Summer Pickles

So the last few recipes I have put up have required some skill, some patience, and a sense of culinary adventure. Because of that I have decided to post a recipe that is about as simple as it gets. Pickles! Using farmer's market cucumbers (you know the cute little ones) and some basic ingredients you can have homemade pickles in  about 3 hours with only about 15 minutes of actual hands on work. I am going to list two different recipes from Cook's Illustrated. The first is a classic 'Kosher' Double-Dill Pickle which is delicious, but very strong. So if you love a good strong flavored pickle you will love this one. The next is a classic Bread-And-Butter Pickle, my favorite. I do not like the store version, but when I make these at home I can consume an entire jar in a few days if I don't watch it. Both of these pickles will keep in the fridge for about 2 weeks. Also, don't overcook them or they will lose their crunch.


'Kosher' Double-Dill Pickles
1 lb. pickling (Kirby) cucumbers, each sliced lengthwise into 4 spears
1 tablespoons kosher salt
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (I honestly didn't use this much, because my dill plan didn't have this much so if you use a little less that is ok)
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon dried dill weed
6 medium garlic cloves, smashed
1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup ice

1. Toss cucumbers with salt in colander set over bowl. Let stand 1 hour. Discard drained liquid.
2. Place 1/2 cup fresh dill, peppercorns, dried dill week, and garlic in paper coffee filter or several layers of cheesecloth and tie tightly with kitchen twine. Bring spice bag and vinegar to boil in medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low and add cucumbers. Cover and cook until cucumbers turn dull olive-brown, about 5 minutes. Discard spice bag.
3. Transfer cucumbers and liquid to large bowl, add ice, and stir until melted.Stir in remaining tablespoon fresh dill. Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 1 hour before serving.

Bread-And-Butter Pickles
1 pound pickling (Kirby) cucumbers, sliced crosswise into 1/8 inch disks
1 medium onion, halved and sliced thin
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
1/8 teaspoon ground tumeric (I actually did not use this because I didn't have any and they are delicious without)

1. Toss cucumbers, onion, and salt in colander set over bowl. Let stand 1 hour. Discard drained liquid.
2. Bring vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and tumeric (if using) to boil in large saucepan. Reduce heat to low, add cucumbers and onion, and press to submerge in liquid. Cover and cook until cucumbers turn dull-olive brown, about 5 minutes.
3. Transfer cucumbers and liquid to large bowl. Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 2 hours before serving.

My girls love pickles, but Ella is eating a store bought one because after

a couple days in the fridge the homemade were a little strong

for her, but Julia still loved them.

Coconut-Lime Cake!!!

I went recently for my first time to Whole Foods and while there I ordered their Lime Coconut Cupcake. The idea sounded wonderful, but unfortunately it left me with something to be desired. First the icing while it looked beautiful and tasted good was just way too much and too sweet. The second problem was that half of the inside of my cupcake was replaced with a lime curd that mostly tasted of sugar with a hint of lime.So not trying to be mean it was good, but not great and thus I had a new challenge. This recipe is the answer to that challenge. This was a pure experiment and a mixture of recipes from various places. The lime curd is Ina Garten's, the cake is from Cook's Illustrated, and the icing I with a few changes) is from my new favorite cookbook Clinton St. Baking Company. The cake resulted in a four layer cake filled with lime curd, with a cream cheese icing, and a sprinkling of sweetened coconut on top. I was afraid that the coconut flavor would not be as much as I wanted but it really was just the right amount.

Lime Curd:
4 large limes, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
4 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1/8 teaspoons salt


1.Remove the zest of 4 limes with a vegetable peeler or microplane, being careful to avoid the white pith. Squeeze the limes to make 1/2 cup of juice and set the juice aside. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the sugar and process for 2 to 3 minutes (if used a vegetable peeler less time if you used a microplane), until the zest is very finely minced.
2.In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar and lime zest. Add-- the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lime juice and salt. Mix until combined.
3.Pour the mixture into a 2-quart saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes. (Mine took almost 30 minutes to cook I was playing on the really safe side, because if it gets too hot then the curd will curdle and I did not want that.)The lime curd will thicken at about 170-75 degrees F, or just below a simmer. (If it gets too hot your egg will cook not what you want. So if you have a candy thermometer I would use it.) Remove from the heat and let cool then refrigerate while you prepare the rest of the cake.

