As some of you already know, I started a new blog called "Not Your Momma's Test Kitchen." It was supposed to be a blog where you send in recipes that you've been saving for a while but haven't gotten around to making. I would make them and show you my results, and then it would be your turn. Well, I decided it would be too much trouble, and really impractical, to have two blogs. So I'm making NYMTK a sub-chapter of this blog! Somehow, I have to figure out a way to rework this layout to include a tab to submit a recipe (like this page here on my NYMTK blog). Suggestions are welcome and much needed!
For my first NYMTK post, I took the very first e-mail submission I received. It was sent in by Andrea, and she bookmarked it from DianasDesserts.com. The recipe originally comes from "The New Food Lover's Companion 2nd Edition" by Sharon Tyler Herbst. Since petit fours are on my Top 100, I thought this was a perfect match! Reading the reviews on Dianas Desserts, I knew I was going to get one of two results. Either my petit fours would be delicious and adorable, or they'd be sickeningly sweet and fugly. Just browse through my photos below and then guess which result I got........................
Got a guess???? They were absolutely the sweetest things I've ever eaten! I know they're supposed to be quite sweet, and that is why they are portioned so small. But seriously, this was like literally dipping a spoon straight into a box of confectioners' sugar! And fugly doesn't even come close to describing them. I'm not exactly a beginner in the kitchen, and Icouldn't even make them look respectable. I think they're so sickeningly sweet because of the amount of icing that has to go on them so they're no longer see-through. The cake itself was delicious with a thin coating of the fruit glaze, and after just one coating of icing they were sweet, but just as I'd imagine a petit four to taste like. However, once they were completely coated, they became inedible. Overall, I'd say my final opinion is that petit fours just suck! Sorry I don't have better news for you, Andrea. :(
Tea Time Petit Fours (from "The New Food Lover's Companion 2nd Edition" by Sharon Tyler Herbst) Makes 2 1/2 dozen
For Cake: 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted 1/4 cup shortening 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup milk 3 egg whites
For Fruit Glaze: 12 oz. apricot or raspberry preserves (or heated jelly may be used instead) 3 tbsp. water
For Icing: 9 cups confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup light corn syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon almond extract Food coloring, optional Tiny edible sugar flowers or leaves, for decorating tops of petit fours
For Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C). Grease and lightly flour a 9-inch square baking pan.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, shortening and sugar. Beat in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. In a small mixing bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form; gently fold into batter.
Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake at 350 degrees F (180 C) for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn cake out onto a plate or cooling rack; then chill cake in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. (I froze mine overnight before I continued.)
Remove cake from refrigerator. Cut a thin slice off each side of chilled cake. Cut cake into 1-1/4-inch squares. Place squares 1/2 inch apart on a cooling rack over a 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan. Apply fruit glaze (See Fruit Glaze Preparation Below) evenly over tops and sides of cake squares, allowing excess to drip off. Let dry. Repeat if necessary to thoroughly coat squares. Let glaze dry completely. (I put mine in the freezer for 15 minutes.)
For Preparing The Fruit Glaze: In a medium size saucepan, heat preserves with the 3 tbsp. water on low heat. Drizzle or spread a thin layer of heated preserves over cooled tops and sides of petit fours before icing. (If using jelly, you do not need to add water to it, just heat jelly in saucepan on low heat and spread over cooled tops and sides of petit fours).
To Prepare Icing: Combine all icing ingredients in the top of a double boiler. Heat over boiling water to lukewarm. Pour icing over tops and sides of petit fours. Once they are set, they should be coated with icing again. After icing hardens, decorate tops of each petit four with a tiny edible sugar flower or leaf. (I put each piece of cake on a dipping fork over the icing bowl then poured the icing over with a large spoon.)
Storage of Petit Fours Petits Fours may be made up to 24 hours in advance. Let the icing (or if using a fondant frosting) dry completely before storing in an airtight container. Refrigerate petit fours if they contain perishable fillings and icings, such as dairy products or fresh fruit or berries. The fruit preserves or jelly used in the filling of these petit fours can go bad after 2 or 3 days because of the moisture from the wet fruit filling, so storing them in an airtight container at room temperature for more than 2 days is not advised.
