Sugared Ellipses . . . » Recipe Round-Up!

Recipe Round-Up ~ May 2-8

Aimee — Sat, 23 May 2009 01:56:27 +0000

I told you I was going to go back in time and address weeks past. I’m finally getting around to it, but it’ll be one at a time. For you Oreo cookie buffs, check out the cookie section for the holy grail of cookie recipes…now you can just say no to store-bought Oreos!

Let yourself eat cake:

Let’s start things off with a Pierre Herme recipe highlighted by Bonbini!. It’s The Concorde, which is a layer of mousse sandwiched between two meringues, all chocolate, topped with strawberry foam. Yum!

I wish I had access to the chestnuts required for this Pistachio Chestnut Chocolate Opera Style Cake from Pease Pudding.

Dessert Girl highlighted some of the prettiest cakes you’ll ever see, in her post on Mother’s Day cakes.

Learn how to make Rainbow Buttercream Frosting for your Rainbow Cupcakes in the Big Red Kitchen.

I had to laugh out loud when I read Patent and the Pantry’s description for her Guinness chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese icing, “I finally found a way to like beer . . . in cupcake form.”

Maple and bacon seem to go hand and hand. Who knew that they would be perfect coupled in a cupcake. Tracey’s Culinary Adventures threw french toast in the mix to make Maple French Toast and Bacon Cupcakes.

Cookies:

Baking has ruined instant gratification in regards to sweets for me, since now I can’t bear to eat any of the chemically loaded store-bought baked goods. Like an ancient explorer searching for the fountain of youth or the holy grail, every so often I would look in vain for a true homemade Oreo recipe. Sure, there’s a ton of Oreo “inspired” Whoopie Pie type creations floating around there, but not that crispy cookie snap, a signature of a true Oreo. Well, it looks like Living each week like it’s shark week has brought our salvation with her own crispy homemade Oreo cookie recipe. Hallelluia!

Speaking of Whoopie Pies, you really should check out these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies from Chocolate Chip Trips. This is the kind of recipe that pumpkins were canned for!

These Shortbread Buttons from Not Quite Nigella are perfect for Mother’s Day or whenever you want to treat your favorite knitter, sewer, quilter, or fiber artist.

goodLife {eats} apparently has some crazy ideas sometimes, and I’m thankful for it. If she didn’t then we wouldn’t have these Cannoli Sandwich Cookies.

Savour Fare celebrated Cinco de Mayo with these Aztec Chocolate Cookies that have chipotle chilies.

And finally we have one of the funniest and heart racing posts on Linzer Torte Bars you’ll ever read from My Tasty Treasures.

Pies, tarts, etc.:

Kitchenscraps shows some motherly love with his sloppy, boozey tart.

Spoon! desserts:

Evil Shenanigans reminisces on the past with this childhood favorite, Baked Vanilla Custard with Nutmeg.

I’m guessing this belongs here since it’s made out of gelatin and condensed milk. Kinda looks like a finger food as presented. Aside from all that, if you combine food with history, better yet, when you create a display of a historical artifact with food…you’ve got me. I love history (although I am far, far away from knowing a quarter teaspoons worth of it) and I love food. The Cookie Shop was kind enough to marry the two together with her Fruit Jelly Stonehenge. Yep, it’s a replica of Stonehenge made out of Jello. Too cool. Sorry for geeking out on you.

Frozen delights:

I have no idea what saffron tastes like, but maybe I can have the experience with this Rose Water, Saffron Pistachio Ice Cream from Life by Chocolate.

Gourmet Traveler 88 provides a recipe for homemade Japanese sesame ice cream and you don’t even need an ice cream machine!

Hey, there’s a beverage here man:

Learn how to make your own ginger ale from Foodie With Family’s Papa’s Homemade Hooch.

Not only do you get a great recipe for the oh honey! cocktail from eat make read, but also instructions on how to infuse your vodka with blood oranges.

Confectionary:

Lisa is cooking offered up her Honey Pecan Caramels for Mother’s Day. She got the recipe from Pure Dessert, a book I have that I never really got into. I need to take another look.

Savory:

Sea Salt With Food’s post for Roti Jala (Net or Lace Pancake) really got my imagination going. A savory recipe is included, but the whole idea of creating a lacy pancake or crepe….really interesting idea. You can get a roti jala funnel here.

I couldn’t resist including this recipe from Feasting on Art. I never came across this blog before, but I love the premise. All of the recipes have their inspiration rooted in the art world. Check out this recipe for Caramelized Apple Omelet with Dulce de Leche and Goats Cheese which was inspired by a painting by Gauguin.

Miscellaneous:

Bread + Butter had a great “Eureka!” idea with this PB J-Loaf. Gotta love innovation!

I just can’t resist recipes for homemade basic ingredients. Here’s another butter recipe from Tea and Wheaten Bread.

Amanda’s Cookin’ scored an interview with Dorie Greenspan. Yep, THE Dorie Greenspan of Dorie Greenspan Baking: From My Home to Yours and the inspiration behind bakers all over the world joining together on Tuesdays to bake something out of the book, Tuesdays With Dorie. If you participate in TWD, or just are a fan of Dorie Greenspan then you won’t want to miss this interview.

Laptops and Stovetops wrote a really great post about the importance of good karma and CARE packages. She also reminded me that being grateful for what you have, no matter how little, is a pathway to wealth.

Recipe Round-Up ~ May 9-15

Aimee — Tue, 19 May 2009 05:14:22 +0000

Thought I forgot about these huh? I didn’t. I’ve been meaning to catch up, which I’m working on… slowly. At least I have last week’s here. I will be looking back over the weeks that I missed. There’s a lot of good stuff to mention!

Breakfast:

Gourmet Foodie Blog purports that his Apple Cinnamon Baked French Toast is the best you’ll ever taste. Sounds like I’m going to have to heavily research this claim….darn.

If The Purple Foodie’s description of, “Soft, fluffy and warm banana and chocolate chip pancake doused in butter…,” for these Chocolate Chip and Banana Pancakes doesn’t get you to click, I don’t know what will.

Yeasty goodness:

You have to check out this Rosemary Olive Decorative Bread from Chef Tess Bakeresse. What a fabulous idea!

Let yourself eat cake:

This Mango Mille Crepe cake from No Special Effects inspired a philosophic look at the hoity-toity class, and whether or not you want to be part of it. Regardless of what class your in, I think it is (or should be) a basic human right for everyone to enjoy a mille crepe cake!

I love how Kitchenscraps combines art and food on his blog. With his Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunny Sunflower Cake he combined them in a recipe.

I love the toasted marshmallow frosting on these Chocolate Marshmallow Cupcakes from Une-Deux Senses who describes them as Devil’s Food Cake with Marshmallow Frosting & Chocolate Ganache.

La Table De Nana did a phenomenal job on Martha’s Honeybee Cake. She even made fondant bees!

If you’re looking to get outside of the proverbial pan with your next cake, check out Morgana’s cake popsicles. I love ideas like this. (There’s a translation drop down in the right sidebar.)

David Allerton on Foodbuzz also runs a site called The Foodies Handbook. In it he gives a short history, as well as a recipe, for sacher torte, a Vienese favorite.

I think any of you die hard Dunkin’ Donuts fans will be raving for these Coffee & Doughnut Cupcakes from The Noshery.

Cookies:

I can’t vouch for the recipe, but I have to tell you all about these cookies. 2 Stews highlighted a must have for all cookie lovers, the Brigitte cookie cutter set. Yes, I must have one.

I really debated on whether to include these Chocolate-Toffee Bars from Cookin’ Canuck in the cookie section or cordon it off to the confection section (if I have one this week…I do!). In the end I went with cookies since so many people tend to group these bar type implements with them.

Since I’ve put one bar here, I might as well add these Peanut Butter Cup Brownies from Dana Treat. The cross-section photo drives me wild!

