hPnPLncFPaKvs1C2Bnz/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.12.34+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTtxFmCpAqcXi3zAz-cipLK8TqDhtk5EpfzDI3nuX8QZnN8QPoS_aRmcMe4xRwb8jfWwaJ0ssPZuVm2pHBqRehH09EG2lthIMliNN_dBArQEmJWo4QsN4ZJnk9hPnPLncFPaKvs1C2Bnz/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.12.34+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smashed fresh blackberries spread on top of the whipped cream.<br />To roll, take the bottom edge (one of the two long edges) and roll towards the top edge (the other long edge).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVWdrYOPT6tNPhZ0lQWVCbhL_rpBJiRbm2CPSY-kCS4cLa7Qa6vPpTBoK7J4wYBaglGTMxLXOUK1MjbToD0bfI6KKV0C5iEgiYctQmK017Xp6P7dLaLTF5DvexIs8M57qsqrjnN4BV2Yv/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.12.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVWdrYOPT6tNPhZ0lQWVCbhL_rpBJiRbm2CPSY-kCS4cLa7Qa6vPpTBoK7J4wYBaglGTMxLXOUK1MjbToD0bfI6KKV0C5iEgiYctQmK017Xp6P7dLaLTF5DvexIs8M57qsqrjnN4BV2Yv/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.12.47+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rolled up and in saran wrap to rest in the fridge.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXC3vj3iucJEMAv2J9T8nWuXzsQNheZs34cqc9h3H1S-4VzW0BQMPfT65B_1ws4Yhf_Q2qyz8_ufnGd1Ix9SDAr75FZthZYcKNUoQjJYrhMArkBltl4Q8N_sixjPl0d5n6HVfT_4b7TbVb/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.13.01+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXC3vj3iucJEMAv2J9T8nWuXzsQNheZs34cqc9h3H1S-4VzW0BQMPfT65B_1ws4Yhf_Q2qyz8_ufnGd1Ix9SDAr75FZthZYcKNUoQjJYrhMArkBltl4Q8N_sixjPl0d5n6HVfT_4b7TbVb/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.13.01+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutting the roll. The first several cuts on either end won't be pretty because the filling is usually thinner there. You can discard those pieces.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWT3BKbMPyqKpA4pzmTFIhBIFGEuU92xMdMZDnehjJEpTwtM0ra1A7ZnSGZfIttJyUV8wolEQbqvVbu0BCtf29joTsdeAtdBw548kNYLBzQUMDvRVhGcJbpIv4UUK8CLup6cgYbcUjgFUi/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.13.18+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWT3BKbMPyqKpA4pzmTFIhBIFGEuU92xMdMZDnehjJEpTwtM0ra1A7ZnSGZfIttJyUV8wolEQbqvVbu0BCtf29joTsdeAtdBw548kNYLBzQUMDvRVhGcJbpIv4UUK8CLup6cgYbcUjgFUi/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.13.18+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished product: vanilla roll with whipped cream and blackberry filling.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Green Tea/Chocolate/Other Flavor Swiss Roll Recipe</h4>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><a href="http://kitchentigress.blogspot.com/2015/02/matcha-green-tea-azuki-red-bean-roll.html" style="font-size: small;" target="_blank">original recipe</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> from Kitchen Tigress</span></i></span></h2>
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>4 teaspoons very hot water (20 grams)</li>
<li>1 tablespoon green tea powder (matcha)/cocoa powder/any other kind of powder</li>
<li>4 egg yolks (60 grams)</li>
<li>1.60 tablespoons granulated sugar (20 grams)</li>
<li>2.15 tablespoons vegetable oil (30 grams)</li>
<li>4.80 tablespoons cake flour (30 grams)</li>
<li>4 egg whites (140 grams)</li>
<li>1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar</li>
<li>3.20 tablespoons of granulated sugar (40 grams)</li>
<li>butter for greasing the pan</li>
<li>heavy whipping cream (~1 cup per cake)</li>
<li>sugar</li>
<li>any extracts (if desired)</li>
<li>fresh fruit (if desired in filling)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Directions</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Pre-heat the oven to 400 F (200 C). Grease a cookie sheet with butter and line it with parchment paper. Make sure to remove any trapped air bubbles under the paper by running the edge of your hand over the paper to the ends of the cookie sheet.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Add the hot water to the green tea powder/cocoa powder in a small bowl. Stir until smooth. Cover and set aside.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Using a hand mixer, whisk the egg yolks with the 1.60 tablespoons of sugar in a medium bowl until the mixture is thick and pale. Add the vegetable oil and whisk until thick. Add the green tea/chocolate paste and mix until even. Sift the cake flour into the mixture in 2 batches, mixing until just even after each batch.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Whisk the egg whites with a hand mixer in a large bowl until very frothy, like bubble bath. Add the cream of tartar and keep mixing until a thick foam forms. Slowly add the 3.20 tablespoons of sugar while mixing. Keep whisking until firm peaks form.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Add the egg yolk mixture to the egg whites, folding with a spatula until just evenly mixed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure not to miss any of the batter, banging the bowl against the countertop 2-3 times.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Pour the batter onto the cookie sheet and spread it out with the spatula as evenly as possible, making sure to push the batter into the corners of the pan. Jiggle the pan until the batter is level. Bang the pan against the countertop twice.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Bake on the middle rack of the oven until the middle of the cake is springy when pressed, about 9 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake! It is okay to open the oven and feel the cake several times. Remove the cake from the oven and drop the pan from onto the countertop from about 1 foot up. Drop the pan about 3-4 times. Using the edges of the parchment paper, pick up the cake and place it on a wire rack to cool. Peel the parchment paper from the sides of the cake and leave it for 20-30 minutes, or until cooled to room temperature.<br />
<br />
While the cake is cooling down, whip the heavy whipping cream until the whipped cream is very solid and nearly becoming butter. Add the amount of sugar you want and any extracts if desired.<br />
<br />
To assemble, place the cake on a new sheet of parchment paper, face down. Peel the parchment paper from the bottom of the cake. Spread the filling evenly over the cake. If using fruit, place it either in the middle of the filling in a line or sprinkle the fruit across the filling.<br />
<br />
Roll the cake from one of the long sides so that the resulting roll is long and skinny. When making the initial roll, try not to squish the cake so much that it cracks or smushes while also making sure that the roll is tight enough to be solid. You can squish the roll gently with your hands to make it more circular at this point. Wrap the roll tightly in saran wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to several hours (or overnight) to make sure the whipped cream filling is solid and to let the flavors mix. Make sure that the edge of the roll is on the bottom when you put it in the fridge. If desired, melted chocolate can be poured over the roll but should only be done within several hours of when the cake will be eaten. Do not pour chocolate on a roll and leave it overnight because the chocolate will seep into the cake and oil will separate out.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To cut the cake, use a serrated knife and either wipe it clean with a towel or run it under hot water and dry it after every cut. This keeps the filling from sticking to the knife blade and being transferred to the outside of the roll on the next cut.<br />
<br />
You can store either a cut or uncut roll overnight in the fridge. If desired, sift powdered sugar (or any other powder) on the roll either before or after cutting it. Whipped cream can also be piped on top of each cut for decoration.<br />
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5QO0hzfHN04mk1PSHAkQumYfgJIOuxjzSOuZMmUhYfZYlPQIFg7oIssJanFocSr-u6YsV79F9fzO5p7ZWn0sVH05hWWKab8lQJREZp0p-62twSkWJWNbsFr-m5SRDkaZ9uoXX3zXGqYB/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.02.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5QO0hzfHN04mk1PSHAkQumYfgJIOuxjzSOuZMmUhYfZYlPQIFg7oIssJanFocSr-u6YsV79F9fzO5p7ZWn0sVH05hWWKab8lQJREZp0p-62twSkWJWNbsFr-m5SRDkaZ9uoXX3zXGqYB/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.02.17+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beating the egg whites.<br />The green tea paste is in the small bowl above the yolks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnu7FTPBG47gJ8790q7_tW_RMUm77RdJE3wvdRKRLDuLnNrIxv7Gt5L8mMcoXuxGha93l_EByj1VAtkOHkwXrPVa6XZ2i9-_yBQhoIkXIAMFR7lzgr2VyBZjui4qwaIMxYR-y5hCgHNlTk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.02.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnu7FTPBG47gJ8790q7_tW_RMUm77RdJE3wvdRKRLDuLnNrIxv7Gt5L8mMcoXuxGha93l_EByj1VAtkOHkwXrPVa6XZ2i9-_yBQhoIkXIAMFR7lzgr2VyBZjui4qwaIMxYR-y5hCgHNlTk/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.02.40+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yolks and sugar before being beaten.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijoMkydbDTB8Rd4jwpTcGFByO-Vl2EvZRO5VCRHcbNw2LqlcNSx4Cx3CxLxof7Up2wn7LsaLiJJ80eWGB848Gj3nq8cH0cjtCTirRfIFI_4aYTPQjrESNWL3Fpajm4W6NcsH7HPsC4VZ5G/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.02.55+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijoMkydbDTB8Rd4jwpTcGFByO-Vl2EvZRO5VCRHcbNw2LqlcNSx4Cx3CxLxof7Up2wn7LsaLiJJ80eWGB848Gj3nq8cH0cjtCTirRfIFI_4aYTPQjrESNWL3Fpajm4W6NcsH7HPsC4VZ5G/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.02.55+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Egg yolks beaten with sugar: the color is much lighter than the color of a yolk.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGEJ9gFDn-OTTBN8tBGxMWAS3nmgpnA8Z7mEP9mK5uorXFTj9o23FVTr3IuapSqC-Jv9c1_c_RIvQyS3cJpydb6abtXG4YS9ITmQQk84prBAIiiHTj-p-pyJvABhunv9khuhmTit6Hq6vS/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.03.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGEJ9gFDn-OTTBN8tBGxMWAS3nmgpnA8Z7mEP9mK5uorXFTj9o23FVTr3IuapSqC-Jv9c1_c_RIvQyS3cJpydb6abtXG4YS9ITmQQk84prBAIiiHTj-p-pyJvABhunv9khuhmTit6Hq6vS/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.03.09+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the green tea paste beaten in.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiD3CMKqnfCzrkpkKwBWQFV0xioPNuIOgQLyGj-dtE5TGwsXo7-skVNHCt1Ab_ghjStuKedho2bvEbSqNAZa4ky-MN4mLbnXf3VBY5v7Nb9u77ur048dL7-pyAKC81qI6CkWKsVJsQpwO/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.03.23+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiD3CMKqnfCzrkpkKwBWQFV0xioPNuIOgQLyGj-dtE5TGwsXo7-skVNHCt1Ab_ghjStuKedho2bvEbSqNAZa4ky-MN4mLbnXf3VBY5v7Nb9u77ur048dL7-pyAKC81qI6CkWKsVJsQpwO/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.03.23+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the cake flour mixed in.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ84UDpavhqInVMfeCnsGS9267rsvPner-VufFwuCOtJrCocMzfqJzeGhChxTPeg0gQ95Owun83AFN0Jv4UPgCdSYrdG6c4xIKeeSH1mWO-V56yOUennFmPI4lAqm8fsSSK8Mu6GmdlWE_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.03.39+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ84UDpavhqInVMfeCnsGS9267rsvPner-VufFwuCOtJrCocMzfqJzeGhChxTPeg0gQ95Owun83AFN0Jv4UPgCdSYrdG6c4xIKeeSH1mWO-V56yOUennFmPI4lAqm8fsSSK8Mu6GmdlWE_/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.03.39+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the stiff egg whites mixed in.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhpnqnADlXa-TrFMce9xJKBrdwfwXplezVWl9MvwzG5OwLDidj8-ZCcnUzFpDhH1-N8lzsNwz8B_s23FVDKgFIagr1F14lipc3-zsvWlwD-AaEzVOiRPqm51yiGWIGN-ENaWjcotVjPoYL/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.06.13+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhpnqnADlXa-TrFMce9xJKBrdwfwXplezVWl9MvwzG5OwLDidj8-ZCcnUzFpDhH1-N8lzsNwz8B_s23FVDKgFIagr1F14lipc3-zsvWlwD-AaEzVOiRPqm51yiGWIGN-ENaWjcotVjPoYL/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.06.13+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The chocolate paste</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BggBPkE-Z6-AdxfKLM79dmcZI7s9jxDCzHRNn9iOHbKoSLNFwFnm5N1I4hPBPvqr4ePzM5s06Szds3fsBj3eE6EgETHrTQbY7CrsgqaBPpvC8ay6j4BXcgfZp7pphP_23N65hB48hflG/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.06.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BggBPkE-Z6-AdxfKLM79dmcZI7s9jxDCzHRNn9iOHbKoSLNFwFnm5N1I4hPBPvqr4ePzM5s06Szds3fsBj3eE6EgETHrTQbY7CrsgqaBPpvC8ay6j4BXcgfZp7pphP_23N65hB48hflG/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.06.32+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Egg yolks and sugar mixture with the chocolate paste mixed in.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxuGexLuhnBMm9saQlwYFWhHt2RogUZCToU7Mn20_WBdqhqz_HsQq72RsSFfpWq-mKzDwxWMpeJ7ygCunMcgSh1mKEOuV1BE8llg9yAOgvkIOSRgKDEWzYe9CaA17FxKopqovk9lyq4TEp/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.06.49+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxuGexLuhnBMm9saQlwYFWhHt2RogUZCToU7Mn20_WBdqhqz_HsQq72RsSFfpWq-mKzDwxWMpeJ7ygCunMcgSh1mKEOuV1BE8llg9yAOgvkIOSRgKDEWzYe9CaA17FxKopqovk9lyq4TEp/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.06.49+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Firmly beaten egg whites and chocolate/flour mixture</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3FHNcacYPekMPUZDJZ3cImhQNi1nk-IxIWGKpIjuocFKFqkbhXx_XgGh_CY7nF_mpoeZroTV4BGhg3T0ITf7iNIlcyR0UUBuK4rk-H_U0r55uMuU_JosHXnFqkwLjB6uK6ZH_h_1C3WOc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.07.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3FHNcacYPekMPUZDJZ3cImhQNi1nk-IxIWGKpIjuocFKFqkbhXx_XgGh_CY7nF_mpoeZroTV4BGhg3T0ITf7iNIlcyR0UUBuK4rk-H_U0r55uMuU_JosHXnFqkwLjB6uK6ZH_h_1C3WOc/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.07.02+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Egg whites with the chocolate mixture folded in</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJBF_aje_AYlsGUsIYeSF_-bhSvWN60UNa2bvw6fQTmHFHf80n_Ug5HkrdA1EwnEFn9buc4mK_L5Jt9dhDQvZ-Lg-n5tYWLJunlt-_f2Jr2wOZ3-kC-NWXoOpQHt7B2laZNxviSqypHij-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.03.54+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJBF_aje_AYlsGUsIYeSF_-bhSvWN60UNa2bvw6fQTmHFHf80n_Ug5HkrdA1EwnEFn9buc4mK_L5Jt9dhDQvZ-Lg-n5tYWLJunlt-_f2Jr2wOZ3-kC-NWXoOpQHt7B2laZNxviSqypHij-/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.03.54+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The batter is evenly spread out due to lots of jiggling of the pan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfHS5lXa09aU-kYGSeRTWRoQKcnc8aTKpDGBk9fnOHP47BPKZ82T4ZlDYdADcEJPagp3YyKprksyUXol5KTJ5kTW4uk_pvVspEyw1e87Gt7xC2j6lIWk-LsA0brcgfnbGpv0w6CnyFcsC/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.07.16+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfHS5lXa09aU-kYGSeRTWRoQKcnc8aTKpDGBk9fnOHP47BPKZ82T4ZlDYdADcEJPagp3YyKprksyUXol5KTJ5kTW4uk_pvVspEyw1e87Gt7xC2j6lIWk-LsA0brcgfnbGpv0w6CnyFcsC/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.07.16+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The batter needs to be jiggled more in the pan: the top left corner is visibly thinner than the rest of the batter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjBO9vI_q4EqV4Ae0lg15AOiUkwLcOQSkbYHO6WTHLJ8mZG60W5XmH8WIRh2CDRGv2s_F6lWSFjKvxHK4U779EMlvBc8Qz2xA9-DciYAdjyn3CCeUa01B9gGlJ_qN29XH1QzuUGNN5nesx/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.04.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjBO9vI_q4EqV4Ae0lg15AOiUkwLcOQSkbYHO6WTHLJ8mZG60W5XmH8WIRh2CDRGv2s_F6lWSFjKvxHK4U779EMlvBc8Qz2xA9-DciYAdjyn3CCeUa01B9gGlJ_qN29XH1QzuUGNN5nesx/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.04.11+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After baking for 10 minutes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgosQPax2EmRjzB8DWEoULRhv18eoD1baHyE6uZLR3Z9VTB8vun7LjdfMDERmSPuqwe47D44hklUmu5tZKWzVjGu1rfTtyzOuqdVGo7vZz0sa8huRvuLIgGB-WWSTsCR-pHTl1JRH9l6UFa/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.04.29+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgosQPax2EmRjzB8DWEoULRhv18eoD1baHyE6uZLR3Z9VTB8vun7LjdfMDERmSPuqwe47D44hklUmu5tZKWzVjGu1rfTtyzOuqdVGo7vZz0sa8huRvuLIgGB-WWSTsCR-pHTl1JRH9l6UFa/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.04.29+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooling down: the brown spots aren't on the cake, they're little bits of batter than were on the paper and which popped into the air when I peeled the edges of the paper away.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgac_hG00WW2fUktnqe1pvvhXbuqUKd7tRcCYgJBVfy6tB-rJ47cVUWiInSTsSnUQHEeSjb8az8BIhsYYdi9BPTKyN9DaMgKSgR4X3vtfomSziKfnr70vuXJbDzAvbLKWJ_CYWXjym6KrKV/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.04.42+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgac_hG00WW2fUktnqe1pvvhXbuqUKd7tRcCYgJBVfy6tB-rJ47cVUWiInSTsSnUQHEeSjb8az8BIhsYYdi9BPTKyN9DaMgKSgR4X3vtfomSziKfnr70vuXJbDzAvbLKWJ_CYWXjym6KrKV/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.04.42+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooled cake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRtZYDogm7G_Oa27-TUe6ioF4ngap0VzNUf9P5cKasFEYtGE6wDhKp1JrPtnth6QnE7AqHoYIQsJeLT5ZmHrdynGBzrRvhpTFFQJnjsgs-6xMuDVoPJ1Dvkrzy9FWRx_ERxEYoMIvSA0r/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.07.31+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRtZYDogm7G_Oa27-TUe6ioF4ngap0VzNUf9P5cKasFEYtGE6wDhKp1JrPtnth6QnE7AqHoYIQsJeLT5ZmHrdynGBzrRvhpTFFQJnjsgs-6xMuDVoPJ1Dvkrzy9FWRx_ERxEYoMIvSA0r/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.07.31+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After 10 minutes of baking. The unevenness of the batter means that the cake is uneven.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFHhI8fa5XG3W4q1bf62Oqj2PQidyobgiFPqA9Br5RYftYlPSDA-QRT8GzaMUwG7JZd-yH-mL6fMHYFytDdsmojA8ZJvC31-VmZAZmzYqdrSRhGDvaiRistcfSzhuQ5X_0oTHSMGSiLEgl/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.08.44+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFHhI8fa5XG3W4q1bf62Oqj2PQidyobgiFPqA9Br5RYftYlPSDA-QRT8GzaMUwG7JZd-yH-mL6fMHYFytDdsmojA8ZJvC31-VmZAZmzYqdrSRhGDvaiRistcfSzhuQ5X_0oTHSMGSiLEgl/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.08.44+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooled cake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV1gWhDAH5k6JQ9HMPp1qvSdGpmkLS6DuCgkPlyWPob5dxASG6EaRHZIHT_hP242molWwzDujtdPsC0a6pAAPw_p10DVt_ij6NyGZ774_83R4Mz8ykXhpxblA4I5TaMm0Xw73K3BclbtrU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.04.57+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV1gWhDAH5k6JQ9HMPp1qvSdGpmkLS6DuCgkPlyWPob5dxASG6EaRHZIHT_hP242molWwzDujtdPsC0a6pAAPw_p10DVt_ij6NyGZ774_83R4Mz8ykXhpxblA4I5TaMm0Xw73K3BclbtrU/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.04.57+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spread with almond-flavored whipped cream</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2eq1F3RFWyQSpsZ7qMWjvuIHYVCX_-SrY0dLgbTZO5pvtCd9AROvpUbvGqh0pHuJBWukktKKYvHVZdBapjUIT6mZTT6W-Ttx-xEdn-Gga7svqabdIsoWTq4Tvgt6_2bY4sg-SP8-j-re8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.05.12+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2eq1F3RFWyQSpsZ7qMWjvuIHYVCX_-SrY0dLgbTZO5pvtCd9AROvpUbvGqh0pHuJBWukktKKYvHVZdBapjUIT6mZTT6W-Ttx-xEdn-Gga7svqabdIsoWTq4Tvgt6_2bY4sg-SP8-j-re8/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.05.12+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rolled up</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwM-gaiXICmUGLtOnLgxybbNQVCHLWB3yS4MrlrNTG98Z77OCLaZTmp-R46pkXEPc9ytz55l4cEZMBoVqfacdc11vTxxchstvgbtIrZibaaGB_pxcCx0fPI-36fH0XKR3xvHKm49tdHA9/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.05.26+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwM-gaiXICmUGLtOnLgxybbNQVCHLWB3yS4MrlrNTG98Z77OCLaZTmp-R46pkXEPc9ytz55l4cEZMBoVqfacdc11vTxxchstvgbtIrZibaaGB_pxcCx0fPI-36fH0XKR3xvHKm49tdHA9/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.05.26+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I dusted it with a mixture of powdered sugar and matcha.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66UFuMSK9iQZxVssPWMQkqcpe2p7HYYsexyaJS_YKPdS6mt_Q04ZvfNroUWlRZGhVmcpTvX9iHHALZEne8s6iVqnz_B-cNdKMWyPKY69gBIDI8QwuYhd9khytGjikOAPupd4oAinxGUVp/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.05.42+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66UFuMSK9iQZxVssPWMQkqcpe2p7HYYsexyaJS_YKPdS6mt_Q04ZvfNroUWlRZGhVmcpTvX9iHHALZEne8s6iVqnz_B-cNdKMWyPKY69gBIDI8QwuYhd9khytGjikOAPupd4oAinxGUVp/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.05.42+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sliced into pieces</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR57ABu7Pm6jwTNt3gQrEpQPKxcxDlMuRreB6vt31nCCdgELufeZIjynfb1Cx-WSig0-KN32U8YDZKcKJMRyD_wSb81sumA7AvukzirpwpcoJYKVWIRNQgNUQwjpJ4uvaQlIAnjDbjRkh_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.05.58+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR57ABu7Pm6jwTNt3gQrEpQPKxcxDlMuRreB6vt31nCCdgELufeZIjynfb1Cx-WSig0-KN32U8YDZKcKJMRyD_wSb81sumA7AvukzirpwpcoJYKVWIRNQgNUQwjpJ4uvaQlIAnjDbjRkh_/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.05.58+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final product: matcha roll with almond whipped cream filling.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZouO5epBZjYdpe9FJ8KhCF_ZGipkm04PWLBgLtWd3BiQ031sotqUs_PIPJ5ptgU0eIf2FhaW1w1yd4lY_TN3lpgN_LAcv5tVptkpFVLt3wakj7ebL9r52cpg5uBDzitPQktDwPkJzXJQ-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.07.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZouO5epBZjYdpe9FJ8KhCF_ZGipkm04PWLBgLtWd3BiQ031sotqUs_PIPJ5ptgU0eIf2FhaW1w1yd4lY_TN3lpgN_LAcv5tVptkpFVLt3wakj7ebL9r52cpg5uBDzitPQktDwPkJzXJQ-/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.07.47+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chopping up the hazelnuts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIo0iY-67XsHm_ZRGN6ZrdkfvlUFQ0_vwfYehyXOJ4_-ZGXTq8CgFKqa_NoLgxC9iJzKVctARxAY6eDsoeKyezUxkEz0UIxYGKaFEFAtJa7qbZ9ESDo9gRDg3xBTy20j3TJYa6ldF_ZBGj/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.08.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIo0iY-67XsHm_ZRGN6ZrdkfvlUFQ0_vwfYehyXOJ4_-ZGXTq8CgFKqa_NoLgxC9iJzKVctARxAY6eDsoeKyezUxkEz0UIxYGKaFEFAtJa7qbZ9ESDo9gRDg3xBTy20j3TJYa6ldF_ZBGj/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.08.03+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whipping the cream until it's very solid</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXp84NOReslFe9kvyOadH3bPPCNV1QZ9Ca4Cgi3xwNjq0gdUnCXEJ6CHK8-P_iERVT55aF6ZqshyjAP-sNf_dy6RDyb58yOcKoBnxu4IaSiWvJjwZHBHjkYWj1u-jrvd903buMcBsHMT4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.08.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXp84NOReslFe9kvyOadH3bPPCNV1QZ9Ca4Cgi3xwNjq0gdUnCXEJ6CHK8-P_iERVT55aF6ZqshyjAP-sNf_dy6RDyb58yOcKoBnxu4IaSiWvJjwZHBHjkYWj1u-jrvd903buMcBsHMT4/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.08.17+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With half a jar of Nutella added</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lwDwEMjlVARZlwIoLCJTynjLjLrDVjEA9t4omv-in7Y0xm-XtMbyG1yoWkHZdc0IFU8wMGq0EFX66JPK5jx7NbablnQ_TA26BuP7dVzNqN0NPGjqI6U97GixX-dtBcpV3ty9m58Swfzn/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.08.31+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lwDwEMjlVARZlwIoLCJTynjLjLrDVjEA9t4omv-in7Y0xm-XtMbyG1yoWkHZdc0IFU8wMGq0EFX66JPK5jx7NbablnQ_TA26BuP7dVzNqN0NPGjqI6U97GixX-dtBcpV3ty9m58Swfzn/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.08.31+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the hazelnuts mixed in: I was trying to make something similar to the filling in a Ferrero Rocher.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQo_nZ2XDGr6MkjXcuXMVCi2d45OmBUXx8z4jqRdIiAXCLN-nKVcDbFC9EKWGta0dM34GrQ58ILPQrPYJw0cMcQwjVMaHW9f6wmq3Ust_agD1qtoxlEhFR6PjOHxk_JgtSkUcj64kc9E6e/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.08.59+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQo_nZ2XDGr6MkjXcuXMVCi2d45OmBUXx8z4jqRdIiAXCLN-nKVcDbFC9EKWGta0dM34GrQ58ILPQrPYJw0cMcQwjVMaHW9f6wmq3Ust_agD1qtoxlEhFR6PjOHxk_JgtSkUcj64kc9E6e/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.08.59+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the filling spread on evenly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZSowEsrqhUM78NUMY-GTx-0nrTuymirdzuM8o_mw_1GQKfw8kZ5s1HwdIi7jM_iSZ4-ypPvRVhUDarZwTRgIkJmxbknVkwmATOuHM4jgq_FojonNghkAATohoO9vON5w9EQkhKEZbr5vq/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.09.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZSowEsrqhUM78NUMY-GTx-0nrTuymirdzuM8o_mw_1GQKfw8kZ5s1HwdIi7jM_iSZ4-ypPvRVhUDarZwTRgIkJmxbknVkwmATOuHM4jgq_FojonNghkAATohoO9vON5w9EQkhKEZbr5vq/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.09.11+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rolled cake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbrwAut37RccgbockrjgMp2jz0E3BjrVfvcrNhH1VVDqt1UcqYIjZFbevpJCaN53cawfpV0-GM5tl-bT1PxSci64rPTE2o3pxXXRE4kgT53aXNY_oydFUDnO4NCauRWyVqN1a_6PVzSUTQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.09.25+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbrwAut37RccgbockrjgMp2jz0E3BjrVfvcrNhH1VVDqt1UcqYIjZFbevpJCaN53cawfpV0-GM5tl-bT1PxSci64rPTE2o3pxXXRE4kgT53aXNY_oydFUDnO4NCauRWyVqN1a_6PVzSUTQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.09.25+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sliced pieces: the filling came out through a hole in the cake on the left side, where the cake batter was too thin before baking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMw3_PCBi7DcvIdJkraD05E9Z0UGYVh1AjKj2H5eBH0cecHdFmT6K0wmYVgDuztd8UJXipiTmohlymMMG6FwcjQTLfsBWyDB845QTi5xrNESwp8gmCQiFefQGpwAArLHd8hWrnnY8Q4gPZ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.09.39+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMw3_PCBi7DcvIdJkraD05E9Z0UGYVh1AjKj2H5eBH0cecHdFmT6K0wmYVgDuztd8UJXipiTmohlymMMG6FwcjQTLfsBWyDB845QTi5xrNESwp8gmCQiFefQGpwAArLHd8hWrnnY8Q4gPZ/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-04-04+at+9.09.39+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final product: chocolate roll with hazelnut-Nutella whipped cream filling.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-13507708384036066442016-03-01T02:53:00.001-05:002016-03-01T02:59:35.741-05:00The Injera Experiment: Mildly SuccessfulThis post is a little bit different from the other posts because it's not about baking desserts, but it is about experimenting in the kitchen. In this case, I tried making Ethiopian food. If you've never had the chance to try Ethiopian cuisine, you are missing out!<br />
<br />
There are several wonderful things to enjoy about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_cuisine" target="_blank">Ethiopian cuisine</a>, including the fact that it has a lot of vegan and vegetarian options and that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Injera" target="_blank">injera</a> (flatbread) is gluten-free. I've gone out to Ethiopian restaurants when I know that I'm going to be eating with people who have dietary restrictions. The main Ethiopian meal of the day generally has several different types of vegetable stews and may also have a spicy meat dish, which are served on large pieces of injera. You rip off smaller pieces of injera and use it to scoop up mouthfuls of food. The injera also absorbs the flavors of the food that's on top of it, so when you're done eating the stews there is flavor-infused injera left to finish off the meal.<br />
<br />
There are several cities in the US with large Ethiopian and Eritrean populations, and I ended up living in three of them: Washington DC (largest Ethiopian population in the US), Los Angeles, and Oakland. While my Ethiopian cooking skills may be lacking, I have extensive practice at eating in Ethiopian restaurants.<br />
<br />
After a really nice dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant several weeks ago, I was lying on my bed in a food coma and googled Ethiopian recipes to see how difficult it was to make what we had had for dinner. To my surprise, all of the recipes looked very easy. The biggest problem was that I was missing two major ingredients: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eragrostis_tef" target="_blank">teff</a> flour and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berbere" target="_blank">berbere</a> spice.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eragrostis_tef" target="_blank">Teff</a> is a gluten-free cereal that was one of the first domesticated plants. Teff is high in fiber and iron and is a good source of protein and calcium. It's becoming more common in the US as a gluten-free alternative to wheat flour.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berbere" target="_blank">Berbere</a> spice is actually a mixture of a whole bunch of different spices, including cardamom, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, chilies, cumin, tumeric, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenugreek" target="_blank">fenugreek</a>. It's easy to make if you've got the individual ingredients, but since I didn't have fenugreek I was relived to find that Whole Foods actually sells it in their spice aisle.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBCTb0hZkbwtmeIbH0RjCBpanDCwkpANJML3Icgdq6zzlHFgUVk_VaZsh2ganzchmpoVTCBr5c6JnIojc7g3qhQmRoGYx0YuaUWjy7w3Vrhkt6WlpKOu2Vmr07E2VkJTNvOadb0WUazCOd/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.10.58+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBCTb0hZkbwtmeIbH0RjCBpanDCwkpANJML3Icgdq6zzlHFgUVk_VaZsh2ganzchmpoVTCBr5c6JnIojc7g3qhQmRoGYx0YuaUWjy7w3Vrhkt6WlpKOu2Vmr07E2VkJTNvOadb0WUazCOd/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.10.58+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bobsredmill.com/shop/flours-and-meals/teff-flour.html" target="_blank">Bob's Red Mill teff flour</a> and <a href="http://www.spicely.com/" target="_blank">Spicely</a> organic Ethiopian berbere seasoning.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh3hhjS6mx-9a7-EXPhcCLyJlviHRQfxhCOLaOn-Fy1oW3XAt9jEYHN-cXDvRMeIS5MHvaDQ3vSD7BaPggoAD19oLTqHtNci2BvOeBpUViDv9xd12Imoj8UW-ldkMgu3i0JZrRI0EUbCIu/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.11.12+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh3hhjS6mx-9a7-EXPhcCLyJlviHRQfxhCOLaOn-Fy1oW3XAt9jEYHN-cXDvRMeIS5MHvaDQ3vSD7BaPggoAD19oLTqHtNci2BvOeBpUViDv9xd12Imoj8UW-ldkMgu3i0JZrRI0EUbCIu/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.11.12+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Using a small bag of powdered spices is really annoying, so I put the berbere spice into an empty spice container.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I decided to try making two of my favorite dishes: atakilt wat (carrots, potatoes, and cabbage stew) and misr wat (red lentil stew). <i>Wat</i> means stew in Amharic, in case you've noticed a trend. I also decided that I would try making injera because it is an integral part of the cuisine and most of the injera recipes described making it as very easy. I'm a fan of "very easy".</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Those of you who know me are probably surprised that I listed atakilt wat as one of my favorites because I hate cabbage. I confess: I don't eat the cabbage when I order it at a restaurant. So it should come as no surprise that I just didn't put any cabbage in when I made it. I read about 20 recipes and they all had the same underlying set of ingredients and instructions: </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>cook some onions and garlic in oil</li>
<li>add the spices and cook those with the onions and garlic</li>
<li>chop up some carrots and cabbage and cook those in the spicy onions and garlic for about 5 minutes</li>
<li>chop up some potatoes and add those to the carrots and cabbage. Cook until the potatoes are soft.</li>
</ul>
The amounts of everything were different (3 carrots versus 5 carrots and 4 potatoes versus 6 potatoes, etc.) and the description of which spices to use were somewhat different but most recipes had the same basic set of spices (cumin, tumeric, and chili). Because I was only making one or two servings, I used 3 carrots and 2 potatoes. That's more than enough for a full meal for one person.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The two recipes that I used to decide what steps to follow are <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/152937/ethiopian-cabbage-dish/" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://www.veganricha.com/2014/07/atakilt-wat-ethiopian-cabbage-potato.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Ingredients</h4>
<br />
onions<br />
garlic<br />
carrots<br />
cabbage<br />
potatoes<br />
spices: cumin, tumeric, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, pepper; or berbere spice<br />
<br />
The amount of ingredients depends on how much you're making. For 2-3 people, I would use:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>1/2 cup chopped onion</li>
<li>2 cloves garlic, chopped</li>
<li>3-4 medium carrots, skinned and chopped</li>
<li>2 medium potatoes, chopped</li>
<li>cooking oil</li>
<li>1/2 head cabbage</li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon cumin</li>
<li>3/4 teaspoon tumeric</li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon fenugreek</li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon cardamom</li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon cinnamon</li>
<li>1/8 teaspoon powdered cloves</li>
<li>sprinkle of black pepper</li>
<li>generous shake of chili powder</li>
<li>dash of salt</li>
<li>OR 3 teaspoons berbere spice instead of the other spices</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h4>
Directions</h4>
<br />
<ol>
<li>Sautee the onions and garlic in cooking oil until softened, about 2-3 minutes.</li>
<li>Add the spices and finish cooking the onion and garlic, another 2-3 minutes.</li>
<li>Add the carrots and cook for about 5 minutes.</li>
<li>Add the cabbage and cook for about 15 minutes (or skip this step if you don't like cabbage).</li>
<li>Add the potatoes and cook, covered, until the potatoes are soft (about 20-30 minutes).</li>
<li>Add more spices if desired at the end of the cooking time.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
You generally won't need to add any liquids to the pan while cooking because the carrots, cabbage, and potatoes will release a lot of liquid while they're cooking. It can be difficult to judge how much spice to use until you've made this recipe several times. I'd suggest under-spicing it and then adding more at the end if you're worried about making it too spicy. Note that there are a lot of strong tasting spices in the recipe but not a lot of these are actually spicy. If you're like me, then it will taste a bit bland. I ended up adding some chili powder at the end and will most likely add it some at the beginning the next time I make this.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4CN-CC1thMP8k3IULrEZgE1dfy6WZboe5K2kOKUBL1jC5UcsJFJYUv-8K3_MkYKWmSMXwJbG0p4owePy8TtG3oFPbryB0lQ5WB63EsUmZe1JfwZtLqOrx0qtb45SPi59ooYZ4egzTrmZ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.07.01+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4CN-CC1thMP8k3IULrEZgE1dfy6WZboe5K2kOKUBL1jC5UcsJFJYUv-8K3_MkYKWmSMXwJbG0p4owePy8TtG3oFPbryB0lQ5WB63EsUmZe1JfwZtLqOrx0qtb45SPi59ooYZ4egzTrmZ/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.07.01+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chopping the onion to cook while the peeled carrots are being chopped.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcoM2uIAr8YfJQCNpY_NQ5H1qqGJNEbbMQP4wYGQfZJhUFvAVM93aLA02luHXnKj9bTUNUYf7FayRb_s7twzz6gtgwYE64XGpofKWtuO0t3GM520_C89-nxnq7HLfqW7XTJvPGQIXl4eV/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.07.16+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcoM2uIAr8YfJQCNpY_NQ5H1qqGJNEbbMQP4wYGQfZJhUFvAVM93aLA02luHXnKj9bTUNUYf7FayRb_s7twzz6gtgwYE64XGpofKWtuO0t3GM520_C89-nxnq7HLfqW7XTJvPGQIXl4eV/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.07.16+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooking the onions and garlic.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9a9gDm5YS4bQq7a6tSFQ8dfjwOM1WhHkI7P3cpMcLBhFwqM650v8XxBUgRT9b6IJq2guXMckRdQR6eBQ3vyJsr6bqGJfLpCegwGKG2eA564rRsc_NelpQZVRsbBCsMtguIuwM7FOVnduW/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.07.28+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9a9gDm5YS4bQq7a6tSFQ8dfjwOM1WhHkI7P3cpMcLBhFwqM650v8XxBUgRT9b6IJq2guXMckRdQR6eBQ3vyJsr6bqGJfLpCegwGKG2eA564rRsc_NelpQZVRsbBCsMtguIuwM7FOVnduW/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.07.28+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the berbere spice added.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-fKg8kjVtsgoXdcv0cttndU_RBMLw-36j62pBeshtQ4pmeBgLMVmKraEOLgeoyjcfEFZcgLBN_PMbj_uwndUsLBt5dzV8NnPa5JRP7Hc3S-amQn6O2TDk_svJsh4c4IAEoccyksX8Uzf/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.07.41+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-fKg8kjVtsgoXdcv0cttndU_RBMLw-36j62pBeshtQ4pmeBgLMVmKraEOLgeoyjcfEFZcgLBN_PMbj_uwndUsLBt5dzV8NnPa5JRP7Hc3S-amQn6O2TDk_svJsh4c4IAEoccyksX8Uzf/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.07.41+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I added a bit of water at this point because I left the cabbage out, so it wasn't there to release any liquid. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-IXfiSPf8OH7GkSzgPQxIUWMILy3vozEgFMBvQj4Cq9vu6ukk1u8R28G57Z6w52RaekAUzQ_SkKBGwfSfglQSerw_CvZidMz-kCN71tWmBmNqguWgILi0wp0C8Am7KZaxsu0PTnrE8GVt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.07.56+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-IXfiSPf8OH7GkSzgPQxIUWMILy3vozEgFMBvQj4Cq9vu6ukk1u8R28G57Z6w52RaekAUzQ_SkKBGwfSfglQSerw_CvZidMz-kCN71tWmBmNqguWgILi0wp0C8Am7KZaxsu0PTnrE8GVt/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.07.56+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooking the carrots with a cover on the pan to catch the liquid release from the carrots.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguebwRe8vZfOnLrS5RxgZp7ABe0Ducu9WlRXzRmjZh0IOByMTpKtKBXvjMSUWYyo0EOUfmn_yq-e2QUPLDPKJDozA9NCSZXZunfDNAzfAK_4Wx19KuROXgQab3T3OBiXYdL2v8DaP47lAq/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.08.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguebwRe8vZfOnLrS5RxgZp7ABe0Ducu9WlRXzRmjZh0IOByMTpKtKBXvjMSUWYyo0EOUfmn_yq-e2QUPLDPKJDozA9NCSZXZunfDNAzfAK_4Wx19KuROXgQab3T3OBiXYdL2v8DaP47lAq/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.08.09+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding the chopped potatoes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI39roaQSZdylt8R0lIZLyVbJYRoc2ZFwqFSDBmOu1A6ZBFLy-zcaf7B7uw4GB36S7SrYK8BGvv5dZZYHhJy-XE4pWZm9OU3cq3hmExKuwq8XaYAWgo0zZ0hKNz5D6isbdU-XESlDrHg3p/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.04.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI39roaQSZdylt8R0lIZLyVbJYRoc2ZFwqFSDBmOu1A6ZBFLy-zcaf7B7uw4GB36S7SrYK8BGvv5dZZYHhJy-XE4pWZm9OU3cq3hmExKuwq8XaYAWgo0zZ0hKNz5D6isbdU-XESlDrHg3p/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.04.43+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished first try: too bland! I added chili powder the second time I made this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
By far the easiest dish to make was the misr wat (red lentil stew). It has the same first set of steps as the atakilt wat, but you're cooking lentils instead of carrots and potatoes. Cook garlic and onion (and ginger if you have it) and a small amount of tomatoes in some oil, add spices and cook those, then add the lentils and some broth and cook the mixture until the lentils are at the consistency you want and the liquid has been absorbed or cooked off.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Red lentils cook pretty fast (about 15-20 minutes) so it's easy to avoid the terrible mushy texture that overcooked lentils get. You can also check every 3-4 minutes to see how quickly they're cooking and if you need to add more water. The final result should be quite thick. Remember that you should be able to pick this stew up using your hands and some injera. Also keep in mind that the stew will get thicker as it cools down.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The cooking time will vary depending on how large a batch of lentils you're making. I was only making enough for one or two people, so the lentils cooking pretty quickly. If you make a larger batch, the cooking time may increase to 30-40 minutes.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The second time I made this, I added a little something that is definitely not Ethiopian: cauliflower. I love cauliflower and when I was at the market, they had a sale on heads of cauliflower that were just about to go bad and needed to be used that day. A whole head of cauliflower for 98 cents! I could literally hear Macklemore's voice in my head saying "But shit, it was 99 cents!". The cauliflower was a great addition to the stew but it's definitely not authentic. I waited until there was about 10 minutes of cooking time left before adding the cauliflower since it needed less time to cook than the lentils. It did not turn into a soggy mess.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Ingredients</h4>
<br />
<ul>
<li>1/2 cup onion, chopped</li>
<li>2 cloves garlic, chopped</li>
<li>2 teaspoons ginger, chopped</li>
<li>3-4 tablespoons pureed tomato or 2 tablespoons tomato paste</li>
<li>cooking oil</li>
<li>3-4 teaspoons berbere spice</li>
<li>1/2 cup red lentils</li>
<li>2-2 1/2 cups of broth (vegetable or meat based)</li>
<li>optional: other vegetables like cauliflower</li>
</ul>
This makes two medium bowls of stew. Scale up or down as needed.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Directions</h4>
<br />
<ol>
<li>Heat some cooking oil in a pot and add the chopped onion and garlic and ginger. Cook for 2-3 minutes.</li>
<li>Add the tomatoes and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.</li>
<li>Add the spices and cook for 2-3 minutes.</li>
<li>Add the lentils and broth and stir. Heat the mixture until gently simmering. Stir occasionally and do not cover. Cook until the lentils are soft and the mixture has thickened. Add more water if necessary. </li>
<li>If adding in any other vegetables, wait to add them until the lentils have started to become softer because it should generally take the lentils longer to cook than whatever vegetable you want to add. Some vegetables will also produce liquid as they cook, which will need to be cooked off as well.</li>
</ol>
Again, this "recipe" is just a compendium of various recipes for misr wat that I found online. <a href="http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/ethiopian-red-lentils-misr-wat.html" target="_blank">This recipe</a> has a lot more details, including making your own berbere mix.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDX8WedYybhyphenhyphenOak1qQTWSYJFmNTOFK5CqSNoxmSeVfDO-X4dnPSWz0BLHlSQpeBJBWJxZHD0g_M7z_Oy5IljGMPtxJImZkDkK-AXFOeFdcXlMXovMWtJ-33TcVTZxVDtr35lTXj1oa-Jp/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.05.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDX8WedYybhyphenhyphenOak1qQTWSYJFmNTOFK5CqSNoxmSeVfDO-X4dnPSWz0BLHlSQpeBJBWJxZHD0g_M7z_Oy5IljGMPtxJImZkDkK-AXFOeFdcXlMXovMWtJ-33TcVTZxVDtr35lTXj1oa-Jp/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.05.32+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooking the onion and garlic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR76mTAgbuAaDTlBUknG7BYMfJSoZsBS0brqQ6UNU44n8OV7shtuTC_jRpzS-X6zxD9zVZd6u15d7xeaYgEuHN3M12CcW63C7pSR46mliePKKInLPyl-MfA8R3MiDHL-ky5uakXyA_c5SR/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.05.49+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR76mTAgbuAaDTlBUknG7BYMfJSoZsBS0brqQ6UNU44n8OV7shtuTC_jRpzS-X6zxD9zVZd6u15d7xeaYgEuHN3M12CcW63C7pSR46mliePKKInLPyl-MfA8R3MiDHL-ky5uakXyA_c5SR/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.05.49+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the spices added</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyf38UY2-xtmlGvJ8zHAGmryv7VE1u4LPpMd0h8V0NCIUR-qurwloHUw7WaCB4l4D9FMBzAl1BirLpyxNgWtZrJvsAVbZxSg4V8bfIY30FUxPIp058FusKR_0QLkQTAWI6ZsI-3_5o7Qvk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.06.13+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyf38UY2-xtmlGvJ8zHAGmryv7VE1u4LPpMd0h8V0NCIUR-qurwloHUw7WaCB4l4D9FMBzAl1BirLpyxNgWtZrJvsAVbZxSg4V8bfIY30FUxPIp058FusKR_0QLkQTAWI6ZsI-3_5o7Qvk/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.06.13+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooking the tomatoes into the garlic, onion, and spices</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUh9YbqeTLe7VlkJy7VKngCUCuWpTqEM4TRYoYaglvCRQEOQyAChj98BZy8ZnL9TxLwYdXPKcwi7SFVCh2WnN94x86gfyhy515oXiCAUq7F3tach4ndNbPqKqgtgNF4Kv-cQUcEzya7MzP/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.06.31+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUh9YbqeTLe7VlkJy7VKngCUCuWpTqEM4TRYoYaglvCRQEOQyAChj98BZy8ZnL9TxLwYdXPKcwi7SFVCh2WnN94x86gfyhy515oXiCAUq7F3tach4ndNbPqKqgtgNF4Kv-cQUcEzya7MzP/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.06.31+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About 1/2 cup of red lentils</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_e5-dGn7HoxoaGkAFhK_0J-mORFUj0bE72mlnHBp4__Lwxp1hRqhFdJNUjFkxkKNzZ-R9al9lJ5J_lC6MRy_g9Gjbparl22j7DRLYdg2iY0jBnqfzAJ9Y5cQBRPEXMygGJa5MaAzRVB20/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.06.45+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_e5-dGn7HoxoaGkAFhK_0J-mORFUj0bE72mlnHBp4__Lwxp1hRqhFdJNUjFkxkKNzZ-R9al9lJ5J_lC6MRy_g9Gjbparl22j7DRLYdg2iY0jBnqfzAJ9Y5cQBRPEXMygGJa5MaAzRVB20/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.06.45+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After adding the lentils and broth</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ0409oEITrjA0aXqn9NXgOXCyEGOWEyrD70bQPSmKWZCQZifzZvJfukNOh9RjcO_l2nBWY8MxoQ2EbLEHV_TAfWBPf-N_Z-Bb8w6IaI4rxLhgGcNmhMAgU489-eHqETqW4Q0fzC8NMG2n/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.08.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ0409oEITrjA0aXqn9NXgOXCyEGOWEyrD70bQPSmKWZCQZifzZvJfukNOh9RjcO_l2nBWY8MxoQ2EbLEHV_TAfWBPf-N_Z-Bb8w6IaI4rxLhgGcNmhMAgU489-eHqETqW4Q0fzC8NMG2n/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.08.22+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simmering</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZECFEBhIKxMhjZAwTjNCpf3rDOScip9b_3_tcYEfZCJYBf5CJTlOusDtks6sj1ojLU0nAl6X8e_AFkmdb4cTT84aa8D4KcWP2L19qzKnQhLlpXk3cv8JnO6_g1wlOPzNqG7QxWczfzkWp/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.08.37+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZECFEBhIKxMhjZAwTjNCpf3rDOScip9b_3_tcYEfZCJYBf5CJTlOusDtks6sj1ojLU0nAl6X8e_AFkmdb4cTT84aa8D4KcWP2L19qzKnQhLlpXk3cv8JnO6_g1wlOPzNqG7QxWczfzkWp/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.08.37+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the added cauliflower</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUWd1qfhtnDdIc-Fj4tp0WCsfz7nY8QWWpaXnK7n8sEIHjmY6znriFRAEN379aSLiMFt6JjNRn7BWbPHFg8goM2HPGmKi9y1tGspL6hcsiN3rmAj_aAfDsmqAvAnOJfsKxaG9hPlih1Fb/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.04.58+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUWd1qfhtnDdIc-Fj4tp0WCsfz7nY8QWWpaXnK7n8sEIHjmY6znriFRAEN379aSLiMFt6JjNRn7BWbPHFg8goM2HPGmKi9y1tGspL6hcsiN3rmAj_aAfDsmqAvAnOJfsKxaG9hPlih1Fb/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.04.58+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first try, without cauliflower</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The reason I made two batches of the stews is because injera takes more than one day to make. It's very similar in idea to a sourdough recipes: you mix the dry ingredients with water and let it sit and ferment for a day or two. The natural yeast in the air is what causes the fermentation.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Unlike the misr wat or atakilt wat, there were a lot of very different recipes for injera. Some called for yogurt or other types of flour besides teff. I decided to make <a href="http://yumuniverse.com/authentic-ethiopian-injera-100-teff-flat-bread/" target="_blank">this recipe</a> because it was the simplest.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
You can skip the fermentation process and make the injera right after you make the batter if you want to. It won't have the sour taste that the fermentation makes (like sourdough) but it will have the right consistency.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Cooking injera is not like cooking a crepe in that you don't need to flip it. The batter should be poured thin enough that the entire injera will cook all the way through from one side. I had to experiment a bit with my pan and ladle to figure out the right amount for fully covering the bottom of the pan without making it took thick (about 2/3's of a ladle).</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
After pouring the batter, you put a top on the pan to hold the liquid in. The batter is very wet for a bread and the large amount of liquid that's released as it cooks is what makes the large number of air holes in the injera as it cooks. Keeping a lid on the pan helps to keep the surface of the injera wet so that it doesn't burn before the middle has finished cooking.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Of course, putting a top on the pan makes it difficult to tell when the injera is done. It takes a long time to cook the injera - mine took almost 10 minutes for each one. It was a lot longer than I had expected. One of the reasons that it takes so long to cook is that you need to keep the heat quite low or the side of the injera that's in the pan will burn before the center finishes cooking.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
You can tell that the injera is done when the edges start curling up. At this point, I just flipped the pan over on top of some parchment paper and the injera fell out. It was easier than trying to use a spatula to get it out. You will need a good amount of oil in the pan, even if it's non-stick. I used coconut oil and it was difficult to taste it when eating the injera.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This recipe makes injera that's a lot darker than what I'm used to seeing in restaurants. I suspect that's because only teff flour is used, and if there were other dry ingredients the injera would probably be lighter. There's also several different types of injera (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Injera" target="_blank">see the picture on the wiki page</a>) and it's likely that I'm used to a different type that's lighter. Another highly likely possibility is that I over-cooked the injera.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
When I figured out how long it was going to take to cook 6-7 pieces of injera, I tried making a piece in a pot on a different burner to speed up the overall cooking time. It didn't work: make injera in a pan and not a pot.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Ingredients</h4>
<div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 1/2 cups teff flour</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2 cups water</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tsp baking powder</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/4 tsp salt, or more to taste</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Coconut oil for pan</span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Directions</span></span></h4>
<div>
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Place teff flour in a large glass bowl, add water and stir well.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Cover with a cheesecloth or towel and place on the counter and let it sit for 24 hours. Do not agitate or stir the batter, just leave it be.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Bring a pan to medium heat, and very lightly, coat the pan with coconut oil.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Stir in the salt, and season with more taste if you like, until you can barely detect the saltiness. Also stir in the baking powder. Your batter will deflate when you stir it.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Now pour enough batter into the pan to fill entire surface thinly and cover with a lid, or if you don’t have a lid, use a cookie sheet. It’s important to keep a lot of moisture in the pan or the Injera will crack. It takes about 5-10 minutes to cook Injera. You’ll see the top bubble like pancakes and start to dry out. When the top is dry, and the edges begin to curl/dry, flip the pan over on top of some parchment paper to release the injera.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Repeat, layering cooked Injera with parchment paper until you use up all the batter.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitbsCIqEAP6Iacpf8Jm0RPCu93uYoW5ny8c3gkoUEgtD3v7EAi_vNn3tM6JU8TQCJPV_sbVgpJQchgt8ZaP6ixvIE2y9ixoGmFQ1N-uYW53saW7LTAkz_NafVacTWAqkR5FH3J8IVGfhww/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.04.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitbsCIqEAP6Iacpf8Jm0RPCu93uYoW5ny8c3gkoUEgtD3v7EAi_vNn3tM6JU8TQCJPV_sbVgpJQchgt8ZaP6ixvIE2y9ixoGmFQ1N-uYW53saW7LTAkz_NafVacTWAqkR5FH3J8IVGfhww/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.04.02+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The teff flour</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwAc8Sl4K7zPlRdUfgOkt9eDI1o6NtiWXgkH2bDYrhiswQv6zefZZHr3N5McaE1WoNZqo6yp-XV7f6CMr1BSWyjd67MPqG9Eq6895E2JjD4vUvatmMMdalrVJ_lZH18vyC9k14grfQ0pvt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.04.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwAc8Sl4K7zPlRdUfgOkt9eDI1o6NtiWXgkH2bDYrhiswQv6zefZZHr3N5McaE1WoNZqo6yp-XV7f6CMr1BSWyjd67MPqG9Eq6895E2JjD4vUvatmMMdalrVJ_lZH18vyC9k14grfQ0pvt/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.04.14+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mixed with water</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6L4oK-YPs8eYDQDO2K6paE31ACo7OWs1u1tRoxqaWjNM6xuxxsUKc9lMTAIPx294E8x5TGRCLChhxBNRNmhOPLZVVFbyZ2lwcl49cUGwMjiP7GCTJN-gN6M0wmbws0n1um9ovWxosK1H0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.04.27+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6L4oK-YPs8eYDQDO2K6paE31ACo7OWs1u1tRoxqaWjNM6xuxxsUKc9lMTAIPx294E8x5TGRCLChhxBNRNmhOPLZVVFbyZ2lwcl49cUGwMjiP7GCTJN-gN6M0wmbws0n1um9ovWxosK1H0/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.04.27+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I left it in the kitchen, under a towel, for a day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBCqg8vL0SSrV-PXNKO5kUOgWQmo-435lUYX3A1NepUjY1yU1hapvAkZWUEremkFrI1KdCZkxvwAi9rd1yXClFaB4-RhBQC344cGnfVWol2zFljJiDgb5ro-s8v7NtHOKwxUD2fKXieT6/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.08.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBCqg8vL0SSrV-PXNKO5kUOgWQmo-435lUYX3A1NepUjY1yU1hapvAkZWUEremkFrI1KdCZkxvwAi9rd1yXClFaB4-RhBQC344cGnfVWol2zFljJiDgb5ro-s8v7NtHOKwxUD2fKXieT6/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.08.50+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I accidentally banged the bowl against the counter when taking the towel off, and some large air bubbles from the fermentation process rose to the top.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiViHY-nHdeyvI6i8mAXZg8gbcwnHgneb7fZ8TG9MNJaRHbIXia2TM_msW6EI00vJmQ0uKWSzP-tjX9wg5itgM4d1ZH2jlzpBoW38FN0ypyygRZkPKBl-z3ryQdMcV458x8G9bOtYnQlfRL/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.09.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiViHY-nHdeyvI6i8mAXZg8gbcwnHgneb7fZ8TG9MNJaRHbIXia2TM_msW6EI00vJmQ0uKWSzP-tjX9wg5itgM4d1ZH2jlzpBoW38FN0ypyygRZkPKBl-z3ryQdMcV458x8G9bOtYnQlfRL/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.09.14+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the salt and baking powder mixed in.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4h5D-8xGdajQ8Xy6NmSYbPWcyBL0wJSVcTOiyxAT6uw6a7gy78GUR7K0CR3XqXGaTb8Iedz5plsYv31x6n10z1h2OSlNS51ci81shf5s3i0XhbBT0UCoRUhC5r6GIOC6ffO19wev-spT/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.09.27+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4h5D-8xGdajQ8Xy6NmSYbPWcyBL0wJSVcTOiyxAT6uw6a7gy78GUR7K0CR3XqXGaTb8Iedz5plsYv31x6n10z1h2OSlNS51ci81shf5s3i0XhbBT0UCoRUhC5r6GIOC6ffO19wev-spT/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.09.27+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right after pouring. The edges cook much faster than everything else but they don't curl up until the injera is done.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCb-51gxyOnDdDVNrcK4lphbLCLeCvHYnDtU5jJydM_W2yNtNuruvcrZvwBq_IX9slQBKMfg6BSKx1mII108BQksPtNfhbUHFrbJg-kn1xwL4KbKDRN6IlYfjekjjTDsmGDJwpywHamjwc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.09.46+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCb-51gxyOnDdDVNrcK4lphbLCLeCvHYnDtU5jJydM_W2yNtNuruvcrZvwBq_IX9slQBKMfg6BSKx1mII108BQksPtNfhbUHFrbJg-kn1xwL4KbKDRN6IlYfjekjjTDsmGDJwpywHamjwc/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.09.46+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the top on the pan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2c79fHowKeKsHH3LXmGUfLOxZ_w8pHueg3u-jOCtxhKh_vXqhDatMI0jGu4AKtvfZ554erOXBxk2RJD2JJQaoTN0U4ZAgDk6dKDCkFjURT4wWziOXvX2d-9zOtsDzhUoR_FNGkbrip89/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.10.31+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2c79fHowKeKsHH3LXmGUfLOxZ_w8pHueg3u-jOCtxhKh_vXqhDatMI0jGu4AKtvfZ554erOXBxk2RJD2JJQaoTN0U4ZAgDk6dKDCkFjURT4wWziOXvX2d-9zOtsDzhUoR_FNGkbrip89/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-29+at+10.10.31+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooked injera.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: #404040; font-family: georgia, serif; line-height: 24px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-59151103417295053582016-01-10T06:38:00.000-05:002016-01-10T06:38:39.491-05:00Macaron Madness: 10 Batches in 2 WeeksEverybody describes making macarons as difficult. Everybody also has a set of rules for making macarons: the egg whites must be aged! the egg whites must be at room temperature! you must sift the powdered sugar and almond mixture at least three times! the French meringue method is better! no, the Italian method is better!<br />
<br />
I took two week off work for the holidays at the end of December and made lots of plans, of which I actually did none. What I ended up doing was lying in bed and binge-watching the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1877368/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Great British Bake Off</a>. This is a fantastic show and I recommend that anybody who is into amateur baking should give it a try. It is literally just about baking, and the judges' comments are very helpful. One contestant made a quick comment while making macarons, which got me thinking about how all of my macarons came out perfectly in DC and failed miserably in SF. So I decided to fix the problem.<br />
<br />
An important point to know is that macarons<i> (mah-kah-rohns)</i> and macaroons<i> (mah-ka-roons)</i> are not the same thing. They're derived from the same word which is why the names are similar, but the cookies are not:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ9mCkMbNkEldMKClsET40ULZPMknQYSvS5Lp2sOwYU4XiBAcQfC6POxhtue0O9cXDbtb5dVazRVnfqPQ6pvrAhoYsExPmvCiVjEhY_I1_W9D9ry36870Dxw7HVHn1tFJ1Bv12yynNOh83/s1600/tumblr_n42wz04zOh1t2mg2ro1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ9mCkMbNkEldMKClsET40ULZPMknQYSvS5Lp2sOwYU4XiBAcQfC6POxhtue0O9cXDbtb5dVazRVnfqPQ6pvrAhoYsExPmvCiVjEhY_I1_W9D9ry36870Dxw7HVHn1tFJ1Bv12yynNOh83/s320/tumblr_n42wz04zOh1t2mg2ro1_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This picture is supposedly from <i>I Do Believe I Came With A Hat</i> but I got it from <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/118641771408987092/" target="_blank">this Pintrest page</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If you're Ashkenazi Jewish like me, you are mostly likely unfortunately aware of macaroons because they don't contain any flour and are commonly served as dessert during Passover, straight out of the Manischewitz tin. They are <i>terrible</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Macarons, on the other hand, are small sugar bomb sandwiches that have a softer filling and a crunchy outer shell of meringue. It's these shells that have the reputation for being so difficult to get right.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This blog entry is a little bit different from the others. It only has one recipe and details all of the various things I did to get these suckers to come out right.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a>The recipe is <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/318387/french-macaroons" target="_blank">Martha Stewart's macaron shell recipe</a>. I don't often use recipes from Martha Stewart because I usually get them from cookbooks or baking blogs, but I decided to try this one because 1) it uses the French meringue instead of the Italian meringue and 2) it was really simple.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Ingredients</h4>
<div>
<ul>
<li>1 cup powdered sugar</li>
<li>3/4 cup almond flour</li>
<li>2 large egg whites, room temperature</li>
<li>pinch of cream of tartar</li>
<li>1/4 cup superfine sugar</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h4>
Directions</h4>
<div>
<ol>
<li><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Pulse powdered sugar and almond flour in a food processor until combined. Sift mixture 2 times.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Preheat over to 375 degrees F. Whisk whites with a mixer on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, and whisk until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to low, then add superfine sugar. Increase speed to high, and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. Sift flour mixture over whites, and fold until mixture is smooth and shiny.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip, and pipe 3/4-inch rounds 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets, dragging pastry tip to the side of rounds rather than forming peaks. Tap the bottom of each sheet on work surface to release trapped air. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake 1 sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until macarons are crisp and firm, about 10 minutes. After each batch, increase oven temperature to 375 degrees F, heat for 5 minutes, then reduce to 325 degrees F.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Let macarons cool on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a write rack. (If macarons stick, spray water underneath parchment on hot sheet. The steam will help release the macarons.)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.4px; line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sandwich 2 same-size macarons with 1 teaspoon filling. Serve immediately.</span></span></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
To add another level of confusion to making macarons, there are actually two schools of recipes for making the shells: French and Italian. In the French approach, you whip egg whites with cream of tartar and then slowly add in sugar to stabilize the egg whites, then fold in the dry ingredients. In the Italian approach, you whip egg whites then pour in a hot liquid sugar mixture and continue mixing until firm, and then fold in the dry ingredient. "Hot liquid sugar mixture" is a phrase that terrifies me. Leaving aside the fact that I don't own a thermometer to measure the heat of the mixture, I'm the type of person who will accidentally drop "hot liquid sugar mixture" all over myself. So I went with the French method. Maybe someday I will work up the courage to try the Italian method.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I also googled <i>making macarons</i> like crazy. There were several blogs that had lots of useful tips and step-by-step guides:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.acup4mycake.com/2013/03/15/macarons-complete-and-fully-illustrated-step-by-step-tutorial/" target="_blank">a cup 4 my cake</a></li>
<li><a href="http://bakeitoff.blogspot.com/2009/10/macarons-tips-tricks-and-how-to.html" target="_blank">Bake It Off</a></li>
<li><a href="https://thebakedroad.wordpress.com/2012/07/31/foolproof-macarons-the-how-to-guide/" target="_blank">The Baked Road</a></li>
<li><a href="http://yumarama.com/4484/making-macarons/" target="_blank">Yum a Rama</a></li>
</ul>
I was in the unusual situation of having made macarons before but not understanding why they worked. It turns out that I had just been really lucky and there wasn't anything that I had done that would normally ensure a successful batch of macarons.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So I was watching an episode of the GBBO when one of the contestants casually mentioned that she was making macarons and that you know the egg whites are whipped enough when you can turn the bowl upside down over your head and nothing falls out. I had never heard this before, and that's what started the googling and determination to make a batch.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Now I'm not the only person to document my own personal adventures with making macarons. But I also found a couple of useful posts from a professional baker (<a href="http://bravetart.com/" target="_blank">bravetart.com</a>):</div>
<span id="goog_131050914"></span><span id="goog_131050915"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://bravetart.com/blog/TheTenCommandments" target="_blank">The 10 Commandments of Making Macarons</a></li>
<li><a href="http://bravetart.com/blog/MacaronMyths" target="_blank">Macaron Myths</a></li>
</ul>
A lot of his "myths" matched the results from my own experiments, and he has several things listed that I haven't had a chance to check (like humidity - I had no problem making macarons in the summertime in DC. Let's not talk about how humid it gets in the middle of a swamp in August.).<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So here is a big list of everything that I found out while trying to make macarons, including lots of pictures of what I tried and what the results were:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>weighing versus measuring ingredients: I don't own a kitchen scale. I should but the simple fact of the matter is that my kitchen has very little counter space so I've held off on buying anything that isn't completely necessary. Most bakers consider a scale to be completely necessary but I've made do with measuring my ingredients in measuring cups. If I do end up getting a scale, I'll check back to see if it makes a difference for macaron shells.</li>
<li>almond meal =/= almond flour. I don't know why there are so many recipes that say they're the same thing. Almond flour is more finely ground and has the skins removed. Almond meal will have visible bits of skin in it and be darker. If you're using almond meal, the skins will be visible in the macaron shells if you skip the sifting step. Some people like it that way and I saw several bloggers suggest to skip sifting. I bought a big bag of almond meal at Trader Joe's and sifted. If you can't get almond meal or flour, you can make it yourself.</li>
<li>sifting the almond/sugar mixture: I sifted either two or three times before folding the dry ingredients into the egg whites. There was a lot of almond bits left over, especially after the first sifting (probably due to using almond meal instead of almond flour). I recommend sifting at least once.</li>
<li>the true amount of dry ingredients: the recipe has you mix up 1 and 3/4 cups of almond/sugar mixture, but you will lose a lot of this to the sifting process. When I measured it, I had lost nearly 3/4 cup and the final, sifted dry mixture was a little over 1 cup. The amount you lose in sifting depends on how finely ground the almonds are and if the skins are left on. I have never seen this point mentioned in any blog posts or recipes: <i>you may not end up with same amount of dry ingredients in each batch, no matter if you started with the same amount</i>. Of course, the more you make macarons, the more consistent the results will be with sifting and the better you will get at eyeballing if you've got the right amount of dry ingredients. It did have a tendency to fluctuate slightly depending on how tired I was of sifting.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGYaSMDslAGHevgl2E5_Yau5_BLmNhP9O53kFAhj8-8jh9_vopIXm6EH1Q6e_au5XjebAdrUehC3WGk64NqMq0XDe8GDFGsOrerESQI7TBmFZe3jM_LNOFvW64mBsAXoE1vkjjGR3w_pM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.27.45+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGYaSMDslAGHevgl2E5_Yau5_BLmNhP9O53kFAhj8-8jh9_vopIXm6EH1Q6e_au5XjebAdrUehC3WGk64NqMq0XDe8GDFGsOrerESQI7TBmFZe3jM_LNOFvW64mBsAXoE1vkjjGR3w_pM/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.27.45+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to mix the almond meal and powdered sugar together. Notice how brown the almond meal is - that's how you can tell that there are almond skins in the meal.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnMx4cj36D8JLrYqd4TKalTQb5FmFTcuWtUlyKhG1Z6N5IYZGI_OAWSzFcOEQoei5MX3nsQaeFzdcxfOEj6Zw-q8RMw6JAjHGyJNF3psYg8_q36hjNb2Lw-YHv4O4iCjw7icIcOSJnAorV/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.28.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnMx4cj36D8JLrYqd4TKalTQb5FmFTcuWtUlyKhG1Z6N5IYZGI_OAWSzFcOEQoei5MX3nsQaeFzdcxfOEj6Zw-q8RMw6JAjHGyJNF3psYg8_q36hjNb2Lw-YHv4O4iCjw7icIcOSJnAorV/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.28.03+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After mixing. This looks very white, but the mixture will continue to get lighter with each sift as the almond skins are removed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvVtW84z_3ZjdCDReGpN0aSRm9kZnKtcPLCXa-ux3fV5_pLWlzT76iF836Flf9hmzLS5XB1VHLs52JRp-W_reh8mDxxiqVa8gw7llWd9fpugJY1w_vJJqa_xff4LZq-dq3MQSDEX73ax1/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.29.21+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvVtW84z_3ZjdCDReGpN0aSRm9kZnKtcPLCXa-ux3fV5_pLWlzT76iF836Flf9hmzLS5XB1VHLs52JRp-W_reh8mDxxiqVa8gw7llWd9fpugJY1w_vJJqa_xff4LZq-dq3MQSDEX73ax1/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.29.21+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the first sift. Notice how much almond skins and particles are left.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgX2pOQFa2ZDaC7lV3acMP2uMNo-jw2WLnKQpMZdnuJgmn1_IzX-fFrtlJPpR5avUpjKGREb0EWjs7OcOmvN80pDoS_q4zfM4qsSHeHReCujpKQosT3Z4hp0xfnUS4E153NgdwKCDNPCNb/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.29.59+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgX2pOQFa2ZDaC7lV3acMP2uMNo-jw2WLnKQpMZdnuJgmn1_IzX-fFrtlJPpR5avUpjKGREb0EWjs7OcOmvN80pDoS_q4zfM4qsSHeHReCujpKQosT3Z4hp0xfnUS4E153NgdwKCDNPCNb/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.29.59+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the second sift. There is a much smaller amount of waste at this point.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbE02Gt0apd3-8lbKfMtyK5ArNdHoxgONlWq8vXMYzBAVz9w9pkUpu7oRrAE3zAR-6w0PAX2_0jSr-hTrlKUnIE_LbMCJLiPvRytvqfKQNbmQ1sUzI-xh9weAj-hVf4MZcucUqfMbVuSRy/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.30.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbE02Gt0apd3-8lbKfMtyK5ArNdHoxgONlWq8vXMYzBAVz9w9pkUpu7oRrAE3zAR-6w0PAX2_0jSr-hTrlKUnIE_LbMCJLiPvRytvqfKQNbmQ1sUzI-xh9weAj-hVf4MZcucUqfMbVuSRy/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.30.17+PM.png" width="316" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mixture is much finer than after the original mixing but still has some brown specks due to the almond skins. Food coloring will cover up any light brown bits when mixed in the with egg whites.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li>separating egg whites: I wasn't going to waste a couple dozen egg whites on this, so I bought a carton of egg whites instead. Some blogs say to never use store-bought egg white and to always use egg whites you've separated at home. I did not notice anything different in the batches that used separated egg whites and bought egg whites.</li>
<li>aging egg whites: every recipe I've seen suggests aging the egg whites, either at room temperature or in the fridge, for 2 to 3 days. I did not notice any difference between using egg whites on the day I bought them or when they'd been in the fridge for 2 weeks.</li>
<li>temperature of egg whites: most recipes say to let the egg whites come to room temperature. Mostly I used cold egg whites from the fridge, and again I did not notice a large time difference in how long it took them to whip up.</li>
<li>how much egg whites to use: the recipe gives the number of egg whites to use, but I bought a carton of egg whites instead. The conversion is 1 egg white = 2 tablespoons liquid egg whites. For this recipe, I used 2 egg whites = 4 tablespoons liquid egg whites.</li>
<li>when to add the cream of tartar: "foamy" is a very good adjective. You want a consistency like the bubbles in a bath when you've added bath foam, definitely bubbly but still liquid-y and not stiff or dry. Note that BraveTart doesn't use cream of tartar at all and in fact has adding cream of tartar as a "myth" (that the egg whites will not whip up without it). Now this is true - you don't need cream of tartar to get the egg whites to whip. It does help them a bit and since macarons make me nervous, I always add it. But you should be able to skip it without a problem.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyrHoIBnYoFO68tK0u2Nzu_8lf8Gfx2GuU_Ers9Ow3bJt9y6vYM-Q_nMJbKEILtW2qt8_4ApuW1Wk5pLnLsJ07RC8vm3OVdTrnn0FSeXQR-cvQ4vRq19kd1sWWC2rAtPR54Xm7VWDTkgT/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.30.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyrHoIBnYoFO68tK0u2Nzu_8lf8Gfx2GuU_Ers9Ow3bJt9y6vYM-Q_nMJbKEILtW2qt8_4ApuW1Wk5pLnLsJ07RC8vm3OVdTrnn0FSeXQR-cvQ4vRq19kd1sWWC2rAtPR54Xm7VWDTkgT/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.30.32+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Great Pink Monster returns! 2 egg whites = 4 tablespoons of liquid egg whites, which will not seem like enough but this will whip up into a much larger volume.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Eebqehe84_43vsu8yg02s3fnVXdMh58sITdnveZnSzRXiVr_0yf9AKxhjKg7J8cp0a1Ih2iKoMqg3uC4CZnvDzwG1cPBh_-D1QEO-1kamN_j0SClE_lvSnsUQOH_XywakY8nB50axs8V/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.30.49+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Eebqehe84_43vsu8yg02s3fnVXdMh58sITdnveZnSzRXiVr_0yf9AKxhjKg7J8cp0a1Ih2iKoMqg3uC4CZnvDzwG1cPBh_-D1QEO-1kamN_j0SClE_lvSnsUQOH_XywakY8nB50axs8V/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.30.49+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what "foamy" looks like to me. I sprinkled in the cream of tartar and let it go to town.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<ul>
<li>whipping to "soft peaks": unfortunately I didn't get a good picture of this. As far as I can tell, "soft peaks" means that when you turn off the mixer, there are imprints of the whisk left in the whipped egg whites that have made short peaks and the egg whites have the consistency of soft whipped cream. Some recipes say to use speed 4 on a KitchenAid stand mixer. I changed the speed depending on how tired I was and how quickly I wanted to get it over with.</li>
<li>adding in the superfine sugar: I used C+H's Baker's Sugar for this step, but most recipes just call for normal granulated white sugar (caster sugar). If you're really worried about the consistency of your sugar (don't be), you can put it in a big Cuisinart with a blade attachment and chop it up more finely. To add the sugar slowly, use a spoon. I used a standard teaspoon from my silverware drawer, scooped about half a spoonful each time, and slowly poured it in the bowl of the mixer while it was going. I had to stop the mixer a couple of times to scrape sugar off the side of the bowl and put it back in the mixture. I increased the speed to 6 or 8 for this step. If you want to use any food coloring, add it in to the egg whites at the end of this step. Try to use gel coloring instead of liquid coloring if possible since liquid can cause the eggs to deflate somewhat. (Note that I disagree with BraveTart about adding the sugar - I don't dump it in for this or for Swiss meringue, but he does claim that you can just dump the sugar in with the egg whites and it will be fine.)</li>
<li>length of time for whipping the egg whites: different recipes have given different lengths of time it should take to whip the egg whites. But it all depends on how many egg whites you've used, what the humidity is like in the air, what machine you're using (hand beater versus stand mixer), etc. I don't recommend an amount of time at all. Instead, you'll need to figure out what the correct consistency is and use that as a measurement for how long the egg whites should be whipped for. I ended up checking every couple of minutes because I left the stand mixer running on the counter and washed the dishes while it was going. I would estimate about 10 minutes total for this step using a KitchenAid stand mixer with the standard whip attachment at a speed of 8 with 2 egg whites.</li>
<li>consistency of the egg whites at the end of whipping: they should be very firm and stiff, to the point where there is a big glob of them left in the whip when you take it out of the bowl. As previously stated, if you turn the bowl over your head, the egg whites should stay in and not fall out. They should also be shiny. I was really tired during one batch and got a little silly and came up with a very geeky way to remember that the egg whites need to be shiny: the Firefly Rule. If you want your macaron shells to be shiny (in the Firefly sense), then the egg whites must be shiny (in the English sense).</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIApWcOYBNuR8IzIjX4w4UU88asP2K7TiNoqjpU7Gmfh2CK7R32GsmmHyHpA35eoXDopinCDBvE3PsuvHaR3WCNCArVlDH_4SiVfv4pZ7UREN9KWLiPXHp9j5lRRcca32dWPgx5A3mvKJw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.33.58+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIApWcOYBNuR8IzIjX4w4UU88asP2K7TiNoqjpU7Gmfh2CK7R32GsmmHyHpA35eoXDopinCDBvE3PsuvHaR3WCNCArVlDH_4SiVfv4pZ7UREN9KWLiPXHp9j5lRRcca32dWPgx5A3mvKJw/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.33.58+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is a big glob of egg whites stuck in the middle of the whip (with orange food coloring).<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlmguob4jFjEZ00-vnt4NRtc9HSxwSfJ98_LLtkBb1Io4rMgUE4XvOmgM7EpHWTiqeF4aRn9BWv_KlRcqfMl8TOc5lmh_1NkZN-vjbyua6pfI6UG8zBWXJ1WJr3_h6kxkPGTRQMgGBgOh/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.31.07+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlmguob4jFjEZ00-vnt4NRtc9HSxwSfJ98_LLtkBb1Io4rMgUE4XvOmgM7EpHWTiqeF4aRn9BWv_KlRcqfMl8TOc5lmh_1NkZN-vjbyua6pfI6UG8zBWXJ1WJr3_h6kxkPGTRQMgGBgOh/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.31.07+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The egg whites are very stiff (with green food coloring).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LlyMfNDCtDLK0_g9jPPJNsx5ahSvIsodA8uFX1nAb9BrC3i09fm6dR6mOY8lzLphSw_nrHQAvSZ-IA542GuyhwQM4rsMdoE6WVKCPIRyEaU7VU1qalpz5h-2PtZB0R2m2FnIsyca2MZB/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.31.23+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LlyMfNDCtDLK0_g9jPPJNsx5ahSvIsodA8uFX1nAb9BrC3i09fm6dR6mOY8lzLphSw_nrHQAvSZ-IA542GuyhwQM4rsMdoE6WVKCPIRyEaU7VU1qalpz5h-2PtZB0R2m2FnIsyca2MZB/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.31.23+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holding the bowl upside down over my head. The egg whites did not fall out onto my head.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuyLjXI9_ot0HoPq9d6l4Skl2Lkp1DVq13k1NXCblw64sHAijyh6ufSLvuKEnyVkqUG_zSAAGvcQnFUIQALYlv3DKnzDLFd8VMawVTzIXLqs4A82ZmC3MhRczGXZpqeL9C-NCxL8OXiC63/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.38.07+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuyLjXI9_ot0HoPq9d6l4Skl2Lkp1DVq13k1NXCblw64sHAijyh6ufSLvuKEnyVkqUG_zSAAGvcQnFUIQALYlv3DKnzDLFd8VMawVTzIXLqs4A82ZmC3MhRczGXZpqeL9C-NCxL8OXiC63/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.38.07+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The egg whites should be very shiny and stiff. This picture was taken without a flash.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li>the macaronage: this is the technical term for the step of folding the dry ingredients into the egg whites. The reason that this part is so tricky is because you need to fold the dry ingredients instead of mixing them. You don't want to use a normal stirring method; this will deflate the egg whites and you'll lose the air that you just spent 10 minutes beating into them. Instead, take a spatula (I recommend a silicone spatula) and use it to run down the side of the bowl and scoop up the contents of the bottom. Lightly drop those onto the top of the contents. Rotate the bowl about a quarter and repeat. The dry ingredients will not fold easily into the egg whites for a while. Most recipes say that this step takes about 40 to 50 folds. But there will come a point where things suddenly start mixing together.</li>
