My First Attempt at Artisan Bread

I got this amazing artisan bread cookbook for Christmas, and I have been wanting to make something from it ever since I got my hands on my new treasure! A couple of weeks ago I finally decided to make the Focaccia bread that looked sooo incredibly delicious. The recipe was much more involved than anything I had made before (bread-wise), but it looked like fun and a challenge I was ready to take on! So one Saturday evening I made a poolish for the first time ever. I got the flour, water, and pinch of yeast together and let it ferment overnight (the recipe called for 16 hours). I was so excited when I checked in on it the next morning! It was a big, juicy, bubbly, goo-like substance -- and the smell was strong!

Poolish!

It's actually a recipe for Ciabatta dough.

I added the rest of the ingredients to the poolish, which happened to just be more of what I had put in the night before. Then I had to stir it for approximately one hundred hours. Well, that's not entirely true. The recipe called to put it in a mixer and let it go for 6 minutes on medium speed. Well, the only mixer I have is my own arm power. And when my fingers are cramping up, the speed is slow. Anyone who thinks six minutes flies by should go grab a spoon and stir an almost solid flour mixture for that much time. One minute can seem like five hours! Well, I did it, and promptly did no more (which is what the recipe called for). Thank god. 

Ready to sit

 Then you let it ferment for thirty minutes, fold it in all sorts of directions (the book came with a video on how to properly do this! It was fantastic), and repeat the process three more times. Once it's all done you spread it out on a baking sheet and act like you're playing the piano whilst dimpling the dough. Let it sit some more. Add whatever your heart desires to the surface of the dough. Mine desired onion and garlic powder, basil and parsley, sauteed onions and garlic, and later on it was topped with feta.

Folding was fun!

 

Piano fingers

 

I love the bubbles!

Baking away...

It was soo good! The bread was incredible. Not only was it delicious, but it was so pretty with all the holes and seasonings on top! Will definitely make this bread again.

The Finished Product!

Chocolate Cake, Emergency Room, Lemon Cake, & Rolo Brownie Ice Cream

My Uncle Dave and his girlfriend Lori both celebrated their birthdays this month. Unfortunately, they had to celebrate separately because Uncle Dave was in the south training for his new, very exciting job on the trains. After six long weeks, he finally returned home on Saturday. They decided to have a Happy to Be Home/Birthday Party, and asked mom if we would make the cake! She said why yes, of course, and then offered to make two cakes -- there are two birthdays, here. And then she said that perhaps we should make ice cream, too. After scouring the cookbooks for the perfect birthday cakes we landed on a Devil's Food Chocolate cake with Ganache frosting, a Lemon Mascarpone Layer cake, and Rolo-Brownie ice cream.

Friday night mom made the first batch of ice cream (our tiny ice cream maker only churns a small amount at a time), and we were feeling good. On Saturday we would make the second batch of ice cream, and then both of the cakes.

Saturday morning mom and I woke up raring to go -- well, she did, it took me a while to wake up, but I got there eventually. We're baking up a storm -- the chocolate cake is completely mixed, melts into the baking pans, and then is put in the oven to turn into gooey deliciousness.

I quartered Rolos for the brownies that had to be made for the ice cream:

Oh, the decadence! The smell of chocolate and caramel were in the air...and the taste was in my mouth. I am a compulsive beater licker, and scrap-of-whatever-I'm-making eater. The Rolos were delicious. So creamy. So smooth. Anyway, the Roloed brownies were also made. So we had two things almost done (the cake was still in the oven) when it happened. I was taking tiny bites off a hunk of sharp cheddar cheese so I could savor every bite, and mom was cleaning up the kitchen when we heard a crash. After approximately fifty "fucks" used in a variety of ways in under two seconds, mom and I realized that the crash was Shawn falling off the ladder he was straddling whilst scraping snow and ice off the roof. Yeah. While I would rather dig a hole and make my way to China, I thought it might be a good idea to call for an ambulance, and try to help mom not have her own coronary. I really don't know what my RD was thinking when she told me that I am good in emergency situations, because I really do not feel that this is the case. I panic. I call emergency personnel because I do not want to be the one out there dealing with pain and whatever gore may or may not be there. Thank god mom was alright with being the one to fly out the door. I can man the phone. All the while I'm hastily scribbling down every last drug Shawn has in the cupboard, and the damn timer for the chocolate cake is very angrily screeching at me to check and see if it's done. I figured the drugs were more important to have for the EMTs when they got here, so the cake had to just chill until I was done (Unfortunately, I think that made the cake a little overdone. What are we to do?). Crikey. After a whole bunch of drama, and five hours sitting in the hospital lobby -- waaaaaaaaay to much gore for me to be around *shivers* -- Shawn is told he has a broken rib (we found out today that it was not the case, he only pulled whatever muscle is on your side and runs from your ass to your shoulder).