The Warmest Room In The House provides a recipe for something resembling giant lemon colored whoopie pies, but called Blonde On Blonde Gobs.

Get in your weekly dose of macaron porn from Delectable Deliciousness and her afternoon of macaron hunting.

Pies, tarts, etc.:

Cooking With Tien brought this Brown Butter Raspberry Tart to my attention (you know how I can’t resist brown butter). She actually had come across the recipe on Hungry Bruno.

Pastry and the like:

Get your Greek on with this recipe for Baklava from Dunkin Cooking the Semi-Homemade Way.

Spoon! desserts:

Nothing could be simpler than this coconut milk and vanilla custard from Home At Last With Patty.

According to Tartelette this Berry Mousse and Lemon Poppy Seed Cake Verrines is a birthday cake in a glass. Sounds like it’s time for an un-birthday party!

Everyone loves Krispy Kremes don’t they? What would you do with a Krispy Kreme? Well, besides eat one. One Particular Kitchen decided to make some bread pudding.

Sick of the same old flan? Rosa’s Yummy Yums provides a recipe for a dreamy looking Lebanese Milk Flans, or Mouhalabieh.

Frozen delights:

Papawow! prepares us for our summer addiction with a post entitled, “Ice Cream: The gateway drug“. Resisting the infamous “Criminal Cream Cabal” is futile.

Not only do you get a drool-worthy recipe for Chocolate, Banana and Baileys Ice Cream from Cherrapeno, but she also outlines how to make chocolate bowls for your frozen treat!

The Daily Spud, “dreamed a dream of lilac ice cream and, yes, I made it happen.” Mosey on over and pick a bowl of ice cream!

Hey, there’s a beverage here man!:

Party like it’s the apocalypse with this radioactive cherry limeade from The Cooking Photographer.

Confections:

Did you know that there’s a Nutty Fudge Day? Apparently there is. You can thank Skip To My Lou for this vital information as well as a luscious looking nutty fudge recipe to celebrate this sweet holiday. How do people find out about these holidays anyways? How did they get created? I imagine it must be some scenario involving a baker in her kitchen with some new tasty creation saying to herself, “Gosh, they should have a holiday for this.” You’ve got to wonder.

Savory:

I couldn’t resist including this No-fear phyllo torte from Ciao Chow Linda. It looks absolutely amazing, and with all that cheese it must be divine!

Miscellaneous:

If you’d like to get involved in ending child hunger, Cre8tive Kitchen highlights the Great American Bake Sale project that Share Our Strength is organizing. I’ve actually been seeing this on the last couple of Domino sugar bags I’ve gone through (has it been that many…shesh). Sounds like a great thing to get involved in.

Cre8tive Kitchen has been a busy little conscientious bee this week. Not only did she post about the Great American Bake Sale but also Drop In and Decorate. She baked and decorated sugar cookies for SafePlace of Olympia. Another great project to either start or get involved in, in your local community!

It looks like Salt and Chocolate has been bitten by Traveler’s Lunchbox’s recipe for homemade vanilla. She even did up some fancy bottles.

Speaking of bottles, How To Cook Like Your Grandmother’s post on a Simple Trick To Make Simple Syrup outlines a way to make the simplest of syrups that I’ve never seen before. Who knew there was even more than one way?

Learn how to replace regular sugar with maple sugar to add some yummy maple flavor to your next baked creation from Cupcake Project.

Gear up for your summer ice cream eating with this Caramelized Pineapple topping from Bread + Butter.

Satiate your desire for food porn by checking out Fresh From the Oven first assignment at Vanille Patisserie. Congratulations!

Awhile back in another RRU I included a post from Adventures in Bentomaking that commemorated the show Lost in a bento box called “I Put the Ben in Bento”. Well, to send off the fifth season with a bento…er..bang she had a recap of the 11, count ‘em eleven, Lost bento boxes she has made over the shows run. I’m looking forward to what bentos she comes up with for the next, and final, season almost as much as I’m looking forward to watching the show.

Recipe Round-Up! ~ Feb 21-27

Aimee — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:39:54 +0000

I actually had this done at the beginning of the month, but I didn’t get a chance to post it until now because of my war with technology. Enjoy…

Breakfast:

Sick of the same old pancakes? Give this crepe recipe a flip in your pan from Winos and Foodies.

Sick of the same old crepes? Then kick those crepes up a notch with chocolate in these dark chocolate crepes from Delightful Delicacies.

Sick of buttermilk instead of the entire pancake genre? Then Peanut Butter and Julie has flipped up these Sweet Potato Praline Pancakes.

Yeasty Stuff:

This Chocolate Cardamom Bread from [cogito, ergo creo] has really piqued my curiosity. It’s wonderful to see people experimenting with bread. I’m really dying to get into dough more!

These Plain Chinese Steamed Buns from She Simmers that can be topped off with your favorite sweet or savory filling.

I have never seen a pita look as inviting as the pita bread from Mom Grind, never. They look like beautiful little pillows that were made for cherubs or something.

[cogito, ergo creo]wasn’t the only bread baker inspired by chocolate this week. Pepsakoy came up with this Chocolate Malt (Milo) Loaf.

Cookies:

It’s posts like this one from Nooschi that make me curse my lot in life that I don’t live near an establishment with such a display. The fifth picture on the page makes me want to cry especially. Get set for some macaron porn.

Get this, there’s actually a WHOLE cookbook devoted to the macaron. Too bad I don’t know French. Then again, neither does My Food Geek who still managed to try a macaron recipe from the book.

I’m a shortbread junkie. Did I tell you that? Well I am. So I couldn’t resist this recipe for Jam Shortbread Cookies from Seasaltwithfood. What is especially addictive about this recipe is that not only am I a shortbread junkie, but a jam thumbprint junkie. These cookies marry my dual addiction in a delicious way. I’m doomed.

We have some serious sugar porn from Cannelle et Vanille and her Meyer lemon macarons. I’m telling you, the woman is a machine. My brain nears critical mass whenever I visit her site.

One lemon macaron recipe wasn’t enough for ya was it? Then here’s another from Ms. Adventures in Italy. Try on these Lemon French Macarons with Limoncello White Chocolate Ganache for size.

If you’re looking for something more hearty rather than dainty but still with that pow to the kisser tartness of lemon check out these Lemon Cookies from The Repressed Pastry Chef.

Anyone who makes a sugar cookie and decorates it with Einstein’s E=MC² is ok in my book. For this and other quirky cookie inspiration check out the decorated cookie and her post, Say it with cookies.

Brown Eyed Baker celebrated her two year blogging anniversary with these Italian Walnut Pillow Cookies. I can only hope that I have the same longevity. Congrats on the milestone!

My life in two words says that besides satisfying your cravings for something crunchy, these Brown sugar Stars also melt in your mouth. Sounds like a cookie made in heaven!

I’m always on the lookout for a good shortbread cookie as they are one of my aforementioned favorites. This recipe from Tartelette for Strawberry Thyme Shortbreads Cookies along with her vanilla bean and strawberry ice cream sounds intriguing.

It seems that Une-Deux Senses had the same “love at first sight” experience with the macaron without having even tasted one. Having her head planted firmly over her heels, she’s been determined to construct a blissful encounter with the beloved confection in her own kitchen (and one of these days I will too). The result of her determination is a lovely post filled with tons of tips on making your very own Chocolate French Macarons.

Seasaltwithfood did was deepen my conviction that Macarons and I were made for each other. “This lovely tiny cookie is for all the sweet tooth lover out there.” Sounds right up my alley!

Cakes, etc.:

Over The Hill & On A Roll provides us with an important tip about why the temperature of your eggs might being ruining your cakes.

Get your Mardi Gras on with this King Cake from Back to the Cutting Board.

OR, give The Salty Cod’s take on the King with her Harlequein Tuesday Cake.

There’s something etheral about these Lemon Muffins from Rara Bakes. I don’t know what it is. They look almost translucent. Seriously, the look like they belong at the tea party in Alice In Wonderland.

