*UPDATES*

So, I haven't blogged or cooked much lately. I guess being a stay at home mom really is a lot of work! However, now I'm going to school and baby Momo is in daycare.. so, I should be blogging more often. I'm excited about it.

Daring Baker's Party Cake

This month's DBC was really good- a party cake by Dorie Greenspan. I made the cake for my mom's birthday and it turned out to be a big hit. I really liked it and I'd definitely recommend the recipe. It's simple to make and it tastes like it took a long time to make. Really impressive!

Perfect Party Cake, adapted from Dorie Greenspan:

For the Cake:

2 1/4 cups cake flour (1 cup cake flour = 1 cup all purpose - 2 Tbs)

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 ¼ cups whole buttermilk

4 large egg whites

1½ cups sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ teaspoon pure lemon extract

For the Buttercream:

1 cup sugar

4 large egg whites

3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 1- 9x9-inch square cake pan and line the bottom of pan with buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pan on a baking sheet.Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.Whisk together the buttermilk and egg whites in a medium bowl.Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.

Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.

Beat in half of the buttermilk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the buttermilk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.

Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated. Divide the batter between the four pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean.

Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).

To Make the Buttercream:Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream.Remove the bowl from the heat. Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth. Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes. During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again. On medium speed, gradually beat in the lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more. You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.

To Assemble the Cakes: Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half. Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. Spread it with one third of the preserves. Cover the jam evenly with a layer of buttercream. Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with a third layer. Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top.

**I used fresh blackberries and it tasted really good. However, you can use any berry you'd like- strawberries, raspberries, etc. I put the left over cake in the fridge for later and I recommend taking it out for the buttercream to soften before serving. Approximately 2hrs beforehand.**

-SUPER LATE-

OMG OMG, i made time to make my DBC, but I TOTALLY forgot to make time to post it. I've been sick for the past few days and now little Morgane is sick too. Anyway, this recipe was pretty simple, however I wasn't super happy with the results. My bread was so salty and really pale and sickly looking. Didn't taste that bad, but my husband loved it. I made a second batch with unbleached flour and it came out a little better, then I turned on the broiler for a few minutes to give it a little brown color. I have to admit, I made some really tasty sandwiches... So-maybe I'll try it again... or, maybe I won't. I have to try other french bread recipes first. I saw other peoples bread and it looked amazing. I don't know what I did wrong!

-Barefoot Contessa-

Oh my! Where should I start? My baking days are pretty much back in full swing. For my first blogging back (besides the DBC)- I decided to do a little something by Ina Garten. I absolutely love watching the Barefoot Contessa on the foodnetwork. It's something I look forward to watching on the weekend and the days I have (or take) off of work. I saw her make this tart and I fell in love with the simplicity of it. so.. ladies and gents here it is!

Plum Tart

-2 cups all-purpose flour

-3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

-3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

-12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), diced

-1 egg yolk

-2 pounds firm, ripe Italian prune plums, pitted and quartered lengthwise

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine the flour, walnuts, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter and the egg yolk. Mix, either by hand or with an electric mixer, until crumbly.

Press 1 1/2 cups of the crumb mixture in an even layer into the bottom of a 9 1/2-inch springform or tart pan. Arrange the plums in the pan, skin side down, to form a flower pattern; begin at the outside and work your way in.

Sprinkle the rest of the crumb mixture evenly over the plums. Bake the tart for 40 to 50 minutes, or until it's lightly browned and the plum juices are bubbling. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and transfer the tart to a flat plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.

**MY REVIEW: this is absolutely amazing. It is not too sweet and the crust is so delicious. I even ate it without cooking it! I look forward to making this again!!**

My First Daring Baker's Challenge!

ok, I'm a little late, but I have an excuse. I was moving to a new apartment! and you can't imagine how hectic that can get with a newborn to take care of. Anyway, the challenge was a Lemon Meringue Pie. I'd never really had one before, so I tried out another recipe before the one we had to do for the challenge. First recipe was too tart, but wow! the 2nd was amazing. I will definitely keep this recipe and make it again. It was sooo simple and the results are soo yummy!