Lovely.


We were able to take him home that night, and mom and I were so exhausted but wired that I finished making the ice cream and she finished the lemon cake.

Rolo brownie chunks!

The end product was incredible!

After that I was about beat. Mom was not, and decided to start and finish making the lemon cake -- I went to bed, and therefore have no pictures to document. I do have pictures of the gorgeous finished product though.

The filling is a lemon curd, also layered with mascarpone cheese.

The chocolate cake was a touch crumbly.....

Uncle Dave's magic coffee -- better than Timmy Ho's! "Do you want whipped cream?" Ummmmmmm......yeah!

Mom and I had quite the baking experience on Saturday, and a completely wonderful day on Sunday. Thank god for family and food!

Tiramisu

For my birthday this year I was given an excellent cookbook called The Boozy Baker from my wonderful friend Lauren. This cookbook turned out to be more than perfect since I have lately been intrigued by adding various forms of alcohol to my desserts. For Christmas my gramma made a grasshopper pie and it turned out sooooo good! I love that just a bit of alcohol gives you a friendly kick, but does not overpower or overwhelm the overall flavors of the cake.

So this cookbook came in handy when I decided I wanted to try out more boozy recipes. A family friend invited my family over for dinner last night, and she knows that I love to bake. As such, I was instructed to bring something magnificent for dessert. Finger pads touch finger pads in contemplation: what to bring, what to bring?! Something boozy, of course! I broke out the cookbook from Lauren and perused its decadent contents and landed on Hazelnut Tiramisu. I recently bought a bottle of Frangelico and had only used a touch of it, so the fates were on my side!

Thank god for monks.....or hermits

The cake ended up being so simple to make, too. Mascarpone, nutella, frangelico, heavy cream, coffee, and ladyfingers. And then toasted hazelnuts and chocolate shavings for garnish. The mascarpone, nutella, and whipped cream make the most wonderful fluffy and light filling for the cake.

Heaven in fluff form

Once the coffee is brewed you add the liqueur to it, and then dunk each ladyfinger in the concoction. I wish I could post what the coffee and frangelico smelled like -- hazelnut and coffee -- it was incredible. I was in heaven mixing the nutella and mascarpone! So once the ladyfingers are dunked in coffee/liqueur deliciousness you stick them in a bread pan -- only one layer. Then you add a layer of fluff, rinse and repeat until there are only ladyfingers as the top layer. Throw some saran wrap over it and stick it in the fridge....it looked like this:

Then when you are ready to take it out for eats, you invert it onto a serving plate and add the remainder of the fluff as the top layer. Sprinkle toasted hazelnuts and chocolate shavings on top, and you have a decadent dessert!

Now I have never actually tasted Tiramisu before -- I like to make things I have never had before. That said, I'm not sure if this is really what Tiramisu looks like or tastes like. The flavors are excellent, but I do have to say that I am not a fan of soggy cake. When I have cake and ice cream they are on separate dishes -- *shudders.* Because these ladyfingers were immersed in liquid heaven, there is the soggy aspect. Since most people don't seem to have a problem with soggy cake, and actually seem to enjoy it, I'm sure everyone else didn't mind -- they sure didn't seem to mind since everyone ended with a clean plate. 

Wedding Cake Tasting!

Not only did my lovely friend Sue ask me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding, but she also asked me to make her wedding cake! She's had a few of my delicacies, and they must have left a good impression because she wants more. I was a bit dumbfounded when she asked me -- what an immense responsibility! After talking about it though I became really excited to make her cakes because she is somewhat unconventional -- there will be no white cake for her! And that works perfectly for me. While a vanilla cake can be absolutely delicious it is not nearly as much fun and spectacular as some of the concoctions I have made and wish to make in the future. She also does not want the traditional tiered cake, and has requested three cakes on three separate pedestals to create the illusion of a tiered cake. I think this is going to be spectacular, and a wedding event that everyone will remember!