Fluffy Yellow Layer Cake: 
2 1/2cups cake flour , plus extra for dusting pans 
1 1/4teaspoons baking powder
1/4teaspoon baking soda  
3/4teaspoon table salt
1 3/4cups sugar (12 1/4 ounces) 
10tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly 
1cup buttermilk , room temperature 
3tablespoons vegetable oil  
2teaspoons vanilla extract  
6 large egg yolks , room temperature 
3 large egg whites , room temperature
 
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch-wide by 2-inch-high round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper. Grease paper rounds, dust pans with flour, and knock out excess. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 1/2 cups sugar together in large bowl. In 4-cup liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and yolks.
2. In clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites at medium-high speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. With machine running, gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; continue to beat until stiff peaks just form, 30 to 60 seconds (whites should hold peak but mixture should appear moist). Transfer to bowl and set aside.
3. Add flour mixture to now-empty mixing bowl fitted with whisk attachment. With mixer running at low speed, gradually pour in butter mixture and mix until almost incorporated (a few streaks of dry flour will remain), about 15 seconds. Stop mixer and scrape whisk and sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium-low speed and beat until smooth and fully incorporated, 10 to 15 seconds.
4. Using rubber spatula, stir 1/3 of whites into batter to lighten, then add remaining whites and gently fold into batter until no white streaks remain. Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans. Lightly tap pans against counter 2 or 3 times to dislodge any large air bubbles.
5. Bake until cake layers begin to pull away from sides of pans and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen cakes from sides of pans with small knife, then invert onto greased wire rack and peel off parchment. Invert cakes again and cool completely on rack, about 1 1/2 hours.


Cream Cheese Icing: (this makes just enough to ice the outside of the cake)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1-3 tablespoons whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
10 ounces sweetened coconut flakes

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, and cream cheese till soft. Add the confectioners' sugar, blending in 1 cup at a time. Add 1 tablespoon milk and vanilla, and mix until the icing is smooth and creamy. If it is too thick add milk a little at a time until the icing is spreadable.

Assemble the Cake:
1.Slice each layer in half with a long serrated knife. (I am the worst at cutting things in a straight line so what I do is I poke four toothpicks into the sides of my cake, each half way up, so as I cut around I have a guide to go by.)
2.Place one layer on a serving plate, put three strips of parchment or wax paper around the bottom of the cake to keep the plate clean. Spread 1/3 of the lemon curd on the first layer. Place another layer on top of the first and repeat with half of the lime curd left, and then repeat this process one more time. Then top with final layer. ( I didn't end up using all the lime curd because we saved it just to dip fruit in, but you want 3/4 to 1 cup of curd on each layer.)
3.Refrigerate the cake for 10 minutes to help it set.
4.Remove the cake from the fridge ice with cream cheese icing. Gently apply coconut to the top and sides of the cake. If your cake starts to slide because of the curd no worries just use your hand or flat spatula to push it back up. Refrigerate for at least one hour or up to one day.

30th Birthday Dessert

 So here is the recipe for the Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake. I have had this recipe for a couple of years, but had been saving it for a special occasion. I figured my 30th birthday was a special enough occasion to make such a decadent dessert. This cake is amazing! It comes from my favorite cooking magazine Cooks Illustrated. Mine didn't completely set as fast as I hoped (so it didn't look as beautiful as their picture), but you might blame that on the hot weather and little girls opening and closing the fridge or me being a little too impatient and diving in a little early. Even though it takes several steps none are very hard and the reward is totally worth it.

Bottom Layer 
6tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter , cut into 6 pieces, plus extra for greasing pan 
7ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped fine (see note) 
3/4teaspoon instant espresso powder  
1 1/2teaspoons vanilla extract  
4large eggs , separated 
pinch table salt  
1/3cup packed (about 2 1/2 ounces) light brown sugar , crumbled with fingers to remove lumps

Middle Layer 
2tablespoons cocoa powder , preferably Dutch-processed 
5tablespoons hot water  
7ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped fine (see note) 
1 1/2cups cold heavy cream  
1tablespoon granulated sugar  
1/8teaspoon table salt

Top Layer 
3/4teaspoon powdered gelatin  
1tablespoon water  
6ounces white chocolate chips (see note) 
1 1/2cups cold heavy cream
Shaved chocolate for garnish, and I added  a few strawberries to mine

