Kahlua Tiramisu

2012 is getting off to a shaky start.  I’m still suffering from my thumb injury.  Thankfully I can still draw and paint and use the computer, but it’s a little hard to take photos.

It’s believed I had either osteoarthritis in the joint from before (so it’s probably not entirely the fault of the pesky gum paste) or I strained the muscles around the joint or a combination of both.  I’m still trying to use my left hand as much as possible these days.

I made this Kahlua Tiramisu pre-injury and have been meaning to do a post about  it.

Here is a better view of the layers.

The thing I love about this particular recipe is that it doesn’t include raw egg  like a traditional tiramisu.  It’s a little more work because it’s made up of zabaglione, pastry cream, and mascarpone, but it is so worth it.  You can make it with Marsala wine or rum, but I love Kahlua, and I still have two bottles from my duty-free bounty.

My precious

I made  this recipe last month for a dinner that got postponed due to illness.  Because of the holidays and travel, we weren’t able to get together again until this past weekend.  I had already made the Tiramisu before the dinner was postponed, so the wonderful thing is that I was able to freeze it for this long!  I thawed it in the refrigerator for four hours before bringing it to our friends’ house.  I have to say that it still tasted great, and the texture was perfect.  So if you need to make a dessert for a special occasion several days or more in advance, I highly recommend this one!  The Tiramisu actually tastes better the next day in general, so if you don’t freeze it, try to make it the day before the event.

I found the original recipe at thedaringkitchen.com and changed some of the amounts, used store bought lady fingers and mascarpone (their amazing version called for home-made and they have  instructions if you are so inclined…)  Usually a package of 7.7 oz. lady fingers contain 24 fingers.  The original recipe calls for 36, so I adjusted the amounts for a 24 lady finger tiramisu.

Kahlua Tiramisu

For the zabaglione:
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup Kahlua
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

For the vanilla pastry cream:

¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup whole milk

For the whipped cream:
3/4 cup chilled heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

To assemble the tiramisu:

1 1/2 cups strong coffee, warmed
3/4 teaspoon Kahlua
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
24 savoiardi/ ladyfinger biscuits

1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

For the zabaglione:

Heat water in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a pot with about an inch of water in it on the stove. Place a heat-proof bowl in the pot making sure the bottom does not touch the water.

In a large mixing bowl (or stainless steel mixing bowl), mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Kahlua, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth.

Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler or place your bowl over the pan/ pot with simmering water. Cook the egg mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard. It may bubble a bit as it reaches that consistency.

Let cool to room temperature and transfer the zabaglione to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the pastry cream:

Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. To this add the egg yolk and half the milk. Whisk until smooth.

Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling.

Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble. (If you have a few lumps, don’t worry. You can push the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.)

Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the whipped cream:

Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer or immersion blender until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Set aside.

Three fillings: pastry cream, whipped cream, and zabiglione

To assemble the tiramisu:

Mix together the warm espresso, Kahlua and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make it smooth. This will make it easier to fold. Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream.  Set this cream mixture aside.

Mascarpone

Working quickly, dip the ladyfingers in the sweetened espresso, about 1 second per side. They should be moist but not soggy. Immediately transfer each ladyfinger to a square baking dish, placing them side by side. You may have to break a lady finger into two to fit them all in to the baking dish in one layer.

I placed the dry lady fingers in the pan first to get an idea of how they would fit in after soaking.

Working quickly, I did three at a time, then placed them in the pan.

Spoon one-half of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or spreading knife to cover the top evenly, all the way to the edges.

Repeat to create another layer, using 12 more ladyfingers and the cream mixture for the top layer. Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.

Dust with cocoa right before serving.

To serve, carefully remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder. Cut into individual portions and serve.

Serves 8.

Bean Bean Sushi: Creative Sushi Making with Kids

Hope everyone is having a great 2012 so far!  I’m beginning mine with a slight thumb injury caused by over vigorously kneading the gum paste from this post.  Who knew of such hazards in the kitchen?!  Anyway, the healing process is slow and I have to be careful not over use my right hand (though I’m constantly using it!)  One of the activities that exacerbates it is handling the camera– changing lenses and even removing the lens cap is very painful for me.  I may not be posting so much for awhile, and just wanted to let you know.  (The photos in this post were taken pre-injury.)

The idea of making sushi at home may seem daunting to some people, but if you aren’t a purist, it really is easy enough to make on a weeknight.  My kid friendly version focuses on makizushi (the rolled kind) and does not involve raw seafood– just vegetables and cooked meats.

Freeing yourself from the notion of making traditional sushi opens up your world for creative play and improvisation and is a fun activity to do with kids.

All you need is a sushi rolling mat, nori sheets (dried seaweed), cooked Japanese rice seasoned with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt, and whatever filling you’d like to put in the sushi.

Roasted seaweed found in Asian markets.

Awhile ago Jamie announced that he had a new idea for a sushi roll that he wanted to try and make.  He called it “Bean Bean Sushi” and he envisioned it to be filled with ketchup and cooked green beans.  I was dubious, but never one to say “no” to a vegetable creation — especially coming from my son, I told him we’d make it for lunch that day.

This is what we did.  First I cooked rice in my rice cooker (here are directions for stove top cooking). While it was cooking, we got all the fillings together.  I decided to make mine and Denis’ with some leftover grilled chicken, cooked shrimp, leftover grilled Kirkland marinated salmon,  scallions, and avocado.

When the rice was ready,  I seasoned it with a mixture of rice vinegar, sugar and salt.