<li>some air deflation: I just said that you need to fold instead of mix because you don't want to lose the air from the egg whites. But you actually do want to lose a little bit of air because the egg whites are slightly too stiff if you've beaten them correctly. I know that sounds weird, but the idea is that you're going to lose some air to folding, no matter how gently you fold, so you make the egg whites a bit stiffer than they really need to be and then you can fold in the almond/sugar mixture without everything collapsing. You definitely need some practice to get the right consistency at this point.</li>
<li>the consistency: I have seen way too many recipes refer to the correct consistency of the macaronage as "like magma". <i>Are you kidding me?</i> I have actually seen magma but that was because I was too effing close to an active volcano. Unless you grew up in a place with volcanos (like Hawaii), I think it's safe to assume that most people don't actually know what the consistency of freaking <i>magma</i> is like. My best description of the (approximately) correct consistency is like the inside of a marshmallow after you've bitten it in half, with slightly more moisture. Soft, springy, damp, with some air bubbles, and shiny like whoa. A good way to tell if the folding got you to the correct consistency is to scoop up some of the batter with the spatula and drop it back into the bowl. It should make a blob that then slowly sinks into the rest of the batter, leaving a slight bump after a minute. Basically, you want the macaronage to be firm enough to only spread slightly when you pipe it onto the cookie sheet and soft enough that the peak you will leave with the piping tip will eventually collapse back down and make a flat top. The bad news is that getting to this correct consistency takes practice and you'll only know it when you see it.</li>
<li>underfolding and overfolding: this step is pretty much where most macaron batches go bad. The folding itself is not difficult, but figuring out when to stop is. Underfolding means that you've managed to work the dry ingredients into the egg whites but you haven't folded enough and the egg whites are still too stiff. If you dropped some of the batter back into the bowl, it would not slowly sink back into the rest of the batter but would just sit on top as a blob. Overfolding means that you've worked too much of the air out of the egg whites. Unfortunately, there's no way to fix this. Everything will still taste right but you won't get the right shape when you bake the shells. If you pick up the spatula and the batter runs right off of it like pancake batter, you've overfolded it. One of my main mistakes was to underfold during the macaronage because I was paranoid about overfolding. You can also get the same runny consistency as overfolding if you haven't whipped the egg whites enough. I also did this but that was because the recipes all say to whip them until they're "stiff", which is a very generic term and I didn't realize how stiff they needed to be until I watched that episode of the GBBO.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABeRS5ivNX01vSX3NFstWVO5fQ_EP1Ue5miW2Tdbj_3rI1Fh_lkg9m2wpJ5XYVajChyphenhyphenMEVDNLTZ74Q_q947fli6WYMWSDabE8A4cSssk8XuIYuPDV1GqXoTWmeVQM8xkPAvN17Sx79xwN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.31.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABeRS5ivNX01vSX3NFstWVO5fQ_EP1Ue5miW2Tdbj_3rI1Fh_lkg9m2wpJ5XYVajChyphenhyphenMEVDNLTZ74Q_q947fli6WYMWSDabE8A4cSssk8XuIYuPDV1GqXoTWmeVQM8xkPAvN17Sx79xwN/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.31.40+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The almond/sugar mix was sifted one last time directly over the egg whites. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvA1eP9G1b7P2a2Ja-W0q34LYY6uhn-JCYFM9VQ471pvcIeWLLXmsXh8hsnJGYi8uBucbuuUycVUfY8sDAS1Unqg8WUEjSHbzySedsgHX01RE5CLLXlhieZyd3W9pMP8BId-Qs5Cq_kBwm/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.32.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvA1eP9G1b7P2a2Ja-W0q34LYY6uhn-JCYFM9VQ471pvcIeWLLXmsXh8hsnJGYi8uBucbuuUycVUfY8sDAS1Unqg8WUEjSHbzySedsgHX01RE5CLLXlhieZyd3W9pMP8BId-Qs5Cq_kBwm/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.32.00+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The batter after folding. Notice how clean the sides of the bowl are - you want to make sure that you've folded all of the dry ingredients in. This mixture is underfolded, and is a bit too stiff and not shiny enough.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZv7NUuvcjMympaPMgR5Zf58xQ6KqmjpB5paqoifcJmhyphenhyphen1RXA6XmhL-jxuMymVfVhNfVBVoTTpCwjM0K7Q3CyFjHAJ0lAXboJ_Fzd3qeiW_WyyiWki0xQo7BLHp257bPDny9MelCa8iKL/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.38.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZv7NUuvcjMympaPMgR5Zf58xQ6KqmjpB5paqoifcJmhyphenhyphen1RXA6XmhL-jxuMymVfVhNfVBVoTTpCwjM0K7Q3CyFjHAJ0lAXboJ_Fzd3qeiW_WyyiWki0xQo7BLHp257bPDny9MelCa8iKL/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.38.22+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This batch was folded better and is quite a bit shinier. I didn't use a flash in this picture so that's how shiny the batter was in real life.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF4HdySYzhZwL-T1SkUjsklTX3MbFNDNKPR5UX9L4X7q4fqBVLFGW6Kw8JyZl26auADT7hfmnKcd1_KGKbSne1pugkN2qFKHeUgxgEpufkjdXAACsycgM5fBaVZi_G30SwBfHmfjshHk9I/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.34.13+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF4HdySYzhZwL-T1SkUjsklTX3MbFNDNKPR5UX9L4X7q4fqBVLFGW6Kw8JyZl26auADT7hfmnKcd1_KGKbSne1pugkN2qFKHeUgxgEpufkjdXAACsycgM5fBaVZi_G30SwBfHmfjshHk9I/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.34.13+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The batter drops from the spatula but is not runny and does not make a stream of batter as it falls. When it lands, it makes a visible blob of batter that will sink back into the rest of the batter in a minute or two.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxTstFNsPPwxp6qfAZJOnYxoIiCIKvbAOwPpsPUHiquI0rc2jfpvpjCnhTNUDtDNijyABGfbVF0A5921JGgTiwl2x1pJRW9dyfKEfpc9ew3ECm71BCfCPYKX9Rd6JNcOjoNTbooPKgFTE3/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.38.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxTstFNsPPwxp6qfAZJOnYxoIiCIKvbAOwPpsPUHiquI0rc2jfpvpjCnhTNUDtDNijyABGfbVF0A5921JGgTiwl2x1pJRW9dyfKEfpc9ew3ECm71BCfCPYKX9Rd6JNcOjoNTbooPKgFTE3/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.38.43+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This batch had the best consistency out of all of my experiments. Notice how shiny it is (no flash), how there are visible blobs, and that the batter slowly spreads out across the bottom of the bowl after being scooped off the sides by the spatula.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<ul>
<li>Another way to tell if you've got the consistency right is to see if any of the batter is seeping out of the tip at the end of the piping bag.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsC5XM1JeOk6sGOX-3Came_-0dCp_CARdd7xVhmf20_GESbwIZjahWBTZdARXii8kw0AxkN0rLuMjOy_DNm0UYL7MiryVvBxAHC05Uj0Fy5_IZ6j2U_YI8_wcbH1C0APX2-MqwDYPAyrPS/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.32.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsC5XM1JeOk6sGOX-3Came_-0dCp_CARdd7xVhmf20_GESbwIZjahWBTZdARXii8kw0AxkN0rLuMjOy_DNm0UYL7MiryVvBxAHC05Uj0Fy5_IZ6j2U_YI8_wcbH1C0APX2-MqwDYPAyrPS/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.32.50+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This batter is too stiff. It sat in the piping bag in the glass for several minutes while I got the baking sheets ready, and none of the batter leaked out of the piping tip during that time.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbMTGRgnSDYFjWwpBmJwN1e3GHX0nsFpiudMeIOUa6owucYb3nalC8y4wqmVKK9UT5WvhZDkVC1dkRdBuIbunNuPMuMtQHTcEuK25TFU3fEETEDJXYpV4zmj7ikygJ-cMoBB0Cg8XHV5a/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.34.27+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbMTGRgnSDYFjWwpBmJwN1e3GHX0nsFpiudMeIOUa6owucYb3nalC8y4wqmVKK9UT5WvhZDkVC1dkRdBuIbunNuPMuMtQHTcEuK25TFU3fEETEDJXYpV4zmj7ikygJ-cMoBB0Cg8XHV5a/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.34.27+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This consistency is must better. A small amount of batter has leaked out of the piping tip during the time it took me to get the baking sheets set up, but the batter is not runny enough that lots of it has leaked out.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<ul>
<li>piping the shells: you need to use a piping bag for this. I suppose you could use two spoons if you're really good with them but I'm certainly not good enough to make perfect circles that way. Use a large circular tip without any patterns, and pipe circles that are about 1 to 1.5 inches across. I experimented with making different sizes, and for the French recipes the smaller sizes really do make feet better. I don't know how size affects the Italian approach.</li>
<li>piping pattern: some recipes suggest making a pattern to sit under the parchment paper or silpat and to follow it while piping. I haven't tried that but I'm seriously considering it. My inability to pipe a circle is matched only by my inability to go across a baking sheet in a straight line.</li>
<li>silpat versus parchment paper: I only used silpats so I can't comment on this. Every recipe I've seen says that either of them work fine, and some mention that the shells comes off the silpat more easily than parchment paper.</li>
<li>how to pipe the circles: before I figured out that I was underfolding the batter, I thought that I wasn't piping the macarons correctly. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPWr9nWNbw0" target="_blank">This video</a> does a good job of showing you how to pipe them.</li>
<li>what to look for: there are several things that you should see when you're piping the circles. The first thing to look for is that the batter isn't spreading out too much. It will spread a little bit, but if it looks seriously liquid and is spreading then the batter has been overfolded and the shells won't bake right. You should also look for the opposite reaction, if the batter is not collapsing down on itself to make smooth circles but instead is holding onto the shapes and peaks made during piping. Generally, the peaks should smooth out by the time you have moved onto piping the next row on the sheet. In this case, the batter has been underfolded, and you may be able to rescue it by scooping it back into the bowl and folding it a bit more. The second thing to look for is that the piped circles should be very, very shiny.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMpp6CLpsVuC1RmgR_1ktSJn-7wF1lxCSpD1ncWWcAvnkS36aAjr6dOKV88zy5yXYhVNePVlakDrzT6a8Pmr9kzBjS6eN03rt6I61Ka6lHBi4BJWE1mx7yNsE9c5xeeuMW_qM8Os24Tc7/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-10+at+2.10.29+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMpp6CLpsVuC1RmgR_1ktSJn-7wF1lxCSpD1ncWWcAvnkS36aAjr6dOKV88zy5yXYhVNePVlakDrzT6a8Pmr9kzBjS6eN03rt6I61Ka6lHBi4BJWE1mx7yNsE9c5xeeuMW_qM8Os24Tc7/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-10+at+2.10.29+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This batter is too stiff: the shapes and peaks made during the piping have not collapsed back down into the rest of the batter to make one smooth circle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Q0VMKvzyOA6dAIrcxcsRqH5DpiiwBhFuHFst42rtRBLwSDqt-riHRN1i0z18IcQCStG70NJZZSVnTcNc1KnF3RoxN0842UDYgNtI-QGYYZSazqW_lPMiY0hZu65DtbVWLVCQYcy7PEvb/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.34.42+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Q0VMKvzyOA6dAIrcxcsRqH5DpiiwBhFuHFst42rtRBLwSDqt-riHRN1i0z18IcQCStG70NJZZSVnTcNc1KnF3RoxN0842UDYgNtI-QGYYZSazqW_lPMiY0hZu65DtbVWLVCQYcy7PEvb/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.34.42+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The batter has collapsed and flattened a bit more and the only visible peaks are in the last row that was piped (the nearest). They are also very shiny like they should be (no flash in this picture).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6-PDTpk4-5N6eviENTrl0aDuKM6RCLC_bQDWy_waMKI3Jl9cjI_K_K_vZShT9sFP_u32jn1oDN-_I7bM3amkLfKZe5Zx3EzYYjnn2e0EM0hd92Ut_lWb6l5to3OskoepV53XDqcosSET/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.38.58+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6-PDTpk4-5N6eviENTrl0aDuKM6RCLC_bQDWy_waMKI3Jl9cjI_K_K_vZShT9sFP_u32jn1oDN-_I7bM3amkLfKZe5Zx3EzYYjnn2e0EM0hd92Ut_lWb6l5to3OskoepV53XDqcosSET/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.38.58+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This batch was the best: the circles held their shapes and the peaks deflated back into the circles. The batter was very shiny. I also managed to made decently straight lines while piping.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<ul>
<li>tapping the sheets after piping: at this point, recipes will tell you to "tap the sheet to release any trapped air bubbles". I have no idea why everybody refers to this step as "tapping": it's banging. Pick the cookie sheet up about 6 to 10 inches above the counter and drop it flat. It should make a nice banging noise. Alternatively, pick the sheet up in both hands and smack with with force against the counter top. Do this 5-6 times. It will release the larger air bubbles that were trapped in the batter.</li>
<li>resting the macarons: most recipes also call for the macarons to sit and dry out before baking. This will cause a skin to dry across the top of the macaron, so that when it is baking and the air starts to expand, the top of the macaron will be held in place by the skin but the sides won't and they will go upwards, resulting in the "foot" that should be on each macaron shell. I don't know how long the resting period should be for the Italian recipes, but I've found that for the French recipes you really need to let the skin form. I try to let them rest for 1 hour but absolutely no less than 30 minutes. You can touch the top of a macaron shell gently to see if it's getting dry or if it's still sticky and wet. Don't bake them until the tops feel distinctly drier than when they were piped.</li>
<li>baking time and temperature: each recipe is different, and each oven is different. You'll need to experiment with your oven to see what works best. I definitely recommend rotating the cookie sheets halfway through the baking time since conventional ovens can have very unbalanced areas of heat in them. Convection ovens should be better about this. I also like Martha's suggestion of heating the oven up to a higher temperature for 5 minutes before putting the cookie sheets in. Dropping the temperature right as the sheet go in will result in the top of the macaron shells getting a bit more heat then the interior of the shells, and will help in the creation of the foot. </li>
<li>what to look for when the shells are baking: it should take about 5 minutes for the feet to start forming. If you don't see the shells rising up and making feet in the first few minutes, don't worry about it. Usually the feet have just begun to form when I rotate the cookie sheets about halfway through baking. Note that if there are problems, you may not be able to see them at the halfway point. You'll generally need to wait until you take the shells out to see if anything went wrong.</li>
<li>when to remove the shells from the baking sheets: you should let the shells sit for a couple of minutes after taking them out of the oven. They should peel up when you lift them gently. If they're all sticking, even after a couple of minutes, then they're underbaked and you should put them back in the oven for a couple of minutes. I had a problem with heat distribution in my oven, and the last row of shells on each cookie sheet were not done even though the rest of them were, so I had to remove all of the shells but the last row and then put those back in.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbxSKt7TjHzMbIgSwAGRkdMqUrnSV3wmHpGS5IjKI1GSEoclXQK-p59TV6i2x_NrY0fDrc0INLwfmQLjqrtZixZm5wvzGbx6QWCJYpW622MQXxmbGNltjadG_ozjoSUkuBh71-depVYRy/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.28.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbxSKt7TjHzMbIgSwAGRkdMqUrnSV3wmHpGS5IjKI1GSEoclXQK-p59TV6i2x_NrY0fDrc0INLwfmQLjqrtZixZm5wvzGbx6QWCJYpW622MQXxmbGNltjadG_ozjoSUkuBh71-depVYRy/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.28.47+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First batch (without food coloring): this batch made feet correctly but was underfolded so the peaks have clearly risen up through the dry skin of the shells because they never collapsed all of the way down to make a smooth top before baking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkcyjDC7DHTKhE3l4UBFKn9XBQ7cPHmoQiyu8XBCHQ5spXwNV6kmDI-9bOlCkPpG4VFnvA1D7kIfsVsQCR1izbUQcZAZ3WKj3pFXBgpf7vck0u77aXexy_V0bFPeJwGsTMgy-7aCV1ZcXM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.33.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkcyjDC7DHTKhE3l4UBFKn9XBQ7cPHmoQiyu8XBCHQ5spXwNV6kmDI-9bOlCkPpG4VFnvA1D7kIfsVsQCR1izbUQcZAZ3WKj3pFXBgpf7vck0u77aXexy_V0bFPeJwGsTMgy-7aCV1ZcXM/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.33.35+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This batch was far too stiff and underfolded, so all of the peaks and piping shapes are clear (along with the feet). They tasted fine but looked like somebody drunk had made them.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLvA1sJDd_0nPXs0svhY71PxIn8wCeFpM5Xt73fmFIJrojSi2gLWyY1EBHu7q3F9JgUVQc67QV5ca_v4ShKvixfLmUNiLKpbe64tMNAO7IVsuMSG8AexTDOys-CgTJR_RF1a8KY-kNnA3R/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.35.33+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLvA1sJDd_0nPXs0svhY71PxIn8wCeFpM5Xt73fmFIJrojSi2gLWyY1EBHu7q3F9JgUVQc67QV5ca_v4ShKvixfLmUNiLKpbe64tMNAO7IVsuMSG8AexTDOys-CgTJR_RF1a8KY-kNnA3R/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.35.33+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orange experiment number 1: I dropped some orange zest onto the shells before baking to see if that would lend some strong orange taste to the shells, but instead the zest was too heavy and the shells had a hard time rising up and carrying the zest with them. The zest ended up making islands in the top of the shells.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCtZPEh114WFMgqtiJt5_IdAtGe86S76a97rdWkeEVbu2x9uY-7EBvq7eDA4TDql3xBhsdywiO5XWbioiMnUkqJQ_zlv5jK3CkaJXintAPHLpxl-45a4UxtXRzc7on9sa3z-WVXQeklqAA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.39.12+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCtZPEh114WFMgqtiJt5_IdAtGe86S76a97rdWkeEVbu2x9uY-7EBvq7eDA4TDql3xBhsdywiO5XWbioiMnUkqJQ_zlv5jK3CkaJXintAPHLpxl-45a4UxtXRzc7on9sa3z-WVXQeklqAA/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.39.12+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A different orange batch and a pink batch: the feet were better on the pink batch than the orange batch because the orange batch was slightly overfolded. But they are all shiny like they should be.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTM8N0o7dXvycsqQR-YQX_lGucPujLZoexBihCbA3GhtIadwMC6HDCWI_cSDI3xDdEaHbiuTB4eYKEEm1td5QVRlMuOCFH8XTBZzjJE-5GDrKmZ_XCO8_lJge9XLZJ4KpgMl52CfgV30hv/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.29.04+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTM8N0o7dXvycsqQR-YQX_lGucPujLZoexBihCbA3GhtIadwMC6HDCWI_cSDI3xDdEaHbiuTB4eYKEEm1td5QVRlMuOCFH8XTBZzjJE-5GDrKmZ_XCO8_lJge9XLZJ4KpgMl52CfgV30hv/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.29.04+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A good way to tell if you've overbaked the shells is to bite one in half and see if it's hollow and not chewy. If so, it's been overbaked.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtdTB-8EQnJPHOMXrc4SO-lXmqq1DxdkiWDdVHrjA28LkCrcK8ZXSpXEGt7h2xNBUzYKfcqSfNYjEVUCtuDuTKHeDXH0Y5Xiqm-rUU-0IdCLxGBIGioVdhGqyMMIUgn4slbJE5Ilw7_eE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.35.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtdTB-8EQnJPHOMXrc4SO-lXmqq1DxdkiWDdVHrjA28LkCrcK8ZXSpXEGt7h2xNBUzYKfcqSfNYjEVUCtuDuTKHeDXH0Y5Xiqm-rUU-0IdCLxGBIGioVdhGqyMMIUgn4slbJE5Ilw7_eE/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.35.50+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what you want: a crisp outer shell with a chewy inside. There will be a good amount of air in a macaron shell (i.e. they won't be solid) but the inside should not be completely crispy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<ul>
<li>macaron fillings: you can use whatever fillings you like. The majority of the taste of the macaron will come from the filling. The shells mostly just taste like sugar. I tried several experiments to increase the taste of the shells (see below). The fillings should be solid enough and sticky enough to hold the two shells in place and keep in place. If the fillings are not solid enough, the two shells will slide apart when the macarons are moved. Most people use buttercreams or whipped ganaches for fillings. I would guess that curds are not solid enough. Stabilized whipped cream might be solid enough as well, but I haven't tried it (yet).</li>
<li>I strongly recommend that you pipe the filling. You can mess about with spoons but it's a total pain. It's worth it to use a piping bag so that you can get the filling exactly where you want it.</li>
<li>putting the macarons together: I paired up the shells by size so that the sandwiches would match, but several of them had different sized shells because my piping was a bit irregular. If you use a pattern, then you'll probably get most of them to be the same size. I turned over half of the shells to pipe the fillings onto and left half of them face down so that I wouldn't accidentally pipe onto too many shells. Don't push too hard when putting the two shells together or you'll squish one or both. I grasped the shells by the side and used a twisting-pushing motion to put them together.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirKnYoqZqQq8t0J_fuNtXUS-1qWe3JwTgtJQaKHLB4pLSFR54_m4f9DdzQxyT0ebyScrQ8A2Pe3_WF9aOr5tUqypcljWRQ_Uavw9b4mQ7uhTF0tB4IbkP_qfmWVgVd_fHD8Xko-xKUa74_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.36.13+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirKnYoqZqQq8t0J_fuNtXUS-1qWe3JwTgtJQaKHLB4pLSFR54_m4f9DdzQxyT0ebyScrQ8A2Pe3_WF9aOr5tUqypcljWRQ_Uavw9b4mQ7uhTF0tB4IbkP_qfmWVgVd_fHD8Xko-xKUa74_/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.36.13+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orange zest experiment: I melted some semi-sweet chocolate and used my finger to paint a thin layer of chocolate on the inside of all of the shells before piping on the filling.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWXcMcKgmN1wptcCO0hKABdSU1TI5GAHAZdDqlVFhoJCNzududvkqRa8JK2TaRVtL6PeZVfD8VPtLaMa0J2IfGlZvXdKOBTIafisdXRTim0cQLT8PTrIk8yLzYdav0p1bxB5W_WaWWNBb/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.36.27+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWXcMcKgmN1wptcCO0hKABdSU1TI5GAHAZdDqlVFhoJCNzududvkqRa8JK2TaRVtL6PeZVfD8VPtLaMa0J2IfGlZvXdKOBTIafisdXRTim0cQLT8PTrIk8yLzYdav0p1bxB5W_WaWWNBb/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.36.27+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piping on the raspberry buttercream filling.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0R12RPleYDC-sUcK6epObBvu_8brzNUHC3eZBtOPvYCbKdxjgu50BUPfEzdJQHZC2yizhs1l_3xiCcBFmB0h3Qi893D_7B-fmP1mRmLwXUJzyEv_i6n3iF1BkDGn0mDls6eC9dbzLmsA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.36.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0R12RPleYDC-sUcK6epObBvu_8brzNUHC3eZBtOPvYCbKdxjgu50BUPfEzdJQHZC2yizhs1l_3xiCcBFmB0h3Qi893D_7B-fmP1mRmLwXUJzyEv_i6n3iF1BkDGn0mDls6eC9dbzLmsA/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.36.47+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished batch of macarons.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5nRXQFzXYhqYObTEhMBT-WQrD2HV54MEunLNLtqhCstXikcVcMhpkgxdMrou7nF9HfoCEdWGMIU5WQu015ZBL5M1imlQ6IDpszlbEjKtzS2Z23HGsN1yk-C-Jc58Vdxc_LxceOZ7Kd6XM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.39.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5nRXQFzXYhqYObTEhMBT-WQrD2HV54MEunLNLtqhCstXikcVcMhpkgxdMrou7nF9HfoCEdWGMIU5WQu015ZBL5M1imlQ6IDpszlbEjKtzS2Z23HGsN1yk-C-Jc58Vdxc_LxceOZ7Kd6XM/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.39.35+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piping on the pomegranate buttercream filling.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKme38uCO654eDC4JFp-ORubjWg2EFfOXdpiNmYzJEBAOqe1tsLvkbP4vQnz-LJkNHtpeRJKvgtNAXGnNGfc5GlLFNovDdxP74Um0GuYWaOsdVYMq9DQI_zsXVLygkk__6odNeGfSaqQN4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.39.52+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKme38uCO654eDC4JFp-ORubjWg2EFfOXdpiNmYzJEBAOqe1tsLvkbP4vQnz-LJkNHtpeRJKvgtNAXGnNGfc5GlLFNovDdxP74Um0GuYWaOsdVYMq9DQI_zsXVLygkk__6odNeGfSaqQN4/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.39.52+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Different orange experiment: piping on the whipped chocolate ganache filling.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZu7NbhlVzD29b2NYSvJqElIOadSLVIgloKqp87qPH7rSIrNn-4W8s7iyskSg-EaW77abDo5M2xptcyIfweTgEW72QDvFdrNCWd3-R_hOJy4J2hDrQnqeloZvM_mKhloI76cdExaEX5Yp5/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.40.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZu7NbhlVzD29b2NYSvJqElIOadSLVIgloKqp87qPH7rSIrNn-4W8s7iyskSg-EaW77abDo5M2xptcyIfweTgEW72QDvFdrNCWd3-R_hOJy4J2hDrQnqeloZvM_mKhloI76cdExaEX5Yp5/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.40.09+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished macarons for this batch.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqRpxQKcqYGj7_SsTSj2jOnuXCG2ny4Qw88-z157oObC2oA2rAS7EDe0kBU9o-6BaD71xgSY8SuqJGR08J7FFOBurnPkoZ4gr5HxdgTmrFGZQ7RH4QC4QKqt3Jvu5UzTg-0y4x3F4Y5BPA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.40.25+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqRpxQKcqYGj7_SsTSj2jOnuXCG2ny4Qw88-z157oObC2oA2rAS7EDe0kBU9o-6BaD71xgSY8SuqJGR08J7FFOBurnPkoZ4gr5HxdgTmrFGZQ7RH4QC4QKqt3Jvu5UzTg-0y4x3F4Y5BPA/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.40.25+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cardamom-pomegranate and orange-chocolate batches.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<ul>
<li>aging the macarons: most recipes suggest leaving the finished macarons in the fridge for a day or two, to let the flavors age and the filling to sink into the shells slightly. I have honestly never noticed a change in texture or flavor from leaving them in the fridge, but most recipes swear by this, so who knows?</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Experiments</h4>
<div>
Most of the experiments that I tried had to do with the macaron shells. The one thing I experimented on with the filling was making whipped ganache. I had made ganache many times before but had never whipped it. It took a long time to whip to a good, solid consistency (about 15 to 20 minutes with a hand mixer) but the result was very nice.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I find that macaron shells taste like sugar and air. I wanted to make some shells that had a strong, distinct flavor to go with the flavor of the filling, so I tried two experiments with orange zest and one with cardamom.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The cardamom experiment (pink shells) worked perfectly fine and didn't cause any problems. I simply added some cardamom to the almond/sugar mix after I finished sifting it. How much? I don't actually know because I literally just took my jar of cardamom and sprinkled a bunch of it over the dry ingredients. It was probably a couple of teaspoons worth, for sure (I like cardamom). Any dry powder should work very well with this type of addition (cocoa powder, matcha powder, etc.). Martha has several recommendations on her webpage for this recipe.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You can also substitute a different type of nut for almonds, or make a mixture. For example, you could grind up pistachios with powdered sugar instead of almonds. I've tried this with a different recipe and it worked very well.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The two experiments with orange were a bit different. I wanted to get the orange taste into the shells but orange zest is very wet. I am also not a huge fan of orange extract because I think it tastes a bit weird and it also doesn't have a very strong orange flavor, so it doesn't leave much orange behind when it evaporates during cooking. For the first experiment, I made the shells with a bit of orange extract and added orange food coloring, then dropped small bits of orange zest onto the piped shells before baking. This didn't work because the zest was to heavy and the shells just rose around the zest, making islands. I would either zest the orange the night before and let it dry out before sprinkling, or add the zest to the egg whites.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For the second experiment, I added the orange zest to the dry ingredients and then sifted it out later. This let the smaller pieces of zest stay in the almond/flour mixture without weighing down the final batter. It worked, but I wasn't satisfied with the strength of the orange flavor.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vlVET-cEvy_3GoctNjZlUqCNuMIDvU-5vEHOqcQF8pJUpehEpkpS8mbHbYcKJk1fSEi0jlRmU3G-JdzloMGMj9s1cH1Y9PqcyqVStILdPFy7NQGSoBlCmt7V3iEGw_ssuDHOhl5zaHew/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.37.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vlVET-cEvy_3GoctNjZlUqCNuMIDvU-5vEHOqcQF8pJUpehEpkpS8mbHbYcKJk1fSEi0jlRmU3G-JdzloMGMj9s1cH1Y9PqcyqVStILdPFy7NQGSoBlCmt7V3iEGw_ssuDHOhl5zaHew/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.37.02+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orange zest is very wet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0__DqL4ASNpLetxdUOU3kKwYACD_2acSud_ygDsAq6zFt20t9C2fR5sFoEzUrdOX9kSoCpv48wfuoaZ3Unpl6mMgd5JAL2n-47NWeDzHaFKjrtoO1hnwCsTQfr1Mbax-tLaDMItdP2G3/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.37.16+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0__DqL4ASNpLetxdUOU3kKwYACD_2acSud_ygDsAq6zFt20t9C2fR5sFoEzUrdOX9kSoCpv48wfuoaZ3Unpl6mMgd5JAL2n-47NWeDzHaFKjrtoO1hnwCsTQfr1Mbax-tLaDMItdP2G3/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.37.16+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Using a 3-cup Cuisinart mixer to add the orange zest to the almonds and sugar.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSGbMrXH-HfOKe__E0LxuVRIOu4qGYFdTFziZP11WJHMhIJj70F1P7xzMXriqzCBtATTMSUjnSuFZsjpiO0zXhkPVjabJntkVcWpDc6l36Gz4168VZPjdUUIVZmpnYqKf2vgaV2USUU6J/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.37.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSGbMrXH-HfOKe__E0LxuVRIOu4qGYFdTFziZP11WJHMhIJj70F1P7xzMXriqzCBtATTMSUjnSuFZsjpiO0zXhkPVjabJntkVcWpDc6l36Gz4168VZPjdUUIVZmpnYqKf2vgaV2USUU6J/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.37.30+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Added zest!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XtkUwRcuK8444OPQRqs6FXgY2JXdXPhDUNS8gVOOjrRdYsgFXfsJlyUYfgAJQWSVEQlCZvknPTaUMAAIiI9UmDL7feYL2jV758hObiaqRx3-8EN-kYJZQbR8Qc664NOfTWCAMAnRnQfk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.37.51+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XtkUwRcuK8444OPQRqs6FXgY2JXdXPhDUNS8gVOOjrRdYsgFXfsJlyUYfgAJQWSVEQlCZvknPTaUMAAIiI9UmDL7feYL2jV758hObiaqRx3-8EN-kYJZQbR8Qc664NOfTWCAMAnRnQfk/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-01-09+at+10.37.51+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Compared to a plain batch of dry ingredients, after sifting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<ul>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-175516643172693522015-11-03T02:13:00.000-05:002015-11-26T01:26:15.427-05:00California Cottage Food Law: Cardamom Cupcakes with Plum Swiss Meringue Frosting and Pomegranate SeedsIn one of the more "San Francisco" things that's ever happened to me, a couple of guys showed up to my last baking potluck and hustled us for their new baking internet start-up. Yes, you read that correctly: a baking internet start-up. Ah, the joys of living in SF.<br />
<br />
Their basic business plan is that they have arranged all of the pesky non-baking details, like setting up a secure online payment system, contracting out with a delivery business, etc. This leaves bakers with only thing to worry about: baking.<br />
<br />
They've got several bakeries signed up and using their website but they specifically came to my potluck because they're trying to get home bakers who want to have their own from-home baking business to use their website. They wanted to get some of us interested and to essentially be the from-home baking beta testers.<br />
<br />
This is where the <a href="http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/pages/fdbcottagefood.aspx" target="_blank">California Cottage Food Law</a> comes into play. As of January 1 2013, cottage food business became legal in the state of California. A cottage food business is any food production business where the food product is manufactured in a non-commercial cooking space (i.e. a home kitchen). Commercial food production facilities are monitored by the state for health and safety and food production business are licensed. Before the Cottage Food Law was passed, all cottage food production was illegal.<br />
<br />
So these guys are aiming for this new business area. Leaving aside issues such as if it's worth it to run a cottage food business and if it's really possible to make money from a cottage food business, there's one major problem: frosting is not legal.<br />
<br />
As odd as that sounds, there's a very logical reason for this and it's <a href="http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/Documents/fdbCFOfoodslist.pdf" target="_blank">codified in the law</a>. "Baked goods, without cream, custard, or meat fillings" and "Flat icing" are legal, as is "Buttercream frosting, buttercream icing, buttercream fondant, and gum paste
that do not contain eggs, cream, or cream cheese". Now if you're wondering exactly how it is that you're supposed to make frosting that doesn't contain eggs, cream, or cream cheese, the answer is that it's very difficult. I suppose you could make something vegan but I have yet to try a vegan version of buttercream or Swiss meringue frosting that doesn't taste like a gigantic sugary mess. The law specifically excludes eggs, cream, and cream cheese because of problems with refrigeration. Eggs especially can be vectors for bacteria and the state cannot inspect and license non-commercial food production facilities, so the compromise is to allow cottage food businesses to make and sell food types that aren't well known for spreading illnesses and food poisoning.<br />
<br />
Basically, the start-up guys didn't do their homework. If you want to (or already are) run your own cottage food business, do your homework! Check your state laws and make sure that you're not accidentally breaking any laws. I had no idea about the restrictions in the California law until I looked it up. Ignorance is not an excuse for breaking the law. If you have a cottage food business and make somebody ill by selling any illegal food types, you are going to be in serious trouble.<br />
<br />
The theme of the potluck where I got hustled was "autumn spice". Although Americans seem to be obsessed with pumpkin spice, I decided to use cardamom, which is a spice that I ate a lot of when I was kid and we lived in the Middle East. It's a standard spice in the Levant but for some reason it hasn't really got any traction in the US. I don't know why - it's fantastic. I also made the Swiss meringue frosting again for practice and I think that I've finally got the piping figured out. Check out how pretty this cupcake was:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2Zh3Z3brbt52vBi20jHhMTZyK3RQY7EuNUN5DnLsei5E0kuWp55Es6UioBYAPsmjGiU-wVWefqR5reSwU-CZfllsjDDlwvnXLaF_WG2nva36gpbtL2zgMTBlBgljxHsQdDGxqR7m46OI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-10-04+at+12.06.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2Zh3Z3brbt52vBi20jHhMTZyK3RQY7EuNUN5DnLsei5E0kuWp55Es6UioBYAPsmjGiU-wVWefqR5reSwU-CZfllsjDDlwvnXLaF_WG2nva36gpbtL2zgMTBlBgljxHsQdDGxqR7m46OI/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-10-04+at+12.06.50+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Then I accidentally washed the piping tip down the drain when I washed up. Oops.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Since cardamom isn't used very much over here, I didn't look for cardamom cupcake recipes. Instead, I found a <a href="http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cinnamon-cupcakes" target="_blank">good cinnamon cupcake recipe</a> and swapped out the cinnamon for cardamom. It worked like a charm. <br />
<br />
I also didn't make the frosting that came with the recipe. I love the combination of cardamom and plum so I made plum and pomegranate meringue frosting to go with my Middle Eastern spiced cupcakes. The Swiss meringue frosting gets easier to make each time, and I definitely needed the piping practice. This time I put a smaller amount of frosting in the piping bag and made sure that all of the air was squeezed out before starting piping. Although I had to refill the bag more often, it was must easier to handle and steer the frosting to where I wanted it to go. I recommend trying smaller amounts of frosting if you're having trouble controlling the piping bag.<br />
<br />
The other change I made to the cupcake recipe was to sprinkle the cardamom-sugar mix in the middle of the cupcakes instead of on the top. I like having a layer of taste explosion in the middle instead of having it on top, where the sugar and spices can easily fall off when you bite into the cupcake. Unfortunately, I didn't measure out the amount of spices and sugar that I mixed together to make the middle layer so I've had to estimate it in the recipe.<br />
<br />
This recipe makes 18 cupcakes and I ended up only needing 12 cupcakes, so I took the leftover batter and made a small loaf cake. I mixed cardamom and cinnamon with granulated sugar and sprinkled it on top of the loaf before I baked it, to make a crispy cardamom topping. I frosted it with the plum frosting and covered it with pomegranate seeds. The crunch of the pomegranate seeds contrasted really nicely with the firm frosting and soft cake.<br />
<br />
I only made half of the frosting recipe. This recipe is very easy to make fractional amounts of and the original recipe makes about 5 cups of frosting. Half of the recipe let me frost 12 cupcakes and one loaf cake and there was still some frosting left over.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Cardamom Cupcakes</h2>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Original from <a href="http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cinnamon-cupcakes" target="_blank">Taste of Home</a></span><br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>3/4 cup butter, softened</li>
<li>1 1/4 cups sugar</li>
<li>4 large egg whites</li>
<li>1 teaspoon vanilla extract</li>
<li>2 1/4 cups cake flour</li>
<li>2 teaspoons baking powder</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon salt</li>
<li>2 teaspoons ground cardamom</li>
<li>3/4 cup milk</li>
<li>2 tablespoons granulated sugar</li>
<li>1 tablespoon ground cardamom</li>
<li>1 tablespoon ground cinnamon</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<b>Directions</b><br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 375° F.<br />
<br />
In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg whites and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.<br />
<br />
Fill paper-lined muffin cups one-thirds full. Combine sugar, cardamom, and cinnamon; sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon over each cupcake. Fill the muffin cups another one-thirds full to be a total of two-thirds full.<br />
<br />
<br />
Bake at 375° F for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Makes 18 cupcakes.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Plum Swiss Meringue Frosting</h2>
This is the same recipe that I used to make the <a href="http://chezleawesome.blogspot.com/2015/08/nectarine-peach-cupcakes-with-mango.html" target="_blank">mango Swiss meringue frosting</a>, except that I used plums and pomegranate seeds instead of mangoes.<br />
<br />
I chopped up one plum and removed the seeds from one pomegranate. I boiled a couple of cups of water with about 1/2 cup of granulated sugar with the plum and about 1/3 of the seeds from the pomegranate for approximately 20 minutes. This allowed the amount of water to reduce substantially and to let the plum become very soft. I blended the plum and seeds together in a 3 cup Cuisinart. The pomegranate seeds were still firm but did blend with the plum in the food processor. After making the meringue frosting, I blended the plum-pomegranate mixture in using the KitchenAid stand mixer. After frosting the cupcakes, I placed on pomegranate seed as a topping.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_noTnXTBNfN9RS5CMArf0Gv1wo2jPzib6PSROpJJgDm9kqYHFghTc4xIjg3vrGnBbdJEgwsNV3dB3CW36mqLIj-fRykTykr1wc7bbCYIwxmQ_GreX6F2Rc_YgK5xRhxi3S7-JcsrI6_l/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.11.31+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_noTnXTBNfN9RS5CMArf0Gv1wo2jPzib6PSROpJJgDm9kqYHFghTc4xIjg3vrGnBbdJEgwsNV3dB3CW36mqLIj-fRykTykr1wc7bbCYIwxmQ_GreX6F2Rc_YgK5xRhxi3S7-JcsrI6_l/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.11.31+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The batter before adding the cardamom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-ISQ711uqr_O-krM-l6Of7COga_MtlhIKOWM02665kLBuCNefpjhYmyjH0HsPe_ac1GXX1OgilFkjnEo7Y5m7jaTdWW42laFWc4VuYJJqgqsr9zitHAQWn_mKu7W46m38Ei3e4lrVwae/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.11.46+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-ISQ711uqr_O-krM-l6Of7COga_MtlhIKOWM02665kLBuCNefpjhYmyjH0HsPe_ac1GXX1OgilFkjnEo7Y5m7jaTdWW42laFWc4VuYJJqgqsr9zitHAQWn_mKu7W46m38Ei3e4lrVwae/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.11.46+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just sprinkled cardamom in until it looked like the right amount.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5oxcOVOrl21dSgIyWh8RIA0ohEHeZw0I9QBdfO5dVxwz6A-vmDOGl73Omf-pL6eIuUL-keTJuqlsgxr7Wu_R3IFEmES6UAn-8JLUzwkQbIa__RjXYbj2jxsZ_CWT6_VUJKV_JRzbPzOuw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.12.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5oxcOVOrl21dSgIyWh8RIA0ohEHeZw0I9QBdfO5dVxwz6A-vmDOGl73Omf-pL6eIuUL-keTJuqlsgxr7Wu_R3IFEmES6UAn-8JLUzwkQbIa__RjXYbj2jxsZ_CWT6_VUJKV_JRzbPzOuw/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.12.02+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cardamom and cinnamon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxeT685cV41CJs4UfqFJOFw1oHZLVGZvwYsYSH53HPcy9cRjSUoH_JU_4zYgDxNCfSBAgPwBP1dEAQ15p5IYeJhyphenhyphen3a3z51_bK2WB-_1OeDsXbUsxnPKM-D10c85xpDlEMiZeb_AC7ZrQg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.12.16+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxeT685cV41CJs4UfqFJOFw1oHZLVGZvwYsYSH53HPcy9cRjSUoH_JU_4zYgDxNCfSBAgPwBP1dEAQ15p5IYeJhyphenhyphen3a3z51_bK2WB-_1OeDsXbUsxnPKM-D10c85xpDlEMiZeb_AC7ZrQg/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.12.16+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Make the filling about half spices and half sugar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCkz_ljXHNhgaltr0PTHY3k5UI7bFNgqZdF-jfrdYNLmIhGjDWRvQu31cFvmCxs6EEiL9PAOSCfLuS4-23YILXG2FQLHJvV4ZmPVDP4rYu1WAfHHW_PiwiefdYu7oartPFvc_74LJbIVC_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.12.28+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCkz_ljXHNhgaltr0PTHY3k5UI7bFNgqZdF-jfrdYNLmIhGjDWRvQu31cFvmCxs6EEiL9PAOSCfLuS4-23YILXG2FQLHJvV4ZmPVDP4rYu1WAfHHW_PiwiefdYu7oartPFvc_74LJbIVC_/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.12.28+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fill the cups about one-third full</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUZcBWWAg2CR7fY_Ckym1TelaLhl_RjuCfBPAz3q3PUXSMRgCSDQXVYD8FuMrwsHcoTb5aW4vZSCINk9BoKMAfAO0D3-l8w4abG775lab3MHXmXX8Cg14SuHrXVNhsV-daD-IHCGD1z2p/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.12.44+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUZcBWWAg2CR7fY_Ckym1TelaLhl_RjuCfBPAz3q3PUXSMRgCSDQXVYD8FuMrwsHcoTb5aW4vZSCINk9BoKMAfAO0D3-l8w4abG775lab3MHXmXX8Cg14SuHrXVNhsV-daD-IHCGD1z2p/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.12.44+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sprinkle the spice-sugar mix over the batter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwLhZhUDUzfkKxbg_bRp8j-X0272UdD0nl07D_FuiGc7Wxv4YAYp8mfuuA9mDE-Re7TMmc5vq6izpOUndy2Ou0r2IJZo7uRwfSx70H9A_E2ZXIFCfaReeqwERF8fgRWb-ts9A2SVliI-fn/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.12.57+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwLhZhUDUzfkKxbg_bRp8j-X0272UdD0nl07D_FuiGc7Wxv4YAYp8mfuuA9mDE-Re7TMmc5vq6izpOUndy2Ou0r2IJZo7uRwfSx70H9A_E2ZXIFCfaReeqwERF8fgRWb-ts9A2SVliI-fn/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.12.57+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover up the filling with more batter, until the cups are two-thirds full</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbGV055MjywG63FXVrnoLsKqRAo-ogAHMSBa5y_aUXOoXd3ahnxxbsTw8l0OuvYNLcItMMEM_6WlqalQS6fNKh9-t0s4hIVUiGYUJp7OB7QJ4pEDEF39zymfx7K2NPuCqW65VM6ICVgnZd/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.13.13+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbGV055MjywG63FXVrnoLsKqRAo-ogAHMSBa5y_aUXOoXd3ahnxxbsTw8l0OuvYNLcItMMEM_6WlqalQS6fNKh9-t0s4hIVUiGYUJp7OB7QJ4pEDEF39zymfx7K2NPuCqW65VM6ICVgnZd/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.13.13+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After 12 cupcakes, there's still almost half of the batter left.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixCsM_o4llmdGGUxt03e6Hk78ow0vyF9VwPgbrLz90HBEUW3tCHF5YFmaTcdpgy8jH5n6MVJmoLn2vh0pP9h7612IfS0_zrWxXSaTKxLF5orzmr0D7MPkOqY0bfo8EKDAL03dEEfDQiKng/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.13.27+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixCsM_o4llmdGGUxt03e6Hk78ow0vyF9VwPgbrLz90HBEUW3tCHF5YFmaTcdpgy8jH5n6MVJmoLn2vh0pP9h7612IfS0_zrWxXSaTKxLF5orzmr0D7MPkOqY0bfo8EKDAL03dEEfDQiKng/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.13.27+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loaf cake with spice-sugar topping</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfRlVBLGUID6GWhVlziWGEdU3zWWg5G8Aza5eXcsqI0cERL6KL8GoC4w9fyV8rl0BY9C-TnlB_nb0J_bO7JooTw1EgfETLbfc7S6K-sk0QIBr3gJdkEYM4fB4jZy2pOWgo95LvhVMyeD4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.13.41+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfRlVBLGUID6GWhVlziWGEdU3zWWg5G8Aza5eXcsqI0cERL6KL8GoC4w9fyV8rl0BY9C-TnlB_nb0J_bO7JooTw1EgfETLbfc7S6K-sk0QIBr3gJdkEYM4fB4jZy2pOWgo95LvhVMyeD4/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.13.41+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baked cake and cupcakes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqMrQCOrIw0piw4mEWdN7-Qw-4HrUmAxR_33hOqCglyg2RLcxoM59dgrnfm50-QMnH08S6nW8V1L5dGyOJbqPL3NQ6HDwpVSoNdjOZxLVWKAm0q3rqUC4oxq4o719cvLoJnkiV3u1iHjrN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.14.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqMrQCOrIw0piw4mEWdN7-Qw-4HrUmAxR_33hOqCglyg2RLcxoM59dgrnfm50-QMnH08S6nW8V1L5dGyOJbqPL3NQ6HDwpVSoNdjOZxLVWKAm0q3rqUC4oxq4o719cvLoJnkiV3u1iHjrN/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.14.17+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to remove the pomegranate seeds</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJ9OsUJ6TfKR4CNfh3lyefC8hcgS_PoWZvdzg9s2ay3DyHfJXtgldiUbuL67fhpqCvpRG3s__KMcytYMl_TS0MXvmnvMd11GFULf8STjNa-EvT7hpFSJVJ57_E2emPTjDWFosJdhxauFm/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.14.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJ9OsUJ6TfKR4CNfh3lyefC8hcgS_PoWZvdzg9s2ay3DyHfJXtgldiUbuL67fhpqCvpRG3s__KMcytYMl_TS0MXvmnvMd11GFULf8STjNa-EvT7hpFSJVJ57_E2emPTjDWFosJdhxauFm/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.14.02+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boiling the plum and pomegranate seeds</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP5RsfNsVrrJGYUf6i1twSwiGwq-JwB3EF38Ut-OWfPHZoVlH5-ft9C45MT_YWzsGdLUICGiCk887YpNWM2PqXntDS8TdHcM3SGW70VIP5MfGCHJwO4pG1z2UANGNNOWCKZERho7TKNn18/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.14.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP5RsfNsVrrJGYUf6i1twSwiGwq-JwB3EF38Ut-OWfPHZoVlH5-ft9C45MT_YWzsGdLUICGiCk887YpNWM2PqXntDS8TdHcM3SGW70VIP5MfGCHJwO4pG1z2UANGNNOWCKZERho7TKNn18/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.14.32+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The result</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsRQTq35cun3dNBsvnRLZY09qKBpuNCKhIQytFzLCXjdsCu-PHHcUM6uakajf7zqi1vDk7giHrZ2qqtBI_k_5eRvZf0AbNtUIk6aQYdx8JJgq5_hN6liKdrQaE4wSNKevM2rq6jM3b5cZ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.15.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsRQTq35cun3dNBsvnRLZY09qKBpuNCKhIQytFzLCXjdsCu-PHHcUM6uakajf7zqi1vDk7giHrZ2qqtBI_k_5eRvZf0AbNtUIk6aQYdx8JJgq5_hN6liKdrQaE4wSNKevM2rq6jM3b5cZ/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.15.00+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plum and pomegranate seeds blended</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMVJBJ4GE-t3uMs3YA3KS27w5kD15QNCmgI1LMJD0D1zbMH_ZYcpaFvEE_TczdXjJYSLUBh7r6oj8d845IJ-sqwghZYmlkQQXtRmUEhp-X5G6bSsBQ8oknZofKFemzkjarnzpapwZgnQT/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.14.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMVJBJ4GE-t3uMs3YA3KS27w5kD15QNCmgI1LMJD0D1zbMH_ZYcpaFvEE_TczdXjJYSLUBh7r6oj8d845IJ-sqwghZYmlkQQXtRmUEhp-X5G6bSsBQ8oknZofKFemzkjarnzpapwZgnQT/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.14.47+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heating the egg whites over a double-boiler and whisking them</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj688AbFkoVDdMmgoCKRVRKenFXqiYZFe2MedeRE4nqqddbOsjGoPsh-wcxOxdEUy97Udud3L4aT541FCdCDUYACJJyiR5wAduERlU28_RpMCEVoE6SJKlce9DwtXRMnqg-6sDuHLVbH8XE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.15.13+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj688AbFkoVDdMmgoCKRVRKenFXqiYZFe2MedeRE4nqqddbOsjGoPsh-wcxOxdEUy97Udud3L4aT541FCdCDUYACJJyiR5wAduERlU28_RpMCEVoE6SJKlce9DwtXRMnqg-6sDuHLVbH8XE/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.15.13+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The frosting with the plum puree added in</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1sOA6YbhKP72Q6b27-8-3v6v7FSGDBsjOeGv1sXXyjiAweLc8kSgU6LLgUczDZHoOZKhcGAxBCzRHU6PFYF51UMeopMllXfJVchsMcdsJgTnlMJ-QiW8KLcw1FMkSRX7fLF20B7AIMged/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.15.27+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1sOA6YbhKP72Q6b27-8-3v6v7FSGDBsjOeGv1sXXyjiAweLc8kSgU6LLgUczDZHoOZKhcGAxBCzRHU6PFYF51UMeopMllXfJVchsMcdsJgTnlMJ-QiW8KLcw1FMkSRX7fLF20B7AIMged/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.15.27+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frosted cupcakes. The bottom right was the last one and it shows.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRaZuwtKmVlwvAlv4xLe8qdZEDeEYwX0KeychFeVb7zOurOuTowCHIlvTCxyolXt2vxDrylAqu4n6rDQYW97sRFe9GFS3iF4iA-a_PZYtu6zRQucZ6LDRAiYjkdMEwIeiYt3J5T2LLTqp/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.15.42+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRaZuwtKmVlwvAlv4xLe8qdZEDeEYwX0KeychFeVb7zOurOuTowCHIlvTCxyolXt2vxDrylAqu4n6rDQYW97sRFe9GFS3iF4iA-a_PZYtu6zRQucZ6LDRAiYjkdMEwIeiYt3J5T2LLTqp/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.15.42+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With pomegranate seeds</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimWmqCoNWZVN1iXS5zL0YqDJtZkscnXJMfclTzzbj2Da1Obw5J2aR4GTDteR_C7zpcV45ek2CROLQUAl6jUpZ9BT1YRsPZR21Tsfy6inctpo8-7lF9KwA2GdZOHthFe-UJQYWp9AOod_Km/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.15.56+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimWmqCoNWZVN1iXS5zL0YqDJtZkscnXJMfclTzzbj2Da1Obw5J2aR4GTDteR_C7zpcV45ek2CROLQUAl6jUpZ9BT1YRsPZR21Tsfy6inctpo8-7lF9KwA2GdZOHthFe-UJQYWp9AOod_Km/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-11-02+at+10.15.56+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The loaf cake version</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-452140535333748572015-08-27T03:38:00.000-04:002015-08-27T03:38:38.451-04:00Nectarine Peach Cupcakes with Mango Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting (aka Still Alive!)It has been roughly 15 months since my last post. If anybody is actually following this blog, I apologize for disappearing. There are lots of reasons for not updating but they all boil down to the same idea: life happened. My job got very busy, I moved, traveled to other countries, got a lung infection that knocked me out for 3 months, my father got meningitis, my sister had a baby, I got called for jury duty, my sister had a baby, and various other stuff. Unfortunately the jury duty was not for anything even remotely resembling <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104952/" target="_blank">My Cousin Vinny</a>.<br />
<br />
When I am stressed out or low on time and/or energy, I end up baking the same set of trusted recipes over and over again. Last month I decided that it was time to start trying new recipes again so I signed up for a cupcake potluck with the theme of "Summer Cupcakes". This summer has been very bad in the Bay Area: for all intents and purposes, we are out of water. There are large wildfires all over the state and the Pacific Northwest, to the point where sometimes the air looks like the smog back in LA in the 1970's. We are supposed to get a massive El Nino this winter but I'm not putting any faith in the weather predictions. I did not make "on fire without any water" cupcakes but I was tempted to.<br />
<br />
My new kitchen is large but old and very run down, so there's no counter space and very little storage space. The oven is so old and disgusting that I have to remove the battery in the smoke detector every time I turn it on since it produces enough smoke to set the stupid thing off. I've cleaned the oven numerous times but nothing can remove the build up due to 40 years of use. I get a real sense of accomplishment when I produce anything from this oven that looks good, tempered with some serious frustration about how gross and difficult to use it is.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2K0SgLfh4x1IJtreDfUOn59qS3_ayjZXuavKZR5b8gBcvdhhFKitJcnqX2B4LrxXnqP3brtIKJIX1uFvayXkQEKBbczNLbkY-A7xochxm6bWkpNpYkz3KrH-Nc-vYuH0xRFnW3c9QcFgB/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.28.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2K0SgLfh4x1IJtreDfUOn59qS3_ayjZXuavKZR5b8gBcvdhhFKitJcnqX2B4LrxXnqP3brtIKJIX1uFvayXkQEKBbczNLbkY-A7xochxm6bWkpNpYkz3KrH-Nc-vYuH0xRFnW3c9QcFgB/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.28.40+PM.png" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Be grateful you can't see how dirty it is. I gave it a serious cleaning after making the cupcakes but nothing really helps.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDRIUZPfn5wwxm6TS5yGVpUDc1-xo_4of8xogDaXiGROMjctC3rxHLBqN9-xrgxXRsMz1s17mXg3ID_F2P3MwC0EYKGCrIjQfLBjX5pbcdw0_K2vrNevAro_-PdOWsk7_SyaCfW_FKc58j/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.28.25+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDRIUZPfn5wwxm6TS5yGVpUDc1-xo_4of8xogDaXiGROMjctC3rxHLBqN9-xrgxXRsMz1s17mXg3ID_F2P3MwC0EYKGCrIjQfLBjX5pbcdw0_K2vrNevAro_-PdOWsk7_SyaCfW_FKc58j/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.28.25+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is all of the counter space in entire kitchen.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFErKPsoulY15fQcm-tDdHuXHz_AZYbNsMtGWuqxVnL0UcNSJR7zTWHUjY2fy_toa68Q7m3xLn75kzA6-S8EgUEYgsu6Z9-5dyw5ZtsWxODDg9DLaVNxewX3nYOxUTTNqE35zzp9TPRX4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.29.21+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFErKPsoulY15fQcm-tDdHuXHz_AZYbNsMtGWuqxVnL0UcNSJR7zTWHUjY2fy_toa68Q7m3xLn75kzA6-S8EgUEYgsu6Z9-5dyw5ZtsWxODDg9DLaVNxewX3nYOxUTTNqE35zzp9TPRX4/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.29.21+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IKEA to the rescue: the "pantry" is made of two bookcases that were on clearance without the back<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">s attached, and the <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80035920/" target="_blank">FÖRHÖJA kitchen cart</a> holds the dish rack, fruit bowl, and more storage. The large window is nice to have.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I didn't have anything in mind for "summer cupcakes" so I just googled it to see what other people associated with the phrase. One of the results was <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/355402/nectarine-cupcake#Summer%20Cupcakes%7C/274599/summer-cupcakes/@center/276944/cupcakes%7C355402" target="_blank">Martha Stewart's nectarine cupcakes</a>. They look so nice and fruity and summery that I decided to give them a try. I also liked the idea of her <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/357618/strawberry-meringue-buttercream" target="_blank">strawberry meringue buttercream frosting recipe</a> so I decided to combine the two ideas, except using mangoes instead of strawberries since mangoes are my favorite fruit.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I had never made meringue buttercream and was really intimidated. However, I also had a new kitchen item that I had never used before: a KitchenAide stand mixer! My mother bought it for me for Hannukah last year since I've been talking about buying one for years. She also forgot to take the tag off so I saw that she got it on super-clearance for 50% off. Why? It is virulently pink. Seriously, I'm not kidding.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir2NrukSjZigeBcYn_AhZvmVqTee_k5SRwaTyxrCNTF49UtaBeUp820Mws6O7ROE-pdyd7iE8Q9XtKZPiVsXjgaeSNuggcw-DPhq3IVxoKm76CTcKxbqJVM_ozHANVnRdHu3dhmOpcM8TK/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.33.26+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir2NrukSjZigeBcYn_AhZvmVqTee_k5SRwaTyxrCNTF49UtaBeUp820Mws6O7ROE-pdyd7iE8Q9XtKZPiVsXjgaeSNuggcw-DPhq3IVxoKm76CTcKxbqJVM_ozHANVnRdHu3dhmOpcM8TK/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.33.26+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apparently this color is due to some association with the Komen Breast Cancer foundation aka "pink ribbons for breast cancer".</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It's hard to see in this picture, but the top of the stand mixer is hitting the bottom of the cabinet. There is basically no room for the mixer on the counter.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If you're going to make a meringue buttercream, you want to have a stand mixer. You could probably get the same result eventually with a hand mixer but my best guess is that it would take over an hour. This is the first recipe I've ever made that seems like it would be impossible to make without a stand mixer. Whenever a recipe has called for a stand mixer, I've found an alternative. I have no idea what you could use here instead except to beat it by hand. No bueno.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div>
While googling swiss meringue buttercream, I found this lovely post on <a href="http://www.thebrewerandthebaker.com/archives/7640" target="_blank">how to fix problems</a> with it and her <a href="http://www.thebrewerandthebaker.com/archives/7400" target="_blank">raspberry swiss meringue buttercream recipe</a>. I decided to use this recipe instead of Martha's because some of the comments on Martha's recipe described some serious problems.<br />
<br />
Tips for the cupcakes: this recipe uses nectarines but you can use any <a href="http://www.foodsubs.com/Fruitsto.html" target="_blank">stone fruit</a> (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drupe" target="_blank">drupe</a>) with it. I decided to use one peach and one nectarine because the nectarines were a bit underripe and I was worried that the flavor would be lost. Commenters on the original recipe used nectarines, peaches, and plums and had no problems with any of them and their combinations.<br />
<br />
Peeling and chopping the fruit is really messy. I did this step before anything else in the recipe so that I wouldn't have juicy, sticky hands if something went wrong. It's okay to lose some fruit to the peeling process. If you can't peel a peach or nectarine, you can mostly likely leave the skin on. It may make the texture a bit odd but should be entirely edible. I also chopped the fruit up into small cubes to ensure that they would bake completely.<br />
<br />
If you forgot to take the butter out of the freezer like I did, you can speed up the softening process by chopping it up into small cubes and then microwaving them on 15-20 second intervals. The key thing is to make sure that they are soft enough to beat but do not melt entirely into liquid. If you do over-microwave the butter and it is entirely liquid, put the bowl with the melted butter in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. It will re-solidify. When it's soft but not liquid, continue with the recipe.<br />
<br />
Follow the instructions on alternating the addition of the dry and wet ingredients. This will prevent lumps from forming in your batter.<br />
<br />
It may seem like there isn't very much batter, but you don't actually use very much for these cupcakes. I only filled 2/3's of each cup with batter and the rest with fruit.<br />
<br />
The batter is quite solid and doesn't spread very much by itself. You will need to spread it out so that the first set of batter in the baking cups completely covers the bottom of each cup, and the second set of batter completely covers the fruit. A circular motion with a spoon or a spatula works easily. Make sure to cover the fruit so that none of it is exposed to the air. You want the fruit juices to stay inside the cupcake when the fruit heats up and cooks. The juice will evaporate if the fruit is not covered.<br />
<br />
The cupcakes will be domed when you take them out of the oven but they will deflate and become slightly concave as they cool down and the air inside them is no longer expanded due to heat. If this shape bothers you, you can put anything on top of the cupcakes and it will be disguised. Martha's recipe calls for whipped cream but you can use any topping, like a fruit puree or any type of frosting or chopped or sliced fruit (or any combination of these).<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Nectarine Cupcakes</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Original recipe from <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/355402/nectarine-cupcake#Summer%20Cupcakes%7C/274599/summer-cupcakes/@center/276944/cupcakes%7C355402" target="_blank">Martha Stewart</a></span><br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<ul>
<li>1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon baking powder</li>
<li>Salt</li>
<li>1/3 cup whole milk</li>
<li>1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract</li>
<li>6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature</li>
<li>3/4 cup sugar</li>
<li>2 large eggs</li>
<li>2 medium nectarines, peeled, halved, pitted, and finely chopped (1 1/4 cups)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /><b>Directions</b><br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Sift together flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir together milk and vanilla.</div>
<div>
<br />Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With mixer running, add eggs, 1 at a time. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating twice with milk mixture.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Line a standard muffin tin with baking cups. Fill each with 1 tablespoon batter, 1 heaping tablespoon chopped nectarines, and an additional 2 tablespoons batter. Bake until edges begin to turn golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool in tin.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Yield:</b> 12 cupcakes</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfufgvOmJWHE1U8iuA7TnuKNsWtRKxr9flxz4HUYdO8NyouWkG4Z22K0zoCastugdrj9yynUo6lNg3KS-ge3sK_UfMM3XkAOik3HlpT1yLDXA9xnqGFd65UP2vORZ20oQ-hXOs6KA8_E1Z/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.30.31+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfufgvOmJWHE1U8iuA7TnuKNsWtRKxr9flxz4HUYdO8NyouWkG4Z22K0zoCastugdrj9yynUo6lNg3KS-ge3sK_UfMM3XkAOik3HlpT1yLDXA9xnqGFd65UP2vORZ20oQ-hXOs6KA8_E1Z/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.30.31+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This recipe uses a small number of ingredients.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbG5V_sNV5v8mpH9CJVBrKf63W1g2db8uhAMtYAPJcElr0FIBcpmc3bQoeWrj7dZH6lEB-J-KMcAyW1iWYhagm0Qog-u-spU72nD9mavaFM1A9eX25Hv0ryFPYirALkFFV3yJpi4ZFo4-V/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.30.56+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbG5V_sNV5v8mpH9CJVBrKf63W1g2db8uhAMtYAPJcElr0FIBcpmc3bQoeWrj7dZH6lEB-J-KMcAyW1iWYhagm0Qog-u-spU72nD9mavaFM1A9eX25Hv0ryFPYirALkFFV3yJpi4ZFo4-V/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.30.56+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A peeled peach and an unpeeled nectarine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPo5STiMqdkASzVynBlADjKhBALeneg7IRoLXpkTwFOhudiPcNg25jY7qQceO87t5muQ6Lv9IeaIsonv2vaw3ing6cGq09aBQ5VT60H3S9tzUOwREdK9beIBZdLPFx9C0_Fj-TpEiE7uy/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.31.19+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPo5STiMqdkASzVynBlADjKhBALeneg7IRoLXpkTwFOhudiPcNg25jY7qQceO87t5muQ6Lv9IeaIsonv2vaw3ing6cGq09aBQ5VT60H3S9tzUOwREdK9beIBZdLPFx9C0_Fj-TpEiE7uy/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.31.19+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm overly proud of my ability to peel a fruit in one strip.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopDZnK57kmLkGodFGhVddfWkETPWRHG9h4M6kBVLWht2Xn8Z-KrovDaXmYYw6K_pyUWlQs6dNY1DmtRsotUWl3vHd_zcAV3sXU13eviJ5zBuTIvbQTzowzlSeDuJthPrPy304ZbBBrE-G/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.31.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopDZnK57kmLkGodFGhVddfWkETPWRHG9h4M6kBVLWht2Xn8Z-KrovDaXmYYw6K_pyUWlQs6dNY1DmtRsotUWl3vHd_zcAV3sXU13eviJ5zBuTIvbQTzowzlSeDuJthPrPy304ZbBBrE-G/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.31.30+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chopped peach and nectarine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjzcJMDzschsANIJtEEyBeVNBHQXYlfzmIhgoHWWztBYyRn4n3fErEXMwxb7AAlweYwuP2f69CFhljzLoFXe410HGiw-VhYKl894gjyXRcAaaIPlX6159yeL5q7vJtfG_33uNg8Z9-a1JF/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.31.48+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjzcJMDzschsANIJtEEyBeVNBHQXYlfzmIhgoHWWztBYyRn4n3fErEXMwxb7AAlweYwuP2f69CFhljzLoFXe410HGiw-VhYKl894gjyXRcAaaIPlX6159yeL5q7vJtfG_33uNg8Z9-a1JF/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.31.48+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creamed butter and sugar.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7VQQywLp1dsROS8xUZ_C28Sp2YeNW0eysvhYycukmw3mdU33aPFmJ8IcQJHtB87hIugioDqgi-0LZNpbxTh7ZUtnB6R5rkFZuzlS_rgimSETTfrC7YiCS1tR7ku5SJ94OgEhmSGJSWkF/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.32.05+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7VQQywLp1dsROS8xUZ_C28Sp2YeNW0eysvhYycukmw3mdU33aPFmJ8IcQJHtB87hIugioDqgi-0LZNpbxTh7ZUtnB6R5rkFZuzlS_rgimSETTfrC7YiCS1tR7ku5SJ94OgEhmSGJSWkF/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.32.05+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the wet and dry ingredients added.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNpIzPdQZiNCr7rgUzoQe8KsJyKqC9PdOwo3fnEBXI9ffZ-gJb28IwVhimuBLMXAfqyLutXuQXu2P0WxE6O45EbBS1ddBtXGGbyoGa_oG9nLHqgfloJi_7oCn7uoCy1_pakSRRJLB51yf/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.32.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNpIzPdQZiNCr7rgUzoQe8KsJyKqC9PdOwo3fnEBXI9ffZ-gJb28IwVhimuBLMXAfqyLutXuQXu2P0WxE6O45EbBS1ddBtXGGbyoGa_oG9nLHqgfloJi_7oCn7uoCy1_pakSRRJLB51yf/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.32.24+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover the entire bottom of the baking cup by smoothing out the batter in a circular motion. Half of the cups are spread out and half aren't.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikbtTVCkbzFwpohnaJSuuPeG0NaGldpvz24vymNhoIFOEUj8THfeDlWfSmxX7b67IlXe7qCSYNGmPZDgZtour5bPVAXvEnc-C80BcqWNZhs7X5pp-uyHMThDu-U0yXlqACH-sldF1Gr6vd/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.32.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikbtTVCkbzFwpohnaJSuuPeG0NaGldpvz24vymNhoIFOEUj8THfeDlWfSmxX7b67IlXe7qCSYNGmPZDgZtour5bPVAXvEnc-C80BcqWNZhs7X5pp-uyHMThDu-U0yXlqACH-sldF1Gr6vd/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.32.35+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peach/nectarine mix added to the baking cups.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1YQMIA8D8z_igOI__omqiM6pEhgR0L44jkLXWp0WRqIC1NoM46l5hhALuv0PwaS5eOqkyW1QPLQjMYVQ3X2cNMgoQgddHS_TqzXYDBd_whwJtp-5-qKl0d826Ga76nx7kMQaL5b2S8ymc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.32.59+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1YQMIA8D8z_igOI__omqiM6pEhgR0L44jkLXWp0WRqIC1NoM46l5hhALuv0PwaS5eOqkyW1QPLQjMYVQ3X2cNMgoQgddHS_TqzXYDBd_whwJtp-5-qKl0d826Ga76nx7kMQaL5b2S8ymc/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.32.59+PM.png" width="243" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smooth the batter over the entire top of the fruit by repeating the circular motion. Half covered, half not.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-DGTzE5ujIZX3I_7jJhhybz00ZGP0Jg9FrBO3LA_5PIi9YGFSH-3aKwOwwdOPGiLjR38hpkTGKZUAWfxICZ69ObQjol_dJxHozvTU9U8j5Rb3TosofWbgF4hCALfZugIZG_Vet5slLb99/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.33.54+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-DGTzE5ujIZX3I_7jJhhybz00ZGP0Jg9FrBO3LA_5PIi9YGFSH-3aKwOwwdOPGiLjR38hpkTGKZUAWfxICZ69ObQjol_dJxHozvTU9U8j5Rb3TosofWbgF4hCALfZugIZG_Vet5slLb99/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.33.54+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cupcakes will deflate and become slightly concave.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Tips for the frosting: any fruit that can be pureed is an option for flavoring this frosting. If you're using a fruit that has small seeds on it (like strawberries, raspberries, etc.), you'll need to cook the fruit with some water and then strain the seeds out. I should have done this with the mango but I just pureed it straight in a food processor. This left small strands of mango in the frosting but I was the only one who noticed.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Separate each egg white into a different container before adding it to the group of egg whites. This way, if something gets into the egg you're separating, it won't ruin the entire group of egg whites.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
To make a double-boiler, put a small amount of water in a pot that has a smaller diameter than the bowl of the stand mixer. Place the bowl that holds the egg whites and sugar in the pot and check that the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The sugar will dissolve as the egg whites heat up and mixture will turn white. Keep whisking while the double boiler is on. You don't need to whisk quickly but you do need to whisk enough that the mixture is moving. I don't have a cooking thermometer so I had to estimate how hot the egg whites were. When I could put one fingertip in the egg whites and they were hot enough that I couldn't hold my finger in there for longer than about 30 seconds or so, I decided it was an acceptable temperature. This took about 10 or 15 minutes or so over a medium heat. You don't want to scorch the egg whites but you want them to be hot enough that the sugar has cooked a bit into the egg whites and is completely dissolved. The mixture will be very runny as opposed to how thick it was at the beginning.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The egg whites and sugar really do need to be whisked for 10 minutes after you take the bowl off the heat. This is for two reasons: to get a lot of air into the mixture, and to cool it down. You should not add the butter until the egg whites are about room temperature. If you add the butter too early and it melts, the frosting will not come together correctly and it will be liquid-y. If this happens, put the bowl in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or so to make the frosting more solid, and then continue beating.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The butter must be room temperature. If you've forgotten to take it out of the freezer, chop it up into small cubes and microwave them carefully on 10-15 second intervals. You need the cubes to be somewhat soft but not runny or liquid. If the frosting becomes more liquid as you add the butter, it is because the butter is melting. Put the mixer bowl in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or so to make the frosting more solid, and then continue beating.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Do not add the butter all at once. I added 1-2 tablespoons every 15-20 seconds. Watch for the butter to be beaten into the frosting before adding the next set of butter cubes.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The frosting will come together quickly after you've added the butter (slowly). The consistency will be very firm and the texture will be very smooth. Some of the commenters on Martha's recipe said that it tasted like butter. I thought it tasted a little bit like butter but the fruit flavor covered it up.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I added the mango puree several tablespoons at a time because I wasn't sure what it would do the frosting. The texture was not affected at all. I ended up adding about 1/2 cup of mango puree overall. Just in case the consistency was affected, I continued beating the frosting for several more minutes.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
As <a href="http://www.thebrewerandthebaker.com/archives/7640" target="_blank">the Brewer and the Baker mentioned</a>, this frosting can be stored in the fridge overnight, but it looks curdled when you take it out and start beating it. This is most likely because the butter is not dissolved into the frosting but was beaten into it in very small chunks, and it defrosts slower than the rest of the frosting, resulting in very small chunks in the frosting. I followed the instructions and microwaved about 1/4 of the frosting to make it more liquid and to dissolve the chunks, and then poured it back into the frosting and continued to beat it for another 5 minutes or so. It returned to the lovely texture and consistency that it had the previous day.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This frosting is very easy to pipe with. Note that it is quite solid and you will need to squeeze out any air bubbles in the piping bag when you add in more frosting. I was not careful when adding more to the bag and ended up with gaps in the frosting when I was piping that I had to go back and fill in.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Swiss Meringue Buttercream</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Original from <a href="http://www.thebrewerandthebaker.com/archives/7400" target="_blank">The Brewer and the Baker</a></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Ingredients</b></div>
<ul>
<li>1 1/4 cup sugar</li>
<li>4 egg whites</li>
<li>3 sticks of butter (24 tablespoons), cut into cubes and at room temperature</li>
<li>Optional: 6 ounces fresh fruit (berries or soft fruits) and 2 tablespoons lemon juice</li>
</ul>
