yam wontons

i know this is more cooking than baking, but i just loved these so much and was so proud of myself that i took pictures and want to share.

i saw a recipe for this very thing in a cooking light in a doctor's office and felt too bad to rip it out but figured i could find it online. no such luck. i found a bunch of different recipes but none that matched what i saw in cooking light. so basically i just made this up based on a few different ideas from those different recipes.

ok, so i took two medium sized yams and peeled them and cut them into french fry sized pieces. i cooked them in coconut oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (i do this a lot when i just eat yams plain, but not to the point where i can mash them easily, like i needed for this recipe) once i could mash them, i added a bit of goat cheese and made sure there was enough flavoring from before. i put them in wonton wrappers, sealed 'em up and browned them on both sides in a little bit of olive oil (just enough so the pan isn't dry). and that's it. super easy to make, just a little time consuming with stuffing the wonton wrappers. but they are super good and pretty healthy with the minimal amount of oil i used and basic seasoning.

ultimate sticky buns

i made these on sunday. i've been wanting to make them since i started researching sticky buns after seeing them on "throwdown with bobby flay" on the food network (the winning recipe is here). however, you need about 4 hours to make them so it's a big commitment. and while they are good and got a lot of compliments, i still feel that the easy recipe is better. which is basically like this. sorry no pictures, but there are plenty on the first recipe link and i'm pretty sure hers looked better than mine. besides, i spent four hours making the rolls, give me a little break, eh?

lemon bars on brown butter shortbread

this recipe is from the tartine cookbook my friends juliann and kathryn gave me. tartine is an amazing bakery in san francisco the city that is my one true love. these lemon bars are the best lemon bars i've ever had. ever. they recommend you eat them chilled, but i honestly love them still a little warm. cut a piece and sprinkle a little bit of powdered sugar on top individually.


crust:
1/2 c. confectioners sugar
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. unsalted butter, at room temp.
1/2 c. pine nuts (optional - i chose not to add them)

filling:
1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 1/4 c. sugar
1 c. + 2 T. lemon juice
lemon zest from one lemon
6 large whole eggs
1 large egg yolk
pinch salt (whisking eggs with salt helps to denature (relax) the protein in the eggs and breaks them up more quickly and thoroughly.)

confectioner's sugar to top

preheat the oven to 350° F. butter a 9x13" baking pan.

to make the crust, sift the confectioners' sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. add the flour and stir to mix. add the butter and pine nuts (if using)and beat on a low speed just until a smooth dough forms. transfer the dough to the prepared pan and press evenly into the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan. it should be about 1/4 inch thick. to help even out the crust, use the flat bottom of any type of cup, pressing down firmly. line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights (i used beans cause i didn't have any weights). bake the crust until it colors evenly to a deep golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes. rotate the pan 180 degrees if the crust appears to be baking unevenly.

while the crust is baking, make the filling: sift the flour into a mixing bowl. add the sugar and whisk until blended. add the lemon juice and zest and stir to dissolve the sugar. in a separate mixing bowl, whisk the whole eggs and egg yolk with the salt. add the eggs to the lemon juice mixture and whisk until well mixed.

when the crust is ready, pull out the oven rack holding the crust and pour the filling directly into the hot pan. (it is easiest to pour the custard into the pan if the pan is in the oven.) if the crust has come out of the oven and cooled before you have finished making the filling, put it back in for a few minutes so that it is hot when the custard is poured into it. reduce the oven temp. to 300° F and bake just until the center of the custard is no longer wobbly, 30 to 40 minutes.

let cool completely on a wire rack, then cover and chill well before cutting. using a sharp knife, cut into 12 squares, or as desired. if you like, dust the tops of the squares with confectioners' sugar. they will keep in an airtight container or well covered in teh baking dish in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

banana bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 overripe bananas
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped (i don't really believe in nuts in bread, so i excluded these)
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting (optional, i never really do this part)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining bananas and sugar together for a good 3 minutes; you want a light and fluffy banana cream. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla; beat well and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated; no need to overly blend. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Give the pan a good rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Don't get nervous if the banana bread develops a crack down the center of the loaf; that's no mistake, it's typical. Rotate the pan periodically to ensure even browning. Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes or so, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Toast the slices of banana bread, dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve. (toasted banana bread is one of the most brilliant things i've ever heard of. so good!)

also, the top of my bread was getting too brown, so i'd place a piece of foil on top after about 45-50 minutes. this bread is so good cause of the crispy edges and soft and moist center (yes, i said moist, even though i loathe that word.) these pictures are from a time when i made this before and substituted toasted slivered almonds (finely chopped) for the pecans. i think i prefer my bread sans nuts. but that's just me.

toll house pan cookies

whenever i make these, they are always a super-hit. i've been making these since high school and they are still my favorite basic chocolate chip recipe.