To make the rolls, I set the nori rough side up (shiny, smooth side down) on a sushi rolling mat.  I spread the surface of the nori with a thin layer of the seasoned rice, leaving a margin at the top.  It helps to wet your fingers with water while doing this to keep the rice from sticking to your fingers.

Jamie put ketchup in the center and then steamed green beans on top.

I made Denis a grilled salmon and wasabi mayonnaise roll.

Then we rolled it up starting from the long side closest to us.  As we rolled, we gradually  let go of the end of the rolling mat (or else it would be rolled inside the sushi!) and continued to roll the sushi cylinder inside the mat until we got to the top margin.  Then, we wet the nori with a bit of water — it acts as glue– and completed the roll.

I made three rolls — one for each of us.  For the inside out roll, I covered the mat first with saran and laid the nori on top of the saran.

After covering the nori with rice and then black sesame seeds (you don’t need to leave an uncovered margin at top for an inside out roll), I turned the nori and rice over so it was nori side up.  The rice side should be on the saran covered mat.  Then, I laid some shrimp, avocado, and scallions on top of the nori and rolled the sushi up, this time with the rice on the outside,  in the same manner described above.  Once you get the hang of rolling, it’s really quite easy.  It helps to do it slowly.  Try and keep the roll tight and even while rolling.  A perfect roll has all the filling in the center.

When the rolls were finished, I cut each in half and then cut those halves into fourths.  So one roll yields eight pieces.  It helps to use a very sharp knife and to dip the blade in warm water between cuts, so it doesn’t stick.

The rolls after cutting.

Surprisingly, Jamie’s Bean Bean roll was actually quite tasty.  Who knew ketchup, green beans, rice, and seaweed would go so well together?

Jamie's "Bean Bean Sushi"

Inside out shrimp, avocado, scallion roll and regular salmon and Trader Joe's wasabi mayonnaise roll.

Makizushi (Rolled Sushi)

Nori sheets (Dried Roasted Seaweed)

About 2 cups of short grain Japanese rice

2 1/4 cups water

3 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

fillings for sushi (for example, wasabi, wasabi mayonnaise, plain mayonnaise, ketchup, cooked meats, smoked meats, steamed vegetables, raw vegetables, cooked egg — basically anything you can line up in the center of a sushi roll!  The other day, Jamie tried to make one with edamame succotash, but it didn’t work so well, because the edamame and corn kept falling out…)

1.  Rinse rice in water several times until the water is almost clear.  Cook in rice cooker with water or cook on stove.  Prepare fillings and have ready.  Also have a small dish of plain water set aside.

2.  Mix vinegar, sugar and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.

3.  When rice is finished cooking, transfer to a non-metallic bowl, preferably a wooden or glass one.  Sprinkle vinegar mixture on top (don’t pour all at once — taste rice as you go and season to taste-you may not need to use it all).  With a large wooden spoon, mix rice with a slicing motion.  With your other hand (or employing a helper), fan the rice as you mix to take away the excess moisture.  Keep sushi rice covered with a damp towel so it doesn’t dry out while you are making the sushi.

4.  Lay a sheet of nori on a sushi rolling mat rough side up.  Spread sushi rice on nori in a thin, even layer, using the back of a spoon or fingers. Wetting spoon or fingers with water helps to keep the rice from sticking.  Leave an 3/8 inch margin at the top uncovered.  This is the part that you will use as a seam to close the roll.

5.  Place spread if using and choice of fillings in the center of the roll horizontally.  Lift the mat with your thumbs, holding the center ingredients with your other fingers.  Slowly roll into a cylinder, while moving the rolling mat out of the way (so it doesn’t get rolled into the sushi).  At the top of the roll, wet the uncovered seam of nori with water and complete the roll.

6.  Wet a sharp knife and cut roll in half.  Then cut each half into four pieces.   Continue to wet knife in between cuts to prevent sticking (I like to have a tall glass of water to dip the knife into).

Enjoy!

Easy Mini Mochi Cakes and Red Bean Ice Cream

Happy 2012!
Hope you all had a nice time last night.  We stayed in, watched a movie and saw the ball drop in Times Square on the tube. We ate popcorn and mochi, and drank Moet (the little one had sparkling lemonade).  My days of celebrating in loud, crowded places are over.  Being a small person, it is always unpleasant to be in the midst of a crowd anyway, because with people towering over me on all sides, it always feels like I’m about to be crushed or trampled on.  I totally identify with kids and Hobbits in these situations!

One of the good luck Japanese foods commonly eaten at New Year’s is mochi (a sticky rice cake).  I couldn’t find any at the Asian market in our neighborhood, but they had rice flour and canned red beans, so I thought I would try to make some on my own.

The traditional way of making mochi takes hours — rice is cooked and then pounded with wooden mallets until soft and chewy.  Most home cooks use Mochiko — a rice flour that you can find at stores.  There is a stove top method and a microwave method that I found online. I opted for the easiest route and chose the latter.

Sweet Rice Flour

You just mix the rice flour with water and sugar and a couple drops of food coloring if you desire in a microwave safe bowl.

Flour, water, sugar, and two drops of food coloring

Pink Goo

Cover with saran.  Cook for about 2 minutes.

Carefully remove saran and spoon out mochi on a board dusted with potato starch or corn starch.

Mochi blob

Shape into little balls and spoon a bit of bean paste on center.

Pinch edges over to cover and pat into a round disc.

Pinching together at center first.

Gently pinch other sides together.

Easy peasy.  I made mini ones because I love all things small.  Also, the flavor is so intense, I find that mini ones go a long way!  Aren’t they cute?