<div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>Directions</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you are flavoring the frosting with fruit, make a puree with the fruit by either processing it in a food processor or by cooking it with 1/4 cup water over medium heat for 5 minutes. Break the fruit apart and strain any seeds out if necessary.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Whisk the sugar and egg whites together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Place the bowl over a simmering pot of water and whisk until the eggs are very hot (160 degrees) and the sugar has completely dissolved. With the whisk attachment, whisk on high until the mixture is light and fluffy and has cooled (~10 minutes). If you are flavoring the frosting with fruit, add the lemon juice and fruit puree and continue whisking.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Switch to the paddle attachment and drop butter into the mixer 2-3 tablespoons at a time. Beat until well mixed and then frost completely cooled cupcakes/cakes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Leftovers store wonderfully in the fridge for weeks. Set the frosting out 1-2 hours ahead of time and then mix using the paddle attachment for a couple of minutes on medium.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Yield:</b> frosting for 24 cupcakes</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqm0TufARM0AbSww1GrAXHcgE1yUIbPtK2F8Ly6IaDKoNpDCSCvVpiE5JdGNKYi2PveRZIE1B82wljGrcjjzqlpW8U65ij5Bgb0jk8TxQgtVk8Q6d-Tv6BxS2fUjz-YRoVN-zgrt7Wp7NR/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.34.12+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqm0TufARM0AbSww1GrAXHcgE1yUIbPtK2F8Ly6IaDKoNpDCSCvVpiE5JdGNKYi2PveRZIE1B82wljGrcjjzqlpW8U65ij5Bgb0jk8TxQgtVk8Q6d-Tv6BxS2fUjz-YRoVN-zgrt7Wp7NR/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.34.12+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original set of ingredients for making the frosting. Both the whisk and paddle attachments are in this photo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_Il2oFZgdNLFGd21VUp2WipwyiIrr-XiHGJRXxAcxmxCg4XZfCl19rGYo6QMl46y6XPcrNFigVUylz9DFW4HIdvGJiv4Kr7N0xosqg6rN-Et2gRkhl4KG19y5UI5kMww7uiBE1cSyd2n/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.34.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_Il2oFZgdNLFGd21VUp2WipwyiIrr-XiHGJRXxAcxmxCg4XZfCl19rGYo6QMl46y6XPcrNFigVUylz9DFW4HIdvGJiv4Kr7N0xosqg6rN-Et2gRkhl4KG19y5UI5kMww7uiBE1cSyd2n/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.34.24+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Combining the egg whites and sugar.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGkrBAhg2M32ek6NW9szT6wWfwo0M0hfqD4gSQ-qwpN9i_G1fca-9RIDafchOhs_lObLcvP24-dUdPozaiPjC4z846aSd0-b6pDvvdCwNQBzcZf9dFboZG7o3__3ml5APcz70R4L16Iew2/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.34.37+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGkrBAhg2M32ek6NW9szT6wWfwo0M0hfqD4gSQ-qwpN9i_G1fca-9RIDafchOhs_lObLcvP24-dUdPozaiPjC4z846aSd0-b6pDvvdCwNQBzcZf9dFboZG7o3__3ml5APcz70R4L16Iew2/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.34.37+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homemade double-boiler. Make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufx3BoOfrjeeTTEzxVtFYB8YtePxDdhUKNR7MeRkj5Hu_ID1A-WRwh5cjHoE4h_efy515otVlMWWSorDE4z2Qhx0sLfu9mHqyhNT38XCR4vrI6cE7GUthJfxxHQMDdcPhqvkI6xbwXyUC/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.34.53+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufx3BoOfrjeeTTEzxVtFYB8YtePxDdhUKNR7MeRkj5Hu_ID1A-WRwh5cjHoE4h_efy515otVlMWWSorDE4z2Qhx0sLfu9mHqyhNT38XCR4vrI6cE7GUthJfxxHQMDdcPhqvkI6xbwXyUC/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.34.53+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After heating and whisking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0SDGYkihalFNP-ia6I2EpNmBjSQ0P5ooZU57ABpAR4kiwqgm30fGkSidA4jJTlRqfrgo3RKp2tF0GkGW2HRFDrbzt4uOhdpPVCNoS_VIH2t_lXL0W7t4UOqIrs18OpjLXDIwc20W9J8XQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.35.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0SDGYkihalFNP-ia6I2EpNmBjSQ0P5ooZU57ABpAR4kiwqgm30fGkSidA4jJTlRqfrgo3RKp2tF0GkGW2HRFDrbzt4uOhdpPVCNoS_VIH2t_lXL0W7t4UOqIrs18OpjLXDIwc20W9J8XQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.35.11+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beginning to whisk the egg white/sugar mixture.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvmuA6qLsZ1iW3lOQETjxfzzAFJDb5sG3dkcZpY8HT4mpha33vffXdMiEI_yc47m06fxAeARVg9bw4lFBcvHLnOx_dOnjkCrlUemDSpecVropgve0XEQr6QC91ts504tNMruEu4vonSyQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.35.25+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvmuA6qLsZ1iW3lOQETjxfzzAFJDb5sG3dkcZpY8HT4mpha33vffXdMiEI_yc47m06fxAeARVg9bw4lFBcvHLnOx_dOnjkCrlUemDSpecVropgve0XEQr6QC91ts504tNMruEu4vonSyQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.35.25+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After several minutes, the egg white have stiffened up enough to hold whisk impressions.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5etbrthtJqkt-QJVTzvL5KCS6sde2_56fmCe_o1-Ie1i6H4NniMneXn_nf4rGckvumGaifBDy0QVZZsqPVtVyfxe9qNLMWlMXvO1q1NQzOWUP2kXUPu0eU05fRvPmrts7r6CuR7TD-tI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.36.13+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5etbrthtJqkt-QJVTzvL5KCS6sde2_56fmCe_o1-Ie1i6H4NniMneXn_nf4rGckvumGaifBDy0QVZZsqPVtVyfxe9qNLMWlMXvO1q1NQzOWUP2kXUPu0eU05fRvPmrts7r6CuR7TD-tI/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.36.13+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Switching the whisk attachment to the paddle attachment.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUkLevcx_O5gRuOsrO9fNiGKcso3HgkFca1eApc-NLu9KXdlov7XtIDQUBW0AeN7aMFPn60xDSK7VhNMXH3erGASH8N1nlPaD48oKTNkOELL031KcUNN2CntUv9eef23YOK5_KG78YkmgP/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.35.58+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUkLevcx_O5gRuOsrO9fNiGKcso3HgkFca1eApc-NLu9KXdlov7XtIDQUBW0AeN7aMFPn60xDSK7VhNMXH3erGASH8N1nlPaD48oKTNkOELL031KcUNN2CntUv9eef23YOK5_KG78YkmgP/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.35.58+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">24 tablespoons of butter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoWpne3ZJvyzNWrGVeGKM-3aOce1oEJYq3VyVeGbZOtPKs7PyUQBs4gsMLWYRxLWkIJM7ytUWt1PCfcFYTMWUckCvMM1Oga8B4v_qXe8qJcmpCywUEANVGl2GumHEeEDcNN-2y5Pz7Pff/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.36.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoWpne3ZJvyzNWrGVeGKM-3aOce1oEJYq3VyVeGbZOtPKs7PyUQBs4gsMLWYRxLWkIJM7ytUWt1PCfcFYTMWUckCvMM1Oga8B4v_qXe8qJcmpCywUEANVGl2GumHEeEDcNN-2y5Pz7Pff/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.36.24+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the butter beaten in. The frosting is quite stiff and nearly solid at this point.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNtVCGvDadD9ReTJCWNC9MkGNLm8VT6Q3Ej3D_dmG1wqaUE4JB08_IVVRQunNlTeMBJ0O9XdDxbZMBX13nptCw9MuNSglv4F5hJF5CzLMBFz8g8p9nDzgv8k-0uACA0UV741nT4cj9faA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.36.36+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNtVCGvDadD9ReTJCWNC9MkGNLm8VT6Q3Ej3D_dmG1wqaUE4JB08_IVVRQunNlTeMBJ0O9XdDxbZMBX13nptCw9MuNSglv4F5hJF5CzLMBFz8g8p9nDzgv8k-0uACA0UV741nT4cj9faA/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.36.36+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pureeing the mangoes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinU_XLNh71-r6Gq60kgbKmPxrTW9WA9npn_NUBEW4P_QL-vzfO7lxGOXkUD6pw1T7D1_UjIA-i6if5-LsLSl_ZMxgEFBzDrG-QfkUzW7E-iMfBGQ8wZkuE6wGunJY58iUSN_0DoyGiQsHt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.36.48+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinU_XLNh71-r6Gq60kgbKmPxrTW9WA9npn_NUBEW4P_QL-vzfO7lxGOXkUD6pw1T7D1_UjIA-i6if5-LsLSl_ZMxgEFBzDrG-QfkUzW7E-iMfBGQ8wZkuE6wGunJY58iUSN_0DoyGiQsHt/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.36.48+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding in the mango puree a bit at a time. The frosting is very stiff even with all of the mango puree beaten in.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzMh_Sng31fhzbHoUpPbiD38ksgAXJqnFTbFaK5oZ0-cC7BKtT994srm8Plm38k3weR7aw9IGQ5NTY6t1g4MJKRb_ZKcdqBWwXSVNjKMCK2xyjuBbYaWd0DcSZcAQVL86gk70SqjSNIFG/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.38.29+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzMh_Sng31fhzbHoUpPbiD38ksgAXJqnFTbFaK5oZ0-cC7BKtT994srm8Plm38k3weR7aw9IGQ5NTY6t1g4MJKRb_ZKcdqBWwXSVNjKMCK2xyjuBbYaWd0DcSZcAQVL86gk70SqjSNIFG/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.38.29+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Storing the frosting overnight.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5WUTG6ZdDrwRTIC2U0DXOd0B4Ho0kr7Vti9O2BN8ZLVTilDYqRqi-l_o7gspQUTtj6HrxlV0bc1GnMDCBmvEDo_y8LosEtXE_kCOSqiW3o7V25nGIcqhlNuq1vw9K3tI27Ofz2JOvZ4PL/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.38.45+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5WUTG6ZdDrwRTIC2U0DXOd0B4Ho0kr7Vti9O2BN8ZLVTilDYqRqi-l_o7gspQUTtj6HrxlV0bc1GnMDCBmvEDo_y8LosEtXE_kCOSqiW3o7V25nGIcqhlNuq1vw9K3tI27Ofz2JOvZ4PL/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.38.45+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As described, it looked curdled when I took it out of the fridge the next day and started beating it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2w1Ha_Q4SwoY87yi70HcigSYzjYZ2vLztegsAXm_k5yqkuMieYFH10yjCK7G1Q-Xey3R4X6zGx-Rhdgpu9xpDN0D-InZC7RDfUQJ5w5XjWRLIzsz3wbwJy_b-efJB2Ree88bVyP4HJjQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.39.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2w1Ha_Q4SwoY87yi70HcigSYzjYZ2vLztegsAXm_k5yqkuMieYFH10yjCK7G1Q-Xey3R4X6zGx-Rhdgpu9xpDN0D-InZC7RDfUQJ5w5XjWRLIzsz3wbwJy_b-efJB2Ree88bVyP4HJjQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.39.00+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halfway through working it back into a better consistency.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDRyXtrmn0o-dMd5fii2gjwZDrkU6X_QAerTAtNNiNvSSvGg5xCVU7PKSIRkwh2ascfvH_CHsdKKfvJ2hp2E5FAJx-RM8fXy5gS2CMgYFDkYd6ccyHrD9w5lnbvRDUU2pecHsvzs13qCi/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.39.21+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDRyXtrmn0o-dMd5fii2gjwZDrkU6X_QAerTAtNNiNvSSvGg5xCVU7PKSIRkwh2ascfvH_CHsdKKfvJ2hp2E5FAJx-RM8fXy5gS2CMgYFDkYd6ccyHrD9w5lnbvRDUU2pecHsvzs13qCi/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.39.21+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to frost.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhBo4gI9eNmYL-JSPHk6rAwYlWkuI6c3B-HMyk3dmDyMTnueMZN0WIQ9LCacKuySZeoqbmcE79wlfp78x3QC60Xo3lInVCCocY87f9rgr6z8Lwgzd-GfmlP4YYvOnB2CfYJVXOoqUpUUM0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.39.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhBo4gI9eNmYL-JSPHk6rAwYlWkuI6c3B-HMyk3dmDyMTnueMZN0WIQ9LCacKuySZeoqbmcE79wlfp78x3QC60Xo3lInVCCocY87f9rgr6z8Lwgzd-GfmlP4YYvOnB2CfYJVXOoqUpUUM0/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.39.35+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sad attempt at piping.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjWcKCNKKzdhYb3rnk_5C0WN9pP3WHdBFdtHVZ7farYu9zXEQyjTbSdth8Z8eZpBDAtuipqALS8XP2YVR-sHNgB_CDGzgby0bsup8wfUpTH03-oJhEtxvT2uzY0viSpolMZwuytx7qqFj/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.39.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjWcKCNKKzdhYb3rnk_5C0WN9pP3WHdBFdtHVZ7farYu9zXEQyjTbSdth8Z8eZpBDAtuipqALS8XP2YVR-sHNgB_CDGzgby0bsup8wfUpTH03-oJhEtxvT2uzY0viSpolMZwuytx7qqFj/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-08-26+at+10.39.47+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With mango puree topping. They looked a bit like sunny-side up eggs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-39058732157607782092014-04-29T19:59:00.000-04:002014-04-29T19:59:05.840-04:00Portmanteaus: Canmoneesecake and Doffins<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portmanteau" target="_blank">Portmanteau</a> recipes have become really trendy in baking circles ever since the <a href="http://dominiqueansel.com/cronut-101/" target="_blank">cronut</a> became so popular. Ridiculously popular, really - the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cronut" target="_blank">wikipedia article for cronuts</a> says that people were selling them on the black market for $100. A black market for upscale New York City bakery items. My mind is officially boggled.<br />
<br />
Now that I'm going to a monthly potluck (thanks, M and S!), I've got a regular schedule for experimenting. This time I scrolled through my enormous collection of untried recipes and selected the first two that caught my eye: candied lemon cheesecake and sugar doughnut muffins (aka doffins). I hadn't tried any portmanteau recipes before this so I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon. Who doesn't want a sugar doughnut muffin?<br />
<br />
I've also been making lots of cheesecakes lately. Although I don't really like cheesecake that much, I do enjoy making cheesecakes. It's a win-win: I make it and somebody else eats most of it. This recipe was intriguing because it included candied lemons, which I've been wanting to try making for a while. It also has a crust that isn't made out of graham crackers. The question of what to use instead of graham crackers if you're outside the US has been discussed by lots of people (<a href="http://www.cheftalk.com/t/40136/alternative-to-graham-crackers-for-cheesecake" target="_blank">1</a>, <a href="http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/669156" target="_blank">2</a>, <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/08/oat-crumble-crust-recipe.html" target="_blank">3</a>, <a href="http://food52.com/hotline/18568-do-i-have-options-for-a-cheesecake-crust-other-than-graham-crackers" target="_blank">4</a>) so I figured I'd give that a try as well.<br />
<br />
With the exception of the candied lemons, both of these recipes were very easy to make (almost). I put together the doffin batter while the cheesecake was baking and still had time to wash the dishes.<br />
<br />
The cheesecake had a really nice, light texture. I'm planning to use this recipe and swap out the lemon zest for other flavors (matcha green tea, cocoa, vanilla).<br />
<br />
The only snag was that the ingredient list for the cheesecake didn't list the amounts of the ingredients very clearly. The crust is made with biscotti, and the recipe said "12 biscotti". How much is 12 biscotti? I had mini-biscotti instead of full-sized biscotti and I started off using 24 biscotti and then kept adding until there was enough crust to cover the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. I have fixed the recipe so that it has volume, mass, or weight measurements.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>The candied lemon recipes uses 6 cups of sugar. I followed the instructions and only used three lemons. Mistake! If you're going to use 6 cups of sugar to candy lemons, use 20 or so lemons and then store the leftovers in the fridge. They will be fine for weeks and you won't have wasted almost four pounds of sugar on three lemons.<br />
<br />
Tips: it's better to use stale biscotti than fresh biscotti for the crust. You want to put the hard, stale biscotti in a food processor with a sharp blade and grind them up until they are crumbs. Fresh biscotti won't crumble as easily as stale biscotti. The biscotti for sale at most grocery stores are stale and should work well. I used almond biscotti instead of plain biscotti and the flavor of the crust worked very well with the flavor of the cheesecake.<br />
<br />
The candied lemon recipe says to slice the lemons as thinly as possible. Don't slice the lemons too thinly or the flesh will fall off while the lemon slices are cooking. I would suggest slicing the lemons thicker than 1/8 of an inch. In the photos below, you can see where the lemon slices were too thin and only the rind made it through being cooked twice. If you've got a slicing wheel on your food processor, you want to use that instead of slicing by hand like I did. The only reason I didn't use the slicing wheel on my Cuisinart was because I had a brain fart and forgot that I had that option.<br />
<br />
The lemons will take over an hour to make. I made them on Friday night and put them in a tupperware in the fridge, then pulled them out and decorated the top of the cheesecake when I made it on Saturday, and put the whole thing back in the fridge until Sunday afternoon. It was fine.<br />
<br />
Make sure to use whole milk ricotta. You need the fat to keep the cheesecake moist. The moist ricotta will keep the cream cheese from making the cake too heavy and slimy.<br />
<br />
This is probably just my oven temperature being off, but I ended up having to bake the cheesecake for 30 minutes extra. The middle was still slightly jiggly when I pulled it out but it was completely solid after being refrigerated overnight.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Candied Lemon (Ricotta) Cheesecake</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Original recipe from <a href="http://www.zencancook.com/2009/04/ricotta-lemon-cheesecake-with-biscotti-crust/" target="_blank">Zen Can Cook</a>, updated by me</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<i>for the candied lemons</i><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>3 lemons</li>
<li>6 cups granulated sugar</li>
</ul>
<div>
<i>f</i><i>or the biscotti crust</i></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>10 ounces biscotti</li>
<li>1/4 cup granulated sugar</li>
<li>8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted</li>
</ul>
<div>
<i>for the cheesecake</i></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) fresh whole milk ricotta cheese</li>
<li>8 ounces (1 cup) cream cheese, softened</li>
<li>3/4 cup granulated sugar</li>
<li>3 large eggs</li>
<li>2 tablespoon heavy cream</li>
<li>zest of 2 lemons</li>
</ul>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>Directions</b></div>
</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
Put three lemons in the freezer for 30 minutes. Combine 3 cups of sugar and 4 cups of water in a large pot. Bring to a boil. While the water is heating, slice the frozen lemons. Add them to the boiling sugar syrup and cook at a low simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, let it rest for 10 minutes, carefully remove the lemon slices, and discard the syrup.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Combine 3 cups of sugar and 3 cups of water in the large pot. Bring to a low simmer and add the lemon slices. Cook for about 30 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Take the lemon slices out and store them in a tupperware in the fridge overnight.</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Process the biscotti to fine crumbs in a food processor with the sugar. In a bowl, combine the biscotti crumbs with the melted butter. Mix until incorporated.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Line a 9 inch springform pan or smooth-edged tart pan with the biscotti crumb mixture. Press down firmly with your fingers until the mixture is compressed and flattened. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let the crust cool for several minutes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While the crust is baking, combine the ricotta, cream cheese, sugar, eggs, heavy cream, and lemon zest in a food processor and process until combined (about 2 minutes). Fill the cooled crust with the cheesecake batter and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until it stops jiggling when you shake it and a knife inserted comes out clean. If the cake is not fully baked, continue baking it in increments of 10 minutes until it is done.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Let it cool and arrange the candied lemon slices on the top. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight, before serving.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVk1ph0EwjO9N4iCu9FALboRQJs92QsVL06qRvKNsfBc2GvLA38YvRT4EtwkMTtBWuigXZM0-xEMzz7iuCSIYJNrbKNoUDwrA2GhsmDFtM-ZREU3Jkvm6wLV1HBXDqwzVC-ZmBTHyK4r6/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.51.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVk1ph0EwjO9N4iCu9FALboRQJs92QsVL06qRvKNsfBc2GvLA38YvRT4EtwkMTtBWuigXZM0-xEMzz7iuCSIYJNrbKNoUDwrA2GhsmDFtM-ZREU3Jkvm6wLV1HBXDqwzVC-ZmBTHyK4r6/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.51.50+PM.png" height="234" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My pathetic attempts at slicing lemons by hand. Remember to pick out the seeds.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDUCLNXYQukFUs8TjE_0UyPwc5DQZsGvc1Os4VDSF33ciExs4v8TbmqC0reGvjmHFgwkmpgLhc4Zo1oT5VwD4jUY2GD-nV6TheIIGiTUp53i1mOZtizcWG-MhbFisvQY_Z8wm0MA0tcX0-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.52.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDUCLNXYQukFUs8TjE_0UyPwc5DQZsGvc1Os4VDSF33ciExs4v8TbmqC0reGvjmHFgwkmpgLhc4Zo1oT5VwD4jUY2GD-nV6TheIIGiTUp53i1mOZtizcWG-MhbFisvQY_Z8wm0MA0tcX0-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.52.00+PM.png" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First time cooking the lemons.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8l-gnlE37GxJRqsHuG1uqa8EfZWU2F1l3lADz03dOEuGCYIbmzOki0okRXdvDEdsmXQVxnuMhsW1cE1yGJlzr3if6fDf_MTMO-L7dJKCtRnH-K-AUp2lf0pj_xDLD16nRWJ0JGHkIfAAu/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.52.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8l-gnlE37GxJRqsHuG1uqa8EfZWU2F1l3lADz03dOEuGCYIbmzOki0okRXdvDEdsmXQVxnuMhsW1cE1yGJlzr3if6fDf_MTMO-L7dJKCtRnH-K-AUp2lf0pj_xDLD16nRWJ0JGHkIfAAu/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.52.11+PM.png" height="270" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the first cook.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhgZTs9TrayeifYruKdKCd3o6biBhMhC-581K32B2DmmuwHXssYfFBk0Y9gdUBQgutniVnnBSF9dqGKIUKhZIgSlbeBNLQqoqC9HtTL9kTGROuY0tbijTt_HxFGkzVsfsN2fM1DpW9psws/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.52.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhgZTs9TrayeifYruKdKCd3o6biBhMhC-581K32B2DmmuwHXssYfFBk0Y9gdUBQgutniVnnBSF9dqGKIUKhZIgSlbeBNLQqoqC9HtTL9kTGROuY0tbijTt_HxFGkzVsfsN2fM1DpW9psws/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.52.20+PM.png" height="270" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the second cook. The lemon slices that were too thin have lost the flesh.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhklo__MxfqaURSsicj0643Wdy_c7PR1M1YZcPD0OPxPAX1jdD-ZgeZ9lzj4YxOAzqlWhnf5b639BhSGBOvwWs4VgIf2zRFLRHKn6XNqNRl_qgqvsrxUZgMcmS8UUSZ8jiQcR_1UhyWly3y/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.52.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhklo__MxfqaURSsicj0643Wdy_c7PR1M1YZcPD0OPxPAX1jdD-ZgeZ9lzj4YxOAzqlWhnf5b639BhSGBOvwWs4VgIf2zRFLRHKn6XNqNRl_qgqvsrxUZgMcmS8UUSZ8jiQcR_1UhyWly3y/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.52.30+PM.png" height="264" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biscotti and sugar.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdFWY9vCsDRMzZfZ9ypVb-wYZYlmdNriFSlu5fvMPnml4ZyatRQtr09JrNH4kN1RDfljTEmkbP4NABUkBhdccrgx_RYhbViEEzjGLVBeVSYfzDXj1Hlgg6DGPBndXHVZw0WtI9bX-ZmCZ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.52.38+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdFWY9vCsDRMzZfZ9ypVb-wYZYlmdNriFSlu5fvMPnml4ZyatRQtr09JrNH4kN1RDfljTEmkbP4NABUkBhdccrgx_RYhbViEEzjGLVBeVSYfzDXj1Hlgg6DGPBndXHVZw0WtI9bX-ZmCZ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.52.38+PM.png" height="271" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biscotti crust.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXGIoRrvZNYS8BBwvyBbs6oZ5ajmRW6JB6n63N90vT8MFzL7Q8m7WDljUwRAT06jl_pcPbXAqzMR1-r7OXAeNFETIZhU1_IvSR-JAFPfI1-jAToL1rEk0DuuxaWoInr9ge7YuFW5mcIgx3/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.52.48+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXGIoRrvZNYS8BBwvyBbs6oZ5ajmRW6JB6n63N90vT8MFzL7Q8m7WDljUwRAT06jl_pcPbXAqzMR1-r7OXAeNFETIZhU1_IvSR-JAFPfI1-jAToL1rEk0DuuxaWoInr9ge7YuFW5mcIgx3/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.52.48+PM.png" height="284" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I took a pic of the biscotti container so that I would remember how much I used.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28ZkADv-ER1zqdK7T68s51BhlelxU66tzmtszrdS5zm8EDF6Um5XoZJ7ssKatq7VIhxN3t6-rNT2yU_1SxSQsATPJlPL-y9IxkxYsXB2U5Df21spF-hXde1f7-Pb9qDHqiG7qT-vrIR67/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.52.56+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28ZkADv-ER1zqdK7T68s51BhlelxU66tzmtszrdS5zm8EDF6Um5XoZJ7ssKatq7VIhxN3t6-rNT2yU_1SxSQsATPJlPL-y9IxkxYsXB2U5Df21spF-hXde1f7-Pb9qDHqiG7qT-vrIR67/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.52.56+PM.png" height="292" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cream cheese and ricotta.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl92T5E0QWzzwT7rmup2856SGgMCL6h8PQa3HPPgH03Xkb00qPs8gOW9FoDYN9oIBFB-qowhE2ZUFjXcVpU_kSU-ujiwBroTSXYx7kqKFPGtD8Uh6wGKtxVDFZdvCxe_QuBWjbC3KfYZpk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.53.05+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl92T5E0QWzzwT7rmup2856SGgMCL6h8PQa3HPPgH03Xkb00qPs8gOW9FoDYN9oIBFB-qowhE2ZUFjXcVpU_kSU-ujiwBroTSXYx7kqKFPGtD8Uh6wGKtxVDFZdvCxe_QuBWjbC3KfYZpk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.53.05+PM.png" height="269" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creamed cheeses together.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSHzu2cYUhSBRbnf1Y852qQ3dYy4YEm2EwIrKktuz3Tj5gms8hh1YaQzwmuU7atGLsDjg6T4rlb52G5GqyVzbphbJ8rIr6XlTt8Dg1hVyvLUI7mqgr4bQCL3k00ls1t1Mif8b-U7ydgGKD/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.53.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSHzu2cYUhSBRbnf1Y852qQ3dYy4YEm2EwIrKktuz3Tj5gms8hh1YaQzwmuU7atGLsDjg6T4rlb52G5GqyVzbphbJ8rIr6XlTt8Dg1hVyvLUI7mqgr4bQCL3k00ls1t1Mif8b-U7ydgGKD/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.53.14+PM.png" height="248" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding the eggs. Break the egg yolks with a fork before you add them to the cheese.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxnc8XHZypz53iyVzDCBEI0-Bcz1r-4rrv106FGtDP1p1TsvZ5IaC9JQkadTsInAFnwwyACaSWTjSX6VtkMrODh9qcOIm3JsI1OiTG1AdFIcGDyxSexq984GLXTVZ0EpN171gSsg0RTA21/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.53.26+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxnc8XHZypz53iyVzDCBEI0-Bcz1r-4rrv106FGtDP1p1TsvZ5IaC9JQkadTsInAFnwwyACaSWTjSX6VtkMrODh9qcOIm3JsI1OiTG1AdFIcGDyxSexq984GLXTVZ0EpN171gSsg0RTA21/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.53.26+PM.png" height="275" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to bake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3KLcVmiV3KhspxR7yj0xAedkaCMDT5EYJ_YoFGa9YWp9P-PCGVy-92rhx2FqLZSADZpFh6MBNmwutXP_oAxcwLdS3qmmdhLzIUtVSySf-vxNK-CockkSiWnth8mWV1Lsh4veQRneIdlG-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.54.46+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3KLcVmiV3KhspxR7yj0xAedkaCMDT5EYJ_YoFGa9YWp9P-PCGVy-92rhx2FqLZSADZpFh6MBNmwutXP_oAxcwLdS3qmmdhLzIUtVSySf-vxNK-CockkSiWnth8mWV1Lsh4veQRneIdlG-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.54.46+PM.png" height="254" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cake should be solid when you shake it, and there should be a light brown edge around the rim of the pan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLNMvy_GSG8picG3cAUzvr1ysftJ2tLGaFcg7eqp1fKr9ECNl9BQ_hzG6nX5ba1So8Wgy1Vua3m_8hSRiWQFiKXiow7hHB-XzTDuS0PA97kluVKhF0klP6631Tg-rQ6eiU_r7Iie7rGbh/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.55.10+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLNMvy_GSG8picG3cAUzvr1ysftJ2tLGaFcg7eqp1fKr9ECNl9BQ_hzG6nX5ba1So8Wgy1Vua3m_8hSRiWQFiKXiow7hHB-XzTDuS0PA97kluVKhF0klP6631Tg-rQ6eiU_r7Iie7rGbh/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.55.10+PM.png" height="273" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arranging the lemons on top.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXub6ehLMGZCB8nU6egmfQCLfMoeajsP-AGOnsvjdIgJpyhGsPIQXDTemSiBRb0lEhiw6NafMu3d9_z3SEYsX1q9_MMRjQwFkbQQF_oyyowSWicl7mI1NDN2cidpztgrcZG3ErtVydLmBJ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-29+at+4.34.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXub6ehLMGZCB8nU6egmfQCLfMoeajsP-AGOnsvjdIgJpyhGsPIQXDTemSiBRb0lEhiw6NafMu3d9_z3SEYsX1q9_MMRjQwFkbQQF_oyyowSWicl7mI1NDN2cidpztgrcZG3ErtVydLmBJ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-29+at+4.34.09+PM.png" height="289" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished cheesecake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While the cheesecake was baking, I made the doffins. Ironically, I was the only person who didn't like the doffins. I thought that they were a little bit bland, tasted a little too much of nutmeg, and were a bit heavy. "Bland" and "tastes too much of nutmeg" seem contradictory but that's what I got from them: bland nutmeg. But the were easy to make.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Tips: you can make these the night before and store them on a plate covered with saran wrap. They won't go stale. Don't put the butter and sugar on until the day you're going to eat them.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The flour mixture can be put together in a measuring cup instead of using a bowl. Just stir the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg together carefully and you will have one less thing to wash up. You don't need to stir it together that much since you just want the spices to be mixed in with the flour instead of sitting on top. This will help incorporate the spices more evenly into the wet ingredients.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you don't have ground nutmeg, you can substitute by using cinnamon and ginger. You can use any type of milk - I used whole milk.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You can't substitute butter for the vegetable oil because it will change the texture of the doffin.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I used a hand mixer with the wet ingredients but you can easily use a fork and mix by hand instead.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There will be clumps when you add the dry ingredients. Beat the batter heavily for a minute or two and it will smooth out.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The recipe says to "lightly grease" the muffin pan. I had trouble getting the doffins out of the pan so I would suggest greasing more than "lightly". Do not use cupcake liners. You need the sides of the doffins to be baked and to not have the crumb exposed by pulling off cupcake liners.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1 tablespoon of melted butter will be just enough to cover the tops of all 12 doffins. It may seem like you'll run out but you won't.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Sugar Doughnut Muffins (Doffins)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Original recipe from <a href="http://bakingbites.com/2008/09/sugar-donut-muffins/" target="_blank">Baking Bites</a></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<b>Ingredients</b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>3/4 cup granulated sugar</li>
<li>1 large egg</li>
<li>1 1/2 cups all purpose flour</li>
<li>2 teaspoons baking powder</li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon salt</li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg</li>
<li>1/4 cup vegetable oil</li>
<li>3/4 cup milk</li>
<li>1 teaspoon vanilla extract</li>
<li>1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon cinnamon</li>
<li>1/2 cup granulated sugar</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Directions</b></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a muffin tin with cooking spray or vegetable oil. </span></span></div>
<div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-907cecd7-afe2-1470-9822-2abfa055ca06"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In a large bowl, beat together sugar and egg until light in color. Pour in vegetable oil, milk and vanilla extract. Mix to combine.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Pour into egg mixture and stir to combine.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Divide batter evenly into 12 muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">While muffins are baking, melt butter and pour remaining sugar into a small bowl.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When muffins are done, lightly brush the top of each with some melted butter, remove from the pan and roll in sugar and cinnamon. Cool on a wire rack.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Makes 12.</span></span></div>
</span></div>
<div>
<span><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2rGGeCxLS5r2rqYNF6o7mFbFhlBUzj8MlGEEtZW99-4IezahJBo-Tnb-mBI1HaaVT1UWT_gHHihJ8kk6efb1p3MEPC7Regu3GdRMjOnqEPRbmNarqBSxXjkCXjHMw1HQxkurdIv7INjj/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.53.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2rGGeCxLS5r2rqYNF6o7mFbFhlBUzj8MlGEEtZW99-4IezahJBo-Tnb-mBI1HaaVT1UWT_gHHihJ8kk6efb1p3MEPC7Regu3GdRMjOnqEPRbmNarqBSxXjkCXjHMw1HQxkurdIv7INjj/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.53.40+PM.png" height="232" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of the ingredients, plus whatever else was on the counter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAs06StROpxqzxmIjHzUabjKAXzknsdH9eSW4q1ZbY4nMAaRYas8N7mUMM_vorqB6qhbYvcTUTPZnYfQL5f2kHNR6yjoT16UrGWioScVWemLvfRbNVwWgAzy3sMuxV40QA44QgYXOrJGBr/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.53.48+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAs06StROpxqzxmIjHzUabjKAXzknsdH9eSW4q1ZbY4nMAaRYas8N7mUMM_vorqB6qhbYvcTUTPZnYfQL5f2kHNR6yjoT16UrGWioScVWemLvfRbNVwWgAzy3sMuxV40QA44QgYXOrJGBr/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.53.48+PM.png" height="320" width="304" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is why I keep my flour in a plastic bag. Why do they use such strong glue that I can't open the flour bag without ripping a huge hole? Then the flour leaks out through the hole and gets everywhere!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXk8etsalb5pbwjnSEFG2FxH57QRXe-aBhL_h0YobBNfPMch_6eJ1lmY5FZMG5K44RgTeh4aqB2THP85PRSf3cUOjsoH1YKJZ0NEsL9vxg09VRlze0TgF6pGrIMsbR1S3eXTD2nrEPmvXe/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.53.57+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXk8etsalb5pbwjnSEFG2FxH57QRXe-aBhL_h0YobBNfPMch_6eJ1lmY5FZMG5K44RgTeh4aqB2THP85PRSf3cUOjsoH1YKJZ0NEsL9vxg09VRlze0TgF6pGrIMsbR1S3eXTD2nrEPmvXe/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.53.57+PM.png" height="290" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dry ingredients.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb9pxSuay9RNGaG-LO7IwZdCFbBy45vkF8tQolSLtTELvkQJH3gSr7KOsJNE7Z8chlZaHxMkttF2R4Zt2jsbVX8S28pB0G5SvlLz3TA8rrZ2NMV93kZ6QCYnQ6STR4_EHtfhdknva3_P8_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.54.05+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb9pxSuay9RNGaG-LO7IwZdCFbBy45vkF8tQolSLtTELvkQJH3gSr7KOsJNE7Z8chlZaHxMkttF2R4Zt2jsbVX8S28pB0G5SvlLz3TA8rrZ2NMV93kZ6QCYnQ6STR4_EHtfhdknva3_P8_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.54.05+PM.png" height="258" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wet ingredients.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-X9GJOqqPbmQTuEe7bFm0TRW7Sb3USnvQmhxdHhVe-V-UIY97bxOuzlZz4zhfCA8vUGUtxY9G0n3d9ql9V77duQZISeBd8WL8zZagGNPZ63NGG0CS8X4Hr0RkyUjHaTj1PF-i22Q9Tv-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.54.15+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-X9GJOqqPbmQTuEe7bFm0TRW7Sb3USnvQmhxdHhVe-V-UIY97bxOuzlZz4zhfCA8vUGUtxY9G0n3d9ql9V77duQZISeBd8WL8zZagGNPZ63NGG0CS8X4Hr0RkyUjHaTj1PF-i22Q9Tv-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.54.15+PM.png" height="254" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished batter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxz6VMTLbyO5G7qy7Dez6hf8U1enVsanJ03kbud6fBTgljSvcB8mP9mtfARo2CtJMlXsmXfM6bbavYDqpGVyUnkzvOUPhiyknE2oXPHpXN6EWtEjBbxRsU5njRCFl0A_-1nS2UXSYzuXi/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.54.26+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxz6VMTLbyO5G7qy7Dez6hf8U1enVsanJ03kbud6fBTgljSvcB8mP9mtfARo2CtJMlXsmXfM6bbavYDqpGVyUnkzvOUPhiyknE2oXPHpXN6EWtEjBbxRsU5njRCFl0A_-1nS2UXSYzuXi/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.54.26+PM.png" height="232" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Use a large serving spoon to divide the batter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKz3o2NS67OvrFq-MLKDpskVV8sM6BDAFRF8Y-yi5yBrwC4geTMS36PGUWu0Us09xcUGgeh15XoUYXH67CeGq_smIWq5OR4In4OlyRNiptlpyMr_I3XdeVEb3K08fpSlOzMXDjPiSCHhxw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.54.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKz3o2NS67OvrFq-MLKDpskVV8sM6BDAFRF8Y-yi5yBrwC4geTMS36PGUWu0Us09xcUGgeh15XoUYXH67CeGq_smIWq5OR4In4OlyRNiptlpyMr_I3XdeVEb3K08fpSlOzMXDjPiSCHhxw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.54.35+PM.png" height="234" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My best attempt at dividing the batter evenly. Not bad.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRAMmXGKWzSykIpax3NXmYA0q-8VrhcZOm2hOLZxdH7Z9t52UinY3W1dD1EByb_DUBa1J74BiB3YyWnWL_vPe75G0TR0vA0cgFMxHQ5NbvAGNQKkZgZkhsU3Fm-ZltpyWItX35UsdN9L7D/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.55.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRAMmXGKWzSykIpax3NXmYA0q-8VrhcZOm2hOLZxdH7Z9t52UinY3W1dD1EByb_DUBa1J74BiB3YyWnWL_vPe75G0TR0vA0cgFMxHQ5NbvAGNQKkZgZkhsU3Fm-ZltpyWItX35UsdN9L7D/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.55.02+PM.png" height="246" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These will rise several inches when baked.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQewDhTe5Vy2zk8RbeKWY0v1GwNyk1yXTutBwXsm9SX8lw87DxihgntxcvEruznimJbVgU9ffSQ22oQrhoScze4sZjzAf4zjUH-jpoHn2WVf5brFs61ak5DPaKkdY7ojo0-ivm0IoyAmz/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.55.21+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQewDhTe5Vy2zk8RbeKWY0v1GwNyk1yXTutBwXsm9SX8lw87DxihgntxcvEruznimJbVgU9ffSQ22oQrhoScze4sZjzAf4zjUH-jpoHn2WVf5brFs61ak5DPaKkdY7ojo0-ivm0IoyAmz/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.55.21+PM.png" height="176" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melted butter and sugar-cinnamon mixture.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5cS9V_788sR1MSZyvm-eA7IDxN6Zmmz9yaYcPwMnO_iWstTqMvQzHMgc_WFnAM5A-bVzxIeMhfCkraDQ7D8_6bI5z4sXvI7uBWpjaffIvxuZLi71tng56-a5rhV8lur8sp6lL7uZthNG/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.55.38+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5cS9V_788sR1MSZyvm-eA7IDxN6Zmmz9yaYcPwMnO_iWstTqMvQzHMgc_WFnAM5A-bVzxIeMhfCkraDQ7D8_6bI5z4sXvI7uBWpjaffIvxuZLi71tng56-a5rhV8lur8sp6lL7uZthNG/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-28+at+8.55.38+PM.png" height="254" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished doffins.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span><br /></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-83905517224644303932014-03-28T01:37:00.000-04:002014-03-28T01:37:16.886-04:00Organization! Bitter Orange and Blueberry (Blackberry) TartSecond post in a month! Even though I wrote the last one in February but didn't hit the "publish" button until March, it still counts! I am an organized and responsible adult! Right? *crickets*<br />
<br />
First off, the internet needs a sarcasm font. Second, I really am trying to be organized and get new recipes written up in a timely fashion. As strange as it sounds, being sick all of last week has been helpful for this because I've been compiling a very long list of all of the things that haven't gotten done while I've been lying in bed, awake and not hungry and on drugs. <br />
<br />
My doctor gave me ephedrine (edit: actually pseudoephedrine) to help with the sinus infection. Holy crap is that stuff a strong upper! <i> </i>I was up all day Tuesday and part of Wednesday, about 30 hours total. I was so completely exhausted but I <i>could not</i> fall asleep. I lay in bed and watched the sun rise on Wednesday morning and couldn't figure out what was going on. I also didn't eat for a couple of days because I just wasn't hungry even though I could feel literal hunger pains in my stomach. And I was still pretty congested. So I ended up with a very detailed list of everything that I needed to do as soon as I was better.<br />
<br />
Blogging isn't very high on my priority list but to me it is symbolic of organization, probably because it isn't necessary for my life to keep functioning and therefore if I have time to blog then it means that I have finished all of the truly important items on my life to-do list. At least, this seems to be what my subconscious thinks. In reality, there are an infinite number of important items on my life to-do list that are breeding with each other and spawning more important items when I'm not looking. But at least I'm blogging. Priorities!<br />
<br />
I've made this recipe twice, once to try it out and which I completely forgot to take pictures of, and the second time because lots of people liked the first attempt and to take some photos. The original recipe is from Nigella but isn't on her website. <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/bitter-orange-blueberry-tart-192006?mode=us&scaleto=1.0&st=null" target="_blank">Food.com has it, complete with automatic US/metric conversion</a>. Unfortunately the automatic converter is literal so it doesn't convert mass to weight (maybe I should do a post on the different measurement systems...). This means that the recipes ends up with ingredients like "0.39 pounds plain flour". The recipe below is from the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Domestic-Goddess-Comfort/dp/0786867973/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395640626&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+be+a+domestic+goddess" target="_blank">American version of How To Be A Domestic Goddess</a> and has more useful measurements.<br />
<br />
Although the recipe title says "blueberry" and the recipe calls for blueberries, I used blackberries. This doesn't have anything to do with what's in season. The first time I made this tart, I saw the recipe and thought, "orange and blueberry sounds like a great combination!", wrote down blackberries on my shopping list, bought blackberries, made the tart, made the blackberry topping, and was putting it on the tart before I realized that I was using the wrong fruit. I liked the result enough to make it a second time.<br />
<br />
This tart is not as sweet as most fruit tarts, so it's perfect to make if you or a friend don't like desserts that are too sweet. If you want more sweetness, whipped cream or ice cream is a nice topping with the blackberries.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Like other tart recipes, this one uses blind baking (also called pre-baking) to partially cook the tart shell before the filling is added and baked. Nigella's recipe has a set of suggestions about putting the orange/cream mixture in a pitcher and pouring it into the blind-baked shell. It wasn't until after I'd gotten the second tart in the oven that I figured out what she was talking about: pull the tart shell out of the oven at the end of the second baking period by sliding the oven rack out, pour the cream mixture into the tart shell, and then just slide the rack back into the oven. This way you don't need to lift and carry the tart pan from somewhere else into the oven while the tart shell is filled with liquid. I carried the filled tart shell very carefully from the stove to the oven rack, making sure not to let any of the cream mixture spill over the sides of the tart shell. It was very difficult and I bet that Nigella's instructions are easier to follow than carrying around a hot tart pan full of liquid.<br />
<br />
Blind baking can be intimidating but gets easier after you do it the first time. Most tart recipes involve blind baking because the crust needs to bake for a longer time than the filling, and also because the filling is wet. If you've got some kind of pie weights (I use dried pinto beans) and parchment paper or aluminum foil (not wax paper!), you're good to go. The other trick to blind baking when the shell recipe uses butter as a base is to put the shell in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes right before you blind bake it. This will help keep the sides of the shell upright in the oven when it begins to bake and the butter starts melting. The side of my tart shells always used to slide down partway because the dough wasn't cold enough when I put it in the oven.<br />
<br />
The other thing to keep in mind when making tarts is that the only part of the crust that's going to be visible is the top and outside edge. When you roll out the dough and line the pan, any patches on the bottom or inside won't be seen because they'll be covered by the filling. This means that you can rearrange any of the leftover bits of dough to fill in any holes and nobody will be able to tell. They'll think you're the Tart Shell Whisperer.<br />
<br />
Tips: the shell is baked twice as part of the blind baking procedure. In the first baking, pie weights are used to hold the sides of the tart up as its baked. Then the pie weights are removed. The bottom of the tart shell will still be damp and sticky because of the parchment paper that sat on it during the first bake. The empty tart shell is put back in the oven. The sides are mostly baked and will stay up while the bottom of the shell is dried out. Once the bottom is baked, the filling is poured in and the tart is baked for a third time. This sounds complicated but the non-baking parts take about 5 minutes total.<br />
<br />
When you remove the parchment paper and pie weights between the first and second bakes, they will be hot from the oven. You will need to have something to put them on to cool off. I put a second cookie sheet next to the cookie sheet holding the tart pan when I took it out of the oven, and just picked up the piece of parchment paper from the tart shell and put it down on the second cookie sheet. It took about 30 minutes for the pinto beans to cool down enough to go back in their bag.<br />
<br />
It will seem like there isn't enough dough to fill the entire tart pan but it will roll out to be enough. The first time I made the shell, it covered the pan and I didn't have to patch anything. The second time there was enough dough but I rolled it out in an oval instead of a circle and had to patch two larger spots.<br />
<br />
Nigella mentions that you can make the dough and filling a day or two before and let them sit in the fridge. This is a good suggestion because the total time needed for putting the dough in the fridge and the three baking steps is about 2 1/2 hours. If you make the dough and filling the night before, then you only need to roll out the dough, put it in the fridge or freezer, do the blind baking, and bake the filling. Although this sounds like a lot, it's really just doing the roll and then putting the pan either in the fridge or the oven. I made the filling and dough the night before I baked the tart.<br />
<br />
Nigella also says to strain all of the zest out of the filling before you bake but I added about half of the zest back in. This increases the citrus flavor.<br />
<br />
The filling will puff up as it bakes so when you take the tart out of the oven, it will look like you've overfilled the shell. As the tart cools, the filling deflates and you will have enough space on the top for the fruit.<br />
<br />
Arrowroot is a starch that is commonly used as a thickener. You can get it in health food stores and on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bobs-Red-Mill-Arrowroot-20-Ounce/dp/B000EDM6KU" target="_blank">amazon</a>. I don't keep arrowroot in my pantry as a staple item and I was too disorganized to buy some, so I substituted cornstarch instead. Cornstarch is a one-to-one substitution for arrowroot (you use the same amount) but it <a href="http://www.foodsubs.com/ThickenStarch.html" target="_blank">doesn't act in quite the same way</a>. Fortunately, the only difference that shows up here is that cornstarch turns the base of the fruit topping white instead of clear.<br />
<br />
I made twice as much topping as the recipe calls for because I used twice as much fruit as I was supposed to. Again, this is because I was really out of it when I was grocery shopping and I accidentally bought twice as many blackberries as the amount of blueberries the recipe calls for. I liked how the blackberries completely covered the top of the tart and used the same amount the second time. I also used lemon juice in the glaze instead of orange juice because I didn't have any orange juice left over and I like the taste combination of blackberries and lemon.<br />
<br />
The recipe calls for one eating orange and one lime. I needed two large oranges to get enough orange juice but one lime worked fine. Make sure to zest the oranges and lime before you cut them in half and juice them.<br />
<br />
The recipe also uses nine eggs. You will need to decide if you want to use nine eggs on one tart. It's a good idea to beat the 6 eggs together in a bowl first before you add them to the cream mixture for the filling since it's hard to mix unbeaten eggs into other liquids.<br />
<br />
The orange and lime juice will not curdle the heavy cream when you mix it in.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Trivia:</b> the word "orange" is not a rebracketing in English. This is <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:English_nouns_which_have_interacted_with_their_indefinite_article" target="_blank">the phenomenon where a noun changes pronunciation by getting smushed together with its definite article</a>. Famous examples include "a napron" which became "an apron" and "an eke-name" which became "a nickname". The original word for orange came from the Indian subcontinent and was "naranj" in Arabic, Persian, and Sanskrit. At some point when it went through to Old Italian and Old French, the first "n" was dropped and it became "orange". The rebracketing story is that the English word originally was "norange" and "a norange" became "an orange", which is not true.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Bitter Orange and Blueberry (or Blackberry) Tart</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Original recipe from <i><a href="http://www.nigella.com/books/view/how-to-be-a-domestic-goddess-12" target="_blank">How To Be A Domestic Goddess</a></i> by Nigella Lawson</span><br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<i>for the filling</i><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice (from ~2 oranges) and zest of 1-2 oranges</li>
<li>zest of 1 lime</li>
<li>3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar</li>
<li>1 1/3 cups heavy cream</li>
<li>6 large eggs</li>
</ul>
<div>
<i>for the pastry</i></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened</li>
<li>1/4 cup granulated sugar</li>
<li>3 large egg yolks</li>
<li>1 cup plus 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour</li>
</ul>
<div>
<i>for the glaze (fruit and ingredients doubled from original recipe)</i></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>2 tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch</li>
<li>4 tablespoons sugar</li>
<li>4 scant teaspoons orange or lemon juice</li>
<li>1 cup water</li>
<li>18 ounces blueberries or blackberries</li>
</ul>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>Directions</b></div>
</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<br />
Start with the filling, a couple of days in advance if this suits. In a large bowl or, better still, a wide-mouthed measuring cup, mix the juice with the sugar, add the zest, heavy cream, and eggs, and stir to combine. Cover and chill for 2-3 days in the refrigerator or leave for a few hours at room temperature.<br />
<br />
You can make the pastry at the same time as you mix up the juices and cream or a day or two later. Cream the butter and the sugar together, then add the yolks one at a time. Stir in the flour to form a soft dough, then form into a fat disc, wrap in plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for half an hour (or overnight). Preheat the oven to 350F and put in a baking sheet. Roll out the pastry between plastic wrap to fit the tar pan and line, pushing gently down so that it lies flat at the bottom, leaving a little overhang. Put back in the refrigerator for a further 20 minutes to rest again.<br />
<br />
Roll a rolling pin over the top of the pastry shell to cut off excess pastry neatly. Line the pan with foil or crumpled baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Put the pan in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove beans and foil or parchment and give it another 5-10 minutes, until the bottom has dried out. Transfer to a wire rack to cool a little and turn the oven down to 325F.<br />
<br />
Strain the liquid mixture into the pastry shell to remove the zest, put back on the sheet in the oven and cook for 45 minutes. (You may find this easier - if more long-winded - if you strain the mixture into a pitcher and pour from this into the pastry shell already on the sheet in the oven with the rack pulled out.)<br />
<br />
When the tar's cooke - and it should be firm on top but with a hint of a wobble underneath - remove to a wire rack and let cool. Unmold and transfer to the serving plate.<br />
<br />
To make the glazed blueberry topping, combine the arrowroot and sugar in a small saucepan, then stir in the juice and water. Put the pan on the heat and bring to the boil, stirring all the time: it should turn clear pretty soon. Take it off the heat and add the blueberries, then spoon the now-glossy berries over the waiting tart. Leave to set for about 10 minutes.<br />
<br />
Serves 8.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu1k801rBypyQIe5oWe1MTO2eniyGD-NFW60xtuYCUK-RPnTOI8MnIOgddFCKNoU6KC0tjywOpx2FHYe2lSp6_RMwiFsKtfkC4jGRHDmdoI4RbywQcT6-prr05R6p6OMrAltl6bMegDtw_/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.29.02+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu1k801rBypyQIe5oWe1MTO2eniyGD-NFW60xtuYCUK-RPnTOI8MnIOgddFCKNoU6KC0tjywOpx2FHYe2lSp6_RMwiFsKtfkC4jGRHDmdoI4RbywQcT6-prr05R6p6OMrAltl6bMegDtw_/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.29.02+AM.png" height="238" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dough is very soft.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHtQY9sRD8DsaeTAKS_7Sv8nmDxlJKnik4qRVuLzwWTZsy21mV43Pg6pyt3gh1UHfrZ5fHPKpn_bPPzRdGRGm2HWCq6aIQCg-Tl39h0bsEEs9M_VIA8vwF44EacWwxjsgr6UEwWIOEE-I/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.29.12+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHtQY9sRD8DsaeTAKS_7Sv8nmDxlJKnik4qRVuLzwWTZsy21mV43Pg6pyt3gh1UHfrZ5fHPKpn_bPPzRdGRGm2HWCq6aIQCg-Tl39h0bsEEs9M_VIA8vwF44EacWwxjsgr6UEwWIOEE-I/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.29.12+AM.png" height="237" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After being refrigerated overnight.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPzqFRK5u-NG9w5LCud7chGXJPKCsY_3pei1rJjPaWuXa_Md1gKDQM3vNA4kVjIsXGaUYKn3p0l45YiJVROQRgyfuOZ7RqS5tee9-o0eF0JYIT2Y5_REf9W5sYZiii2xj0sZwWa8R1O7Rn/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.29.25+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPzqFRK5u-NG9w5LCud7chGXJPKCsY_3pei1rJjPaWuXa_Md1gKDQM3vNA4kVjIsXGaUYKn3p0l45YiJVROQRgyfuOZ7RqS5tee9-o0eF0JYIT2Y5_REf9W5sYZiii2xj0sZwWa8R1O7Rn/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.29.25+AM.png" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I need a larger cutting board for rolling. I also didn't use the "roll out between two pieces of saran wrap" suggestion.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoTnSFwHtp-VqMPi9shV-Mw4_rfF2eYHcyNjUHq4702D4JnEkgFGM_w7D5PyqFR6vHcGpyg3l37ybFHgeD4vRITD5IPLCqeOjdkP5CNzahkO_di0cz7vB5HNcX41ZL2yT3-kInpquL-o6o/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.29.37+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoTnSFwHtp-VqMPi9shV-Mw4_rfF2eYHcyNjUHq4702D4JnEkgFGM_w7D5PyqFR6vHcGpyg3l37ybFHgeD4vRITD5IPLCqeOjdkP5CNzahkO_di0cz7vB5HNcX41ZL2yT3-kInpquL-o6o/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.29.37+AM.png" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The patched shell, ready for baking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdn8VmGh5FOUnSZXm2hM28lVrF8WdKQnJX1kCNC1lSGRip0e0fEr8ZsqqKkdFFQZbw3wmJD4bcFSpcx0hjRRtUVXy5oMwGI7zS_lX0EMApiF-Wpq7w_7LBtvTYiLWSF_y4h002P5PoLN3o/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.29.57+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdn8VmGh5FOUnSZXm2hM28lVrF8WdKQnJX1kCNC1lSGRip0e0fEr8ZsqqKkdFFQZbw3wmJD4bcFSpcx0hjRRtUVXy5oMwGI7zS_lX0EMApiF-Wpq7w_7LBtvTYiLWSF_y4h002P5PoLN3o/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.29.57+AM.png" height="230" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to transfer the hot baking beans to the second cookie sheet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdP4YCLYWyFos6Pmge6miRWtex8XvWDDzVTV-FQQ-iHl_S0V4Iah6FVn89uNIqR3XOIoL5Q9H72UtbqiXqKKqv0dqUXRAzj22d7yOec_0WaynWPe6p91jkQx2w3jlUYDk4VoDYlQ19SVEp/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.30.09+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdP4YCLYWyFos6Pmge6miRWtex8XvWDDzVTV-FQQ-iHl_S0V4Iah6FVn89uNIqR3XOIoL5Q9H72UtbqiXqKKqv0dqUXRAzj22d7yOec_0WaynWPe6p91jkQx2w3jlUYDk4VoDYlQ19SVEp/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.30.09+AM.png" height="234" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Move the beans by picking up all four corners of the parchment paper and lifting it all over to the empty cookie sheet. Note that the bottom of the tart shell is still soft and sticky.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygDncsQnccpi-AW1hBX5KeN-7hzKIvpsIQWilvnJMZGe2dESEnEq4gSabPTE6nHyX9EVY7Y8C2JCAB_YGHBO22xR6H1J1vAdSOySlt4TceUDipqqA3QMLEtarxEjmYqGmZHSMiPPWcIOZ/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.30.36+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygDncsQnccpi-AW1hBX5KeN-7hzKIvpsIQWilvnJMZGe2dESEnEq4gSabPTE6nHyX9EVY7Y8C2JCAB_YGHBO22xR6H1J1vAdSOySlt4TceUDipqqA3QMLEtarxEjmYqGmZHSMiPPWcIOZ/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.30.36+AM.png" height="238" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the second blind baking. The bottom of the tart shell is baked.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXVotiygaKLnMPapv7o4oLMfK2rAILzErvIjUCKtu4Pfzb0eKO1P1Fuv-7sbBG3tC8aHJy6VO7pqksyC6jRlECtkPqIskKQBOdBzLw6TJkuh3MEmVYnmHFvs_pXFdPDeVSTxpiPAUmh4Q/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.30.23+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXVotiygaKLnMPapv7o4oLMfK2rAILzErvIjUCKtu4Pfzb0eKO1P1Fuv-7sbBG3tC8aHJy6VO7pqksyC6jRlECtkPqIskKQBOdBzLw6TJkuh3MEmVYnmHFvs_pXFdPDeVSTxpiPAUmh4Q/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.30.23+AM.png" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Straining out the zest. I do not own a pitcher.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwdGjtJPcrDUTR10HjN8EeWIMXRzYayJHLrAj5BFdv4LDvIsuHTsAbypjuzwk67bkcu84A5rvXknxLL_Ov8y0YWQjF3jhXXI6B8Vk8eRZFFLjcvAza7fAR3Sx-GnB5Ux0cb2rh2Q8j8fLG/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.30.50+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwdGjtJPcrDUTR10HjN8EeWIMXRzYayJHLrAj5BFdv4LDvIsuHTsAbypjuzwk67bkcu84A5rvXknxLL_Ov8y0YWQjF3jhXXI6B8Vk8eRZFFLjcvAza7fAR3Sx-GnB5Ux0cb2rh2Q8j8fLG/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.30.50+AM.png" height="238" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before baking. This was difficult to pick up and put in the oven without spilling the filling over the edge of the tart shell.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhozBiIgSKs-S7c-kKhhT-MJjMwN7J9P4r9otTThsCjt40W_O4381nM8SfNp1IFYvqOMgvpsrB8ei2fn9tgc4s-HOPe4pY5f9_3zHkd5kx6ZHqD9fJc_eVkJd7KNXu7PQ8-tg9eZa6ut5sJ/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.31.14+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhozBiIgSKs-S7c-kKhhT-MJjMwN7J9P4r9otTThsCjt40W_O4381nM8SfNp1IFYvqOMgvpsrB8ei2fn9tgc4s-HOPe4pY5f9_3zHkd5kx6ZHqD9fJc_eVkJd7KNXu7PQ8-tg9eZa6ut5sJ/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.31.14+AM.png" height="238" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot out of the oven: the filling has swelled up with hot air.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrVf0pH37S3b3CIC8tWfvxmww0YexgF9kfwyYf8uO93Ue_wSSTwEZuqQOz_FxXfkOiF_hrO8cRB1BonNyBRUS7wzZ0JvbBholm7v4F_gGXBgKMVSkQDtd2X2Uo8z4CMu1aeLXRy8yPvaw/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.31.56+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrVf0pH37S3b3CIC8tWfvxmww0YexgF9kfwyYf8uO93Ue_wSSTwEZuqQOz_FxXfkOiF_hrO8cRB1BonNyBRUS7wzZ0JvbBholm7v4F_gGXBgKMVSkQDtd2X2Uo8z4CMu1aeLXRy8yPvaw/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.31.56+AM.png" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooled down and deflated, about 30 minutes later.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUYlbjJUN-BikrwYhEhemsN9nWQDP225tp8xmnLV5YE2zOweZHh1WQ-xqzPk5XOsmCCWxPlCqtlWD14Adtxtj0aT2OHjXzxDHlhRSGaDJJB9DOxK8jZsNayrTYfwCLvnnfOlQg4YGf2DH/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.31.45+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUYlbjJUN-BikrwYhEhemsN9nWQDP225tp8xmnLV5YE2zOweZHh1WQ-xqzPk5XOsmCCWxPlCqtlWD14Adtxtj0aT2OHjXzxDHlhRSGaDJJB9DOxK8jZsNayrTYfwCLvnnfOlQg4YGf2DH/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.31.45+AM.png" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The glaze mixture before cooking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9e2TkZ0GdbAs6kslUxG3E5bYdsl35f55L5jcGEpgmb45FolkHs6yB77M0IpXUtqZpsxcLnhKwdILM1bH7Vk2IsF1ePXOsNUN8tsRQmrVK0r5ecL-B6uDuiqoubRDP3I7dHuoER_fbwmN/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.32.07+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9e2TkZ0GdbAs6kslUxG3E5bYdsl35f55L5jcGEpgmb45FolkHs6yB77M0IpXUtqZpsxcLnhKwdILM1bH7Vk2IsF1ePXOsNUN8tsRQmrVK0r5ecL-B6uDuiqoubRDP3I7dHuoER_fbwmN/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.32.07+AM.png" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The glaze after cooking; it has a texture similar to jelly.<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjucvxMnpSZ1BE_S5ooO6IsG3Vjj6_UYWBHaiPgMQ2BMAmiSVsO7K18JYW46BMnHQPW19JSygVPzM_2Of2Z3tT_gtAGrejauXV4yZjQMUOu6LM9BtKVH6Ahewy6jbhnfCMTlp4WpGT-do1R/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.32.38+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjucvxMnpSZ1BE_S5ooO6IsG3Vjj6_UYWBHaiPgMQ2BMAmiSVsO7K18JYW46BMnHQPW19JSygVPzM_2Of2Z3tT_gtAGrejauXV4yZjQMUOu6LM9BtKVH6Ahewy6jbhnfCMTlp4WpGT-do1R/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.32.38+AM.png" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mixing the blackberries into the glaze.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8vBQlSAjw2QKDuBID5_NKq5Rd-AMBLB07HxXwGCJgHpfaUE8sOPodHA_asp-8lwVpmyRb3bqUHLP0RqRFIPs_Mworq0dfeiLowFMfDctyRXXtSFEpaNzlTgBPvhL3UlNRfWavkA7KU__/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.32.49+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8vBQlSAjw2QKDuBID5_NKq5Rd-AMBLB07HxXwGCJgHpfaUE8sOPodHA_asp-8lwVpmyRb3bqUHLP0RqRFIPs_Mworq0dfeiLowFMfDctyRXXtSFEpaNzlTgBPvhL3UlNRfWavkA7KU__/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.32.49+AM.png" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tart with the fruit topping.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpbNKF7sKmbCB0QEVJVFPB4JfVRpOPl3jVuPHu-K4Kr3xyf_xsaJDb7xkyo0R2JE0a2-aQAHNhbRXE53VoHivfJehr5hOLjY0VtMgaSZxyhuEi-t_ZJR7uUXZeNIEH89eD3oAy33gF9wG/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.33.08+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpbNKF7sKmbCB0QEVJVFPB4JfVRpOPl3jVuPHu-K4Kr3xyf_xsaJDb7xkyo0R2JE0a2-aQAHNhbRXE53VoHivfJehr5hOLjY0VtMgaSZxyhuEi-t_ZJR7uUXZeNIEH89eD3oAy33gF9wG/s3200/Screen+Shot+2014-03-22+at+8.33.08+AM.png" height="247" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I also made some cookies in case the tart was no good.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-77076962619687976842014-03-11T02:43:00.000-04:002014-03-11T02:43:00.307-04:00Second Time's the Charm<div>
<br /></div>
Edit #2: oh my god it's <i>March</i>. At this point, there just isn't any excuse for how long this has taken to write up. The good news is that I have made several other recipes since the Super Bowl potluck. Hopefully each of those won't take a whole month to get finished.<br />
<br />
Edit #1: This used to be a wonderfully amusing write-up of what I made for K and B's Super Bowl potluck. I saved it multiple times, got the pictures exactly the way I wanted them, and even bothered to spellcheck the post. And then, for some unknown reason, everything except the first couple of paragraphs disappeared. <br />
<br />
So the entire post is gone, never to return. Instead, I will leave you with the best part of it:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8GBLPRc_6HBPUBKXEOttSNQN3c5vO4LfMWtvuQ7EFtDwPOIHtLsFqrsVamxeN_tXD7RVUwRLHoSrP6bgwx2OwZn4QvCv_mQUVy0Px9aCJgYBVrHPVPXRkhHfxcYBHgg2ZUNTbVmsH-ep/s1600/836864567.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8GBLPRc_6HBPUBKXEOttSNQN3c5vO4LfMWtvuQ7EFtDwPOIHtLsFqrsVamxeN_tXD7RVUwRLHoSrP6bgwx2OwZn4QvCv_mQUVy0Px9aCJgYBVrHPVPXRkhHfxcYBHgg2ZUNTbVmsH-ep/s1600/836864567.gif" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
That is the team with possession of the ball for the first play of the game loosing control of said ball and then everybody running crazily after it. It set the tone for the rest of the game.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
K and B had a potluck at their new place to watch the Super Bowl. B was interested in watching because he's from Alaska and the Seattle Seahawks are the closest football team to Alaska, so he grew up rooting for them. The rest of us were just there to have a potluck and hang out. Luckily, the Denver Broncos played so badly that we all sat around and laughed at them for 2 hours. It's nice to have something to bond over.<br />
<br />
The "second time" in the title is actually a reference to the fact that I used the potluck as an excuse to fix a couple of recipes that hadn't turned out well the first time but which had promise (and to try something new, of course). In January, I had tried making a <a href="http://rasamalaysia.com/nutella-cheesecake-recipe/2/" target="_blank">nutella cheesecake</a> and <a href="http://www.poiresauchocolat.net/2010/04/gooey-chocolate-meringue-stack.html" target="_blank">Nigella's gooey chocolate stack</a>. The cheesecake never solidifi<span id="goog_99599213"></span><span id="goog_99599214"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a>ed but tasted great and the chocolate stack melted but tasted great. My course was clear: get the great tasting desserts to have the right consistency. I also made a batch of cookies just in case things didn't work out.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The <a href="http://rasamalaysia.com/nutella-cheesecake-recipe/2/" target="_blank">original attempt at a nutella cheesecake</a> was for New Year's Eve. The traditional method for baking a cheesecake involves a water bath (see instructions <a href="http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/perfect_cheesecake/" target="_blank">here</a>) but there are also a lot of "no bake" cheesecake recipes where you use cream cheese as the filling and put the cake in the refrigerator to firm up. Since that type of recipe didn't work, I decided to take a more traditional cheesecake recipe with baking and just add nutella to the filling.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.jocooks.com/bakery/cakes/cheesecake/" target="_blank">Jo's cheesecake recipe</a> involves baking but not a water bath and has excellent reviews. I add half a jar of nutella to the filling and poured half of that into a bowl, and then added the rest of the jar of nutella to the other half of the filling. I put the darker filling (more nutella) into the pan first and then put the lighter filling on top of that. The filling is liquid so I was careful when I poured it to make sure that the two layers didn't mix very much.<br />
<br />
The cheesecake took about 45 minutes longer to bake than the original recipe called for because of the added nutella. After baking it for the time given in the recipe, I checked how much it had baked every 15 to 20 minutes by jiggling the pan. The center should not be liquid at all, and should be fairly solid. I needed to balance baking the center with not over-baking the edges. Since this cheesecake is baked at 250 degrees, you can leave it in for a longer period of time without burning the edges.<br />
<br />
When I was googling nutella cheesecake recipes, I found an interesting recipe for a <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/devil-s-food-cake-with-hazelnut-crunch" target="_blank">devil's food cake with a hazelnut-chocolate crunch topping</a>. I figured that if the cheesecake didn't turn out so well I could disguise it with the hazelnut crunch topping. This was actually pretty fun to make, since it goes in the freezer to solidify and then you break it up into little pieces by hand.<br />
<br />
<br />
Tips: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_cracker" target="_blank">Graham crackers</a> are difficult to find outside of the US. The closest alternative is digestive biscuits. <a href="http://www.cheftalk.com/t/40136/alternative-to-graham-crackers-for-cheesecake" target="_blank">This is a nice discussion of alternatives</a> for making a cheesecake crust if you don't have access to graham crackers. You can also make your own (<a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/05/graham-crackers/" target="_blank">smitten kitchen</a>, <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/graham-crackers-recipe" target="_blank">King Arthur flour</a>, <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/343771/homemade-graham-crackers" target="_blank">Martha Stewart</a>, <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/graham-crackers-recipe.html" target="_blank">Alton Brown</a>) but these are usually quite a bit better than the store-bought ones and are too good to be used just for a crust. And yes, <a href="http://www.snopes.com/food/origins/grahamcrackers.asp" target="_blank">Graham crackers really were invented as an aid to stop masturbation</a>. God only know what the Reverend Graham would have thought of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S'more" target="_blank">s'mores</a>.<br />
<br />
You do need to use a springform pan or you will have a very difficult time getting the cheesecake out of a regular cake pan. I decided to try putting a piece of parchment paper at the bottom of the springform pan before putting in the crust so that I could just lift the cheesecake out of the bottom of the pan and peel the paper off. It didn't work very well and I don't recommend trying it.<br />
<br />
It may seem like the crust recipe doesn't have enough butter but there is enough. When you pat the crust into the pan, you can leave the crust a little bit raised on the outside edges to hold the filling in or you can flatten the crust out completely. I used a tiny butter knife to push down the edges and make it completely flat.<br />
<br />
You can buy roasted hazelnuts, either at Trader Joe's or in the baking section of the supermarket. It makes life a lot easier if you don't have to roast the hazelnuts yourself. If you can't find hazelnuts, the hazelnut crunch recipe will still work. It will just be slightly less hazelnutty and less crunchy.<br />
<br />
I melted the chocolate and butter in a double-boiler I made by putting a large bowl in a pan with a small amount of water, where the bowl was larger than the pan so that the bottom of the bowl didn't touch the water. I used a roux whisk (aka a flat whisk) to make sure that there were no lumps. You can also just melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave. Be sure to microwave in small time increments (like 15 seconds or so) or you will burn the chocolate.<br />
<br />
I spread the crunch out on a cookie sheet covered with a piece of parchment paper to get it flat, and then I just put the parchment paper directly in the freezer. This meant that I didn't have to waste a cookie sheet by leaving it in the freezer for several hours.<br />
<br />
There were some larger chunks of hazelnut crunch that didn't break up very easily when I first pulled it out of the freeze, so I let it sit for about 10 minutes and the chocolate loosened up enough to break everything up. The hazelnut crunch stayed cohesive at room temperature and didn't melt, but it did start to melt a bit when I was breaking it up by hand. It turned out fine.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Nutella Cheesecake with Hazelnut Crunch Topping</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Original cheesecake recipe from <a href="http://www.jocooks.com/bakery/cakes/cheesecake/" target="_blank">Jo Cooks</a>; Devil's food cake with hazelnut crunch from <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/devil-s-food-cake-with-hazelnut-crunch" target="_blank">Bon Appetit</a></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Nutella Cheesecake</i><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ingredients</span></b><br />
<br />
For the crust:<br />
<ul>
<li>3 cups (10 oz) of graham crackers</li>
<li>1/4 cup granulated sugar</li>
<li>1/2 cup melted butter</li>
</ul>
<br />
For the filling:<br />
<ul>
<li>800 gr of cream cheese (25.6 ounces)</li>
<li>4 eggs</li>
<li>3/4 cup of sugar</li>
<li>3 tbsp flour</li>
<li>1/4 cup of milk</li>
<li>1 jar nutella (optional)</li>
<li>1 tsp vanilla</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Directions</span></b><br />
<br />
In a food processor, add the crackers, melted butter and sugar and pulse until well mixed. Take the mixture and spread over the bottom of the cake pan, pressing down to cover the entire bottom of pan and a little bit up the side. Place pan in the fridge while you're making the filling.<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.<br />
<br />
For the filling, add the cheese, sugar and flour and mix in a mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes until the cheese is smooth. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl, then add the remainder of the ingredients and mix again on medium for another minute or so. If you're adding nutella, mix it in now. The filling should be very smooth.<br />
<br />
Place the filling in the pan and bake in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes turn the oven down to 250 degrees and bake for another hour and a half (with an extra 30 to 45 minutes if you've added nutella). Take out of the oven and let cool out for about an hour, then place in the refrigerator for a couple hours to completely cool.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Hazelnut Crunch</i><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ingredients</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/4 cup hazelnuts</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 70%)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2 tablespoons unsalted butter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cup nutella</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3 cups toasted rice cereal (aka Rice Krispies)</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Directions</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Preheat oven to 350. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread out nuts on sheet. Toast until fragrant, about 6-7 minutes. Coarsely chop nuts; set aside. Line same baking sheet with a fresh sheet of parchment paper; let cool.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Combine chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a large saucepan of simmering water. Heat mixture, stirring often, until melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over saucepan. Stir in hazelnuts and nutella. Fold in toasted rice cereal. Spread mixture out on prepared sheet; don't worry about spreading it evenly. Freeze until set, about 30 minutes. Using your hands, break crunch into small pieces.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Hazelnut crunch can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_Wwdr8ycU6-8hdqZ2ohBCHY1RwAKhhzLJdmHluqrc2wLe7Aj2u5V_soIoIo09L-25EyS5bfZE9luVHNmrNxXJCrW-DAa-u2JxQ1J9YorZXqKwH_OCA2IiJ_0P4s2g6foUxKPnlczkUy7/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.00.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_Wwdr8ycU6-8hdqZ2ohBCHY1RwAKhhzLJdmHluqrc2wLe7Aj2u5V_soIoIo09L-25EyS5bfZE9luVHNmrNxXJCrW-DAa-u2JxQ1J9YorZXqKwH_OCA2IiJ_0P4s2g6foUxKPnlczkUy7/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.00.11+PM.png" height="247" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My 9" springform pan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2b953xrZfTWGtQNtfUFs_kc2oO3voPFJ3aHzIE1-ZJcasptbi96AZST_YB1I7Sa3_aD9d4_Mol0JzN3DIq7RxjY4afNt4jBC7aDQHmPRZHCwMfVoe55u7xKjfXWZPdT7QqkBnw2jeEUP8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.00.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2b953xrZfTWGtQNtfUFs_kc2oO3voPFJ3aHzIE1-ZJcasptbi96AZST_YB1I7Sa3_aD9d4_Mol0JzN3DIq7RxjY4afNt4jBC7aDQHmPRZHCwMfVoe55u7xKjfXWZPdT7QqkBnw2jeEUP8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.00.20+PM.png" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Upside down, with half of the extra parchment paper cut off.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3HCACJDyPJJXlgQFdT7RfRcIQwUezwr9IpbclHIotBikHTzyOW7K956JzjJU4ClSrMKMpdYzc8zRbll2JWv_zi4ODQmNFDLRUjczRr5OSSAuHQLNRRgon2w3XmjJDgmanxmZ2sEvOHISN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.00.31+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3HCACJDyPJJXlgQFdT7RfRcIQwUezwr9IpbclHIotBikHTzyOW7K956JzjJU4ClSrMKMpdYzc8zRbll2JWv_zi4ODQmNFDLRUjczRr5OSSAuHQLNRRgon2w3XmjJDgmanxmZ2sEvOHISN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.00.31+PM.png" height="241" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right side up, with the parchment paper to be used as a base.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq4HS6nSPbROqUvi2FcqxNihhvjtZbp75z7vuprXhleRv8Oq1Kkg_QKO-AZhcxFh1_hdptYOqiSFXygKOKdxmmTuEZt8g-fQsgZ1YdksouPOEHE9oBxchZV80hc7Nz6qmnNw-oFk6fp8Lk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.00.41+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq4HS6nSPbROqUvi2FcqxNihhvjtZbp75z7vuprXhleRv8Oq1Kkg_QKO-AZhcxFh1_hdptYOqiSFXygKOKdxmmTuEZt8g-fQsgZ1YdksouPOEHE9oBxchZV80hc7Nz6qmnNw-oFk6fp8Lk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.00.41+PM.png" height="247" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graham crackers. They taste like they look.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWfDRhwUmN0jCZxiXe865EVG33Ybrh-v0FY6cBRbCyuzKzmqVsxMuGvmtj89ffd-6ltDWJ-yDi0-42Gjl38whKws8EQheR1Hy96gsP8URjMMU5YhRFdVg2F6U02h4hwBXHRyjDcEYZJKQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.00.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWfDRhwUmN0jCZxiXe865EVG33Ybrh-v0FY6cBRbCyuzKzmqVsxMuGvmtj89ffd-6ltDWJ-yDi0-42Gjl38whKws8EQheR1Hy96gsP8URjMMU5YhRFdVg2F6U02h4hwBXHRyjDcEYZJKQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.00.50+PM.png" height="245" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pulsed in the Cuisinart.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmWDLke1iswlfQ3sClamOEFX20awK9Rh2TPKU6Tr9p5WS8V8suB8D03jznUBfFdnSwoZ1jgsN18BuWYe5kby6gXh5nQsRyC4cS7f1GzigxT4fJGfcQsiYE3IWWtKczExD1yrvMsUjchsvB/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.01.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmWDLke1iswlfQ3sClamOEFX20awK9Rh2TPKU6Tr9p5WS8V8suB8D03jznUBfFdnSwoZ1jgsN18BuWYe5kby6gXh5nQsRyC4cS7f1GzigxT4fJGfcQsiYE3IWWtKczExD1yrvMsUjchsvB/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.01.00+PM.png" height="242" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the butter added.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizNENVvoPJoLOa13WP01lx9pFwyOo1dc91KnQCDrDofi9vpiEpphtjlryXR2El2lN6xVipSCa7es_lOQ800uF_sBDL_eC6cVV82LGLENxdNxd9YBj39DSx1mGHVYnpiM_I7-B9xJy6jzvB/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.01.12+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizNENVvoPJoLOa13WP01lx9pFwyOo1dc91KnQCDrDofi9vpiEpphtjlryXR2El2lN6xVipSCa7es_lOQ800uF_sBDL_eC6cVV82LGLENxdNxd9YBj39DSx1mGHVYnpiM_I7-B9xJy6jzvB/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.01.12+PM.png" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I used a small knife to even out the edges.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhd7ipVMp4so8rPIOUPanaNKfg7WWBzh8w5dm34_Pwrp9MnWmCF9m4UjDI9j4CuHnAKdIGXIKohEpaNCdbX5RkvEwIw1dBSU8Osm-baOE4NlqJX4l4Hbi0Fdf2mvEJ1PXqyCC6oisteE0J/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.01.23+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhd7ipVMp4so8rPIOUPanaNKfg7WWBzh8w5dm34_Pwrp9MnWmCF9m4UjDI9j4CuHnAKdIGXIKohEpaNCdbX5RkvEwIw1dBSU8Osm-baOE4NlqJX4l4Hbi0Fdf2mvEJ1PXqyCC6oisteE0J/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.01.23+PM.png" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After being refrigerated.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq_WQAUfM4PCQtmKZxc-rE-PmJ4No4tL7FItvWMRQfDDHf5x7IOMgGL4BGAniEh0wxQivfA0bxOVGuh-EvD4Ii3uuPIAaW5SFxSbRqdQY4DBfrsV43X1QaN0n1lXXaORldKC1Qh_186ETA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.01.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq_WQAUfM4PCQtmKZxc-rE-PmJ4No4tL7FItvWMRQfDDHf5x7IOMgGL4BGAniEh0wxQivfA0bxOVGuh-EvD4Ii3uuPIAaW5SFxSbRqdQY4DBfrsV43X1QaN0n1lXXaORldKC1Qh_186ETA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.01.32+PM.png" height="243" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding nutella to the cheesecake batter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRgtf3T50-GrWiIAC7hiyXJhxd6Ap8bdfL6oWfty28dRIRc4D2hOrGmwYP8t-DvRpIYM2LQyeb14buFyImI70FC2xYXCYRCZhQFXppRxCH4dXzzRnRvts4Qg0EXiQbGuYUlRWcziuzREt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.01.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRgtf3T50-GrWiIAC7hiyXJhxd6Ap8bdfL6oWfty28dRIRc4D2hOrGmwYP8t-DvRpIYM2LQyeb14buFyImI70FC2xYXCYRCZhQFXppRxCH4dXzzRnRvts4Qg0EXiQbGuYUlRWcziuzREt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.01.43+PM.png" height="241" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the San Francisco Bay Area, you can get milk in glass bottles from a local dairy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0lbz6Xqs-C6EwkiCHj8yTe02kwzK-SqjBbck5ajURUrrhaCC4wzgac0mAKmVADGq1WCxGoarz9mHLCTAjwn8qKo4AIxP9EZyqPZyuTOGcuMWWZ9Th8ZfC0BFkOSHE4DuFjvkZtzzrXPv/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.01.55+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0lbz6Xqs-C6EwkiCHj8yTe02kwzK-SqjBbck5ajURUrrhaCC4wzgac0mAKmVADGq1WCxGoarz9mHLCTAjwn8qKo4AIxP9EZyqPZyuTOGcuMWWZ9Th8ZfC0BFkOSHE4DuFjvkZtzzrXPv/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.01.55+PM.png" height="281" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cream plug at the top.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZYsxur_1PpLW4q26nxIxfLQ6A86PpVo_tgE0n5AdYjWlE-tc6RqPJ5uzmz488ILlmDb3aT6ydLxmp9XOuje3JUE7d9ziULracqNv7U3Ss_0nro3u8B_eiljrZZHlgBjdLj6XcoHAjULH/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.02.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZYsxur_1PpLW4q26nxIxfLQ6A86PpVo_tgE0n5AdYjWlE-tc6RqPJ5uzmz488ILlmDb3aT6ydLxmp9XOuje3JUE7d9ziULracqNv7U3Ss_0nro3u8B_eiljrZZHlgBjdLj6XcoHAjULH/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.02.06+PM.png" height="244" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First half of the cheesecake batter in the pan, with more nutella.<br />
Second half of the cheesecake batter in the bowl, with less nutella.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1givjrvXue4Zrf3j2jAYthxdhjyaWlvPR7atJM4YQMWTr8Xv6myk1HkwWDu9mt_cHMofcnedaLeA2vZXHaqQVS0BS6HIyswKBxMCSfw6wptUZlr9pUClfI6VLvCydrTJEGvld3VUjMI49/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.02.16+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1givjrvXue4Zrf3j2jAYthxdhjyaWlvPR7atJM4YQMWTr8Xv6myk1HkwWDu9mt_cHMofcnedaLeA2vZXHaqQVS0BS6HIyswKBxMCSfw6wptUZlr9pUClfI6VLvCydrTJEGvld3VUjMI49/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.02.16+PM.png" height="243" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My homemade double boiler for melting the chocolate and butter.<br />