Lemon Meringue

PieMakes one 10-inch (25 cm) pie

For the Crust:

-3/4 cup (180 mL) cold butter; cut into ½-inch (1.2 cm) pieces

-2 cups (475 mL) all-purpose flour

-1/4 cup (60 mL) granulated sugar

-1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt

-1/3 cup (80 mL) ice water

For the Filling:

-2 cups (475 mL) water

-1 cup (240 mL) granulated sugar

-1/2 cup (120 mL) cornstarch

-5 egg yolks, beaten

-1/4 cup (60 mL) butter

-3/4 cup (180 mL) fresh lemon juice

-1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon zest

-1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

For the Meringue:

-5 egg whites, room temperature

-1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) cream of tartar

-1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt

-1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) vanilla extract

-3/4 cup (180 mL) granulated sugar

To Make the Crust:Make sure all ingredients are as cold as possible. Using a food processor or pastry cutter and a large bowl, combine the butter, flour, sugar and salt.Process or cut in until the mixture resembles coarse meal and begins to clump together. Sprinkle with water, let rest 30 seconds and then either process very briefly or cut in with about 15 strokes of the pastry cutter, just until the dough begins to stick together and come away from the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and press together to form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 20 minutes.Allow the dough to warm slightly to room temperature if it is too hard to roll. On a lightly floured board (or countertop) roll the disk to a thickness of 1/8 inch (.3 cm). Cut a circle about 2 inches (5 cm) larger than the pie plate and transfer the pastry into the plate by folding it in half or by rolling it onto the rolling pin. Turn the pastry under, leaving an edge that hangs over the plate about 1/2 inch (1.2 cm). Flute decoratively. Chill for 30 minutes.Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the crust with foil and fill with metal pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool completely before filling.

To Make the Filling: Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan. Remove from the heat and let rest 5 minutes. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. Add the mixture gradually to the hot water, whisking until completely incorporated. Return to the heat and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. The mixture will be very thick. Add about 1 cup (240 mL) of the hot mixture to the beaten egg yolks, whisking until smooth. Whisking vigorously, add the warmed yolks to the pot and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in butter until incorporated. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla, stirring until combined. Pour into the prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the surface, and cool to room temperature.

To Make the Meringue:Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, salt and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, beating until it forms stiff, glossy peaks. Pile onto the cooled pie, bringing the meringue all the way over to the edge of the crust to seal it completely. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a rack. Serve within 6 hours to avoid a soggy crust.

-People read my Blog-

I thought I'd made a little underground blog that no one but my family and friends would read! but, apparently I was wrong. I am not disappointed at all- and all though I have not had time to post up any new blogs, I haven't ENTIRELY stopped cooking. Thing is- my home computer went out! For some strange reason the ethernet card went out and I Just found this out yesterday, after 2 weeks without net access. So, earlier in November I was tagged for a meme by Marye. At first I had no idea what to do with it, being a nOOb and all, but after looking at a few other blogs I found out what I'm suppossed to do! *haha, I know, I'm a dork.

4 PLACES I HAVE LIVED

1. Laredo, TX- my hometown and current residing place. There is a serious lack of tasty food options, but I still call it home!
2. Signal Hill, California- California, what else is there to say? The weather is beautiful and a lot of things to do. I miss it, but don't know if I'll ever go back!
3. Houston, TX- I love it. I love the traffic, the food, the fun, humid weather- this is definitely somewhere I'm looking forward to going back to one day.
4. I don't recall living anywhere else- could possibly be because I'm a mere 22 yrs old, but I will definitely update this #4 spot when I find a new home!

4 JOBS I HAVE HAD

1. Dental Assistant
2. Medical Transcriber
3. Missionary/ Spanish Translator
4. Clerk @ Employee Health

4 FAVOURITE FOODS
1. Mexican Rice
2. French Fries w/Ketchup & Pepper
3. Enchiladas Suizas
4. Chocolate


4 PLACES I HAVE BEEN ON HOLIDAY
1. Pagosa Springs, CO
2. Dallas, TX
3. Guadalcazar, Mexico
4. Sabinas, Mexico

4 PLACES I'D RATHER BE
1. @ home in bed or the hospital in labor!
2. France- I need to taste some good French food, besides what my hubby cooks for me.
3. Somewhere with snow, in front of the fireplace w/hot chocolate and marshmallows!
4. Chicago, IL- I wanna see their Farmer's Markets!

4 FANTASTIC BLOGGERS I'D LIKE TO TAG:
1.
2.
3.
4.

*i'll have to think about this one!*

*Give me a Break- I'm Pregnant!*

I've been going crazy at home cooking all sorts of things! I come in to work thinking- ' I am not going to bake anything today' and then, I spend the rest of the day pondering on what to bake. Could it be that I am using my pregnancy as an excuse to cook all sorts of things and eat them without guilt? I think that may just be what is going on, but I'll just deal with this 70lbs. consequence later because I am thoroughly enjoying waking up to fresh baked pain au lait and going to bed after having a nice slice (okay, maybe a FEW slices) of a cheddar apple tart. Besides, they say that you're body works overtime once the baby is here and you lose weight fast. Even if that isn't true and I'm just trying to convince myself otherwise, I have worked out all my life and do not plan to sit around and wait for all this extra weight to melt off. So, the countdown has begun! Only 2 weeks until my expected due date, although, I think I will go before that. So, until then- I must bake, bake, bake and eat, eat, eat!