With the leftover can of adzuki bean paste, I decided to make Red Bean Ice Cream.  We had just been visiting the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory yesterday, and I noticed it was one of their flavors.  If you haven’t been there before, check it out the next time you are in NYC.  They have all kinds of exotic flavors like Taro, Lychee, Black Sesame, as well as amazing traditional ones.

I made a simple cream based (as opposed to custard based) ice cream that was pretty light.  I used some leftover heavy cream, non-fat lactose free milk, sugar, vanilla, and some sugar-free Torani syrup I recently bought.  I whizzed it up in the blender and poured it into the ice cream maker.  At the very end, I threw in the leftover bean paste which was about 1/4 -1/3 cups (I had made two and a half batches of mochi beforehand).

I have to say that this is one of the most delicious ice creams I’ve ever made! Maybe it’s because I had never had red bean ice cream before, and I never knew what I was missing!

On reflection, 2011 was a great year for The Hungry Artist blog.  I gained a lot of subscribers, and visits to my blog have grown so much since it began.

The top three popular posts of last year were:

• Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Filling and Chocolate Ganache Frosting

• Experimenting with Trader Joe’s Peanut Flour

It comes vacuum packed.

• Mini Summer Fruit Tarts

I want to thank all of you for reading.  I wish you all a wonderful 2012!!

Thank you!!

Mini Mochi Cakes with Red Bean Paste

Small can of adzuki sweet beans

1/2 cup Mochiko Rice Flour

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons water

food coloring if desired

potato starch or cornstarch for dusting

1.  Coarsely mash about 2 tablespoons of beans in a small bowl. Set aside.

2.  Mix rice flour and water and sugar and food coloring if using in a bowl.  Cover with saran.  Microwave on high for two minutes.

3.  Let sit a minute or two.  Carefully remove saran (I wore oven mitts!) to release steam.  Dump mochi out onto generously dusted work board.

4.  Dust hands with starch and take a clump of dough and roll into a ball.  Press into a flat disc.  Spoon a bit of paste in center.  Pull up sides to cover.  Roll and pat into a small disc.  Repeat with remaining dough and paste.  The dough is VERY sticky.  Be patient.  It helps to have hands dusted.

Makes about six mini cakes.

I wrap mine in saran and then store in an airtight container.  I don’t refrigerate it, but eat it quickly!

All wrapped up.

Red Bean Ice Cream

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 cup milk (I used nonfat, but whole fat would make it creamier)

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons Torani French Vanilla syrup (or just use 2 more tablespoons sugar)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

about 1/4- 1/3 cup of sweet red beans

1.  Blend all ingredients except beans in a blender for about 30 seconds.

2.  Pour into an ice cream maker.  Follow your machine’s instructions for freezing.  At the end of the churning, throw in beans and mix to incorporate.  Transfer to a container and freeze in freezer until hard.

Makes about 2 pints.

Dual Faith Cake and Homemade Gum Paste

Yesterday we were invited to a “baking play date” by my friend who lives near a wonderful charitable organization in Park Slope, Brooklyn, called CHIPS.  She had the great idea of having our boys bake a cake to donate (her family made pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving) for the holidays.

The day before, Jamie and I made gum paste.  It’s similar to fondant (see a homemade version here), but less pliable, and when it dries it becomes very hard and can break easily.  An analogy might be:  Playdoh is to fondant as (baked) Filo is to gum paste. 

You can buy ready made gum paste, but I couldn’t find any nearby and didn’t have time to go into Manhattan to look for it.  Almost every recipe I searched for online called for Tylose or Gum Tragacanth, neither of which I had nor could get a hold of immediately.  I finally happened to find one recipe that just required gelatin, corn syrup, and sugar.  I quartered it since I didn’t know how it would turn out, and 1 lb. of sugar seemed a bit much.  It worked out well though.  We colored half of our paste blue and green.  The other half we saved for later.

The gum paste hardens much faster than fondant. Be sure to keep it wrapped up immediately after making it.   It is more of a challenge to knead in the food coloring as well.  I actually slightly injured my right thumb from kneading too vigorously!  You can store it tightly wrapped in saran and tucked in a ziploc bag, but I found later that it is better to use immediately.

We rolled out the gum paste to about a 1/8-inch thickness then cut shapes out with cookie cutters.  I was planning on making Christmas trees to put on the cake, but Jamie thought we should have blue dreidls as well.  I agreed it was a great idea, especially since Hannukah and Christmas overlap this year.

After cutting out the shapes, I inserted some (clean) thin wire into their centers.  I saved some extra mini gingerbread men for the boys to enjoy.

The next day, at our friends’ lovely home, we got to making the cake.  First up was the frosting.

This is the easiest chocolate cream frosting in the world.  Basically you just put chocolate chips in a bowl and heat heavy cream on the stove.  When it comes to a boil, you pour it over the chips, add corn syrup and wait a few minutes.  Then you add vanilla and whisk it all together until it is smooth and glossy.  You chill and stir every 15 minutes until it is thickened.  How easy is that!?

Unfortunately I didn’t get a photo of Jamie’s friend, Lucas, stirring the frosting and reciting a portion of the Macbeth witches’ spell that they learned in class earlier in the year:

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Cool it with a baboon’s blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.

By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.

Tapping the cake pans to get rid of air bubbles.

The cake recipe we used is from the Moosewood Cookbook.  I also use this recipe for Vegan Lego Mini Cupcakes.  The only difference here is that I increased the ingredient amounts.

This is the finished cake. Jamie wrote the Hebrew letters with a food coloring pen. Note broken dreidl in background — hardened gum paste is quite brittle!

We brought Lucas and Jamie to CHIPS to drop off the cake at the kitchen.  They were really into the holiday display there–the cake (seen in the background) a distant memory.