Tips: 1) You can separate the icing, once it's made, into small bowls, and tint each with a different food coloring, adding color until you achieve the desired shade. 2) Icing colors that look nice for petit fours are: White, Pale Yellow, Pale Pink, Pale Blue, Pale Green or Lavender. 3) You may also drizzle melted white or dark chocolate over tops and sides of petit fours instead of using the white or tinted icing. 4) Another idea is to sandwich two of the cake squares together with the heated preserves or jelly glaze; then pour icing over the tops and sides of squares, then decorate when icing has hardened completely.
A few months ago, I won another cookbook giveaway at Kate's blog Warm Olives and Cool Cocktails. I was so excited that I won my first choice, "Bon Appetit, Y'all" by Virginia Lewis. It's been on my Amazon.com wishlist for quite some time! As a rule for her cookbook giveaways, Kate asks that we make a recipe from the cookbook within 30 days after we get it. I recently saw the movie "Julie & Julia" for the first time, and as soon as I saw the recipe for Boeuf Bourguignonne in this book, I knew that's what I wanted to make (it's a pretty important recipe in the movie!). It's basically a French version of beef stew cooked in wine. I knew it would be a time consuming recipe, but I figured with all the time and energy it would take to make it, I'd have some sort of celestial experience upon take the first bite. Sadly, that didn't happen. I don't know why, but I thought my dislike for wine would take a back seat and let me enjoy this meal. Nope! If you're not a wine lover, or if you're like me and the taste of wine makes you gag, don't kid yourself into thinking you're gonna love Boeuf Bourguignonne just because it's some fancy French recipe. But if you consider yourself a wine drinker, then by all means, set aside 4-6 hours of your time to make this dish! The beef is extremely tender, and the entire dish is packed with deep flavors.
I served mine with mashed potatoes and the Stout Batter Bread that was mentioned in the cookbook as a nice accompaniment to the Boeuf Bourguignonne. By the way, if you have no idea how to pronounce that, go here and click the speakerphone symbol. It's something along the lines of "buhf Boor-geen-yahn." Anyway, the beer bread was the star of the show! It was PERFECT to sop up the sauce, and it had a nice bitterness from the Guinness. Mmmm!
Oh btw, did I mention there's even a VIDEO for this post! Yep, it's a new thing that I'll probably forget about. I'm calling it "Table Talk." Watch the clip at the end of the post for a lovely after-dinner interview. :D
How many baby carrots does it take to make a large carrot?? Bottom round, trimmed of excess fat, and cut into cubes Meat, veggies, and wine... ready for a 7 hour chill Browning the meat Sauteing the veggies Adding the flour as a thickener My bouquet garni (I didn't have cheesecloth!) Ready for a 2 1/2 hour stay in the oven! While the stew was in the oven, I made the beer bread... And I sauteed the veggies for the "garnish" After 2 1/2 hours in the oven, it's reduced and smelling gooooood... Add the garnish, et voilà! Dinner is brought to you tonight by ALCOHOL! Woot woot!
Boeuf Bourguignonne (from “Bon Appetit, Y’all” by Virginia Willis) Serves 4 to 6
In classic French cooking, each dish has a name that indicates its precise ingredients and correct garnish. Bourguignonne is a term for dishes cooked in red wine, as some of the most famous French wines are from Bourgogne (Burgundy). These dishes are garnished with pearl onions, button mushrooms, and lardons of bacon. Never choose stew meat already in precut cubes. It's more expensive and you have no idea if you're getting, for example, leftover bits from the shoulder or rib-eye, two wildly different cuts that won't cook at the same rate.
3 pounds lean rump roast, chuck pot roast, sirloin tip, top round, or bottom round, cut into 2-inch cubes (I used bottom round, trimmed of excess fat) 1 (750-ml) bottle red wine, preferably Pinot Noir 1 carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 onion, preferably Vidalia, coarsely chopped 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into lardoons (matchsticks) 3 tablespoons canola oil, plus more if needed Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 2 1/2 cups homemade beef stock or low-fat, reduced-sodium beef broth (definitely use the reduced-sodium broth, as it will reduce during cooking) Bouquet garni (5 sprigs of thyme, 4 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley, 2 bay leaves, preferably fresh, 10 black peppercorns, tied together in cheesecloth) 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 24 pearl onions, trimmed and peeled 8 ounces white button mushrooms, halved or quartered if large
To marinate the beef, place the cubes in a large non-reactive bowl. Add the wine, carrot, celery, and onion. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight (I marinated mine for 7 hours).
Line both a baking sheet and a large plate with paper towels.