That is a roux whisk, flat on the end for use in pans and pots.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mG5EgmoVgOuex5CHqfb5XMYpAzhzhA177VVkM0VmXxLmtar_P5qsr1_cLkZk1sGJUHVQlbK7AVZo9iPthWHQbDUzF1Cms-t2gwnih4SvYK-5pB3zVy6gxgNTZpIAqSva8uVUBgy8pxvN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.02.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mG5EgmoVgOuex5CHqfb5XMYpAzhzhA177VVkM0VmXxLmtar_P5qsr1_cLkZk1sGJUHVQlbK7AVZo9iPthWHQbDUzF1Cms-t2gwnih4SvYK-5pB3zVy6gxgNTZpIAqSva8uVUBgy8pxvN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.02.47+PM.png" height="242" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crunch ready for the freezer, spread out using the cookie sheet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11oYJa82VAQW3NZDqXFRgjrqmJKiTzW1KHTqA6cNBN01tL-HcAy_qEOAOcI1iHvikF9GFFBejj2jrrM_DB9izshfNaAwtYrhWfGyo5duhQ7jI1jIbaZwsAL3gHTRftJNlxNcE_kvI1NkF/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.02.58+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11oYJa82VAQW3NZDqXFRgjrqmJKiTzW1KHTqA6cNBN01tL-HcAy_qEOAOcI1iHvikF9GFFBejj2jrrM_DB9izshfNaAwtYrhWfGyo5duhQ7jI1jIbaZwsAL3gHTRftJNlxNcE_kvI1NkF/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.02.58+PM.png" height="223" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the freezer. Also, that <a href="http://www.whatsgoodattraderjoes.com/2011/04/trader-joes-paneer-tikka-masala.html" target="_blank">paneer tikka masala from Trader Joe's</a> is really good.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Pb4Ajl2bkDpu1hYHfZf7OcTvtdDlA47xR8WNzUqzWiX9AyQOMaVmQH3rQT-vkyWGLeHhcP-lFVPqBA5smQwbgkwd8BgRorq_YMV7sZEluz2A3qoryJZ2cdO7EjbGCf9GNHqv7JXHUlhO/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.04.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Pb4Ajl2bkDpu1hYHfZf7OcTvtdDlA47xR8WNzUqzWiX9AyQOMaVmQH3rQT-vkyWGLeHhcP-lFVPqBA5smQwbgkwd8BgRorq_YMV7sZEluz2A3qoryJZ2cdO7EjbGCf9GNHqv7JXHUlhO/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.04.24+PM.png" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baked cheesecake. The air bubbles did not deflate during baking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_aN2o8VJu0JQKfUyMPqW62Ysm5Gc9UkbeDp37XYCluWoo01M8pIMjDb1S2ucs5cxZQlFrwqTDqt1nAm0CXaE2xLBuyuKGYDChNl1jdptp77x2MeLci8xlKTa2VT11Ht9iud4SdK0UEaN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.05.27+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_aN2o8VJu0JQKfUyMPqW62Ysm5Gc9UkbeDp37XYCluWoo01M8pIMjDb1S2ucs5cxZQlFrwqTDqt1nAm0CXaE2xLBuyuKGYDChNl1jdptp77x2MeLci8xlKTa2VT11Ht9iud4SdK0UEaN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.05.27+PM.png" height="226" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crumbling up the frozen hazelnut crunch.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIvtJOD747ApyO0Pk0UKdRE9Dtsc08-FISKnPIAaRC94qDsF0hDHUz_YqeZJwdxQmKziSFySIAxXbsB1Wzvxl4o_0r8GXn9V9RlWEhacarLoL1QAy7x9U2AkR_L3imUnwvil-87fVdP2f/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.08.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIvtJOD747ApyO0Pk0UKdRE9Dtsc08-FISKnPIAaRC94qDsF0hDHUz_YqeZJwdxQmKziSFySIAxXbsB1Wzvxl4o_0r8GXn9V9RlWEhacarLoL1QAy7x9U2AkR_L3imUnwvil-87fVdP2f/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.08.09+PM.png" height="309" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished cheesecake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Since the cheesecake turned out so well, I was a bit overconfident with success and I decided to create a new dessert based on pictures from the internet (always a good idea) and the total failure I'd had earlier with <a href="http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/gooey-chocolate-stack-161" target="_blank">Nigella's gooey chocolate stack</a>. Here is the picture Nigella uses to illustrate the recipe:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://assets.nigella.com/uploads/f3bd86b4_f864_41f8_8dc1_1bc5bb4af045/main.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://assets.nigella.com/uploads/f3bd86b4_f864_41f8_8dc1_1bc5bb4af045/main.jpg" height="320" width="234" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Guess whose version doesn't look like that!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The meringue and chocolate creme patissiere were easy to make and tasted wonderful but my attempt didn't look like this at all. The problem was that the creme patissiere wasn't solid and squished out when I started stacking the meringue disks. Meringues aren't heavy at all since they're basically air on the inside, and I couldn't figure out what I had done wrong. I assumed that I hadn't cooked the creme patissiere enough so it wasn't as solid as it should be. But then I started googling and discovered that most people had exactly the same issue. It wasn't just me (<a href="http://www.poiresauchocolat.net/2010/04/gooey-chocolate-meringue-stack.html" target="_blank">1</a>, <a href="http://www.sarahcooks.com.au/2004/10/gooey-chocolate-stack.html" target="_blank">2</a>, <a href="http://www.eatboutique.com/2009/12/20/nigellas-gooey-chocolate-stack/#.Ux1IrOddWYQ" target="_blank">3</a>, <a href="http://sara826-itstartedwithone.blogspot.com/2010/07/gooey-chocolate-stack.html" target="_blank">4</a>)!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I had also tried to create a marbled version of the meringue disks instead of completely mixed meringues. At some point, I had been googling for recipes that use pomegranates and I found <a href="http://drizzleanddip.com/2013/05/20/pink-swirl-meringues-with-pomegranate-syrup" target="_blank">this recipe</a>, with awesome swirled meringues and pomegranate seeds and whipped cream and<i> it all looked so good!!! </i>This is the blog that inspired me to <a href="http://chezleawesome.blogspot.com/2014/01/everythings-new-but-recipes.html" target="_blank">make the raspberry-pomegranate pavlova</a>. I decided to try to make swirled meringue disks to go with the chocolate creme patissiere.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The big thing I discovered is that you shouldn't mix the colors together very much at all. When you spoon the meringue out onto the cookie sheet, you will end up mixing it together more as part of the process of smoothing it out and getting it where you need it to go. If you mix the colors together to the amount you want it swirled before you put the meringue onto the cookie sheet, then it will mix a lot more than you wanted and you will loose the swirly effect.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizwddWZxNraxhXFNF8EkWYUvBXsbqo_V2vDd7_HXOrsMHCXrLxNF5Ey0O9go8DpYqKO62GPc2sPVBcgKMp7c6ZayhVgUtBWst48sviZ565zB6yWN5Wl9bqkml_SmdmQoPL9fY7rSWC_jdJ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+7.57.44+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizwddWZxNraxhXFNF8EkWYUvBXsbqo_V2vDd7_HXOrsMHCXrLxNF5Ey0O9go8DpYqKO62GPc2sPVBcgKMp7c6ZayhVgUtBWst48sviZ565zB6yWN5Wl9bqkml_SmdmQoPL9fY7rSWC_jdJ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+7.57.44+PM.png" height="241" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the amount of swirling that I wanted the meringue disks to have.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2G27sPGJTKQK5cUERJRW3z4CEFSVJ9mHDALwWLhk04cUtmaR6cZDVP5pd13du1bQXOAmtGDmI4Mb7fbR0Z29mvinOMMnSaqKaJMdy4SW7ydIWxa3tfBA4Wunn11jzrmNbREvYeoqhbrZ6/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+7.58.45+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2G27sPGJTKQK5cUERJRW3z4CEFSVJ9mHDALwWLhk04cUtmaR6cZDVP5pd13du1bQXOAmtGDmI4Mb7fbR0Z29mvinOMMnSaqKaJMdy4SW7ydIWxa3tfBA4Wunn11jzrmNbREvYeoqhbrZ6/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+7.58.45+PM.png" height="238" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was too much mixing and all of the brown streaks were folded in.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
There was also an adventure in the middle of this attempt when the plumber came by to fix a leaky faucet in the kitchen. I was in the middle of making the creme patissiere when this happened:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWk9zaVmqwPLySMUz7LZLlkPfTYIVLX_DD_jXAnpVJgurv1yi4MYUpUMaPTYMVxlHXZ2pShsJ3nwcHtBK61Blv1-QUGrM0gPjj2E0iqZrUYCcACoKhkOtK4ZlEoBEM3gVosTEfca4dwork/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+7.58.08+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWk9zaVmqwPLySMUz7LZLlkPfTYIVLX_DD_jXAnpVJgurv1yi4MYUpUMaPTYMVxlHXZ2pShsJ3nwcHtBK61Blv1-QUGrM0gPjj2E0iqZrUYCcACoKhkOtK4ZlEoBEM3gVosTEfca4dwork/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+7.58.08+PM.png" height="242" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's my kitchen sink with the faucets sitting in the soap dish.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Plumber: It smells really good in here!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Me: Thanks. And no offense, but I'm going to need the kitchen sink pretty soon.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Nigella suggests putting the pot of creme patissiere in a sink full of ice water to cool it down quickly. I didn't have any ice but I did have several bags of frozen veggies and fruit, so my creme patissiere was cooled by spinach and mango.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCkfaJV7sfL7oINFsDNqfMHl65EkA4fY8RJQx6f-f_-cGTYnCNmxvjOh2LddxO5IOXbiN1OeIap9u9HuDibUh4HYwS5FyODPGtH5g15lcL6MmXtVATMfWI3e6K-PzYyprHN5k2rnqW5s0t/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+7.58.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCkfaJV7sfL7oINFsDNqfMHl65EkA4fY8RJQx6f-f_-cGTYnCNmxvjOh2LddxO5IOXbiN1OeIap9u9HuDibUh4HYwS5FyODPGtH5g15lcL6MmXtVATMfWI3e6K-PzYyprHN5k2rnqW5s0t/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+7.58.32+PM.png" height="237" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't try this if you've opened the bags.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I had the finished meringues and creme patissiere, so it was time to start stacking. And the problem became clear:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKrUn7YufRorPbFo3DYHXH_7PiJRb9KOe0nZatW-Ym9hSWo39f-79QC3HizAUg542jwmwZMWmt4QdV8EjuYW5V2-aIYOYbYqobGUTcMCY9cBG1gJKWM2DnriWnI5BnmXkTQqgPf5n4-mou/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+7.59.08+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKrUn7YufRorPbFo3DYHXH_7PiJRb9KOe0nZatW-Ym9hSWo39f-79QC3HizAUg542jwmwZMWmt4QdV8EjuYW5V2-aIYOYbYqobGUTcMCY9cBG1gJKWM2DnriWnI5BnmXkTQqgPf5n4-mou/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+7.59.08+PM.png" height="244" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, this is not good.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It just got worse from there:</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjgQedKewneDK4vUvZXFBbWgHlzs2TggRLQoEPQPX3uu3YX9S6XQl1mutec9D4wFKnlwNtwF-_mz3CKgsTa7-UATPrxVo4JJgx6QgjIChh7Y7bxzSAhLiZVbUBrGUUTPQAmBUIFl1kxYo3/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+7.59.18+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjgQedKewneDK4vUvZXFBbWgHlzs2TggRLQoEPQPX3uu3YX9S6XQl1mutec9D4wFKnlwNtwF-_mz3CKgsTa7-UATPrxVo4JJgx6QgjIChh7Y7bxzSAhLiZVbUBrGUUTPQAmBUIFl1kxYo3/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+7.59.18+PM.png" height="241" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disaster!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMsar_Wny162u_Qo-7a8vVy0VBfr37NOF_c2l0X8m-IvM__O1DBxczl7fVZW_s2Fh-7lAGvWVQhkUnCpHrpwqJjN9CvVIvzOJRz9kxYinITFmus7aRP1W39OjdWcrq-kuFOHRHwwNPOOPr/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+7.59.36+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMsar_Wny162u_Qo-7a8vVy0VBfr37NOF_c2l0X8m-IvM__O1DBxczl7fVZW_s2Fh-7lAGvWVQhkUnCpHrpwqJjN9CvVIvzOJRz9kxYinITFmus7aRP1W39OjdWcrq-kuFOHRHwwNPOOPr/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+7.59.36+PM.png" height="253" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I cleverly attempted a distraction by using raspberries. It also didn't work.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ65961vukT87IO38T2_WS3IhEeOtiqta-BrlsifkovuWOj6as2reVMCQeA7dfk_D8EMzgrevXbwk2irhoD9HhOiEXxujyfzDjh3pTa3qUNERqoCQVeFidaf-vFHDuc9gar0iRuv9LGuEz/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+7.59.53+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ65961vukT87IO38T2_WS3IhEeOtiqta-BrlsifkovuWOj6as2reVMCQeA7dfk_D8EMzgrevXbwk2irhoD9HhOiEXxujyfzDjh3pTa3qUNERqoCQVeFidaf-vFHDuc9gar0iRuv9LGuEz/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+7.59.53+PM.png" height="247" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally, I scooped up as much of the overflow as I could and dumped it in the sink.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I couldn't figure out what I had done wrong since I followed the recipe. Fortunately, <a href="http://www.themarionhousebook.com/gooey-chocolate-stack/" target="_blank">the pictures on this blog</a> made everything clear: there's too much creme patissiere. The recipe said to use one-third of the creme patissiere per layer and it was an oozing mess. But this blogger used only a small amount per layer and it came out fine. My guess is that the creme patissiere part of the recipe makes so much because it uses 6 egg yolks to match the 6 egg whites used in the meringue part. But I bet that you really only need about half or even a third of this amount to use in the layers.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So all of that was done several weeks before the Super Bowl potluck. I wanted to try making swirled meringues and the creme patissiere again but I would also need to carry whatever I made on public transit. I decided to make a combination of the two inspiring recipes: small swirled meringues with dipping sauces. I remade a smaller amount of the creme patissiere and a batch of raspberry-pomegranate sauce for the bite-sized meringues.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I remade the chocolate creme patissiere to check and see if it would get thicker if I cooked it for a longer time, and it didn't. After that experiment I had a bowl's worth of it so I brought it to the potluck as well.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Making sure not to over-mix the colored meringue with the white meringue worked like a charm. To make the swirly effect, I made the meringue batter and then took a small part of it and added some pink food coloring. Then I mixed that back in to the white meringue, only stirring it together about three times. It did not look like it was mixed enough, which was the point. When I scooped out small spoonfuls and made the round motion on the parchment paper, the colors mixed together.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The "round motion" comes from the fact that you need to shape the meringues before you bake them. The meringue batter is surprisingly solid, and it will stay in whatever shape you put it in. If you just drop spoonfuls onto parchment paper, you will end up with oddly shaped lumps. Instead, you can swirl the tip of the spoon around the meringue from the outside to the inside to make it nice and circular and give it that little peak in the middle. This will also mix the colors together.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I brought meringues, chocolate creme patissiere, raspberry-pomegranate sauce, and whipped cream as toppings for the meringues, and inevitably the people at the potluck ate all of the meringues and none of the toppings.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Tips: making the meringue batter takes patience because you really do need to add the sugar in very slowly. If you dump a whole bunch of it in at once, you will end up with liquidy egg whites and a clump of sugar at the bottom of the bowl. It usually takes me between 5 and 10 minutes to add in the cup of sugar. I hold the beater with my left hand and pour a very thin stream of sugar from the measuring cup in my right hand.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The meringue batter should be handled with care since you don't want to deflate any of the air bubbles. This means that you can't stir it very hard or it will collapse. To make a swirled effect, you need to take a small amount of the batter (about 1/4 cup or so) and mix it very gently with a small amount of food coloring. This will deflate it a bit and it will be slightly more runny than the rest of the batter. Then spoon the colored batter back into the white batter and give one or two turns with a spatula. This will make one or two large ribbons of color in the batter. When you scoop out spoonfuls to make the small meringues, scoop across the ribbons to get a mixture of colored and white batter.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Once the meringues have baked for an hour, turn the oven off and leave the meringues in the oven with the door closed as it cools down (about 30 minutes or so). This will make the meringues crispier on the outside and chewier on the inside.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Chocolate Meringue Stack with Chocolate Creme Patissiere (aka Gooey Chocolate Stack)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe at <a href="http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/gooey-chocolate-stack-161" target="_blank">Nigella's website</a></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Pink-Swirled Meringues with Raspberry-Pomegranate Sauce</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Original idea from <a href="http://drizzleanddip.com/2013/05/20/pink-swirl-meringues-with-pomegranate-syrup" target="_blank">drizzle and drip</a>; recipe from the <a href="http://chezleawesome.blogspot.com/2014/01/everythings-new-but-recipes.html" target="_blank">post on the raspberry-pomegranate pavlova</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Ingredients</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Meringue</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">4 egg whites</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">pinch of salt</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">1 cup granulated sugar</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">1 teaspoon vinegar (white, balsamic, or red wine)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">2 teaspoons cornstarch</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">food coloring (optional)</li>
</ul>
<i></i><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><i>Sauce</i></i></div>
<i>
</i><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">2 cups raspberries</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">16 ounces pomegranate juice</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">1 cup granulated sugar</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">2 cups water</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Directions</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Meringue</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Pre-heat the oven to 250 F. Beat the egg whites until frothy like bubble bath. Slowly pour the sugar in while beating the egg whites, until the whites are firm. Gently fold in the vinegar and cornstarch with a spatula. Spoon the meringue onto a sheet of parchment paper, either in one or several large circles or in many small circles for individual portions. Bake for 60 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the door closed until the oven has cooled down (about 30 minutes to an hour).</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Sauce</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Carefully wash the fruit and make sure to remove any stickers or other non-fruit little bits. Be especially careful if you're using raspberries or blackberries. Put the fruit in a saucepan with 4 cups of liquid (plain water or water and juice) and 1 cup of granulated sugar. Turn the heat to high so that the liquid is boiling and cook for 30 to 45 minutes, until the volume is visibly reduced.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Strain the sauce into another container to remove the raspberry seeds if desired or pour the sauce into another container. Let the sauce cool to room temperature.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOW4ZGhNFM_joIQ6WipT5w5Nfk6ZTXDaBNkPom6HXlw8PxbJ-1oof2IfGQ5q_Nipp0uWs1-7Damo52RJB7mxwY7l-fSAUH1aILa1zDtXerpN815LEAx5NHmGDE3XI_B9VFUEs6cSEylc6/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+7.57.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOW4ZGhNFM_joIQ6WipT5w5Nfk6ZTXDaBNkPom6HXlw8PxbJ-1oof2IfGQ5q_Nipp0uWs1-7Damo52RJB7mxwY7l-fSAUH1aILa1zDtXerpN815LEAx5NHmGDE3XI_B9VFUEs6cSEylc6/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+7.57.22+PM.png" height="241" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The meringue batter should be thick enough to hold the beaters upright.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGwFz8UEwz7oS-G8YK58O3NhNEaBhqkY81phJREvjb568b3iNdItZgObFoI2ymQt1LK6Fl1q3K_BgQphF0rnajodwX_WgXTMLA43oQZYnxREUpxKHOmqXmakUA6v4dKOm0a48To0TfbD7/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.04.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGwFz8UEwz7oS-G8YK58O3NhNEaBhqkY81phJREvjb568b3iNdItZgObFoI2ymQt1LK6Fl1q3K_BgQphF0rnajodwX_WgXTMLA43oQZYnxREUpxKHOmqXmakUA6v4dKOm0a48To0TfbD7/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.04.43+PM.png" height="262" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mixing a small amount of batter with food coloring.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm64c33KFnr7G7w3GT7YWdj9CFXcgllkx6QWaDQbJrjqdmd1v5Vv1HEh2-7Z94JTeyLv4gaTs2PeMNeDNPdlnjQVKUkYp7cBulEb8qcPf9MGgv3jdT7LmU5LUGK3KOUozVk3CmX9D-uj8m/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.04.52+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm64c33KFnr7G7w3GT7YWdj9CFXcgllkx6QWaDQbJrjqdmd1v5Vv1HEh2-7Z94JTeyLv4gaTs2PeMNeDNPdlnjQVKUkYp7cBulEb8qcPf9MGgv3jdT7LmU5LUGK3KOUozVk3CmX9D-uj8m/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.04.52+PM.png" height="267" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The very saturated result.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbK_ySuhN1KLYenZwKlfYJq24aqylY9W-uMRhdzFFD3m8SE2TC8Bh1x3lB8rZJ8Z62Iafi_82lzhlSnN3YLJYIzlmUfy20_PJarkbPNF8uRirf6zklTfcB60zVg8HKw1Mkubs7lxNYW2uF/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.05.01+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbK_ySuhN1KLYenZwKlfYJq24aqylY9W-uMRhdzFFD3m8SE2TC8Bh1x3lB8rZJ8Z62Iafi_82lzhlSnN3YLJYIzlmUfy20_PJarkbPNF8uRirf6zklTfcB60zVg8HKw1Mkubs7lxNYW2uF/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.05.01+PM.png" height="242" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slightly mixing the colored batter into the white batter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrcC_8_3eSXyZa0dTtz19JCVFTQQOl54kJh9VIP6HhCVwUmxOAdtw5wZagd8AR9tTfs3yphLRPplDZseWqYBjQoN4Aw55k0kfHGGCYEI5Ck10MVtkNmy3LSo9avVR5nk9GGYR-t-aTryo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.05.38+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrcC_8_3eSXyZa0dTtz19JCVFTQQOl54kJh9VIP6HhCVwUmxOAdtw5wZagd8AR9tTfs3yphLRPplDZseWqYBjQoN4Aw55k0kfHGGCYEI5Ck10MVtkNmy3LSo9avVR5nk9GGYR-t-aTryo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.05.38+PM.png" height="252" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The baked meringues.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The third recipe was something I found when I was looking for dairy-free, gluten-free birthday cake recipes. Why on earth would you want to eat a dairy-free, gluten-free birthday cake? A friend asked me to make him one since he is lactose and gluten intolerant. I ended up using a kosher-for-passover recipe, but also came across this recipe for coconut-oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies, which sounded amazing. The recipe uses coconut oil instead of butter. This also got me excited since I use coconut oil on my bad patches of excema and it is the only non-steroid treatment that works. I just liked the idea of using the same ingredient for skin care and cookie making.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Coconut oil is useful for all kinds of beauty stuff. People use it on their hair and on their skin, and it's become much easier to find in grocery stores in the last 5-10 years. Here's a <a href="http://wellnessmama.com/5734/101-uses-for-coconut-oil/" target="_blank">list of 101 things you can use coconut oil for</a> (but not with latex condoms! <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_oil" target="_blank">Thanks, wikipedia!</a>). Coconut oil melts around 75 F (25 C), and is white when it's solid and clear when it's liquid. I keep a large jar of it in the bathroom so I just scooped out what I needed for this recipe and melted it in the microwave. Coconut oil also has a low smoke point (temperature where it starts to burn) so you need to be careful if you're cooking with it.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Usually when I see pictures of chocolate chip cookies that accompany a recipe, the chocolate is melted and oozing and gooey and the cookies look so soft and chewy, but my cookies never turn out like that. The pictures on this blog were another showcase of somebody who has figured out the secret to chocolate chip cookies that I have never learned, so I wasn't expecting my cookies to end up soft and chewy with gooey chocolate bits. And yet, they did. There's something about this recipe that lets even somebody with my chocolate chip cookie karma produce perfect cookies.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The recipe says to use chopped chocolate instead of chocolate chips, which I did. These cookies are dense and thick because of the oatmeal and coconut and they need larger chunks of chocolate instead of small chips. I also baked them for 9 minutes instead of 11 minutes because I like slightly undercooked cookies but they were in no danger of become too crispy even at 11 minutes.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Tips: My brown sugar was very lumpy so I let it sit in the warm coconut oil for about 5 minutes to absorb the liquid. The solid chunks of brown sugar broke up easily after that.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The recipe says to blend the coconut oil and brown sugar until smooth, but I couldn't get them to stay mixed together. The coconut oil always separated out. The batter smoothed out once the eggs and milk were added.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
There are several different types of oats (<a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-steelcut-138355" target="_blank">read more about that here</a>). This recipe calls for quick oats, which are also called quick-cooking oats. You can substitute rolled oats for quick oats as well. Steel-cut oats won't cook as fast and they will need more liquid to cook so I would be surprised if you could substitute those in for quick oats. You definitely do not want to use instant oats since they are basically powder and you will not get the right consistency.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
When you start mixing in the oats and the coconut it will seem like there isn't enough wet batter for all of it, but keep mixing and the oats and coconut will mix in. The oats will absorb some of the liquid and swell up slightly. I used sweetened coconut since I have a sweet tooth but this recipe will taste very similar with unsweetened coconut.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I dropped very large tablespoons of dough onto cookie sheets, to the point where I thought that they cookies wouldn't bake through because they were so big. They didn't flatten out as much as plain chocolate chip cookies do and they were baked all the way through. There were also more cookies than I thought there would be. It didn't seem like there was a lot of dough but I ended up with about 20 cookies or so. The last five were actually baked in a cake pan because I ran out of space on my cookie sheets.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Chewy Chocolate Chunk Coconut Oatmeal Cookies </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe from <a href="http://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/2013/08/chewy-chocolate-chunk-coconut-oatmeal-cookies-made-with-coconut-oil/" target="_blank">ambitious kitchen</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Ingredients</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">1 1/4 cup quick oats</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">1 teaspoon baking soda</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">1/4 teaspoon salt</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">3/4 cup melted coconut oil</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">3/4 cup dark brown sugar</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">1 large egg</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">2 teaspoon vanilla extract</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">3.5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">2 teaspoons milk</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Directions</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Pre-heat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking, soda, and salt. Set aside.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
With an electric mixer, beat together the coconut oil and brown sugar until smooth. Add in the egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes or until smooth.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Add in the flour and oat mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing well until combined. Slowly add in the coconut and chocolate chunks.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Drop the dough by large rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until the cookie edges just begin to turn a golden brown. Do not over bake. Remove from the oven and let cool a few minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Makes 2 dozen.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If you want thin, chewy, flat cookies, then reduce flour to 1 cup and bake as directed.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If you want thicker cookies, increase flour to 1 1/3 cups.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-92ZXGVhLyTel6Gey3u7HbArAI5e3DwMVKJxaS0j3fwXpZxjIdN_hXNNmjKL35p8nrDmXACuZ84CxjLP6uaiSDnjgopBVIgxQHysKezmFEW2v2ZaInzPOF6U-L6hsAZTPO5z2PnbkEUN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.03.54+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-92ZXGVhLyTel6Gey3u7HbArAI5e3DwMVKJxaS0j3fwXpZxjIdN_hXNNmjKL35p8nrDmXACuZ84CxjLP6uaiSDnjgopBVIgxQHysKezmFEW2v2ZaInzPOF6U-L6hsAZTPO5z2PnbkEUN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.03.54+PM.png" height="242" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of the wet ingredients. It will look like a very small amount of batter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDCZfOT_uN6bkXQR2QxmVVu5FfyyKtJBCFHEViOt6rxwGYQTG-mAT756xA0hCfaHBedbL7PLnWZzQWyXo7NrpOXV0jUfPQKYxn7FV3d9d_yVR0CewZMqHI1LbCa8Wzwezcu0Ev41ZsEzT/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.04.05+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDCZfOT_uN6bkXQR2QxmVVu5FfyyKtJBCFHEViOt6rxwGYQTG-mAT756xA0hCfaHBedbL7PLnWZzQWyXo7NrpOXV0jUfPQKYxn7FV3d9d_yVR0CewZMqHI1LbCa8Wzwezcu0Ev41ZsEzT/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.04.05+PM.png" height="247" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding the oats.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqUI60izamJdxCagoosS4VsIrPPtkR5tzD9n4PE2synlyzm8DSxNpmvlBL3KF6vvSnfDDtdm8ck0t11Msw_NfAFlD7wZ0TGAVqmIed0G3ybb1owRePKaTwRK-EBCgJCsn0w9Thso-nbVc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.04.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqUI60izamJdxCagoosS4VsIrPPtkR5tzD9n4PE2synlyzm8DSxNpmvlBL3KF6vvSnfDDtdm8ck0t11Msw_NfAFlD7wZ0TGAVqmIed0G3ybb1owRePKaTwRK-EBCgJCsn0w9Thso-nbVc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.04.14+PM.png" height="245" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to bake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXX5XmR_FFgAFPUhuN8msTWogN6g236DvT6SV_6QozDqRcMUVNWWrXN4PIVfzBIi7Oa2MFpdUua9g3bzTKX093UadkUeH23O32UO8v7hgnh2xS4ihmh-y7G1LQgvK-zvO8QhC5K3Zy89-Q/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.05.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXX5XmR_FFgAFPUhuN8msTWogN6g236DvT6SV_6QozDqRcMUVNWWrXN4PIVfzBIi7Oa2MFpdUua9g3bzTKX093UadkUeH23O32UO8v7hgnh2xS4ihmh-y7G1LQgvK-zvO8QhC5K3Zy89-Q/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-05+at+8.05.17+PM.png" height="256" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished cookies, actually looking like the pictures in the original blog post.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-3859836240925992432014-01-12T02:33:00.000-05:002014-03-11T02:46:52.971-04:00Everything's New But The Recipes<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The original draft of this entry had a very long and complicated explanation of what happened after I moved, but I deleted it because a) it was boring and b) it can be summed up in one sentence: my new commute is much longer than my old commute. It really has taken me 5 months to get my work/life balance sorted out, and even that isn't really done yet. I will be transferring to a different office that is much closer, hopefully in the spring. (I have also been procrastinating and have not gotten myself organized, which wastes most of my free time.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The other thing I'm missing is a potluck group. Right now I don't bake very often because there isn't anybody to eat the results. As I meet more people and make some new friends, I will also acquire new guinea pigs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Because I haven't had that much time to bake, I've been falling back on old recipes that I know like the back of my hand. I've blogged about some of them before (<a href="http://chezleawesome.blogspot.com/2012/08/my-mothers-hallah.html" target="_blank">my mother's hallah</a>), thought I blogged about them but apparently didn't (pavlovas), and blogged about something similar (<a href="http://chezleawesome.blogspot.com/2012/08/pumpkin-souffle.html" target="_blank">pumkpin souffle</a>) that I then combined with yet another recipe that I thought I had previously written about but which also doesn't have a post (sufganiyot). I posted pictures of pavlovas and sufganiyot on facebook but never got around to making blog entries for either one. Did I mention that I'm disorganized and procrastinate a lot?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So this post has 4 months worth of experimentation: 3 new recipes, 2 explanations of things that I haven't written about but should have, and 1 success.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The three new recipes are apple stuffed cardamom hallah, pavlova with raspberry-pomegranate topping, and pumpkin sufganiyot. These are all adaptations of recipes that I really like, so I've posted the original recipes and the changes I made.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Moving takes weeks longer than just the actual act of moving physical things from one location to another. Usually I spend the first two weeks unpacking things and then wandering around the apartment, vainly trying to remember where I put all of my stuff. My apartment is from the 1950's and hasn't been updated since then except for the oven and fridge. Things it doesn't have: lots of electrical outlets, muted color schemes, a dishwasher, or a garbage disposal. This is the kitchen:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwD3OdO5_o42ljP254qJCCKQECKX1jYKea7i48F9clD8ajY5su2I7j4RQZRcwomhducb5lPs-HFvX8uNJ8OLRfkSigAHXosUPGX26tHQB3LcP7DIU8vDYOde8oyjSjjAyeI9uUAGeyKztZ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-12-24+at+12.23.44+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwD3OdO5_o42ljP254qJCCKQECKX1jYKea7i48F9clD8ajY5su2I7j4RQZRcwomhducb5lPs-HFvX8uNJ8OLRfkSigAHXosUPGX26tHQB3LcP7DIU8vDYOde8oyjSjjAyeI9uUAGeyKztZ/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-12-24+at+12.23.44+PM.png" height="320" width="243" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_and_Ricky_Ricardo" target="_blank">Lucy Ricardo</a> would have loved this place.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Check out the bathroom:</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCppHDK8-syomrbnHFFzC6P0DaAGTDZuRhp_tLqPk_Jbx3_WXLUBnt1ClQ6mHwhyphenhyphenOGJ3L7t_RPUMJU2d4roajOybElRhGezGruS6xS8uo7qvKTYTk_BcmUXjhkWVE2gHGTBg7SfuYL7w_p/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-12-24+at+12.23.59+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCppHDK8-syomrbnHFFzC6P0DaAGTDZuRhp_tLqPk_Jbx3_WXLUBnt1ClQ6mHwhyphenhyphenOGJ3L7t_RPUMJU2d4roajOybElRhGezGruS6xS8uo7qvKTYTk_BcmUXjhkWVE2gHGTBg7SfuYL7w_p/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-12-24+at+12.23.59+PM.png" height="320" width="237" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">It would be so classy if it was tiled in black and white.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I always laugh when anybody says that the 1950's were so glamorous, people knew how to dress and decorate, etc. No. Some of the worst color schemes ever showed up in the 1950's. While I'm living here, I pretend that I am a time-traveling anthropologist who is studying how the natives live in their pink-and-maroon habitat. This is a very nice apartment with the exception of the color schemes (one for every room!).</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Since I moved in the middle of August, I had just about finished unpacking at the beginning of September. This also coincided with the Jewish new year (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosh_hashana" target="_blank">Rosh Hashanah</a>) which is normally at the end of September. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">All of the Jewish holidays were very early in 2013 due to the way that the lunar and Gregorian calendars matched up. Hence, <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/christinebyrne/thanksgivukkah" target="_blank">Thanksgivukkah</a> (more on this later). I decided to make a sweet hallah with apples and honey, because you eat apples with honey at the new year to signify a sweet new year. I got the idea to make an <a href="http://theshiksa.com/2012/09/13/apple-honey-challah/" target="_blank">apple stuffed hallah</a> from <a href="http://theshiksa.com/" target="_blank">the Shiksa in the Kitchen</a>, which is a blog written by a woman who converted to Judiasm and who has been teaching herself to make many traditional Jewish recipes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmjm9X5PhWZM3iNVp1TTyhH12tjXvqQYcCMPJqpmiWuQnBy8XQflWHZipMsoPaJs9xk0OCiePWduDmra8s57QeCPWtS0BeqDhzhrO4rZqBGytKC8JOzc-BLMuIAYvC8TeiQNlM4O7aFQoG/s1600/1268407_10102626333688056_1540263922_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmjm9X5PhWZM3iNVp1TTyhH12tjXvqQYcCMPJqpmiWuQnBy8XQflWHZipMsoPaJs9xk0OCiePWduDmra8s57QeCPWtS0BeqDhzhrO4rZqBGytKC8JOzc-BLMuIAYvC8TeiQNlM4O7aFQoG/s320/1268407_10102626333688056_1540263922_o.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Apple-stuffed cardamom hallah: the first thing I baked in the new place.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I have been making <a href="http://chezleawesome.blogspot.com/2012/08/my-mothers-hallah.html" target="_blank">my mother's hallah recipe</a> for years, so I decided to try the Shiksa's* recipe to compare. I followed all of the directions and did not end up with hallah dough. The yeast proofed but when I tried the trick of putting a pan of boiling water in the oven, the dough did not rise. Since I really liked the idea and I had chopped up a bunch of apples, I redid the dough using my mother's recipe (no problems there) and followed all of the other steps, including braiding it into a round loaf. That part was surprisingly easy. I also added some cardamom to the hallah dough because I like the taste with apples and honey.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Many commenters said that they had great results so I don't know what went wrong. The good news is that the idea works with any hallah recipe, so go crazy!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">* PSA: "<a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=shiksa" target="_blank">shiksa</a>" is really not a nice word. I'm using it because she does but it's a serious insult. Think of it as one of those words that you can use about yourself as a joke but it's not okay when somebody else uses it.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Recipe experiment 1:</b> <a href="http://theshiksa.com/2012/09/13/apple-honey-challah/" target="_blank"><b>Apple Honey Challah </b>at the Shiksa in the Kitchen</a> (made using <a href="http://chezleawesome.blogspot.com/2012/08/my-mothers-hallah.html" target="_blank">my mother's hallah recipe</a> + 1 tablespoon ground cardamom in the dough)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So that was September.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">B's girlfriend K's birthday was in October and B organized a party. I was excited to go because K and B have been dating for a while but I hadn't really met K before I moved back home. Usually I would bake a nice cake and drive it to the party, but I decided not to keep my car at my apartment because of the parking situation. I park it at my parent's place instead. Normally this isn't an issue.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Then the BART (subway) union went on strike. Instead of hopping on a train to get from San Francisco to Berkeley, picking up my car, driving it back to my place, and driving a cake to the party, I needed to make something that was easily portable on public transportation. Pavlovas are much easy to travel with than people realize. The trick is to take the layers in separate containers and assemble them at the destination.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrxQaXyvfuwTMPaZ4YEs-pzNsFg9tfx7gUjrdicFhf33oA86CvM6HFrhp-62vtGxyaPPLtc3lM-k165CHU_O7LvhNjvlq8sGP8kRmrz5Z77dKXF87UhwajYMNXCSIKex6ciVoVLAYKzIt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-01+at+9.22.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrxQaXyvfuwTMPaZ4YEs-pzNsFg9tfx7gUjrdicFhf33oA86CvM6HFrhp-62vtGxyaPPLtc3lM-k165CHU_O7LvhNjvlq8sGP8kRmrz5Z77dKXF87UhwajYMNXCSIKex6ciVoVLAYKzIt/s320/Screen+Shot+2014-01-01+at+9.22.22+PM.png" height="206" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">I would eat this entire pavlova myself (from <a href="http://www.chow.com/recipes/29539-pavlova-with-lemon-curd-and-fresh-berries" target="_blank">here</a>).</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Most Americans have never heard of a pavlova, especially because we call them meringues. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavlova_(food)" target="_blank">There are</a> <a href="http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Cakes/Pavlova.htm" target="_blank">lots of</a> <a href="http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pavlova/" target="_blank">websites</a> with information about pavlovas. They were invented either in Australia or New Zealand and were named in honor of Anna Pavlova. A pavlova is a large meringue base with a topping of whipped cream and fruit. I originally tried making a pavlova because of <a href="http://www.chow.com/recipes/29539-pavlova-with-lemon-curd-and-fresh-berries" target="_blank">this website's pictures</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I knew that I would need to bring the pavlova on three buses, including a trans-bay bus which would be packed since it would be the only public transit going east out of San Francisco. I decided to make a large meringue for the pavlova base like normal, put the whipped cream and fruit topping in separate tupperwares, and carry it all in one shopping bag.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Pomegranates are in season in October, so I decided to make the topping with pomegranates and raspberries. I didn't have the time to pick the seeds out of fresh pomegranates, so I cooked the raspberries in pomegranate juice instead. It's easy to make a nice sauce for desserts out of fresh fruit by boiling it in sugar-water or a mixture of sugar-water and juice. I simply boiled the raspberries in pomegranate juice with some sugar until the juice had thickened, and then strained out the raspberry seeds. I put this topping over the whipped cream on top of the meringue.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This meringue recipe has worked perfectly every time I've used it. I usually top the pavlova with whatever's in season instead of using their lemon curd recipe. One of the main things I like about pavlovas is that it's so easy to use whatever fruit you feel like eating as the topping.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So after making all of this I discovered that there was no way to get from my place to B's place and make it to the party because the line for the trans-bay bus was more than 3 hours long. I ended up having to eat most of the pavlova myself. Oh well.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; widows: auto;">
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Recipe experiment 2: </b>Pavlova built of<b> <a href="http://www.chow.com/recipes/29539-pavlova-with-lemon-curd-and-fresh-berries" target="_blank">Chow's meringue base</a></b> with my pomegranate-raspberry sauce and whipped cream</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Tips: the sauce is a concentrated version of whatever you use to make it, so the fruit you use must be fresh and of good quality. If you decide to use juice as well, make sure that it is 100% fruit juice only, without any other ingredients.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The egg whites will not whip up correctly if there is any contamination so be sure that no part of the yolk ends up in the whites. If any yolk is mixed in, try to separate it out with a spoon. I usually separate the eggs one at a time into a smaller container before adding one egg white into the larger bowl. If something happens to the egg white, then I only need to discard the one in the smaller container instead of all of the egg whites in the larger bowl.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The sugar must be added slowly. If you dump all of the sugar in at once, you won't get the right consistency. Start adding the sugar to the beaten egg whites when they have the consistency of foamy bubble bath. It will take a couple of minutes to add the sugar. The egg whites will lighten up and become firmer during the process. Don't rush it.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Once the meringue has baked for 60 minutes, turn off the oven and leave the meringue in for a couple of hours while the oven cools down. This will help ensure that the outside of the meringue is crunchy and solid and the inside is soft and chewy.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The fruit sauce will take about 30 to 45 minutes of cooking, depending on how thick you want it. I boiled the sauce for a good 45 minutes to thicken it up and make sure that it wouldn't run off edge of the whipped cream too much. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools down so you can't use it as a topping for another hour or so after you've finished boiling it. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Because the meringue will take about an hour to bake and an hour to cool, you should start making the fruit sauce once you've put the meringue in the oven. The fruit and liquids will boil down while you are waiting for the meringue to finish baking, and the sauce and oven can cool down at the same time.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">There's more sugar in the fruit sauce recipe than you will see in other recipes for raspberry sauce. I doubled the amount of sugar because pomegranates are not as sweet as raspberries, and I also increased the amount of liquids to compensate. If you're making plain raspberry sauce, you can use 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 cups of liquids. Some recipes include a small amount of lemon juice. You can also use a little bit of sifted cornstarch to make sure that the juice thickens, but the cup of sugar and long boiling time should ensure a thicker sauce.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The meringue and sauce can be made ahead of time. The sauce will keep in the fridge for about a week. The meringue can be wrapped in tin foil or parchment paper and stored in a cool, dry place for a day or so. A fresh meringue tastes better so I recommend making the meringue on the day you plan on eating the pavlova.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ingredients</span></b></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">For the meringue:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 pinch salt</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">4 large egg whites with no traces of yolk, at room temperature</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 cup granulated (white) sugar</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2 teaspoons cornstarch</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 teaspoon white vinegar</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">For the sauce:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2 cups raspberries</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">16 fluid ounces pomegranate juice</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 cup granulated (white) sugar</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2 cups water</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">For the whipped cream:</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Heavy whipping cream (1/2 or 1 pint)</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Granulated (white) sugar</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Vanilla extract</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Directions</span></b></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Meringue:</span></i></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.5px;">Heat the oven to 250°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Using a 9-inch round cake pan, trace a circle onto a piece of parchment paper with a pen or marker. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.5px;">Flip the paper over and place it on a baking sheet (the traced circle should be visible); set aside.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Place the egg whites and salt in the very clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a clean, dry whisk attachment or use a hand-held beater. Beat on medium speed until the whites begin to lighten in color and only small bubbles remain, about 2 minutes.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Increase the speed to high and very slowly add the sugar in a thin, continuous stream. Beat until firm, shiny peaks form, resembling marshmallow creme, about 3 minutes.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 19.5px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 19.5px;">Remove the beaters and sift the cornstarch through a fine-mesh strainer into the meringue. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 19.5px;">Drizzle with the vinegar and vanilla and fold them into the meringue with a rubber spatula until no streaks of vanilla remain, being careful not to deflate the whites.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 19.5px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 19.5px;">Using the rubber spatula, pile the meringue into the center of the circle drawn on the parchment paper and smooth it to the edges of the circle to form a rough, even disk about 1 inch tall. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 19.5px;">Bake until the meringue is firm to the touch but slightly soft in the middle, about 60 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the oven cool down, about 1 hour. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 19.5px;">Remove the meringue from the oven. Run a thin metal spatula under the meringue to loosen. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 19.5px;">Carefully slide it onto a serving platter or cake stand; set aside until assembly.</span></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sauce:</span></i></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Carefully wash and fruit and be sure to remove any stickers or other non-fruit little bits; be especially careful if you're using raspberries or blackberries. Put the fruit in a saucepan with 4 cups of liquid (water or water and juice) and 1 cup of granulated sugar. Turn the heat to high so that the liquid is boiling and cook for 30 to 45 minutes, until the volume is visibly reduced. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Strain the sauce into another container to remove the raspberry seeds if desired, or pour the sauce into another container. Let the sauce cool to room temperature.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Whipped cream:</span></i></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Beat the heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. Slowly add a small amount (~2 tablespoons) of sugar and a little bit (1 teaspoon) of vanilla extract if desired. Continue beating until the cream is as thick as you want it to be. If you are using pieces of fruit instead of a sauce, the whipped cream must be solid enough to support the weight of the fruit.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Assembly:</span></i></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Place the meringue on a serving plate. Spoon the whipped cream over the meringue and smooth it out evenly. Pour small amounts of sauce on the whipped cream all over the top or sprinkle fresh fruit on the whipped cream.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Serves 6-10.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2SfME5WGoRFitmxBJ7mejiFD4j8Ikj-C96nrqZHnqhqrltdSPM6HVpHGqBZNkLBBmCYE1wzyV6HQN5afYfVUBZH_SrbTJP0-cpLXRF8dLMESfVNbktqimH3WIagUiZk8WPnt5wJY_4GkA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-12-24+at+12.21.31+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2SfME5WGoRFitmxBJ7mejiFD4j8Ikj-C96nrqZHnqhqrltdSPM6HVpHGqBZNkLBBmCYE1wzyV6HQN5afYfVUBZH_SrbTJP0-cpLXRF8dLMESfVNbktqimH3WIagUiZk8WPnt5wJY_4GkA/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-12-24+at+12.21.31+PM.png" height="298" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">The egg whites need to look like this when you start to add the sugar, slightly more solid than liquid and with firm bubbles.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8L9tBZ6QvKSz7lm2M6NE6xTHDDGA9cwv6Zb03RHuBlsfLcmiJRGwwgVpIegir5ZRRE_K14Ik5c_1jo_1Mq2Q6yTW4CrxQ9PPrsz3Qz21pF_tKSuwhwqkKyYheeOPirr4hF2-5b_VhR2j/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-12-24+at+12.21.38+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8L9tBZ6QvKSz7lm2M6NE6xTHDDGA9cwv6Zb03RHuBlsfLcmiJRGwwgVpIegir5ZRRE_K14Ik5c_1jo_1Mq2Q6yTW4CrxQ9PPrsz3Qz21pF_tKSuwhwqkKyYheeOPirr4hF2-5b_VhR2j/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-12-24+at+12.21.38+PM.png" height="276" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">The egg whites with the sugar added becomes the raw meringue.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rpunB_sz7Wc2UQjWgNemnhd8amlZo-gQrrbBzMT6dpvrAJodkDyrPKizKgOg9wmD9ZYMZXaqhSd0ePm7wt13VyRb0NLJSkhTAoSrkaa3G2x3H1o7fg1XSE47SCzJfVXj3Zf1336auhyphenhyphen1/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-12-24+at+12.21.57+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rpunB_sz7Wc2UQjWgNemnhd8amlZo-gQrrbBzMT6dpvrAJodkDyrPKizKgOg9wmD9ZYMZXaqhSd0ePm7wt13VyRb0NLJSkhTAoSrkaa3G2x3H1o7fg1XSE47SCzJfVXj3Zf1336auhyphenhyphen1/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-12-24+at+12.21.57+PM.png" height="267" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">With the cornstarch and vanilla folded in. The sugar makes the meringue shiny.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPw8mRsyX5O_eDWYqnGdtVUPyfs2ft-wNjspILD9UQHIvMjrLkuyjLTMnKVoOoSUnCujL_q5dDzHGGvSzcsqKpQoE5eFDlV71BaeJueci7VeLNVazowdX3QWlh9iGMkhkg7a-sDaM6-kBL/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-12-24+at+12.22.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPw8mRsyX5O_eDWYqnGdtVUPyfs2ft-wNjspILD9UQHIvMjrLkuyjLTMnKVoOoSUnCujL_q5dDzHGGvSzcsqKpQoE5eFDlV71BaeJueci7VeLNVazowdX3QWlh9iGMkhkg7a-sDaM6-kBL/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-12-24+at+12.22.06+PM.png" height="279" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">The raw meringue is solid enough to make a firm pile on the parchment paper. I smoothed it out into a circle with a rubber spatula.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZUroQ3FykLddEsjiTqRgHjaeFqNHHocz6BZYbojLCB_0IG0qy6ueLZneY9oLsQQPp6aXfnlD8sbLTJ3VIzu1hfBNsu6nzEVg2G8dZxU7BLQXLdiT2Z91eHSXbjD4DiR_FgX9Vlsk9L5A/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-12-24+at+12.22.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZUroQ3FykLddEsjiTqRgHjaeFqNHHocz6BZYbojLCB_0IG0qy6ueLZneY9oLsQQPp6aXfnlD8sbLTJ3VIzu1hfBNsu6nzEVg2G8dZxU7BLQXLdiT2Z91eHSXbjD4DiR_FgX9Vlsk9L5A/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-12-24+at+12.22.35+PM.png" height="274" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Boiling the raspberries in pomegranate juice.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBcj7XTvQqL_HbfMI6W48aEWCxcj9vk0O2x6c_6gBTZ-et0I0rNFV8hgsCttZSWZPM7WTVCI2r6dfLNrO4VDz9s1PV-sAEqEjP4AumZR_P645BLfnr9q2FlbGMmbk8XUPg2Glp0M6n3QOW/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-12-24+at+12.22.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBcj7XTvQqL_HbfMI6W48aEWCxcj9vk0O2x6c_6gBTZ-et0I0rNFV8hgsCttZSWZPM7WTVCI2r6dfLNrO4VDz9s1PV-sAEqEjP4AumZR_P645BLfnr9q2FlbGMmbk8XUPg2Glp0M6n3QOW/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-12-24+at+12.22.43+PM.png" height="255" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Straining out the raspberry seeds.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtf3uy7gSBaMt4Nyz7Xv94CxOzLfratHpwoRIDrZQ_XbW9jRrkSodLdmNeUJ613OTIDoREgl8gGuDgY88jXzWxVWHHTojpyAOaHB5WToabTi88tqdwc5qb8eAJTgCgkS9sDON_pGDJ51Pu/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-12-24+at+12.22.57+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtf3uy7gSBaMt4Nyz7Xv94CxOzLfratHpwoRIDrZQ_XbW9jRrkSodLdmNeUJ613OTIDoREgl8gGuDgY88jXzWxVWHHTojpyAOaHB5WToabTi88tqdwc5qb8eAJTgCgkS9sDON_pGDJ51Pu/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-12-24+at+12.22.57+PM.png" height="242" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">The baked meringue.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16f-Z5LZC3lPJkUY-g_E2nwLAkUpYWp786Ac1e60ses6lnTpqZ6ALc5gGFtJ7ImUFMHhB_Ljs49mLXG7RSxlhMNZiuyGfOzNSM7cW4fLOWRigmvDjZleGgDnAXili2G37LdFjvYr3xnej/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-12-24+at+12.23.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16f-Z5LZC3lPJkUY-g_E2nwLAkUpYWp786Ac1e60ses6lnTpqZ6ALc5gGFtJ7ImUFMHhB_Ljs49mLXG7RSxlhMNZiuyGfOzNSM7cW4fLOWRigmvDjZleGgDnAXili2G37LdFjvYr3xnej/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-12-24+at+12.23.03+PM.png" height="247" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">With soft whipped cream on top.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<ul></ul>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: auto; padding: 6px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmyg3xIuoZf-vDVBw7qYI9IFYSWSNJxP10QbD_Z4mp15ShFRKpTopKXsqLAoOUD44o6W9Uh81qy6v_eDfAoRcsqYxfKQtCrkj9MtVIwJhqB1MVjGiuLVdXgTuLYI26Rsel8efPUo6_y2Fk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-12-24+at+12.23.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmyg3xIuoZf-vDVBw7qYI9IFYSWSNJxP10QbD_Z4mp15ShFRKpTopKXsqLAoOUD44o6W9Uh81qy6v_eDfAoRcsqYxfKQtCrkj9MtVIwJhqB1MVjGiuLVdXgTuLYI26Rsel8efPUo6_y2Fk/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-12-24+at+12.23.17+PM.png" height="239" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Finished pavlova with rapsberry-pomegranate topping.</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So that was October.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">November was when things got really insane: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgivukkah" target="_blank">Thanksgivukkah</a> happened. Although this was an American-only holiday, it seemed like <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/christinebyrne/thanksgivukkah" target="_blank">the entire English-language part of the internet was going bonkers for it</a>. Jewish holidays are on a lunar calendar which doesn't match up to any solar calendars, including the Gregorian calendar (a.k.a. the one everybody else uses). And because it's a lunar calendar, Jewish holidays start at night and end at night. In this case, the first night of Hannukah was the night before Thanksgiving. This also caused some confusion and many non-Jewish people thought that the first day of Hannukah was the same day as Thanksgiving. What it really meant was that we had a Hannukah celebration on Wednesday night and then got up on Thursday and did Thanksgiving. There was so much food, so so so much food.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I was asked to make a Hannukah-Thanksgiving dessert. The traditional Hannukah foods are fried in oil because it is the Festival of Oil. Latkas (<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">לביבות, </span>potato pancakes) are more common in America and sufganiyot (<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">סופגניות, </span>doughnuts) are more common in Israel. Why? I have no idea.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A couple of years ago, my roommate carved a Halloween pumpkin and gave me the insides that she scooped out to cook with. I googled around for recipes and ended up <a href="http://chezleawesome.blogspot.com/2012/08/pumpkin-souffle.html" target="_blank">making a pumpkin souffle</a>. It was amazing! It was so tasty, like the world's lightest pumpkin pie. Pumpkin and pumpkin pie seems to be a North American thing. Most Americans and Canadians I've met like it but pretty much every European thinks it's a bizarre, terrible taste and should never be served as dessert. The souffle recipe was originally done by somebody who liked souffles and liked pumpkin and decided to combine them.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This is what I had in mind when I was asked to make a Thanksgivukkah dessert: pumpkin soufganiyot. I had not idea if it would work or not, but there was so much food that it wouldn't have mattered if every doughnut turned out to be completely inedible. So I took my reliable sufganiyot recipe and added some canned pumpkin to the batter. Instead of filling the doughnuts with jam like usual (pumpkin+raspberry jam = gross!), I fried up doughnut holes and rolled them in pumpkin pie spices and white sugar. People said that they were good and tasted like pumpkin. I didn't really taste much pumpkin at all. They also were a little heavier than they would normally be without the pumpkin but since they were little doughnut balls, it didn't matter. I wouldn't make these very large.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I originally found this sufganiyot recipe because I needed a parve version. The Jewish dietary laws are called kosher, and an important part of keeping kosher is that dairy and meat ingredients are not used together in a recipe and that dairy and meat foods are not eaten together. Most doughnut recipes have a dairy recipe, which means you can't eat them as dessert after a meal that has meat. There are three types of food for keeping kosher: meat, dairy, and parve. Parve is neither meat nor dairy, and includes fruit, vegetables, grains, fish, and eggs. Yes, fish should be meat but these rules are 6,000 years old and a bit behind the times. I was going to a Hannukah party that had meat as a main course so I needed to make parve sufganiyot. I liked this recipe so much that I use it for all my sufganiyot needs.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Recipe experiment 3: </b>Pumpkin sufganiyot (<a href="http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/103038/jewish/Jelly-Doughnuts.htm" target="_blank"><b>recipe on the Chabad webpage</b></a>, originally from the Lubavitchers Women's cookbook)</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Tips: this recipe is a triple-rise recipe. It takes hours. I usually either do laundry or cook something else when I'm making sufganiyot.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">If your yeast doesn't proof, you can start over with a new packet. If you're unsure whether the yeast has proofed, then it hasn't. It will be noticeably foamy instead of liquidy and it will smell strongly of yeast (kind of like beer and bread mixed together). I usually microwave the non-dairy creamer for 5 to 10 seconds to get it lukewarm before I add the yeast. If the non-dairy creamer is too hot, just let it sit for a minute or two.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I like to use vanilla flavored non-dairy creamer but that's just my personal preference. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">You can melt the margarine in the microwave instead of a double-boiler. Make sure the margarine is cooled before you add the egg yolks. You don't want to cook the egg yolks by accident.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Most margarine brands have milk or butter in them. The only non-dairy margarine brand I know of in the US is <a href="http://www.isitvegan.com/2012/06/09/is-nucoa-vegan/" target="_blank">Nucoa</a>. It is whey- and dairy-free. If you're lactose intolerant or keep kosher, you need to use Nucoa brand margarine. The bad news is that it used to be widely available but now only seems to be in supermarkets on the west coast. I think you can get it on Amazon fresh but not the full Amazon website. If you don't need a completely parve recipe, then you can use whatever margarine you want.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Like most recipes with a yeast dough that needs to rise, the recipes says to cover the bowl with a towel and let it sit in a warm place. I use the same trick for this as with my mother's hallah: pre-heat the oven to 200 F (95 C) and turn the oven off once it's heated. Keep the door closed while you make the dough and the put the dough in the warm-but-not-hot oven to rise. You also won't need to worry about going in and out of the kitchen, opening doors and windows, or accidentally making the kitchen too cold. You can use a dry or a damp towel. I usually use the towel I've dried my hands on after washing the dishes because it's a bit damp.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Fruit jams are a traditional sufganiyot filling. I also like to use fresh lemon curd as well.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I fry the sufganiyot in 100% vegetable oil. Heat the oil up until it sizzle when you flick a little bit of water in it. It will take a good 10 minutes to get hot enough. I usually adjust the heat to about halfway between medium and hot on the stove dial. You will need to practice with the first couple of sufganiyot to tell when they need to be flipped. Once they're fried, place them on a stack of paper towels on a plate to drain. You will need to replace the paper towels regularly because they will be full of oil.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Most people either sift powdered sugar over the sufganiyot or apply a sugar glaze (usually a mixture of sifted powdered sugar and water). For the pumpkin sufganiyot, I rolled the doughnut holes in a mixture of white sugar and spices.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">There are several different types of yeast: fresh, instant, and active dry. When recipes refer to a packet of yeast, they usually mean active dry. Active dry has the longest shelf life. Instant is also called bread machine yeast. Fresh is exactly what it says. Active dry is the only type of yeast that needs to be rehydrated. If a recipe just says "yeast" but has directions to proof the yeast with liquids, then you know that it's active dry yeast.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The bad news is that there isn't a one-to-one correspondence between the types of yeast. One teaspoon of instant yeast isn't one teaspoon of either fresh or active dry yeast. <a href="http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2008/01/12/let-us-now-praise-instant-yeast/" target="_blank">This wonderful blog post</a> explains the difference between the types of yeast and gives conversion amounts but only for grams and cakes for fresh yeast. <a href="http://www.traditionaloven.com/culinary-arts/baking/fresh-yeast/convert-ounce-oz-of-fresh-yeast-to-gram-g-of-fresh-yeast.html" target="_blank">Here is a website</a> to convert from ounces to grams for fresh yeast. This recipe calls for 1 ounce fresh yeast = 28.35 grams fresh yeast = 14.175 grams active dry yeast = 4.89 teaspoons active dry = 2.17 packets active dry yeast.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The amount of yeast in a packet is different from country to country (7 grams in the US, 8 grams in Canada). Be sure to check how many teaspoons are in a packet if you're not in the US!</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Pumpkin pie spice" is a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and allspice. I used a ratio of 4 cinnamon to 2 ginger to 1 cloves to 1 allspice, mixed it together, and added it to 1 cup of granulated sugar. The spices will be strong so you don't increase the amount until after you've tasted it. I added a bit extra of cinnamon and cloves just because I like them. You will need to make at least a cup of sugar-mixture for rolling the sufganiyot. I ran out partway through and had to make more.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ingredients</span></b></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 ounce fresh yeast (2 1/4 packets active dry yeast)</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cup lukewarm non-dairy creamer</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cup flour</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">pinch of salt</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cup margarine (1 stick = 8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup)</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3 egg yolks</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 1/2 tablespoons sugar</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cup lukewarm non-dairy creamer</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2 3/4 cups flour</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">jam or curd for fillings</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">powdered sugar</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">5+ cups 100% vegetable oil (for frying)</span></li>
</ul>
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Additional ingredients for the pumpkin variety:</span></i><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 can pumkpin (15 ounces)</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 cup flour (plus extra to feel) to make up for the liquid in the pumpkin</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 teaspoon ground cinnamon</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 teaspoon ground ginger</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/4 teaspoon ground cloves</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/4 teaspoon ground allspice</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 cup white sugar</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Directions</span></b></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm non-dairy creamer. Let sit for 5 minutes until yeast is foaming. Pour 1/2 cup flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the flour and pour in the dissolved yeast and a pinch of salt. Mix well. Cover bowl with a towel and let stand in a warm place until sponge is doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-52902acc-8433-da46-79a2-ee0bb8007d50"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">While dough is rising, melt margarine and pour it into a large bowl. Allow to cool 12-20 minutes. When cool, add egg yolks one at a time and mix well. Add sponge to egg yolk mixture and beat well for 10-15 minutes.</span></span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-52902acc-8433-da46-79a2-ee0bb8007d50" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">
<br /><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-52902acc-8433-da46-79a2-ee0bb8007d50"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Add sugar and 1/2 cup lukewarm non-dairy creamer, stirring continuously. When completely mixed, add 2 1/2 cups of flour in a little at a time, continuing to stir mixture. Once all of the flour has been added, continue kneading until the dough detaches from the sides of the bowl. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-52902acc-8433-da46-79a2-ee0bb8007d50">
</span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-52902acc-8433-da46-79a2-ee0bb8007d50"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-52902acc-8433-da46-79a2-ee0bb8007d50">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are adding the pumpkin and this is your first time making this recipe, add all of the flour as if you were not making pumpkin sufganiyot at this point. You need to feel what texture the dough should have. Now you can add the pumpkin and more flour until the dough is back to the original texture.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cover the bowl with a towel and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.</span></div>
</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup flour over board and place dough on it. Gently roll out with a rolling pin to 1/4 inch thickness. With a 2-inch cookie cutter or glass rim, cut out 28 circles. On 14 circles, place 1 teaspoon jam or pastry cream. Moisten edges with finger dipped in a glass of water. Cover circles with remaining 14 circles. Pinch edges together firmly. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are making doughnut holes instead of filled sufganiyot, scoop 1 tablespoon of dough, roll between your floured palms, and place on the floured board.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cover and let rise 1 hour.</span></div>
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Heat the vegetable oil in a deep frying pan. Deep fry each doughnut 1/2 minute on each side. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Once cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar or roll in the pumpkin pie sugar mix.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
</span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhifool-zioMBndYFVdNXlaGY9ywmHcLRAdZASbzypmD_QVv26XUhXuk2z79ZAiL_l5F8C_BsGpshUsnfKiNI0lTcxOgv05fWpguqEz54_ZAmWlH8QXDsbYqqROYgxrslioinAhc7Q-t8yT/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-11+at+5.02.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhifool-zioMBndYFVdNXlaGY9ywmHcLRAdZASbzypmD_QVv26XUhXuk2z79ZAiL_l5F8C_BsGpshUsnfKiNI0lTcxOgv05fWpguqEz54_ZAmWlH8QXDsbYqqROYgxrslioinAhc7Q-t8yT/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-11+at+5.02.30+PM.png" height="256" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Proofed yeast with 1/2 cup flour.</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: start; white-space: normal;"></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: start; white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQtl8HWxvAz9YtD86sZYISYWobexr2laFdkuKZKvqc2MdQZwu17NkKOJgdzpJm7CpPDxQvZaWi1egvBiEVzc1Fd9lC9fT9CX7-NB1GDMgfCrBThyD2Ii9rfIjR-r0LvNh-aFPtS5d-6wE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-11+at+5.02.49+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQtl8HWxvAz9YtD86sZYISYWobexr2laFdkuKZKvqc2MdQZwu17NkKOJgdzpJm7CpPDxQvZaWi1egvBiEVzc1Fd9lC9fT9CX7-NB1GDMgfCrBThyD2Ii9rfIjR-r0LvNh-aFPtS5d-6wE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-11+at+5.02.49+PM.png" height="251" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">After the first rise.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: start; white-space: normal;"></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: start; white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0qsB9kpw0zioEMHHHG6vISRyyd_dm21GjGxEVCccQsyOJsSkPIaAwZgwtmPhVLBKFJI0qOjPk7p7WmuULB4zxW3rWb8smVuES6LfASIWeVf7VMTypfB1h_F0lv1OAaH8ctQ6hjlDubRlm/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-11+at+5.02.59+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0qsB9kpw0zioEMHHHG6vISRyyd_dm21GjGxEVCccQsyOJsSkPIaAwZgwtmPhVLBKFJI0qOjPk7p7WmuULB4zxW3rWb8smVuES6LfASIWeVf7VMTypfB1h_F0lv1OAaH8ctQ6hjlDubRlm/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-11+at+5.02.59+PM.png" height="270" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">After the second rise.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: start; white-space: normal;"></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: start; white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXopGN3IyeGJQ4gFlsyM2kusd6ItbfJ3LcjdTe6haAMMDk5gcduXPbZbh4X3u0DRqFiaVHIXp0PXVF9uPFJNMsa8pDW-ntsNeiED17mbt9SA10JzjOgJtCUYdkjsXVNRUriQ2jgQtLAAJl/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-11+at+5.03.21+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXopGN3IyeGJQ4gFlsyM2kusd6ItbfJ3LcjdTe6haAMMDk5gcduXPbZbh4X3u0DRqFiaVHIXp0PXVF9uPFJNMsa8pDW-ntsNeiED17mbt9SA10JzjOgJtCUYdkjsXVNRUriQ2jgQtLAAJl/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-11+at+5.03.21+PM.png" height="273" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Last year: I used cherry, blackberry, and lemon curd as the fillings.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: start; white-space: normal;"></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: start; white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtjSgB-6PLt10BzjVRpjKij13fAH1-514uyeudElcTDQl5_ygVUafO6mLrmof-YFIErqr9_53W1Gbl24nC2xSAnBQjhAXetqKJglaiCeXMH-_4X4gHePIZzH3APl-3n_gKjAcYW9pegxS/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-11+at+5.03.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtjSgB-6PLt10BzjVRpjKij13fAH1-514uyeudElcTDQl5_ygVUafO6mLrmof-YFIErqr9_53W1Gbl24nC2xSAnBQjhAXetqKJglaiCeXMH-_4X4gHePIZzH3APl-3n_gKjAcYW9pegxS/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-11+at+5.03.32+PM.png" height="253" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Frying the sufganiyot.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: start; white-space: normal;"></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: start; white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihYaesaZTz58h7iZPm9TnB8Kx0Zctz5DDDl8QMnG-XEWb5z6H6VeUpcJ_r4JciXwdwQKU3MaUJ9uuIZN_raf-P-06Dpm0NqbVQXaL9vdhCOhgKi61-ZKuHDhYpNbEVaW_C9CG9m4I4Livh/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-11+at+5.03.44+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihYaesaZTz58h7iZPm9TnB8Kx0Zctz5DDDl8QMnG-XEWb5z6H6VeUpcJ_r4JciXwdwQKU3MaUJ9uuIZN_raf-P-06Dpm0NqbVQXaL9vdhCOhgKi61-ZKuHDhYpNbEVaW_C9CG9m4I4Livh/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-11+at+5.03.44+PM.png" height="236" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Letting the oil drain.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: start; white-space: normal;"></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: start; white-space: normal;"></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvgm1zz98mGNHPeK6Vp6CA_7YoHMxI4KbZYesnFmyt9onXlXkRzTRVRe2X5roUida-BWffalABmewSVuzgcEq2Fxij11MZf2pLxrDBAyVETs-AQpnBZqWUHAt3WiCzuFzTTW7OWPg0oGi/s1600/1458611_10102893268169216_423299623_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvgm1zz98mGNHPeK6Vp6CA_7YoHMxI4KbZYesnFmyt9onXlXkRzTRVRe2X5roUida-BWffalABmewSVuzgcEq2Fxij11MZf2pLxrDBAyVETs-AQpnBZqWUHAt3WiCzuFzTTW7OWPg0oGi/s1600/1458611_10102893268169216_423299623_n.jpg" height="320" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;">
This year: pumpkin sufganiyot.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-666f40f7-8459-71dd-b53d-9360dc53c85a"></span></span><br />
<div>
</div>
<span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-666f40f7-8459-71dd-b53d-9360dc53c85a">
</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-21428490776906864792013-09-23T01:57:00.000-04:002013-09-23T01:57:38.745-04:00Too Much Stuff: The Moving ExperienceEverybody who has moved has said this at least once during a move: <i>why do I own so much stuff? </i>I'm no different, and packing to move across the country made it clear that I needed to be more organized and to get rid of quite a bit of extra stuff. When I was unpacking, it was even more obvious that dumping things into baskets (my old method of organization) just wasn't going to work anymore. It also became clear that I own a lot of earrings. Lots and lots and lots of earrings. So I decided that for my new place, I would make a new system for organizing little things like earrings and hair clips that take over when you're not looking.<br />
<br />
I was inspired by <a href="http://laurathoughts81.blogspot.com/2011/03/make-up-magnet-board.html" target="_blank">a popular blog post on magnetic make-up boards</a>. Although I am way too lazy to wear makeup, it only takes a minute to put on a pair of earrings. A magnetic board with small hooks would save space and make it easy to see all of my earrings at once. I had to change several details to make it work, but I'm happy to say that the result is worth the work.<br />
<br />
To make a magnetic hanging board, you need a pretty strange collection of things - but they don't cost very much. I only owned the spray paint from a previous project and it was about $40 for everything else. I had planned to do the entire project in one day but it ended up taking three days due to some moving shenanigans. If you have the items you need, you could make this type of board in a day. Paint and glue in the morning, wait for everything to dry, and assemble in the evening.<br />