I hope everyone a happy and healthy holiday season — whether you celebrate Christmas or Chanukah — or both! 

Gum Paste (small batch)

5.5 ounces of confectioner’s sugar (about 1 and 1/3 cup)
4 teaspoons water
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1 teaspoon corn syrup

gel food coloring (optional)

1. Pour sugar into a medium sized bowl.  Set aside.

2. Put water in a small saucepan. Sprinkle gelatin over the water. Let gelatin sit for about 5 minutes, until it starts to look foamy. Add corn syrup.

3.  Heat mixture over low heat, stirring slowly, until gelatin has dissolved and mixture is clear.

4.  Pour over confectioners’ sugar in bowl. Mix together and try to incorporate sugar as much as possible.  Dump mix out onto confectioners’ sugar dusted work surface (counter top, tabletop, etc). Knead until the mix no longer sticks to your hands.  Cover with saran and store in a ziploc bag until ready to use.

5.  To color gum paste, put a drop of gel coloring onto a piece and knead until color is evenly dispersed into paste and there are no streaks.  This can take quite some time!  If you want to avoid staining your fingers, use disposable gloves.

Chocolate Ganache Frosting

8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

¾ cup heavy cream

¼ corn syrup

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Place chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl.  Bring heavy cream to a boil in a pan on the stove.  Remove from heat and pour over chocolate.  Add corn syrup and let sit for 3 minutes.  Whisk until smooth and glossy.  Add extract and stir to incorporate.
2. Chill in refrigerator for about an hour, stirring every 15 minutes, until frosting is thickened.

Vegan Chocolate Layer Cake

2 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½  teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½  cups sugar

¾  cup vegetable oil

1 ½  cups water

1 tablespoons vanilla extract

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

Frosting and toppings of your choice

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Prepare two cake pans with parchment paper liners.
3. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the oil, water, and vanilla.  Pour into the large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth.
4. Quickly add the cider vinegar.  It will get fizzy as the vinegar and baking soda react.  Stir just until the fizzy, paler part of the batter is incorporated into the rest of the batter.
5. Spoon into cake pans.  Tap pans to get rid of air bubbles.  Bake for about 25-30 minutes, watching closely.  Test with a toothpick.  Layers are ready when it comes out clean.
6. Cool on racks.  When they are completely cool, you can assemble cake with frosting and toppings.  Place one layer on a plate.  Cover with about 1/4 of the frosting.  Place the second layer on top.  Frost the top with a thin coat of frosting.  Frost the sides with a thin coat.  Chill for about 20 minutes (this is a cook trick for keeping the crumbs from getting all mixed into the frosting as you are frosting it!)  Then frost the top and sides of the cake again with the rest of the frosting.

 

Chanukah Lights and Crispiest Latkes Ever

Last night was the second night of Chanukah — the Festival of Lights.  We celebrate both Chanukah and Christmas in our household, as did my Jewish husband growing up.

Many years ago, I illustrated Chanukah Lights Everywhere, by Michael J. Rosen.  I love the book because it is about Chanukah but also ties the Festival of Lights to other lights in our lives as well as other traditions “sharing a street together”.  I set the story in Brooklyn, where we live, because it is so beautiful here in the winter when the sidewalks and buildings are covered in snow.

On each night of Chanukah, as the candles are lit, there are the same number of cats to find (plus a hint of another cat) in the picture.  This book is not available in hardcover anymore, but it is available in softcover.  I’m just happy that it is still in print! 

To celebrate Chanukah, we light the candles on our menorah.  My mother-in-law found a beautiful one shaped like a bonsai tree that captures both my heritage (Japanese) and my husband’s.

My go to recipe for latkes is basic, but I thought I would try the one I saw in the New York Times last week — Apple Potato Latkes with Cinnamon Sour Cream.  I used yogurt in place of the sour cream.  The latkes were tasty, but they were too “fluffy” and soft for me — maybe it was the extra flour and addition of baking powder.  I like crispy latkes.  Since I have eight nights to experiment,  I made them again.  This time, I used my tried and true recipe that I use every year.  One of the tricks I use to get the crispy texture is to rinse the potatoes in water until all the starch has rinsed off.  Then I spin them dry in a salad spinner.  The combination of less starch and very dry potatoes makes the latkes extra crispy.

Another tip is to use a food processor to grate the potatoes.  It is just so easy and you can whip up a batch in no time.  Also, to save on paper towels for draining, I cut a brown paper bag (TJ’s is perfect!) in half and fold one piece into a square and put it a rack.  I then cover it with some paper towels and drain the latkes on those.

The latkes made with apple were OK — but you couldn’t really taste the apple –they were just slightly sweeter.  I prefer to eat the latkes with applesauce to really get that apple flavor, so omitting them in the latke batter is fine with me.  The combination of sweet, salt, and fat is perfect, which is probably why it is difficult to eat just one latke!    No use in trying to fix something that isn’t broken!

Crispiest Latkes Ever

6 medium potatoes

1 medium onion

2 eggs

2 tablespoons flour or matzo meal (I prefer matzo meal)

1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste

vegetable oil for frying

1.  Peel potatoes and grate (in processor or by hand).  Immediately immerse in a salad bowl spinner (or large bowl) and rinse with several bowlfuls of water until the water runs clear.  Drain in the salad bowl spinner (or colander) and spin several times until potatoes are completely free of excess moisture.  If you don’t have a salad spinner, you could squeeze all the moisture out using a clean dish towel.  The salad spinner is much easier though!

2.  Grate onions and mix with potatoes in a large bowl.  Add eggs and mix.  Then add flour or matzo meal and 1 teaspoon salt and mix.