Remove the beef from the marinade and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Pat the meat dry with paper towels. Strain the marinade, reserving separately both the vegetables and the liquid (the liquid in one bowl, the veggies in another).
Preheat the oven to 350°F. To cook the beef, heat a large, heavy-duty Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to the prepared plate to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pan. Decrease the heat to medium, add 2 tablespoons of the canola oil and heat until shimmering.
Season the beef with salt and pepper. Sear the beef in two or three batches without crowding until nicely browned on all sides, about 5 minutes; transfer to the prepared baking sheet when done (At this point, the bottom of your pot has started to develop a very dark, almost burnt-looking film. Don’t worry, you haven’t ruined your expensive Dutch oven. This is called “fond,” and it‘s pure flavor!). Add the reserved vegetables from the marinade and cook until they start to color, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle on the flour and toss again to lightly coat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the flour turns brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Return the beef to the Dutch oven. Add the reserved marinade liquid and enough stock to barely cover the meat.
Add the bouquet garni, tomato paste, and garlic to the pan. Bring to a boil on high heat on the cooktop. Cover and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat is tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
Meanwhile, to make the garnish, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and the butter over medium heat. Add the peeled onions, mushrooms, the remaining sprig of thyme, and the remaining bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté until the vegetables are lightly browned and tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
Remove the bouquet garni from the Dutch oven and discard. Transfer the beef with a slotted spoon to a bowl. In the Dutch oven, using an immersion blender, puree the sauce and vegetables until smooth. Or, once the beef is removed, ladle the sauce and vegetables into a blender and puree until smooth a little at a time. Cook the puréed sauce over medium-high heat until the sauce coats the back of a spoon; if needed, thin with more stock to achieve this consistency (Mine was already thick, so I added about 1/2 cup of broth to thin it out). Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Return the beef to the sauce and turn to coat.
Remove the sprig of thyme and the bay leaf from the mushrooms and onions in the skillet. Add the sauteed mushrooms, onions, and reserved bacon to the beef and sauce. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until warm and the flavors marry and blend, 5 to 7 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Stout Batter Bread (from “Bon Appetit, Y’all” by Virginia Willis) Makes one 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf
Other than sharing the quickbread gene, this beer batter bread doesn't have much of a Southern heritage. For minimum effort and maximum results, it's hard to beat. This takes the phrase "dump and stir" to a whole new level. Different beers produce breads with different flavors and textures. This recipe calls for stout, producing a bread somewhat dark in color with a slightly heavy flavor. It goes well with a hearty stew such as Boeuf Bourguignonne or Old-fashioned Pot Roast. Lighter ale produces a lighter loaf and would be more appropriate with milder dishes such as Potato and Cheddar Soup.
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the loaf pan 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 3 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon fine sea salt 1 (12-ounce) bottle stout, at room temperature (I used Guinness)
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush one 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with some of the butter.
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add the beer and 2 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter, stirring just until combined. (The batter will be somewhat lumpy.)
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes (If you're using this bread to sop up gravy or soup, it‘s okay to leave it in for the full 40 minutes. I‘m a freak about taking things out early, so my bread was just slightly on the gummy side). Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly, then invert onto the rack to cool until warm. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Sorry for the MAJOR delay between posts. I'm full of excuses, but my most current is Cafe World on Facebook! It takes up ALL my time! I made this bread about two weeks ago, and it was so good that I want to post it right away. But I had hungry customers to feed in my virtual cafe, and I can't let my buzz rating slip below 100! ;) Anyway, I'm posting it now, and I must say it's totally delicious! I'll put it this way, it's yummy enough to eat WITHOUT any butter smeared on top! The crust is extra crunchy, and the interior is so moist and chewy. I used the "same-day" variation of the recipe, and the flavor was incredible. I can't even imagine how good it would taste if I took the extra time to make the sponge a day ahead! This recipe makes a loaf large enough to feed 8-10 people alongside a nice spaghetti dinner. The four of us polished off half of it, and I took care of the rest as French toast over the next few mornings. Breakfast has never been better!! (Well, except for the amazing muesli my mom picked up for me at Grandma's Pantry while she was in Harrisonburg!) :D Rustic Italian Bread (from "The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book")
This recipe requires a bit of patience—the sponge, which gives the bread flavor, must be made 11 to 27 hours before the dough is made. We find it makes the most sense to prepare the sponge (which requires just 5 minutes of hands-on work) the day before you want to bake the bread.