<br />
I ended up using:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>2 picture frames (no glass needed)</li>
<li>spray paint (primer and final coat)</li>
<li>gold magnetic paint (optional)</li>
<li>cotton fabric</li>
<li>spray adhesive</li>
<li>Goo Gone</li>
<li>tin snips (shears)</li>
<li>sheet metal</li>
<li>magnets (neodymium)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
You can also use contact paper instead of gluing fabric onto the sheet metal. Sheet metal is cheap and is sold in sheets at hardware stores. I got mine in the plumbing section at Lowe's. One smart blogger recommended taking a refrigerator magnet to the store to check that the metal is magnetic before you buy it. I forgot to do this but fortunately I did get the magnetic kind of sheet metal. I also bought a set of <a href="http://www.lowes.com/Hand-Tools/Cutting-Crimping-Tools/Tin-Snips/_/N-1z11pbj/pl#!" target="_blank">tin shears</a> for cutting the metal to fit the frames. There isn't a substitute for tin shears so you will either need to buy a pair or have the metal cut to size at the store.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.habitat.org/restores" target="_blank">Habitat for Humanity Restores</a> are a fantastic resource for larger furniture items, lamps, doors, rugs, and picture frames. I picked up a set of two ugly and large picture frames for $10 that had a nice design and texture under the ugliness. I bought the fabric specially to match the new color for the frames.<br />
<br />
The magnets need to be strong enough to hold up whatever it is you want to stick on the board. Neodymium magnets are very strong, cheap, come in many shapes, and are easy to buy. Because I wanted to hang earrings, I bought <a href="http://www.teachersource.com/product/magnetic-holding-pegs-pkg-of-16/electricity-magnetism" target="_blank">magnetic pegs that are intended for classroom use</a>. The makeup board bloggers bought smaller magnets and hot-glue-gunned them to the the back of the makeup packaging.<br />
<br />
The ugly pictures came in solid black frames so I spray painted them with a coat of primer before putting on two coats of my chosen color. While the paint was drying, I used the plastic that was at the front of the frames to cut out the sheet metal to fit. This took a lot of hand power and my thumb was pretty sore by the end. Using the outline of the plastic as a guide worked very well and I didn't have to recut anything. I also made sure to align two sides of the plastic with the ends of the sheet metal so I only had to cut two sides instead of four.<br />
<br />
Once the sheet metal was the right size, I cut the fabric out to be about 1 inch wider on all sides. I sprayed a lot of adhesive on one side of the sheet metal and stretched the fabric out so there were no bumps. After the fabric was mostly glued onto the metal, I cut diagonal lines across the fabric from the outer corners to the corners of the sheet metal. This let me fold down and glue the fabric to the back of the sheet metal without the fabric being pulled from two sides. If this explanation doesn't make sense, take a look at the pictures below. When the glue was dry, I fit the covered metal back into the frames and replaced the cardboard at the back of the frames.<br />
<br />
Be careful about getting adhesive on your hands. You can't just wash it off with soap and water, especially if it's dried. I used <a href="http://googone.com/" target="_blank">Goo Gone</a>. If you do press and hold the fabric down onto the metal without thinking of the consequences of sticking your hands into spray adhesive, then you'll need something like Goo Gone.<br />
<br />
The neodymium peg magnets were very strong but also the wrong color, so I painted them a dark metallic gold to match the fabric. The pegs hold the earring hooks without a problem. Another advantage to storing earrings this way is that they stick to the board because it's magnetic, so I haven't accidentally dropped any earrings behind my dresser since I put the boards up.<br />
<br />
I used the first board to hang my earrings and the second board to hang my necklaces. I haven't figured out how to store bracelets, so those are still sitting in a basket.<br />
<br />
Overall, this project turned out wonderfully. It wasn't the easiest thing I ever made but it also wasn't that difficult, mostly just time consuming. If you need a better storage system for some smaller items that you use regularly, this maybe worth trying.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFWd_0KT050Jw1wsAm9kS8VLhyphenhyphenp3WvtbYn3YixpHCCOxbXcUgvo1YBMXQFUeWijc_PLZ9hIXw7358zVXgtWRU4TCZGC3lEoVvCGgpWEiNTxxWpnBVOfqQF2myWFrL_kw4Jjv_fYdPMcnnG/s1600/20130810_111315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFWd_0KT050Jw1wsAm9kS8VLhyphenhyphenp3WvtbYn3YixpHCCOxbXcUgvo1YBMXQFUeWijc_PLZ9hIXw7358zVXgtWRU4TCZGC3lEoVvCGgpWEiNTxxWpnBVOfqQF2myWFrL_kw4Jjv_fYdPMcnnG/s320/20130810_111315.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ugly pictures from the thrift store.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWDWjmnVn9ytLQEZ36uhlXMMRFSF8u_d0RK0HHV9AYsJnmuVZNmlW8Hv8fNiMWjjp7iGXsSJXLftuybUU74iSGgLtlCnoEPM7qXIyk-AJAQLpzxo1Mdz0XgdJhn7iQNDdhqt20tqi0J3rN/s1600/20130810_111800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWDWjmnVn9ytLQEZ36uhlXMMRFSF8u_d0RK0HHV9AYsJnmuVZNmlW8Hv8fNiMWjjp7iGXsSJXLftuybUU74iSGgLtlCnoEPM7qXIyk-AJAQLpzxo1Mdz0XgdJhn7iQNDdhqt20tqi0J3rN/s320/20130810_111800.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Removing the back and taking out the picture and the clear plastic at the front. Don't throw away the cardboard at the back of the frame - you may need it to hold the sheet metal in place.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS8nRNZsDf7tUxm47tl_RBrIRnoVj1pOuwdlwqY0_02zC0khMys82F_YC8Uixhbh69hbnNi3-up5jo6AeqkmeowBEUxg2deUAsod0SYN4K_odNbsYaAn2Urvwtqlc96bJViXrp331ZZA62/s1600/20130810_114007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS8nRNZsDf7tUxm47tl_RBrIRnoVj1pOuwdlwqY0_02zC0khMys82F_YC8Uixhbh69hbnNi3-up5jo6AeqkmeowBEUxg2deUAsod0SYN4K_odNbsYaAn2Urvwtqlc96bJViXrp331ZZA62/s320/20130810_114007.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With a coat of primer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilHA_r0CRwrVlvRX0Q9MZ0pQSQIvLiaBMCm6Ok9wB3RiTOH74uKwsJyh6M8n3P8hgAEH_y5e0_Tack8akwI6qdrCyWpn0FhhdUzN4gqvxUYVY_SLzJ6WTY8_byKpjHqvyZYjKkSuiwHfEF/s1600/20130810_114713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilHA_r0CRwrVlvRX0Q9MZ0pQSQIvLiaBMCm6Ok9wB3RiTOH74uKwsJyh6M8n3P8hgAEH_y5e0_Tack8akwI6qdrCyWpn0FhhdUzN4gqvxUYVY_SLzJ6WTY8_byKpjHqvyZYjKkSuiwHfEF/s320/20130810_114713.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While the paint was drying, I traced out the plastic fronts from the picture frames as a guide for cutting the sheet metal.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpaIAoU-1c62vP1_E4-pIgebgh10Okq5Nx0987S0iMM9reJT7ZPmtcqqp4I49A-55V5xRbNsFse1RuEMYjt0mk5dXRvTzK7wmBADxZuubWYhf3k8ScSuraPzOAL7uQue8fKPm4AlrJBLLr/s1600/20130810_114807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpaIAoU-1c62vP1_E4-pIgebgh10Okq5Nx0987S0iMM9reJT7ZPmtcqqp4I49A-55V5xRbNsFse1RuEMYjt0mk5dXRvTzK7wmBADxZuubWYhf3k8ScSuraPzOAL7uQue8fKPm4AlrJBLLr/s320/20130810_114807.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tin shears.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2CrqBzl3PTyQ3pjn3ziABqFV57hiiXO336TinrzwOdK7mmJmfUUuXiPWaKC4BtgO5v7jlfr3BSYwmCjLDSBrl8iI37pECk8ix_cbB_v5vWXFNQ8E2JRCYJR6TsUtpLs9-63YEM0G_f2NW/s1600/20130810_115814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2CrqBzl3PTyQ3pjn3ziABqFV57hiiXO336TinrzwOdK7mmJmfUUuXiPWaKC4BtgO5v7jlfr3BSYwmCjLDSBrl8iI37pECk8ix_cbB_v5vWXFNQ8E2JRCYJR6TsUtpLs9-63YEM0G_f2NW/s320/20130810_115814.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The metal, ready for the fabric.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpGfabO_-ZVylxJc8N5exdoeUKM0Lhjy9L7W5uWTRwY2oBXdZlO2A6ssNMhEH1dRAsuweNDXfIKJH4IsVdr9dKbrgj_IaA3Kpc-gFtI6V2qeSECNDooBuyW2ovxCEWXw04LgSDQExnasX/s1600/20130810_121238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpGfabO_-ZVylxJc8N5exdoeUKM0Lhjy9L7W5uWTRwY2oBXdZlO2A6ssNMhEH1dRAsuweNDXfIKJH4IsVdr9dKbrgj_IaA3Kpc-gFtI6V2qeSECNDooBuyW2ovxCEWXw04LgSDQExnasX/s320/20130810_121238.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutting out the fabric.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9fV9Jmj3axdObrRWHi4G7cBfTk1Wtp__4flFnVLDmBU9N73MALmXtjpUW9FRaWdqTxBqC8qiD4AhKM7pUb4XE1d5eI1Zk0JeH8q2j6KQMTvmsAd9uS8ZmjkpWK0r3vqjzZlskYHvpT_X/s1600/20130810_122458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9fV9Jmj3axdObrRWHi4G7cBfTk1Wtp__4flFnVLDmBU9N73MALmXtjpUW9FRaWdqTxBqC8qiD4AhKM7pUb4XE1d5eI1Zk0JeH8q2j6KQMTvmsAd9uS8ZmjkpWK0r3vqjzZlskYHvpT_X/s320/20130810_122458.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the spray adhesive, most of the fabric is attached. I still need to the corners and glue the extra fabric to the back of the sheet metal.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Cc0R2v8zmVKwY2k_cP07mSBRYLf-KJmmo5ZM4uzLtUOdA4XBsVAIaLKGCjAzKE19gLMQlfm77pVV7r7omeRc3NTHknqYE7P0cbRNDzdSA-oJegdkkZKz_fXiu6L7T7kQ42HtiIxx6vMx/s1600/20130810_123335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Cc0R2v8zmVKwY2k_cP07mSBRYLf-KJmmo5ZM4uzLtUOdA4XBsVAIaLKGCjAzKE19gLMQlfm77pVV7r7omeRc3NTHknqYE7P0cbRNDzdSA-oJegdkkZKz_fXiu6L7T7kQ42HtiIxx6vMx/s320/20130810_123335.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The primer has dried so I put on the first coat of paint.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDj5fz2_gWf2HnGiyr2igJI8xmiD7dwG8xB_I9GfPnInPCQp-xDQDT_cq66R2XX5Lvq2cmqs_PdvBsij8XQb-R5DQ0oecAb4UjWlwiTx7fbnzrXbrfbVU_ldCVkn4uA805NRZMcTtUzV_c/s1600/20130810_133549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDj5fz2_gWf2HnGiyr2igJI8xmiD7dwG8xB_I9GfPnInPCQp-xDQDT_cq66R2XX5Lvq2cmqs_PdvBsij8XQb-R5DQ0oecAb4UjWlwiTx7fbnzrXbrfbVU_ldCVkn4uA805NRZMcTtUzV_c/s320/20130810_133549.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cut from the outside corner of the fabric on a diagonal line to the corner of the sheet metal. This will let you fold the fabric over without making large lumps.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XxgUjZqiCs2Wee6Xd1KXAGGYss8ZrWmhKlQnl3zqe2XprzF_seeRFZmPCr00JKPYPhtD6ojU66cI6YzsSId07xH5p2ajSN05FP8Bh1L_UKXyhk5Mq4CdY5IzeV6J0_zLo_cBWNE_eMgg/s1600/20130810_133854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XxgUjZqiCs2Wee6Xd1KXAGGYss8ZrWmhKlQnl3zqe2XprzF_seeRFZmPCr00JKPYPhtD6ojU66cI6YzsSId07xH5p2ajSN05FP8Bh1L_UKXyhk5Mq4CdY5IzeV6J0_zLo_cBWNE_eMgg/s320/20130810_133854.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fabric glued down.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihxzHbPqOSNNWAaarqexy5fETMPXCOblNpHaYXSOw7yYyiYkO7eJVeb9Cg9jsaWuquzppAQGSAUn4eOAJKwovfjyM3s45V8_njc3L2tEdf_0atQPxQJtB6IykQ-RaDf5oZcuthWmNBkeMn/s1600/20130810_150437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihxzHbPqOSNNWAaarqexy5fETMPXCOblNpHaYXSOw7yYyiYkO7eJVeb9Cg9jsaWuquzppAQGSAUn4eOAJKwovfjyM3s45V8_njc3L2tEdf_0atQPxQJtB6IykQ-RaDf5oZcuthWmNBkeMn/s320/20130810_150437.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Completed frames.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6yI8zEPeoXWq2AKAq-WEvSl_FjGHqLXLSc3oIb_KUGgsS0x-Htgp4PETw5qYgDuqj3wpT2RN8h0vBeht7biPi8kQDuxhyphenhyphenoW2g6aTiD_hmhaztcrpcCbekefD9CE_QfYkCkNMoNS5LMJm/s1600/20130810_150837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6yI8zEPeoXWq2AKAq-WEvSl_FjGHqLXLSc3oIb_KUGgsS0x-Htgp4PETw5qYgDuqj3wpT2RN8h0vBeht7biPi8kQDuxhyphenhyphenoW2g6aTiD_hmhaztcrpcCbekefD9CE_QfYkCkNMoNS5LMJm/s320/20130810_150837.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now they need the magnets.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwA5ujvmueDIoqcpE-07zyZz-K6572Qwm3zp2ni6l_ZDIefDFFZs1NC2R8yGkytfDhcQu2wYTri5-miwACy3I5rLia7rbfd988zm_2v90cDzNUmoTs4AP73NtJhOeQjpbKhDRqsreidKli/s1600/20130918_223326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwA5ujvmueDIoqcpE-07zyZz-K6572Qwm3zp2ni6l_ZDIefDFFZs1NC2R8yGkytfDhcQu2wYTri5-miwACy3I5rLia7rbfd988zm_2v90cDzNUmoTs4AP73NtJhOeQjpbKhDRqsreidKli/s320/20130918_223326.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magnetic pegs that have been painted gold.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucAIBxr3sQ7TkIChxlF8fiPLO0CZCXzOuryWowKEFJkB09k2NqVl6KmZaff5OWT1T-z78kvz0AHWxxJx-JF2hrTTAUgk1AVZp1chf8s451RL2DFhuq3joJb2_SDaZiX9zcQlEAsp1wX2A/s1600/20130918_223356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucAIBxr3sQ7TkIChxlF8fiPLO0CZCXzOuryWowKEFJkB09k2NqVl6KmZaff5OWT1T-z78kvz0AHWxxJx-JF2hrTTAUgk1AVZp1chf8s451RL2DFhuq3joJb2_SDaZiX9zcQlEAsp1wX2A/s320/20130918_223356.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Earring board.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12OGrVCZdvieImAescBUy6B9pkeHIClCxZIPzHEevpKN_vy3hUulqajgD4PTuDUWi74swvHBIp0DW1zWO7chpx8mWF3YvjbR-QCGcDCUHsaGIPqAZvg93TWnoQNAhe1TrkfWXZ5wrHIlJ/s1600/20130918_223404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12OGrVCZdvieImAescBUy6B9pkeHIClCxZIPzHEevpKN_vy3hUulqajgD4PTuDUWi74swvHBIp0DW1zWO7chpx8mWF3YvjbR-QCGcDCUHsaGIPqAZvg93TWnoQNAhe1TrkfWXZ5wrHIlJ/s320/20130918_223404.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Necklace board.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-42077672145007813122013-06-30T22:28:00.000-04:002013-06-30T22:35:54.492-04:00Moving On: Dulce de Leche CakeAll kinds of interesting things have happened over the last few weeks. For the purposes of this blog, the only important thing is that I'm moving at the end of the month. Since my stuff will not be delivered until the middle of August, this post will most likely be the last one until September. That's probably how long it would have taken me to write up another entry anyways.<br />
<br />
I decided to try something a little bit different for my last potluck out here, something besides chocolate or fruit tarts like I normally do. Instead of a Fourth of July themed red, white, and blue dessert, I went a little south of the border and made a dulce de leche cake.<br />
<br />
Dulce de leche is basically a very thick caramel that is made by heating sweetened milk until the water evaporates and the sugar caramelizes. It is usually a dark tan color, and can be flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, or other spices. It's a standard sweetening option in South and Central America, as well as Mexico. People put it in their coffee, on muffins, in cakes, etc.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSFF7_tRZq3saZYXpsPUM4tS_FWVTBXfZDgzOS_wNdGuN-bzfhgk-Mxoz_f6u03f5kGoxk0jNSb8SmjhNkXVixWS4i0dY2N1fHcBcXkFelzbPI0eH0KAGxLjeKV3o7I-leIdzWByUnmJdC/s620/dulce-de-leche.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSFF7_tRZq3saZYXpsPUM4tS_FWVTBXfZDgzOS_wNdGuN-bzfhgk-Mxoz_f6u03f5kGoxk0jNSb8SmjhNkXVixWS4i0dY2N1fHcBcXkFelzbPI0eH0KAGxLjeKV3o7I-leIdzWByUnmJdC/s620/dulce-de-leche.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
There are <a href="http://www.bakersroyale.com/basic-baking-series/baking-basics-how-to-make-homemade-dulce-de-leche/" target="_blank">a couple of different ways to make dulce de leche</a>. The most common is to heat up a can of sweetened condensed milk. This recipe uses the most time-consuming way: cooking it from scratch on the stove. I'd never tried that method before so I figured I would give it a chance. The results were just about the same as using the "put the can in boiling water" method.<br />
<br />
This cake also has homemade buttercream frosting. I <a href="http://chezleawesome.blogspot.com/2013/05/what-geometry-is-good-for.html" target="_blank">wrote about making buttercream frosting</a> at home in the post about checkerboard cakes. The motor in the base of my Cuisinart heated up the frosting as it mixed so I had to put in the refrigerator for an hour or so to solidify properly.<br />
<br />
Between the dulce de leche and the frosting, this cake was approximately two-thirds sugar. I'm not kidding - it was so sweet that I didn't like it at all. Ironically, several people told me that it was the best thing I've ever made. I suggest eating a very thin sliver of cake with a nice cup of tea to balance it out.<br />
<br />
The cake is a nice, moist vanilla cake and I will probably use the cake recipe for other projects. The dulce de leche was a massive pain to make and took hours but it turned out nice so I may try using it again. The frosting was just too sweet. I dislike buttercream frosting because it's basically just butter and sugar, and there's only so much of that you can eat at one time. If you like buttercream frosting, this recipe is definitely one of the best I've used, easy to make and has a nice consistency.<br />
<br />
If you don't want to bother making dulce de leche and you live near a Trader Joe's, the TJ's<a href="http://www.cooktj.com/trader-joes-products/fleur-de-sel-caramel-sauce" target="_blank"> fleur de sel caramel sauce</a> is a very good dulce de leche substitute.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Tips: I made the dulce de leche and the frosting on Friday night, and then made the cakes and assembled them on Saturday morning. The dulce de leche will take 2-3 hours and the frosting may need to be refrigerated. This cake takes about 6 hours total, so plan ahead.<br />
<br />
For the dulce de leche: make sure that the sugar is dissolved. If it sits on the bottom of the pan, it will caramelize in hard chunks at the bottom instead of smoothly with the milk.<br />
<br />
I used pure vanilla extract instead of a vanilla seed and it was fine. Do not use fake vanilla extract or the dulce de leche will taste like chemicals.<br />
<br />
The baking soda is used to thicken the milk as it heats, so be careful that there are no clumps when you mix it into the milk.<br />
<br />
A simmer is the point where liquid is boiling but it is not a rolling boil: there aren't any big bubbles that are popping. You want to see the surface of the liquid shifting and very small bubbles popping but that's it. It may take a little time to figure out what heat setting you need on the stove to get a simmer.<br />
<br />
Be careful not to let the milk achieve a rolling boil! Milk foams up when it boils, and it will foam over the top edge of the pot and spill on the stove and floor. It will be even harder to clean up because the milk will be sweet and sticky from the sugar. You should check every ten minutes or so for the first hour to be sure that the milk doesn't boil over.<br />
<br />
After the first hour, the milk will have a skin and heavier foam on the surface. It needs to be skimmed off every 20 to 30 minutes.<br />
<br />
The milk will take over an hour to start becoming darker in color. Keep cooking it until it's as thick as you want it to be.<br />
<br />
I stopped cooking the dulce de leche after 3 hours because I wanted to go to bed, so it wasn't quite as thick as it should have been. It still tasted fine. <br />
<br />
For the frosting: The butter need to be cooked in a pan on the stovetop and not in a microwave. You can't cook butter in a microwave because of the way a microwave heats food up. You will just end up with burnt butter.<br />
<br />
If you don't want to wait for the butter to cool down, you can put in the refrigerator and stir it every 3-5 minutes. It won't solidify for hours because of how hot it will get on the stove. After 20 minutes or so, it will be warm but not hot, which is okay for making the frosting. You will need to refrigerate the frosting for a couple of hours. This is fine because the dulce de leche and the cakes need several hours to cook as well.<br />
<br />
I sifted the confectioner's sugar even though the recipe didn't call for it. This will help keep lumps out of the frosting and make the frosting more even. The volume of the sugar will be larger than the volume of the resulting frosting, so make sure that whatever machine you use to make the frosting can hold all of the confectioner's sugar.<br />
<br />
I also added some vanilla and almond extract to the frosting to emphasize the vanilla flavor of the cakes.<br />
<br />
For the cakes: Use parchment paper to prepare the cake pan. A round of parchment paper on the bottom of a pan makes it easy to get a cake out of a pan and helps a cake bake evenly. You can buy parchment paper rounds, but they're usually quite a bit more expensive that a roll of parchment paper. Cut the paper round, butter the bottom and sides of the pan, and press the round into the bottom of the pan. The butter will hold the round in place.<br />
<br />
Don't forget to sift the dry ingredients! This is an important step to get rid of clumps, mix the dry ingredients together, and add air to the cake batter to make a lighter cake.<br />
<br />
Beating the butter "until light" isn't a reference to texture, it's a reference to the color of the butter. Butter becomes paler when it's creamed. The butter must be room temperature for the electric beater to properly cream it, but if you've forgotten to take the butter out of the freezer, you can use the microwave to melt it a little bit. You need the butter to be soft enough that you can push a fork into it.<br />
<br />
This recipe alternates adding dry and wet ingredients in three batches. This approach reduces the amount of lumps that would show up in the batter if all of the dry ingredients and then all of the wet ingredients were mixed in. It's worth it to take a little extra time and follow the instructions for this.<br />
<br />
Either figure out what to do with five egg yolks, or buy egg whites specifically for this.<br />
<br />
I also doubled the amount of almond extract just because I like the taste of vanilla with almond.<br />
<br />
Egg whites have stiff peaks when the peaks stay up after the beaters are turned off. In the picture below, you can see the two circles left from lifting the beaters. This is also called beating egg whites until they're dry. The term "dry" means that when you tilt the bowl, the beaten egg whites slide as if they were one solid mass and they don't leave any liquid behind on the side of the bowl. Egg whites have soft peaks and aren't dry if they don't move like one big solid.<br />
<br />
Assembly: Because my dulce de leche wasn't as thick as it should have been, I knew that it would sink into the cake like melted butter on toast instead of spreading like thick jam. This wasn't a problem and the cakes stacked fine without a thick wedge of dulce de leche in between the layers.<br />
<br />
When stacking cake layers, you want to look at how evenly you cut the cakes. It's very difficult to cut completely flat layers and usually one side of a cake layer is thicker than the other. You want to match up thin sides with thick sides so they cancel each other out and the cake looks flat when you stack the top layer. I was in a rush and wasn't careful so my cake ended up lopsided. Nobody cared except me.<br />
<br />
When you frost a cake, you should put on two layers of frosting. The <a href="http://www.wilton.com/blog/index.php/start-with-a-crumb-coat-for-a-smooth-cake-finish/" target="_blank">first layer is called a crumb coat</a>. This cake needs a crumb coat. A crumb coat is a essentially a primer layer before you really frost the cake. You thin out the frosting a little bit with water so it spreads easier on the cake, and the frosting holds all of the crumbs that are usually in the frosting when you smooth on the first layer. You let this layer dry so it becomes solid, and then you do the second layer. The second layer is nice and smooth and pretty and doesn't have any crumbs in it. Because the frosting is white and the cake is darker, it will show through the first coat and you will need to do a second coat.<br />
<br />
To get the crumb coat to dry quicker, put the cake in the fridge for about 30 minutes after you've done the crumb coat.<br />
<br />
Homemade buttercream frosting melts when store-bought frosting doesn't. This is because the store-bought stuff has lots of chemical preservatives in it. You will see and feel the frosting getting softer as you frost the cake. Put the cake and the frosting in the fridge between coats and before you eat it. My frosting melted a bit on the way to the potluck because my car was hot.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Glorious Dulce de Leche Cake</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe from <a href="http://www.yumsugar.com/Glorious-Dulce-De-Leche-Cake-774890" target="_blank">Popsugar food</a>, </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">original recipes from Williams Sonoma (can't find the original recipe), <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/341927/caramel-frosting" target="_blank">Martha Stewart</a>, and <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/dulce-de-leche-ice-cream-cake-recipe/index.html" target="_blank">Emeril Lagasse</a></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Ingredients</span></b><br />
<br />
For the dulce de leche:<br />
<ul>
<li>
1 quart whole milk</li>
<li>1 cup sugar</li>
<li>1 vanilla bean, split in half and seeds scraped</li>
<li>1 tsp. baking soda</li>
<li>2 tbsp. water</li>
</ul>
For the cake:<br />
<ul>
<li>
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour</li>
<li>
1 tbsp. baking powder</li>
<li>1/2 tsp. salt</li>
<li>12 tbsp. (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature</li>
<li>1-1/2 cups sugar</li>
<li>2 tsp. vanilla extract</li>
<li>1 tsp. almond extract</li>
<li>1 cup milk</li>
<li>5 egg whites, at room temperature </li>
</ul>
For the frosting:<br />
<ul>
<li>
12 tbsp. (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter</li>
<li>
1 package (16 oz.) confectioners sugar</li>
<li>
1/2 cup heavy cream, plus more if needed</li>
<li>
1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract</li>
<li>
pinch of salt</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Directions</b><br />
<br />
<i>Dulce de leche:</i><br />
<br />
In a large heavy saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, vanilla bean,
and seeds and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring to
dissolve the sugar. When the milk begins to get foamy on top, stir to
incorporate the foam.<br />
<br />
In a small bowl, dissolve the baking soda in the water, and add to the milk mixture.<br />
<br />
Reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered at a bare simmer. Let
cook, stirring occasionally without working the foam into the milk.
After 1 hour remove the vanilla bean.<br />
<br />
Continue cooking, skimming occasionally, until tan, very thick, and
reduced to about 1 cup, 1-1/2 to 3 hours depending on the heat of your
stove. The milk will continue to darken as it cooks. Strain into a clean
container and let cool. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The
dulce de leche will thicken as it cools, and will keep refrigerated for
up to 2 weeks.<br />
<br />
<i>Cake:</i><br />
<br />
Position a rack in the middle of an oven and preheat to 350ºF.
Butter and flour two round cake pans each 9 inches in diameter and 1-1/2
inches deep.<br />
<br />
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.<br />
<br />
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium-high speed, beat the butter until light.<br />
<br />
Gradually add the sugar, beating until well blended. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts.<br />
<br />
Reduce the speed to low and, dividing the flour mixture into three
batches, beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture alternately with
the milk just until combined.<br />
<br />
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with clean, dry
beaters and set on high speed, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks
form.<br />
<br />
Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the beaten whites into the
batter just until incorporated. Divide the batter between the prepared
pans; smooth with the spatula.<br />
<br />
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean,
about 30 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool in the pans for 10
minutes. Run a sharp knife around the pan sides to loosen the cakes.
Invert onto racks and let cool completely.<br />
<br />
<i>Frosting:</i><br />
<br />
In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat until
nut-brown in color, about 8 minutes. Remove pan from heat and pour
butter into a bowl, leaving any burned sediment behind; let cool.<br />
<br />
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment,
add confectioners sugar, vanilla, salt, and butter. With the mixer on
low, slowly add cream; beat until smooth. If frosting seems too thick,
stir another tablespoon cream into the mixture.<br />
<br />
<i>Assembly:</i><br />
<br />
Carefully slice each of the two cooled cakes in half to make four
layers. Set one layer on the cake plate. Generously spread about 1/3 cup
of the dulce de leche on top. Top with another cake layer and spread
with another 1/3 cup of the dulce de leche. Repeat with another cake
layer and top with the final forth cake layer. Set dulce de leche aside.<br />
<br />
Frost the top and sides of the cake with the frosting. If using the
sliced almonds, press into the sides of the cake. Drizzle with remaining
dulce de leche. Refrigerate until serving.<br />
<br />
Serves 8–12.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhkeXd8k8h2g7iKyyAYKpE2aexMeoUpfCFXVWCFUok6evECWYpSb9MWt3ELAhWk2rNuOK5GF-48vYRdRn1Y-hGHcIFuKFPVvEgUynZgflwtzbbyN1KbMAX2RWWvEnkKDfHIJylOCHbFKa/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.39.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhkeXd8k8h2g7iKyyAYKpE2aexMeoUpfCFXVWCFUok6evECWYpSb9MWt3ELAhWk2rNuOK5GF-48vYRdRn1Y-hGHcIFuKFPVvEgUynZgflwtzbbyN1KbMAX2RWWvEnkKDfHIJylOCHbFKa/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.39.02+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heating up the milk and sugar: this will be cooked down to about 1 cup of dulce de leche.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJso1J0cWofaQ_PBUcCXdTWy_1U-r2LMhPDRZ5Os4kG47fa_cPt6ApwnrWvg9uURKgzogHvPztsmbX5XAtLx0uGUEjqp20eZpDjsGYyB4ow1Wuxxq7F7Q9LM4_8kWUF81EfnZhqa-pqMvi/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.39.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJso1J0cWofaQ_PBUcCXdTWy_1U-r2LMhPDRZ5Os4kG47fa_cPt6ApwnrWvg9uURKgzogHvPztsmbX5XAtLx0uGUEjqp20eZpDjsGYyB4ow1Wuxxq7F7Q9LM4_8kWUF81EfnZhqa-pqMvi/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.39.14+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melting the butter for the frosting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RTlj1dljvqR55YZGSIqKc0L3x6I4NWTsJhG_jCu1ee14yo56V10cmvYp99W54xPNO2NZ7J5Vq-DwOuv7h-aH74B4sjZtwF5qSB56WxphfCcWLmYnqa5ws46nEoX3cOpFED0vUgdlUeGm/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.39.45+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RTlj1dljvqR55YZGSIqKc0L3x6I4NWTsJhG_jCu1ee14yo56V10cmvYp99W54xPNO2NZ7J5Vq-DwOuv7h-aH74B4sjZtwF5qSB56WxphfCcWLmYnqa5ws46nEoX3cOpFED0vUgdlUeGm/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.39.45+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooking the butter. It needs to get hot enough that the fats start to separate.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgts8R8tOo0Iryxpb_pKJvUnXJsD2BLEgyC1hGbLuQVOHXhs8eK5yJHSQRRdX8x8wuoMZM0RsPv6wZHcOQ_sAXWdFORVU6G7KcvG3vVniV57NjM1hgvx3wlIfv-rMDHWKWqJ5VPiNmNfKqC/s1590/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.39.58+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgts8R8tOo0Iryxpb_pKJvUnXJsD2BLEgyC1hGbLuQVOHXhs8eK5yJHSQRRdX8x8wuoMZM0RsPv6wZHcOQ_sAXWdFORVU6G7KcvG3vVniV57NjM1hgvx3wlIfv-rMDHWKWqJ5VPiNmNfKqC/s1590/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.39.58+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooked butter. It's not quite "nut brown" but it's darker than before.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ky_Ymj18qXyerUKxXyHmzS1EFi9sPYGC56mkOenwiK6twmYD5fhSU24NV_FvvR65cTINPdAX7HyaVPFuq3Rkeqc6YXXFOq9PGLbPo2H-LihidyUUSem3HpwdTjUtBxz_nwGqYbRvps39/s1324/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.39.33+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ky_Ymj18qXyerUKxXyHmzS1EFi9sPYGC56mkOenwiK6twmYD5fhSU24NV_FvvR65cTINPdAX7HyaVPFuq3Rkeqc6YXXFOq9PGLbPo2H-LihidyUUSem3HpwdTjUtBxz_nwGqYbRvps39/s1324/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.39.33+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a 13 cup Cuisinart that is completely full of powdered sugar.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiblwhcHUig7TTwKBg0C91xmyYn9J-WWc2cukkaHKpxe3lTd-5kVdh7bS3kcE_1HZYDc7_OzaABUMQnjEHJ7qS62fDQT2OEW6mhOj8A33Y602v4WjcTP6OOGd7JBDqISUry7rbxJ5yxrBFg/s1476/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.40.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiblwhcHUig7TTwKBg0C91xmyYn9J-WWc2cukkaHKpxe3lTd-5kVdh7bS3kcE_1HZYDc7_OzaABUMQnjEHJ7qS62fDQT2OEW6mhOj8A33Y602v4WjcTP6OOGd7JBDqISUry7rbxJ5yxrBFg/s1476/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.40.09+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The frosting right before I put it in the fridge.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGMlOZJ4t2GG_7LpdYsBkMft2gI1Z90amwFxjxMYmpleSz_Ny0fL7Zrko0tzSQxW0lQpEmVEnrO3_a6-hvlARv4tZ7-O0NFJGMs8f0eWX-PfH9dxvjNFf5kAhDWhqLH6d4N2jGYSQeAMM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.40.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGMlOZJ4t2GG_7LpdYsBkMft2gI1Z90amwFxjxMYmpleSz_Ny0fL7Zrko0tzSQxW0lQpEmVEnrO3_a6-hvlARv4tZ7-O0NFJGMs8f0eWX-PfH9dxvjNFf5kAhDWhqLH6d4N2jGYSQeAMM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.40.24+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to make the cakes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdrNW3Y3f6rq1ADoxtPPVfIZOS6xldnxEpx64AaxsWBOtJLHS6qVFQ5L8GT0IFMRCxhag3hUW1IQ6YStAgCLLf1ozDBvwGpm7LwCrSBy7w1Isz00EyDx3jfpX822sIP0PBLWC4Oq80cXpg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.40.38+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdrNW3Y3f6rq1ADoxtPPVfIZOS6xldnxEpx64AaxsWBOtJLHS6qVFQ5L8GT0IFMRCxhag3hUW1IQ6YStAgCLLf1ozDBvwGpm7LwCrSBy7w1Isz00EyDx3jfpX822sIP0PBLWC4Oq80cXpg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.40.38+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lightened butter after being creamed with the hand mixer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2FTS9Xfp7QtTbQcWjR13I4qyE6N6tvnPEjEGYTIVlVO2LWTXSkS9Biv6mzOZmZaoZrM0dORJgsCuNUvnxr_1rqoafC5aFC63yVJAXVaJj6l0ZVJvzGsTdVKniEgaq1PO5VD-jInWGMXh/s1484/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.40.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2FTS9Xfp7QtTbQcWjR13I4qyE6N6tvnPEjEGYTIVlVO2LWTXSkS9Biv6mzOZmZaoZrM0dORJgsCuNUvnxr_1rqoafC5aFC63yVJAXVaJj6l0ZVJvzGsTdVKniEgaq1PO5VD-jInWGMXh/s1484/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.40.50+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the sugar is added. The butter is still getting lighter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUNn0v3zpHcbfSTbLpDd_JPGLGUYd87W-FN_qMmuTX0c3JspH5s3fDc7wkHJk_18h4mou0xFv63ClVys83ujFNnt9NsxUrHV4oNXOlG76vc1rt7ghnnE7LO8OrM_6hlntmxBKDb0_DytZs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.41.04+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUNn0v3zpHcbfSTbLpDd_JPGLGUYd87W-FN_qMmuTX0c3JspH5s3fDc7wkHJk_18h4mou0xFv63ClVys83ujFNnt9NsxUrHV4oNXOlG76vc1rt7ghnnE7LO8OrM_6hlntmxBKDb0_DytZs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.41.04+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the dry ingredients and the milk added. The consistency of the batter will already be light.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsxT9SbzQizDnS0aHO4lPaO5MYeuFFLgWvOv_211AtyP5zDbtJAQqYbYlD2QJnWc-0_L34ZuIWnWnkQSdNv2_w11kijHW2of6dyu3MlaRJqdJxDA6nxA3Y4M5pQCmNCm44BOXu9nimwEjK/s1450/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.41.23+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsxT9SbzQizDnS0aHO4lPaO5MYeuFFLgWvOv_211AtyP5zDbtJAQqYbYlD2QJnWc-0_L34ZuIWnWnkQSdNv2_w11kijHW2of6dyu3MlaRJqdJxDA6nxA3Y4M5pQCmNCm44BOXu9nimwEjK/s1450/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.41.23+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Egg whites with stiff peaks. You can still see the two circles where the beaters were.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcaWl3fQ901PYyEwaHuHfRJ-o1vGMLkITEKywTIrIPanL8LCN1DfLrn7ZFysBugnI8PAwNzZ7iM3_H25aM4mG8gJYhNQCQDVyETaeaNYgugI7Ulq-V86kZgjikmjsswXfW3riFAZAHLrU/s1468/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.41.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcaWl3fQ901PYyEwaHuHfRJ-o1vGMLkITEKywTIrIPanL8LCN1DfLrn7ZFysBugnI8PAwNzZ7iM3_H25aM4mG8gJYhNQCQDVyETaeaNYgugI7Ulq-V86kZgjikmjsswXfW3riFAZAHLrU/s1468/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.41.40+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished batter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspnmY38AYCe7Sd0kUERyBF732mjE1HX4dT7UhrScdyRijjhxUrlIHuSiScm5YXJB4laswpPTCARg15mGK5M3XYydEI0FwlkQAfNEdRsLXg-VKQaarGrStmME2nnjpEu79ayP37HVNmTWI/s1458/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.42.07+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspnmY38AYCe7Sd0kUERyBF732mjE1HX4dT7UhrScdyRijjhxUrlIHuSiScm5YXJB4laswpPTCARg15mGK5M3XYydEI0FwlkQAfNEdRsLXg-VKQaarGrStmME2nnjpEu79ayP37HVNmTWI/s1458/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.42.07+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have two cakes pans, and one is thicker. That pan distributed heat more evenly and the cake baked faster. It's on the bottom. The thinner cake pan took 5 minutes longer and the edges were over-baked.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfJ7fKAmWrLn6Kn0OSbelkhvl93Q9oSu3WwG66Tl0qc_jYAOy8IoKAJY6gEjD23RPI1wYWwRJZrC2vuhxdE8O0IPWgQvy3X4NRH6ayEZqlTdwgKObpRFmL0OILWOBKbNZbHAyYyI-TI3EH/s1458/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.42.36+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfJ7fKAmWrLn6Kn0OSbelkhvl93Q9oSu3WwG66Tl0qc_jYAOy8IoKAJY6gEjD23RPI1wYWwRJZrC2vuhxdE8O0IPWgQvy3X4NRH6ayEZqlTdwgKObpRFmL0OILWOBKbNZbHAyYyI-TI3EH/s1458/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.42.36+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sliced cakes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGE-lf7m-O_F0jqjk9DG6gVJ4qTeVvyGbW3bG58CpFMvoGnD8BNQQycSUp7WCrt-UJFb68jUDdIWvUePmOgt5qEOGgXx2nenwt3mGTVGHgmRy_RszYdkfkQZvoB_lXR4uuaGcB8BYFj9B8/s1570/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.42.49+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGE-lf7m-O_F0jqjk9DG6gVJ4qTeVvyGbW3bG58CpFMvoGnD8BNQQycSUp7WCrt-UJFb68jUDdIWvUePmOgt5qEOGgXx2nenwt3mGTVGHgmRy_RszYdkfkQZvoB_lXR4uuaGcB8BYFj9B8/s1570/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.42.49+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two layers of cake with dulce de leche spread on top. It is sinking into the cake layer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOXkP9vtG9xEccgAz3h1zGzq6Y1Ve1-au8KBm2iCwz4eZHuJ6uRNyoeHKEGnDJCh451vzvmM9pIGNytfGTREv2d6C5wTonbq5KGeVT9jY8gV0Wx-BxwJjm4zQBrDvQiX5gq7dBe9EIoXJ/s1454/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.43.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOXkP9vtG9xEccgAz3h1zGzq6Y1Ve1-au8KBm2iCwz4eZHuJ6uRNyoeHKEGnDJCh451vzvmM9pIGNytfGTREv2d6C5wTonbq5KGeVT9jY8gV0Wx-BxwJjm4zQBrDvQiX5gq7dBe9EIoXJ/s1454/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.43.17+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Staring the crumb coat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaj7bFw8r3K6KiVOookF6bl5A4vPgWHslxkiRoLzqrwbFhs2Py4lFd1aPgBxJ5QkN_C1twkNb6UTOOTjyMNshFohJNKJ-tIX5eQx5UhXW1C2xx4H7W_oxUgmG8hv9Uz7wa_877lmmBXcDR/s1596/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.43.28+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaj7bFw8r3K6KiVOookF6bl5A4vPgWHslxkiRoLzqrwbFhs2Py4lFd1aPgBxJ5QkN_C1twkNb6UTOOTjyMNshFohJNKJ-tIX5eQx5UhXW1C2xx4H7W_oxUgmG8hv9Uz7wa_877lmmBXcDR/s1596/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.43.28+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished frosting the second layer. You can see that the cake isn't even.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhajo854T2hXtTqzZpztWGTgK_n6j6qVv4BZxZBL8byh81elkdnl_i5silRaKqqKYbrVXm94BagjcOrxJjcEZgZa46IMDr-BSD4cskVF8U3QLtShI08dQhairbZrYnMdkMrDiDhDDSZ5Pk/s1408/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.43.41+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhajo854T2hXtTqzZpztWGTgK_n6j6qVv4BZxZBL8byh81elkdnl_i5silRaKqqKYbrVXm94BagjcOrxJjcEZgZa46IMDr-BSD4cskVF8U3QLtShI08dQhairbZrYnMdkMrDiDhDDSZ5Pk/s1408/Screen+Shot+2013-06-30+at+8.43.41+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished cake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-52945621686945088122013-06-05T22:28:00.001-04:002013-06-05T22:28:29.766-04:00I'm Too Poor For Your Recipe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Every cookbook and blog tell you the same thing: use high quality, fresh ingredients for the best tasting results. This makes sense and I completely agree. But there is a line between high quality ingredients and break-the-bank ingredients. Certain blogs (no, I won't name them) assume that you have both access to quality but expensive foods and the bank balance to possibly waste a large quantity of said expensive foods.<br />
<br />
"Take a quick hop over to Nepal and hike to the Lumbini Buddhist monastery. Trade the monks for yak butter specially prepared according to the ancient rituals. P.S. You need two cups of butter for this recipe."<br />
<br />
No, thank you. I will just use the regular, straight from the farm to my local farmer's market butter that is still kind of expensive but worth the money to support local farmers.<br />
<br />
For this month's potluck, I tried two new recipes. One was completely reasonable and used ingredients that I can get at my local supermarket. The other one was also completely reasonable if you bake or cook using mostly pre-made stuff. I am snobby enough that I will make my own whipped cream instead of using "whipped product". This recipe was probably pretty cheap when made using Duncan Hines cake mix, etc, but became pretty expensive when I made almost everything from scratch.* The good news is that everybody said both recipes tasted great, which is the most important part.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">* Okay, so my complaint about how expensive the ingredients were for this recipe is due to my insistence on using expensive ingredients and not on the recipe itself, but let's forget about that so I can complain some more.</span><br />
<br />
The first recipe was raspberry bars, although the original changed recipe used blackberries and the original original recipe used blueberries. There weren't any blackberries at the store so the main ingredient changed. People said that the crust was great and that the bars tasted very strongly of raspberry. I like blackberries better than raspberries so I'll probably remake this one when blackberries are in season, or I may try this using cherries. I also like this recipe because it shows the type of evolution that recipes undergo when we use in-season ingredients. You can see how the basic structure and dough part of the recipe stay the same, but we all used different fruits.<br />
<br />
The second recipe was a chocolate-nutella mousse stack cake. If you love Nutella like I do, this is the cake for you. This recipe also had very little from-scratch baking in it so my version has a similar result to the original but a very different set of steps. People said that the Nutella mousse was fantastic as frosting, that the taste and texture was amazing. They also said that the cake was great but the Nutella mousse got more compliments. I would have felt better about all of this if the cake hadn't broken in the middle.<br />
<br />
Cakes weigh a lot, so when you stack them up they need to be strong enough to hold up the layers on top of them and to stay together when stacked on top of other cakes. Many cakes are moist and lovely but not strong enough to either hold up layers or stay together on top. This cake recipe produced exactly that type of cake: moist, soft, and easily broken. Stacking layers with this cake will work if you don't slice each cake into two layers.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
I'm not kidding about how much cakes weigh - those 3-tier wedding cakes usually weigh between 75 and 100 pounds. When the cake started breaking in half, I stuck in my cake carrier tupperware to keep it together and get it to the picnic. I figured when people ate it, they wouldn't care if it had split in half. They didn't.<br />
<br />
Tips: for the bars, the butter needs to be cold but not so hard that you can't chop it up with a knife. When you incorporate it into the flour mixture, you need to be able to push it through the tines of a fork but it needs to be more solid then when butter is creamed. I hope this makes sense. I ended up doing the first pass with a fork, and then using my hands to smush up the chunks that were too big into smaller chunks that were about half of the original size. You want small chunks of butter, but not small enough that the flour looks like it's sand.<br />
<br />
Put the cubed butter into the flour, then press the butter cubes into the side of the bowl with the backside of a fork so that the butter is pressed through the tines and ends up on the front side of the fork. Stir the smaller chunks of butter into the flour. You should end up with small cubes of butter that are still visible in the flour.<br />
<br />
The cornstarch will dissolve in the lemon juice but you will still need to stir in the sugar to make sure that there aren't any clumps. You can pour the lemon juice mixture over the fruit before making the flour/butter mixture, and let the berries sit in the lemon juice. Don't skip the cornstarch or you will end up with very runny bars.<br />
<br />
Remember to zest the lemon before you juice it!<br />
<br />
My bars were done after 35-40 minutes. The recipe says that the time seems to vary between 35 and 50 minutes. My oven is usually not very reliable with baking times and since mine took a smaller amount of time, I recommend checking to see if the top has browned starting at about 30 minutes.<br />
<br />
I baked the bars the night before and left them overnight in the fridge. The consistency stayed firm even through a hot car ride for an hour and then a 20 minute hike afterwards. <br />
<br />
For the nutella cake, the original recipe says to make one Pillsbury German Chocolate cake mixes (plus nutella) and to split the batter between two cake pans. Then those two cakes are sliced in half length-wise. I made two devil's food cakes instead, which has a looser crumb (can't support weight as well). There's nothing wrong with using cake mix instead of using your own dry ingredients, but I dislike not being able to control the amount of sugar in the batter.<br />
<br />
It is important to use parchment paper to line the bottom of the pan when you bake the cakes. I don't bother using a pen when I cut out the circles: press a piece of parchment paper into the pan and run your finger around the bottom of the pan to press the paper firmly against the pan. When you pick the paper up, there will be a circle imprinted on the paper. Just cut around that circle.<br />
<br />Coffee is a taste emphasizer for chocolate. If you add a small amount of coffee to a chocolate recipe, you won't taste the coffee but the chocolate will taste more chocolate-y. Many dense chocolate cake recipes call for a tablespoon of espresso powder or a cup of coffee.<br />
<br />
1 ounce is not a lot of chocolate. Fortunately Baker's sells 10 ounce boxes of baking chocolate where each ounce is individually wrapped. Take one of the ounces and leave it in the paper wrapper, place it on a cutting board with the bottom side up, and smash it to bits with the edge of a can of vegetables. This is much easier than chopping chocolate with a knife, and all of those little bits of chocolate stay in the wrapper.<br />
<br />
Brown sugar is packed or tightly packed when it is pressed down firmly into the measuring cup. Pour out about half or one cup of brown sugar, and press it down with a fork. Continue pouring small amount of sugar and pressing it down until you have one a half cups, pressed.<br />
<br />
Since I don't have a stand mixer, I made this recipe just whisking and stirring by hand. It was fine and pretty easy.<br />
<br />
I added half a cup of nutella to this recipe right before I poured it into the pans. Honestly, I didn't taste nutella at all in the baked cakes so it was pretty much a waste of nutella.<br />
<br />
The original recipe suggests: to stack the cakes, slide a cake layer onto a large plate and then slide it onto the cake. This tip worked really well.<br />
<br />
If you forgot to take the cream cheese out of the fridge to soften up, put it in a bowl and microwave it in 5 second increments, stirring it between increments. It should only take 10 or 15 seconds to loosen up. You want it to be solid, not liquidy.<br />
<br />
I also made the nutella mousse the night before, so it had been in the fridge overnight. I used a measuring cup to split it evenly into four parts and then stirred each part with a fork to loosen it up a bit.<br />
<br />
When you're stacking the cakes, you don't want to spread the mousse (or whatever filling you're using) all the way to the edges of the cake. The weight of the cake will press down on the mousse and squish it out towards the outside edge. <br />
<br />
For the drizzled chocolate topping, I melted a bag of chocolate chips in the microwave. It was slightly clumpy and I couldn't get it to drizzle evenly. Nobody cared. I also skipped the chocolate curls part of the topping. To make chocolate curls, you run a potato peeler down the side of a solid bar of chocolate.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Blackberry Pie Bars</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">recipe from <a href="http://witandvinegar.com/2013/05/blackberry-pie-bars.html" target="_blank">wit and vinegar</a>, originally from <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/07/blueberry-crumb-bars/" target="_blank">smitten kitchen</a>, more originally from <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Blueberry-Crumb-Bars/Detail.aspx" target="_blank">allrecipes.com</a></span><br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<ul>
<li>1 cup white sugar</li>
<li>1 teaspoon baking powder</li>
<li>3 cups all-purpose flour</li>
<li>1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks, cubed up)</li>
<li>1 egg</li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon salt</li>
<li>Zest and juice of one lemon</li>
<li>18 ounce package berries (black, rasp, blue, or halved cherries) (roughly 3 cups)</li>
<li>1/2 cups white sugar</li>
<li>4 teaspoons cornstarch</li>
</ul>
<b>Directions</b><br />
Grease a 9X13 inch pan. Preheat the oven to 375 F.<br />
<br />
Combine lemon juice, cornstarch, and sugar in a medium bowl. Wash fruit and add to lemon juice mixture. Gently toss until fruit is evenly covered with lemon juice mixture.<br />
<br />
In a very large bowl, whisk together sugar, baking powder, flour, salt, and lemon zest.<br /><br />Using a fork, a pastry cutter, or your hands, incorporate the cold cubed butter and egg into the flour mixture until it’s crumbly. Don’t let the butter cubes become too small.<br /><br />
Pat half of the dough mixture into the pan. Top with fruit, then crumble the remaining dough over the fruit. Bake for 35-50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Start checking the color of the top of the dough at about 30 minutes, and continue checking every 5 minutes until the bars are done.<br />
<br />
Let the bars cool completely and then put the pan in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. If the pan is made of glass, it will shatter if you put it in the fridge when it's hot. Wait 20-30 minutes before putting the bars in the fridge. Once the bars have been refrigerated, cut them up using a sharp knife.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Nutella Chocolate Torte</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Idea and original recipe for nutella mousse from <a href="http://www.thegunnysack.com/2013/05/nutella-chocolate-torte-recipe.html" target="_blank">the Gunny Sack</a>; devil's food cake recipe from </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2012/05/seven-sins-chocolate-cake.html" target="_blank">Sprinkle Bakes</a>, original recipe from Rose Levy Berenbaum</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Ingredients</b><br /><br />1 chocolate cake, baked in two pans:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 ounce fine quality unsweetened baker's chocolate (chopped evenly)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">3/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 cup hot coffee (can use hot water or decaf coffee if caffeine sensitive)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 eggs</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 egg yolks</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/4 cup sour cream</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 1/4 cups all purpose flour</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, tightly packed</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 teaspoon baking soda</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">16 tablespoon (2 US sticks) unsalted butter (softened)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/2 cup nutella (if desired) </span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nutella mousse:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li>8 ounce package cream cheese (softened)</li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 cup powdered sugar</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">3/4 cup Nutella</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/2 teaspoon vanilla</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">16 ounces heavy whipping cream </span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: small;">Garnish/topping:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">1 package high quality chocolate chips (milk or bittersweet depending on your tastes)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">1 ounce baking chocolate or 1 bar solid chocolate </span><span style="font-size: small;"></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Directions</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">For the devil's food cake:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch cake pans with vegetable shortening or butter and line with a circle of parchment paper. Grease paper and flour; tap out excess and set pan aside.<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">In a medium bowl, whisk the chocolate, cocoa and hot coffee (or water) until smooth. Set aside.<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">In another bowl, whisk the eggs, yolks, sour cream, half the chocolate mixture and vanilla until just combined.<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt on low for 30 seconds. Add the softened butter and the remaining chocolate mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">With the mixer off between additions, add the egg mixture in two parts, starting on medium-low speed and gradually increasing to medium. Beat on medium speed for 45 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. The batter will be fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Using a silicone spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the surface evenly with a small offset spatula.<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Bake for 30-40 minutes (check at 30). Cake is does when a toothpick tester comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed in the middle. Let the baked cakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn cake out onto a wire rack sprayed with cooking oil. Let cool completely.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">When the cake are cooled, slice each cake horizontally so that there are now two cakes of the same width but half of the height as the original. Use a bread knife, a long knife with a serrated edge. You will need to "saw" the cake, or cut back and forth with the knife, as you cut through the cake.<b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">For the nutella mousse:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">With a hand mixer, beat the heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. Beat the softened cream cheese with a fork until light and fluffy. Add the nutella, powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat with a fork until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Assembly:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Place one of the cake rounds on a platter. Spread 1/4 of the nutella mousse onto the cake round. Top with another layer of cake, spread mousse, and repeat until all four cake rounds have been stacked and covered with mousse.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Soften the chocolate bar in the microwave for a few seconds. Run a vegetable peeler along the edge of the chocolate bar to make chocolate curls. Top the cake with the chocolate curls. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheoOLgG4xB23Ys3RJOGfuJhEFZpGYEXwtaC3XJqELa4Bw5kf82QbUc9rAOeqYtihzhpBCSMRhL5lHIDGLyc1L8m9DYx5qc6eIFz8wQNzJdjsJk0DJpdVss-uu9crXdrEhP1HysnCa3uMRu/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.12.15+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheoOLgG4xB23Ys3RJOGfuJhEFZpGYEXwtaC3XJqELa4Bw5kf82QbUc9rAOeqYtihzhpBCSMRhL5lHIDGLyc1L8m9DYx5qc6eIFz8wQNzJdjsJk0DJpdVss-uu9crXdrEhP1HysnCa3uMRu/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.12.15+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lemon juice mixture.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbdyHtQ4MOhgOE8lfl8nMZfIFLfkEFAcyVwqTExorMd9TrUGsuFin16jLvXAYs-QZWQlBj3E7tsqMIfOdAdYKleePrV3KT_YCHCUXXYBjpAO1TahJ0yyOwtjOHMsD-54c06DtCUrPZ0rF/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.12.25+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbdyHtQ4MOhgOE8lfl8nMZfIFLfkEFAcyVwqTExorMd9TrUGsuFin16jLvXAYs-QZWQlBj3E7tsqMIfOdAdYKleePrV3KT_YCHCUXXYBjpAO1TahJ0yyOwtjOHMsD-54c06DtCUrPZ0rF/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.12.25+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raspberries covered in lemon juice mixture.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg07To874rn5FFp3U6uYORZYn599R2-Hs_W6uoEycd5gmRxeFaOIKBMklmz39zXmImPvg4YXjqPwHRxx8MKITPYi-vtzhdeB0dwrGy0LaBD3dYu-SGxmD1lqyqXnVp5KL4GQuWoA3iYVXm_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.11.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg07To874rn5FFp3U6uYORZYn599R2-Hs_W6uoEycd5gmRxeFaOIKBMklmz39zXmImPvg4YXjqPwHRxx8MKITPYi-vtzhdeB0dwrGy0LaBD3dYu-SGxmD1lqyqXnVp5KL4GQuWoA3iYVXm_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.11.43+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cubed butter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXpKnvdc7zThyIH4P6TbKpx_S89tBpiHIui0F6qkSVcjXPBfsMKsWvlHrLCkiMiJUyAsTg-jxi0o3vCG9RgdgxOfxexcVEbLze5YeiPWBOvKGqxLfxzY8KLmjhfcDYb0A-RlQkXmXR93m/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.11.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXpKnvdc7zThyIH4P6TbKpx_S89tBpiHIui0F6qkSVcjXPBfsMKsWvlHrLCkiMiJUyAsTg-jxi0o3vCG9RgdgxOfxexcVEbLze5YeiPWBOvKGqxLfxzY8KLmjhfcDYb0A-RlQkXmXR93m/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.11.32+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One lemon makes a lot of zest.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVyEGmJbVARIgdSV_YO8quFTyCCxRES3MuFPZPUOYSC7qq5H9hSlGflDXXliub49KYAcat8swQv6RxlH25g1XJnZl3umhnU-jCkFwI2vGshFtI0ydZRhOfEwXPU19jso8LQsyFNJBqEls/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.11.54+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVyEGmJbVARIgdSV_YO8quFTyCCxRES3MuFPZPUOYSC7qq5H9hSlGflDXXliub49KYAcat8swQv6RxlH25g1XJnZl3umhnU-jCkFwI2vGshFtI0ydZRhOfEwXPU19jso8LQsyFNJBqEls/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.11.54+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flour + butter without the egg.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWiFuMow83FeuDtwp2I1KRodNOvSMFpR7-d4xarFkMypg72QvgHR7dyHlWdOjDbEKNHob4e4u6xeQ5WeN3bPVXcix6OF1-grb15u8uVHkWXA_jjMJ8lPmtSvQW2jkHIsYbzUFvXpXdoDeR/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.12.05+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWiFuMow83FeuDtwp2I1KRodNOvSMFpR7-d4xarFkMypg72QvgHR7dyHlWdOjDbEKNHob4e4u6xeQ5WeN3bPVXcix6OF1-grb15u8uVHkWXA_jjMJ8lPmtSvQW2jkHIsYbzUFvXpXdoDeR/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.12.05+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the egg added, and some of the larger butter cubes smashed up by hand. Note that you can still see the individual butter cubes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjkYKsN-e_4UCX4T3TIocSt18EzwBhnrrr82QPxEM_9FJc5ipCL7q-UY59BV8EjcPPIsUvpPqtEmUU5uKRyYDDfHa97nRwSI-lVLc5_X5jSQ3XTjlO2FcJD3yLjPtet-TWLxkujutnwfOk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.12.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjkYKsN-e_4UCX4T3TIocSt18EzwBhnrrr82QPxEM_9FJc5ipCL7q-UY59BV8EjcPPIsUvpPqtEmUU5uKRyYDDfHa97nRwSI-lVLc5_X5jSQ3XTjlO2FcJD3yLjPtet-TWLxkujutnwfOk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.12.47+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Half of the dough pressed into the greased pan. Press down firmly so the the dough feels solid.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9z-Z_fXGYl27Hxxju6_OPzLok4t1GCXTxkubYDh_sL79FvFDezq9ylXkw1ppHtfztVWY8CURkX-18hb3RMHrJeHRV9_m3pftrb8N10lwemf8AuSuPjOaaLRP7anf3YgrJ839Dh6L3vIE6/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.12.56+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9z-Z_fXGYl27Hxxju6_OPzLok4t1GCXTxkubYDh_sL79FvFDezq9ylXkw1ppHtfztVWY8CURkX-18hb3RMHrJeHRV9_m3pftrb8N10lwemf8AuSuPjOaaLRP7anf3YgrJ839Dh6L3vIE6/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.12.56+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's as evenly as I could scatter the raspberries.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiguyAcJU_ust7n3nmVm1yBcmbH6LqiBwefiIRnEGJ-p224Vm4RidEL3rKR5m8MrHeDZvoH6_hgGcK1svepGSnuCzBsfI7s858flWrYk4MKsfPDQZLp7dTX9yUVw4yRD7tXvcDCAL9hCw4m/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.13.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiguyAcJU_ust7n3nmVm1yBcmbH6LqiBwefiIRnEGJ-p224Vm4RidEL3rKR5m8MrHeDZvoH6_hgGcK1svepGSnuCzBsfI7s858flWrYk4MKsfPDQZLp7dTX9yUVw4yRD7tXvcDCAL9hCw4m/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.13.09+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the dough crumbled on top.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR-XjZOdl0EXnAJnXeSJ5XamYlU6zDYpriE8c48iAh8DeqVl99JCVhnuZuWUoBeciUOlT-RVdiLKiUS1HAdIu-Dd_H0ZHtmEt97vrfSQvbBZ2DsYpQe8aswgw-_FpDrQCnmKElT_KwrRac/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.13.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR-XjZOdl0EXnAJnXeSJ5XamYlU6zDYpriE8c48iAh8DeqVl99JCVhnuZuWUoBeciUOlT-RVdiLKiUS1HAdIu-Dd_H0ZHtmEt97vrfSQvbBZ2DsYpQe8aswgw-_FpDrQCnmKElT_KwrRac/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.13.20+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It took about 35-40 minutes for the top to turn golden brown.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5AV4fsqznonF2c2Y3z_JmVa0dEYdiYxJ87BaSssjeZNsidQSns6lL1B3mr0DdJLFC2i3jrJl1JHVbsiuweOyvTBYAW3owFbmO3ywM2Xd7Q9f7PQJ0Nqz4n_h7zmpqsrFnTyc6-mkNOJie/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.16.41+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5AV4fsqznonF2c2Y3z_JmVa0dEYdiYxJ87BaSssjeZNsidQSns6lL1B3mr0DdJLFC2i3jrJl1JHVbsiuweOyvTBYAW3owFbmO3ywM2Xd7Q9f7PQJ0Nqz4n_h7zmpqsrFnTyc6-mkNOJie/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.16.41+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished bars.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzgAw4dOc_DPRkD2u6AHDR3zD6FyeRyuWTcfO2aDol9azSIQ-dI15MQuBF9xfCbGSGmOUM7zoSrnImPiIkdNbMNUa36FD7F8MAqqtDLGSomfn6ckh9pdSCjwDKzgxV1rb9_wRMpdtWJcVE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.14.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzgAw4dOc_DPRkD2u6AHDR3zD6FyeRyuWTcfO2aDol9azSIQ-dI15MQuBF9xfCbGSGmOUM7zoSrnImPiIkdNbMNUa36FD7F8MAqqtDLGSomfn6ckh9pdSCjwDKzgxV1rb9_wRMpdtWJcVE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.14.06+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One ounce of baking chocolate.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIkz1OtsYJXPqi6Uwg9vaL2cHJGjH4jXJeh7HKZEzHLKUEQn7gxnU-kGAcfGBkMQtswJGUNGRsHmqilZmDx2ut0vE9_px3TABy01ekcIliJmjT4t4dgADBJ6mOL8zL5rCmCJJumbvXiqO/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.14.15+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIkz1OtsYJXPqi6Uwg9vaL2cHJGjH4jXJeh7HKZEzHLKUEQn7gxnU-kGAcfGBkMQtswJGUNGRsHmqilZmDx2ut0vE9_px3TABy01ekcIliJmjT4t4dgADBJ6mOL8zL5rCmCJJumbvXiqO/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.14.15+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smashed chocolate.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH0B6-zD_hyb5vcR7-XR0ES5p84YEoe5s-Xw02aRsz3iheiWDgajeugqZbIhJUoXLDEOJ54_b9cK1PpaLZBkSPAiGCNDjqxNQB52jWgw8vGDYzZNh5mo0H0kes32CnJDOI0Vgyd3f9LQW3/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.14.23+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH0B6-zD_hyb5vcR7-XR0ES5p84YEoe5s-Xw02aRsz3iheiWDgajeugqZbIhJUoXLDEOJ54_b9cK1PpaLZBkSPAiGCNDjqxNQB52jWgw8vGDYzZNh5mo0H0kes32CnJDOI0Vgyd3f9LQW3/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.14.23+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocolate, cocoa powder, and hot coffee mixture.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7JuiLAywcBemf28ZYjCtEJR9g9VIMEEZdCCHhmtEIDJR7zxLbzkwpZ4hKCKP1famWvbN8uJMEmgB6uP88goc0XvUV7kIBL_T6oX7S-c7YElhg4nZEgnwBET5Ou0GP_xyP3iO4ck4f7IFW/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.14.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7JuiLAywcBemf28ZYjCtEJR9g9VIMEEZdCCHhmtEIDJR7zxLbzkwpZ4hKCKP1famWvbN8uJMEmgB6uP88goc0XvUV7kIBL_T6oX7S-c7YElhg4nZEgnwBET5Ou0GP_xyP3iO4ck4f7IFW/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.14.32+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eggs, sour cream, and vanilla.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZLbXYXuVjAVeSjL3Zdla4ptnTEBeEhWnwNOtd5t70vwHiXi6d2SQ8fzl5QrSpgOdV8W09pNua1Bwmf5kzi5FrjGDNESBJ0sbJeJp6LH1-5AA8pPua7PJj3G6Owvw_Hy9CPX1wTwu96ZM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.14.45+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZLbXYXuVjAVeSjL3Zdla4ptnTEBeEhWnwNOtd5t70vwHiXi6d2SQ8fzl5QrSpgOdV8W09pNua1Bwmf5kzi5FrjGDNESBJ0sbJeJp6LH1-5AA8pPua7PJj3G6Owvw_Hy9CPX1wTwu96ZM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.14.45+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 1/2 cups tightly packed brown sugar.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiREtnSC_IFkbiqQ0yZlGCKy-TQeIHaI9s6T00MXgovG4oWAAoZtokKY5oU8m93kqPc9ycm3DuAmvddC3HrKhnRpSkgQMQAfcSq-hrUBUZRqV2uVztAXrl0dLfeRIo8Y7DjpCh8Y9NCCgcp/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.14.58+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiREtnSC_IFkbiqQ0yZlGCKy-TQeIHaI9s6T00MXgovG4oWAAoZtokKY5oU8m93kqPc9ycm3DuAmvddC3HrKhnRpSkgQMQAfcSq-hrUBUZRqV2uVztAXrl0dLfeRIo8Y7DjpCh8Y9NCCgcp/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.14.58+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flour mixture with softened butter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoIqobpuFQrLKKueRXiGxqXoNX6mrMi0Wf76YrkAIgM1H9IEKWNZB3DuVYdjFezvdxmeA2Q6GeYRAnkgY5Due9R6PX3e6tmZk4QMy-47LXS93oPQ5WaXCO-kKgHPacnfxn278SLk3C7KFZ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.15.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoIqobpuFQrLKKueRXiGxqXoNX6mrMi0Wf76YrkAIgM1H9IEKWNZB3DuVYdjFezvdxmeA2Q6GeYRAnkgY5Due9R6PX3e6tmZk4QMy-47LXS93oPQ5WaXCO-kKgHPacnfxn278SLk3C7KFZ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.15.09+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the butter mixed in.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2fukQI75nRXR9R83jo4fQoRlhWqZm8HquOgIcx9E0i09O8Cnrcg0Jz79GWcm-wZmPnIE8g_ZBcUQgZGU2CSrqhHCOTnlHX0NWtXYoHIYxdOevQed3SYvuI70Env_d5AH6SVrWLq1SL5N/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.15.18+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2fukQI75nRXR9R83jo4fQoRlhWqZm8HquOgIcx9E0i09O8Cnrcg0Jz79GWcm-wZmPnIE8g_ZBcUQgZGU2CSrqhHCOTnlHX0NWtXYoHIYxdOevQed3SYvuI70Env_d5AH6SVrWLq1SL5N/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.15.18+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the other half of the chocolate/coffee mixture.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2pYC44TiKlh6oRxGSPGfFDBo_28G1ui8lzBeC6HO84yOzwtRCijcUqqBleT9FQipyJJmNGZPtPpqsFm9k9-fOG9ohXXd1hwMdBnn6r64ke12VZ0D4bEJ_wUfcu_xBv1xLgDJpROV46bp/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.15.28+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2pYC44TiKlh6oRxGSPGfFDBo_28G1ui8lzBeC6HO84yOzwtRCijcUqqBleT9FQipyJJmNGZPtPpqsFm9k9-fOG9ohXXd1hwMdBnn6r64ke12VZ0D4bEJ_wUfcu_xBv1xLgDJpROV46bp/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.15.28+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the first half of the egg mixture.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20az_a-SSez9lX_q_I4HZXRr3Xv2I5P3AcJOCj__PSucD-P5LXhfaHHFWPuijteSzdppyYKZDgsam5Y5HLNHXqUoip8kU3IhyphenhyphentygvDzuhOPU-AT4b4bTNXUb6kUD72tZPlJk0PMxqLh11/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.15.38+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20az_a-SSez9lX_q_I4HZXRr3Xv2I5P3AcJOCj__PSucD-P5LXhfaHHFWPuijteSzdppyYKZDgsam5Y5HLNHXqUoip8kU3IhyphenhyphentygvDzuhOPU-AT4b4bTNXUb6kUD72tZPlJk0PMxqLh11/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.15.38+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the second half of the egg mixture. The batter really was fluffy at this point.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzzj_VUhJGD4KaZou63WtVcPm6SJTKEwCeYS64r1tVJBkORghle6Vn00T19iA8fN5GeAxKiFND1wUz1oa-xW0DCjcm1nXqpCpbZIfFLAmcp8wE3sIPRe5ElX6Oh77yoTRMfl5rXzIYeyD/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.15.49+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzzj_VUhJGD4KaZou63WtVcPm6SJTKEwCeYS64r1tVJBkORghle6Vn00T19iA8fN5GeAxKiFND1wUz1oa-xW0DCjcm1nXqpCpbZIfFLAmcp8wE3sIPRe5ElX6Oh77yoTRMfl5rXzIYeyD/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.15.49+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding the nutella. The batter had almost the same consistency as the nutella.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh13WOcTehmihMGj5ChyphenhyphennQFhEGVXKMstWSxIXVNbGqd2dthUwnNIfhKC5lZYKYeCLsNLwfYPiCml_DO_IbJNKmhl2jsHa2fWEhcTVW5qOWu5L5jiu1WtrFFoQzMwUA9uP6ekAVd09cRhYIy/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.16.07+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh13WOcTehmihMGj5ChyphenhyphennQFhEGVXKMstWSxIXVNbGqd2dthUwnNIfhKC5lZYKYeCLsNLwfYPiCml_DO_IbJNKmhl2jsHa2fWEhcTVW5qOWu5L5jiu1WtrFFoQzMwUA9uP6ekAVd09cRhYIy/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.16.07+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baked cakes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8RCAk1767YDG84BofRrmN_EZz5TICy2Iq8pP78Kl-l2jUa6y5FfAM-77JcmWYsZSLvLj1MKSWXY75u1f7uvbZ8cPXoT6BNTKQmk1rrMGN4MzWuNca-gYJLtH4JZuJSb9nTCC0UhbdN-s/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.16.52+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8RCAk1767YDG84BofRrmN_EZz5TICy2Iq8pP78Kl-l2jUa6y5FfAM-77JcmWYsZSLvLj1MKSWXY75u1f7uvbZ8cPXoT6BNTKQmk1rrMGN4MzWuNca-gYJLtH4JZuJSb9nTCC0UhbdN-s/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.16.52+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sliced cake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXl_L0JmjagV5vcmTWzyUeNVVykoxR58V-q8o_ReHtW-JkqmJ0jm-9rROPHPKDzF6swPW3bN4YKnmuvS52AR5UoXQA8Owrj0hUIccZ5XSk0vXl_eb3PTGLJ3o7YNjtR39N6K3P6GpUljPK/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.13.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXl_L0JmjagV5vcmTWzyUeNVVykoxR58V-q8o_ReHtW-JkqmJ0jm-9rROPHPKDzF6swPW3bN4YKnmuvS52AR5UoXQA8Owrj0hUIccZ5XSk0vXl_eb3PTGLJ3o7YNjtR39N6K3P6GpUljPK/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.13.32+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cream cheese, nutella, powdered sugar, and vanilla.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCU50Qm711MXMmIPdAHXYftO-ElUYX8bqcUTmCAmzYwQKM1mwuCc5ivOTgsgG24vSG9Vu9tjKvx02TQQ_7svYKjRlzoOUFr2TgZsOFEJz4Re_FQ3-H06pdYZVlpTQqsh198VfgfIkwtVUZ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.13.41+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCU50Qm711MXMmIPdAHXYftO-ElUYX8bqcUTmCAmzYwQKM1mwuCc5ivOTgsgG24vSG9Vu9tjKvx02TQQ_7svYKjRlzoOUFr2TgZsOFEJz4Re_FQ3-H06pdYZVlpTQqsh198VfgfIkwtVUZ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.13.41+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16 ounces of whipped cream.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge0SCJByyPTGBCtXekrYSntVgYe-dH1AwPr7Z1Ks8EIUi8VGkG5gBi73h4pwzocThfdVqST01RwTjC0zYB1BHWWmiaYtkFa_jBd6ZjoBFKHNTvnEVn6VvnHYDmmHI_ZrvSBVhCqTDP32WY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.13.51+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge0SCJByyPTGBCtXekrYSntVgYe-dH1AwPr7Z1Ks8EIUi8VGkG5gBi73h4pwzocThfdVqST01RwTjC0zYB1BHWWmiaYtkFa_jBd6ZjoBFKHNTvnEVn6VvnHYDmmHI_ZrvSBVhCqTDP32WY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.13.51+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nutella mousse. It tasted amazing!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0pcZ2LSd3O1SZXui5iz_8n585IC59eDfuZZ4MxOvZx21QulDouZ-vQTL-hNQLiH1-AFeJnNKiXg3gTJlfj0Odk-gBXWP8pknDjbS-TjHgczJSuxS5ENqdf5wF5Yu1xMkzdhBuCaFkgVM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.17.04+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0pcZ2LSd3O1SZXui5iz_8n585IC59eDfuZZ4MxOvZx21QulDouZ-vQTL-hNQLiH1-AFeJnNKiXg3gTJlfj0Odk-gBXWP8pknDjbS-TjHgczJSuxS5ENqdf5wF5Yu1xMkzdhBuCaFkgVM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.17.04+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready for assembly.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1PUryRjlShmQ_yTEIKFkMKZrozIwfKsqE34MGdx9fwK0fYIYsk-4-a0GP85WCa_N_NOB2LjBA4qICpKhEaJV5hDAFuZ-AJor2th2tT7Sw_BjoN9JNiDneNRF9dur9-rKs1JkdoluA1bE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.17.15+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1PUryRjlShmQ_yTEIKFkMKZrozIwfKsqE34MGdx9fwK0fYIYsk-4-a0GP85WCa_N_NOB2LjBA4qICpKhEaJV5hDAFuZ-AJor2th2tT7Sw_BjoN9JNiDneNRF9dur9-rKs1JkdoluA1bE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.17.15+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Measuring and stirring the mousse.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrlogNhWH8WK6fiF9T2mWYgFEmblIvNKomkFx7eqM0iW4qTXZbDtNh-WHOEmJSD5noflmHQuSdourL-yrV4VdG0OizWO2FtwmnNgY2zgx9B5dCeO4pEsAyYqEM9AZlfaX8wwpWaV5HT9Z/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.17.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrlogNhWH8WK6fiF9T2mWYgFEmblIvNKomkFx7eqM0iW4qTXZbDtNh-WHOEmJSD5noflmHQuSdourL-yrV4VdG0OizWO2FtwmnNgY2zgx9B5dCeO4pEsAyYqEM9AZlfaX8wwpWaV5HT9Z/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.17.24+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First layer with mousse.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqLFIGEdcaQNpZsjrAECcSVKqlacZlbv214C6zKikUAcVQZzjACm452pOn5ZJJvcOSoHTO_afemo4C8vlFF4eocvzTJHBl3OK6ElEVBhXRa0KsyLvZASWip6esMppJZ4eXRsLoYbfW9Ry/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.17.34+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqLFIGEdcaQNpZsjrAECcSVKqlacZlbv214C6zKikUAcVQZzjACm452pOn5ZJJvcOSoHTO_afemo4C8vlFF4eocvzTJHBl3OK6ElEVBhXRa0KsyLvZASWip6esMppJZ4eXRsLoYbfW9Ry/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.17.34+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second layer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2mcJ2OXqV_hhi-_1HQ5yrZvPNt_2OE5uemoToZv3quz27AqSUv5dSjv9Ob_etCGnuwebrSTc8Kju_5SaR1mrIzGuMWNB_lnY2XcFCCHBtQVHG0UE9B8DLAe-1OUFpK1tzEXU0ECb79aZ7/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.17.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2mcJ2OXqV_hhi-_1HQ5yrZvPNt_2OE5uemoToZv3quz27AqSUv5dSjv9Ob_etCGnuwebrSTc8Kju_5SaR1mrIzGuMWNB_lnY2XcFCCHBtQVHG0UE9B8DLAe-1OUFpK1tzEXU0ECb79aZ7/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.17.43+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Third layer. So far, so good.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqji1buhhF-jHN5bvLgCj3MC-6bI4v_uPn162vb8309tJfT353vloZcj66R4EIhnRV91-PiSn2_xLQt9x8FU_JuyUPegZHcDeUZ7bblj2zN5RRgyG-ooYGeL2fkcZb3n3CH9k3u_iLDQje/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.17.53+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqji1buhhF-jHN5bvLgCj3MC-6bI4v_uPn162vb8309tJfT353vloZcj66R4EIhnRV91-PiSn2_xLQt9x8FU_JuyUPegZHcDeUZ7bblj2zN5RRgyG-ooYGeL2fkcZb3n3CH9k3u_iLDQje/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.17.53+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whoops, spoke too soon. The top and second top layers started breaking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdlRVC0eyVJw_BwmciER-iZsdfRA2jYlr9vY7mxWTrNuBc8bugVNKUZWgqD-TzUDsKF7djtJIrnOqRWvO9GMZVJlC6l7-Bau37fCOdy-3g4Rx9FpjBUGYmvdgPoQ0bD45J-BY5B3FUlDP/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.18.01+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdlRVC0eyVJw_BwmciER-iZsdfRA2jYlr9vY7mxWTrNuBc8bugVNKUZWgqD-TzUDsKF7djtJIrnOqRWvO9GMZVJlC6l7-Bau37fCOdy-3g4Rx9FpjBUGYmvdgPoQ0bD45J-BY5B3FUlDP/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+8.18.01+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just put the cake in my trusty cake carrier which kept the two halves of the cake in one place for transportation.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-64640217024801475962013-05-21T17:26:00.000-04:002013-05-22T10:07:46.993-04:00My New Obsession: OmelettesThis blog is supposed to be about baking and cooking instead of about my rather boring life. But it's not really possible to separate what you cook and eat from your life - food is a large part of our lives, even people who don't cook at all. Several months ago, I was advised by various medical people that I desperately needed to eat more protein. That's a little bit complicated because my digestive system doesn't handle red meat very well. I'm missing one of the enzymes that you need to digest red meat, so I can eat it but I don't feel very good when I do. Most people suggest fish and eggs as high-protein substitutes but I don't like the taste.<br />
<br />
And then I got to thinking: what uses eggs but doesn't really taste like eggs? Omelettes with salsa. They taste great and you have a very fresh omelette which you can eat immediately.<br />
<br />
Confession time: I love salsa and I put it or Sriracha on pretty much everything that I eat. Brown rice + avocado + salsa = yummy time! Etc etc etc. Anything tastes better with salsa.* So I looked up how to make an omelette and followed the instructions and dumped lots of salsa on it, and it was great. Wonderful. Fantastic. Now I'm eating an omelette every day.<br />
<br />
* No, not literally everything. Just most things.<br />
<br />
I used to associate omelettes with places like <a href="http://www.dennys.com/#/menu" target="_blank">Denny's</a>, which isn't a bad thing but I also didn't think I would be able to make one of those. Jamie Oliver's youtube video on making omelettes looked so easy that I decided to give it a try. His instructions are easy to follow and it's easy to understand what he means by the eggs being liquid and cooking because you can see it happening very quickly as you make your own omelette.<br />
<br />
Warning: the whole process takes about 3-4 minutes so you need to keep an eye on the omelette or it will burn quickly.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/AgHgbn_sVUw/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/AgHgbn_sVUw&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/AgHgbn_sVUw&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<br />
Jacques Pepin has a longer video about the different types of French omelettes. What we call omelettes in America are the country version of an omelette in France, but both types look pretty easy to make.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/57afEWn-QDg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a>To cook the omelette, prepare any fillings by either slicing or cooking. Put a small amount of oil or butter in a pan and cook until medium hot. Whisk together the eggs with salt and pepper, and add some water or milk if desired. Pour the egg mixture into the hot pan. Wait 10 to 20 seconds for the bottom to cook and then drag the cooked parts from the outside into the center of the pan. Tilt the pan to let the liquid egg mixture take up the space. Wait another 20-30 seconds until it's halfway cooked, then lay the filling in a line across the middle of the omelette. After another 10 to 20 seconds, use a spatula to loosen the edges of the omlette and slide the spatula under 2/3s of the omelette. Flip one half of the omelette on top of the other half. Slide the omelette onto a plate.<br />
<br />
<br />
Tips: The biggest problem I had with making an omelette was folding it over. It took me a while to figure out that I needed to flip more than half of the omelette over because some of it would slip back down.<br />
<br />