3.  Heat oil in a frying pan so it’s about 1/4 -inch high.  Drop batter from a large spoon into the hot oil (I check it first with a piece of potato. When it sizzles, the pan is ready). Flatten slightly with the back of the spoon.  I make my latkes on the small side — about 2 inches in diameter but you can do them bigger. Do not crowd the pan.  Fry until brown and turn and brown the other side.  Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with kosher salt.  Continue to make latkes until batter is gone. Make sure to let oil heat up between each batch, adding more as needed.

4.  Serve immediately.

Ancient Egypt Inspired Fig and Date Swirl Cookies

With the holiday season in full swing and various book events and work projects on the table, I haven’t had a chance to do my Bonanza Cookie Baking Spree I do annually this time of year (I did barely manage to find time to make some Spritz Christmas cookies with my son, and some Turtle Brownies and Hidden Surprise Cookies that I make every year but that’s about it).

My son’s 2nd grade class had their Holiday Sing and holiday party last week, and winter break is here already!

His class has been studying Ancient Egypt all fall so the end of term potluck party theme was “Food Ancient Egyptians Might Have Eaten” (honey, pomegranites, figs, dates, etc.)  So with this in mind, I brought Fig and Date Swirl Cookies.

The recipe is based on a 2005 Gourmet recipe for Fig Swirls.  The original shape was an “S”, but the last time I made these, I found them to be too big and too delicate. So this time, I made mini swirls, which encourages people at a potluck (who also have glazed Dunkin’ Doughnut holes  as options!) to eat them, since they are bite sized!

I substituted a mixture of figs, dates, prunes, dried cranberries, and golden raisins instead of just all figs because that’s what I had on hand.  The resulting flavor was great and more complex than the fig only version.  So that was a happy surprise.  Another substitution I made was to use mascarpone cheese instead of cream cheese, because I didn’t have any cream cheese (can you see a theme here?)  I had heard it is possible to substitute these cheeses with each other in some cases.  It produced a rich buttery dough in this cookie.

Making these cookies reminded me of sushi.  You roll out the dough into two 10″ x 4″ ( because I wasn’t making “S” shapes) rectangles.  Cover each rectangle with fruit filling, leaving a border at the top.

The orange zest and cinnamon in the fruit filling is a wonderful addition!

Then you roll up the logs starting from the long side closest to you just like sushi.  You can wrap them in saran,  put them in a freezer bag, and freeze them at this point if you like.  I cut the rolls in half for easy storage.  When you are ready to bake them, just cut into slices and bake!

They are a perfect holiday cookie since you can make a batch in advance and make fresh batches as needed throughout the holiday season.

Fig and Date Swirl Cookies

Adapted from Gourmet 2005 (Fig Swirl Cookies)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

4 oz cream cheese (or mascarpone cheese) at room temperature

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup packed soft dried Mission figs or combination of figs and dates and other fruits (8 oz), hard tips discarded

3/4 cup mild honey

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

2 teaspoons grated fresh orange zest

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Make dough:
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

Pulse butter, cheese, yolk, and vanilla in a food processor until smooth, then add flour mixture and pulse until dough just forms a ball.

Halve dough and form each half into a roughly 6- by 2-inch rectangle. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, about 1 1/2 hours.

Make filling:
Purée figs and other dried fruit, honey, juice, zest, and cinnamon in cleaned food processor until almost smooth.

Make logs:
Roll out 1 piece of dough between 2 sheets of wax paper into a 10- by 4-inch rectangle (about 1/3 inch thick), long side facing you. Remove top sheet of wax paper and gently spread one half of fig mixture over bottom half of dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Using wax paper as an aid, roll dough, jelly-roll style enclosing fig mixture. Make another log. Chill logs, wrapped in wax paper, until firm, at least 4 hours.  I cut my logs in half so they would fit in the freezer at this point.

Bake cookies:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.

Cut logs crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices and arrange slices about 2 inches apart on parchment paper (don’t use Silpat!  My first batch stuck to it – perhaps I need a new mat… ). Bake until pastry is pale golden, 12 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool.

Man v. Food Inspired Baby Moose Omelet

Copyright: Travel Channel

Have you ever seen something so over the top, disgusting, and groan inducing you are just riveted to the spot by the sheer ostentatious display of vulgarity?

I’m not talking about the media’s coverage of the Kardashians either.  THAT I can walk away from or turn the channel.  I’m talking about the Travel Channel’s show, Man v. Food, hosted by Adam Richman.  We have witnessed him eating Habanero fritters with Habanero salsa made from ten pounds of Habanero chilis in twenty five minutes (he won).  We also saw the episode where he attempted to drink 15 (yes, FIFTEEN) large, thick, rich milkshakes in one sitting (he lost that challenge, and it wasn’t pretty!)

A spin off of Man v. Food is Man v. Food Nation.  The basic premise is that now Adam Richman is finding local people to attempt food challenges in their neighborhoods.  A recent episode, shot in Oahu, featured a tiny mom who looks to be my height (under five feet) except she must weigh 90 pounds and have 10-12% body fat.  Her challenge was to eat a ginormous Moose Omelet within an hour at Moose McGillycuddy’s Pub and Cafe.

The behemoth omelet is made of one dozen eggs (!), four different kinds of meats, four different kinds of cheeses, plus a boatload of sauteed vegetables over a layer of home fries.  It weighs 5 pounds.  In a country with skyrocketing obesity rates and all the diseases that accompanying it, and in a world where people are still facing starvation and malnutrition, it is pretty sick to see one person attempt to eat something that could easily feed at least ten people.