On the second day, remove the sponge from the refrigerator and begin step 2 at least 7 hours before you want to serve the bread. If you own two standing mixer bowls, in step 1 you can refrigerate the sponge in the bowl in which it was made. Use the second bowl to make the dough in step 2. Have ready a spray bottle filled with water for misting the loaves.
Variation: SAME-DAY RUSTIC ITALIAN BREAD If you don't have time for a sponge, this loaf can be made the same day, but the flavor won't be as complex, and the crumb will be finer and more uniform (like sandwich bread). Omit the sponge. When assembling the dough in step 2, increase the amount of bread flour to 5 cups, increase the water to 2 1/4 cups, and increase the yeast to 1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons).
Sponge 2 cups (11 ounces) bread flour 1 cup warm water (110 degrees) 1/4 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
Dough 3-3 1/2 cups (16 1/2 to 19 1/4 ounces) bread flour 1 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast 1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees) 2 teaspoons salt
1. For the sponge: Stir all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until the sponge has risen and fallen, at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours.
2. For the dough: Combine 3 cups of the flour and the yeast in a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. With the mixer on low speed add the water and mix until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
3. Remove the plastic wrap, add the sponge and salt, and knead the dough on medium-low speed until it is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. If after 4 minutes more flour is needed, add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough clears the sides of the bowl but sticks to the bottom.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter, and knead by hand to form a smooth round ball. Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly with greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
5. Turn the dough in the bowl with a dough scraper or large rubber spatula. Gently lift and fold a third of the dough toward the center. Repeat with the opposite side of the dough. Finally, fold the dough in half, perpendicular to the first folds. The dough shape should be a rough square. Cover, let rise for 30 more minutes, then repeat the turning process. Cover and let rise until the dough has doubled in size, about 30 minutes longer.
6. Top a rimless (or inverted) baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured counter, press it into a 10-inch square without tearing it, and gently dimple it with your fingertips. Fold the top corners diagonally to the middle. Using your fingertips and starting at the top of the dough, pull the underside of the dough up over the top, stretching it considerably, and begin to roll the dough up into a rough log. With each roll, press the seam firmly to seal. Continue to do this, forming the dough into a taut log, 5 to 7 more times. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, seam side down, and gently tuck the ends into a taut loaf. Mist the loaf with vegetable oil spray, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size and the dough barely springs back when poked with a knuckle, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
7. Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position, place a baking stone on the rack, and heat the oven to 500 degrees. Let the baking stone heat for at least 30 minutes (but no longer than 1 hour).
8. (I dusted mine lightly with flour before I slashed it.) Cut three 1/2-inch deep diagonal slashes across the top of the dough and spray the loaf lightly with water. Carefully slide the loaf and parchment onto the hot baking stone. Bake the bread for 10 minutes.
9. Rotate the bread, reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees, and continue to bake until the center of the loaf registers 210 degrees on an instant-read thermometer and the crust is deep golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. (I think mine only took somewhere between 25-30 minutes to finish baking, so keep an eye on it.)
10. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack, discard the parchment, and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours, before serving.
Let me refer back to my past Twitter "tweets" and show you what Josh said when he tasted this cake...
josh just called me a "f#$%ing craftsman" and demanded that i make him a mattress out of lemon poppyseed pound cake!! ;D ;D 6:17 PM Jan 5th from txt
To be politically correct, I guess I'd be a craftswoman. Either way, this cake was BANGIN!!!! It was dense, tender, and moist. The cake itself had only a hint of lemon flavor, but the crust (which was soaked in a lemon sugar wash) packed a major pucker of sour lemon flavor! The sugar wash went on the outside while the cake was still warm, but it didn't crust over like the book led me to believe it would. That didn't matter, because it was sooo very delicious, and it kept the cake moist for quite a few days! Yeah, it was a HUGE cake, so it did last for a while in our house. The poppyseeds in the cake gave a unique crunch and a slight nutty flavor. Everyone loved it, and I'd definitely make it again! Lemon-Poppyseed Cake (from "Baking by Flavor" by Lisa Yockelson) Makes one 10-inch tube cake; about 20 slices
Lemon Peel Infusion (recipe follows) Lemon-Poppyseed Sour Cream Cake Batter 3 cups unsifted bleached all-purpose flour (I always use unbleached) 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 2 3/4 cups granulated sugar 6 large eggs (at room temperature) 1 cup thick, cultured sour cream 3 tablespoons milk 1/3 cup poppyseeds (I only used 1/4 cup) Lemon Sugar Wash (recipe follows)
Mix the ingredients for the Lemon Peel Infusion; set aside for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour the inside of a 10-inch tube pan; set aside. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Cream the butter in the large bowl of a standing electric mixer on moderate speed for 4 minutes. Add the granulated sugar in three additions, beating for 1 minute after each portion is added. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing for 45 seconds after each addition. Blend in the lemon infusion. On low speed, alternately added the sifted ingredients in three additions with the sour cream in two additions, beginning and ending with the sifted mixture. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl frequently with a rubber spatula to keep the batter even-textured. The batter will be creamy and moderately thick. Blend in the milk. Stir in the poppyseeds. Spoon the batter into the prepared tube pan. Shake the pan gently from side to side, once or twice, to level the top. Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until risen, set, and a wooden pick inserted in the cake withdraws clean (mine was done after 1 hour and 10 mins). The baked cake will pull away slightly from the sides of the pan. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert the cake out and turn it right-side up onto the cooling rack. Place a sheet of wax paper underneath to catch any drips of sugar wash. Using a soft, 1-inch pastry brush, apply the wash over the top and sides of the cake. Cool completely before slicing and serving. Store in an airtight cake keeper for up to 5 days.