Make sure that your pan is hot before you put the eggs in. You want the eggs to start cooking immediately. You want it to be medium hot, essentially as hot as you can get it without burning the oil or butter. On my stove's dial, I set it to a 7 out of 10.<br />
<br />
You don't need very much oil or butter. The oil thins out as it gets hot and easily covers the pan. I use a standard non-stick pan and it's easy to get the omelette out when it's done.<br />
<br />
I usually put spinach, mozzarella, tomatoes, and avocado in my omelettes. This time, I was out of tomatoes and avocados but it was still a nice taste combination with the salsa. You can use anything you like for the fillings, but if it's something that doesn't cook very quickly you will need to cook the filling first and then lay it on top of the omlette before you fold it. I use frozen spinach and mozzarella and fresh tomatoes and avocados, so I microwave the spinach and cheese quickly while the omelette is cooking and I slice up the tomatoes and avocado first.<br />
<br />
It's easy to think that you need a lot of filling for an omelette but you really don't. It's easy to overstuff an omelette. When that happens, I just turn it into scrambled eggs. <br />
<br />
You don't need very much salt at all in the eggs but you don't want to skip the pepper. It adds a nice kick.<br />
<br />
I only use one egg in my omelettes because I don't like large omelettes but most people have a two or three egg omelette. It all depends on how hungry you are.<br />
<br />
You can either add water or milk to boost the volume of your eggs, or don't add any other liquids at all. It just depends on your personal taste. I like having a little bit of milk in my eggs.<br />
<br />
Make sure to whisk the eggs together thoroughly. You don't want to have large strings of egg whites floating around or you will end up with half an egg white omelette and half an egg yolk omelette.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRq9y72jLTihRW3dU4EfsreqLTYvavRx00byHYMKljPbs8uRiL4ir7L49U9-MhARq4v5V-kXTfTdV25NX68BAFkUC4kWJS5qWLh_pBciMQM1DuEfcj3sx4_kXvL6vIW5JQNdRZWLavlUOQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.25.33+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRq9y72jLTihRW3dU4EfsreqLTYvavRx00byHYMKljPbs8uRiL4ir7L49U9-MhARq4v5V-kXTfTdV25NX68BAFkUC4kWJS5qWLh_pBciMQM1DuEfcj3sx4_kXvL6vIW5JQNdRZWLavlUOQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.25.33+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"What's that? You want to cook something? No no, don't mind me. You don't really need anything from the fridge."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsimWCBNnxDl_fceSeN-bZbOkb4OGarG-mY-QJfyGcWXUfw1UC_gEPRxxxU2NY-1BzgZcgNRzn3Vqs3G7UL3vpL2bqD4lPC5D4WJELZu0aukOnL6tUG6NzD8B23w_JaSw7CYGJXnLRcHb-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.25.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsimWCBNnxDl_fceSeN-bZbOkb4OGarG-mY-QJfyGcWXUfw1UC_gEPRxxxU2NY-1BzgZcgNRzn3Vqs3G7UL3vpL2bqD4lPC5D4WJELZu0aukOnL6tUG6NzD8B23w_JaSw7CYGJXnLRcHb-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.25.47+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't use a lot of oil or butter. When this gets hot, it will cover the entire bottom of the pan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNN3_U3SjCsPQvoLb0ekRpca70Np3JdYjqvj1xucmV2mAWPeyZDbaLZnHOgjbTPh5fMvJN6FhedXqn2LXojHHS-1LF_WQOdRl2JHHlNwgEm9B5NwgF_k3fiSxLYUh8wpuvEsGZoD97Yec/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.26.31+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNN3_U3SjCsPQvoLb0ekRpca70Np3JdYjqvj1xucmV2mAWPeyZDbaLZnHOgjbTPh5fMvJN6FhedXqn2LXojHHS-1LF_WQOdRl2JHHlNwgEm9B5NwgF_k3fiSxLYUh8wpuvEsGZoD97Yec/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.26.31+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Same oil as above, but quite hot.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1v9ZVCPHAwFiv9WeINL5bKsFR9jWu4M1wZFNamZ6IsxsOWxlURgDohHaxTiXIanBuKzb1YIv9k37ttPQfLUTSfi_NwM8C39xUBUW4gjKrqnTcwoHAWBFdTS89eRIvgqTqKgUNbzR3ukpt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.26.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1v9ZVCPHAwFiv9WeINL5bKsFR9jWu4M1wZFNamZ6IsxsOWxlURgDohHaxTiXIanBuKzb1YIv9k37ttPQfLUTSfi_NwM8C39xUBUW4gjKrqnTcwoHAWBFdTS89eRIvgqTqKgUNbzR3ukpt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.26.03+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beat however many eggs you want with some salt and pepper. We are out of bowls so I am a) running the dishwasher and b) whisking everything together in a mug.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQzQ6_axW99Ugh_yc34pVzfiJOzgstjS2OKCaGwP8ioTEcodwTgmp68Qu6vIN8H1muDQCuv_FL6uJQe3bVtT_ir365WKOm1zBrJz9FJCZ2YIKGmsiTKi0vrnUSdxzCEW4ac_W0sJMQbYMd/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.26.13+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQzQ6_axW99Ugh_yc34pVzfiJOzgstjS2OKCaGwP8ioTEcodwTgmp68Qu6vIN8H1muDQCuv_FL6uJQe3bVtT_ir365WKOm1zBrJz9FJCZ2YIKGmsiTKi0vrnUSdxzCEW4ac_W0sJMQbYMd/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.26.13+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whisked egg with a little bit of milk.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-4MwuqdRAgjHQJV4CbL6XRzopxHCeC9uiapgzztxhCuU1-RLALDpIDYnm4rosxLQZM9Nk2aAD8VG_WtFrQW-CiyDn5AXfiRBerbV58xijK839Vk2xGnbQHcO2nETeEfzGYNCROFC_Gkvh/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.26.21+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-4MwuqdRAgjHQJV4CbL6XRzopxHCeC9uiapgzztxhCuU1-RLALDpIDYnm4rosxLQZM9Nk2aAD8VG_WtFrQW-CiyDn5AXfiRBerbV58xijK839Vk2xGnbQHcO2nETeEfzGYNCROFC_Gkvh/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.26.21+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Make sure everything is completely mixed together.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX958ZSdIOQ24rAzDb3iGEFfn5RXyVv398pGXLf0m5aMb_CnJLydxh9t_JYkgSLlPMDxfdwZYlCrxCH_buiFqqDZTiGhu3E4Iz8N-Yg-eeboS6oK-cv8lMghyphenhyphenfEr-bxRhu1TXU8rWgLGxG/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.26.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX958ZSdIOQ24rAzDb3iGEFfn5RXyVv398pGXLf0m5aMb_CnJLydxh9t_JYkgSLlPMDxfdwZYlCrxCH_buiFqqDZTiGhu3E4Iz8N-Yg-eeboS6oK-cv8lMghyphenhyphenfEr-bxRhu1TXU8rWgLGxG/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.26.40+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approximately 10 second after pouring the egg mixture into the pan. The bottom has already cooked. Now is the time to drag the cooked parts into the center and let the liquid fill up the empty space.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibnDB-2o8fvdN28VGkssaMjry6mUq9wxorCDyon9ORdvz1ClD59tM_7MnbZB-Nx34G1bp8Mi5b9s1_LzPCs2_h6EsLMghg7vyLLlxlwqElKOdUXv4vIRK6KZuee1J6FrcCGqpF1KHRCTg4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.26.49+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibnDB-2o8fvdN28VGkssaMjry6mUq9wxorCDyon9ORdvz1ClD59tM_7MnbZB-Nx34G1bp8Mi5b9s1_LzPCs2_h6EsLMghg7vyLLlxlwqElKOdUXv4vIRK6KZuee1J6FrcCGqpF1KHRCTg4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.26.49+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooked curds in the middle, more liquid cooking on the outside and in the middle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgF-uQWnb5UsBEuOrDePjAj84jMGtcRE3xVX4Fq4y0bNCEo2kdWrmGjxoo9Rztr4-OnoM0qpcxxHdZKZMh9UN0UVot-2gMmuDvkMWurcKheh4Q6xYdO8kvDYEI1JwDWbwJxH0qZIJgVCG/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.27.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgF-uQWnb5UsBEuOrDePjAj84jMGtcRE3xVX4Fq4y0bNCEo2kdWrmGjxoo9Rztr4-OnoM0qpcxxHdZKZMh9UN0UVot-2gMmuDvkMWurcKheh4Q6xYdO8kvDYEI1JwDWbwJxH0qZIJgVCG/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.27.00+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the texture when you want to add the filling: still kind of liquid-y but also about 2/3 cooked.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjCjL7Iu4kO3JOM1X-XJ0pEOExu25H-YDf6kcr6HV9BZmKVBi5ddRkgAxjCUxVWh2dl74MM8It-5hdmq-K9WBuGPbQ3vXbP4dQC2eoVXthe4ppis_1hyHSg85EfT5cgg-qs35HDNlo3R_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.27.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjCjL7Iu4kO3JOM1X-XJ0pEOExu25H-YDf6kcr6HV9BZmKVBi5ddRkgAxjCUxVWh2dl74MM8It-5hdmq-K9WBuGPbQ3vXbP4dQC2eoVXthe4ppis_1hyHSg85EfT5cgg-qs35HDNlo3R_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.27.09+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is about half a mug full of frozen spinach and mozzarella, nuked for 20 seconds in the microwave while the omelette cooked.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJj2n94oJQOLKJCYBCWvlevuyQEwavoBHi0fWSKoRpOn3_gRXB5llbBoiVPEyjHGmGgpomvFQnPtGpBybODwaT3umhzjh_0pCxxmXYluma80W_zk2IPfOv2gge-IKww_Jhtdhrlr5Isd_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.27.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJj2n94oJQOLKJCYBCWvlevuyQEwavoBHi0fWSKoRpOn3_gRXB5llbBoiVPEyjHGmGgpomvFQnPtGpBybODwaT3umhzjh_0pCxxmXYluma80W_zk2IPfOv2gge-IKww_Jhtdhrlr5Isd_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.27.22+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Folded omelette. It's almost overcooked but not quite. You can press down with the spatula to cook the filling a little more before you take it out of the pan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-IrOtjjetwJVuWEMbZqSZIw-9V4LkklZcXCvhRzIlCyAvjVJcpAng2VpJfKPRItWoq4XJeOelknJWbZvbvgE0_YHNNjNZPKEJDNcbgE-LpI0gsfQqvtGHnMzJbTpSDruKBItMmEakRS7/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.27.33+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-IrOtjjetwJVuWEMbZqSZIw-9V4LkklZcXCvhRzIlCyAvjVJcpAng2VpJfKPRItWoq4XJeOelknJWbZvbvgE0_YHNNjNZPKEJDNcbgE-LpI0gsfQqvtGHnMzJbTpSDruKBItMmEakRS7/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.27.33+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished omelette.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51Ttdouqwws2aUZxkKISWLDOFp5cKX4qQOdnEFjt8aozGczH5PPT1iZ-x3uFCmgmYMC3AMoS049XCOFse_zviH1nFCLLdHoz3t5APETwzn6aoivizgRk_OIXtdcJ1Fw7qEcLkvy5IjjGy/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.28.04+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51Ttdouqwws2aUZxkKISWLDOFp5cKX4qQOdnEFjt8aozGczH5PPT1iZ-x3uFCmgmYMC3AMoS049XCOFse_zviH1nFCLLdHoz3t5APETwzn6aoivizgRk_OIXtdcJ1Fw7qEcLkvy5IjjGy/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+4.28.04+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SALSA!!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-87096042905044505192013-05-06T23:54:00.000-04:002013-05-06T23:54:00.312-04:00What Geometry Is Good ForAt some point, everybody who's taken geometry in school has said, "When am I ever going to need geometry?" The surprising answer: baking. You really do need to know about degrees and angles and circles and triangles and rectangles (and various other geometric ideas) to bake and construct certain baked goods. Listen up, class - today's lesson is on checkerboard cakes.<br /><br />The idea of a checkerboard cake is that when you slice a piece, the inside of the cake isn't just one cake, but two different types arranged in alternating squares, like a chess- or checker-board. The first time I saw a checkerboard cake, I actually thought that somebody had taken two cakes, sliced them up into little cubes, and then glued each cube into place with frosting. I suppose you could make a checkerboard cake like this, but it's much easier to use geometry.<br /><br />The key is to use circles to make the squares. <i>Hang on, what? It's just like being in math class all over again.</i> To make a checkerboard pattern, you need to have the cake colors alternate. You've got two round cakes and when you slice out a wedge, you want to see interlocking squares. But the squares are really an optical illusion. Instead, you cut out circles of cake and stack them so that the colors switch back and forth both horizontally and vertically. (Or you can buy a pan that separates the rings for you.)<br /><br />This sounds complicated but it's easy to see when you look at a picture.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjmTomVmQ18tDbs-NTWWINhcTowscy67ew-wdGTK8l7HwKiUAFiNvssx2b-iSyLHtj7ThBH3ANUGf7nJ8-BH_EWxpaJ81DDv-kg1qsgXgGtOc-NeqIkacW4hEHnOHtrEZubaB7-7_MviE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+11.00.37+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjmTomVmQ18tDbs-NTWWINhcTowscy67ew-wdGTK8l7HwKiUAFiNvssx2b-iSyLHtj7ThBH3ANUGf7nJ8-BH_EWxpaJ81DDv-kg1qsgXgGtOc-NeqIkacW4hEHnOHtrEZubaB7-7_MviE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+11.00.37+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A special pan for baking checkerboard cakes. One color batter goes in the inner and outer rings, and the second color goes in the middle ring. Swap colors in the next pan, and then stack the cakes vertically. Cutting out the rings after the cakes are baked lets you skip using the special pans.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To make a two-layer checkerboard cake with six squares, you need two layers of cake where the inner and outer ring are the same color horizontally and a different color vertically. You can achieve that part by simply stacking up two cakes like you normally would. To make the middle squares be alternating colors, slice out a ring of cake from the middle, then switch the middle ring of one cake with the other one. When you look at them horizontally, they make a pattern: Color 1, Color 2, Color 1. The other layer will have the opposite pattern: Color 2, Color 1, Color 2. Then stack the two layers, and each ring will be sitting either on top or below of a ring of different color:<br /><br />Color 2 Color 1 Color 2<br />Color 1 Color 2 Color 1<br /><br />This is how you put together rings to make alternating squares when a wedge is cut.<br /><br />See? Geometry at work.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>This particular example also involves fractions, because I messed around with the <a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/double-coconut-cake-10000000521737/" target="_blank">cake recipe</a>. So now we're using both algebra and geometry.<br /><br />When you make a checkerboard cake, you need to use two cakes with very different colors. In the first example, I just dyed one of the white cakes blue. In the more recent example, I made one white and one dark brown cake.<br /><br />I'm trying to be more organized so last week I cleaned out my cupboard in the kitchen. There were all kinds of plastic bags with just a small amount of something left in them cluttering up the shelves. One bag had about half a cup of shredded coconut, which put me in the mood to make a coconut cake. At that point, I remembered trying the checkerboard cake and thought it would be fun to do that again, with coconut and chocolate. Of course, I was so organized that I accidentally threw out the bag of coconut and ended up not adding it to the cake batter like I had originally planned.<br /><br />Finding a recipe for a cake where the coconut flavor is in the batter turned out to be more difficult than I was expecting. Most coconut cakes are white cakes with coconut frosting. I finally found <a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/double-coconut-cake-10000000521737/" target="_blank">a recipe</a> that used coconut milk in the cake and that sounded like it would be good. It made two 9 inch cakes, to be layered together with coconut frosting. I decided to make the recipe but leave out the coconut from one half of it and put in cocoa powder instead. This is where the fractions show up.<br /><br />I love the taste of coconut and I use coconut milk every morning in my chai. You can get <a href="http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=672" target="_blank">unsweetened coconut milk at Trader Joe's</a>, next to the rice and soy milk. Trader Joe's also started carrying coconut cream, which is the thicker part of the liquid inside of a coconut. Unfortunately it's emulsified, but I decided to use it in the cake recipe anyways to get a stronger coconut taste.<br /><br />The coconut taste comes from the coconut milk (or cream), which is a liquid. The only change I needed to make to change the cake from coconut to chocolate was to use a good quality cocoa powder (Ghiradelli) in the solids and heavy cream instead of coconut cream in the liquids. To avoid measuring all of the solids twice, I mixed the flour, baking powder, and salt together in one big bowl and then split them up into two smaller bowls.<br /><br />I added three tablespoons of cocoa powder to one bowl for a strong chocolate taste, and then added some extra sugar to taste right before pouring it into the pan. The cake batter should taste similar to the baked cake's taste, so if the batter isn't sweet enough then the cake won't be either. I probably added somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4 cup of sugar to the chocolate batter.<br /><br />The recipe calls for you to mix the ingredients in a certain order. The reason for this is to have a very smooth batter at the end. I couldn't follow the directions because of the changes I had made, so I used a strong metal whisk to incorporate all of the clumps before baking.<br /><br />I also decided to try making <a href="http://savorysweetlife.com/2010/03/buttercream-frosting/" target="_blank">my own buttercream frosting</a> instead of buying it pre-made. Frosting is one of those things that seems like it would be really difficult to make and nobody likes the store-bought version, but I also don't know anybody who makes their own. I was already using heavy cream in the cake recipe so I figured why not try to make buttercream with the rest of it?<br /><br />Buttercream is named for two of its ingredients: butter and cream. The third ingredient is powdered (confectioners) sugar. Sugar is not the third ingredient if you rank them by amount. You use a lot more butter and sugar than cream. I doubled the recipe because you generally need about 3.5 to 4 cups of frosting for a double layered cake, and I used 1 pound of butter and 8 cups of powdered sugar.<br /><br />If you're thinking that you've become diabetic by just reading that ingredient list, remember that the cake is usually cut up into 10 or 12 pieces so you're not getting that much frosting. Having a little bit of buttercream frosting occasionally is fine - just make sure that you're not eating it for dinner every night.<br /><br />Tips: <br /><br />Creamed butter is not melted butter. When butter is creamed, it means that it's soft enough to smush with a fork but it is still solid. You want it to have the consistency of frozen yogurt or soft ice cream. What you don't want is for the fats to separate. Melted butter has a light part and a darker part. You need to avoid this separation. It's very common to cream butter and sugar together, and the butter must stay together for the recipe to work and have the consistency you want.<br /><br />If you've forgotten to take the butter out of the freezer and it's hard as a rock, chop it up into 5 or 6 larger pieces. Then microwave the pieces for about 10 seconds at a time, checking with a fork after each microwave if the butter has softened. It will melt a little bit, but you can incorporate that back into the rest of the creamed butter.<br /><br />You must use creamed butter when making the frosting. If the butter melts, the consistency of the frosting changes and it will be very difficult to use.<br /><br />I don't own a stand mixer, which is what most buttercream recipes call for. Instead, I use my 11 cup Cuisinart. The only problem is that the motor in a stand mixer is on top and separate from the bowl, but the motor is on the bottom in a Cuisinart. The butter ended up melting a little bit, just from the heat put out by the motor under the bowl, and it was enough to make the frosting difficult to use. I ended up refrigerating the frosting for a while until it was solid and then microwaving it for 15 seconds to loosen it up slightly. You can see the difference in the picture that shows the final coat of frosting over the crumb coat.<br /><br /><a href="http://savorysweetlife.com/2009/11/tutorial-how-to-frost-a-cake/" target="_blank">This page is an excellent reference for how to frost a cake</a>. You need to apply a crumb coat, which is a light coating of frosting that holds the crumbs that get loose from the cake in the first coat. Then you let the cake sit in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour to solidify the frosting. Once the crumb coat is dry, you can frost the final coat which won't have any crumbs in it. I strongly suggest that you read the webpage on frosting a cake. It has easy to follow instructions and useful hints.<br /><br />To sift flour or sugar (or any powder), you just need a hand held strainer (sieve) with a fine mesh. Then you bang the strainer against your hand or scrape the inside of the strainer with a spoon or create friction. The powder will sift through visibly. If you don't see it, you're not hitting the strainer hard enough. Once most of the powder is through, there will usually be some larger balls of powder left at the bottom of the strainer. You can push those through with your fingers. Be careful to make sure that the strainer is dry when you sift or you will end up with a clumpy mess.<br /><br />Most recipes say if the measured amount of powder is pre- or post-sifting. If a recipe doesn't say, I measure out the amount and then sift it. For both the cake and the frosting recipe, I sifted after I measured.<br /><br />Buttercream just tastes like sweet butter but it is easy to flavor. I zested one lemon into the butter when I was halfway through adding the sugar, and people said that it tasted very lemony. I couldn't taste it at all so opinions may vary.<br /><br />You can dye either the frosting or the cakes very easily. Liquid food dye is generally sold in most grocery stores (in the baking aisle), but gel colors are much stronger. You can buy them either <a href="http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3e30b2d9-475a-bac0-5d5c3db846dfd354" target="_blank">online</a> or in baking stores. The bright yellow color of the frosting came from about 1/2 teaspoon of yellow gel dye in 8+ cups of frosting. It is powerful stuff.<br /><br />To cut out the circles for the checkerboard cakes, I made imprints of circles using two different sized bowls, one glass, and a mason jar. Since I wanted to make three cake rings, I needed two circle imprints to cut along. I decided to use the imprints that made three concentric circles of about the same width. Using pre-shaped objects like this made it easy to cut rings of the same sizes from both of the cakes. The central rings fit outside the small ring and inside the large ring because all of the cakes were cut from the same bowl and jar. The chocolate cake was fluffy enough that I just pushed down with the bowl and jar and didn't even need to cut with a knife. It's difficult to keep the knife straight up and down when cutting, so the rings from the coconut cake were slightly tilted but not enough to make a difference.<br /><br />Because I used different liquids, the consistency of the two cakes were different. The chocolate cake was very moist and fluffy, and slightly crumbly. Most people like this consistency the best. The coconut cake was also very moist but very dense. The Trader Joe's coconut cream was solid, so I added some coconut milk to make it more liquid. This meant that the liquids added to the coconut cake batter were actually less liquid-y than the liquids added to the chocolate cake batter. The coconut cake had a consistency like mochi because I used the coconut cream. I really liked it, but if you don't like mochi you will want to use all coconut milk instead. Or you can add half coconut milk and half heavy cream, and add in shredded coconut for more flavor.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Double-Coconut Cake</span><br />
<a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/double-coconut-cake-10000000521737/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Original recipe from myrecipes.com</span></span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<b>Ingredients<span itemprop="amount"> </span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span itemprop="amount">1 tablespoon</span>
<span itemprop="name"> cake flour</span><span itemprop="preparation"></span><span itemprop="amount"> </span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount">2 1/4 cups</span>
<span itemprop="name"> sifted cake flour</span><span itemprop="preparation"></span><span itemprop="amount"> </span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount">2 1/4 teaspoons</span>
<span itemprop="name"> baking powder</span><span itemprop="preparation"></span><span itemprop="amount"> </span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount">1/2 teaspoon</span>
<span itemprop="name"> salt</span><span itemprop="preparation"></span><span itemprop="amount"> </span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount">1 2/3 cups</span>
<span itemprop="name"> sugar</span><span itemprop="preparation"></span><span class="dollar"></span><span itemprop="amount"> </span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount">1/3 cup</span>
<span itemprop="name"> butter, softened</span> <span itemprop="preparation"></span><span class="dollar"></span><span itemprop="amount"> </span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount">2 </span>
<span itemprop="name"> large eggs</span> <span itemprop="preparation"></span><span class="dollar"></span><span itemprop="amount"> </span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount">1 </span>
<span itemprop="name"> (14-ounce) can light coconut milk</span><span itemprop="preparation"></span><span itemprop="amount"> </span></li>
<li><span itemprop="amount">1 tablespoon</span>
<span itemprop="name"> vanilla extract</span> <span itemprop="preparation"></span><span class="dollar"> </span></li>
</ul>
<span class="dollar"><i>This recipe also has a coconut frosting but I did not make it. The reviews say that the cake is good but the frosting is not.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span class="dollar"><b>Directions</b></span><br />
Preheat oven to 350°.<br />
<br />
Coat 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; dust with 1 tablespoon flour.<br />
<br />
Combine 2 1/4 cups flour, baking powder, and salt, stirring with a
whisk. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at
medium speed until well blended (for about 5 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a
time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and milk
alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Stir in vanilla.<br />
<br />
Pour batter into prepared pans. Sharply tap the pans once on
countertop to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a
wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10
minutes on wire racks, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire
racks.<br />
<br />
<i>My modifications: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt as directed. Cream butter with sugar by hand - no need to beat for five minutes. Add eggs to the butter/sugar mixture. Roughly divide the flour mixture into two bowls. Add approximately 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder and 1/4 cup sugar to one bowl. Divide the sugar/butter/eggs mixture between the two bowls. Add the vanilla extract. Stir until mixed, then beat with a whisk to incorporate any clumps of flour.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://savorysweetlife.com/2010/03/buttercream-frosting/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Original recipe from </span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" target="_blank">Savory Sweet Life</a></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span><br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<ul>
<li>1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks or ½ pound), softened (but not melted!) Ideal texture should be like ice cream</li>
<li>3-4 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar, SIFTED</li>
<li>¼ teaspoon table salt</li>
<li>1 tablespoon vanilla extract</li>
<li>up to 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream</li>
</ul>
<b>Directions</b><br />
Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer with the paddle attachment on
medium speed. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the
lowest speed (so the sugar doesn’t blow everywhere) until the sugar has
been incorporated with the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and
add vanilla extract, salt, and 2 tablespoons of milk/cream and beat for
3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add
remaining sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add
remaining milk 1 tablespoons at a time.<br />
<br />
<i>Makes 2.5 cups. I doubled the recipe and used about 3/4 of the amount made.</i> <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvu2YitnYCquwQ9VqMzpa262XVe8xBx5eFFTFm8B5W4IMibj2WYWtL05fItCI7tbSXyZYntnBPf7Ak_rVUjlHJvlwV4WVZqonO-iD0eW_rgXgkBC5NJaPL-VM3ZEsj23DUL9Ifdmlz5Au/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+10.55.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvu2YitnYCquwQ9VqMzpa262XVe8xBx5eFFTFm8B5W4IMibj2WYWtL05fItCI7tbSXyZYntnBPf7Ak_rVUjlHJvlwV4WVZqonO-iD0eW_rgXgkBC5NJaPL-VM3ZEsj23DUL9Ifdmlz5Au/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+10.55.14+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original try at a checkboard cake. The frosting wasn't stiff enough.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuaM2Vz5MDL9-Yxj6JeoMWv3-b_fMDr6ytvcMIt76fE6pYmPUmKz9aBciGVVJEqjeL8bGd39lMHej4KP7cuv__vUFCcj5gGmZHfZEjQtU7tYyd2R7EcCp6xHVmtAH6CzyAqgouELVgosdO/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.27.23+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuaM2Vz5MDL9-Yxj6JeoMWv3-b_fMDr6ytvcMIt76fE6pYmPUmKz9aBciGVVJEqjeL8bGd39lMHej4KP7cuv__vUFCcj5gGmZHfZEjQtU7tYyd2R7EcCp6xHVmtAH6CzyAqgouELVgosdO/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.27.23+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prepare the pans. I like to use parchment paper on the bottom to help the cakes release easier.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQzs2t1OJc-rTkABN1eepuCu6xkmawnWTlLqyj7tGrNw__q7XTyYas3S_iztr12bEIBG-rx2iOPaodtRwhti238zwxtQmIVU86mEuEkY0-Gxs48eiGeZQXT-tdTErx6LWStKuCNFtiLRub/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.27.37+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQzs2t1OJc-rTkABN1eepuCu6xkmawnWTlLqyj7tGrNw__q7XTyYas3S_iztr12bEIBG-rx2iOPaodtRwhti238zwxtQmIVU86mEuEkY0-Gxs48eiGeZQXT-tdTErx6LWStKuCNFtiLRub/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.27.37+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sifting the flour.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifb7hLBOD9UmUrrLKEuMps8ToHIglbdwX59Pe3kI_dqc7WMl9VNYCSY3svlG32ww3rHOnqewVv3rt2PKRz9K-YJyXdYnUQ7KTZWzxa3GjV-rw43xKVCzXZsyhjGTgKqtR4GwfZpY7_b71L/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.27.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifb7hLBOD9UmUrrLKEuMps8ToHIglbdwX59Pe3kI_dqc7WMl9VNYCSY3svlG32ww3rHOnqewVv3rt2PKRz9K-YJyXdYnUQ7KTZWzxa3GjV-rw43xKVCzXZsyhjGTgKqtR4GwfZpY7_b71L/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.27.47+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The solids split between two bowls, with cocoa powder added.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspp4lzwxYEtHI3S_c9NYbwx_ZfjML_26d6bx68DAleGtdZUmxt7_ehF6Nlmy9_-hDFfdp-q4S-JqXc9OSGhvQ9PAerq8UF_W7YSkmwz6hrpkGe7uGiUMlU1wvmtfY6bnfID1JciqlHgUr/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.28.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspp4lzwxYEtHI3S_c9NYbwx_ZfjML_26d6bx68DAleGtdZUmxt7_ehF6Nlmy9_-hDFfdp-q4S-JqXc9OSGhvQ9PAerq8UF_W7YSkmwz6hrpkGe7uGiUMlU1wvmtfY6bnfID1JciqlHgUr/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.28.22+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The butter creamed with the sugar. I may have eaten a lot of this just to check that it was okay.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxG5y9C81hm9rqesSzbBrjwni4UA7MQzTM5lmx1vdsVT4IEbQEsmZ9EcExHsurPWp-4ITIoCcH97a4hX-hjHDkjVNCMkfM6A0efIC6ba3e4ehOfLzHBbxoL335CUMcM6R1dW36iLpLfs8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.28.36+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxG5y9C81hm9rqesSzbBrjwni4UA7MQzTM5lmx1vdsVT4IEbQEsmZ9EcExHsurPWp-4ITIoCcH97a4hX-hjHDkjVNCMkfM6A0efIC6ba3e4ehOfLzHBbxoL335CUMcM6R1dW36iLpLfs8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.28.36+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The coconut cream was solid so I added some coconut milk to it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh000WwJLcUQxnL7AJ16nLZHkjGzVg3W5HN-lFVdrOjFzWy2jcp8WqNgzzatSGcAZylnyinEHMaI3FIqJeAhApeOtYJlqIAq7zZ75xmYLqbf-TPVO0J8EI2dH1XRGsE51bcA2z8jWz2UbWt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.28.55+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh000WwJLcUQxnL7AJ16nLZHkjGzVg3W5HN-lFVdrOjFzWy2jcp8WqNgzzatSGcAZylnyinEHMaI3FIqJeAhApeOtYJlqIAq7zZ75xmYLqbf-TPVO0J8EI2dH1XRGsE51bcA2z8jWz2UbWt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.28.55+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The coconut batter after whisking. No lumps!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJjqXXqiaE1tn1V9G3zsCWw3BZ64smMSKRNiE0e5mBdyxRzq66Uhu7CmqpnylseYGqCjXMMNuhByh_rHRTLDbcxL0Q_GZzB5bIakpL1UWHGISxrWzfAcisaK_aBiRJUT4ujXp-sVS82M9n/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.29.07+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJjqXXqiaE1tn1V9G3zsCWw3BZ64smMSKRNiE0e5mBdyxRzq66Uhu7CmqpnylseYGqCjXMMNuhByh_rHRTLDbcxL0Q_GZzB5bIakpL1UWHGISxrWzfAcisaK_aBiRJUT4ujXp-sVS82M9n/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.29.07+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The chocolate batter after whisking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_50smfuHMrwNIPrYTFSkhAy8JKOkKzqO_b0jOulQ_kjIotb-v9q1vw3EV5P1l2XHxP4SZx1U87XIbpbN2-vev_th8FbVqmSmCfu-13q5cEHcpIbMFjYcyXX4wCLTTRgFWIBp27IvFXt-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.29.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_50smfuHMrwNIPrYTFSkhAy8JKOkKzqO_b0jOulQ_kjIotb-v9q1vw3EV5P1l2XHxP4SZx1U87XIbpbN2-vev_th8FbVqmSmCfu-13q5cEHcpIbMFjYcyXX4wCLTTRgFWIBp27IvFXt-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.29.20+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for baking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9usVx7ipwVLim9jJ29SEQv1i7wAfibwyBNwAsPkcIvMIQ7OArF8-q1BoaVJPXfo8ikv7YtYXPTaPpkcwkRbSBJAylMQP_zId-Z_dZ6foM0SPX4eD-m9V2bRoDfqQuRVXH0gATDMT6h38u/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.30.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9usVx7ipwVLim9jJ29SEQv1i7wAfibwyBNwAsPkcIvMIQ7OArF8-q1BoaVJPXfo8ikv7YtYXPTaPpkcwkRbSBJAylMQP_zId-Z_dZ6foM0SPX4eD-m9V2bRoDfqQuRVXH0gATDMT6h38u/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.30.11+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baked cakes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxnDwbEmP53Rf_RrfL1sAw16D322GVxxWPEIQIyi4zuwG1NiX_YBO7CP5HuFFHMLCK0HRtjPy0j2lxpbeNCtYhMxpsB67zN6Irx8GpALTt4r6MXUYubzsbmc6G4FNLGYNZJUPAvy8CIVB5/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.31.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxnDwbEmP53Rf_RrfL1sAw16D322GVxxWPEIQIyi4zuwG1NiX_YBO7CP5HuFFHMLCK0HRtjPy0j2lxpbeNCtYhMxpsB67zN6Irx8GpALTt4r6MXUYubzsbmc6G4FNLGYNZJUPAvy8CIVB5/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.31.32+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying different bowls to see what size rings I wanted to cut.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglcKfN0eJeY1Wb732coWtw7QrLSJe6UtNKDUtwxStxUWopVI05vZyXW0HzRKMkZ4XOkqz5newQW92H4Y2-gVZHNhpgPbjyxNo_TTk5y9hVO-BIorvDFAUsX7p_MvjyoesU0sFOOwmPzujt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.31.42+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglcKfN0eJeY1Wb732coWtw7QrLSJe6UtNKDUtwxStxUWopVI05vZyXW0HzRKMkZ4XOkqz5newQW92H4Y2-gVZHNhpgPbjyxNo_TTk5y9hVO-BIorvDFAUsX7p_MvjyoesU0sFOOwmPzujt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.31.42+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mason jar made the center ring.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqa7Zn2quOR8dw0jWcykx1hINVSCAfUgFp0g91EtffipQKRt6yyNjLDzDjZ-e_68-kJJhpxmGrpyYLcFbFJm6kdvWhIIeaEzKmjwxi8QmJ2JshxF-YfKGD4K85_ckLrHBmlEJP03J6HIAn/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.31.53+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqa7Zn2quOR8dw0jWcykx1hINVSCAfUgFp0g91EtffipQKRt6yyNjLDzDjZ-e_68-kJJhpxmGrpyYLcFbFJm6kdvWhIIeaEzKmjwxi8QmJ2JshxF-YfKGD4K85_ckLrHBmlEJP03J6HIAn/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.31.53+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The impressions. I decided to do three rings instead of four.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgY_8GxMOMC-I36G4mr-nlTZ8A_wbJwX8YuyEaT2SkGtZJ6HGXVnxjzdzpV6U75CvQTQP6iS8rZkQieG26IYWB3PUQfk9l6L3najffz2QFeh5Bbrclh9upVvxafxkcsYKfsPIgs4hyhm-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.32.04+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgY_8GxMOMC-I36G4mr-nlTZ8A_wbJwX8YuyEaT2SkGtZJ6HGXVnxjzdzpV6U75CvQTQP6iS8rZkQieG26IYWB3PUQfk9l6L3najffz2QFeh5Bbrclh9upVvxafxkcsYKfsPIgs4hyhm-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.32.04+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coconut cake cut up and ready for assembly.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5tI_QV8d5LTgN7kz0AvE8rpPYRWzh5d-ViAZlGRz36XgKyMCX7lgOaN7yHtv5AP_N4qJf5n6pZpZIWvr-7XrZ7qfd9kC8qPqlJIoYU1nFGx1pH8WoG5C5vDKr1-CzLrPlcYDaVNRSSe4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.29.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5tI_QV8d5LTgN7kz0AvE8rpPYRWzh5d-ViAZlGRz36XgKyMCX7lgOaN7yHtv5AP_N4qJf5n6pZpZIWvr-7XrZ7qfd9kC8qPqlJIoYU1nFGx1pH8WoG5C5vDKr1-CzLrPlcYDaVNRSSe4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.29.32+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While the cakes were baking, I made the frosting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBzkJ-64StL9uIcfAsbSdN4G5X9MTRW9gfA0vcaFr2SGos9S1lj38XYaRsbHFIEPAIK-aikOPfb9mcP-nJkUESr4oJVwELXcxbnN0DvRAN1xq2pGT8dfoxJPRmgTs3s6R5lXL7adpsVrpt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.29.51+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBzkJ-64StL9uIcfAsbSdN4G5X9MTRW9gfA0vcaFr2SGos9S1lj38XYaRsbHFIEPAIK-aikOPfb9mcP-nJkUESr4oJVwELXcxbnN0DvRAN1xq2pGT8dfoxJPRmgTs3s6R5lXL7adpsVrpt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.29.51+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The creamed butter in the Cuisinart. Use the dough blade instead of the regular blade.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXO7-WWfnITGvAFRwNi7ZqFI3X9UKbseKP7ktAnQ_JzC3EvJO5jdPTYpaJ45yjFVrdNulE0IHhyphenhyphenRrltNHfexygY8oVYHivDD8NzkcOlOr_uz6nQIiN4u6QVgR67sRCOnYCfSaK4Felxk1c/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.30.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXO7-WWfnITGvAFRwNi7ZqFI3X9UKbseKP7ktAnQ_JzC3EvJO5jdPTYpaJ45yjFVrdNulE0IHhyphenhyphenRrltNHfexygY8oVYHivDD8NzkcOlOr_uz6nQIiN4u6QVgR67sRCOnYCfSaK4Felxk1c/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.30.02+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you need to move stuff around inside the Cuisinart while it's on, use a chopstick.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7wPTlQRugeQoJckuvetwzxt9AcQtQ0Z7WJ9lZPVFHOehQ53zM_ckObFlvlM9Awc2AaO-7pO7QTwVF_r4G27ZkV60gHFcy6MOT_URsTUoHayi13Pdt5IOFPTw2DmGTSVRQ0ak0V5kv3HEt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.30.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7wPTlQRugeQoJckuvetwzxt9AcQtQ0Z7WJ9lZPVFHOehQ53zM_ckObFlvlM9Awc2AaO-7pO7QTwVF_r4G27ZkV60gHFcy6MOT_URsTUoHayi13Pdt5IOFPTw2DmGTSVRQ0ak0V5kv3HEt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.30.20+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished frosting used 2 cups of butter and about 9 cups of powdered sugar. It is quite stiff. The dent in the left side is from my finger and didn't collapse.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOM8PINNCPtwPEDgss4k-xTJvZROXSlCJoDtBhCtFKdK3LY2xoi2VCbzJWzZnsUutldDa0Xt2meJv0QdlONa2MA2uRh71Gv_7CSfWztP1F6QFI5CcMs0i9eljztvFkHOHUTwG_tf9vHZRQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.30.31+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOM8PINNCPtwPEDgss4k-xTJvZROXSlCJoDtBhCtFKdK3LY2xoi2VCbzJWzZnsUutldDa0Xt2meJv0QdlONa2MA2uRh71Gv_7CSfWztP1F6QFI5CcMs0i9eljztvFkHOHUTwG_tf9vHZRQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.30.31+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the yellow gel color from the tip of a spoon. I used about twice this amount.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCncph4bHrClzpdHecZLYxmCRmpJ8B-iKLf_r84FCF6t_oPaDLPPqqIW7jq9Y1WnrYfv8I7XhM2RivTC8BolcjYVy0o1Q7mcmbGLsD3I1GhiG984RGS0LeJBej6B9WmT6rneUVre47j5je/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.30.45+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCncph4bHrClzpdHecZLYxmCRmpJ8B-iKLf_r84FCF6t_oPaDLPPqqIW7jq9Y1WnrYfv8I7XhM2RivTC8BolcjYVy0o1Q7mcmbGLsD3I1GhiG984RGS0LeJBej6B9WmT6rneUVre47j5je/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.30.45+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It wasn't quite so neon in real life but it was bright.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu2AU8dz1ZLDQHLoMEyJKqQeXi2CV_xpukf2QC6eA93xDJEz1MxTk1MGKeP6ZNf-UWM7xAN3EVzaKSadcUSFYvOze4U_HedWmPa7-jXBBCZfHdT9JBg33zvjSmdpCNHPccucCBUlk7Y0EN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.31.08+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu2AU8dz1ZLDQHLoMEyJKqQeXi2CV_xpukf2QC6eA93xDJEz1MxTk1MGKeP6ZNf-UWM7xAN3EVzaKSadcUSFYvOze4U_HedWmPa7-jXBBCZfHdT9JBg33zvjSmdpCNHPccucCBUlk7Y0EN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.31.08+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I used the cake flour box to make a cardboard cake base.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjhylueery0yLk9vux7WrGzkKIunniAnQtIVACXAAIU8c-ghQKHCx4Ti9_kk8i8tK5Z8A27fJHwLuY7n4VXCsvbzWv8aDHux-gg-x5LU4tb1Yd7ui25-Wr4KPm_FN2Rj_qcXvNorGUKxt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.31.18+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjhylueery0yLk9vux7WrGzkKIunniAnQtIVACXAAIU8c-ghQKHCx4Ti9_kk8i8tK5Z8A27fJHwLuY7n4VXCsvbzWv8aDHux-gg-x5LU4tb1Yd7ui25-Wr4KPm_FN2Rj_qcXvNorGUKxt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.31.18+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You want the cake base to be slightly bigger than the cake, so I traced the outside edge of the cake pan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2JcwJgZg5P1tez4I1ufGw2jjjkiQm0Yq1xtawWSNEArwivXWK-9KCg88MraLwagZcxq7_yAhyphenhyphen8sooLhQ2pEpPiWrqKwyfdHGeDDDknCCMOXod9cp8iEBg4uNrjlWbOk0XfSM9xK-SdA_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.32.19+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2JcwJgZg5P1tez4I1ufGw2jjjkiQm0Yq1xtawWSNEArwivXWK-9KCg88MraLwagZcxq7_yAhyphenhyphen8sooLhQ2pEpPiWrqKwyfdHGeDDDknCCMOXod9cp8iEBg4uNrjlWbOk0XfSM9xK-SdA_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.32.19+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cake base was covered in parchment paper instead of tin foil since my roommate used the last of the tin foil but didn't tell me or buy some more. The frosting will be used to glue the first ring down.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ6s42a2Fx1tQaW17n7pTnKWqLG7vC6LXJjUU7L3qICOHySGmtGzca5ZpLCVLsjPprBFvOAT-S5RW3xqZZwZUV-BAFZC3_DwTj6MpydYg4pQ8YJC2PZqGiem4eoNrtGSkzFtLMEXSVZOpn/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.32.29+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ6s42a2Fx1tQaW17n7pTnKWqLG7vC6LXJjUU7L3qICOHySGmtGzca5ZpLCVLsjPprBFvOAT-S5RW3xqZZwZUV-BAFZC3_DwTj6MpydYg4pQ8YJC2PZqGiem4eoNrtGSkzFtLMEXSVZOpn/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.32.29+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first ring (coconut) with frosting applied to hold the second ring in place.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Sa75ALH0987pWhYH_q0QLudnFpl35xBbJpxKWlvM1x8Bymn3whFJHm9fivS-Uk20OhWxjGRK_lCpEvRUxCtZkUD5xXpKYa0a_Bf2B4RNWEtAnrlASyI1oZR1nkMywYJR2h2YF282p1hS/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.32.58+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Sa75ALH0987pWhYH_q0QLudnFpl35xBbJpxKWlvM1x8Bymn3whFJHm9fivS-Uk20OhWxjGRK_lCpEvRUxCtZkUD5xXpKYa0a_Bf2B4RNWEtAnrlASyI1oZR1nkMywYJR2h2YF282p1hS/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.32.58+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The second ring. The chocolate cake has more crumbs than the coconut cake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LUTdsCrU3l2dEzGlMJnJC1_uTGtbmbcY1gItTvcT2WGSlgAzSoqh7s1kaF66QvWeI4rDUlwMFDN3dBHR2CGMu5dHsWXxzXXUayhWnzpiwd6xinB1oHdbU5_FvtOpAbZZCUXRcqkvmBl8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.33.31+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LUTdsCrU3l2dEzGlMJnJC1_uTGtbmbcY1gItTvcT2WGSlgAzSoqh7s1kaF66QvWeI4rDUlwMFDN3dBHR2CGMu5dHsWXxzXXUayhWnzpiwd6xinB1oHdbU5_FvtOpAbZZCUXRcqkvmBl8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.33.31+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the third ring in place.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5qSYOnR-8KOtcFaoRSriXp4HwvJ5ni7M_Sb6QZo3G4gJLybGur3jlla4GHhxfVTgezyl6f7FWsdEFf0h8loL9EepMQElV4YqHpr1b7LBzGRQVQ-x72xt9md3OUSVolDUH8S_dWK-sa1V_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.33.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5qSYOnR-8KOtcFaoRSriXp4HwvJ5ni7M_Sb6QZo3G4gJLybGur3jlla4GHhxfVTgezyl6f7FWsdEFf0h8loL9EepMQElV4YqHpr1b7LBzGRQVQ-x72xt9md3OUSVolDUH8S_dWK-sa1V_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.33.40+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frosting to glue the bottom and top layers together.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZh6pJ_wy1gcMLpEuV_UEOmtfywC2uRM5Cmsgib963IpGJGrWafuw_zw7ps1F44onN2kP_8DQJ2J8wjoUaRejxMK3dpKocWkJ1yLyNpl3w75jWqLlfSJ0jSTUHtFKd1pKG4NMDqt-y2oKB/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.32.46+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZh6pJ_wy1gcMLpEuV_UEOmtfywC2uRM5Cmsgib963IpGJGrWafuw_zw7ps1F44onN2kP_8DQJ2J8wjoUaRejxMK3dpKocWkJ1yLyNpl3w75jWqLlfSJ0jSTUHtFKd1pKG4NMDqt-y2oKB/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.32.46+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The outer chocolate ring broke when I removed the middle ring.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgthgDlGVg3DeBG0GvBBmUVEcCilJ5OfhMwShMohYzD2Isbg_-EPxV0NB6kcojEnje3_j4YDfb26CHToDzNm-aWg8ngLZYF66HTh17Inkxik57W4TQ5kpcsR2jamgrNiAPYmueTLw36Z8fm/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.33.49+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgthgDlGVg3DeBG0GvBBmUVEcCilJ5OfhMwShMohYzD2Isbg_-EPxV0NB6kcojEnje3_j4YDfb26CHToDzNm-aWg8ngLZYF66HTh17Inkxik57W4TQ5kpcsR2jamgrNiAPYmueTLw36Z8fm/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.33.49+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I glued the outer ring in pieces. Nobody could tell.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwe9m3Lma7Aq_6IS4gTwgZuUUtmXD-FNxTp8VSMbK0JDAWHW9bZ1aUhOwWLNTSYlJ-nCoq_C5VSsZ11FCRADkSLQZgCz88d_AAIoe236pnr7yzZc7SVD_dRoWfPrVPWCtD1WNrIS9Cn73/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.34.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwe9m3Lma7Aq_6IS4gTwgZuUUtmXD-FNxTp8VSMbK0JDAWHW9bZ1aUhOwWLNTSYlJ-nCoq_C5VSsZ11FCRADkSLQZgCz88d_AAIoe236pnr7yzZc7SVD_dRoWfPrVPWCtD1WNrIS9Cn73/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.34.00+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the pieces.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNSGYDQxugLD5fYXkh43avuZew4mKoo-V4RToYMmqK5eGwcRY8Zm2DqrCGms-C0uIALTCdKk5Yums9KybJlu6ihnyVUxBJqaY3a9_TRkZ9gjwJ3mUot6aPkHwd4f34JJEbZLDsOFgc4W8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.34.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNSGYDQxugLD5fYXkh43avuZew4mKoo-V4RToYMmqK5eGwcRY8Zm2DqrCGms-C0uIALTCdKk5Yums9KybJlu6ihnyVUxBJqaY3a9_TRkZ9gjwJ3mUot6aPkHwd4f34JJEbZLDsOFgc4W8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.34.11+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Assembled.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCc2J3UWQ23SXasGz5MNB50VbUUHk3vD0MSAiFILXaSr7bWVYmeypbALNdKzZ4tg33c0_0JtopeSz-ZtsdcH-4fJTX0hEgYPgIIm-0En5LvKUi3XCmJNUJG3OCaMXqZhnRnEDiS9HY1HFJ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.34.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCc2J3UWQ23SXasGz5MNB50VbUUHk3vD0MSAiFILXaSr7bWVYmeypbALNdKzZ4tg33c0_0JtopeSz-ZtsdcH-4fJTX0hEgYPgIIm-0En5LvKUi3XCmJNUJG3OCaMXqZhnRnEDiS9HY1HFJ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.34.22+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The second layer. The bit of frosting on the right was to hold part of the outer ring in place.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7CIUUHY1yfZvH_AQW2b16jBQfEXiCQWyOW0h1vGructCkznCUZDkQz_lMMwL30Kyt7wmMOgCCiSpxsKRXNA2fbbssecPIdf4ORABjZ6HFmshWj9ZxdnguUS4WNl9lzd1sqQ7ZjRQoYNqf/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.34.33+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7CIUUHY1yfZvH_AQW2b16jBQfEXiCQWyOW0h1vGructCkznCUZDkQz_lMMwL30Kyt7wmMOgCCiSpxsKRXNA2fbbssecPIdf4ORABjZ6HFmshWj9ZxdnguUS4WNl9lzd1sqQ7ZjRQoYNqf/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.34.33+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the crumb cake was applied and the cake sat in the fridge for an hour, I applied a final coat of frosting. I've done the top but not the sides at this point.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiMFsjPFrSdPpI706MIE638Xt03rOVFRtMGBKXU9JyV5L3c05qStBp_grqFEikaSBJVrZuNtRe9hlLngw59yzmNK9oMm9nbTTnrBlAG1L07wpwhYv6dqUztnu3xABlGQhqL0obAQkisV-j/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.34.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiMFsjPFrSdPpI706MIE638Xt03rOVFRtMGBKXU9JyV5L3c05qStBp_grqFEikaSBJVrZuNtRe9hlLngw59yzmNK9oMm9nbTTnrBlAG1L07wpwhYv6dqUztnu3xABlGQhqL0obAQkisV-j/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.34.43+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished cake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUzeQ6ia92uv9dinWIiuMnJWGD4oxuoigIOUdW04e-ZSYoCNcNXKrqPlNdQKV3Tn2ennVekedo86zyBkVpynqeN6_uInIi8kP9VJpyVPWyeQPNl_o9ZM2OBrOYU7ffobfcc-LdSRGRNHe/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.35.23+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUzeQ6ia92uv9dinWIiuMnJWGD4oxuoigIOUdW04e-ZSYoCNcNXKrqPlNdQKV3Tn2ennVekedo86zyBkVpynqeN6_uInIi8kP9VJpyVPWyeQPNl_o9ZM2OBrOYU7ffobfcc-LdSRGRNHe/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-06+at+8.35.23+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What each piece looked like.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-44710629836446263592013-04-25T13:36:00.000-04:002013-04-25T13:36:34.698-04:00Mango Tart: Smashing At The EndMangoes are my favorite fruit. I love how they taste, their texture, that they can be eaten by themselves or used in both savory and sweet dishes - everything about them, which is why I make <a href="http://chezleawesome.blogspot.com/2012/08/mango-mousse-cake-how-to-fool-people.html" target="_blank">this mango mousse cake</a> so often. This time I decided to try something new and make a mango dessert that wasn't the mousse cake. I had already decided to retry the <a href="http://chezleawesome.blogspot.com/2013/01/green-tea-mille-crepes-experiment-based.html" target="_blank">green tea mille crepes cake</a> from the <a href="http://www.zencancook.com/" target="_blank">Zen Can Cook</a> website. When I was on the website, I saw that he's got a <a href="http://www.zencancook.com/2012/03/mango-tart-with-lime/" target="_blank">recipe for a mango tart</a>. It was fate!<br />
<br />
But of course I can't leave well enough alone, so I changed some things before I even tried the recipe for the first time. You'd think that I would have learned after the mille crepes cake debacle, but no. This time I decided that instead of using store-bought puff pastry, I'd make a tart shell and put the filling into that instead. I used the tart shell from <a href="http://chezleawesome.blogspot.com/2013/03/winter-disapearance-but-thats-normal.html" target="_blank">the dark chocolate and cherry tart </a>and one and half bags of frozen mango chunks from Trader Joe's instead of four to five ripe mangoes.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.zencancook.com/2012/03/mango-tart-with-lime/" target="_blank">Zen's original recipe</a> produces a flat tart with a thin layer of mango puree topped with lots of fresh mango slices that are baked until they are cooked through. This isn't a good time of year to get fresh mangoes on the East Coast, so I made a thick tart with a lot of mango puree topped with a small amount of fresh mango that was baked until the mango puree became more solid. Sometimes it just isn't possible to get the right quantities of the ingredients you need to make a recipe. There's no shame in improvising. I figured if the whole thing didn't work, I'd just eat the mango filling with a spoon.<br />
<br />
In the end, things worked out well enough that I have a couple of ideas for the next time I try the "thick variation" of this recipe. Nobody at the potluck got to see the result because I was cut off when I driving on the freeway on my way to the potluck. Fortunately I had put the mango tart in my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tupperware-801-Round-Cake-Taker/dp/B00005S6IR" target="_blank">cake carrier</a> so when I braked suddenly, the mango tart smashed into the side of the carrier instead of into the back of the drivers seat. I told the potluck that it was an Impressionist version of a mango tart. We ate it with a spoon and it tasted wonderful, very mango-y.<br />
<br />
If you don't like mango, it's not worth your time to make this since the filling is basically pure mango with a few extra ingredients.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Tips: there's nothing wrong with the original version of this recipe if you can get enough ripe mangoes. The mango season is supposedly January through September but getting nice, ripe mangoes varies by geography. Florida grows mangoes but they aren't on the market until May or June, so the only ones I could find were imported from Mexico. They were ripe but they were also very bruised, which doesn't display well in a fan pattern like Zen suggests.<br />
<br />
To find a ripe mango, you want to do the "squeeze test". A ripe mango is a little bit soft, with a little bit of give. If you squeeze a mango and it's very firm, it's not ripe. You're looking for a sensation that similar to what you get if you do the "squeeze test" on an avocado.<br />
<br />
Peeling and slicing a mango isn't as difficult as you'd think if you know the set-up (or anatomy) of a mango. The skin is firm and quite thick and the seed is long and narrow, not round like an avocado seed. There are lots of websites that <a href="http://startcooking.com/how-to-peel-a-mango" target="_blank">show you</a> how <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Cut-a-Mango" target="_blank">to peel and cut</a> a mango. I learned what is apparently <a href="http://shesimmers.com/2009/03/how-to-peel-and-slice-mango.html" target="_blank">the Thai way</a> of doing it. I'm not Thai and neither is my Italian mother, who showed me, so I don't know why we do it that way in our family. It does work like a charm.<br />
<br />
IMHO, the original recipe doesn't give very good instructions for how to cut the mangoes. It's not clear what type of cuts you're trying to make if you've never cut up a mango before. What the instructions want you to do it to cut off the top and bottom of the mango first. There will be a small brown stem that's still attached at the top (see it <a href="http://startcooking.com/how-to-peel-a-mango" target="_blank">in the pictures here</a>), which is the top of the mango and which marks where the seed it. Cut that off and the matching bottom part. You will be able to stand the mango up on the flat bottom. Next, take a sharp paring knife and run it under the skin of the mango, between the skin and the flesh. You can make a vertical cut in the skin once it's loosened and it will peel right off. Then, take the knife and align it so that you can cut down through the mango without hitting the seed. You are trying to slice off the left or right side of the mango while avoiding cutting the seed. You will get what is called the cheek of the mango. You'll end up with two cheeks, which you should slice into thin strips to make a fan pattern on the top of the tart. Take the seed and the flesh that's left, and chop the flesh off while avoiding getting bit of seed in it. This doesn't need to be pretty since this part of the flesh will be boiled down and pureed.<br />
<br />
Mangoes will cook in the oven but they do need to be baked at a relatively high temperature for 30-40 minutes. The flesh has a lot of moisture and can also be more fibrous and tough than many other fruits.<br />
<br />
Mangoes are very sweet when they are ripe so I don't add much sugar to them when you make the puree.<br />
<br />
The next time I try making this tart I'm going to add some cornstarch to the mango puree to thicken it up (and maybe some eggs yolks as well). Unfortunately I never got the chance to slice the tart before it smashed so I don't know exactly how solid the filling got.<br />
<br />
Several people mentioned that they liked the fact that this dessert isn't too sweet. One potluck person said that it was "Asian sweet" instead of "American sweet".<br />
<br />
I used the four tablespoons of melted butter like the recipe suggested but I didn't really notice any effect since I didn't use much fresh mango on top. If you make a version that's similar to the original one with lots of fresh mango, you will probably need some melted butter when you put the tart in the oven.<br />
<br />
The sugar and water combination needs to boil for a while to make a syrup. You can add the lime juice while it's boiling instead of waiting until the end. The syrup will become quite thick after boiling about 10 minutes or so. It's a nice flavor match to the mangoes so I wouldn't skip this part of the recipe.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Mango Tart with Lime</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Original recipe from <a href="http://www.zencancook.com/2012/03/mango-tart-with-lime/" target="_blank">Zen Can Cook</a></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Ingredients</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">One 8-inch round of high-quality puff pastry<b> </b></span></li>
<li>4 to 5 ripe mangoes (preferably Ataulfo, Champagne, or Manila)</li>
<li>4 tablespoons (unsalted) butter, melted</li>
<li>1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling</li>
<li>1/2 cup water</li>
<li>1 lime</li>
</ul>
<i>My modifications:</i><br />
<ul>
<li>2 bags of Trader Joe's mango chunks</li>
<li>1 ripe mango</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Directions</b><br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 375 F. Cut the ends of the mangoes and peel them by
running a small sharp knife underneath the skin. Slice each half along
the pit and reserve on a plate. Cut the remaining flesh around the pit
and chop roughly. <br />
<br />
Place the chopped mango in a small saucepan with 2 or 3 tablespoons
of water and a sprinkle of sugar and cook over medium heat until very
soft and most of the liquid has evaporated. Blend in a food processor to
make a smooth puree. Cool.<br />
<br />
Place the round of puff pastry on a baking tray lined with a silpat
or parchment paper. Prick with a fork all over except for a 1/4-inch
border. Spread out a thin layer of the cooled mango compote on top of
the pastry but keep the 1/4-inch border. Slice the mango halves and
overlap them in a fan pattern on top of the mango compote leaving the
border intact. Brush the mango slices with the melted butter and
sprinkle with sugar. Place the tray in the hot oven and bake for 35
minutes, or until the pastry is puffed around the edges, golden brown
and caramelized.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile place the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to
a boil to make a syrup. Squeeze half the lime in the sugar syrup. Brush
the hot lime syrup over the mango tart and grate some lime zest all
over it using a microplane grater. Serve warm or at room temperature.<br />
<br />
<i>My modifications: prepare <a href="http://chezleawesome.blogspot.com/2013/03/winter-disapearance-but-thats-normal.html" target="_blank">tart shell</a>. While shell is blind baking, prepare mangoes. </i><i><i>Slice ripe mango as described above. </i></i><br />
<br />
<i>Defrost 1 1/2 bags of mango chunks in the microwave, and puree in a food processor. Sift 1/2 cup cornstarch into the mango puree and mix well. Heat mango puree in a pot on the stove until very hot (possibly boiling), stirring or whisking the entire time. This should take about 3-5 minutes. The mango puree will thicken. Heat until the puree has reached the desired thickness. Pour thickened puree into the blind baked tart shell.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Arrange the mango slices in a pattern. Brush with melted butter if a lot of fresh mango is used. Bake for 35 minutes, and continue with the directions about the lime syrup.</i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLUug3fCO1rqSPnMfkfHhoZ2vlPr0ZyfS48MrtFwWqBw6CZrGfdykq5RhOKwI_PwJwX4ddgvB_KnsE7F7DsM_CGav8EI_czDl4pr1zo5uZ2S5rzTXIyRWTZmWqKNgl9SWHop6fY4ekiI8a/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.42.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLUug3fCO1rqSPnMfkfHhoZ2vlPr0ZyfS48MrtFwWqBw6CZrGfdykq5RhOKwI_PwJwX4ddgvB_KnsE7F7DsM_CGav8EI_czDl4pr1zo5uZ2S5rzTXIyRWTZmWqKNgl9SWHop6fY4ekiI8a/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.42.02+PM.png" width="320" /></a></i></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rolling out the dough for the tart. It's easier to use parchment paper to cover the board.<i><br /></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmQGk0EPXLMb3g9m4hsndaq6y_ZZgZTMv_9LIzLMwLvyDfHWML5HYTHQE9QrtvAq5fWcedJYlOOp-jEWnUxVhQwXtRaON_jhRBmJD90Xmp07BiVJYcyfmTZfV_LBM3LJ13KxmY8jJF2d0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.42.12+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmQGk0EPXLMb3g9m4hsndaq6y_ZZgZTMv_9LIzLMwLvyDfHWML5HYTHQE9QrtvAq5fWcedJYlOOp-jEWnUxVhQwXtRaON_jhRBmJD90Xmp07BiVJYcyfmTZfV_LBM3LJ13KxmY8jJF2d0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.42.12+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fitting the dough into the tart pan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuLOSvYXi10vRa-S7fCenLOrBKvCUy1RhuvKlNNM7UM5T6YcMOy0Nc7-F5A2e7Ua8HrdNngKDQcdu0Y1pLtYlBDeMxOQLarcOQlbGnkC4EgTObCG-ncS1b_6ZHjD3eo6WplFspn56IoLz8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.42.21+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuLOSvYXi10vRa-S7fCenLOrBKvCUy1RhuvKlNNM7UM5T6YcMOy0Nc7-F5A2e7Ua8HrdNngKDQcdu0Y1pLtYlBDeMxOQLarcOQlbGnkC4EgTObCG-ncS1b_6ZHjD3eo6WplFspn56IoLz8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.42.21+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for blind baking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqxBUqxogsJ9ARlrUf2UVMfgBQuKPr_bhVI0xbOcZ2nYWxrmJEC3-0kIclnBy_y4cB6H3Ri_zcxC4jAbrFO0C-npz4U_XKJtrAvNMhMrajtgXPBK3VPImLWDPaqbEWg1e_Zu8FHI0qRQF/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.42.29+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqxBUqxogsJ9ARlrUf2UVMfgBQuKPr_bhVI0xbOcZ2nYWxrmJEC3-0kIclnBy_y4cB6H3Ri_zcxC4jAbrFO0C-npz4U_XKJtrAvNMhMrajtgXPBK3VPImLWDPaqbEWg1e_Zu8FHI0qRQF/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.42.29+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I planned to use two ripe mangoes for the top but the one on the right was bruised.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiku1HjIYN0r2hxl6nicTg4FiPHl6HIBzKJZEaFw4a9W8fSSJPTX7tx-swTONDjOOCgPhgCIMkwiugb-qVV9EhQ9xiX9-soUMeJ0-fNU-CGR0jl7TIKtaLPDomolEcV5AHXvDtPQUOTg3w/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.42.38+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiku1HjIYN0r2hxl6nicTg4FiPHl6HIBzKJZEaFw4a9W8fSSJPTX7tx-swTONDjOOCgPhgCIMkwiugb-qVV9EhQ9xiX9-soUMeJ0-fNU-CGR0jl7TIKtaLPDomolEcV5AHXvDtPQUOTg3w/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.42.38+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slice off the top and bottom.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVImJSSOt63OMo60weTCa68npDRR3pX-vvNcwCHwM9_YedrijY5A_kwK0IsaksZ0HktinUq_BQUtSj2mBHOywsrG12vpvI8Cq7F9xXJMO9NkgOeFlRq_V0qcp5uysXyW2MImCOz1FGeh4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.42.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVImJSSOt63OMo60weTCa68npDRR3pX-vvNcwCHwM9_YedrijY5A_kwK0IsaksZ0HktinUq_BQUtSj2mBHOywsrG12vpvI8Cq7F9xXJMO9NkgOeFlRq_V0qcp5uysXyW2MImCOz1FGeh4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.42.50+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I peel mangoes downwards in vertical strips like using a vegetable peeler.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOmBSXzxQ4BODEg_OpJC7hJD1xvoK_AAb2Lb4eyONdN00jxEzB-SJWqkjG3dwfnRh9a7xt2W7rEUGa1bx7kvlINJ1yf1gtOqe-Tv6kbIxzYbvH1vo9pb8WybSxpx_o5NP2jIhqyDXOgdm/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.43.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOmBSXzxQ4BODEg_OpJC7hJD1xvoK_AAb2Lb4eyONdN00jxEzB-SJWqkjG3dwfnRh9a7xt2W7rEUGa1bx7kvlINJ1yf1gtOqe-Tv6kbIxzYbvH1vo9pb8WybSxpx_o5NP2jIhqyDXOgdm/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.43.11+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peeled mangoes: the right one is too bruised to use as decoration on the top of the tart.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMr7ZzEvDHG9tw-GDUIEMhPKlbnczKBSXxxIsKPknIaSlCqZrs0LWmOxcNqIxLhocP7K3ryJsrRoKWuDiudXvBUKn2gBzjIyKXaCWT7WVl0Qt5DUjb6wKV2T0Cglbi9kX6R9-ueX8ND-GT/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.43.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMr7ZzEvDHG9tw-GDUIEMhPKlbnczKBSXxxIsKPknIaSlCqZrs0LWmOxcNqIxLhocP7K3ryJsrRoKWuDiudXvBUKn2gBzjIyKXaCWT7WVl0Qt5DUjb6wKV2T0Cglbi9kX6R9-ueX8ND-GT/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.43.20+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sliced mango with the juiced and zested lime.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZoj29G3thMNUxK75diqQWFIn0oNbVi5IJFHtInLK0LNnNu9UAwGhvyFZ1vZpUwq9P68PyQLIwuMDak_4UxcFRqayHKfhuHq-GyokOsCmQz9w9UZv3qSQEubCCP1DIEjLL0ty6L6jG_bVK/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.43.31+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZoj29G3thMNUxK75diqQWFIn0oNbVi5IJFHtInLK0LNnNu9UAwGhvyFZ1vZpUwq9P68PyQLIwuMDak_4UxcFRqayHKfhuHq-GyokOsCmQz9w9UZv3qSQEubCCP1DIEjLL0ty6L6jG_bVK/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.43.31+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tart shell filled with mango puree.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtIOSQ2Ca8er8RMH3RKd_Eel4h7Effe1HaU9mxWHs3WKdNH9QT35LFGKejBMSKeyDs5b8Ywv9WinpxFszwAh9Ch9ifaAxU4xZiT_aFtKOkHBILFugCzHSxEkiTbu9uYcnHmnKpehptHcY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.43.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtIOSQ2Ca8er8RMH3RKd_Eel4h7Effe1HaU9mxWHs3WKdNH9QT35LFGKejBMSKeyDs5b8Ywv9WinpxFszwAh9Ch9ifaAxU4xZiT_aFtKOkHBILFugCzHSxEkiTbu9uYcnHmnKpehptHcY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.43.40+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Decorated with mango slices.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJOo5ComBVt92cGmAuA_lcERAnLzmvEzf6m0-DoEEKaskufd36SAp5fHUDRMtsVKVB2dr6YxnLVZipWSQjgarZGJga0lGj3gBMgfe5VGac7Po3YzcbqhWLV_7n1OcgTSjMN7Fnqwdo-Ji/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.44.23+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJOo5ComBVt92cGmAuA_lcERAnLzmvEzf6m0-DoEEKaskufd36SAp5fHUDRMtsVKVB2dr6YxnLVZipWSQjgarZGJga0lGj3gBMgfe5VGac7Po3YzcbqhWLV_7n1OcgTSjMN7Fnqwdo-Ji/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.44.23+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baked and with the syrup on top. It only lasted for an hour like this before it got smashed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-40082183077628252412013-04-22T08:42:00.000-04:002013-04-22T08:42:43.779-04:00Green Tea Mille Crepes: Second Time's The Charm<a href="http://chezleawesome.blogspot.com/2013/01/green-tea-mille-crepes-experiment-based.html" target="_blank">The first time</a> I tried to make <a href="http://www.zencancook.com/2011/09/green-tea-mille-crepes/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Zen Can Cook's green tea crepe cake</a>, I got the crepe version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. This time I decided to follow the recipe exactly instead of using a different pastry cream recipe. It also reminded me why I didn't use Zen's recipe last time: there's six egg yolks in it. I will be eating a bunch of egg white omeletes this week.<br />
<br />
The pastry cream needs to be firm and solid enough to hold up the stack of crepes. Zen's recipe has both egg yolks and cornstarch for thickening so it's got the consistency of very solid jam. I stacked up all of the crepes that made it (twenty), and the tower didn't even lean.<br />
<br />
Twenty crepes is too many for this cake. It was too tall to eat easily and we ended up splitting the slices into the top and bottom half.<br />
<br />
The pastry cream has a lovely orange flavor but I didn't think it went that well with the crepes. The green tea turned the crepes green but I couldn't taste it at all. The texture was nice so the next time I make these crepes, I'll probably double or triple the amount of matcha powder in the batter. Zen also has a version that is chocolate crepes with the same orange pastry cream. I think that this combination makes more sense than green tea with orange.<br />
<br />
This cake would work nicely as a single serving, personal dessert. I may try making half sized crepes for small cakes instead of one large one.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Tips: If you can't flip things using a spatula like I can't, you can fake it by using a plate. Flip the pan upside down so the crepe lands on the plate, then pick it up by the edges with your hands and flip it back into the pan onto the other side. The second side will have been mostly cooked so you don't need to worry about raw batter splattering onto the plate.<br />
<br />
You can tell when a crepe is ready to flip by watching the edges. Right as they start turning brown, flip the crepe. The crepe won't stick to the pan when it's done cooking so if you can't get the spatula under it, wait another 20 to 30 seconds.<br />
<br />
If you're using a non-stick pan, don't use very much butter when you heat up the pan and don't use any once you start making the crepes. It seems counter-intuitive not to use butter or oil when frying something but the butter will burn because of how hot the pan needs to be. <br />
<br />
When stacking the crepes up, I used a thin layer of pastry cream between each crepe. I put a crepe on, smoothed on the pastry cream, and placed the next crepe on top. It was a bit awkward at the end because the crepes lower down on the stack were getting pulled by the spreading motion. It may be better to put the pastry cream on the crepes first, and then stack them. It shouldn't be difficult if you're only using 10 to 12 crepes.<br />
<br />
Because I had more practice, this time I got 20 good crepes and 3 smushed, messed-up crepes.<br />
<br />
I didn't use the whipping cream to thin out the pastry cream. <br />
<br />
When you put the hot pastry cream in the ice bath to cool while stirring it, do it in the sink instead of on the counter. That way when you spill the icy water all over, it will stay in the sink. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Green Tea (Matcha) Mille Crepes</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">from <a href="http://www.zencancook.com/2011/09/green-tea-mille-crepes/" target="_blank">Zen Can Cook</a></span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>For the crepes:</b></div>
<ul id="internal-source-marker_0.49808826684170837" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 cup all-purpose flour</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 cup milk</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1/2 cup lukewarm water (or beer)</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4 large eggs</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3 tablespoons sugar</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 pinch salt</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2 tablespoons matcha powder</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 tablespoon Cointreau or Grand-Marnier</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>For the pastry cream:</b></div>
<ul id="internal-source-marker_0.49808826684170837" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2 cups whole milk</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">6 large egg yolks</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1/2 cup sugar</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1/3 cup cornstarch</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 teaspoon vanilla extract</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2 tablespoons butter, at room temp’</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">zest of 1/2 orange</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 tablespoon Grand-Marnier (optional)</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped (optional)</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<b>To make the crepes:</b></div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Combine
all the ingredients by hand or in the bowl of a blender. Mix until
smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Place a 6-inch nonstick or seasoned crepe pan over medium heat. Using a paper towel, coat the pan with a little butter.</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pour
about 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter into the pan. Lift, tilt and rotate
the pan so that the batter forms an even, very thin layer. Cook until
golden. Turn the crepe over and cook a little longer. Remove the crepe
to a piece of wax paper. Continue cooking the rest of the crepes.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<b>To make the orange pastry cream:</b></div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil over medium heat.</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Whisk
the yolks, sugar and cornstarch together in a bowl. Drizzle a quarter
of the hot milk and whisk vigorously. Pour the rest of the milk and keep
whisking. Return the custard to the pan and add the vanilla extract and
orange zest. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil while whisking
energetically for 1 or 2 minutes. The mixture will be thick. Stir in the
Grand Marnier if using.</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Set
the bottom of the pot in a ice-water bath to cool, stirring frequently
so that the mixture remains smooth. Cool to 140 F (warm to the touch)
and stir in the butter and the orange zest until completely
incorporated. Cool and refrigerate.</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When
ready to use, place the put the pastry cream in a food processor and
process for 10 seconds for the best consistency. Fold in the whipped
cream if using.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<b>To assemble:</b></div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Lay
1 crepe on a cake plate. Using an icing spatula, completely cover with a
thin layer of pastry cream. Cover with a crepe and repeat to make a
stack of 15 to 20.</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Chill
for at least 2 hours. Serve cold. If you have a blowtorch for creme
brulee, sprinkle the top crepe with 2 tablespoons sugar and caramelize