She ate about three quarters of it and had to call it a day, so her name wasn’t placed on their “Wall of Fame”.

I can’t say if it’s the sheer abundance of food (mostly fattening) or the anthropormorphizing of said food (it must be conquered by man) that I find so wrong.  Regardless, I can’t help watching it when it’s on.  I guess a redeeming factor amid all the grossness is that the restaurants featured are family owned and they actually seem to have delicious and interesting food, so if we are ever in the region in the future, we might search some of them out.

And days later, I was still thinking about the Moose Omelet–which really should have been called a “Monster Omelet”.  I decided to create a mini version for a brunch for four people.  I used four eggs instead of twelve, and scaled everything else back in turn.  The result was a really delicious omelet full of wonderful flavors and textures.  We all loved it and decided it was a “success”.  There is some prep work involved but it’s worth it.  And it is perfect to serve for a brunch because everything can be cooked ahead of time except the eggs.  Then when it’s time to eat, you can cook the eggs and broil the omelet and it’s ready within five minutes!

All the ingredients minus oil, butter, and seasonings

The next time we’re in Oahu visiting my family, we might just have to go to Moose McGillycuddy’s to try the original Moose Omelet (to share and bring home!), but until then, we’re happy to eat my “baby moose” sized version.

Mini version

Baby Moose Omelet

1 medium potato, washed but unpeeled

3 slices of bacon cut in half

1 medium shallot, chopped (about 2 tablespoons or so)

Dash of dried thyme, kosher salt, and pepper

¾ cup cubed zucchini (about ½ of a medium sized zucchini or a very small zucchini)

2 Italian sweet sausages, casings removed, chopped up

1 teaspoon olive oil

½ medium onion, chopped

1 plum tomato, cored and seeded and chopped

4 eggs and two egg whites (or use 5 eggs instead)

1 teaspoon butter

2 tablespoons grated parmesan reggiano

¼ cup grated mozzarella

¼ cup lite shredded cheese mix

(note:  Or you can just use about 3/4 cup of whatever cheese you have in your refrigerator instead of these cheeses)

1. The night before making omelet, pierce whole potato with fork a few times and microwave for about 4 minutes.  Let cool a bit and refrigerate overnight.  The next morning, before making omelet, cut potato into bite-sized cubes, leaving skin on.  Set aside.
2. In an ovenproof skillet, lightly cook bacon until lightly browned.  Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain, cool, and crisp up.
3. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon bacon fat from skillet.  Add chopped shallot to skillet and sauté for about 1 minute over medium heat.  Add cubed potatoes to pan.  Season with thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Stir to incorporate, then leave it for about 5 minutes without stirring – this gives the potato a nice crust.  While potato is cooking, microwave zucchini for about 2 minutes.
4. Stir potatoes again and cook until done, remove to a bowl and set aside.
5. Add 1 teaspoon oil to same skillet and add onions.  Saute for about one minute, then add sausage.  Continue to break up sausage as it browns with a wooden spoon.  When half cooked, add zucchini and continue to brown sausage.  Add chopped tomato to pan and continue to sauté until everything is cooked and vegetables are softened.  Remove to a bowl. Crumble bacon on top and set aside.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and egg whites (if using) together until fluffy.
7. Preheat broiler and heat a clean non-stick skillet on stove.  Melt butter, swirl to coat, and then add egg mixture.  Push sides in as eggs cook, letting uncooked eggs fill in the spaces.  Cook until bottom is set, but top looks slightly wet and underdone.  Turn off heat.
   

   Still wet on top

8. Assemble Baby Moose Omelet. Reheat original ovenproof skillet used to cook potatoes and sausage mixture.  Return potatoes to skillet.  Spread out into one layer.  Cover this layer with sausage and vegetable mixture.  Let warm up a bit on stove, but don’t stir.  Then slide cooked eggs on top of this layer with the uncooked side up.  Cover with cheeses and broil in oven.  Check after 2 minutes.  Omelet is done when cheese is melted and starting to brown.
9. Cut into slices and serve out of skillet like a pie.

Makes about 4 generous servings.

Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Filling and Chocolate Ganache Frosting

I love American layer cakes.  The combination of a moist cake crumb with creamy frosting makes me swoon.  They way the layers are thick and stacked tall, slathered with rich frosting is typically American.  Unlike their European counterparts,  American cakes are huge, sweet, and filling.  To me, they evoke images of diners, films from the 50s, and general Americana.  I missed them when I lived abroad.

Another very “American” food is peanut butter.  My friends from Europe and Japan just don’t have the same relationship with peanut butter as my American ones.  They tend to not like it — or at least are not passionate about it!  For me, if there’s anything I am addicted to, as in:  I eat it every day and usually multiple times a day, I would have to say it’s peanut butter.  I really can eat it on just about anything, as it goes with savory (eg. peanut noodles)  and sweet flavors.

Since I eat it so often I try to be careful about portion size because it’s so easy to eat tablespoon after tablespoon of it!  I’ve also experimented with combining it with peanut flour with great results (nutty flavor with fiber, protein and less fat).

Trader Joe's no longer carries it, but you can get it at southerngracefarms.com

So when I came across this recipe for Banana Cake with Chocolate Glaze, I knew I just had to make it.  The combination of bananas, peanut butter, and chocolate are just too good to resist — the perfect trifecta!

There are a few changes I made to the recipe to lighten it up a bit.  The first was that I halved the cake recipe and baked it in a cute 6-inch pan.  Un-American?  Perhaps.  But a small layer cake is just SO cute, and I figured with the richness of this cake, the smaller portions would be healthier.

See the difference between a cute 6-inch pan and a 9-inch pan?