Anyway, since she has decided on three cakes I decided that for her cake tasting I would make six small versions of cakes she is interested in having for her wedding. The day before the cake tasting mom and I made  red velvet, carrot, spicy chocolate, dulce de leche, ginger, and hazelnut mini cakes.

We both got up at the crack of dawn (9am for me), and got to work by 10am as I am useless sans my morning cup of coffee. Once I was sufficiently caffeinated I got down to business and made a carrot cake, which turned out perfectly! I was a touch worried that it was getting too done around the edges, and might not be baked evenly through. Turns out that it was perfect and I had absolutely nothing to worry about.  

Even though these cakes turned out so nicely I was still worried that they might not be cooked evenly through -- the sides might be crunchy, and the middle might be under-baked. So I decided on giving the next cake a water bath. Turns out that was a very, very bad idea. It looked pretty.....

but it just did. not. work. Must be that water baths are strictly for humans and cheesecake. After this lovely bath, my vanilla cake for the dulce de leche cake was a hot soggy mess. The bottoms refused to be released from their pans, and they came out all wonky and completely unpresentable. Since we had some extra of the dulce de leche filling (condensed milk baked for an hour that turns into the most scrumptious, gooey caramel) we smeared a layer on one of the unfortunate cakes, and made a very sorry looking cake.

So we made a new cake, and all the others ended up turning out perfectly! Ten hours later mom and I had ourselves a fridge full of the most adorable looking miniature cakes..and very sore feet.

Even though it was a long day, it was completely enjoyable and satisfying to bake all day. And I have to say that I was incredibly pleased with the outcome of the cakes. I will say though that after eating six slices of cake I have absolutely NO desire to eat cake for a very, very, very long time.

Homemade Thanksgiving

From the time I was little my holidays have always been completely homemade (except for the StoveTop Stuffing -- don't judge!). This year I think Mom and I outdid ourselves -- we had a food list a mile long, homemade decorations to prepare, and all of this spanned a couple of days. My mom's birthday started the festivities (the Tuesday before Thanksgiving), so I started preparing for her birthday cupcakes that Sunday. I figured making the frosting the night before might be a good idea, and then it breaks the whole process down and isn't so stressful. So Sunday night I made peanut butter frosting. I didn't even have the cupcakes made, but I knew it was going to be a good one. MMmmmMMMM! The next afternoon I made mostly mini cupcakes -- chocolate with a peanut butter cup nestled snugly and decadently inside. I used an actual cake recipe that included sour cream, so the batter was heaven-sent. Oh, my. So good. Once the cakes were all decorated -- topped with half a peanut butter cup the cupcakes looked (and tasted!) divine! I'm still working on my frosting via piping bag, so some of the cupcakes turned out kind of fugly. But some of them turned out perfectly!

That was a whole lot of fun! So these were all finished Monday night right in time for Mom's birthday on Tuesday. Tuesday we had a little break while we celebrated Mom, but we got right back to it on Wednesday!

Lots to do!

Wednesday both of us got up early and immediately after my morning coffee ritual, we plunged in! (It was around 10:00 or so). We didn't come up for air until 10:00pm. We made so many wonderful things, and had very few catastrophes. The peanut brittle was more intent on burning than on doing anything productive. The smoke detector set us back twice. Once mom hurled it into the bathroom shouting: "Shut up for Christ's sake! (angry, screamy face)." The next time the smoke detector became perturbed I took a towel to it, and took care of it! "SHUT UP GOD DAMN YOU TO THE FIERY PITS OF HADES!!!" In the meantime mom is struggling to hold, pour, and spread out the molten lava which is cashew brittle. What a mini nightmare. Everything else went off without a hitch though -- and everything was delicious!!!

Braided wheat bread with an egg glaze and sprinkled with parsley, basil, and onion and garlic powder.

It's almost cranberry sauce! A cinnamon stick and orange zest gives it a subtle but amazing kick!

Dirty Cowboy Corn -- Mom got an unexpected eyefull after googling that....

Grammy's stuffing, not StoveTop.