1. FOR THE BOTTOM LAYER: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter bottom and sides of 91/2-inch springform pan. Melt butter, chocolate, and espresso powder in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and cool mixture slightly, about 5 minutes. Whisk in vanilla and egg yolks; set aside.
   2.In stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites and salt at medium speed until frothy, about 30 seconds. Add half of brown sugar and beat until combined, about 15 seconds. Add remaining brown sugar and beat at high speed until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, about 1 minute longer, scraping down sides halfway through. Using whisk, fold one-third of beaten egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining egg whites until no white streaks remain. Carefully transfer batter to prepared springform pan, gently smoothing top with offset spatula.
   3.Bake until cake has risen, is firm around edges, and center has just set but is still soft (center of cake will spring back after pressing gently with finger), 13 to 18 minutes. Transfer cake to wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. (Cake will collapse as it cools.) Do not remove cake from pan. 
   4. MIDDLE LAYER: Combine cocoa powder and hot water in small bowl; set aside. Melt chocolate in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly, 2 to 5 minutes.
   5. In clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream, granulated sugar, and salt at medium speed until mixture begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, 15 to 60 seconds.
   6. Whisk cocoa powder mixture into melted chocolate until smooth. Using whisk, fold one-third of whipped cream into chocolate mixture to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining whipped cream until no white streaks remain. Spoon mousse into springform pan over cooled cake and gently tap pan on counter 3 times to remove any large air bubbles; gently smooth top with offset spatula. Wipe inside edge of pan with damp cloth to remove any drips. Refrigerate cake at least 15 minutes while preparing top layer.
   7. FOR THE TOP LAYER: In small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over water; let stand at least 5 minutes. Place white chocolate in medium bowl. Bring ½ cup cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; add gelatin mixture and stir until fully dissolved. Pour cream mixture over white chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, 5 to 8 minutes (mixture will thicken slightly). 8. In clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip remaining cup cream at medium speed until it begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, 15 to 60 seconds. Using whisk, fold one-third of whipped cream into white chocolate mixture to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold remaining whipped cream into white chocolate mixture until no white streaks remain. Spoon white chocolate mousse into pan over middle layer. Smooth top with offset spatula. Return cake to refrigerator and chill until set, at least 2½ hours.
   9. TO SERVE: If using, garnish top of cake with chocolate curls or dust with cocoa. Run thin knife between cake and side of springform pan; remove side of pan. Run cleaned knife along outside of cake to smooth sides. Cut into slices and serve.

 My best birthday present of course was spenging time with my girls and taking 

them for the first time to Build a Bear. We had a blast.

Wedding Food

So this weekend I catered my first wedding reception. I learned a lot! I thought I would post the two recipes that were requested the most. The first is the punch recipe. I had so many people stop and ask me for this one, and even though when someone says punch you think girls the guys drank more than the ladies. This punch recipe comes from my Aunt Connie and I have no idea where she originally found it, but it is the best. The bride has a citrus allergy so I left out the lemonade and it was still very tasty, but I prefer it with lemonade.

Aunt Connie's Strawberry Punch
2 10 ounce packages of strawberries in syrup
64 ounce bottle of white grape juice
6 ounces lemonade concentrate frozen
10-12 ounces club soda
10-12 ounces ginger ale

Puree strawberries and lemonade. When ready to serve add juice, soda, and ginger ale. May want to add a little fresh lemon juice if you wish for your drink to be a little more like lemonade.

The second is the cheese ball recipe I made. I found this one in Party Receipts from the Charleston Junior League it is called Libby's Christmas Gift.

Cheese Ball
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, or more to taste
2 teaspoons grated onion
Cayenne pepper, to taste
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Cream together the cheeses in a large bowl. Add the Worcestershire, onion, and cayenne and mix well.
Shape the mixture into 2 balls and roll each in the chopped nuts, to coat. Serve with crackers. Can be made several days ahead of time.