Here’s a spicy take on the traditional molten chocolate cake from Good Food, Good Wine and a Bad Girl. She calls them Chili-Cinnamon Chocolate Cakelets.

The beauty of this Malaysian Honeycomb Cake from House of Annie is crazy! You can read her blog for her comparison, which I don’t think is accurate. I liken it to a lush piece of wood filled with the color and character of the ages. Yeah, that’s kinda what this cake looks like, Mother Nature’s allure.

The mini carrot-coconut cake loaves that Eat A Duck I Must has pictured in their Carrot-Coconut Cupcakes post are what really caught my eye. Not that I can pass up a good buttercream, brown butter even! There’s just something about those loaves that strikes me as an exotic mouth experience.

Banana Cupcakes with Honey Cinnamon Frosting from Little Girl Big Appetite sound like a great mix of flavors. It’s funny how all of a sudden you get in the mood for something. Last week it was lemons and citrus, this week the bananas are giving me the eye, or is it the other way around.

In Culinary Concoctions by Peabody’s post for Spice Cake with Caramel Mousse and Caramel Apple Topping not only can you discover which Spice Girl she’d like to be, but also musings on the passing of the seasons along with the spices that are often celebrated with them.

I learned that Chefs Gone Wild is a cruel man. He provided this informative post about Tonka Beans, which included a tempting recipe for Tonka Bean, White Chocolate and Apricot Cakes. What’s the problem with that? Tonka Beans are banned in the US. WTF! Excuse me, but seriously?! I say we have a “Free the Tonka Bean” movement. Sure, there’s poverty, disease, and war, but what of the the tasty Tonka Bean? Who will fight for their cause?! Who will join me?!

Beat the winter-time blues with these summery Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes from Annie’s Eats.

How often have you heard someone say, “I had an extra 11×17-inch sheet of chocolate chiffon cake lying around”? Me neither. Until now. Those words came out use real butter’s of fingers in her post for this Chocolate Hazelnut Torte.

I’m not sure which part of this recipe for cornmeal cake with chamomile-honey crème anglaise from Tiny Banquet Committee I’m more fascinated by, the cake or the crème anglaise. The both sound delicious.

Pies, Tarts, etc.:

Zoë Bakes celebrated Oscar night with these Chocolate Tarts with Chai Caramel. Try them for your next big event.

Hungry girl conjured a Banana cream tart that includes vanilla bean pudding and chocolate.

Find out why Dark Chocolate Haupia Pie with a Macadamia Nut Oat Crust is one of Dianasaur’s favorite desserts.

Funny how you can see an image and immediately a word will pop, I should really say explode into your head to describe said image. Spectacular. That’s the word that exploded right between my eyes when I saw this Tarte Tatin in Vol-au-Vents from Apple Pie, Patis, & Pate.

I found out that red walnuts exist in this post from Almond Corner about her Tuorta da Nusch Engiadinaisa – Engadine Nut Tart, which is a classic Swiss “caramelized walnut filled, buttery shortcrust pastry”.

Don’t ask me why, but I’ve been just CRAZY about lemon lately, and who doesn’t love chocolate? So kill two taste buds with one tart with this Lemon Tart with Chocolate-Almond Crust from Savoring Time in the Kitchen.

Spoon! Desserts and the like:

Here’s one of the standards. Crème Brulee is considered a foundation in pastry by many. Cafe Chocolada has supplied us with this essential recipe.

The description of Lotus of Siam from Zoë Bakes makes me want to go to Vegas just so I can eat there, and I don’t even know if I like Thai food. For now I’ll have to placate myself with the recipe she provided for their Sticky Rice with Coconut Cream and Mango.

This Cheese and chocolate mousse from Sunita’s World look crazy good.

Candy:

Get Pate de Fabulous with this Raspberry Pate de Fruits from A Chow Life.

Blow your mind with this Bacon Toffee from Foodie With Family.

How can you resist the logic of The Sporadic Cook when she says, “Sure you could go out and just BUY a package of Reese’s, but how can you be sure you’ll really get close to a full cup of butter?” of her Peanut Butter Cup Bars. I certainly can’t.

Hey! There’s a beverage here man!:

The Hungry Mouse has provided a recipe for Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur. That’s right, homemade. WHY would you want to make Irish Cream Liqueur at home? Maybe Bailey’s doesn’t have enough fat content for ya, or is chocolate listed as an ingredient? Need I say more?

Not only were we blessed with one homemade liqueur, but another cocktail ingredient called Falernum. Kaiser Penguin is giving away a year’s supply for the best tasting sample mailed to him.

Here’s another no frills Hot Chocolate recipe from Tongue in Cheek. If you’re looking to be more adventurous add some cayenne or Khalua to the mix.

Miscellaneous:

Boy, when it rains it pours! You may know from last week that I was looking for a recipe/technique for making your own butter and found one. I just ran across another butter churner from Omnomicon. This one is super simple in that there’s only one ingredient and no food processor is required. She has some great tips too on how to turn humble cream into decadent butter.

When plain ‘ol pastry cream just isn’t decadent enough, turn your dessert up to 11 with this Caramel Pastry Cream from Hungry Cravings.

If you’re looking for a dessert challenge why not try Snowflake from Almond Corner. What is Snowflake, to be honest with you I don’t quite know. It’s one of those recipes that has um-teen number of components like the Yule log from last December. I seriously don’t know how this woman has the time, nor the stomach for all that she creates in her kitchen!

Here’s, “A Spanish recipe: dried figs cooked with Xerez and honey” from Tertúlia de Sabores. Scroll down a bit and look in the right sidebar for a translation drop down.

Continue your jaunt through culinary Spain, and go “Spanish on doughnuts” with these Churros from Passionate About Baking.

Whether or not you decide to actually make these Blackberry Dumplings from Eat Make Read you should definitely give the blackberry sauce a try for your next dessert, breakfast, lunch, snack…

Here’s a treat from Tiramisu’. Not only are you getting a recipe for Chocolate Pavé but also cardamom ice cream!

The Duo Dishes highlights Golden Syrup including a recipe for what apparently is the UK’s answer to the rice crispy treat in Cornflake Cupcakes.

Haven’t you always wanted to make your own peanut butter? Well, here’s two recipes for you to try. The first is from One Ordinary Day and looks to be a more chunky Homemade Peanut Butter. The second looks decidedly creamier, hence the Creamy Peanut Butter moniker from So Say I.

I couldn’t help including this review for Askinosie Chocolate from The Chocolate Peanut Butter Gallery. I’m a bit of a “Design Afficionado” wannabe and this post combine both my love of the sweet and love for good design. Talk about a “wow” looking candy bar. I’m going to have to get my hands on some-a-that!

Cookography wrote up essential information for bakers and cooks alike in “Knife Sharpening for Real People“. If I ever get a good knife, now I know how to sharpen it.

Finally, while bento boxes aren’t traditionally sweet tasting, they are sweet looking. Here’s a little tribute to Lost from Adventures in Bentomaking titled “I put the Ben in Bento“.

Recipe Round-Up ~ Feb 7-13

Aimee — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:25:19 +0000

Thought I forgot about this week huh? Yeeeaaaah, so did I. Actually I kept getting side-tracked and for whatever reason my brain chained itself to the idea of making fondant as a pic for this post and I didn’t get around to doing that until yesterday. Better late than never right?!

Oh and if you’re interested in actually making your own fondant (as I did for this pic) check out this wonderful post from Joe Pastry on making your own. He was kind enough to include a link to a great recipe. Now all I need is a cake to cover.

Start off the day with a hearty breakfast:

These Double Chocolate Waffles with Berry Sauce from Our Best Bites make me want to go out and get myself a waffle maker.