Beautiful turkey!

 Our beautiful turkey was slathered in a decadent herb butter, smothered in sage and parsley, and decorated with rosemary and thyme. Instead of stuffing him with...stuffing...I stuffed him with onions, carrots, celery, garlic, oranges, apples, and the rest of the fresh herbs. The fruits make him so moist and delightful! I also basted him every half hour. It is very important to do this if you do not like dry meat.

Deviled eggs! Filled with lots of mustard, garlic powder, and dill!

Chai tea from scratch topped with whipped cream (sadly, not homemade) and cinnamon.

Vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips.

Pumpkin ice cream with chocolate covered ginger snaps.

Everything turned out so well, and it was a blast. I enjoyed baking all day for a couple of days straight. There is nothing better than putting all of your effort into making something wonderful, and then to have people drool over your food and make orgasmic noises is really very satisfying. Not only do I enjoy what I create, but others do, too. And that is the best.

Cookie Platter and Learning Adventures

Saturday night I attended a charity event for the Springville-Griffith Community Education Foundation, Inc where money was raised to purchase a new mammography machine for the local hospital. The event had a great turnout -- between 300 and 400 guests, and it was packed! The cookie tray I made was a success (once out of the kitchen -- more on that later). I stealthily stood within viewing distance of my platter to see who (if anyone!) was bidding on my platter. I saw many people checking it out, a couple bending over to write down their price, and a very nice looking older gentleman took my business card! He stuck it right into his breast pocket after showing it to his wife and thoroughly investigating the platter and card. In the end, most of my business cards had been scarfed up, and the last I saw the highest bid was $40. Not too shabby for my first cookie platter!

Let me tell you though -- the going was not full of sunshine and daisies. Well, it was up to a certain point. Mom and I got up early and we were ready to go! We donned our aprons, tied our hair back, and started pulling ingredients from the cupboards. Mom cleaned up our work surfaces while I started making the Spiced Almond Wafer batter.
                                                                                              

Dark brown sugar, butter, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

Once this batch was completed I made another -- Dutch Nutmeg Cookies, and mom whipped up the Banana Oatmeal Cookies and the Chocolate Chunk and Cherry Cookies. We were in excellent shape. And then we started baking. And that is when things started to go wrong. The damn oven was too hot. When put on the lower racks of the oven the bottoms of the cookies burned leaving the tops raw. So the bottom rack was out of the question -- leaving one rack to use -- with multiple trays of cookies per batch. No matter how much we tried the cookies seemed to be near burned on the bottom and not quite done in middle -- even when closest to the top burner! GAH! I wanted to pull my hair out! That said, there were only a few cookies in each batch that I would allow to be put on the platter. You cannot give away (especially when someone is paying for it) burned and underdone cookies. It worked out though because we had just enough of everything. And the final product was quite pretty. And I must say, the peanut brittle was my absolute favorite! It was sooo simple to make, and it turned out beautifully. 

Overall, the baking and the event turned out to be a great success. Mom and I learned how well we work together in the kitchen, and to let the cookies tell us when they're not done, burned, and to not listen to the oven. Fucker.

Cookie Creations

Tonight I am preparing for an exciting weekend. My aunt invited me to attend a charity event, and asked me to make a platter of cookies that will be auctioned off. Of course I accepted immediately! How exciting! I scoured my recipes to find the perfect treats for the event, and decided on five cookies that have similar ingredients. They either include spices (tis time for the holidays after all!) or almonds...or perhaps both. The cookies have a theme while being completely different in flavor: Chocolate Chunk and Cherry Cookies, Dutch Nutmeg Cookies, Spiced Almond Wafers, Banana Oatmeal Cookies, decorated Sugar Cookies, and to top it all off, we're throwing in some peanut brittle. I can't wait to make everything, see what the finished product looks like, and, most importantly, to see how they all taste! This will be the first time I make the majority of these cookies -- hopefully there will not be any major disasters. Tonight I made the Sugar Cookie batter, it's chilling in the fridge overnight so it'll be perfect in the morning. I have made these before, so I'll post pictures of last years' creations -- Cookies made by me, decorated by mom.

Last years' Jack-O-Lantern and Ghost

 

Bundled-up Snowmen

Will post pictures of the new cookies tomorrow!