I didn’t have buttermilk so I substituted some yogurt and milk mixed together.  Also, I made less peanut butter filling since it was a smaller cake and lightened it by using peanut flour along with the peanut butter, less sugar, and I omitted the heavy cream.  In place of the butter based glaze, I made my favorite Chocolate Ganache Frosting — which is pretty much like a chocolate truffle, but I couldn’t help myself.

With the peanut butter frosting before the chocolate ganache entered the picture.

The final product was a very moist, dense cake full of banana flavor coupled with creamy peanut butter and luscious chocolate.  I loved that the cake wasn’t HUGE.  It still would easily serve eight to ten people, but the portions aren’t Cadillac sized.  Because the cake has all the other qualities of a rich, decadent American cake (even with the few lightened tweaks),  the un-American portion sizes definitely don’t leave you feeling unsatisfied!

Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Filling and Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Adapted from: http://www.takingonmagazines.com/

Note:  If you want to make a true American sized cake, double the cake, filling and frosting recipes and bake in 2 8-inch pans for 35-40 minutes.

Banana Cake

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½  teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 large eggs
1 1/2 overripe bananas, mashed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup buttermilk or ¼ nonfat plain yogurt plus ¼ cup milk

Peanut Butter Filling

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

½ cup peanut butter (or ¼ cup peanut butter plus 40 grams of peanut flour and 2 oz. almond milk)

¼ cup confectioner’s sugar

extra milk if needed

Chocolate Ganache Frosting

4 oz. chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, or a mix

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon light corn syrup

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease 1 6-inch by 2-inch cake pan. Line bottom with parchment.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy for about two minutes. Add the egg one at a time, beating well after addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Mix in the bananas and vanilla extract.
4. Slowly add in flour mixture and alternate with buttermilk (or yogurt) mixture, starting and ending with flour mixture – about 3 times.
5. Pour batter into cake pan.  Tap on counter to get rid of air bubbles.  Bake for about 50 minutes to an hour until skewer poked in center comes out clean.  I would start checking at 45 minutes because ovens vary.
6. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before removing from cake pans. Cool completely before frosting.

For the Peanut Butter Filling

1.  Cream the butter and peanut butter (or peanut butter plus peanut flour almond milk mixture) together in a large bowl. Add the powdered sugar and milk if needed. Mix well.

2.  Add either more milk or sugar to reach the desired consistency.

For the Chocolate Ganache Frosting

1. Chop chocolate and place in a medium sized bowl.  Bring heavy cream to a boil in a small saucepan.  Pour cream over chopped chocolate in bowl.  Add corn syrup.  Let sit for 3 minutes.  Whisk to incorporate until chocolate is silky smooth with no streaks.  Add vanilla and stir with a spoon.
2. Place in refrigerator for about  30 minutes stirring once halfway and again after 30 minutes.

To assemble cake

1. Cut cooled banana cake in half with a serrated knife.
2. Place four strips of parchment on cake dish and place first layer on top (this will keep your plate clean).  Cover with peanut butter filling.  Place second layer on top.  Frost cake with Chocolate Ganache Frosting.  Remove parchment paper.

Autumn Bounty: Roasted Acorn Squash and Seeds

Hope all you folks (who celebrate it) had a nice Thanksgiving!  We visited our family in Illinois for a week.  I also visited the children at Woodland Primary School in Gages  Lake where my sister-in-law works on Monday. We had fun pretending to make soup!

From the Daily Herald -- my sister-in-law is in the back in the striped sweater!

While I was in Illinois, I received a really touching email from a woman whose adorable 2 1/2 year old daughter, Addison, enjoys my book, Soup Day.  She did a blog post about them spending the day recreating the story that is so perfect I just have to share it.  Check it out here!

Before, during, and after the Thanksgiving festivities, we all indulged in comfort foods and desserts.  My mom made our favorite enchiladas.

My nephew made amazing grilled chicken sushi.  Unfortunately I have no photos!  Major fail on my part.  He basically grilled some chicken breast seasoned with salt and pepper in olive oil.  Then he cut it into strips and rolled it with cucumber, green onion and wasabi on seasoned rice and seaweed.  See the maki method here.  We also made crazy kimchee and jalapeno versions with smoked salmon and avocado that were so good.

My nephew’s girlfriend made these decadent, addicting Oreo Truffles with milk and white chocolate.

Photo credit: Run For Your Life on Food.com

My cousin made her own inventive creation of Coconut Frosted Pumpkin Cupcakes filled with Haupia (Hawaiian Coconut Pudding).   She’s from Hawaii and had the brilliant idea of combining Ina Garten’s Pumpkin Cupcake recipe (sans Maple Frosting) with this Haupia and Frosting recipe  (sans cupcake).  They were to die for!!

Since my brother’s house was overflowing with decadent food, I focused on making a lot of vegetables!  One of dishes I made was my favorite fall veggie that is also readily available throughout the winter months—acorn squash.  You can steam cook and even microwave them, but my favorite way to prepare them is to roast them at high heat.  It really brings out the natural sugars, and you can do double duty and roast the seeds at the same time.

To serve, I mash the cooked acorn squash halves in their skins a bit and add butter and brown sugar and cinnamon to taste.  I cut the halves into wedges and serve them in their skins.  If you don’t eat the skins, it’s easy to scoop out the sweet flesh and eat with a spoon.  It tastes like dessert.

We like to eat the savory roasted squash seeds as is or tossed on our salads for added crunch.

For about $1.49 per acorn squash, this is a fantastic deal I love to take advantage of this time of year. 