These aren’t strictly a breakfast food, but I’m putting them here anyhow. Foodbeam describes making croissants as, “…pretty daunting at first, but once you’ll really pay attention to the different steps, you’ll realize it’s as easy as making pâte feuilletée.” Ha! Ha, ha, ha….ha. Yeah, as easy as making puff pastry. That’s a good one. Look, it’s not like puff pastry is brain surgery, or as complex as (apparently) a flourless chocolate cake can be. HOWEVER, you need to be in shape to do it. The results are TOTALLY worth it, but you will get a work out.

Yeasty Stuff:

Say goodbye to boring biscuits and hello to these Orange Pumpkin Cloverleafs from No Fear Entertaining.

Cookies:

As you may have already discovered by now, I can’t resist a macaron recipe. Here’s another from Tartelette to celebrate you’re beloved with Valentine’s Day Macarons.

And just in case you thought that macarons were a parochial type of recipe (what could be easier than a meringue base right?) just check out this post from No Special Effects. There’s a video of what appears to be a British top chef type show. Check out how easy macarons were for the “professionals”.

If you’re nuts for Nutella give these Nutella Oatmeal Thins from Une-Duex Senses a try! Apparently the Nutella in the batter wasn’t enough of a big hazelnut to the kisser for her so she sandwiched some between two cookies.

Cakes:

Here’s another entry from Palachinka for the Food Blog Inspection group. Apparently this is the best Dobos Torte she’s ever tasted, so I’m going to have to give that recipe a try.

Whether you’re looking to impress for an event, or just savor the sweeter side of life, you can’t go wrong with the Reine de Saba chocolate cake from She’s in the Kitchen.

I guess this is a cake, but I think it’s more of a feat of human ingenuity. This is Valentine cake “box of chocolates” from Italian Kitchen and more! who is actually a Polish cook living in Italy.

This ain’t your Grandma’s tea cakes. And who needs tea anyways when you could have tonka bean, cinnamon and rice milk sherbet milkshakes with your pistachio, raspberry and buttermilk tea cakes from Cannelle et Vanille.

While chestnuts do grow on trees, the don’t grow around here. It’s too bad because now the only way I’ll be able to enjoy Take It and Like It ’s chestnut cream, chocolate mousse, and brownie layer cake is by mailing away for chestnuts.

Another marriage made in heaven is chocolate and wine. Luna Cafe features the perfect pair in their Bittersweet Chocolate & Cabernet Sauvignon Butter Cake.

Learn how to make hearts out of strawberries in Omnomicon’s post for Strawberry Heart Shortcake Cupcakes.

I doubt I could ever come up with a description as clever as, “Get hot and steamy for Valentine’s Day” for this post from Cupcake Project on the new Cupcake Fondue craze that’s sweeping the nation.

flagrante delicia has produced another work of art with her Banana and passion fruit cake.

Pies, tarts, etc.:

Foodie With Family gives you a reason to keep spare tart shells in your freezer for these Chocolate Truffle Tarts.

When I look at these Apple Crumble Tarts from Sweet Dreams I find myself wishing that she included a recipe for whatever chocolate (I’m assuming) filling she has in the other tarts. But hey, the apple looks mighty tasty so I won’t quibble.

Pastry:

Zoë Bakes more refined version of Baklava puts those little diamonds to shame.

I’ve never heard of Majorcan ensaïmada until I came across the recipe from flagrante delicia. Apparently the Spanish tradition of the Ensaïmada has been kept alive in most of the countries they used to occupy throughout the world, albeit with their own unique cultural stamp. Those of you who have been reading my blog already know that I’m Polish. But that’s just accounts for half of me. I’m also Puerto Rican (my Mom got the hots for Latin men after seeing West Side Story, so the story goes), so I’m always fascinated by Spanish-influenced cuisine.

Food Blog Inspection actually was born from the FBI Rukavice group which is for food bloggers in the region of former Yugoslavia. Tulumbe, a cherished sweet in the Balkans, was Cafe Chocolada’s choice from Palachinka’s blog.

Spoon! Desserts and the like:

Learn all about the Italian treat, Zabaglione from Giovanna Zivny at Culinate.

In describing her Chocolate Pots de Crème, Savoring Time in the Kitchen said, “A mouthful of love from me to you…” That’s one of the sweetest things I’ve ever read on a food blog.

Who knew that squash and cheese could be a dessert? Laylita’s Recipes did with her Dulce de zapallo.

L’Atelier Vi provides us with not only a recipe for Lemon Mousse with Citrus Curd, but some of the prettiest pictures of lemons I’ve ever seen.

Life of a Foodie celebrated Valentine’s Day with these Pomegranate and Honey Yogurt Verrines. As far as I’m concerned, I wouldn’t mind celebrating any day with this elegant looking dessert.

Candy:

Cafe Johnsonia has gone to the trouble of creating some of the most detailed instructions for making your own Homemade Peanut Butter Cups.

Savory:

I couldn’t resist including this recipe for Watermelon, Feta, and Black Olive Salad from Hungry and Frozen. My mouth is watering from just reading the list of ingredients.

Careful man, there’s a beverage here!:

Enjoy Cooking Books’ company as well as her Mango Maple Lassi.

I would love to try this Yangmei Orange Iced Tea from Appetite for China. Unfortunately I don’t think they carry the Yangmei berry in these parts. I doubt there’s a single Yangmei berry in the entire state. I wonder.

Learn all you ever wanted to know about goat’s milk but were afraid to ask in this post from Ezra Pound Cake which includes a recipe for a Spring Fever Strawberry-Banana Smoothie.

Miscellaneous:

There’s this crazy concotion of creme brulee, white chocolate, coconut and fries that Eat Show & Tell came up with.

My Sweet & Saucy gives us all a lesson in having fun with fondant. I managed to actually make a batch and work in some color. I decided to go with a belated Valentine’s theme.

Why buy Marsipan when you can make it yourself with this handy recipe from The List of My Life.

If you’re snowed in maybe you’ll want to eat a little Spring for dessert with this This Blood Orange Sorbet with Candied Fennel and Kumquats from Brooklyn Farmhouse.

If you’re eating Spring for dessert maybe you’d like to, “Eat sunshine for breakfast,” with this Meyer Lemon Vanilla Bean Marmalade from Informal Blathering.

Get behind the scenes at a bakery with CakeSpy in her Sweet Factory post.

Lastly, I wanted to include this sweet post titled, I love you anyway, from Seven Spoons about the real reason why we all bake. Sweet stuff.

Recipe Round-Up ~ Feb 14-20

Aimee — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:18:39 +0000

I tried to get this out on time (on time being by Sunday). While trying to think of a picture to use for this week, I decided to make the Sweet Vanilla Challah from the Yeasty Stuff section and use the results as this weeks pic. Unfortunately my photo editing turn-around is a bit slow, hence a Tuesday posting. Better late than never though right! Enjoy!

Don’t forget your breakfast:

These Buttermilk Pancakes from Dalla Mia Cucina look divine!

How about Raspberry Mascarpone French Toast Strata from Piccante Dolce? Try it with the Sweet Vanilla Challah below. Talk about a tasty breakfast!

Yeasty stuff:

Brioche and nutella…oh yeah! Douhmesticity (love the name!) blasts her blog off with these brioche rolls with nutella. Talk about rolling out the big guns for your first post!

Holy cow! This Sweet Vanilla Challah looks fan-freaking-tastic! That’s one beautiful swirl from The Fresh Loaf. I reeeeally want to get into making my own bread (I have a day 6 old pâte fermentée in the fridge, originally slated for baguettes, which will probably be going in the garbage soon) and I will seriously have to make this! (Actually, I did this weekend hence the pic for this post. I ended up steeping a vanilla bean and seeds in the hot water for about ten minutes. I still added about half a teaspoon of vanilla extract. One thing to note about this recipe, keep an eye on your baking time. I got this amount of color after just 40 minutes. I should have been checking because I would have taken it out much sooner. Still tasted great though!)