with the torch. Slice like a cake. Serve with candied orange zest.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /> </span></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMGyrycT8c6cBnUjoaqAJH3tcdAVxIeDeY-B4i2joUqWNQUD0Co9MfvpuxDLU1ML5KBI6lOwBsXV6SS6qc0lYjrCgJ-oDDWw89XB9jAJIpGv5iXukKrCBnrlXUVXUJPBLjE2pjnKoHX7Dm/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.37.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMGyrycT8c6cBnUjoaqAJH3tcdAVxIeDeY-B4i2joUqWNQUD0Co9MfvpuxDLU1ML5KBI6lOwBsXV6SS6qc0lYjrCgJ-oDDWw89XB9jAJIpGv5iXukKrCBnrlXUVXUJPBLjE2pjnKoHX7Dm/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.37.47+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Six eggs, separated.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UjqBDG__6x3Lo5J9Pr6a7VvZBaXW4zP9WI3AqzKgfTf1McPzEppDSm63miIdECEz1atuX4cZ0HjvOh9Kp7WYrPODTHuKyx0j_LI7NelJFBAIEbrj9tN8nz5vGeigEgpMk02W57p5_dQJ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.38.07+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UjqBDG__6x3Lo5J9Pr6a7VvZBaXW4zP9WI3AqzKgfTf1McPzEppDSm63miIdECEz1atuX4cZ0HjvOh9Kp7WYrPODTHuKyx0j_LI7NelJFBAIEbrj9tN8nz5vGeigEgpMk02W57p5_dQJ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.38.07+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You don't need the butter right away, so just leave it out on a plate with the orange zest to warm up while you deal with everything else.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyAiOC6e66HJ4cqtI1elA1fbGYnqw8goqDVQ7RjD1otM-RWzkTol6fV8G5dC5nRmK61pIBeNCcbi3jpb69KXhVkA4YhQGiF9VZFCpoxBdBrqMigD2L7_D6WAkIJJLEtTJRjQ2BWZAdxkMY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.38.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyAiOC6e66HJ4cqtI1elA1fbGYnqw8goqDVQ7RjD1otM-RWzkTol6fV8G5dC5nRmK61pIBeNCcbi3jpb69KXhVkA4YhQGiF9VZFCpoxBdBrqMigD2L7_D6WAkIJJLEtTJRjQ2BWZAdxkMY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.38.20+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yolks, sugar, and cornstarch.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqqQGdQOHWRxjD_Xt_CnJuE5x-D5VZzOakhkLJEXshCKqWcEwtJ42k-gltxymvPU2wnG-8Eftl-ZWxTtIMv2_sNtmamwAY43oeAp4kuJejDuX94p3hywor5Q0U5qDGd0l5FM64hR_SJqk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.38.53+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqqQGdQOHWRxjD_Xt_CnJuE5x-D5VZzOakhkLJEXshCKqWcEwtJ42k-gltxymvPU2wnG-8Eftl-ZWxTtIMv2_sNtmamwAY43oeAp4kuJejDuX94p3hywor5Q0U5qDGd0l5FM64hR_SJqk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.38.53+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot pastry cream in the ice bath. Do this part in the sink!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_KjKAh1c7gxH1gWL8m1y6kgXjRDklW430bc0WFmFEywhJAK9uY3yfD5lsyuOdpbnPOnoaLO1NLHOTgDI-5t4e_-ZkCMa0BBIYDOkX-Vs165nc-qevosrRaH4rhyphenhyphen6mjM_edEVWApPAm2Z/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.39.08+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_KjKAh1c7gxH1gWL8m1y6kgXjRDklW430bc0WFmFEywhJAK9uY3yfD5lsyuOdpbnPOnoaLO1NLHOTgDI-5t4e_-ZkCMa0BBIYDOkX-Vs165nc-qevosrRaH4rhyphenhyphen6mjM_edEVWApPAm2Z/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.39.08+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pastry cream will be very thick as it cools down.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0DTRda-yWKtjzyUKUxSc1T-dRV0xr5j3MejJrmjKwzdONSEN0WTX4l5E9JO7_n0hrocUxv45Cdrria-pmnP6MNd5oejNnnUUJhsV8l92mMFgF0FOtjfaaXUi8s41VuIvcwDHa-3JLXC25/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.39.36+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0DTRda-yWKtjzyUKUxSc1T-dRV0xr5j3MejJrmjKwzdONSEN0WTX4l5E9JO7_n0hrocUxv45Cdrria-pmnP6MNd5oejNnnUUJhsV8l92mMFgF0FOtjfaaXUi8s41VuIvcwDHa-3JLXC25/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.39.36+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't use butter in the non-stick pan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZE2-k5NATWRucSKUae9jLwXUYfnZhA_YzVvJnjoBtkSSWlqfZliQbAafRWmbYdGpbwmQG-gfDdYGP2RwlpQoHyM_glig51UrYoOTzD_5LumizfaSZfYPP7tiJg_Ypdtoqx0wQ873blIa/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.39.53+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZE2-k5NATWRucSKUae9jLwXUYfnZhA_YzVvJnjoBtkSSWlqfZliQbAafRWmbYdGpbwmQG-gfDdYGP2RwlpQoHyM_glig51UrYoOTzD_5LumizfaSZfYPP7tiJg_Ypdtoqx0wQ873blIa/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.39.53+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crepe cooking in the pan. The edges are turning brown on the right side so it's about time to flip the crepe.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7B9FEJcVlx8zDUV-FxxVsqesAbWV7UbLmXAqFLgQoUYzsoAT6p92V7eCQpC_6VqMhm5CLXIYqOnUbhXgjce1-t6o0YZ73tm-gvAvEnOw2kls3xQJojvGNpznQ6SrnbF3Di52rCSLKCKg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.39.25+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7B9FEJcVlx8zDUV-FxxVsqesAbWV7UbLmXAqFLgQoUYzsoAT6p92V7eCQpC_6VqMhm5CLXIYqOnUbhXgjce1-t6o0YZ73tm-gvAvEnOw2kls3xQJojvGNpznQ6SrnbF3Di52rCSLKCKg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.39.25+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somebody decided that dealing with a hot pan was the perfect time to drag his cabbage around the kitchen.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6cTjUMJK5YFTEhXkiPEBK12-PNIs5UBC_dT4fJKfukXKBp6e99wKvIuCRfzf4FJ3ptmzvqGBv9T4mqpNP8I4U_1GL_RaA2Cs2zW9wqEE6hqChrHNzru8lb6xX3BAZ5VJ6CqXfLaGsz6sn/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.40.16+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6cTjUMJK5YFTEhXkiPEBK12-PNIs5UBC_dT4fJKfukXKBp6e99wKvIuCRfzf4FJ3ptmzvqGBv9T4mqpNP8I4U_1GL_RaA2Cs2zW9wqEE6hqChrHNzru8lb6xX3BAZ5VJ6CqXfLaGsz6sn/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.40.16+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastry cream after being refrigerated. At this point it was completely solid.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiD_woOGGtED_x6O0e5DahAdgPKCELf3exdQlQ4FzR-2FC4ltdS0NmT28YvtBGr1ZXzaVcRZ9vc6Eoyu4NaSFjtkMjYODxkR7D535OiLiagNqviUcIi_4Pi0rZjpWhbmLZk3dWFuxEOi2n/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.40.31+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiD_woOGGtED_x6O0e5DahAdgPKCELf3exdQlQ4FzR-2FC4ltdS0NmT28YvtBGr1ZXzaVcRZ9vc6Eoyu4NaSFjtkMjYODxkR7D535OiLiagNqviUcIi_4Pi0rZjpWhbmLZk3dWFuxEOi2n/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.40.31+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After pulsing the pastry cream in the Cuisinart. The dent in the upper right part is from a spoon. It needs to be this thick when you start stacking the crepes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhxoGaflIf-TOoUHJ5mgIAKX-SO-oMjPHStUt74adMcn2-c8ljtoZ63PNO3dr-aaXa8HeJ2WhiN5Gu2Etf1DRrm3VIbWiNecA3SMEfNS4wH8YnxxkVL_2rlixweHNYaGVe_FSvKOexDrc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.40.57+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhxoGaflIf-TOoUHJ5mgIAKX-SO-oMjPHStUt74adMcn2-c8ljtoZ63PNO3dr-aaXa8HeJ2WhiN5Gu2Etf1DRrm3VIbWiNecA3SMEfNS4wH8YnxxkVL_2rlixweHNYaGVe_FSvKOexDrc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.40.57+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crepes cooled down and ready for stacking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7gWAGZbaGiv2f9guQvtKakQfetgqtwiEk0oOuZGRlLYYvNSV_jBoNECRhxaV4q5u1ebwTJnNDyzYsagJZtNk4kXXGUu42RRYoVyVBRwmmyGaa7eTvSR0vGXbfKqOvqz9KETtfiFYJe-i/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.41.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7gWAGZbaGiv2f9guQvtKakQfetgqtwiEk0oOuZGRlLYYvNSV_jBoNECRhxaV4q5u1ebwTJnNDyzYsagJZtNk4kXXGUu42RRYoVyVBRwmmyGaa7eTvSR0vGXbfKqOvqz9KETtfiFYJe-i/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.41.09+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First crepe.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4icDDG3g5cGbK1UnjhOptqofJn7Z2xbkUw1h_rYoH-MiAX4pX7ibtmmjW6WUOXKygtwrf5lqDtPM6PD1dA-anXT5NIsiHUsXTj5CvG4WUcQ1V_8rimee0h3xLn0rvHII3Akqc9F1lwBia/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.41.21+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4icDDG3g5cGbK1UnjhOptqofJn7Z2xbkUw1h_rYoH-MiAX4pX7ibtmmjW6WUOXKygtwrf5lqDtPM6PD1dA-anXT5NIsiHUsXTj5CvG4WUcQ1V_8rimee0h3xLn0rvHII3Akqc9F1lwBia/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.41.21+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished stack. The prettiest crepe went on top.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuR5hjvCLDJdA_e8HkEwtKz9ZDQwdDAqI1DCgYoNQneWIuDnppo5a7RiyR27tWb1M79CnVeLjqYopFND8A7xoKppaWVL_DKPH2fBjODLki2YKTFrJU5JCwMWJithfYooXKm6Lra-jtUxoO/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.41.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuR5hjvCLDJdA_e8HkEwtKz9ZDQwdDAqI1DCgYoNQneWIuDnppo5a7RiyR27tWb1M79CnVeLjqYopFND8A7xoKppaWVL_DKPH2fBjODLki2YKTFrJU5JCwMWJithfYooXKm6Lra-jtUxoO/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.41.30+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It looks cool from the side.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXdBxH-w5yfPlaRYCfn-r6obzvHVnw-7hZR5tUVAXgJUD8uSneKpE-xUxcOlV8P9LHYBx251uHyaMVJI_wn6U0F8v7Ie68ANzshNDdlpqRQGdAODzekphf7ZY8uXDjlvlHT6cM05-T8eK/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.43.49+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXdBxH-w5yfPlaRYCfn-r6obzvHVnw-7hZR5tUVAXgJUD8uSneKpE-xUxcOlV8P9LHYBx251uHyaMVJI_wn6U0F8v7Ie68ANzshNDdlpqRQGdAODzekphf7ZY8uXDjlvlHT6cM05-T8eK/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.43.49+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slicing it up for easy access.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ5Ryyy-pecQvrCrOnpWqyOvk7NJJViwzkkqIZymKG3M5wUkOvGM_Gtb10i68WQhJDwgH33qKaHrO0afodqFI1cAzsV0dFM9yDMwTbdZDzrI5PNvopv22YWGKsNU15jTZ-M4v_DY8sLDey/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.44.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ5Ryyy-pecQvrCrOnpWqyOvk7NJJViwzkkqIZymKG3M5wUkOvGM_Gtb10i68WQhJDwgH33qKaHrO0afodqFI1cAzsV0dFM9yDMwTbdZDzrI5PNvopv22YWGKsNU15jTZ-M4v_DY8sLDey/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.44.00+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Single slice. It's a bit too tall to eat easily.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazsiHvsNzucQjYqBSPgwSVgx6oiaHyeHROaycK0QgONjAIUVR37c-7rShH8bcuUJQLl2RqPFZ_MotTF_dUtdAvWIWPSKJhSlPVPryM5uB4hgkdQbks0Jyuh4BSvgV4i_DyWFC_MFc_Jdl/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.44.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazsiHvsNzucQjYqBSPgwSVgx6oiaHyeHROaycK0QgONjAIUVR37c-7rShH8bcuUJQLl2RqPFZ_MotTF_dUtdAvWIWPSKJhSlPVPryM5uB4hgkdQbks0Jyuh4BSvgV4i_DyWFC_MFc_Jdl/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-20+at+4.44.11+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I sliced it into eight pieces.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-12735445134681204622013-04-05T15:36:00.000-04:002013-04-05T15:36:13.551-04:00Tea Sandwiches and Angel Food Cupcakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When I moved to DC, I thought that it was an East Coast city that got snow regularly and that it had the infrastructure to handle snow. How wrong I was. This city can't handle more than an inch of snow. Normally I just make disparaging comments comparing DC to Chicago, but at the end of January I ended up cooking for a baby shower twice due to DC's lack of snow skills.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My friend Y was pregnant and her due date was the second week of February. I met Y at work and became friends with her and C, who are both great. So C and I arranged to have a baby shower for Y. We sent out invites, reserved a room, assigned various people to bring food and/or drinks - the whole shebang.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Three days before the baby shower, we found out that there was a major storm heading towards the East Coast. The weather people were predicting 6 to 12 inches of snow in one night. But then the predictions began to be downgraded and nobody was sure how much snow we would get. C and I decided that we would do the baby shower and if work was closed due to massive snowfall, then we would just have some extra food at home to eat instead.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In the end, we got no snow at all but work was still closed down. Why? Because they got a half inch of snow. Seriously. So I was stuck with 36 angel food cupcakes and a whole bunch of tea sandwiches, all of which needed to be eaten in the next day or two. I ended up having a spontaneous get-together at my place with a bunch of friends to eat all of the baby shower food, and then I made it all again the next week.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It all worked out in the end. Y had her baby three weeks early, a couple of days after the rescheduled shower. But I learned a hard lesson about DC: the idea of snow makes everything shut down.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
On the other hand, I can assure you that it is really easy to make angel food cupcakes and tea sandwiches. Trust me, I made them twice in a week.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Tea Sandwiches</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Tips: my version of tea sandwiches are not the authentic English tea-time sandwiches that show up in Downton Abbey and Agatha Christie novels. I am way too lazy to pull off something like that. But there is a very easy way to make a quickie version of tea sandwiches: cream cheese. Let the cream cheese sit out for several hours to soften up,and then puree it with whatever filling you like. The cream cheese makes it easy to fill a tiny sandwich and the flavor of the cream cheese is mild enough that the other ingredients will cover it easily.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There are lots of different sandwich filling combinations. I made four: cucumber and smoked salmon, avocado egg salad (with lettuce), proscuitto and fig, and tomato with something else that I've completely forgotten. I used cream cheese for the smoked salmon and fig fillings. I took 4 ounces of cream cheese and blended it with smoked salmon for the first batch of sandwiches, and blended 4 ounces of cream cheese with dried figs for the second batch of sandwiches. I kept adding smoked salmon or fig to the cream cheese mixture until I liked the taste. Then I just sliced up a cucumber and bought pre-sliced proscuitto to finish the sandwiches.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I can't find the recipe I used to make the avocado egg salad filling, but the basic idea is simple: make your egg salad like you normally would but stop right before you add in mayonnaise. Instead, take a ripe avocado, mash it up, and stir it in to the egg mixture like it's mayo. If you feel like the egg salad is too dry, you can add in some mayo (½ teaspoon at a time) until it gets to the right consistency. I didn't add any mayo at all. You may want to add some extra pepper and salt when using an avocado. This is a really nice alternate, lower cholesterol version of egg salad, and can be switched out for regular egg salad wherever it's used.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There are several different ways to slice tea sandwiches. For half of the sandwiches, I used a heart-shaped and a circle-shaped cookie cutter to get regular-shaped bread pieces. For the other half of the sandwiches, I cut off the crust and sliced the bread into four triangle-shaped quarters. Then I put the filling on one small piece of bread and just stuck another, matching piece of bread on to finish the sandwich.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The bread for the sandwiches was store bought. You can use really nice bread or bake your own. I used a couple of standard loaves from the supermarket because I needed to make enough sandwiches for 30-40 people. I bought wheat and white bread. The cucumber and salmon and avocado egg salad sandwiches were made with wheat bread, and the fig and proscuitto and tomato sandwiches were made with white bread. There wasn't any particular reason for putting those fillings with those breads. I just wanted to break up the visual stack of sandwiches with different fillings and breads.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>There is no recipe for these sandwiches.</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">As I said above, I didn't use a recipe for the sandwiches (except for the egg salad). I basically made it up as </span>I went along. I knew about the trick of blending smoked salmon with cream cheese because Oldest Sister once dated the son of a man who owned a chain of bagel shops. For the fillings, I just picked foods that I thought would blend in a Cuisinart with cream cheese and which had a strong enough taste. The fig/proscuitto combination came from my friend B's party, where she made a fig proscuitto pizza and everybody said it was great. I had been to tea before and knew that cucumbers and egg salad are a classic tea sandwich filling.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When deciding which fillings to make, remember that they need to be able to hold a small sandwich together and be solid enough that they don't make a mess when you pick up and eat a sandwich. The fourth filling was some kind of cheese and tomato slices, which didn't work very well in finger sandwiches. The other three fillings were solid enough and sticky enough to keep everything together.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Some kind of chicken salad is also a traditional tea sandwich filling. There are lots of variations involving curry chicken salad.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
You can do a google search on tea sandwiches to get lots of ideas and visuals for this type of thing. Most teas also involve small finger-food desserts as well.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Tea sandwiches are really easy to transport (which is why I decided to make them for a baby shower). Pack them up gently into tupperware containers and they will be fine as long as the filling holds everything together.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've got <a href="http://www.target.com/p/tiered-pedestal-serving-plates-set-of-3/-/A-741571#prodSlot=medium_1_2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this set of cake stands</a> ("tiered pedestal serving plates - set of 3" from Target), which work really well for tea sandwiches because the three tiers aren't connected at all so you can lay out three complete sets of sandwiches without having to worry about having space for the next tier's legs. In the pictures, you can see that I've got them separated. They also stack nicely and look like they're attached when you stack all three up.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Angel Food Cake/Cupcakes</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Tips: The angel food cupcakes are really easy to make, and they bake quickly. This is the same recipe as an angel food cake. If you halve the ingredients, you get about 15 cupcakes. I used the full set of ingredients and got about 32 cupcakes.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Angel food cakes use a lot of egg whites. You will need to figure out what to do with the leftover egg yolks. A good idea is to find a recipe that uses only egg yolks and then make the angel food cake and the other recipe in the same week. You can store either the whites or the yolks after the eggs are separated for up to a week. Many custard recipes used more yolks than whole eggs. You can also just buy egg whites or egg white substitutes instead. I found that 12 large eggs produced slightly more than 1 ½ cups of egg whites.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Make sure to let the egg whites sit out to warm up to room temperature. It will help when you are beating them. Cold egg whites will not beat as well.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Make sure to sift the flour and powdered sugar together three times. You need a lot of air in an angel food cake - that's why it rises when it's hot and deflates when it's cold. The triple sifting adds in more air than just beating the egg whites do.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Add the sugar very gradually to the egg whites as you beat them. You want to start adding the sugar after you've been beating the egg whites for a minute or two, when they have the foamy consistency of bubble bath. Then very slowly add the sugar while beating. I measure out the sugar into a small bowl, and then held the beater with my right hand while I picked up handfuls of sugar with my left hand. I added the sugar in a small stream to the egg whites while still running the beater. If you've got a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, this part is quite a bit easier. I timed this part: 10 minutes to add 1 cup of sugar. That may sound like it's overkill, but I prefer to be a little bit paranoid at this point because I really don't want to waste 12 eggs.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Once the cupcakes are baked, take them out of the pan and let them cool in their paper cups on a rack. There is no good cupcake equivalent to turning a tube pan upside down. The cupcakes will deflate a bit as they cool. Once they're about room temperature, you can take them out of the paper cups.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The cake and cupcake will have very sticky sides. The cooked cake will stick to your fingers if you're not careful. When arranging the cake or cupcakes, you may want to use a little bit of water to moisten your fingertips.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
To top the cupcakes, I just melted some good quality milk chocolate chips in my homemade double boiler and spooned the melted chocolate over the tops of the cupcakes. Then I stuck a raspberry on top. Make sure you've dried the raspberries if you do this because you don't want water to touch the chocolate. You can also just melt the chocolate in the microwave. Heat it in 10 second intervals, stirring in between. Don't rush and put it in for 30 seconds or you will burn the chocolate.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
You can top the cupcakes with whatever you feel like, or use nothing at all. The cake has a wonderfully light taste and texture. I have also thought about putting these cupcakes or cake slices with lemon curd and mango, or some kind of sorbet or gelato, or whipped cream with fruit. Almost anything you can think of will work because the cake is firm enough to hold up a decent amount of weight.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It looks like I may have gotten this recipe from <a href="http://www.theaprongal.com/2012/07/angel-food-cake.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>, and she says that she got it from Allrecipes.com.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>Ingredients for cake</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.theaprongal.com/2012/07/angel-food-cake.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Recipe from Allrecipes.com by way of Apron Gal</a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
12 eggs (approximately 1 ½ cups)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
1 ¼ cup confectioner’s sugar</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
1 cup flour</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
½ teaspoon almond extract</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
¼ teaspoon salt</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
1 cup sugar<br /><br />Separate eggs and discard yolks. Measure egg whites to get 1 ½ cups. Place in a mixing bowl and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.<br /><br />Preheat oven to 350 F.<br /><br />Sift confectioner’s sugar and flour together 3 times and set aside. Add cream of tartar, extracts, and salt to egg whites. Beat on high speed. Gradually add sugar, beating until sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks form. Fold in flour mixture, ¼ cup at a time. Gently spoon into an ungreased 10 inch tube pan. Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until cake springs back lightly. Immediately invert pan. Remove cake from pan when completely cooled.<br /><br />For cupcakes: halve all ingredients (see below). Makes 15-18 cupcakes. Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes.<br /><br /><b>Ingredients for cupcakes</b><br /><br />6 eggs (3/4 cup egg whites)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
½ cup + 2 tablespoons cup confectioner’s sugar</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
½ cup flour</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
¾ teaspoons cream of tartar</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
¾ teaspoons vanilla extract</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
¼ teaspoon almond extract</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
⅛ teaspoon salt</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
½ cup sugar<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp71yBktnbStGZDdFrldANKJptcosnMNlUd3nV15mRCsgWOJN2r27CeFqveX9uPGXmxdN7Ou5Gpy5OJBhcKM3zjZdRvZ7uGvzsxm_O242YbMvBD1DfrGv-PUbF4UIW1P7DFR4srRHnB_ox/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.54.23+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp71yBktnbStGZDdFrldANKJptcosnMNlUd3nV15mRCsgWOJN2r27CeFqveX9uPGXmxdN7Ou5Gpy5OJBhcKM3zjZdRvZ7uGvzsxm_O242YbMvBD1DfrGv-PUbF4UIW1P7DFR4srRHnB_ox/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.54.23+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thinly sliced large cucumber. Once cucumber makes a lot of slices!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNykHx1RdwenWQCuyV5CEIQ38F3_NPpttoMO-7CIp9mY3sfYvug5CafiMYAbXaY8bAtimvTs0ZkwzKqCbRwpMJprKQfDt0Ue2Rk2Y5KDijoHgx6tD52guMoe1v7Kcx0trJcN2uPCTR7vSm/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.54.34+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNykHx1RdwenWQCuyV5CEIQ38F3_NPpttoMO-7CIp9mY3sfYvug5CafiMYAbXaY8bAtimvTs0ZkwzKqCbRwpMJprKQfDt0Ue2Rk2Y5KDijoHgx6tD52guMoe1v7Kcx0trJcN2uPCTR7vSm/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.54.34+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bread sliced into triangles and stamped into circles and hearts with cookie cutters. Starting to add the fillings.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxiAtytX9qZBCbQNpEN_VhC82PF-vsC5S8DmAXqNUfPYNg8wBF_zLcM2w9znhYG5nw4Kqr7eB_p31A1V6OaZJnZVwyzkj3Sk_jfucC1q0VmWhDq_-H1TfBWyG4gecy7fNLyQ2k8ZDzgHt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.54.47+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxiAtytX9qZBCbQNpEN_VhC82PF-vsC5S8DmAXqNUfPYNg8wBF_zLcM2w9znhYG5nw4Kqr7eB_p31A1V6OaZJnZVwyzkj3Sk_jfucC1q0VmWhDq_-H1TfBWyG4gecy7fNLyQ2k8ZDzgHt/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.54.47+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I mixed the different types of sandwiches on one stand.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJQMgRISr0V2BXnQpDhKMmPEg2lhz0IYsYl2ZgPYZoEQg8-p10YDdh9EUsj8fI_KBqcAlhGzLoPxBQAox-e44AmDCnNFwSzSdSohovBOZLvI-XPeNFpvfOxZRlrUBVQ37GFLxUhOOI32j/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.55.10+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJQMgRISr0V2BXnQpDhKMmPEg2lhz0IYsYl2ZgPYZoEQg8-p10YDdh9EUsj8fI_KBqcAlhGzLoPxBQAox-e44AmDCnNFwSzSdSohovBOZLvI-XPeNFpvfOxZRlrUBVQ37GFLxUhOOI32j/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.55.10+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cucumber and smoked salmon sandwiches with the avocado egg salad sandwiches.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPilFBwQFJGPSE9Qd0iJ5EXeb8XWNI19MMXYayHb6idoAfVxJemMzu07mldKI_Q1URHxvGMPium-21Pys-jHWRbrn3cEffshKb42xi4OFWZbtq28TpVmAHhsRroaPsHtQVomXs-6yybQBN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.51.26+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPilFBwQFJGPSE9Qd0iJ5EXeb8XWNI19MMXYayHb6idoAfVxJemMzu07mldKI_Q1URHxvGMPium-21Pys-jHWRbrn3cEffshKb42xi4OFWZbtq28TpVmAHhsRroaPsHtQVomXs-6yybQBN/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.51.26+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approximately 1 1/2 cups of egg whites.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf2dRR0OOYncXICY3byQt7X0iRwLLkWayKTtPAmMvxydC5UOR_3N23uMwk0G-3UwL8LjjOdCUkGGWxKoM-Tvf9sLbXi50YepJlBNXFFSvhtOfJdXhCsDhMFVq9rVGCKY9YfLUl8DlhY5mC/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.51.38+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf2dRR0OOYncXICY3byQt7X0iRwLLkWayKTtPAmMvxydC5UOR_3N23uMwk0G-3UwL8LjjOdCUkGGWxKoM-Tvf9sLbXi50YepJlBNXFFSvhtOfJdXhCsDhMFVq9rVGCKY9YfLUl8DlhY5mC/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.51.38+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sifted dry ingredients.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvzapkOM3K23Z9IhOIb_JgMCJO3SpLjcs6YJJRGCS6upote0i2UPU0ufUJTnHAZQ3eTCys7KX1Sg34C_-6QB_fA1PgvNyMy8mn5aJJ41JujiO6jkU53_nza3x_mCG9pVWjKcFd-3qyf-W/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.51.50+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvzapkOM3K23Z9IhOIb_JgMCJO3SpLjcs6YJJRGCS6upote0i2UPU0ufUJTnHAZQ3eTCys7KX1Sg34C_-6QB_fA1PgvNyMy8mn5aJJ41JujiO6jkU53_nza3x_mCG9pVWjKcFd-3qyf-W/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.51.50+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Egg whites beaten until stiff, so that the extra egg whites dropped from the beaters stay firm.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9UUiuS515qDO1R6HuxgXdefTDtyDeEDD17-AlYIc6duzhqaNZYKVSUYZ8Hh4Ju8ZmoLHiUIWv5hXYOk9d6Ao1n4TUZItj4yn6o9ljZQMGpoMkHd8RIivnUQRAtTpeHBxitYyViyySQNu8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.52.39+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9UUiuS515qDO1R6HuxgXdefTDtyDeEDD17-AlYIc6duzhqaNZYKVSUYZ8Hh4Ju8ZmoLHiUIWv5hXYOk9d6Ao1n4TUZItj4yn6o9ljZQMGpoMkHd8RIivnUQRAtTpeHBxitYyViyySQNu8/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.52.39+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You want the dropped egg whites to stay visible for several minutes instead of immediately sinking down into the bowl.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr19AIx8tOgu03LOEliWTvDwb1UVeuON9HLDBJL5rzYziGFrkhn_0cit_GQKU6_7DcJGABOzU1eq0yUhyQQEGq5t-h1f0gXsHCcb8QlMutfmrik1uNTAsW6qWdExo0AUNV403CejGtFNCk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.52.52+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr19AIx8tOgu03LOEliWTvDwb1UVeuON9HLDBJL5rzYziGFrkhn_0cit_GQKU6_7DcJGABOzU1eq0yUhyQQEGq5t-h1f0gXsHCcb8QlMutfmrik1uNTAsW6qWdExo0AUNV403CejGtFNCk/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.52.52+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Folding the dry ingredients into the egg whites.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7aDhmNYCzWGApgv2zX8r7_LYsf1nG_hiqLe04Un5U5LQsAMH2iJNOtMJCEzXlHUhUIvskrFh9JX8p7a66mtGZziR-RK-kwBsSRBAA69JfSW8vVhaQgayw697SbL7B30-LphnOECL958Sa/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.53.02+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7aDhmNYCzWGApgv2zX8r7_LYsf1nG_hiqLe04Un5U5LQsAMH2iJNOtMJCEzXlHUhUIvskrFh9JX8p7a66mtGZziR-RK-kwBsSRBAA69JfSW8vVhaQgayw697SbL7B30-LphnOECL958Sa/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.53.02+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This batter is very, very sticky! I used a large serving spoon and spatula to get the batter into the cupcake holders.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLkcpS_M4mFHYkoVu0FvW_AChIDbuD2sSBWmiHFwRfGEbwurATcwtGQHleIwsk6edmiveORnundlvuFfD8ChafQrwUkgD1avRI0JBVVBgWq8TgZsJlTyOjanOFduSopOyyeXlI6Ft4fYDq/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.53.12+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLkcpS_M4mFHYkoVu0FvW_AChIDbuD2sSBWmiHFwRfGEbwurATcwtGQHleIwsk6edmiveORnundlvuFfD8ChafQrwUkgD1avRI0JBVVBgWq8TgZsJlTyOjanOFduSopOyyeXlI6Ft4fYDq/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.53.12+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You only want to fill up the cupcake cups 1/2 to 2/3 of the way. Any more than that, and the batter will rise over the paper tops and burn on the metal.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZmkvtnVbNdoB6RDhPYNvoU-gDtwghHPUEf8dGFJJPagBLNm-x2khQb7g82Q5jcr0yJ8ewfDC0KtX_KO2Ol_oCynD5ppGhKDSKnZ-pdQQy28Xg80-4Q04E0ns7bZU8hyphenhyphenHsswv6GYquDde/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.53.23+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZmkvtnVbNdoB6RDhPYNvoU-gDtwghHPUEf8dGFJJPagBLNm-x2khQb7g82Q5jcr0yJ8ewfDC0KtX_KO2Ol_oCynD5ppGhKDSKnZ-pdQQy28Xg80-4Q04E0ns7bZU8hyphenhyphenHsswv6GYquDde/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.53.23+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Completely risen cupcakes, hot from the oven.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizo-UWhteIEWhZ_iEcHBFSI1RlAPgQxVVvr_MJTIJoebMLolceuEIehJOMedo_6QQz-D6ETnEe0qe4E35OWOl8FyxIrj2hRqzj7gCCRMLkvlK8KjaAcbOIW6pCpNl0d2ZNtHLrWDWHmFCh/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.53.58+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizo-UWhteIEWhZ_iEcHBFSI1RlAPgQxVVvr_MJTIJoebMLolceuEIehJOMedo_6QQz-D6ETnEe0qe4E35OWOl8FyxIrj2hRqzj7gCCRMLkvlK8KjaAcbOIW6pCpNl0d2ZNtHLrWDWHmFCh/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.53.58+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As the cupcakes cool, they will sink down a bit. This picture was taken about 30 minutes after the picture directly above.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFDEZaFRhQBH0ap72kmunY5r_555QyMHuOimx2f_nGPd6VcN76rnWf9pp-wXcyDn6tXlZ1JaKG9lPoYhOHSH5dswmBEtqug-O-imwilJpzH3JLXCev0vXjdLxi6k1vD-Rz5_BuY2JOjcx/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.53.48+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFDEZaFRhQBH0ap72kmunY5r_555QyMHuOimx2f_nGPd6VcN76rnWf9pp-wXcyDn6tXlZ1JaKG9lPoYhOHSH5dswmBEtqug-O-imwilJpzH3JLXCev0vXjdLxi6k1vD-Rz5_BuY2JOjcx/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.53.48+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Using a home-made double boiler to melt the chocolate chips.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMLBYIRf7leSES1VqEG60pWBDmoL3Lmn5mqmexrARYwRQEfOxDYRVzLc1miwYFybDCJHcdCqoYOuncZA-SKSTPyhUxCiunAp3Qh-i_fdbQCVKiweGAv1tzdNwVQwLbPqlsqmP-we7OPAo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.54.11+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMLBYIRf7leSES1VqEG60pWBDmoL3Lmn5mqmexrARYwRQEfOxDYRVzLc1miwYFybDCJHcdCqoYOuncZA-SKSTPyhUxCiunAp3Qh-i_fdbQCVKiweGAv1tzdNwVQwLbPqlsqmP-we7OPAo/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-27+at+10.54.11+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cupcakes with chocolate glaze and one raspberry.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-85003130641256026212013-03-17T14:38:00.001-04:002013-03-19T10:57:24.014-04:00Winter Disapearance, But That's Normal (Blackberry Cobbler Again and Chocolate Cherry Tart)My original plan for this blog was to post once a week, most likely over the weekend but maybe during the week if work was slow or boring. The last time I posted an entry was January 23rd (Oldest Sister's birthday) but I also made a draft for another post on the 27th. And then I disappeared.<br />
<br />
Winter makes me tired, slow, unhappy, depressed, irritable, and sloth-like. All I want to do is to curl up in bed with a heating pad on my freezing cold feet, read a good book or watch some good TV, and eat cookies (or raw cookie dough or cake or candy). I force myself to get up and go to work so I won't get fired, and I try all of the fixes that people suggest for seasonal issues: vitamin D, light boxes, massage, more exercise, etc etc etc (but not colon cleanses). So far nothing has worked, and like pretty much everything else in my life, this blog doesn't get touched.<br />
<br />
And then last week the weather got better. There is sunlight. It's not snowing. I can wear sandals outdoors, I can ride my bike to run errands, I don't have to wear a winter coat with snow boots and earmuffs. All of a sudden I want to go out with friends or do some exercise.<br />
<br />
So obviously I need to move to a city that doesn't really have winter. I hated living in Los Angeles but I never got the winter blues in the eight years I was there. Although it's going to take a while to get the social part of my life back together, the current result is that I'm baking for three potlucks this week. This blog is about to get a whole bunch of posts in a short amount of time, especially since the draft from January is already halfway done.<br />
<br />
For yesterday's potluck, I made a blackberry cobbler and a chocolate cherry tart. <a href="http://chezleawesome.blogspot.com/2012/11/potluck-experiments-blackberry-cobbler.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The cobbler is a recipe that I've made before and it's very reliable</a>, while the tart was an experiment with a new recipe. I chose these two recipes for several reasons. One, if I want to try a new recipe and I'm going to a potluck, I make a reliable recipe as well in case the experiment fails. You don't want to show up to a potluck with nothing but excuses about how the dough didn't come together right or the filling never solidified. Two, one of my friends really doesn't like chocolate and I figured he would enjoy having a chocolate-free dessert option. Although I didn't plan it this way, both recipes have something in common: blind baking/parbaking.<br />
<br />
Blind baking and parbaking are different applications of the same idea. When you want to bake a recipe where the different parts need to bake for different amounts of time, you bake each bit separately at first and then combine them for a final bake. Although this sounds complicated, it is usually easier and more time-manageable than it seems because you can mix together the second part of the recipe while the first one is being blind or parbaked.<br />
<br />
Cobblers are a fruit filling with some type of dough topping, usually biscuits or pie dough. According to the almighty <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobbler_%28food%29" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wikipedia</a>, cobblers are an American invention to use less butter than some of the traditional English desserts. Basically, if you don't put a layer of dough on the bottom of the pan but only on the top, you use half as much dough, which mean half as much butter, flour, etc. We have many different types of cobblers over here but I like the good old-fashioned blueberry or blackberry cobblers.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Supposedly cobblers are called that because the top of a cobbler looks like a cobblestone-paved street. That's an explanation I can take or leave, especially since nobody I've ever talked to has known of a reason why cobblers are named cobblers. In any case, cobblers can be tricky if the timing isn't worked out exactly right because you can end up with a soggy, over cooked top and a half-cooked filling. Fortunately, <a href="http://www.americastestkitchen.com/" target="_blank">America's Test Kitchen</a> has worked out a good cobbler recipe with parbaking that uses buttermilk biscuits for the topping. <a href="http://chezleawesome.blogspot.com/2012/11/potluck-experiments-blackberry-cobbler.html" target="_blank">I've made this recipe several times and it's worked nearly-perfectly each time.</a><br />
<br />
The chocolate cherry tart has a lot more steps than the cobbler and turned out to be a bit finicky, but it could also be a non-time-intensive recipe if you don't do it all in one day. The crust for the tart needs to be refrigerated, then rolled and put into the tart pan, and then refrigerated again. It then needs to be blind baked, because the tart dough takes a lot longer to bake than the filling.<br />
<br />
Blind baking is a specific term that refers to needing to bake a dough shell for either longer than the filling or because the filling isn't baked at all. You fill the raw shell with some kind of weights to keep it from rising upwards as it bakes, then take it out of the oven, remove the weights, put the filling in it, and (if needed) finish baking it. This is the standard approach for most tarts, especially since many tarts have a filling that is never baked.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.foodnetwork.com/FOOD/2006/07/18/ig0702_tart2_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://img.foodnetwork.com/FOOD/2006/07/18/ig0702_tart2_lg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tart shell has been baked but the custard was cooked in a pot and poured in, and the strawberries aren't cooked at all and just have a glaze applied to them. Picture from <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/strawberry-tarts-recipe/index.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Food Network recipe.</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The chocolate cherry tart has a blind baked shell, then the chocolate mixture is poured in and baked, and then the cherries are placed on top. I fooled around with a proportions a little bit (used a lot more cherries and whipped cream) but most people said that they liked it. One friend doesn't like cherries so she didn't like it, but since she is married to the guy who doesn't like chocolate I never intended for them to eat the tart.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Tips for the cobbler:</b> <a href="http://chezleawesome.blogspot.com/2012/11/potluck-experiments-blackberry-cobbler.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I blogged about the cobbler recipe before.</a> These are just some extra tips and some photos from this time for extra info.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Just follow the instructions the first time you make this recipe. It will work, I promise you. I ended up baking everything on the longer side because the oven in this house is pretty crappy but if your oven is better it may take 5 to 10 minutes less.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If you don't have enough fresh berries, you can use frozen ones instead. This time, I used 4 cups of fresh blackberries and 2 cups of frozen blackberries from Trader Joe's. Last time, I used 6 cups of fresh blackberries. I didn't notice any difference, but there is a noticeable difference between using all or mostly fresh berries and using all frozen berries (fresh is better!). </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
When making the biscuits, the butter is supposed to curdle in the buttermilk. It will make clumps and look kind of like somebody poured really pulpy orange juice into a glass of milk. If you get this result, it means you've done it right. Make sure that the butter is all the way melted and that the buttermilk is cooled from the fridge. You need the temperature difference to help with the curdling.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Be sure to cover everything with tin foil when parbaking the berries and baking the cobbler. You do not want to get sticky berry juice in a 400 degree oven. I hit my hand on the rack and dropped the cobbler when I was taking it out, but fortunately most of the juice landed on the tin foil and I managed to save the cobbler and clean up the oven. Don't be like me. Slide the oven rack all the way out so the dish is sitting outside of the oven but still on the cookie sheet, take the foil off to check if the berries done parbaking, and put the biscuits on top if it's time. Then slide the rack back in to the oven.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/bake-it-better/2012/06/secrets-to-blueberry-cobbler/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The recipe website</a> also has pictures if you want to see what it looks like when somebody who knows what they're doing makes it.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Tips for the tart:</b> This recipe is a bit time and labor intensive to make all in one day because of the 2+ hours of fridge time needed for the dough. The good news is that the dough can be refrigerated for up to a day, so you can make the dough on day 1, roll it out on day 2, and bake the tart on day 3.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
You will need either a Cuisinart-type food mixer or a bake-stand-type food mixer to make this dough. You can do it by hand but it will take hours (seriously, I'm not kidding about this). If you don't have one, borrow one. If you do decide to make this dough by hand, be sure to ice your wrists and hands afterwards. No, I'm not exaggerating.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
When you pour the liquid into the dough to bind it together, you will need to mix it for longer than "pulses". I just turned my Cuisinart on and it had to run for about 2 minutes for the dough to come together. The dough will start clumping in little bits first, so you will hear a thumping noise before you see it clump. Once you hear the thumping noise, the dough should come together completely in the next minute.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The dough recipe calls for pastry flour but all-purpose works fine. Don't skip the two refrigeration steps or the dough will not bake correctly.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
When making the dough, you do need to chop the butter up into smaller pieces. This will help it be incorporated into the flour in the mixer. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
To roll out the dough without it sticking to whatever you're rolling it on, put the dough between two large sheet of parchment paper and roll it in between the sheets. Make sure that there aren't any big wrinkles in the sheets. When the dough is rolled out to the correct size, peel off one piece of parchment paper and place the dough in the tart pan. Then peel the other piece off and push the dough into the sides of the pan. Roll the rolling pin around the top edge of the tart pan to cut off the excess dough. You can use the extra dough to fill in any holes or gaps before baking the shell.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
To blind bake the dough, put a piece of tin
foil or parchment paper on top of the dough in the tart pan so that the
sides are covered. Fill the foil or paper with some kind of little
weights (I use pinto beans). Make sure the weights press on the sides
as well as the bottom. This will help to keep the sides from sliding
down the sides of the tart pan as the butter in the dough melts. The
weights will be very hot when you take the tart shell out of the oven,
so have a plate near the oven so that you can put the weights on it to
cool off. Don't try to put them away while they're hot.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The recipe calls for bittersweet chocolate
in the filling. I used half bittersweet and half semi-sweet and it
still tasted bitter to me. I hate dark chocolate so my guess is that
this ratio of chocolate probably tastes good to most people. The
chocolate filling has a really nice moist-but-not-dense texture. I also
added some almond extract in with the chocolate when I poured the cream
over it instead of putting the almond extract in the whipped cream. I
thought that I was going to use the whipped cream for the tart and the
cobbler but there wasn't enough. The almond taste will come out more if
you put the almond extract in the whipped cream instead of the
chocolate.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Don't
chop the chocolate with a knife on a cutting board. You'll just end up
with chocolate splinters everywhere. Instead, turn the chocolate so
the bottom of the wrapper is face up. Then take a tin can (of anything -
this time I used condensed milk) and hit the chocolate bar with the
edge of the bottom of the can. Hold the bar in place or it will slide
away. Smash the chocolate with the bottom of the can. When you're done
smashing and you can feel that the chocolate is in little bits, put the
chocolate bar in the bowl and then undo the wrapper. Pour the chocolate
bits into the bowl from the wrapper. If you need to break some larger
chocolate bits up by hand, do so now. All of the chocolate slivers will
stay in the bowl this way.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I used twice as many cherries as the recipe calls for, so that the entire top was covered with cherries instead of just sprinkled with them. You will get a lot of cherries per mouthful of tart with this approach so only do it if you really like cherries. I used one and half jars of Trader Joe's Dark Morello Cherries. (This is a great product. If you've got a Trader Joe's nearby, try these sometime.)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I also put a cherry glaze on top of the cherries and put the tart in the fridge overnight to set the glaze. I made the glaze from the juice that was in the jars of cherries. If you're using fresh cherries, you probably want to skip this step. To make the glaze, put half a packet of gelatine in half a cup of liquor or water. I used Bacardi Gold rum. Let the gelatine bloom for five minutes. Heat some of the cherry juice in a pan and add the rum and bloomed gelatine. Let the mixture cook for a couple of minutes to heat the gelatine and stir it to mix it up. Then pour the cherry juice mixture on top of the tart and put it in the fridge overnight to set. You want to use only enough cherry juice to cover the top of the cherries on the tart in a thin layer.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Dark Chocolate, Cherry, and Almond Whipped Cream Tart</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Originally <span style="font-size: x-small;">f</span>rom <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sunset Magazine</span></i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> (July 2010), found at <a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/dark-chocolate-tart-cherries-almond-whipped-cream-10000001995666/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">My R<span style="font-size: x-small;">ecipes</span></a></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Ingredients</b><br /> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;">Crust</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">1 cup plus 2 tbsp. pastry or all-purpose flour</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">1/2 cup powdered sugar</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">1/4 teaspoon salt</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-in. cubes</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">1 piece (1 in.) vanilla bean</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">1 large egg yolk mixed with 1 1/2 tsp. milk</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;">Filling</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">7 ounces top-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">3/4 cup whipping cream</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">1/3 cup half-and-half</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">1 large egg</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;">Topping</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">3/4 pound pitted cherries, preferably tart</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">2 to 5 tbsp. organic granulated sugar</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">1/2 cup whipping cream</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">3/4 teaspoon almond extract or 1 1/2 tsp. amaretto</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Preparation</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Make crust: Pulse flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor to blend. Add butter and pulse a few times until dough looks like cornmeal. Slit vanilla bean and carefully scrape out seeds with a spoon; add to dough. Drizzle in egg mixture and pulse until dough comes together.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Flatten dough into a disc and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Roll dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 10 1/2-in. circle. Ease dough into a 9-in. tart pan and, using your thumb, press into sides and bottom corner; fold edges over to help form rim. Line shell with parchment paper and fill completely with dried beans or pie weights. Chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Preheat oven to 325° F. Bake shell 15 to 25 minutes, or until lightly golden on the edge and set on the bottom (lift up parchment to check). Carefully remove parchment and weights and bake shell until pale golden, 5 to 10 minutes more. Transfer tart shell to a rack, and lower oven temperature to 250° F.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Make filling: Put chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Heat cream and half-and-half in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering, then pour over chocolate. Let sit a few minutes, then stir gently until smooth.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Break egg into a separate medium bowl, then pour into chocolate mixture, whisking constantly until incorporated (keep whisk in contact with bottom of bowl so as not to whip in air bubbles). Pour mixture into the tart shell and bake until just set (no longer jiggles), 25 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Make topping: Warm cherries in a saucepan over low heat with granulated sugar to taste until sugar melts. Whip cream with 2 tbsp. sugar and almond extract until soft peaks form.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Cut tart into slices and serve each with a few cherries and a dollop of cream on top.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Make ahead: Up to 2 days, chilled (bring to room temperature before serving).</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Cobbler:</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyS6uGo2U5yiP27o2-X7pBwMAaFkUb7DhiqB2yzITtZpd-mzfLdRekAm6f8mNTmN20xrOvXCUansVQIQe6DvFabnytWJ6Zkb2oePLku1oNqLybzPzlgAVF4-NB3tjmQUZ_5-UM6Xdg8sqV/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.44.41+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyS6uGo2U5yiP27o2-X7pBwMAaFkUb7DhiqB2yzITtZpd-mzfLdRekAm6f8mNTmN20xrOvXCUansVQIQe6DvFabnytWJ6Zkb2oePLku1oNqLybzPzlgAVF4-NB3tjmQUZ_5-UM6Xdg8sqV/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.44.41+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The butter curdled in the buttermilk. It is supposed to look like this!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD1t_VsIvWADXorhOtCGTXSICjtX0J6WWGr4UeSUviUC29nZ4XCeKWmCGvUaM_lCOvRjmoKYM-pqJ2x333quvKok7zZJY3Cp1IPE7A7V7vBk93pEO-z4GTo2gv1qWCgCTRUCT8MzjkjaFq/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.45.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD1t_VsIvWADXorhOtCGTXSICjtX0J6WWGr4UeSUviUC29nZ4XCeKWmCGvUaM_lCOvRjmoKYM-pqJ2x333quvKok7zZJY3Cp1IPE7A7V7vBk93pEO-z4GTo2gv1qWCgCTRUCT8MzjkjaFq/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.45.32+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biscuits ready to parbake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeM1a-7hEIVSfZx0Cn3so7uEoBJnMpSlX9PQBSu7X5wJnfVFK209oJczmTDz7x6L1jhP69cC7JNf4UcPF6pn_g1GKZW_RIuLwTbupsGXR4e3JAerVdRYLJ_NG-91TkM-OmkT_6Q2rhPjz2/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.46.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeM1a-7hEIVSfZx0Cn3so7uEoBJnMpSlX9PQBSu7X5wJnfVFK209oJczmTDz7x6L1jhP69cC7JNf4UcPF6pn_g1GKZW_RIuLwTbupsGXR4e3JAerVdRYLJ_NG-91TkM-OmkT_6Q2rhPjz2/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.46.02+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parbaked biscuits. They usually rise more than this. I used the last of my baking powder on these so it may have been so old that it had lost its mojo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhWFenR2YH346BKwEkdj3ChOAMwMqRWlJEzfT2sVcCMm7Wl0oxIKeAhAuoR9FZrClooQEqaB7hBfDVP6WmwYFpnjJqtcCdm6PI6X0-LLApvRxILDtFEF6wNLOgKrDyLGpeZFObcJPr-40/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.45.45+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhWFenR2YH346BKwEkdj3ChOAMwMqRWlJEzfT2sVcCMm7Wl0oxIKeAhAuoR9FZrClooQEqaB7hBfDVP6WmwYFpnjJqtcCdm6PI6X0-LLApvRxILDtFEF6wNLOgKrDyLGpeZFObcJPr-40/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.45.45+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Berries ready to parbake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpWU63R3-ncIDZmK-52t2x9xjJYuCLEmOj9dpm7D2Nvdq7AcYLQ_DDIAlBXeoW5GZFOHE2SvN3y2sXNROAwibkLXpgkpGZA-N1ZxBl2w3Hg6wirOz-bL00LSINOKtR1i6dqQIha4WhK2B/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.46.29+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpWU63R3-ncIDZmK-52t2x9xjJYuCLEmOj9dpm7D2Nvdq7AcYLQ_DDIAlBXeoW5GZFOHE2SvN3y2sXNROAwibkLXpgkpGZA-N1ZxBl2w3Hg6wirOz-bL00LSINOKtR1i6dqQIha4WhK2B/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.46.29+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parbaked berries, except that I dropped them taking them out of the oven. This is why you use tin foil on everything.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvd-KjIukOK292AhkkXzuYIKYkoV0oOOIv2ZQZ4bN2WLnbbSWV8O5bUWMLBEwJlWcSP7qlnOTFNAbrFwj7l7p64cNDPY_sY-17I5NodRulhgkU6Yyod-id81cf7ses6gg0Qx4ulb8ru3Pn/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.46.41+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvd-KjIukOK292AhkkXzuYIKYkoV0oOOIv2ZQZ4bN2WLnbbSWV8O5bUWMLBEwJlWcSP7qlnOTFNAbrFwj7l7p64cNDPY_sY-17I5NodRulhgkU6Yyod-id81cf7ses6gg0Qx4ulb8ru3Pn/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.46.41+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Only 5 biscuits fit on top instead of 8. I ripped one biscuit in half and used it to fill in the center and the lower-right. When the cobbler is baking, the biscuits swell up and by the end nobody will be able to tell that the biscuits have been torn.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MOhDmZhDcFL9Gdp18rIgHfDikJnCQF3DeYRRb_K9D_jtBdNaMjy_AUqhOqogUCPU7Dxh3lFBT0n3dfUEUptbto-UdO7LcyzdH4viT0L9AFDDJM2symZKqGkVY5QcjymSAwHzzLmPyPdB/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.47.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MOhDmZhDcFL9Gdp18rIgHfDikJnCQF3DeYRRb_K9D_jtBdNaMjy_AUqhOqogUCPU7Dxh3lFBT0n3dfUEUptbto-UdO7LcyzdH4viT0L9AFDDJM2symZKqGkVY5QcjymSAwHzzLmPyPdB/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.47.03+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished cobbler.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b>Tart:</b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvc9lrrYwyhGbC-AOvd57LnwlBbWp5S2IzpApDtpXXoDWILKH7JY4R3I6RiER2P0J90Ynm9_92zHl-JODXXYG-6wxo17FZ_oVQYOJdxO0eebwqco5eMbXV3RFsDFjODUwTF3eJ4b2VwTE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.40.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvc9lrrYwyhGbC-AOvd57LnwlBbWp5S2IzpApDtpXXoDWILKH7JY4R3I6RiER2P0J90Ynm9_92zHl-JODXXYG-6wxo17FZ_oVQYOJdxO0eebwqco5eMbXV3RFsDFjODUwTF3eJ4b2VwTE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.40.03+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diced butter with flour and sugar.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecAwX9Lr-upwMsFcAIvMn4-vRMUwBjgqys7llEiITAeQjdFq5leYFplyK92_0Ku2iD8MHVwFDZeJTno1QcAYQ5f4s37pg96V7v00SZrbRtbt5Qbo9v0cJVYJ_9DWGc4cf3kZT5I9A1kM2/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.40.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecAwX9Lr-upwMsFcAIvMn4-vRMUwBjgqys7llEiITAeQjdFq5leYFplyK92_0Ku2iD8MHVwFDZeJTno1QcAYQ5f4s37pg96V7v00SZrbRtbt5Qbo9v0cJVYJ_9DWGc4cf3kZT5I9A1kM2/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.40.14+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butter chopped up with flour and sugar. You want the butter to be in small chunks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZXxCmtEnxvlPDUXFEzVhl_Frq2n5iZLqglJBWs5UEANYunleUTKBIzZ1sb9gNxWxjV6XE0dX-0w1ShBOCiMrJz7Dyezaz5FaL4Pgqm4D2J-acO1lFh05hxZJrT8rPYK0fl_BfSOOGRUc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.40.37+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZXxCmtEnxvlPDUXFEzVhl_Frq2n5iZLqglJBWs5UEANYunleUTKBIzZ1sb9gNxWxjV6XE0dX-0w1ShBOCiMrJz7Dyezaz5FaL4Pgqm4D2J-acO1lFh05hxZJrT8rPYK0fl_BfSOOGRUc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.40.37+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dough has come together with the egg and milk.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbrLQ_oF4bIIePQJ7KqxF1xkGZG_wOIwN_f8db_DC5dFb69UjXyFzzIkD5EX3d1zwC7i3NBCA4uEoT-spUVjcWiN4v9Kjz8f5t5kf325gmGCr_vwa6urUPn0csT8cXu85zmBLFcgTa0wi/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.40.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbrLQ_oF4bIIePQJ7KqxF1xkGZG_wOIwN_f8db_DC5dFb69UjXyFzzIkD5EX3d1zwC7i3NBCA4uEoT-spUVjcWiN4v9Kjz8f5t5kf325gmGCr_vwa6urUPn0csT8cXu85zmBLFcgTa0wi/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.40.50+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dough ready for the fridge. The flash is making it look neon but in reality it's a light color, like butter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-71HW-c4fcrs45OrT4vIN54P7f0Th4D14-kYeeqqIJp2Jcz27Tuj2UvlsisAJkeb64iMwB8xVNIRbeQlyAOf5EccPMkPcSEPLAEyCb2rEl5qrdBQJKNMpunIfBD_R_QOvD5wuVfRegOI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.40.59+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-71HW-c4fcrs45OrT4vIN54P7f0Th4D14-kYeeqqIJp2Jcz27Tuj2UvlsisAJkeb64iMwB8xVNIRbeQlyAOf5EccPMkPcSEPLAEyCb2rEl5qrdBQJKNMpunIfBD_R_QOvD5wuVfRegOI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.40.59+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First sheet of parchment paper for rolling the dough.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4136bHPBQPsY6N9fKQ_YxLUPxkWG-PryeqM7UvKxpRhSJckBrLuoPsLmSB92lxTeMsXyO2hSkVCQjzejzQ4iJdUG5qv5UVz1kjld6OYTZWKs6ob4cSvIkFUIRmOz64vc9dngbImo9QNbg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.41.15+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4136bHPBQPsY6N9fKQ_YxLUPxkWG-PryeqM7UvKxpRhSJckBrLuoPsLmSB92lxTeMsXyO2hSkVCQjzejzQ4iJdUG5qv5UVz1kjld6OYTZWKs6ob4cSvIkFUIRmOz64vc9dngbImo9QNbg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.41.15+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second sheet of parchment paper for rolling the dough.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUip6HtmD2G77-HGq-kYauJCqRtXPQOkhzy7jgbFMPLZxXc9IUFjbFH6jZEB92iIRxV-yMqzVF023pN9AFFNfEcSYeAoP8ZY4x5kpn_CGg8MfJOFrUzFC_-wOh_rwdhJvsb4efLdjEq-d/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.41.26+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUip6HtmD2G77-HGq-kYauJCqRtXPQOkhzy7jgbFMPLZxXc9IUFjbFH6jZEB92iIRxV-yMqzVF023pN9AFFNfEcSYeAoP8ZY4x5kpn_CGg8MfJOFrUzFC_-wOh_rwdhJvsb4efLdjEq-d/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.41.26+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rolled dough. I wasn't careful with the paper so there are some wrinkles. You want the paper to be flat instead.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFYmya-RedkPHei7kkI_coKT8niwzXlXNqpWNZR9UIyuxJift5s0FmHTmmTDePfJEFZwZEICFkDbT6Y-CVil3TEXwChL9UntdcTlsl3phif27SScbRW8kBP490Ub_KAIMcFQBi14yF_kN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.41.38+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFYmya-RedkPHei7kkI_coKT8niwzXlXNqpWNZR9UIyuxJift5s0FmHTmmTDePfJEFZwZEICFkDbT6Y-CVil3TEXwChL9UntdcTlsl3phif27SScbRW8kBP490Ub_KAIMcFQBi14yF_kN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.41.38+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dough fitted into the pan for refrigeration. Roll the rolling pin around the top of the tart pan to make the smooth top.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOvte7iJAYG_aTDKuNLADzyK-YKtXe-P0N1OjCldZQ6S9LaS-a-EU_eA6PvklmzSqFly06Npq9NbK_pFvz1gSxL-IqlYpAaeXp7QZWQSXOzXyqj5KC5p-jGoEfLEVQ6sqshE4wotp0hdJN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.41.51+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOvte7iJAYG_aTDKuNLADzyK-YKtXe-P0N1OjCldZQ6S9LaS-a-EU_eA6PvklmzSqFly06Npq9NbK_pFvz1gSxL-IqlYpAaeXp7QZWQSXOzXyqj5KC5p-jGoEfLEVQ6sqshE4wotp0hdJN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.41.51+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for blind baking. You need a lot of weights to keep the bottom and sides covered. Always blind bake with something between the weights and the dough or the weights will bake into the dough and you'll never get them out again.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOMP6NrMlkf9vmLjaYPzGGZVCdtGxB67P6SaNQeVmFOdYGdRsuvc9ZCgzsiRR9Phh3Ga20Q4VJd3N1G6o4IGfVDSOQ2C-Ne_VqPVzlSrzg7XPPpv9aKRCZHTL0GxgyEvxgX_9N-ODC2C0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.42.54+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOMP6NrMlkf9vmLjaYPzGGZVCdtGxB67P6SaNQeVmFOdYGdRsuvc9ZCgzsiRR9Phh3Ga20Q4VJd3N1G6o4IGfVDSOQ2C-Ne_VqPVzlSrzg7XPPpv9aKRCZHTL0GxgyEvxgX_9N-ODC2C0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.42.54+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The weights after baking, cooling off.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7a6GYpl5YTy2lxLipTehMcNmAlK1yY7Lnyf95xYXveLaTfqrUCVcvU82u6IFu2cPdhJI-nWzbxDPopykgn_J2NELEr4cjdfTm74DI6O93Qn0kR30AA6yFwiS_8Hgg5M9oKmYk_ddqAJwi/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.42.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7a6GYpl5YTy2lxLipTehMcNmAlK1yY7Lnyf95xYXveLaTfqrUCVcvU82u6IFu2cPdhJI-nWzbxDPopykgn_J2NELEr4cjdfTm74DI6O93Qn0kR30AA6yFwiS_8Hgg5M9oKmYk_ddqAJwi/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.42.03+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to smash the chocolate.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWgzfsDMAHC0_Tos-y147qcMh1VNPf_YT2QOEfqXPYvVvLmr-PRhP72aWjzrO_W6cs7hwZQZ28RZorcb4eB0SoGQaukKpgOq-vaoSdhfagoe4GDqoTBWsvWkP2H_jTFlabiFWSbOTZ1Mh/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.42.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWgzfsDMAHC0_Tos-y147qcMh1VNPf_YT2QOEfqXPYvVvLmr-PRhP72aWjzrO_W6cs7hwZQZ28RZorcb4eB0SoGQaukKpgOq-vaoSdhfagoe4GDqoTBWsvWkP2H_jTFlabiFWSbOTZ1Mh/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.42.11+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The results: chopped chocolate without chopping.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwYzKusnsOQYnWbn8XDIA95DkkKHHMcm5dPJxmx85cADh7j3GskksdZdIkxW1mbldM9Gs2ZCDArxQa5O0ErehyphenhyphennPQxKosUW1M0UEj-RyauJGrvQH4rhlQuukOtcway7-hZU252gUWFi_nV/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.42.21+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwYzKusnsOQYnWbn8XDIA95DkkKHHMcm5dPJxmx85cADh7j3GskksdZdIkxW1mbldM9Gs2ZCDArxQa5O0ErehyphenhyphennPQxKosUW1M0UEj-RyauJGrvQH4rhlQuukOtcway7-hZU252gUWFi_nV/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.42.21+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mixing up the egg while the hot cream melts the chocolate.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfp2pwWDcNlKuS4GO7L4qQI1HtNKUrf6UAuFWLC6gHZtdn93jlMMl-3NC-RSf24PrKirmuCHqJOaRFHZNlAn6bAZxZ21vpXlA133cIZWvB6xOmRNFMRn0RrDInalB4bUDEaVuJOe1KQcFM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.42.42+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfp2pwWDcNlKuS4GO7L4qQI1HtNKUrf6UAuFWLC6gHZtdn93jlMMl-3NC-RSf24PrKirmuCHqJOaRFHZNlAn6bAZxZ21vpXlA133cIZWvB6xOmRNFMRn0RrDInalB4bUDEaVuJOe1KQcFM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.42.42+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the egg whisked in.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-cpqVyEpLNswKnmjqIdojYeY1WSxTyfdLXROLywmFhLRCzcixrFDyBrIyPqRmZ5i9U00aIPX8fzTYbQ1ykX4JPzs_wr_Qu6ZSI0TKFcwuujIPI8j-Vd8qQM8B4SNKPDLnKyIaa4hX9fc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.43.19+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-cpqVyEpLNswKnmjqIdojYeY1WSxTyfdLXROLywmFhLRCzcixrFDyBrIyPqRmZ5i9U00aIPX8fzTYbQ1ykX4JPzs_wr_Qu6ZSI0TKFcwuujIPI8j-Vd8qQM8B4SNKPDLnKyIaa4hX9fc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.43.19+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to bake the chocolate. You can see that some of the edges of the tart shell slid down while it was blind baking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBsA-XMgqN25boOZVl0T41uDPSSul6x7Vv5pdaBiYO0LjiWSjmAOag0MPid-hCAbqkMB5l6Cn-ipe8ynY_ZzT4WInJptmmoRQsKTRulFfZOoVy4s6xFn9CyvD8HWzB_77E7HrnBooYTpM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.43.38+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBsA-XMgqN25boOZVl0T41uDPSSul6x7Vv5pdaBiYO0LjiWSjmAOag0MPid-hCAbqkMB5l6Cn-ipe8ynY_ZzT4WInJptmmoRQsKTRulFfZOoVy4s6xFn9CyvD8HWzB_77E7HrnBooYTpM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.43.38+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baked shell and chocolate filling with the cherries.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNq7ZQb-MQUj-H3h18jbNXo3ifEER2rOKbnpVqyPsHm76oaMMIPxd_HwLziMlwi51SLnYBUq_FwViPihB9si1SyVW_jQTerF7oiBJdpKOWuCH1XTCmoe89KECnfpBKWwwcG-TOOOP-PQf/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.43.58+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNq7ZQb-MQUj-H3h18jbNXo3ifEER2rOKbnpVqyPsHm76oaMMIPxd_HwLziMlwi51SLnYBUq_FwViPihB9si1SyVW_jQTerF7oiBJdpKOWuCH1XTCmoe89KECnfpBKWwwcG-TOOOP-PQf/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.43.58+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooking up the cherry glaze.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_XwOyWnaUewdxE0uyQj_yReAUA0JBVdwfMrNjVzhHJmUlPeRutD73159kmnE8-A1kGWN2QG7UIQO5X6M-y4v5n_CVXhAyWKLOoDHzAX6BmEeGFEn1mJ0mIEe1XSbN1JdepJDEqs31Pk-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.44.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_XwOyWnaUewdxE0uyQj_yReAUA0JBVdwfMrNjVzhHJmUlPeRutD73159kmnE8-A1kGWN2QG7UIQO5X6M-y4v5n_CVXhAyWKLOoDHzAX6BmEeGFEn1mJ0mIEe1XSbN1JdepJDEqs31Pk-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.44.11+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the hot cherry glaze poured over.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOggZozwoRRxXxCofHqT3_qrDlITMnHFgPW2h5pooX3bZQWbBMjfJGKF1xgQDMpjGMaSC9r_MrOE2R9a3KLgZQjUmgWhnIpbfTgHxvq65haGYH1De23vNEpBRdCQI5zFb7ccEL_hBtIbIM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.44.25+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOggZozwoRRxXxCofHqT3_qrDlITMnHFgPW2h5pooX3bZQWbBMjfJGKF1xgQDMpjGMaSC9r_MrOE2R9a3KLgZQjUmgWhnIpbfTgHxvq65haGYH1De23vNEpBRdCQI5zFb7ccEL_hBtIbIM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.44.25+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Putting the tart in the fridge. Patches decided that this meant that he deserved a treat, and he tried to hop up onto the shelf with the tart. He did not get a treat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjtvsRLV8m9_wO_iSD2iT7usPyydk-ooLOoYs3iXtaCT7fGrNfsveQWDPon2yZLFKNjgorB3FPyJiP4QgOWIyFoRcVFF-Lv6CJjOcMhiLjPGtMVVtZzPM8oDq8PViZa7IgUgvUKBo3p_s/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.46.51+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjtvsRLV8m9_wO_iSD2iT7usPyydk-ooLOoYs3iXtaCT7fGrNfsveQWDPon2yZLFKNjgorB3FPyJiP4QgOWIyFoRcVFF-Lv6CJjOcMhiLjPGtMVVtZzPM8oDq8PViZa7IgUgvUKBo3p_s/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+10.46.51+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The next day, when the cherry glaze had set, with some whipped cream.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> </b> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-2632927059306209072013-01-23T17:40:00.002-05:002013-04-22T08:43:53.589-04:00Green Tea Mille Crepes: An Experiment Based On Somebody Else's Experiment<i>Update (4/22/2013): <a href="http://chezleawesome.blogspot.com/2013/04/green-tea-mille-crepes-second-times.html" target="_blank">I tried this recipe for a second time</a> and got better results.</i> <br />
<br />
I'm not the only baker who gets a type of recipe stuck in their brain and then has to make multiple versions of it. I am also susceptible to food porn: pictures of somebody else's food creation that is so beautiful, you must try the recipe yourself. Take a look at this:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTg0_WfJ8SJ3l79qr3SfSadgjxB1hyR_htFLY8StyH7oEiu2m3ZgeBdc98xSO2UrJVrL8xa9pTKA8NiZxw0eAuqDrB63qXaU9a0g013tsCC2oTCEx3tyQaIlJWzKKIUHrDlhDInRVbZXji/s1600/matcha_mille_crepe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTg0_WfJ8SJ3l79qr3SfSadgjxB1hyR_htFLY8StyH7oEiu2m3ZgeBdc98xSO2UrJVrL8xa9pTKA8NiZxw0eAuqDrB63qXaU9a0g013tsCC2oTCEx3tyQaIlJWzKKIUHrDlhDInRVbZXji/s320/matcha_mille_crepe.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matcha mille crepes (from <a href="http://www.zencancook.com/2011/09/green-tea-mille-crepes/" target="_blank">Zen Can Cook</a>).</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It's a green tea crepe cake with orange pastry cream filling. This is the third mille crepe version that Zen blogged about. He got the same "must make different flavors!" bug that I get. Of course I had to make this cake.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Every European culture has their own version of crepes. In my father's family, we eat blintzes, which are basically crepes filled with a sweet cheese mixture and then fried. We also eat the classic French version of crepes, especially since there are a bunch of crepe restaurants in Berkeley (Crepes A Go Go, Crepevine, etc.). These are more on the American side of what a crepe should be: larger and with more fillings than you'd get in France. I'm an American so I don't complain.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So I'd been eating crepes for years but I'd never tried to make them. I knew from the start that there would be a serious problem: I can't flip anything in a pan. Pancakes and omelettes become smashed messes when I try to flip them. I also don't have a crepe pan, which is a thin frying pan with a completely flat bottom and almost no outer rim (see <a href="http://www.chefsresource.com/le-creuset-hard-anodized-crepe-pan.html?gclid=CNOv97S9_7QCFQ-f4AodQyIA_g" target="_blank">this</a> for an example). I didn't know if the pan was necessary or not. This entire thing was going to be an adventure, and if it didn't work I would hopefully have some delicious, smushed crepes to eat at the end.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a>I wasn't sure about Zen's recipe for pastry cream, so I decided to use a pastry cream recipe from a reliable cookbook (the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Silver-Palate-Cookbook-25th-Anniversary/dp/0761145974?ie=UTF8&tag=weeofmen-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Silver Palate cookbook</a>). That turned out to be a mistake because the texture didn't work, even though it tasted really good. The basic problem is that you need a very firm pastry cream to hold up the crepes as they are stacked, and this pastry cream never got solid enough. My crepe stack turned into a leaning tower of crepes, and ended up with the crepes slipping off the top completely. I refrigerated the pastry cream overnight, but that didn't solve the problem. Zen's pastry cream recipe has more eggs to solidify it and is a better choice for this type of recipe. (Yet another lesson in why I should try the original recipe once before I start messing with it.)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Tips: I used Cointreau when I made the crepe batter just because I like Cointreau, but you don't need to use any alcohol if you don't want to. You can use beer instead of water if you happen to have half a cup of beer lying around but it's not necessary. I used water and the batter was fine.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Make sure to refrigerate the batter for an hour or so. You can mix the batter by hand easily as well, so you can just use one bowl for this entire part of the recipe.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
You really do want to use those exact ingredients for the pastry cream. Six eggs may seem like a lot but you need them to make a really solid version of pastry cream.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
You can flavor the pastry cream with whatever you like. Zen used an orange flavoring but you could easily do vanilla (like I did) or any other flavor that you think goes will with green tea. Just swap out the orange zest for either another flavor extract or use a different spice or zest. You can even use chocolate if you want to.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It took me a couple of tries to figure out how to fry the crepes. I used a smaller, non-stick frying pan because I was worried that the crepes would stick to cast iron. I also used a two tablespoon measuring spoon to put exactly two tablespoons of batter in for each crepe. The crepes do begin to cook quickly so you must pick the pan up and slowly swirl it around to spread the batter so it cooks evenly. If you've ever seen somebody make crepes, you will end up using that exact hand motion.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I used an ordinary spatula to flip the crepes. It's just like flipping a pancake. If you flip it too high above the pan, it will splatter when it lands. I also used too much butter at the beginning. You don't need much, but I thought better safe than sorry.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
You should get between 15 and 20 crepes from the batter. With two tablespoons per crepe, I got 20 crepes. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The pastry cream needs time to cool down, so you should make the cream before the crepe batter. By the time you finish frying all of the crepes, the pastry cream will be close to room temperature. Make sure to stir it occasionally while it's cooling so that the heat in the middle of the bowl can escape. The pastry cream needs to be slightly warmer than room temperature when you stir in the butter and flavoring. You don't want the butter to be melted immediately, but it will melt and be incorporated as you stir. This will keep the nice texture of the pastry cream.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Adding in the whipped cream to the pastry cream will make it lighter, which is why it's optional. Keep in mind that you will have leftover pastry cream at the end, so you may want to use it for something else and the whipped cream can bulk it out.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Make sure that the crepes have cooled to room temperature and the pastry cream has either cooled to room temperature or has been refrigerated. If either the crepes or pastry cream are warm, the stack will not stay put and will slide. Once you have stacked the crepes, put the cake in the fridge if you're not serving it right away to keep it in place.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Green Tea (Match) Mille Crepes (Crepe Cake)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">From <a href="http://www.zencancook.com/2011/09/green-tea-mille-crepes/" target="_blank">Zen Can Cook</a></span> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>For the crepes:</b></div>
<ul id="internal-source-marker_0.49808826684170837" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 cup all-purpose flour</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 cup milk</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1/2 cup lukewarm water (or beer)</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4 large eggs</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3 tablespoons sugar</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 pinch salt</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2 tablespoons matcha powder</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 tablespoon Cointreau or Grand-Marnier</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>For the pastry cream:</b></div>
<ul id="internal-source-marker_0.49808826684170837" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2 cups whole milk</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">6 large egg yolks</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1/2 cup sugar</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1/3 cup cornstarch</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 teaspoon vanilla extract</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2 tablespoons butter, at room temp’</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">zest of 1/2 orange</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 tablespoon Grand-Marnier (optional)</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped (optional)</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.49808826684170837">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.49808826684170837">
<b>To serve:</b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Candied orange zest (optional)</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<b>To make the crepes:</b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Combine
all the ingredients by hand or in the bowl of a blender. Mix until
smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Place a 6-inch nonstick or seasoned crepe pan over medium heat. Using a paper towel, coat the pan with a little butter.</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pour
about 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter into the pan. Lift, tilt and rotate
the pan so that the batter forms an even, very thin layer. Cook until
golden. Turn the crepe over and cook a little longer. Remove the crepe
to a piece of wax paper. Continue cooking the rest of the crepes.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<b>To make the orange pastry cream:</b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil over medium heat.</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Whisk
the yolks, sugar and cornstarch together in a bowl. Drizzle a quarter
of the hot milk and whisk vigorously. Pour the rest of the milk and keep
whisking. Return the custard to the pan and add the vanilla extract and
orange zest. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil while whisking
energetically for 1 or 2 minutes. The mixture will be thick. Stir in the
Grand Marnier if using.</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Set
the bottom of the pot in a ice-water bath to cool, stirring frequently
so that the mixture remains smooth. Cool to 140 F (warm to the touch)
and stir in the butter and the orange zest until completely
incorporated. Cool and refrigerate.</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When
ready to use, place the put the pastry cream in a food processor and
process for 10 seconds for the best consistency. Fold in the whipped
cream if using.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<b>To assemble:</b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Lay
1 crepe on a cake plate. Using an icing spatula, completely cover with a
thin layer of pastry cream. Cover with a crepe and repeat to make a
stack of 15 to 20.</span></span></span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Chill
for at least 2 hours. Serve cold. If you have a blowtorch for creme
brulee, sprinkle the top crepe with 2 tablespoons sugar and caramelize
with the torch. Slice like a cake. Serve with candied orange zest.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaKs8My73fh0xEFnuWFuHhLtpUdS53bRZKAoLB8QsmMheBCbszkx7rdRCF4-TOmVCIfASUYZjYIjQx1DLCepSsr7R6W-HzZS0RX8VD9rJFmeh7CZjAB6mlAOY2M0H_eWTMfkUAnAbQ7-P/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+2.41.46+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaKs8My73fh0xEFnuWFuHhLtpUdS53bRZKAoLB8QsmMheBCbszkx7rdRCF4-TOmVCIfASUYZjYIjQx1DLCepSsr7R6W-HzZS0RX8VD9rJFmeh7CZjAB6mlAOY2M0H_eWTMfkUAnAbQ7-P/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+2.41.46+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to fry the crepes. That's a 2 tablespoon measuring spoon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNXwqA0Hug7lEzlSqc0KQax9VZFtRcLUPOT_r631qofNCoHrzQ6lkxY-ehWCo0eTmtCieaqyk3IDtPTaxjAnGtoI5-7xMKK3P0xH-Ocu9rFQ5_eqF1c746kvwZvkLAjUVOAJQ9NdFJbAj7/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+2.41.55+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNXwqA0Hug7lEzlSqc0KQax9VZFtRcLUPOT_r631qofNCoHrzQ6lkxY-ehWCo0eTmtCieaqyk3IDtPTaxjAnGtoI5-7xMKK3P0xH-Ocu9rFQ5_eqF1c746kvwZvkLAjUVOAJQ9NdFJbAj7/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+2.41.55+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I used exactly 2 tablespoons of batter per crepe.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjGopz_3a1TH6aqRDP6wGWqlrT_0nSr3h5aMklLisUMutbEIrZ-Cez_9OEFanAbjVfMRWi2kCsh1WDnABFB2SK3szSYJW4emcv_S8N9WGCi_hssSkzA-P6wmeRwHeGQI8trRyph4PDJuu/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+2.42.01+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjGopz_3a1TH6aqRDP6wGWqlrT_0nSr3h5aMklLisUMutbEIrZ-Cez_9OEFanAbjVfMRWi2kCsh1WDnABFB2SK3szSYJW4emcv_S8N9WGCi_hssSkzA-P6wmeRwHeGQI8trRyph4PDJuu/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+2.42.01+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First attempt at flipping a crepe.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4mIAjb24C67quYZpqRqMDO7VLnKJnmXpV7KoMFMzrw5t-gukw66f3H4ilGJH_yQfGf8pHyJnrBj7Cxr4hG8kqhN1SxJexI6rGKuC_dJIzNh6gFFwmXjVUpEExnUUFNZDap042ihCLxdQl/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+2.42.08+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4mIAjb24C67quYZpqRqMDO7VLnKJnmXpV7KoMFMzrw5t-gukw66f3H4ilGJH_yQfGf8pHyJnrBj7Cxr4hG8kqhN1SxJexI6rGKuC_dJIzNh6gFFwmXjVUpEExnUUFNZDap042ihCLxdQl/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+2.42.08+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second attempt at flipping a crepe.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74YNoDPtI10afPi3zilHpPnigMYyy858xAocy2cV9sLjsYgpXQWi03KzZKP5CWwrIgE-U-hMioesnTrX6G5s9nkC1t75H7N-pYfMtGyHqdaPPNyd8k0ZEER_ig2T8nfQjTXdsqxv2WtN1/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+2.42.13+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74YNoDPtI10afPi3zilHpPnigMYyy858xAocy2cV9sLjsYgpXQWi03KzZKP5CWwrIgE-U-hMioesnTrX6G5s9nkC1t75H7N-pYfMtGyHqdaPPNyd8k0ZEER_ig2T8nfQjTXdsqxv2WtN1/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+2.42.13+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After four tries, I finally got it figured out!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97W8_Nh_DTSWlrmtXx3PmKUZhpPPkMdlh_nAd-7xXDR1GcdKIVaNfyPg_XlxL99XLeaR4yy6DqOib9vdv9JcGAxxxQlK-uhZQd0JUof6Kmo2At-qTwpNJRHsO04uio-8Eb5EcrM1SlnnW/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+2.42.18+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97W8_Nh_DTSWlrmtXx3PmKUZhpPPkMdlh_nAd-7xXDR1GcdKIVaNfyPg_XlxL99XLeaR4yy6DqOib9vdv9JcGAxxxQlK-uhZQd0JUof6Kmo2At-qTwpNJRHsO04uio-8Eb5EcrM1SlnnW/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+2.42.18+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful properly flipped crepe.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjFM2yETAjEwC_tDHn0IVenA98MoS220S4L85APoGusmFcax61_E2r2CFV2OdSDNVt7YP_pnFopj2DnxvQXJduAqDDGf9izXCVZ4kuzMfuIBFWQziLcsx1pNZYsQsRPCx6Ft2CnhbZ_n1/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+2.43.05+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjFM2yETAjEwC_tDHn0IVenA98MoS220S4L85APoGusmFcax61_E2r2CFV2OdSDNVt7YP_pnFopj2DnxvQXJduAqDDGf9izXCVZ4kuzMfuIBFWQziLcsx1pNZYsQsRPCx6Ft2CnhbZ_n1/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+2.43.05+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I eventually got 17 non-smushed crepes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQBTaIU1lDGm02az0cXNMq7zXrePzlPoNzMo6UPI_nMyn6cvFvn_Zn4IZ2v4XurEskOSh_hJw8SKTuPjTo09D6h0fS3sBmM7e_FvZ7VsSRbnrOaSHe7BdeGZkzIOxt86gn3HI4-WCmvF9U/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+2.43.18+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQBTaIU1lDGm02az0cXNMq7zXrePzlPoNzMo6UPI_nMyn6cvFvn_Zn4IZ2v4XurEskOSh_hJw8SKTuPjTo09D6h0fS3sBmM7e_FvZ7VsSRbnrOaSHe7BdeGZkzIOxt86gn3HI4-WCmvF9U/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+2.43.18+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My solution to the leaning problem: chopsticks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-17910186187209731152013-01-14T14:52:00.000-05:002013-01-21T23:02:33.072-05:00Beer and BakingWhen I was in high school, my father told me that if I drank enough beer I would learn to like it. I spent the next five years or so doing my best to drink "enough" beer. It never worked - beer is disgusting, bitter and nasty. For the next ten years after that, I just thought that I was deficient in the drinking department. There are very, very few alcoholic drinks that I like, and those are only the ones where you can't taste the alcohol.<br />