Lemon Peel Infusion 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (from 1 large lemon) 2 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 1/2 teaspoons pure lemon extract.
Combine ingredients in a small non-reactive ramekin. Let the infusion stand for 15 minutes before using.
Lemon Sugar Wash 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/3 cup granulated sugar
In a small nonreactive bowl, combine the lemon juice and sugar. Stir well. Let stand 10 minutes. Using the wash now (while the cake is hot out of the oven)will give the surface of a baked pound cake a crackly, sugary veneer. (It just made mine look wet, but it kept it very moist!)
Okay, so I KNOW Christmas was 12 days ago, but c'mon! Don't act like you weren't up to your freakin' eyeballs in wrapping paper, cousins, Best Buy gift cards, and the same exact food you ate for Thanksgiving, too!! I made these cookies just before Christmas, and they were fantastic! I think they were Josh's favorite, and everyone loved them. They're called Pfeffernussen, which is German for "pepper nuts" or something like that. They're kinda soft, kinda crispy, almost cake-like, and deliciously spicy! Since I'm so late posting the recipe, let's just called them "Winter cookies" instead of "Christmas cookies!" ;) PS: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from The Baker Family + Friends!
Left to right: my brother's g/f Jessica, my brother Lance Jr., Wrinkles, my mom Cathy, my dad Lance, me, and my b/f Josh!
Pfeffernussen (from "Martha Stewart's Cookies") Makes 3 dozen
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar (for dusting) 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 3/4 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar 1 large egg 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the confectioners' sugar in a brown paper bag. In a medium bowl, combine flour, pepper, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and baking soda. Set aside. Place butter, brown sugar, and molasses in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture; beat until just combined. Pinch off dough in tablespoon amounts; roll into 1 1/4-inch balls. Arrange balls 1 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. (Dough can be frozen at this point, covered tightly with plastic wrap, up to 1 month.) Bake until cookies are golden and firm to the touch with slight cracking, about 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer sheets to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Working in batches, place cookies in paper bag; shake until well coated (I shook the extra sugar off my cookies in a large seive). Let cool completely on wire rack. Store in an airtight container.
Enjoy your holidays and vacations (if you're lucky enough to get one)! I'll be back home on Sunday, and I'll have plenty of Christmas cookie recipes to post. Sorry they won't be up in time for the festivities. :( Anywho, have a safe holiday, eat lots, enjoy your family, and don't miss the after-Christmas sales!