Cookies:

Hazelnuts and coffee, are there any other two objects more MFEO (made for each other)? I suggest you start your research with these Hazelnut Espresso Chocolate Cookies from pastry studio.

I don’t know why but I’ve had lemon on my mind. Maybe I should give these Lemon Cookies from My life in two words a try. Or how ’bout Lemon cookies with lemon and raspberry filling from Salt and Chocolate.

These Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cookies from Once Upon a Gourmet Gin (in reference to “Ginger” the blogger’s name and not the drink (my fav)) sound delightful.

According to Colloquial Cooking, Zimtsterne are miracle Alsacian and German cookies. I’m not sure if they’re a miracle, but I am seeing stars! Go see them for yourself.

Dana Treat puts her Palmiers mildly by titling it “Two Ingredients”. Sure, all Palmiers are made of is sugar and….puff pastry. According to her, “Of course you can make your own puff pastry but why? Why when there is DuFour out there?” Apparently its $13+ a box. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have that kind of cash. That being said, if you are strapped for time instead of cash then by all means DuFour all the way. I, on the other hand, have my situation reversed and have more time than cash so I would opt for the do-it-yourself version, and let me tell you, puff pastry ain’t easy. Of course, another nearly two ingredient recipe of flour and butter (of course there’s fun things like salt and sugar and who-knows-what else in there, but what essentially makes puff pastry, puff pastry is the proper layers of butter between flour), but you’re going to have to get your 1000 layers in there somehow so you might as well add “elbow grease of the Gods” to the list of ingredients. I’ve done it, so anyone can do. That being said, I’ve done it once and only once in the last year. I LOVED the results. If you’re like me and on a “only if it came out of my oven” journey, give puff pastry a shot. You won’t be disappointed.

Cakes:

I’m putting this Flour Frosting from Obsessed With Baking in the cake section since this would apply to a cake. She swears by this frosting, but I confess that the idea of adding flour to frosting grosses me out too. I’ll have to give it a try since it sounds like we’re both searching for the same holy grail of frosting, and we’ve had mixed results with buttercream.

If you’d like to literally stop your heart try these Chocolate Chip Oreo Cupcakes from The Good Mood Food Blog. This actually reminds me, does anyone have a good recipe for homemade Oreos? I refuse to buy any packaged baked goods, Oreos (gasp!) included. So if you have a good Oreo recipe let me know!

Kuih Bahulu or Kuih Baulu are the East Asian answer to the French Madeleine. Beachlover’s Kitchen posted a recipe for these diminutive cakes that apparently are served at Hari Raya or Chinese New Year.

Spoon! Desserts and the like:

Besides macarons I can’t resist a crème brûlée recipe, so here’s Crema Catalana (Catalan Crème Brûlée) from Not Quite Nigella.

Learn all about cardamom in Taste Buddies’ post for Cardamom Custard with Caramelized Oranges.

Tranceport yourself to Athens with this Greek Sweet Semolina Pudding called Halva from Cafe Nilson.

This Orange Sherbet in Ginger Baskets sounds like a luscious pairing from Cooking In the Kitchen With John. The post is in Bulgarian, but John was kinds enough to include some links for translation so check for your flag on the right sidebar.

Pies, Tarts, & other pastry stuff:

Oh, and go eat a cherry pie…it’s good for ya!

Candy:

The picture of a sliced S’mores Cup blew my mind from The Hungry Mouse’s Homemade Peanut Butter & S’mores Cups.

Careful man, there’s a beverage here!:

Here’s a decadent recipe for Roasted Hazelnut Hot Chocolate from Eggs on Sunday that I’m going to have to attempt once I get my hands on some good chocolate.

While I’m a fan of Pomegranates, I’ve never been crazy about Pom. That being said I still would love to get a taste of this Pomegranate and Blood Orange Refresher from The Adventures of Kitchen Girl.

This Ginger Bee from eat make read sounds a lot better than drinking some lemon tea when you’re sick!

Miscellaneous:

Not only did eat make read provide us with a tasty beverage, but also a recipe for butter! After seeing Alton Brown’s Case For Butter in a recent Good Eats episode I thought that it would be neat to try making my own. I just haven’t gotten around to finding a recipe and now I don’t have to!

You know I always thought that pink lemonade was concocted by some mad scientist locked away in some lab at Minute Maid. Cake and Commerce has set me straight though and pink lemons actually do grow on trees! Check out her post about this surprising little fruit.

I have to include some of the most beautiful photos of tomatoes I’ve ever seen from Souvlaki For The Soul and her Kumatoes.

Lastly I’m including this tech tip from BitterSweet. In her post Three-Handed Photography she provides some inventive ways to get more creative when photographing your food. My fav of course is the server taped to the box.

Recipe Round-Up! ~ Jan 31 – Feb 6

Aimee — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:05:27 +0000

Here we are again. I’m really going to try and be on time this coming week!

Cakes:

The description for this cake on TasteSpotting was, “Have you ever seen a cake like this?” Answer….well, no. In the process of highlighting this Triangular Cake from Palachinka I’ve discovered this awesome food blog event called FBI, or Food Blog Inspection. They pick a blog each month to “investigate” and everyone is required to make something from the blog under investigation and write down your observations. Sounds super cool and I’m definitely going to have to give that a try one of these….months. I’m so busy and the last thing I need is another food event to do, but still, sounds like fun!

Who can resist a post that starts with, “I don’t think I’ve made a better muffin, ever”? I couldn’t. That’s why I’m including these Blueberry Muffins from Obsessed With Baking.

Cookies:

For those of you like a kick to your chocolate check out these Hot and Spicy Chocolate Chip Cookies from [No Recipes]. I know that there is a whole sect of foodies that worship at the altar of lighting your mouth on fire, and I might be inclined to join if the fire ended right there. Unfortunately while my mouth can take the heat, my stomach on the other hand cannot.

I don’t think I’ve told anyone yet, but I’m coming out about my latest passion…hazelnuts. So of course I had to include these cookies from Cookworm for Hazelnut and Chocolate Sandwich Cookies. They look decidedly reminiscent of a macaron which doesn’t hurt.

Holy mole! Check out these Espresso Mole Shortbread cookies from Choosy Beggars. I looooove shortbread, and this combination of chocolate, espresso, and spices sounds de-lish. The only thing I would have to omit is the cayenne due to my stomach’s sensitivity to heat.

Pies, tarts, and the like:

These Gingersnap Toaster-Oven Tarts with Peach Filling from Cooking Books really get my imagination rolling. I’m not the biggest fan of ginger, but I can see doing something like this with other flavors. How about chocolate and raspberry, or, if you want to posthumously celebrate World Nutella Day, chocolate and Nutella.

Spoon! Desserts and Fruit:

I’ve always wanted to do something like The Cook’s Collection 3-layered Very Very Chocolatey Mousse.

Miscellaneous:

I was doing my usual jaunt through TasteSpotting’s latest submissions this week and saw what looked like a petite half-egg made out of chocolate with the caption, “How to make your own beautiful edible chocolate bowls,” and thought, “Who wouldn’t want that information!” Low and behold, not only was I introduced to a great idea for serving one of my kitchen concoctions, but there was a bonus recipe for White Chocolate Mousse Drizzle and White Chocolate and Almond Cream. All this is thanks to Stephanie’s Kitchen.

Learn about cocoa powder with Bonbini!’s post for whole caramelized hazelnuts.

You’re going to have to use your friend Babelfish to check out these mini pavlovas made with maple cranberry sugar, whipped cream and raspberry coulis from Jasmine Cuisine. While you’re there check out her contribution to World Nutella Day, the jaw-dropping Nutella crumble pie.

I’m always on the lookout for the perfect frosting recipe. While I’ve encountered both success and failure in the realm that is buttercream frosting, I still haven’t discovered the holy grail of butter cream that seems to only exist in my mind’s mouth. Having said that, I came across this recipe for Strawberry Jam Buttercream from Real Mom Kitchen. It sounds a little different than the other recipes I’ve come across so we’ll have to give this one a try. What I like is that it’s open to interpretation considering the inclusion of a jam. If you’re not keen on strawberry, what about raspberry or grape even? With the explosion of jam flavors that are out there, you have plenty of room to be creative.