So, back to the recipes... Pain Au Lait has become my new love. I've been eating it almost everyday for about a week now. My hubby has been enjoying this because it reminds him of back home. I feel bad that we haven't been able to go to France and I know he's been dying to for about a year now, so I'm trying my best to bring back memories of home for him. Once our little cupcake is here- France won't seem so far away anymore. OK- right, the recipe! I used the exact recipe found on thefreshloaf. First batch I made was simple, with nothing but cinnamon and sugar- then I made a batch with just strawberry perserves, and my most recent batch was with cream cheese and I slathered it with strawberry perserves once they were done. yum!



Pain Au Lait

-1 package (2 1/2 teaspoon) active dry yeast or 2 teaspoons instant yeast

-3/4 cup water

-3 1/2 cup all-purpose unbleached flour*

-1 1/2 teaspoons salt

-2 Tablespoons powdered milk

-4 tablespoons sugar

-3 eggs

-6 tablespoons butter, softened

If using active dry yeast, proof it in 1/2 cup of warm water for 10 minutes. If you are using instant yeast, as I did, it can just be mixed in with the dry ingredients in the next step.

In a large bowl combine the flour, salt, powdered milk, and sugar. Add the yeast, water, and eggs and mix until ingredients are combined. Add the softened butter and mix or knead until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.

You should have fairly sticky, satiny dough.

Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise until doubled in size (approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours). Punch the dough down, return it to the bowl and cover it again, and place it in the refrigerator overnight.

In the morning, divide the dough in half and, while still cold, use each half to prepare one batch.

Egg Glaze:
-1 egg

-1 tablespoon milk

Whisk to combine.

Cream Cheese Filling:
-3/4 cup cream cheese

-2 tablespoons sugar

-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Roll the dough out into a large rectangle. Slice the rectangle into long strips.

Stretch each strip as long and thin as you can. Twist each strip and then curl each up to make a snail shape.Place the snails on a parchment-lined or well greased baking sheet and brush them gently with the egg glaze.

Use your fingers to create a well in the center of the snail and then place one tablespoon of the cheese mixture on top. You can also add a tablespoon of jam.

Let the snails rise for 1 to 1 1/4 hours until they are puffy. Preheat the oven to 385 degrees and bake the snails for between 15 to 17 minutes, until they are golden brown.

*- I ended up adding about 1/2 cup more flour because it was just too sticky and unmanageable.

OH, and being pregnant and all, as I was greasing the bowl- I started daydreaming about my little girl and then I felt a huge gush of oil pouring out from the bottle! So, I ended up adding about 1/4 cup of vegetable oil as well. Still came out delish!







So, now about my most recent concoction (sp?). I've had this incredible craving for a tart apple with cheddar and I figured I'd try and bake something with that combo. I avoided the usual apple pie with a cheddar crust, because I didn't feel like having an overwhelming apple pie flavor- I wanted an equal combination. So, this is what I came up with and I'll have to say it was damn good.



Apple Cheddar Tart



Crust:

-1 1/3 cup all purpose flour

-1/2 teaspoon salt

-1 stick of cold butter, cut into squares

-2 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Combine the dry ingredients together then add in the cold butter and cut into the flour. You can use a food processor and pulse it until it resembles coarse meal. Or you can do it by hand (which is what I do) and just make sure to incorporate the butter with the flour to get a good flake on it. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and combine until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if the dough is still dry. Form the dough into a ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate 1 hour.

Roll out dough disk on floured surface to about 10-inch round. Transfer to 8-inch-diameter tart pan. Then, blind bake (with beans or pie weights) for 15 minutes on 350º F. Remove from the oven and cool while you prepare the filling.

Filling:

-2 medium apples; peeled, cored, and slices

-2 tblsp. flour

-juice of 1/2 a lemon

-pinch of salt

-ground nutmeg

-ground ginger

-ground cinnamon

-1/4 cup marscapone

-1/4 cup heavy cream

-1/4 cup sour cream

-approx. 2 1/2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar

In a medium bowl combine the apples, flour, lemon juice, salt, and ground spices to your taste. I let this sit while I shredded the cheddar, maybe about 10 minutes. Add in the marscapone and creams with the apples and combine until fully incorporated. Let that sit for a few minutes for the flavors to incorporate. Fold in the cheddar and pour mixture into the tart shell.


Place tart pan on a cookie sheet to keep spills from landing in your oven. Bake for 25- 30 minutes on 350º F until the cheese has browned at the top and the filling has set. Once out of the oven, allow the tart to cool completely. That way when you cut it, it doesn't spill everywhere. I didn't wait because it smelled so good, and, well- the filling spilled a little. Once it was completely cooled, it was easier to cut and eat!