Roasted Acorn Squash

non-stick spray

1 medium acorn squash

butter to taste

brown sugar or maple syrup to taste

cinnamon to taste

Roasted Acorn Squash Seeds

Seeds from an acorn squash

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

Kosher salt to taste (or other spices — cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic salt might be good!)

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil.  Spray with nonstick spray.  Set aside.

2.  Cut acorn squash in half lengthwise.  Scoop out seeds and stringy flesh.  Separate seeds from flesh and rinse in a colander.  Spread seeds out on a paper towel to dry a bit.

3.  Place acorn squash halves cut side down (I do this to get them caramelized on top) on parchment or foil lined baking sheet.  Roast for 30 minutes.

4.  While squash is roasting, scrape seeds off paper towel into a medium bowl.  Toss seeds with oil and seasonings.  Set aside.

5.  When squash has roasted for 30 minutes, flip halves over so cut side is up.  Set timer for 20 more minutes and continue roasting.

6.  When timer goes off, move acorn halves to one side of the the baking sheet and spread prepared seeds on other side of pan in one layer.  Set timer for 10 minutes.

7.  When timer goes off, stir seeds and continue to check every five minutes or so once or twice.  Remove seeds to a plate when they are golden.  They will crisp up more as they cool.  Test acorn squash flesh to see if they are done.  If they are soft like a cooked sweet potato, they are ready.

8.  Season acorn halves with butter, brown sugar or maple syrup, and cinnamon to taste.  Cut into wedges and serve.
9.  Serve seeds as is in a bowl or tossed on salads as a healthy, crunchy condiment.

Mmmmm!

Homemade Almond Paste and Pear Tart with Almond Filling

This past weekend I was at the Brooklyn Museum signing copies of my books. If you have never visited the museum, you should if you have the chance — it’s a wonderful space. They have an exceptional collection of Egyptian art as well — we will be making another visit soon to take advantage of this!

Anyway, back to the event — My table mate was Lisa Greenwald who was signing three of her Y/A novels. One book, Sweet Treats and Secret Crushes, involves fortune cookies, so she brought a duffel bag full of fortune cookies to give out at our table.

Lisa Greenwald and me at our table

The organizers at the museum ingeniously devised a game in which kids could collect stamps from each author table onto a sheet of paper.  If they got all the stamps, then they could get a prize.

Stamping sheets amid fortune cookies!

Me and Kate Hosford

Kate's book, Big Bouffant, and an Annabelle doll I made for her book launch.

The night before the event, we had dinner at our friends’ place.  I decided to bring an Almond Pear Tart. I wanted to make something autumnal that didn’t involve pumpkin or pecan since Thanksgiving is this week!

I love baking with almond paste (not to be confused with marzipan) but it can be difficult to find, and it is also somewhat pricey.  I found a great recipe for almond paste to make from scratch. For a fraction of the price of a 10 ounce can of almond paste, I made 7 ounces from a bit of blanched almonds, confectioner’s sugar, almond extract, and some egg whites.

I bought some pears a few days before the dinner and they were pretty hard, so I stored them in a paper bag.  As the fruit ripens, it emits a gas called ethylene.  When the gas is trapped in a bag, it speeds up the ripening process.  It did the trick!

If you have a melon baller, use it for coring the pears– it makes it a cinch!

This is an amazing recipe. The almond paste filling is very light and creamy and goes perfectly with the baked pears. I served it with whipped cream spiked with apple brandy (I would have used Poire William — a pear liqueur — but I didn’t have any on hand).  The only thing I changed in the recipe are the directions for placing the pears on the filling for baking.  I think placing each slice one and a time from the outside moving in is a better method.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Almond Paste

4 oz. blanched almonds

2 ½ oz. confectioner’s sugar

pinch of salt

½ egg white (I used about 1 tablespoon liquid whites)

½ teaspoon almond extract

1. Finely grind almonds in food processor.
2. Add in confectioner’s sugar and salt and process again.
3. Slowly pour in egg white while processor is running. I eyeballed it and stopped when the consistency looked right.  Add extract and process some more.

Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Makes 6 7/8 ounces of paste

  

Pear Almond Tart from Bon Appetit 2003

2 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons apple cider

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

9 tablespoons chilled butter

1/2 cup (packed) almond paste (5 ounces)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup all purpose flour

4 tablespoons butter at room temperature

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

4 medium Bartlett or Anjou pears

1.  Whisk egg yolks and apple cider in small bowl to blend. Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add chilled butter and process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg yolk mixture and process until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill 1 hour. Roll out dough between two sheets of saran wrap to prevent sticking.  Lay dough evenly onto bottom and up sides of 11-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom; chill while preparing filling. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.)
2.  Position rack in lowest third of oven. Preheat to 375°F.

3.  Blend almond paste and sugar in processor until almond paste is finely ground. Add 1/4 cup flour and 3 tablespoons room-temperature butter and process until thick paste forms. Add eggs and vanilla extract and process until smooth. Spread filling in crust; cover and chill while preparing pears.

4.  Peel pears. Cut each pear in half lengthwise and core. Slice 1 pear half crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Press on pear half to fan slices toward wider end. Arrange slices in a concentric circle from the outer rim moving to the center of the pan.  Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Brush over pears.

5.  Bake tart until pears are tender and crust is brown, about 50 minutes. Cool 30 minutes. Remove from pan and serve warm or at room temperature. (Tart can be prepared up to 8 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Whipped Cream Topping

2 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar or to taste

dash of vanilla

dash of Pear Liqueur or Apple Brandy

1.  Whip cream and sugar in a chilled bowl of a stand mixer until soft peaks form.  Add vanilla and liqueur and whip a bit more until peaks are stiffer — be careful not to over whip though!