Savory:

One thing to let you know, I just can’t resist a good Polish recipe, especially one for Pierogi. I wish I had my Grandmother’s recipe, but unfortunately I didn’t develop my passion for the kitchen until after she passed away. This recipe for Pittsburgh Pierogi from The Barefoot Kitchen will have to stand in. It’s funny because although I grew up in New York and my Grandmother lived most of her life there, she was in fact from a little town in Pennsylvania called Ford City. One of her eight siblings (that’s right, nine kids…good Polish catholic stock!) was a big fan of the Steelers and sadly he’s gone as well. All were from what Tom Brokaw referred to as the “The Greatest Generation“. I’d have to agree.

Wash it all down:

Given the fact that homemade baked goods are waaay better than store bought (at least when successful they are), I’d prefer to use a homemade Oreo for this beverage but until I come across a perfect recipe the Nabisco treat will have to do for this Oreo & Irish-Cream Milkshake from The Hungry Mouse.

Recipe Round-Up ~ Jan 24-30

Aimee — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:53:57 +0000

Those DB tuiles really screwed up my timing. I did have this ready a while ago, but I had to get a jelly doughnut for the pic. It’s funny how this blog really gives me excuses to stuff my face. “I have to eat it. It’s for the blog!” Yeah, like that justifies my ever widening waistline. Actually I think I’m not doing too bad, thanks to pilates and yoga. Still, I’d like not to just stay on my even fat-keel, but actually lose weight. Oh well.

Just can’t eat another doughnut? Check out the Spoon! Desserts section for a revolutionary idea.

Start the day off right with:

Pittsburgh Needs Eated introduced the beautiful idea of a, “sugar encrusted apple pancake,” and yes, it does sound irresistible. Keeping that in mind, resistance is futile when it comes to Reuben’s Legendary Apple Pancake. Must…buy…apples…

French toast with fresh macerated strawberries from Kitchen Sojourn…anyone who describes storm clouds with, “bellies fat with rain” is good in my book.

Cookies:

La Prochaine Fois came up with a great idea for the stray egg white you may have hanging around after your latest batch of creme anglaise, Almond Financiers! They include brown butter so you can’t go wrong.

Cakes:

Poppy Seed Cake from Il pranzo di Babette, now this actually looks like a Chocolate Poppy Seed Cake, one way or another there’s a drizzling of chocolate on top and that sounds mighty fine to me. You’ll need to use a service like Babel Fish to read this unless you’re Italian. Ciao!

Honey & Jam became a true believer in the power of cake flour with this sticky Blackberry Jam Cake. Chuck the Red Bull, cake flour gives your cake wings!

Check out this spicy little number that’s sure to brighten your dark winter days, Dark Chocolate Azteca Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream from A Good Appetite. If nothing else, the heat from the cayenne should warm you up.

It doesn’t look like the TWD crowd has gotten around to Dorie’s Perfect Party Cake but Ezra Pound Cake has, and boy did she ever really go with the Perfect part of that name. That cake is as pretty as a picture!

If you aren’t already aware, I’m not really a fan of cheesecake, but I couldn’t help including this recipe from Steph Chows for Amaretto-amaretti chocolate cheesecake. It looks phenomenal, and according to her it has, “ruined me to any other cheesecake.”

Seasaltwithfood celebrated Chinese New Year with a cheery Steamed Rice Cake (Fatt Koh).

Spoon! Desserts and Fruit:

Talk about a revolutionary idea, doughnuts and pudding sounds like a marriage made in heaven. Give this wedded bliss a try with Jelly Doughnut Pudding discovered in the New York Times by Sarah over at TasteSpotting.

Find out how creme brulee became, “the one that shall not be named” for Tartelette with her Tangerine Creme Brulees Tartelettes.

Deep fried bananas from folkmann.ca, he suggests dipping them in honey or nutella…drool much?

Revel in winter with A Gluten-Free Day and her Strawberry Meringue Soufflé.

Coconut mango white chocolate bread pudding with rum sauce (holy cow!) from bella eats

Candy:

I don’t know what to say about the Homemade Twix Bars from Cooking Books except to include this quote, “…The caramel to cookie ratio is skewed further in favor of a luscious homemade caramel based not only on the standard milk, sugar and butter, but also on sweetened condensed milk and golden syrup.” (Oh my!) Need I say more?

Miscellaneous:

I just had to include these Bread Bowls from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pâté, I’m thinking there’s probably a way to make these sweet and serve ice cream or some other spoon dessert in them. One way or another they’re a great find, thanks Apple Pie, Patis, and Pâté!

I’m always on the lookout for Canelé experiments, and Lottie + Doof’s post provides a recipe for the luscious little beauties. I’m pretty keen on giving this recipe a try since he has experienced an authentic French Canelé, something which this George Bailey just hasn’t had the opportunity to do. It was love at first site in Martha’s cookbook. Even though I had never tasted one, I knew that Canelés and I were meant to be.

I realize that this was actually posted the week before, but I came across this recipe for Truffle honey ice cream with hazelnut dacquoise and Seville orange sponge from Nordljus and had to include it. If I could ever get my hands on some of the ingredients I would be more than happy to give this a shot, even without an ice cream maker! Looks to be a delicious recipe from a beautiful blog.

Want to know the answer to the question, “Can marshmallows be made with other sugars/syrups other than granulated sugar and corn syrup?” Then take a look at this experiment with Peanut Butter and Jelly Marshmallows from Garrett’s Table.

Hojarasca con Manjar which is this decadent pastry with Dulce de leche from Flagrante Delícia

Recipe Round-Up ~ Look at all the stuff I missed!

Aimee — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 23:42:38 +0000

I know, I know. I haven’t been consistent. I’m reeeally going to try and do better. Last week I started to do better, but things fell apart on Wednesday when I was attempting the latest Daring Bakers challenge. It’s funny how the (deceptively) simplest things turn out to be the most difficult.

Here’s a selection of things that have caught my eye over the last couple of months. I hope you find something that wets your appetite.

Breakfast-ish stuff:

You know, I don’t think I’ve ever actually had a scone (gasp!). Pink Stripes has convinced me that I have to try these Glazed Maple-Pecan Oatmeal Scones. The recipe can be found at Ezra Pound Cake.

Bread and other yeasted stuff:

I could kiss La Cerise. Stupid me never took the time to check out the PBS website to see if they had any videos of the FAB-ulous series Baking With Julia. Thanks to La Cerise I now know that PBS has a library of streaming video of what looks to be the ENTIRE series!!! Do you know what this means?! I can free up God knows how many hours of DVR space! Woo-hoo! Ahem, excuse me while I jump for joy, but this is seriously cool. I do highly recommend the series and the book. Before my brain explodes due to excitement (yeah, I don’t get out that much) please do visit La Cerise for an informative post on the very bread I have been considering baking for about two weeks now. She actually shaped it into wheat-stalk baguettes which look absolutely beautiful. I probably would have just thrown down some sort of cylindrical shaped lumps and hoped for the best. Kudos La Cerise!

Cookies:

Cannelle et Vanille couldn’t wait to start baking with the strawberries that have just come into season down here in Florida, so what did she come up with? How ’bout Vanilla Bean Macarons with Strawberry Pate de Fruit and White Chocolate and Vanilla Bean Cream. Talk about kicking Strawberry Shortcake in the pants!

These Seven-Layer Cookies from Smitten Kitchen look like something that would be found at the Un-Birthday Party in Alice In Wonderland.

Considering that I LOVE shortbread, and I’m pretty keen on chocolate (who isn’t?), and I do take a shine to caramel, I’d say that Energetic Chef’s assessment of “Shortbread + Caramel + Chocolate=Bliss” is spot on for her Chocolate Topped Caramel Shortbread Squares.