1 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips


1. Preheat oven to 375° Grease a 9x13" pan.
2. Beat butter, both sugars and vanilla in large mixer bowl.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
4. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.
5. Gradually beat flour mixture into butter mixture.
6. Stir in chocolate chips.
7. Spread into prepared pan.
8. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

dutch apple pancake

so this doesn't fall in with any of your requests, which i will get to. for sure. but in the meantime, i wanted breakfast for dinner and this is what came out.



4 T. butter
2 medium apples, cored and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 T. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
powdered sugar for dusting

preheat oven to 400° and butter a deep pie dish. in a frypan over medium heat, melt 2 T. butter. Add apple slices, cinnamon and sugar and sauté, stirring occasionally, until apples begin to soften and brown, 5-6 minutes; set aside. in a bowl, beat eggs with a whisk, add milk and beat mixture until blended. sift flour and salt into egg mixture and beat just until blended. melt remaining 2 T. butter, add to flour-egg mixture, adn beat until smooth. pour batter into prepared pan and arrange apples evenly over batter. bake until pancake is browned adn puffed up, 25-30 minutes. dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately. serves 4.

absence makes the heart grow fonder?

hey everyone, i just want to apologize for the lack of posts. this month i've been out of town for work and sick twice. so, it's not you, it's me. but i'm hoping to make it up to you soon. any requests?


most sincerely,
caroline

dough enhancer

so, i got some of this dough enhancer that my mom asked me to pick up for her and tried it on two different recipes and it makes the bread SO good. so much lighter and it raises so much better. i thought i'd fill you in on this tip so that the next time you make bread you could try it and you would see a huge difference.

peanut butter bon bons

i gave some of these away at work and to a few friends. these are candies that my family loves that we got from my brother's friend's mother. got that? anyway, these are a better take on a lot of the "buckeye" or peanut butter bon bon recipes i've looked up. the use of rice krispies adds a great texture.

1 stick unsalted butter
2 c. peanut butter (i like to use one cup creamy, one cup crunchy)
1 lbs. powdered sugar
2 c. rice krispies (crushed)

12 oz. choc. chips (i used more than that, and it helps to melt a tiny bit of shortening with the chocolate to make it melt better and to look shiny)

roll peanut butter into balls.


once the peanut butter balls are formed, it helps to put them in the freezer first so they are easier to handle and set up better once you dip them in the chocolate.

to melt chocolate, i just put the chips and shortening in a heat safe bowl and melted it over boiling water, and if you keep the chocolate over that hot water, it stays easy to handle. but can be a bit hot. so be careful.

this is a really blown out picture of my hand dipping the chocolate. once they are dipped and chilled, i like them best kept in the refrigerator so that they are really crunchy.

i don't have a finished product picture, unfortunately because i had to give them all away. but they are pretty and so good to eat.

banana bread pudding with caramel sauce

to celebrate the new year, i had a breakfast pot luck at my house. i know it's not really breakfast and more of a dessert but i decided to make banana bread pudding for my contribution. it's got bananas and that's fruit so i say it falls in the breakfast category. i sort of ad libbed this recipe but based it on this one:

For the pudding:
2 tbsp. butter
4 ripe bananas, peeled, halved crosswise and then lengthwise
2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
2 cups whipping cream
4 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 oz. firm white bread sliced, crusts trimmed, each slice cut into 3 strips (i used cinnamon swirl bread)
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

For the sauce:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
pinch of salt

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add bananas and 2 tablespoons sugar and cook until bananas are tender, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from heat. Combine whipping cream, eggs, vanilla extract in a medium bowl and whisk to blend.

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter 9x13-inch loaf pan. Arrange 1/3 of bread strips crosswise in bottom of prepared pan. Arrange 6 banana pieces atop bread. Arrange 1/3 of bread strips crosswise atop bananas. Pour half of egg mixture over. Arrange remaining banana pieces atop bread. Arrange remaining bread strips crosswise atop bananas. Pour remaining egg mixture over. Press gently on top layer to compact. Let stand 15 minutes.

Bake bread pudding until puffed and golden and knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool slightly.

Meanwhile, make caramel sauce. Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cream, sugar and salt. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.

Drizzle with warm sauce and serve.