<br />
I put this down to having an undeveloped/immature tongue. Our parents used to tell us that we would like different foods when we got older, like eggplant and arugula. But I never started liking any of those types of foods, and I just assumed that my tongue was the Peter Pan of my anatomy, doomed to be child-like forever.<br />
<br />
I was complaining about this to a food guy, who looked at me like I was nuts (and to be fair, he may be right) and said, "You're a supertaster. There's nothing wrong with you."<br />
<br />
Supertasters are more sensitive to bitter tastes than normal tasters. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster" target="_blank">The wikipedia list of foods that supertasters hate</a> is pretty true to my experiences, except that I like the more mellow types of green tea. It also explains why I had such a hard time taking quinine and threw up afterwards.<br />
<br />
So now I take a different approach to cooking, baking, and which ingredients I choose to use: if it's for other people, I use ingredients that are on the list because normal tasters like them; if it's for me, I only use ingredients that aren't on the list or which I know will have their taste covered up by something else. The good news is that the taste of beer can be covered up easily in a lot of baking recipes so that it only comes out as a faint aftertaste.<br />
<br />
That's good news because beer is one of the best liquids to use in baking. It has both carbonation and gluten, and lifts dough and batter up to be light, moist, and fluffy. Some people call beer a secret ingredient, but there's nothing secret about it. Humans have been baking and cooking with beer for literally thousands of years.<br />
<br />
Friend B's husband R is a beer guy, so if I have a beer-containing recipe that I want to try I just wait until there's an occasion in honor of R. My thought process goes like this: "This recipe may turn out horribly, but R likes beer so he'll like it anyways!" R is too polite to say, "Jesus Christ, this shit is terrible! Not even beer can rescue it!" about a cake that somebody has made for him.<br />
<br />
R's birthday was last week, so he got my second try at making a beer cake. The first try was for something last year (Honey Spice Beer Cake) and this try was supposed to go along with the Italian-themed dinner party (Chocolate Stout Cake). Both cakes turned out great, and the recipes only needed a little massaging.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>The honey spice beer cake comes from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Booze-Cakes-Confections-Spiked-Spirits/dp/1594744238/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279295339&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Booze Cakes</a>, a cookbook on using spirits and beer in baking. The cake itself is lovely, moist and sweet and spicy, but the frosting part of the recipe was no good. The chocolate stout cake comes from a longer line: originally from <a href="http://www.barringtonbrewery.net/menu.php?page_id=28" target="_blank">the Barrington Brewery in Great Barrington, MA</a>, then written up in <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Stout-Cake-107105" target="_blank">Bon Appetit magazine and put on epicurious</a>, and finally, <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2006/11/ganached-guinness-goodness/" target="_blank">slighly modified on Smitten Kitchen</a>.<br />
<br />
Tips: to cream butter and sugar together, the butter needs to be soft but still solid. Don't melt the butter all of the way. You need the fats to stay together. To get butter to the right consistency, you can leave it out overnight or you can microwave it in 10 second increments, stirring in between to keep it together. What you want is a consistency like a firm pudding and with a light yellow color. Then you can mix in the sugar.<br />
<br />
All of the spices in the honey spice beer cake should be ground, not solid. If you're worried about the freshness of the spices, you can buy solid spices and grind them up in a coffee grinder that is never used to grind coffee, only spices.<br />
<br />
The brown sugar in the honey spice beer cake doesn't need to be light, you can use dark brown sugar if you have it instead. The cake will just be darker than my pictures.<br />
<br />
You should use a nice honey in the honey spice beer cake. If your jar of honey has solidified, either microwave it in 5-10 second intervals for a plastic jar or put it in a pot of boiling water for a glass jar. The heat will melt the honey and make it liquid again.<br />
<br />
I am not giving the frosting recipe that goes with the honey spice beer cake since it did not work. I recommend a nice, lighter lemon-flavored frosting or icing to go with this cake, if you want to use a frosting at all. It is moist enough to be fine without any type of topping.<br />
<br />
The honey spice beer cake is baked in a larger pan, and I didn't have a serving dish large enough for it. I cut the cake down to fit a lovely rectangular serving dish. The cake is moist enough but still firm enough that it is easy to carve into different shapes. Make sure to use a serrated bread knife for cutting. You can easily cut this cake up to make shapes or letters or even words. <br />
<br />
For the chocolate stout cake, use good quality beer and cocoa powder. It will affect the taste of the cake if you use cheap ingredients. I used Ghiradelli cococa and Guiness stout.<br />
<br />
Coffee is a taste enhancer for chocolate, which is why it is in the chocolate ganache recipe. You won't be able to taste the coffee, but it will make the chocolate taste more chocolate.<br />
<br />
I recommend sifting the flour and other dry ingredients together in the chocolate stout cake recipe for some extra air and lift in the cake.<br />
<br />
The chocolate ganache recipe is really nice and you can use it on lots of other cakes as well. It was also too thick for "drizzling"; I put the cake on a serving plate and spooned the ganache over the top, where it slowly dripped down the sides for a nice effect. You can skip putting the cake on a rack to do the ganache if the ganache is thick enough.<br />
<br />
Ganache is done when it is shiny. As the chocolate melts and the ingredients come together when you stir it, it is not completely cooked. Once everything is mixed, keep stirring for another minute or so, when the ganache will become very shiny. See the picture below.<br />
<br />
I used an angel food cake pan instead of a bundt pan and the only result was that I had to bake the cake longer. The recipe says to bake for 35 minutes but it took 50 minutes for my cake to fully bake. <br />
<br />
This cake needs to cool completely in the pan before you take it out. I let mine sit overnight and it was fine. The recipe says to put it on a rack to cool, but I just left it on one of the stove burners.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Honey Spice Beer Cake</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">From <i>Booze Cakes</i> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ingredients</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.4499711978333033" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3 ¼ cup all-purpose flour</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 teaspoon baking soda</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2 teaspoons baking powder</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">¼ teaspoon salt</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 teaspoon cloves</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 teaspoon cinnamon</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 teaspoon allspice</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 teaspoon nutmeg</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">½ cup salted butter</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 cup light brown sugar</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 cup sugar</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4 eggs</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 ¼ cup honey</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">juice and grated zest of 1 lemon</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 12-ounce (honey) beer</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.4499711978333033" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease and flour a 9 by 13 inch sheet-cake pan.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Combine
flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cloves, cinnamon, allspice,
and nutmeg; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars for 3
to 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time,
beating after each addition. Mix in honey, lemon juice, and zest.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mix in flour mixture and beer in three alternating additions. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool. Frost if desired.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Chocolate Stout Cake<span style="font-size: large;"> with</span> Chocolate Ganache</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cake f</span>rom Barrington </span>Brewery and Bon Appetit Magazine, ganache from Smitten Kitchen<br />
<br />
Ingredients<br />
<u>Cake </u><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.9323468996968269" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 cup stout (such as Guinness)</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2 cups all purpose flour</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2 cups sugar</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3/4 teaspoon salt</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2 large eggs</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2/3 cup sour cream</span></span><br />
<br />
<u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ganache</span></span></u><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.9323468996968269" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">6 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">6 tablespoons heavy cream</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3/4 teaspoon instant coffee granules</span><br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.9323468996968269" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Preheat
oven to 350°F. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.9323468996968269" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Butter or spray a bundt pan well; make sure you get in
all of the nooks and crannies. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.9323468996968269" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large
saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is
smooth. Cool slightly.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Whisk
flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to
blend. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large
bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just
to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using a
rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Pour batter into
prepared pan. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out
clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cake to rack; cool completely in the
pan, then turn cake out onto rack for drizzling ganache.</span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QNStjHsL4VLVF7Y-llbMy9IsiFIba2PdF6OeQRB4qzGlFMu73febF3cFvPt09TKtYGdABRcd1xqXmEQFxDcd3xJFI0cJuCJiu3n96NyLGbh0cTm1jC4U9GAV0airFILxfRDiiGRhSuUo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-14+at+10.31.57+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QNStjHsL4VLVF7Y-llbMy9IsiFIba2PdF6OeQRB4qzGlFMu73febF3cFvPt09TKtYGdABRcd1xqXmEQFxDcd3xJFI0cJuCJiu3n96NyLGbh0cTm1jC4U9GAV0airFILxfRDiiGRhSuUo/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-14+at+10.31.57+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carving the honey spice beer cake down to fit the serving dish.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRF0VpQ_Hy03W6gRJOtjB_ZVQhE4szmYXhr4HSD_B0Yp6goZntY6SeP5JkiTJJdtYpyA10-DpcfZSdWWHgS1NZ2itLX7bLBPEEpCGb2WBpQec5-mGJgGlA3s5UR0SFqWKYItd_ZR3eqLZ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-14+at+10.32.08+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRF0VpQ_Hy03W6gRJOtjB_ZVQhE4szmYXhr4HSD_B0Yp6goZntY6SeP5JkiTJJdtYpyA10-DpcfZSdWWHgS1NZ2itLX7bLBPEEpCGb2WBpQec5-mGJgGlA3s5UR0SFqWKYItd_ZR3eqLZ/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-14+at+10.32.08+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original frosting recipe that came with the honey spice beer cake. This is why I'm not putting it on this blog. The cake has a nice lemon flavor so try a lemon icing instead.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEillO3vqP9Kns9kePdKGI3tEiY3jFePX_jT2hoEWiuQ2EvfyaDe36xsCSfMrBlWCiGj4y6jLaR0m4CzuDsHDMryoolyXi07ImA2ZhCPsPOAZRngsUUfC0fC1Ym5f4nZXzLgGggme9ZzbKxd/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+1.37.52+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEillO3vqP9Kns9kePdKGI3tEiY3jFePX_jT2hoEWiuQ2EvfyaDe36xsCSfMrBlWCiGj4y6jLaR0m4CzuDsHDMryoolyXi07ImA2ZhCPsPOAZRngsUUfC0fC1Ym5f4nZXzLgGggme9ZzbKxd/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+1.37.52+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the ingredients you need for the chocolate stout cake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJKkRKAeZDtyV1DCn44Mh1YndQkDnqpDtiG-bgwP4aynKHmz9kNwv_wghGlnyeY4CRnvGxgcAKmwOO_nHtpRYLhY_mwsF9Wn6ZPqbeH7SohRmZcxK1QtIFU02Yap1J47Xy_qhVLoIFrQT/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+1.38.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJKkRKAeZDtyV1DCn44Mh1YndQkDnqpDtiG-bgwP4aynKHmz9kNwv_wghGlnyeY4CRnvGxgcAKmwOO_nHtpRYLhY_mwsF9Wn6ZPqbeH7SohRmZcxK1QtIFU02Yap1J47Xy_qhVLoIFrQT/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+1.38.09+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a churchkey: the round side opens bottles and the sharp side open tin cans (used before the hand crank can opener was invented). Churchkeys are very useful.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzw_0_AqSkRj3O6gr7R_RrmE_-52aBhtxP9ToCoxNHkXg1M-TUVDlpNGBD5c6mzMGbVpNLYgKz88izvxzprTBuEOrw-lo70E60rnMh54-ZBRxJ-N8Qb5vbTstXbpUuPVf6y4fahOSwi8U_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+1.38.27+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzw_0_AqSkRj3O6gr7R_RrmE_-52aBhtxP9ToCoxNHkXg1M-TUVDlpNGBD5c6mzMGbVpNLYgKz88izvxzprTBuEOrw-lo70E60rnMh54-ZBRxJ-N8Qb5vbTstXbpUuPVf6y4fahOSwi8U_/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+1.38.27+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can use a hand mixer on low speed to put the ingredients together.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0VhY8SzvdA5J5Qgyf48zKO4jhR2upbVoORGIETWrN6Z38QiojJfRym6uk0z2HsT0UHYcmFwAxUo0rFbceF0ZSKEoRAIooOQWhkLCKQ3OO7ue5Dx2bE_uuoj4mm5LwSN8ptVAMbnVsjc1/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+1.38.36+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0VhY8SzvdA5J5Qgyf48zKO4jhR2upbVoORGIETWrN6Z38QiojJfRym6uk0z2HsT0UHYcmFwAxUo0rFbceF0ZSKEoRAIooOQWhkLCKQ3OO7ue5Dx2bE_uuoj4mm5LwSN8ptVAMbnVsjc1/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+1.38.36+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baked cake. Make sure to grease the pan higher than the cake batter will go because the cake will rise quite a bit.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrxobexRWNwxiI5q82GXrj3AlHmuiGkmp125Zjw95QGFpa7-J_gb7UlTCRnZO1VetvHycWcjtxA_Al2C2-SQmqHpIrzrgQ5U_qCBR8aeWdXm0gQW0y741sCNiAPFSsy_4iro63HlitzCt/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+1.38.44+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrxobexRWNwxiI5q82GXrj3AlHmuiGkmp125Zjw95QGFpa7-J_gb7UlTCRnZO1VetvHycWcjtxA_Al2C2-SQmqHpIrzrgQ5U_qCBR8aeWdXm0gQW0y741sCNiAPFSsy_4iro63HlitzCt/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+1.38.44+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making the ganache.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw0heoZ7i049C4xxoa2J7Aj8at-9phhzXhs8uIGbJtdm_RBgPYBp4w9A2EJMyKElIUIRWncCsmq7LCq3CQK2raCHhgMmTcmfEvLbhJF80oeY_qh02B1G9CCHE3ZmA5R1xr7yaVz8R2N9jx/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+1.38.57+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw0heoZ7i049C4xxoa2J7Aj8at-9phhzXhs8uIGbJtdm_RBgPYBp4w9A2EJMyKElIUIRWncCsmq7LCq3CQK2raCHhgMmTcmfEvLbhJF80oeY_qh02B1G9CCHE3ZmA5R1xr7yaVz8R2N9jx/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+1.38.57+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the shiny texture you want in ganache.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-5gLxPfkOz0LDQx1SwZDUaV8My6RQE6kzxkmb0JiPB0baS8iqCfngrODIJNUiHtwtnoDJiRq7VwFKVN6Fg86EQXDDRycI50WgoNcH9YeI30aC7bE88mv5yNbz30HBHFUauUretVXMZPq/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+1.39.10+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-5gLxPfkOz0LDQx1SwZDUaV8My6RQE6kzxkmb0JiPB0baS8iqCfngrODIJNUiHtwtnoDJiRq7VwFKVN6Fg86EQXDDRycI50WgoNcH9YeI30aC7bE88mv5yNbz30HBHFUauUretVXMZPq/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-13+at+1.39.10+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished cake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-2546611506821516062013-01-07T10:13:00.000-05:002013-01-23T17:42:06.640-05:00Holiday Parties Galore: Mojito DoughnutsNow that it's January and I'm looking back at the holiday season, I'm still convinced that work holiday parties are horrible. It's not that I don't have friends at work, it's that either I've got work that needs to get done and I don't have time to waste or I usually hang out with my friends at work while we're at work and I don't need to do that with hundreds of other people as well. I'm a total Scrooge and there will not be a Tiny Tim coming by to change that anytime soon. <br />
<br />
By the time I got to the last holiday party in the Week Of Seven Holiday Parties, I was clearly in need of something alcoholic. So why not make something sweet and boozy? I've forgotten exactly what combination of words I put into google to find this recipe, but I'm sure that it included "yummy", "alcoholic", "sweet", and "doughnut". Mojito doughnuts! What a perfect and brilliant idea.<br />
<br />
Of course, there were several setbacks, including my lack of a doughnut pan and the fact that one of my old roommates had a serious drug and alcohol problem and had secretly stolen all of my cooking booze (except the arak - even alcoholics won't drink the arak). So I bought rum and with its help constructed a doughnut pan out of tin foil and a muffin tin.<br />
<br />
Between the rum and the rest of the week, I was at the point where I didn't care if the recipe worked or not. That's why it turned out to be one of the best recipes I'd made in 2012: recipes only work perfectly when you don't care anymore. Martha Stewart should do a show about this phenomenon.<br />
<br />
What's a slightly drunk girl with no doughnut pan going to do when she tries to bake doughnuts? Construct one! I just expected that it wasn't going to work and I would have oddly shaped, solid doughnuts, but it actually worked like a charm. Who knew? Definitely not me.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>To cook doughnuts, you can either fry or bake them. Most people fry them (even <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doughnut" target="_blank">wikipedia</a> lists frying as the way to make doughnuts) but baked doughnuts are becoming more popular. They have a lighter texture than fried doughnuts because there's less fat. Fried doughnuts are made from a yeast-based dough that rises once, then the doughnuts are cut out, and then it rises again before being fried. Baked doughnuts aren't as complicated because they can rise in the oven while they're being baked. You can use dough recipes that don't have any yeast at all. You just need a pan that will hold the doughnuts in the right shape.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5citYhFRpJFoPWF6nW3XrbMLFcNQ9QNSNU4FpPBpODjK63K2b0-YqlGSMPb04EbvUok3VqTaK-zbYvPuP1OcPHvjA9PKxKbH7V19xUyyxaO9bmdIXK2R2k4Kx71xOG-RiTYt6SwvfTxR/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-07+at+9.16.17+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5citYhFRpJFoPWF6nW3XrbMLFcNQ9QNSNU4FpPBpODjK63K2b0-YqlGSMPb04EbvUok3VqTaK-zbYvPuP1OcPHvjA9PKxKbH7V19xUyyxaO9bmdIXK2R2k4Kx71xOG-RiTYt6SwvfTxR/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-07+at+9.16.17+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A real doughnut pan: <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/standard-doughnut-pan" target="_blank">King Arthur's doughnut pan</a> is the best one out there.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuCg-wXdQv-Pzm-0KCqXQsQjuuAiQSxLmvpjPCxA7K0HR5GtHCA9CN2SB9nQgJzFsaX9isWejSWn5C1i_tMjHX4JeF8qYfzbBV1qrHBVFeTN5oABZhAIqJnispZjnH6408D4dn7R7z649H/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.33.42+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuCg-wXdQv-Pzm-0KCqXQsQjuuAiQSxLmvpjPCxA7K0HR5GtHCA9CN2SB9nQgJzFsaX9isWejSWn5C1i_tMjHX4JeF8qYfzbBV1qrHBVFeTN5oABZhAIqJnispZjnH6408D4dn7R7z649H/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.33.42+PM.png" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My attempt at faking a doughnut pan: wrap tin foil up to make a column, then split the bottom into three sections to make a stable base.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I put a tin foil column in each well of a muffin tin to fake the shape of the doughnuts. The weight of the raw dough held the base of the column in place and the dough rose around the columns as the doughnuts baked. It was easy to get the columns out afterwards since the base was at the bottom of each doughnut when they were taken out of the pan. The columns were skinny enough that the the doughnut holes were small but that didn't affect the baking time.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Tips: This recipe is supposed to make 12 regular sized doughn<span style="font-size: small;">uts (<span style="font-size: small;">or 2 doughnut pans). I ended up with about 16 smaller doughnuts.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The dou<span style="font-size: small;">gh wil<span style="font-size: small;">l rise quite a bit, so you don't want to fill the muffin tins to the top, only about <span style="font-size: small;">one-th<span style="font-size: small;">ird to halfway</span></span>.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I added a small amount of vanilla extract to the milk before I cooked it with the egg and the rum.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Make sure to beat the egg thoroughly with the <span style="font-size: small;">milk</span> to mix the whites and yolk together when you cook it<span style="font-size: small;">.</span> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Th<span style="font-size: small;">is dough is thick and not runny, so you will need to smooth it into place in the doughnut pan. Don't worry about making the top of the dou<span style="font-size: small;">ghnut<span style="font-size: small;">s smooth. They will<span style="font-size: small;"> be<span style="font-size: small;">come more uniform as they bake and rise.</span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The recipe <span style="font-size: small;">calls for dried mint bu<span style="font-size: small;">t it tastes much better with chopped up fresh mint. You can get small bundles of mint in the fresh herbs part of the produce section at any grocery store - it's a standard ingredient.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I made <span style="font-size: small;">the gl<span style="font-size: small;">aze while the doughnu<span style="font-size: small;">ts wer<span style="font-size: small;">e baking to <span style="font-size: small;">save time, but then I had to wait for the doughnuts to cool down so the g<span style="font-size: small;">laze wouldn't melt on them. You will need about 20 minut<span style="font-size: small;">es for <span style="font-size: small;">the <span style="font-size: small;">doughnuts to cool off and about 2<span style="font-size: small;">-3 hours for <span style="font-size: small;">the glaze to dry. I took them with <span style="font-size: small;">wet glaze to the party and nobody complained, but they were very sticky to eat.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Put the dough<span style="font-size: small;">nuts on your (clean) broiling pan and either dip them in the <span style="font-size: small;">glaze or<span style="font-size: small;"> use a spoon to pour the glaze over the doughnuts. You will definitely need some kind of rack<span style="font-size: small;"> with a lower tray or plate to catch the excess gla<span style="font-size: small;">ze as it drips.</span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The gla<span style="font-size: small;">z<span style="font-size: small;">e will eventually dr<span style="font-size: small;">y <span style="font-size: small;">to be white after a couple of hours and <span style="font-size: small;">looks very nice with t<span style="font-size: small;">he small bits of mint in<span style="font-size: small;"> it.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span> </span></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Mojito Doughnuts</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://diethood.com/2012/08/27/mojito-donuts/" target="_blank">Original recipe at diethood</a> </span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-ingredients">
<b>Ingredients</b></div>
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-ingredients">
<br /></div>
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-ingredients">
For the doughnuts: </div>
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-ingredients">
1 cup all-purpose flour</div>
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-ingredients">
1/2 cup sugar</div>
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-ingredients">
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder</div>
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-ingredients">
1/4 teaspoon salt</div>
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-ingredients">
1/2 cup whole milk</div>
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-ingredients">
1 tablespoon rum</div>
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-ingredients">
1 whole egg</div>
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-ingredients">
3 tablespoons butter, softened
</div>
<br />
For the glaze:<br />
2 tablespoons whole milk<br />
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice<br />
1 cup powdered sugar<br />
1/8 teaspoon dried mint<br />
<br />
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-instructions">
Preheat oven to 350.</div>
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-instructions">
<br /></div>
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-instructions">
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.</div>
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-instructions">
<br /></div>
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-instructions">
In a small saucepan bring together the milk, rum, egg, and butter. Cook over medium-heat, stirring constantly with a whisk until the butter melts, about one to two minutes. Remove from heat and add the milk mixture into the flour mixture; mix until combined.</div>
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-instructions">
<br /></div>
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-instructions">
Grease a doughnut pan with cooking spray (or construct your own doughnut pan and grease it). Using a large tablespoon, spoon the doughnut mixture into the pan. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove and immediately invert the pan onto a cooling rack.</div>
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-instructions">
<br /></div>
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-instructions">
While the doughnuts are cooling, begin to work on the glaze. Place
the milk, lime juice, and powdered sugar in a small saucepan and cook
over medium-heat, stirring constantly just until combined and no lumps
appear. Remove from heat and set the saucepan over a bowl filled with hot water. Stir in the dried mint.</div>
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-instructions">
<br /></div>
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-instructions">
Dip
the doughnuts into the glaze, one at a time, and set on a rack, glaze
side up. Put a baking sheet underneath the rack because some of that
glaze will drip off.</div>
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-instructions">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5lxg9znYC-fv5EqoILuy44D0tClYHzl381GCO-RrXyqOcSH8XL5I8bcmEOYy9YwLFmlY82ctDmJvZRiDV4SqafA4WWm8Jr27cxwQZtYWFNLMdyqgJVHeWEgIUQyWvTlku5JST0D5ATdn/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.32.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5lxg9znYC-fv5EqoILuy44D0tClYHzl381GCO-RrXyqOcSH8XL5I8bcmEOYy9YwLFmlY82ctDmJvZRiDV4SqafA4WWm8Jr27cxwQZtYWFNLMdyqgJVHeWEgIUQyWvTlku5JST0D5ATdn/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.32.32+PM.png" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dry ingredients.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihhGHE9HYY0ZM9TkKkI7BFC2kgOEo7vBTJzbJVpXOsLIpYy1ry_Cn8i50MJyqlF9ErT3VPb0fqdFLeJmqk4Pi4ekmqf3OaAuRu4A00hfLUEMMtTq-E-L9T3AFweeE__zy_R5iyGHhe2iNX/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.33.54+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihhGHE9HYY0ZM9TkKkI7BFC2kgOEo7vBTJzbJVpXOsLIpYy1ry_Cn8i50MJyqlF9ErT3VPb0fqdFLeJmqk4Pi4ekmqf3OaAuRu4A00hfLUEMMtTq-E-L9T3AFweeE__zy_R5iyGHhe2iNX/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.33.54+PM.png" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dough is quite firm and I had to smooth it out with a spoon in the tray.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBlkxVcwc4JhZVACLYSFEJjsNTiPwjuiFD_AFf6Da97vjgtdfJD7pqG9gtORkvG3pauc4hUzun5YlE8CXZv1BpCbjflxUT14Z9NsOWT1Yiv1H320Myhqys51dTXqU3AXqE-QA4u3ekYpX/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.30.26+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBlkxVcwc4JhZVACLYSFEJjsNTiPwjuiFD_AFf6Da97vjgtdfJD7pqG9gtORkvG3pauc4hUzun5YlE8CXZv1BpCbjflxUT14Z9NsOWT1Yiv1H320Myhqys51dTXqU3AXqE-QA4u3ekYpX/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.30.26+PM.png" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somebody decided that this was the perfect time to throw a temper tantrum and fling his food around the kitchen.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="goog_1556658547"></span><span id="goog_1556658548"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jwl_wB8UDbIOc93uztbs7cqBkLh1BI0bM5PQbUFBbvBFN1nth0lVeDY2Xq_DzvmQwpqh6U-WydLHAGeZtTOSn-VIXEhiU7ZAiCL0dcwX8SkrikCO4Wuw4FqLAegwvofuC3F0O_M-7CTY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.29.46+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jwl_wB8UDbIOc93uztbs7cqBkLh1BI0bM5PQbUFBbvBFN1nth0lVeDY2Xq_DzvmQwpqh6U-WydLHAGeZtTOSn-VIXEhiU7ZAiCL0dcwX8SkrikCO4Wuw4FqLAegwvofuC3F0O_M-7CTY/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.29.46+PM.png" width="193" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I zested the limes straight into the pot as the butter was melting for the glaze.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_9Gn95Kp9-tPC1NTUSKOqAHpPhPz76jOfjGwna_UC8iEWyO58wqVW1OFcgcSBOdUe5FFl-LsFC6KzrTYg2VdMg2yMBQkilG49l7by2U3gdTyj-Vbi_6TAyNI2T1cG2Wdufk2EB8VGSeC/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.29.59+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_9Gn95Kp9-tPC1NTUSKOqAHpPhPz76jOfjGwna_UC8iEWyO58wqVW1OFcgcSBOdUe5FFl-LsFC6KzrTYg2VdMg2yMBQkilG49l7by2U3gdTyj-Vbi_6TAyNI2T1cG2Wdufk2EB8VGSeC/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.29.59+PM.png" width="188" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The glaze is completely liquid so you will need to pour it over the doughnuts.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZly1aATkvgS5MIqolmjSF_ViMlARtq3IgVY8XqKeFCNKJCqF7oEw20lgUfuSBarlK-63XBBUf6Q01VmKb-cJM7zglH5OOy3VpricZ_fl-afg0Q-VtTnWB5v0nfjDwEvzeXKijLRyN04G/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.34.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZly1aATkvgS5MIqolmjSF_ViMlARtq3IgVY8XqKeFCNKJCqF7oEw20lgUfuSBarlK-63XBBUf6Q01VmKb-cJM7zglH5OOy3VpricZ_fl-afg0Q-VtTnWB5v0nfjDwEvzeXKijLRyN04G/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.34.32+PM.png" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glazed doughnuts. The holes are pretty small, and some are off center.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="h-4 strong" id="zlrecipe-instructions">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-87095373264264422802013-01-02T19:02:00.002-05:002013-01-02T19:02:51.662-05:00Holiday Parties Galore: Fantastic Holiday Party Cake RecipeHaving two jobs means that I've basically got double of all of those job-related things that crop up in life - specifically, I had three job-related holiday parties to go to. If they had been spread out through the month of December, it would have been fine. But not only were they in the same week, they were also in the same week as four other holiday parties that I had already said I'd go to. To be blunt, the second week of December kicked my ass.<br />
<br />
I wasn't planning on going to both holiday parties for Job 1, but I miscalculated: when you bake cakes that people like, they want you to come back for other potluck parties. I got ambushed by the secretary to the Deputy Director a couple of days before one of the parties, and while I was making excuses about why I wasn't going, the Deputy Director popped up and said that he'd loved my cake last year and would I please bring it again this year.<br />
<br />
This would normally be complimentary, but I'm pretty sure that the Deputy Director of a federal agency the size of ours doesn't know me from Adam and certainly didn't remember what cake I'd brought to a potluck party with hundreds of people that happened a year earlier. But his secretary remembered and he's a good boss who tries his best to keep her happy, so I got commanded to show up with the cake.<br />
<br />
They got a bit of a surprise when I mentioned that it was a lime-zucchini cake. Zucchinis are a secret baking weapon: full of water to make cakes moist but they have a weak taste that can be overridden by any citrus fruit. Lime-zucchini cakes just taste like lime, and nobody can tell that there's zucchinis in it.<br />
<br />
Zucchini cakes are just like carrot cakes, where a mild tasting vegetable that holds a lot of water is used to produce a very moist cake. If the idea of a zucchini cake freaks you out, just remember that lots of people love carrot cakes and don't think that there's anything wrong with using carrots in a cake.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>The Secret Awesome Zucchini Cake Recipe is actually "Flora's Famous Courgette Cake" from Nigella Lawson's <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Domestic-Goddess-Comfort/dp/0786886811/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357167314&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+be+a+domestic+goddess" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How To Be A Domestic Goddess</a></i>. It's a layer cake made with two layers of zucchini cake, sandwiched with lime curd, and topped with cream cheese icing. That may sound questionable but it's really good.<br />
<br />
Tips: don't switch out zucchinis for other types of squash. Zucchinis have the most mild flavor of the squashes. <br />
<br />
You can use any citrus fruit for this recipe. I love lime but it will work just as well with lemons, oranges, yuzus, etc. Lime zest tends to be dried than orange or lemon zest so you may need to let the zest sit and dry out for 30 minutes to an hour.<br />
<br />
The curd needs to cool and solidify in the refrigerator before layering the cakes. In the pictures below, you can see that I didn't have enough time and the curd was still runny. Compare my cake to the pictures from the other two blogs. It still tasted great but I was bothered by how unfinished it looked.<br />
<br />
The curd recipe makes more than you need so you will either end up eating curd plain out of a bowl or you can put it on other baked goods (like drier cakes). <br />
<br />
You can grate the zucchinis by hand with a cheese grater (use the larger holes) or using a food processor. I only have a grater blade on the 11 cup Cuisinart so I grate the zucchinis by hand for this recipe because I don't want to bother washing it afterwards.<br />
<br />
Remember to take the cream cheese out of the fridge a couple of hours before you make the icing or it will be difficult to stir. If you have hard cream cheese, scoop it into a bowl and microwave it in 10 second intervals to loosen it up, stirring in between intervals. It should only take 20 or 30 seconds total. <br />
<br />
I never use raisins in this recipe because I think it's gross, but your mileage may vary. I am also too lazy to get pistachios just for this cake.<br />
<br />
I usually double the amount of lime zest in the curd and icing just because I like the taste of limes.<br />
<br />
Some other bloggers have mentioned that they have had problems with the egg whites when making the curd. Make sure to whisk the egg to blend together the yolk and white before adding it to the curd and you won't have problems with little bits of egg whites floating around. <br />
<br />
A note on the curd: when the curd is cooled for long enough in the fridge, it will be quite solid and support the upper cake and icing with no problem. You can put the cake together before the curd is solid but it doesn't look nice, and you loose a lot of the curd to the sides of the plate. You need to add in an hour or so before assembly for the curd to cool down. These two bloggers let the curd cool long enough and their cakes are lovely (and they take better photos than I do):<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-8LgPLDS5Mu3fIAJ-kg95DUEsmDQzd_a02HIc72qiHZN-V3F-A-2ff5fzJMrDf-Efcc5BBnCzv5WnU5DG8mQ4sJN2L2-bp8p7aQ9Scm9cL4g-3OQZTXl4uYZy2XWEID34Du2sRQUG7KN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+6.12.16+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-8LgPLDS5Mu3fIAJ-kg95DUEsmDQzd_a02HIc72qiHZN-V3F-A-2ff5fzJMrDf-Efcc5BBnCzv5WnU5DG8mQ4sJN2L2-bp8p7aQ9Scm9cL4g-3OQZTXl4uYZy2XWEID34Du2sRQUG7KN/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+6.12.16+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <i><a href="http://www.bakeorbreak.com/2007/10/zucchini-cake/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bake or Break</a></i>: She didn't like the cake because she doesn't like citrus. Flatter cakes but more solid curd.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwBtKkRIA0fTG6OIeBCP6Jnbup1VZmVVuD1bUxjj66kr9LOnW0KGmkwif1241nvTMPsRfOrhykhwDoKJaHYT_xPvgHOaUs5U-CxhGyVtkK9NxCUKPbF7ZpVO1xbmLC4L9oPdDnmtH40G1B/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+6.37.53+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwBtKkRIA0fTG6OIeBCP6Jnbup1VZmVVuD1bUxjj66kr9LOnW0KGmkwif1241nvTMPsRfOrhykhwDoKJaHYT_xPvgHOaUs5U-CxhGyVtkK9NxCUKPbF7ZpVO1xbmLC4L9oPdDnmtH40G1B/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+6.37.53+PM.png" width="242" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <i><a href="http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/hcha/entry/the_baking_of/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Courgettes and Limes</a></i>: Firmer curd but runnier icing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
A note on vocabulary: the Brits have a lot of different names for foods than our names. Many webpages or blogs about this recipe were written by Brits - not surprising, since this recipe was originally printed in a British cookbook. Vocab to know:<br />
<br />
zucchini == courgette<br />
golden raisin == sultana **<br />
white sugar == caster sugar<br />
self-rising flour == self-raising flour<br />
baking soda == bicarbonate of soda <br />
<br />
There are lots (soooo many) other food vocab differences between the US and the UK, but these are what you generally need to know for this recipe.<br />
<br />
** Sultana is actually the type of grape used to make raisins, which we call Thompson Seedless. In the UK, raisins are usually referred to by the type of grape they come from. You may see both Sultana raisins and Thompson raisins.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Flora's Famous Zucchini (Courge<span style="font-size: large;">tte) Cake</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">From <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Domestic-Goddess-Comfort/dp/0786886811/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357167314&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+be+a+domestic+goddess" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">How <span style="font-size: small;">To B<span style="font-size: small;">e A Domestic Goddess</span></span></span></a></i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Recipe online at <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93204395" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">NPR's interview with Nigella Lawson</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="conheader">
<b>Ingredients<span style="font-size: small;"> f</span>or the cake:</b><br />
</div>
<div class="bucketwrap listtext" id="res93209574">
<div class="bucket">
¼ cup raisins, optional</div>
<div class="bucket">
12 ounces zucchini (2-3), weighed before grating</div>
<div class="bucket">
2 large eggs</div>
<div class="bucket">
½ cup vegetable oil</div>
<div class="bucket">
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar</div>
<div class="bucket">
1 ½ cups self-rising cake flour</div>
<div class="bucket">
½ teaspoon baking soda</div>
<div class="bucket">
½ teaspoon baking powder</div>
<div class="bucket">
2 8x2-inch cake pans, greased and lined with parchment or wax paper
</div>
</div>
<div class="bucketwrap listtext" id="res93209581">
<div class="bucket">
<br />
<b>Ingredients<span style="font-size: small;"> f</span>or the curd filling:</b><br />
</div>
</div>
<div class="bucketwrap listtext" id="res93209579">
<div class="bucket">
6 tablespoons unsalted butter</div>
<div class="bucket">
3 large eggs</div>
<div class="bucket">
½ cup sugar</div>
<div class="bucket">
½ cup lime juice (of approximately 4 limes)</div>
<div class="bucket">
zest of 1 lime</div>
<div class="bucket">
2 ½-pint jars
</div>
</div>
<div class="bucketwrap listtext" id="res93209583">
<div class="bucket">
<br />
<b>Ingredients<span style="font-size: small;"> f</span>or the icing:</b><br />
</div>
</div>
<div class="bucket">
7 ounces cream cheese</div>
<div class="bucket">
½ cup confectioners' sugar, sifted</div>
<div class="bucket">
juice of 1 lime, or more to taste</div>
<div class="bucket">
2 – 3 tablespoons chopped pistachio nuts
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Make the curd first:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
Melt
the butter in a heavy-based saucepan, whisk the egg to blend the yolk and whites, add all the ingredients for the curd to the saucepan, and
whisk to a custard over a gentle heat. Let cool before filling a jar –
or a cake – with it. Keep in the refrigerator.<br />
<br />
Makes about 1 ¾ cups.<br />
<br />
Preheat the oven to 350°F. <br />
<br />
If you're using raisins, put them in a bowl and cover with warm water to plump them up.<br />
<br />
Wipe the zucchini with a kitchen towel (but don't peel them), then
grate. The coarse side of an ordinary box grater is the best thing to
use: anything too fine or too quick can turn them to a wet mush. When
you've grated them, put them in a sieve over the sink to drain.<br />
<br />
Put the eggs, oil, and sugar in a bowl and beat them until creamy.
Sift in the flour, baking soda, and baking powder and continue to beat
until well combined. Now stir in the grated zucchini and add the
drained raisins. Pour the mixture into the pans, and bake for 30
minutes until slightly browned and firm to the touch. Leave in their
pans on a rack for 5 – 10 minutes, then turn out and let cool on the
rack until your filling and icing are ready.<br />
<br />
If you don't
want to make the lime curd for the filling, then just buy a good lemon
or lime curd and sharpen with some freshly squeezed lime juice. To make
the cream-cheese icing for the top, beat the cream cheese in a bowl
until smooth, add the confectioners' sugar, beating well to combine, and
then stir in the lime juice to taste. Now get your cakes ready for
assembling. Put one cake on the plate and spread with completely cooled
lime curd. Put on the top cake and smear it thickly with the
cream-cheese icing. If you feel the icings need firming up a little,
put the cake in the refrigerator for a while.<br />
<br />
Just before serving,
scatter chopped pistachios over the top.<br />
<br />
Serves 8.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfu-yB7Mwqa9Qvheg7Z_VCUgs3b_ac6NeXcQOaKyoXnEpiYsPn_-Q8tmtpQYhy5lJGgsWfL-dLU9alpaX73tCOPuAKicrHcKu4deUt8t09ppTW8AJTfSffVD90-2lZiwhOEpyhVM4ocwV/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.30.12+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfu-yB7Mwqa9Qvheg7Z_VCUgs3b_ac6NeXcQOaKyoXnEpiYsPn_-Q8tmtpQYhy5lJGgsWfL-dLU9alpaX73tCOPuAKicrHcKu4deUt8t09ppTW8AJTfSffVD90-2lZiwhOEpyhVM4ocwV/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.30.12+PM.png" width="201" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grated zucchinis: takes about 10 minutes to grate them by hand.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhhi78SN77yPV_p8cuXOMpzZOQmcvSOCabo19g0qZdSsYJ4EotvKKR3xAdvrDSXYxPXgWrj2ZS5wGEmVuV4Sps0qhnsnv67RkRQrFfGp8Wqf2L3aI0inMFXnSHfQvS0mIO8Vks1d4yYUn7/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.30.38+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhhi78SN77yPV_p8cuXOMpzZOQmcvSOCabo19g0qZdSsYJ4EotvKKR3xAdvrDSXYxPXgWrj2ZS5wGEmVuV4Sps0qhnsnv67RkRQrFfGp8Wqf2L3aI0inMFXnSHfQvS0mIO8Vks1d4yYUn7/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.30.38+PM.png" width="190" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You must sift the flour. Don't skip this step!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6RdMo8JputBgMicvYNLqdZBAltrYlYrVh3FI8ffSt1MUVi8fYUkB28oMt_gOefQ8NtEFwC5_KiysFeMt6K5Wv5tdDsXySOOXWMGJbO2Zci62i8R_2Ax6yjezOYWp9bvnbCcFcPp_Brx2/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.30.49+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6RdMo8JputBgMicvYNLqdZBAltrYlYrVh3FI8ffSt1MUVi8fYUkB28oMt_gOefQ8NtEFwC5_KiysFeMt6K5Wv5tdDsXySOOXWMGJbO2Zci62i8R_2Ax6yjezOYWp9bvnbCcFcPp_Brx2/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.30.49+PM.png" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right before baking the cakes. The zucchini will still be visible when the cakes are baked.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6slVxx2hR3Jk4u9D8H-7eccRQ8vqWMIlk1q_UskY8Ka3nuhc6eIHxzj-ST7qLvQ_2CcPQJzLwj1dgi-YtK1cEOQYV65xGQdiu36bMOvZ53xC5suAmJ88XRbZRnbkDBAjV1mTckvsKY1EY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.31.28+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6slVxx2hR3Jk4u9D8H-7eccRQ8vqWMIlk1q_UskY8Ka3nuhc6eIHxzj-ST7qLvQ_2CcPQJzLwj1dgi-YtK1cEOQYV65xGQdiu36bMOvZ53xC5suAmJ88XRbZRnbkDBAjV1mTckvsKY1EY/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.31.28+PM.png" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baked. You can see the large hole I made with a butter knife to test if the cake was done.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtZmQb5r-In2qrlkUL01d6_FNdPGDMw825q8Llsdp7NSWaRCFhT3Poe9IVJ2lZ_K-zTNLO_qEPr1LHkZVlAsppYTeVRGbrPE6hDwElxtawHRgDGB0NrwoAvUzY4rmHS5z0OKGZ9wdhSz4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.31.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtZmQb5r-In2qrlkUL01d6_FNdPGDMw825q8Llsdp7NSWaRCFhT3Poe9IVJ2lZ_K-zTNLO_qEPr1LHkZVlAsppYTeVRGbrPE6hDwElxtawHRgDGB0NrwoAvUzY4rmHS5z0OKGZ9wdhSz4/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.31.40+PM.png" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The curd is already squishing out the side.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuXeDjrwafiub36mgJsWa2NeaLcjH5SdJbv7cUeYo5lIz-YACRmm8Pd43x_yHIJ0oHgJ8JevYbTj7r6GOOwrqDMAG0MNkaqO4pMbRsgjZ96MZZsksNUgyAtg90eUgyMDhmh4hDa7K3fUe/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.31.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuXeDjrwafiub36mgJsWa2NeaLcjH5SdJbv7cUeYo5lIz-YACRmm8Pd43x_yHIJ0oHgJ8JevYbTj7r6GOOwrqDMAG0MNkaqO4pMbRsgjZ96MZZsksNUgyAtg90eUgyMDhmh4hDa7K3fUe/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.31.03+PM.png" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mixing up the cream cheese icing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0P6OscPTN8dOgJ_FpJWPCm5h8x0qzC_5yABKJbsBMstAQwoYn_wXfgcOqCsL6VfdpgIAAnPu1d9MNkHHE78jC-3Q86xgK6BTTrtJ3cApVUTkdwseZcflnnG3ti_4-Ydt1cR5BDhHnCZE3/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.32.18+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0P6OscPTN8dOgJ_FpJWPCm5h8x0qzC_5yABKJbsBMstAQwoYn_wXfgcOqCsL6VfdpgIAAnPu1d9MNkHHE78jC-3Q86xgK6BTTrtJ3cApVUTkdwseZcflnnG3ti_4-Ydt1cR5BDhHnCZE3/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.32.18+PM.png" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Completed cake. The curd has really oozed out the sides because of the weight of the second cake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9NLZyeFK6PZkNgT0gI97Sxqn5lVdIQXwr_1e9443C8wANrIkvyXiOoUyD7UfTcQgEp1nv0p5kFPI4pKyHZ1p0ksucjnN_UgL2pHJFlg_cpvMhZr6m5huyMcnlq0Qg0rwQ36RL4seBcec/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.32.44+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9NLZyeFK6PZkNgT0gI97Sxqn5lVdIQXwr_1e9443C8wANrIkvyXiOoUyD7UfTcQgEp1nv0p5kFPI4pKyHZ1p0ksucjnN_UgL2pHJFlg_cpvMhZr6m5huyMcnlq0Qg0rwQ36RL4seBcec/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-01-02+at+5.32.44+PM.png" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My little helper.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-38802048112550335272012-12-03T12:08:00.000-05:002012-12-03T12:08:50.300-05:00What To Make For The Holidays? Cranberry-apple Crisp!It's that time of the year: holiday parties for two months, where you want to bring something nice but after the first couple of parties you just can't be bothered. You're running around, trying to go to your friends' parties to see them and have a good time with them while arranging your own holiday life, getting in fights with your parents, failing to find presents that your sisters will actually like, forgetting some of your friends when setting up your own party invitations, trying to get all of your work done while half of your coworkers are gone. It's no wonder that there's <a href="http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/suicide.asp" target="_blank">a popular urban legend that the suicide rate goes up because of winter holidays</a>.<br />
<br />
The best recipe for this time of year should be delicious, easy to make, quick to make, and require only ingredients that you've already got in your kitchen. Not surprisingly, such a recipe does not exist. The closest you can get are delicious recipes that are easy to make and which use common ingredients, ones that you can easily get at the grocery store. The good news is that this recipe meets all of those requirements, and gets better the longer it sits in the fridge.<br />
<br />
This recipe works because it releases a lot of the sugar (sucrose) held in the apples and cranberries. The longer the apples sit with the cranberries, the more the tastes mingle, so the two-day old leftovers from this recipes will often taste better than the freshly made version.<br />
<br />
You can also change things up quite easily in this recipe. I didn't have dried cranberries about half of the times that I made this crisp, so I just used more fresh cranberries instead. It came out fine. You can also add in other flavors easily - orange zest, lemon zest, nutmeg, etc. The one part of the recipe you don't want to change is the topping (the part that becomes crisp when you bake it).<br />
<br />
I got this recipe from <a href="http://www.cooksillustrated.com/bookstore/detail.asp?PID=511" target="_blank"><i>America's Test Kitchen: All-time Best Holiday Recipes</i></a>, which was an impulse buy when I was stuck in a ludicrously long line in a Whole Foods. I don't know why the website says <i>price: $9.95, on sale: $9.95</i>. Maybe they are great at baking and terrible at arithmetic. All I can tell you is that this magazine is worth the money.<br />
<br />
This crisp is a great party dish because it is easy to make and transport (just one baking dish), it has ingredients that are considered to be winter holiday fruits (apples + cranberries), and it's different from what most people bring (chocolate, gingerbread, or pumpkin pie). It's easy to serve and people are always impressed if you make fresh whipped cream to go along with it.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Tips: if you don't have dried cranberries, follow all of the directions when making the apples but just skip adding the dried cranberries. Increase the fresh cranberries to 16 ounces to make up for it.<br />
<br />
When you cook the cranberries, stir them once or twice a minute to make sure that they cook evenly. They really do need about 10 minutes of cooking to get a jammy texture.<br />
<br />
Use a small but sharp knife, like a paring knife, when you peel the apples. There are also <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/apple-peeler-corer-and-slicer?utm_source=frooglecom&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=shopping&gclid=CPjmv_KT_bMCFcXb4AodOEsAnA" target="_blank">apple peeling machines</a> that you can use instead.<br />
<br />
The butter doesn't need to be frozen but it does need to be chilled enough not smush together when you cut it up. You can take it out of the fridge and it will be cold enough.<br />
<br />
You don't need to use a glass baking dish for this recipe. I use a ceramic baking dish instead and it turns out find.<br />
<br />
When you bake the crisp, put the baking dish on a cookie sheet so if the fruit bubbles over, it won't fall to the bottom of the oven and burn. The fruit juices will bubble up and over the edge of the crisp topping.<br />
<br />
Do not use instant oatmeal! Just use old-fashioned oats, the kind you get in a cardboard tube at the grocery store. Instant oatmeal has extra ingredients that will not bake correctly.<br />
<br />
You want to use a firmer apple because softer apples will just turn to mush when cooked. Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples are a great combination and blend nicely with cranberries. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cranberry-Apple Cri<span style="font-size: large;">sp</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">from</span></span><b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b></span><i>America's Test Kitchen: All-time Best Holiday Recipes</i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Ingredients for topping</b><br /><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">¾ cup all-purpose flour</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">½ cup packed light brown sugar</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">½</span></i></span> cup granulated sugar</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 teaspoon ground cinnamon</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces and chilled</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">¾ cup old-fashioned rolled oats</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></i><b>Ingredients for filling</b><i><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 pound fresh or frozen cranberries</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 ¼ cups granulated sugar</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2 ½ pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ½ inch pieces</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2 ½ pounds Braeburn of Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ½ inch pieces</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 cup dried sweetened cranberries</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3 tablespoons instant tapioca</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Preheat oven to 400 F. Adjust oven rack to middle position.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pulse
flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and butter in food
processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses. Turn
mixture into medium bowl and stir in oats. Pinch mixture with fingers
to create peanut-sized clumps and refrigerate.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Simmer
cranberries, ¾ cup granulated sugar, and water in large Dutch oven (or
large soup pot) over medium-high heat until jam-like (about 10 minutes).
Transfer mixture to bowl and set aside. Add apples, remaining ½ cup
granulated sugar, and dried cranberries to pot and cook over medium-high
heat until apples begin to release their juices (about 5 minutes).</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Off
heat, stir cranberry mixture and tapioca into apple mixture. Pour into
13X9 inch glass baking dish set on rimmed baking sheet and smooth with
spatula.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Scatter
topping evenly over filling and bake until topping is a deep golden
brown (about 30 minutes). If topping is browning too quickly, loosely
cover with aluminum foil. Let cool on wire rack for about 10 minutes
before serving.</span><br /> </i></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyyQ6KflgouCOrMAQwUiohddkJVZKlNRw0HAu0Ou2oUgUU3RzVikedbBKZphZK5U39fMKy5_iCVF_iQSvFQ2jANSL4Yw2keeHges33wWKELIODMuJh9sY4W54kKYiSpp2ZkS47QqAc6CRf/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-12-02+at+7.45.44+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyyQ6KflgouCOrMAQwUiohddkJVZKlNRw0HAu0Ou2oUgUU3RzVikedbBKZphZK5U39fMKy5_iCVF_iQSvFQ2jANSL4Yw2keeHges33wWKELIODMuJh9sY4W54kKYiSpp2ZkS47QqAc6CRf/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-12-02+at+7.45.44+PM.png" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The topping without the oatmeal. Make sure to mix everything up very fine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHruJDQI_vh5xy_SNqMKgwX75xYzBthl47ogefdJAZFoP4-9YEiAubbZ7fnuFJ7thTcBFJ2dhbJa0qlqIN4iMSwlaB1w6uTVB50xjdE5JU0c1bjw0Kj_9Y2-Pd2Fjg_SwlL1cdVUANcgO/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-12-02+at+7.46.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHruJDQI_vh5xy_SNqMKgwX75xYzBthl47ogefdJAZFoP4-9YEiAubbZ7fnuFJ7thTcBFJ2dhbJa0qlqIN4iMSwlaB1w6uTVB50xjdE5JU0c1bjw0Kj_9Y2-Pd2Fjg_SwlL1cdVUANcgO/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-12-02+at+7.46.00+PM.png" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the oatmeal added. Mix it all up with your hands and then pinch clumps together with your fingers. The head from your hands will help the butter soften and hold the sugar and oatmeal together.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0e5P53UXhWqPO_4KKRl5tw821jZ9SAgfr0ogjwLrrANeT9cn8FEMakRn9muEgDT-xR9sgSNsK47901YsWvFSeZuDUp5AvrFdLlSfCvF_H_tlm8-OCQeugu2igqLua-mU8ozuc16ZnUUAF/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-12-02+at+7.46.13+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0e5P53UXhWqPO_4KKRl5tw821jZ9SAgfr0ogjwLrrANeT9cn8FEMakRn9muEgDT-xR9sgSNsK47901YsWvFSeZuDUp5AvrFdLlSfCvF_H_tlm8-OCQeugu2igqLua-mU8ozuc16ZnUUAF/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-12-02+at+7.46.13+PM.png" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooking the cranberries. Make sure to mix the pot from bottom to top so the cranberries on the top cook as much as the cranberries on the bottom.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwttwcrZ136shUzbihh7yyaaa0M2ZO3E9cm1iIEGzv8wq96gFu6e4SPG9oOV-s8liro8SCkZ8oHF8_n6sT1oR1GLSLi-7AUX6uKvCZGrPChLwskOV7wCRyv5kez-TOqmfXb2cv96O8Xi_d/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-12-02+at+7.46.26+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwttwcrZ136shUzbihh7yyaaa0M2ZO3E9cm1iIEGzv8wq96gFu6e4SPG9oOV-s8liro8SCkZ8oHF8_n6sT1oR1GLSLi-7AUX6uKvCZGrPChLwskOV7wCRyv5kez-TOqmfXb2cv96O8Xi_d/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-12-02+at+7.46.26+PM.png" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apple peeling. I waste a lot of apple when I'm peeling.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1I8gKLKTs8bKCCqi28md2AB77FPytm5okcVOtCTGjWed4iAFsReEwUSIxvlUEIqoT0yvQRrdGlGSh8dWU5HuZ0zL_HXy2WkBs4nrFX8TeoQ8XOawPUxSZwHIB6dfoEHJhSbES_rIlN7r/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-12-02+at+7.46.44+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1I8gKLKTs8bKCCqi28md2AB77FPytm5okcVOtCTGjWed4iAFsReEwUSIxvlUEIqoT0yvQRrdGlGSh8dWU5HuZ0zL_HXy2WkBs4nrFX8TeoQ8XOawPUxSZwHIB6dfoEHJhSbES_rIlN7r/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-12-02+at+7.46.44+PM.png" width="229" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For P. He wanted some apples but didn't get any because they are not good for bunnies. He's shaggy because he's got his winter coat in.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif8zRmuzoptbZxmMYlpGJ9eMJzI7urrLIOQl0ZrGnH-Nd3m6K-R2erSC3SLm-oBXGDh1MzOxcBGi2AmdDJgJYsczlvUp2Evj86yNGPvO2JlNBa0rJJ_4li7_ZeyKuqiNRGmzR1Fjcg0ZX7/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-12-02+at+7.46.55+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif8zRmuzoptbZxmMYlpGJ9eMJzI7urrLIOQl0ZrGnH-Nd3m6K-R2erSC3SLm-oBXGDh1MzOxcBGi2AmdDJgJYsczlvUp2Evj86yNGPvO2JlNBa0rJJ_4li7_ZeyKuqiNRGmzR1Fjcg0ZX7/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-12-02+at+7.46.55+PM.png" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooked cranberries. They become thicker as they cool, and the texture becomes jammy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjD4REq4DddBPHOf3dclfDdoEWu0o-GnrCGj3nNmM4iVdviq7GQ-Ea6BEiiTD6RcwvtS_6T_jGP4ILmYoxHpMesOEBmwm8zh-bmADLfs9RReGghD-iollQiniu7WFXROHUneEFIxCENjvg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-12-02+at+7.47.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjD4REq4DddBPHOf3dclfDdoEWu0o-GnrCGj3nNmM4iVdviq7GQ-Ea6BEiiTD6RcwvtS_6T_jGP4ILmYoxHpMesOEBmwm8zh-bmADLfs9RReGghD-iollQiniu7WFXROHUneEFIxCENjvg/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-12-02+at+7.47.06+PM.png" width="242" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Five pounds of peeled apples.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixpZsU5CKaAyVLzJqDpEwaqrgFBOje1GYWBF_qIsMO9JU1BkHL-i2Eo49mhixvTJMbhlhVsmF1VDRqJovizXk74TkFzosLuRLho_jtGtChmJsXyl9j42_iR1OKZXYxZkTlALwVw7mjwdw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-12-02+at+7.47.19+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixpZsU5CKaAyVLzJqDpEwaqrgFBOje1GYWBF_qIsMO9JU1BkHL-i2Eo49mhixvTJMbhlhVsmF1VDRqJovizXk74TkFzosLuRLho_jtGtChmJsXyl9j42_iR1OKZXYxZkTlALwVw7mjwdw/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-12-02+at+7.47.19+PM.png" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apples cooking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiht_V-Lfwq0KMe7B41Cjv2veL1OBbb7NiuSdZyxES_vlV68vkGIB5K6oKxR2qHc3Y6j59GGd9MihzUtuyHoiLuoq4QTwCEzuVX7jlkfeGLlIdi1IaeibreVu4Dbp-6lWLqvCm5Xqtdx-dj/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-12-02+at+7.47.45+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiht_V-Lfwq0KMe7B41Cjv2veL1OBbb7NiuSdZyxES_vlV68vkGIB5K6oKxR2qHc3Y6j59GGd9MihzUtuyHoiLuoq4QTwCEzuVX7jlkfeGLlIdi1IaeibreVu4Dbp-6lWLqvCm5Xqtdx-dj/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-12-02+at+7.47.45+PM.png" width="246" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished result: the fruit juices have bubbled over the top of the crisp on the edges of the pan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047127007983835369.post-85928400287919951352012-11-14T08:46:00.001-05:002012-11-14T08:46:47.342-05:00Potluck Experiments: Plum Galette<a href="http://www.chezpanisse.com/about/chez-panisse/" target="_blank">Chez Panisse</a> is a very famous restaurant in my hometown of Berkeley, notable for the fact that it basically started the California cuisine movement: use fresh, local foods to make fusion cuisine - very Californian. I've never been there since a) I can't afford it and b) my mother and the owner got in a fight back in 90's and my mother holds a grudge. Berkeley isn't a cosmopolis - it's really just a small town that happens to have a large university in the middle of it - and the personal interactions are what you'd expect to see in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Imagine a Thornton Wilder play with more grumbling about the lack of state educational funding. (I'm not kidding about this: Thornton Wilder went to Berkeley High.)<br />
<br />
In any case, I have that Berkeleyan smug disdain for Chez Panisse that everybody there develops eventually. "Oh, yes, Chez Panisse. Did you know that the original Peet's is just around the corner? And it's so much easier to just grab a slice of pizza at the Cheeseboard. Chez Panisse is just okay now. Oooh, you know what I heard? Now they're using beets in everything. Can you imagine? <i>Beets!</i> Chez Panisse is so overpriced." We're allowed to complain about it but nobody else is.<br />
<br />
The internet does not have the same attitude towards Chez Panisse. For example, <a href="http://cafefernando.com/plum-galette/" target="_blank">this website</a> is run by a guy who <i>loves</i> Chez Panisse. In fact, he posted this recipe because of a picture he saw in the flicr photostream for the Chez Panisse 40th Anniversary Party.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJFFMPhz1_R7vLlCLIBXyF617D6jR_xMs6nDyUr1mcH3I0UQETcSQ4EOm0fq9YFhCAX_ZFN_d0I49_wUy9dUSMjOyWAZBro4Qip6dUEZZDdoOfSkpbvC6TX7ZfPZek9Gvai1UlnWSzPp7/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-11-05+at+10.43.25+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJFFMPhz1_R7vLlCLIBXyF617D6jR_xMs6nDyUr1mcH3I0UQETcSQ4EOm0fq9YFhCAX_ZFN_d0I49_wUy9dUSMjOyWAZBro4Qip6dUEZZDdoOfSkpbvC6TX7ZfPZek9Gvai1UlnWSzPp7/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-11-05+at+10.43.25+AM.png" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photo, to be precise. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidlebovitz/6094380061/" target="_blank">Original.</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now I completely get what he's talking about, because when I saw one of his photos on his website I decided that I had to try making a plum galette as well. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-oWdUFLobeMy0B8-pv4ohYDoskE4kPa2b83Ch3C66QaExcTAyiQshcJqoTsurhdWeK1Mu0nFJXBiQ9tq-UJ7Zth_X-NkoRLLg6prDrbNhw_zBQnRJM43vNwydDkreacl1LYp7QklcKxwu/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-11-05+at+10.43.47+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-oWdUFLobeMy0B8-pv4ohYDoskE4kPa2b83Ch3C66QaExcTAyiQshcJqoTsurhdWeK1Mu0nFJXBiQ9tq-UJ7Zth_X-NkoRLLg6prDrbNhw_zBQnRJM43vNwydDkreacl1LYp7QklcKxwu/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-11-05+at+10.43.47+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His photo. Who wouldn't want to try making that?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I had to fiddle with his recipe a bit to make it work but it turned out all right in the end. While I can't tell you is if this is the type of thing that they serve at Chez Panisse, I can say that the people at the potluck liked it. I was expecting the crust to be softer but it's actually flaky.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
A galette is a French pastry that is usually flat and round, made with a flaky dough. It's a very broad term and also refers to a buckwheat pancake and various other things. It can have sweet or savory fillings, and the fillings are held in by rolling up the outer edge of the dough. You bake it on a cookie sheet instead of in a pie or cake pan.<br />
<br />
Like the stereotypes of French recipes, this one has lots of little fiddly steps. I'm not sure why many French baking recipes are so detail oriented, if it's the way that they're translated to English or if the simpler recipes just aren't popular in English speaking countries. In any case, this galette recipe is practically a walking stereotype of a French recipe: 7 ingredients but more than 20 steps and it takes hours.<br />
<br />
If you're wondering why I would bother making a French recipe after complaining about them, it's because they usually turn out really tasty. They're worth it. And once you've made a recipe a couple of times you can usually make them much faster than when you have to read each step.<br />
<br />
Tips: the original recipe made two galette doughs but only enough filling for one galette. Why? I don't know. I've modified it to make one dough and one filling.<br />
<br />
I've also changed some of the instructions about what actions to take because the original recipe didn't have the right descriptions (IMHO).<br />
<br />
The dough needs to be refrigerated overnight, and then you'll need about 1 1/2 hours the next day to roll the dough, put in the filling, and bake it. Give yourself enough time.<br />
<br />
Plums come in different sizes and colors. The original recipe doesn't say what type of plum he used. Based on the photos, I think he used the larger, darker ones (maybe a Stanley plum). The end of October/beginning of November is at the end of plum season, so Trader Joe's was selling the smaller plums like Red Beauties and Santa Rosas. It doesn't matter which type of plum you use as long as they're decently ripe but not overripe.<br />
<br />
The recipe calls for 8-10 plums. I used 6 plums in the galette and 2 plums for the glaze. I should have used more plums when laying them out on the dough but I didn't get how much you need the plum slices to overlap. You want to cover about 1/3 to 1/2 of the previous plum slice with the one you're laying down. They separate as the dough expands when it bakes.<br />
<br />
For the ice water, you don't want to put several ice cubes in a glass of measured water because the ice will melt and increase the amount of water. Instead, put the water in the refrigerator and add several ice cubes for about a minute right before you use the water. This will chill the water sufficiently without letting the ice cubes melt very much.<br />
<br />
You should use cider vinegar for this recipe instead of white vinegar. The cider vinegar adds some sweetness that white vinegar doesn't have. If you need to use a substitute, try red wine vinegar with some sugar or honey. White vinegar cannot be used as a substitute in this recipe.<br />
<br />
You can use plain table salt instead of sea salt. <br />
<br />
When rolling the dough inwards to form the border right before baking the galette, you need to pinch the dough <i>firmly</i> together so it doesn't unroll when it's baking.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Plum Galette</span><br />
<a href="http://cafefernando.com/plum-galette/" target="_blank">Original recipe</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Ingredients</span><br />
1 stick + 1/2 tablespoon (8 1/2 tablespoons) butter, cold<br />
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar<br />
1/4 cup ice water<br />
1 3/8 cups all-purpose flour<br />
1 tablespoon sugar<br />
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt<br />
<br />
6-10 red plums (reserve 2 for the glaze), depending on size<br />
1/2 cup granulated sugar<br />
3 tablespoons sugar (for the glaze)<br />
1 tablespoon butter, melted<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Directions</span><br />
<b>First day</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Cut the butter into small pieces and chill in the freezer for 20 minutes. Stir the vinegar and water in a small bowl and keep in the refrigerator until needed.<br />
<br />
In a food processor with a metal blade, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt to mix. Add the chilled butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually add the water and vinegar mixture and pulse until the dough comes together and forms clumps and curds. Gather the dough in a large ball, flatten slightly, and wrap in plastic wrap. Keep the dough in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.<br />
<br />
<b>Second day</b><br />
<br />
Take the dough out of the refrigerator and place it between two sheets of parchment paper. Shape the dough into a flat disk by beating it with a rolling pin. Roll the dough out into an 11-inch circle. Trim the edges with a pizza cutter or small knife. Put the circle on a cookie sheet and chill in the freezer<b> </b>for 15 minutes.<br />
<br />
Preheat the oven to 375 F.<br />
<br />
Cut all of the plus except two in half. Keep two plums for making the glaze. Remove the pits from the other plums, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices, and set aside for later use. Chop the last two plums into very small bits and put the pieces in a pot with 1/2 cup of sugar. You will use this pot to make the glaze later.<br />
<br />
Melt the butter.<br />
<br />
Take the frozen dough from the freeze and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar on the top, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Arrange the plum slices in concentric circles on the dough, leaving the 1-inch border. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar on the plum slices. Roll or fold the dough inwards through the 1-inch border and pinch together tightly. Brush the top of the rim with the melted butter and sprinkle the last of the sugar on top.<br />
<br />
Bake for 45 minutes.<br />
<br />
While the galette is baking, make the glaze. Place the pot with the plums and sugar over high heat to bring to a boil. You can a little bit of water to speed this part up. Once the plums have softened and the sugar has boiled, turn the heat down and cook for another 5-10 minutes. While the glaze is cooking, use a potato masher or a stick blender to pulverize the plum chunks. Pour the glaze through a fine mesh strainer to strain out the plum skins. Set the glaze aside.<br />
<br />
Once the galette is baked, let it sit for 10 minutes to cool. Brush the tops of the plums with the warm glaze. Let the galette sit for another 10-20 minutes so the glaze can thicken.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_IY9q84bWuNu3lGv3uYvPfL7v6QHu8KlJsYLq-zr7VBRyuuwNJ3P-BC9tnZzlMx4xbLl7rR1K8C1FGePwRlv8_uXK8OPwbp9z5_p30j19vJmYwucAOqaf27w_PDjE69Ar4OHSTm6MWXBZ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-11-03+at+8.39.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_IY9q84bWuNu3lGv3uYvPfL7v6QHu8KlJsYLq-zr7VBRyuuwNJ3P-BC9tnZzlMx4xbLl7rR1K8C1FGePwRlv8_uXK8OPwbp9z5_p30j19vJmYwucAOqaf27w_PDjE69Ar4OHSTm6MWXBZ/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-11-03+at+8.39.50+PM.png" width="249" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frozen dough after being beaten with a rolling pin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPkJsEv5Gy6avok_FavYOlmcZlfU7KdRJsECyssEBFdHuyc3xUF6v4dhoaT7ewHGQkBaWtLSsziaNCG_X9Ni8v0da8nhZYWhcnrkpq0gdoih58lR2Cj1J1_NiMEFoPTnS_6KFJUw9pixqs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-11-03+at+8.40.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPkJsEv5Gy6avok_FavYOlmcZlfU7KdRJsECyssEBFdHuyc3xUF6v4dhoaT7ewHGQkBaWtLSsziaNCG_X9Ni8v0da8nhZYWhcnrkpq0gdoih58lR2Cj1J1_NiMEFoPTnS_6KFJUw9pixqs/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-11-03+at+8.40.02+PM.png" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rolled out dough.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGQkOeKx3X9DTA1sCEDpyM9CvYSjMFR6m8X3t7u15r5N0QzbsmWu0OtBVR29eV6AbnjyWxtlFTE1Lhwf6KSEJAeMa1ugBjMmPJLIfnD5w5gNwmgN4WtwSzpOUvhgprjxl4eSiHTT70lds/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-11-03+at+8.40.15+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGQkOeKx3X9DTA1sCEDpyM9CvYSjMFR6m8X3t7u15r5N0QzbsmWu0OtBVR29eV6AbnjyWxtlFTE1Lhwf6KSEJAeMa1ugBjMmPJLIfnD5w5gNwmgN4WtwSzpOUvhgprjxl4eSiHTT70lds/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-11-03+at+8.40.15+PM.png" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">11 plums, 8 small ones and 3 larger ones.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6HZ3K7EOFIP63qv5pUAzrPSc2w7UkxnjF-ti3zgG5mVDV_ufVWSlE3OK-hDx_ZGGFnuFRvXFYXOcevVMwV_Y0Kn7xjberyI7Tfd9cuEKgR45lvyv-nYJMcQYLeyH3CY91c6BpSyrMTFJ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-11-03+at+8.40.29+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6HZ3K7EOFIP63qv5pUAzrPSc2w7UkxnjF-ti3zgG5mVDV_ufVWSlE3OK-hDx_ZGGFnuFRvXFYXOcevVMwV_Y0Kn7xjberyI7Tfd9cuEKgR45lvyv-nYJMcQYLeyH3CY91c6BpSyrMTFJ/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-11-03+at+8.40.29+PM.png" width="316" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twice as many sliced plums as I needed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36nAH4IACio98v7ezRZEGvvWKdmi0V3TmaTMOFl8gxj7SvtZ2FrFmaMAmUqLmx4NXpG5raIcMkGpxGsNbXbTe72vUzDiU2zRk53I5Lg1mB5GnJZGLqXOMQrB5fvYZOe_jHTZvsoU6k3Lv/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-11-03+at+8.40.46+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36nAH4IACio98v7ezRZEGvvWKdmi0V3TmaTMOFl8gxj7SvtZ2FrFmaMAmUqLmx4NXpG5raIcMkGpxGsNbXbTe72vUzDiU2zRk53I5Lg1mB5GnJZGLqXOMQrB5fvYZOe_jHTZvsoU6k3Lv/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-11-03+at+8.40.46+PM.png" width="264" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm not very good at making circles.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX4QHFSbXrodcoAnaKWvgC4wiR44c88T4dYdQtWmVn7wFeNS4Tz7UiIvkoHz4a9ZGQrNNEPgvVRSTT5vW2C7mB8M4Y4-MUyjdYsPKVk-Sw4nST8IH_a4XscGF5t6CdqFK0CB0AOTiHu1fI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-11-03+at+8.41.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX4QHFSbXrodcoAnaKWvgC4wiR44c88T4dYdQtWmVn7wFeNS4Tz7UiIvkoHz4a9ZGQrNNEPgvVRSTT5vW2C7mB8M4Y4-MUyjdYsPKVk-Sw4nST8IH_a4XscGF5t6CdqFK0CB0AOTiHu1fI/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-11-03+at+8.41.00+PM.png" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rolled dough to form the edge. I didn't press hard enough and it unrolled while baking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYSNosp4SR1iKX-cSFXcoWZNsQ0pbpp1KbLKGsRI7p3YyMPUwEVhKgvMUizrXjPrOqMFbeUwaBbTyrBJXS2m3vELYBffpJRDtLzIpdTnqksyckChtEsrYFUDYABESX0Mo0ailoJoACQaiV/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-11-03+at+8.41.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYSNosp4SR1iKX-cSFXcoWZNsQ0pbpp1KbLKGsRI7p3YyMPUwEVhKgvMUizrXjPrOqMFbeUwaBbTyrBJXS2m3vELYBffpJRDtLzIpdTnqksyckChtEsrYFUDYABESX0Mo0ailoJoACQaiV/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-11-03+at+8.41.14+PM.png" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making the glaze. I used a stick blender to chop up the chunks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQM4Ig-cPz_5LhWveNf4WMeCbeN-5qpcjGLxh1EPOYXlgEjcoCaM_jR1llhox9t6hBT1Nc5VHS9sYTyEys6lltAA0fG5vQd63Q75q9Bm_F45CbJe0ETQi_-Q9Ol3QULtV1caSxPNbr8v9u/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-11-03+at+8.41.53+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQM4Ig-cPz_5LhWveNf4WMeCbeN-5qpcjGLxh1EPOYXlgEjcoCaM_jR1llhox9t6hBT1Nc5VHS9sYTyEys6lltAA0fG5vQd63Q75q9Bm_F45CbJe0ETQi_-Q9Ol3QULtV1caSxPNbr8v9u/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-11-03+at+8.41.53+PM.png" width="261" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished galette, waiting for the glaze to dry.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0