Cakes:

It warms my heart when I encounter a kindred spirit, such as I found in Love and Olive Oil and her Double Chocolate Layer Cake with Raspberry Filling. It looks like I’m not the only one with pan conversion issues.

I’ve got to try the Clementine Cake from Smitten Kitchen, looks amazing!

Here’s an antique recipe called Sally Lunn from the Brooklyn Farmhouse.

Mead Chiffon Cupcakes from Dog Hill Kitchen

Mimosa Sunrise Cupcakes from Baking Up Chaos

Chestnut fingers from Flagrante Delícia

Pies, Tarts, etc.:

According to Everyday Food I missed National Pie Day! What a bummer.

Don’t miss out on the very informative Pie Crust series from Smitten Kitchen. She takes you through Pie Crust 101, 102, & 103. Her love of the lowly pastry cutter warms my heart. The bit about the vodka, veeeery interesting and I will have to try on my next pie. I whole-heartedly agree that all butter is better than a butter/shortening combination. I started using shortenting because I was getting inconsistent results with all butter, and it was waaaaaaay embarassing when you needed a chainsaw to cut through my crust.

Vanilla and Cardamom-Flavored Flan Tart from La Tartine Gourmande…you will want to lick the screen when you check out her blog, the best pics!

Spoon! Desserts & Fruit:

We’ve got a couple of pear recipes from :pastry studio. First there’s Pears in Honey and Pine Nut Caramel with Artisanal Cheese and the Bay Leaf Sabayon really caught my eye in the Roasted Pears with Bay Leaf Sabayon. I’m gonna have to try this just because it sounds weird, to me at least.

Candy:

Marzipan Truffles from Jugalbandi…don’t forget to check out their Click! Photo contest

Miscellaneous:

I seriously love posts like Black Quinoa with Jewelry from The Pink Peppercorn. These little intimate portraits into the lives of our bloggers can be quite enchanting and this is one of them.

There are two really posts from Eat A Duck I Must! that really captured my attention. First there’s one on those fascinating flowering teas with some stunning pics. Then there’s the even more fascinating, or should I say stupifying Milk Tea Spheres. I believe that these are in the tradition/method/alchemical practice of El Bulli. Yep, that El Bulli. A name that I’ve only heard spoken in reverent hushed tones. I first heard of El Bulli from Anthony Bourdain and his special on his experience there. What I took away from it was that there’s always a new way of looking at the world, including food, and I appreciate all the views. Hats off to Eat A Duck I Must! for even attempting let alone succeeding at whatever black sorcery is contained in the mind of Ferran Adrià. If I piqued your interest check out a great post on her visit to El Bulli from Chocolate & Zucchini, Anthony Bourdain’s Decoding Ferran Adria, or the other plethora of El Bulli…I want to say cookbooks but that feels wrong, they really are like a rosetta stone for some kind of surrealistic world of food.

Okay, I’m not sure where to put this. We’ve got a fantastic post from Flagrante Delícia that not only has churros in it but hot chocolate as well. “Hot chocolate…what’s the big deal?” you ask? This isn’t your usual hot chocolate. Forget those packets with freeze-dried chocolate flavored dust and that barmaid from Sweden on the package. We’re talking about the kind of hot chocolate that makes you forget about your troubles, the kind you’d travel to Spain just to get a taste of, the kind that doesn’t just coat your spoon but actually clings to it. I first learned about this virtual chocolate ambrosia while watching one of those travel shows on the Travel channel. While the thought of traveling anywhere in Europe makes me wistful to hear the sound of jet engines and train whistles, that chocolate made Spain jump toward the top of my list of European countries I’d like to visit. It’s awesome to come across a recipe that captures what I believe to be one of those experiences that Hemingway might write about in some novel. So thank you Flagrante Delícia for your Churros con chocolate!

She also did this….this thing. Sorry, I never heard of it Chocolate and hazelnut turrón. Apparently it is a nougat confection that is a traditional dessert in Italy, Spain, and Latin America. She lives in Spain so go figure. Oh, and I can’t leave out the chocolate pasta. That’s right, CHOCOLATE PASTA. My tongue actually started to dry out from my jaw dropping to the floor and my mouth remaining open while staring at the sight of Chocolate tagliatelle with chocolate sauce.

Don’t miss Joe Pastry’s gi-normous series on Cornish Pasties which starts with a pronunciation lesson and ends with Oggie, Oggie, Tiddy Oggie!. I have to mention it because it just goes on and on. I didn’t know there was so much to know about Cornish Pasties. There’s another post of his that you won’t want to miss, especially those of us that live away from civilization, How to Make Crème Fraîche. So many times I’ve read, and even baked up, recipes including the renowned crème fraîche. Alas, where I live it is one ingredient that is simply not to be found. I’ve read in several cookbooks methods on making your own, but the idea of leaving dairy on your “relatively warm” counter for twelve hours made me nervous. I always thought of crème fraîche as something I’d leave to the professionals and I’d just have to wait until my ship comes in and I can move back to New York. Well, Joe Pastry has given me the confidence (and lovely photos) to give it a try.

Are you in the mood for a pretzel? Not some dried out husks sold in your local junk food aisle. I’m talking about warm, cushy salted-dough goodness. Pink Stripes has a recipe for Mini Whole-Wheat Parmesan Pretzels. I probably would have never thought to bake pretzels, but upon seeing the cute little twists, well, wouldn’t you want to take one home?

Dianasaur actually has a recipe for homemade Nutella, but she’s calling it Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Spread. I’m going to have to try this simply to see the difference in the taste. I’d love to do this with a reeeeally good quality chocolate.

No recipe here, but I thought you might get a kick out of this art exhibit that Dessert Girl posted about back in December. The intro on their site reads, “Who hasn’t dreamt of diving in thick chocolate mousse? …of digging a hide-out in a piece of cheese or a fruit …or skiing down a slope of whipped Chantilly cream?” I don’t know about a hide-out, but when I was a kid I’d imagine what it would be like as a mouse living in a big hunk of cheese and taking a bite out of my wall when I got the munchies.

Don’t forget the beverage!

Merry Dionysmas Mulled Wine from Kitchenscraps…I’m lovin’ his artwork!
Rosiest Hot Chocolate from The Pink Peppercorn
Pomegranate Champagne Punch from Brooklyn Farmhouse

Recipe Round-Up!

Aimee — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:38:49 +0000

You can thank acute nasopharyngitis for my extreme tardiness. At least I think it’s that and not the flu. You’d be surprised at how crap-tastic you can feel having the common cold setting up shop in the humble abode of your bod.

So here we are at what will most likely be the format for these during most of the year…theme-less. Here’s a bunch of bites that caught my eye last week. Enjoy folks!

Breakfast & Breads:

Pumpkin Bread French Toast from Food Wishes Video Recipes
Brioche, Burnt Milk Ice Cream from Cannelle et Vanille – that’s right, ice cream for breakfast…got a problem with that? I certainly don’t
Pecan Pancakes from Whisk: A Food Blog
Cranberry-Walnut Braid from Dana Treat (check out her Pumpkin Whoopie Pies from this week too!)