Buttermilk Bread

I love buttermilk! Not to drink, but to cook with. I remember I once had a friend that asked what can you do with it, she claimed she would buy it for one recipe and then throw it out. There is no need in that there is so much that it can be used for friend chicken, biscuits,salad dressings, lemon dill sauce for fish, in cakes and of course this amazing bread. I love homemade bread, but I don't own a bread machine and I really think it is best the day it is made unless you toast it for sandwiches or for breakfast the next day. Anyway, that is where this recipe comes in. It makes only one loaf which is great for our family and tastes great with really any sandwich from grilled cheese, to a veggie loaded sandwich, or smeared with butter. This recipe is based on Cook's Illustrated's recipe Buttermilk American Loaf Bread, but they use all bread flour and I like the little bit of flavor that the white whole wheat flour adds. This may look like a lot of steps but they are all really easy and straight forward and from beginning to end it only takes about 3 hours.

Buttermilk Loaf Bread
3 cups bread flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup buttermilk, cold
1/3 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons honey
1 package rapid-rise yeast

Adjust oven rack to low position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Once oven temperature reaches 200 degrees, maintain heat 10 minutes, then turn off oven heat.

Mix flour and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with dough hook. in 1-quart Pyrex liquid measuring cup, Mix cold buttermilk and boiling water together (temperature should be about 110-degrees), add butter, honey, and yeast. Turn machine to low and slowly add liquid. When dough comes together, increase speed to medium (setting number 4 on a KitchenAid mixer) and mix until dough is smooth and satiny, stopping machine two or three times to scrape dough from hook if necessary, about 10 minutes. Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface; knead to form smooth, round ball, about 15 seconds.

Place dough in very lightly oiled bowl, rubbing dough around bowl to lightly coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; place in warm oven until dough doubles in size, 50 to 60 minutes.

Form dough into loaf by gently pressing the dough into a rectangle, one inch thick and no wider than the length of the loaf pan. Next, roll the dough firmly into a cylinder, pressing with your fingers to make sure the dough sticks to itself. Turn dough seam side up and pinch it closed. Place dough in greased 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan and press gently so dough touches all four sides of pan.

Cover with plastic wrap; set aside in warm spot until dough almost doubles in size, 20 to 30 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees, placing empty loaf pan on bottom rack. Bring 2 cups water to boil.

Remove plastic wrap from loaf pan. Place pan in oven, immediately pouring heated water into empty loaf pan; close oven door. Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted at angle from short end just above pan rim into center of loaf reads 195 degrees, about 40 to 50 minutes. Remove bread from pan, transfer to a wire rack, and cool to room temperature (or as close as you can let it get before slicing into it). Slice and serve.

I am back, well kind of

Hey everyone. I know I have been off of here for a long time and I am going to give it another go, but with a little bit different concept. The weekly meal menus were just way too much! I could not keep up with all the work. So I am going to use this site to periodically post some of my favorite recipes. 

Strawberry Picking at Vollmer Farm

I want to give you all a recipe for Blueberry and Strawberry Crumb Muffins. The recipe comes from a new cookbook of mine that I have fallen in love with, although they just used 1 cup of blueberries, but we had just gone strawberry picking so I threw in some fresh strawberries as well. It is called Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook. This book comes from a great little place in New York and I would highly recommend it. Every recipe I have made so far has been wonderful. 

Blueberry/Strawberry Crumb Muffins

Crumb Mix:

Makes 1 1/2 cups, enough for 2 or 3 batches of muffins

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cubed ( I actually used Kerrigold Irish salted butter and it was amazing)

Mix the dry ingredients with the butter by hand until the mixture is pea-sized. This topping can be stored for a couple of weeks in the fridge. 

Muffins:

Makes 10 standard sized muffins

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 large egg

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

1/2 cup thinly sliced strawberries

10 tablespoons crumb mix

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease muffin tins or use paper muffin cups.

2. In an electric mixer on medium-high speed, with the paddle attachment cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla.

3. Sift (I just whisked) the remaining dry ingredients together in a bowl.

4. Add the eggs to the butter mixture and blend until combined.

5. Add 1/4 cup of the sour cream to the butter mixture, then half of the dry ingredients, mixing and repeating with the remaining sour cream and then the remaining dry ingredients until the batter is combined. Be sure to end with the dry ingredients.

6. Fold in the berries until evenly mixed. 

7. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, leaving room an the top for the crumb mix. Top each muffin with 1 tablespoon of the crumb mix. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. (My oven runs a little hot so my were done around 20 minutes. )

8. Cool for at least 10 minutes for best release of the muffins from their tins (if not using paper liners).