Merry Chrismas! :D
UPDATE! I realize it's January 4th and I'm still not back yet! When I'm not at work, I'm at home watching True Blood or Six Feet Under! I'm baking bread today so I' promise I'll be back soon! ;)
It's that time of year again. The space between Thanksgiving and Christmas, dubbed by my family as "Thanksmas." And you know what that means... it's time for PIES!!! I started a tradition last year when I brought pies for my aunts and Great aunt to our Thanksmas get-together. This year was slightly more difficult because I now have a busy work schedule to get around. Over a span of 3 days I managed to crank out 4 awesome looking pies! I'm pretty darn proud of myself. I wish I could say I tasted 4 awesome pies, but sadly the aunts don't like to share! :( Oh well, I guess that's what I get when I say "Here's YOUR pie." I don't blame them. I wouldn't want to share my pie with a house full of 23 hungry people either! Thankfully, they all texted back honest reviews. With one exception, the pies were very delicious. The exception being the Bourbon Chocolate Pecan pie, which broke my aunt's hear to tell me it tasted too much of alcohol. Although I didn't taste any of the pies, I did notice that particular pie smelling greatly of alcohol. I don't think I would've liked it either. If you're not a fan of bourbon, it might be a good idea to reduce it from 3 tablespoons to 1 tablespoon. Other than that, she loved the pie and all aunts said the crust was fantastic, flaky, and delicious! *pat on the back* I might start calling myself "Lord of the Pies" ...too much?? ;)
UPDATE: The receiver of the Tollhouse Pie let me know that her children really did not enjoy the whiskey flavor in the pie. I didn't think only 1 tablespoon would make a difference, but if you don't like whiskey feel free to leave it out. It won't make a big difference on the finished pie.
Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie (from "Baked: New Frontiers in Baking" by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito) YIELD: 1 (9-INCH) PIE 1 ball of pie dough (my favorite recipe) 2 cups pecan halves, toasted 3 large eggs 3/4 cup light corn syrup 3 tablespoons sugar 4 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted Pinch of salt 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 3 tablespoons bourbon 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chip
Dust a work surface with a sprinkling of flour. Unwrap the ball of chilled dough and put it directly on the work surface. Roll out into a 12-inch round. Transfer the dough to a pie dish and carefully work it into the pie dish, folding any overhang under and crimping the edge as you go. Wrap and freeze the crust until firm, about 2 hours, or up to 3 months. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Coarsely chop 3/4 cup of the pecans. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until combined. Add the corn syrup, sugars, butter, salt, vanilla, and bourbon. Whisk again until combined. Stir in the chopped pecans and set the filling aside. Spread the chocolate chips evenly along the bottom of the frozen pie shell. Slowly pour the filling on top of the chocolate chips. Arrange the remaining 1 1/4 cups pecan halves on top of the filling. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, then cover the edges of the crust loosely with aluminum foil and bake for another 30 minutes. (My pie was ready after only 40 minutes of baking.) Test the pie by sticking a knife in the center of the filling. If the knife comes out clean, the pie is done. If the knife comes out with clumps of filling sticking to it, bake for another 5 minutes and test again. (I’ve never fully baked a pecan pie like this. I always take it out when the edges are set and the center is slightly wobbly.) Cool the pie on a wire rack and serve warm or at room temperature. The pie can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 2 days.
*One thing I noticed about the two pie recipes from "Baked" that called for the crust to be frozen before baked, the crust browned more evenly and kept it's crimp. As you can see by the Cinnamon Apple Pie and my Gooey Pecan Pie at the end of the blog post (the crusts were not frozen before baked), they did not keep their pretty crimp, and the gooey pecan pie crust browned unevenly. Tuscaloosa Tollhouse Pie (from "Baked: New Frontiers in Baking" by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito) YIELD: 1 (9-INCH) PIE 1 ball of pie dough (my favorite recipe) 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar 2 large eggs 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes 1 tablespoon whiskey 3/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped 1 1/4 cups (about 8 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
Dust a work surface with a sprinkling of flour. Unwrap the ball of chilled dough and put it directly on the work surface. Roll out into a 12-inch round. Transfer the dough to a pie dish and carefully work it into the pie dish, folding any overhang under and crimping the edge as you go. Wrap and freeze the crust until firm, about 2 hours, or up to 3 months. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and sugars together until combined. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs on high speed until foamy, about 3 minutes. Remove the whisk attachment and add the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture. Turn the mixer to high and beat for 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and add the butter. Beat on high speed until the mixture is combined. Scrape down the bowl, add the whiskey, and beat the mixture on high speed for 1 minute. Fold the walnuts and 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips into the filling. Pour the filling into the frozen pie shell and spread it out evenly. Top the filling with the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Bake in the center of the oven for 25 minutes, then cover the edges of the crust loosely with aluminum foil and bake for another 25 minutes (this will prevent the crust from browning too quickly). Test the pie by sticking a knife in the center of the filling. If the knife comes out clean, the pie is done. If the knife comes out with clumps of filling sticking to it, bake for another 5 minutes and test again. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool before slicing. The pie can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 2 days.