Cakes:

Lemonpi actually attempted a version of a Faubourg Pave (Cocoa Cake) from Pierre Herme’s Chocolate Desserts(talk about a drool-fest)
Strawberry Cupcakes from Cooking Etcetera
Spiced-Quince Brown Butter Cake from Chefs Gone Wild for no other reason than it has brown butter
Classic Chocolate Cake from Over The Hill And On A Roll
I have to be honest, the main reason I’m including the Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting from Bread & Honey is because of the completely adorable idea of serving them in little terra cotta flower pots.
Peanut Butter Pound Cake S’mores Panini from Panini Happy
Ruby POM & Emerald Lime Upside Down Cake from Conversations With A Cupcake
Pomegranate Petit Fours from Lori’s Lipsmacking Goodness
Dark Chocolate Cheesecake from I’ll Eat You
Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake from The Way The Cookie Crumbles

Cookies:

Goma macaron with lemon buttercream and raspberry jam from Big Boys Oven – I don’t know why, because I’ve never even had one, but something inside me just snaps and screams, “WANT!” whenever I see a macaron, ANY macaron. Oh here’s another, Hazelnut Praline Macarons from Bonbini!
Pistachio Cranberry Icebox Cookies from Lisa Is Cooking
Rainbow Cookies from The Sporadic Cook
Fortune Cookies from The Good Mood Food Blog
The Pumpkin Placecards from The Decorated Cookie gave me some inspiration for the photo I took for this post. I’ve been trying out recipes for the perfect sugar cookie. I was working on the third recipe and decided to try out some of the ideas from The Decorated Cookie . I actually used some of those decorative border scissors that people use in scrapbooking to shape the cookies. Then I melted some chocolate, watered it down a bit and threw it in a squeeze bottle to write “Welcome” on them. Awesome ideas from The Decorated Cookie! Here’s another couple of pics:

Pie!, Tarts, and the like:

Dulce de Leche Pumpkin Toffee Pie from The Recipe Girl
Family, Friends & Food illustrates a great tip on beautifying your pie crust edges with her Pretty Pumpkin Pie
Buttery apple tart from Life In Recipes
Chocolate Peanut Butter Tartlets from Velvet Lava Cafe
Spring Apple Blossom Bonnets from Bron Marshall because despite the fact that I love science and especially astronomy I forgot that it’s spring somewhere

Miscellaneous:

Chestnut gnocchi with hazelnut and milk chocolate sauce from Flagrante Delícia
I have actually been searching all over for a recipe for Pumpkin Crème Brûlée. Thanks Sophistimom!
Grilled Fresh Figs from Straight From The Farm
Sticky coconut sandwiched between chocolate shortbread and chocolate glaze from The Petrin
Chestnut Cream from Cannelle et Vanille
Dulce de Leche (from scratch!) from I Shot The Chef
Candied Pumpkin in syrup from La vida en Buenos Aires
As I’ve said before, I can be kind of a rock when it comes to branching out on the experiment-with-ingredients tree when it comes to certain ingredients, peanut butter being one of them. That being said I found this recipe for Christmas Peanut Butter Candies from Big Red Kitchen to be very inspiring. Instead of peanut butter, why not Nutella, or some other chocolaty concoction? The sky’s the limit.
Pomegranate BBQ Sauce from Hey, That Tastes Good!
Blackberry Cranberry Sauce from Baking Bites
Fresh mozzarella-stuffed figs drizzled with wildflower honey from Bread & Honey – gah! Was I drooling, sorry.
Poire D’Eve: Crunchy milk chocolate base, salted butter caramel mousse and Bavarian cream with spiced poached pears from Tartelette
The post for Caramel Croissant Pudding from Vi’s Pantry was titled, “Nigella is not responsible for my thighs!” I thought this was quite gracious since I find myself cursing Martha for my ever widening girth every now and then.

Don’t forget a tasty beverage!:

Dense Hot Chocolate from Lucullian Delights
Looking for something fruity? Try the Claridge from Paul Clarke on Serious Eats

Some good reference posts:

White and Brown Sugars from Coffee & Vanilla
Salt…the simplest but most essential ingredients from Just Cook It
Buying Organic Produce from The District Domestic
A look at duck eggs, and why you want to use them in baking and cooking from The Farm At Nanticoke Creek
An article on the pear including a savory recipe from The Go Lightly Gourmet
I thought this was a cute piece on how to start a kitchen from Foodproof

Recipe Round-Up! – Pumpkin Edition

Aimee — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 21:36:48 +0000

Sorry for the delay on this AGAIN. This week’s post ended up being even more of a behemoth than last week’s. Again don’t expect a theme every week, but after the Pumpkin Muffins challenge from Tuesdays With Dorie I had some leftover pumpkin (in addition to the $1 a can sale at the grocery store). I started out the week early, checking for recipes every day but only find one here or there. Then suddenly by the end of the week there was a rush of pumpkin posts. I can’t believe all the great stuff I found. I had so much I ended up breaking the list into categories.

No pumpkin recipe round-up would be complete without a recipe for Pumpkin Pie from The Bites Site and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds from Kirby Von Scrumptious. Of course I like to highlight some of the more unusual, outside-the-box recipes out there and the Pumpkin, caramelized onion and pine nut pizza from Dog Hill Kitchen certainly fits the bill. Despite the fact that this recipe doesn’t have any actual pumpkin, I could resist including the delightful Candy Corn Pumpkins from La Fuji Mama. And it looks like I’m not the only one thinking about pumpkins this week. Check out other pumpkin recipe compendiums: Halloween Recipes from 101 Cookbooks, Sweet and Savory Pumpkin Recipes from The Brownsville Herald and More Pumpkin Recipes from Old Fashioned Homemaking.

You might want to use this scary Halloween cupcake-theme pumpkin template from Baking Bites to carve next year. Speaking of Halloween, give this creative tradition from The Gilbert’s a try next year with your kids. Instead of putting a lost tooth under your pillow for the tooth fairy, imagine planting “magic marshmallows” for the Great Pumpkin.

Here are some pumpkin-themed gadgets, bakeware and serveware:

NordicWare 3D Great Pumpkin Pan
LamsonSharp Heirloom Pumpkin Carving Tool Set
Pumpkin Cookie Cutter Set
Silicone Pumpkin Cupcake Molds
Pumpkin Shaped Artisan Cutting Board
Pumpkin Casserole (This is gorgeous!)
Mariposa Small Pumpkin Sauce Dish, Great Pumpkin Platter and Pumpkin Napkin Weights
Arthur Court Pumpkin Bowl
Pumpkin Shape Pie Plate (Too cute!)
Pumpkin Tureen & Ladle
Pumpkin Shape Chip & Dip Plate

Those of you who enjoy gardening might want to try your hand at growing pumpkins yourself. Not having enough land is no longer an excuse since apparently it’s possible to grow pumpkins in 5-10 gallon buckets. And if you live in a hot climate like mine in Florida don’t give up on the dream of seeing some shiny, orange gourds of goodness. If I had more time I’d love to grow some of these varieties:
Jack Be Little Pumpkin Seeds
Sorcerer Pumpkin Seeds
Sugar Pie Pumpkin Seed Packet of Heirloom Seeds
Batman Pumpkin Seeds
Musque de Provence Fairytale Pumpkin Seeds In France wedges are sold in markets for cooking.
Rouge vif d’Etamps Heirloom Pumpkin Seeds French heirloom introduced to America in the 1880’s.
Italian Marina Di Chioggia Pumpkin Seeds An Italian seaside specialty, great for gnocchi and ravioli.
Mars Hybrid Pumpkin Seeds
Miniature Hooligan Pumpkin Seeds
Microwaveable Mini Pumpkin Seeds Slice off the top, scoop out the seeds, replace the top and microwave for 4 minutes. Spoon out the flesh and enjoy. Alternatively stuff with rice, mince or vegetable mixtures, or use as individual soup tureens with tops keeping contents hot.
Tonda Pumpkin Seeds From the Northwest of Italy, this pumpkin/squash has sweet dry orange flesh that can be used for soup, gnocchi or roasting.
Long Island Cheese Pumpkin Seeds
Snow White Valenciano Pumpkin Seeds
Organic Lakota Winter Squash Once cherished by the Lakota Sioux, the fine grained orange flesh has a sweet and nutty flavor. Great for baking.
Cucurbita Lil’ Pumpkemon Pumpkin Seeds Use the interior as a soup bowl or container for dip, or stuff and bake the entire pumpkin. Perfect for single-serving sizes of any side dish.