Blueberry Yogurt Muffins (5/2)

Oh yes, I am on a quest. A yogurt quest. A yuest.



How could anyone turn down that face?

These muffins were a spin from Cook's Illustrated. I substituted yogurt for buttermilk and cut down the baking times, and boy, if there's a go-to blueberry muffin recipe this is the one. The one I'm going to marry, Ma, if it'll just give me a chance.




There's nothing like a recipe that requires a bowl, a wooden spoon and some elbow grease.







Ho boy.


What are you still doing here? Didn't you have some muffins to bake?

Blueberry Muffins
Recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated via food. according to me.

2 cups (about 10 ounces) fresh blueberries
1/2 cup dried blueberries (optional)
2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
3 large eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup plain, whole-milk yogurt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 tsp turbinado sugar

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position to heat oven to 350F.
2. Bring 1 cup fresh blueberries and all dried blueberries to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently and pressing blueberries against the side of the pot, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened, about five minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in the large bowl. Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Slowly whisk in melted butter and oil until incorporated. Whisk in yogurt and vanilla until combined.
5. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in remaining one cup blueberries.
6. Gently fold in flour mixture until just moistened. Batter will be very lumpy.
7. Using a large spoon, divide half of the batter equally among the 12 muffin cups (about a third filled.) Place a heaping teaspoon of berry mixture on top of batter. Scoop remaining batter on top of berry filling. Using a skewer, gently swirl berry filling into batter.
8. Sprinkle turbinado sugar on top of the muffins.
9. Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 15 to 17 minutes, or a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean--they will continue to cook in the pan when removed from the oven.
10. Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Eat. All.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (4/30)

When I discovered the magical powers yogurt has in baking, I started looking for it in recipes or figuring out how I could use it. From my basic understanding, yogurt/sour cream/buttermilk (in other words, acidic liquids--from my AP Chemistry class in high school, solutions with a pH <7) tempers gluten strands in flour batters, allowing a higher rise, more tender crumb and all-around deliciousness. That acidity is balanced by the addition of an alkali, like baking soda and powder. In other words, make these muffins.



Tiny, soft and puckeringly tart, these muffins are a great way to make friends. I don't understand how poppy seeds work so well with lemon. For example, the phrase "they got along like poppy seeds and lemons" is so very appropriate I just might use it today.*

*Think that's nerdy? I have this in my repertoire: "He liked her as much as a weak acid likes protons." Trust me. It works.

In any case, this recipe from the inimitable Ina has been used to make a beautiful loaf, many mini loaves for gifting, and in this sweet bite-sized form. Make them however you like; just make them fast.






I mix the glaze ingredients in my 1-cup measure and just heat it directly over the stove.


Delicious here:


Embarrassingly good here.


Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
adapted from Ina Garten

makes about 24 mini muffins, 12 regular-sized muffins or one 8 1/2" x 4 1/4" loaf

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease baking pan, muffin tin, or loaf papers, then flour.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil and poppy seeds into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes in a loaf pan, 25 minutes in a muffin tin or about 20 minutes for mini muffins, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the batter comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in, or brush over individual muffins. Cool.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake. (Note: I usually leave out the glaze and the muffins are wonderful without it.)

Chocolate Sheet Cake (4/26)

I'm not one for particularly cold foods. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for ice cream and salad (separately), but when food is generally designed to be hot I prefer it that way. Cold chicken, cold pizza--count me out. And I consider myself to be fairly moderate about this. Lily enjoys her food at about scalding.

That being said, I ate this cake cold and I've never regretted it.




I hurriedly made this before work because it was the last day for my favorite boss. I had no inspiration. I scrolled listlessly for anything to make and thankfully I had the good sense to unearth this recipe. Of course, anything remotely smelling of "homemade" at my work has the tendency to disappear within seconds, so the safe thing to do is leave it in the walk-in refrigerator until ready to unveil. That meant putting my fresh cake straight into the cold box, which was how it was served, and boy, was it ever good. Make this cake.







Chocolate Sheet Cake
adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

Cake
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter
4 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting
1 stick butter
4 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and finely chopped

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan or the microwave. Stir in cocoa powder, then add boiling water. Let simmer for 30 seconds, then remove from heat. Pour over flour mixture and stir lightly to cool.

Combine buttermilk, eggs, baking soda and vanilla extract. Stir into batter and mix until just incorporated. Pour onto half-sheet pan and bake 18-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make frosting. Melt butter over medium-low heat, stir in cocoa and remove from heat. Thoroughly mix in milk, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. Stir in pecans and pour immediately over cake.

Cut into squares and serve. Cold if you like, but I doubt it'll last that long.

Truffled Deviled Eggs (4/22)

I'm an egg lover. Prepare me an egg six ways from Sunday and I'll happily eat it. In my egg compendium (my compeggdium, if you will) there is a special place reserved for deviled eggs. The first time I had them was from a platter at Amanda Perkins's 8th birthday party, quietly sitting beside the much more popular chips sidled up next to the dip and those annoyingly outgoing cookies.

I thought to myself, "Self, this is some sort of egg. But an egg the likes of which I have never seen in all my years. I must eat it at once." And I did.

I liked it so much that I probably ate far more than I should have, and since then I eagerly nose them out at parties where that all-American heritage runs deep. I don't know how to put this delicately, so I'll just say it: this is the whitest way to prepare eggs I can imagine. A blob of mayonnaise, a squirt of mustard and a little sprinkle of paprika? My Vietnamese-American self could never imagine such flavors.

I also assumed that everyone knew what they were, which is why I was so confused when I got involved in this conversation at a Denny's a few years later:

Waitress: And how do you want your eggs?
11-year-old-self: Deviled, please.
Waitress: I'm sorry?

I still think she was faking. She just didn't want to go back there and tell them that a little girl had just asked for her eggs to be hardboiled, the yolks seasoned and then piped back into their shell.

Well, I'm here to tell you that I will have my eggs deviled, dangit! (chews and spits something)

This recipe was based on Anne Burrell's that I got by way of Menu for Love. I thought that preparing 4 eggs would be a nice lunch, forgetting that I'm eating essentially eight deviled thingies loaded with mayonnaise, so I'd say try to set these out for other people. This is why I can't go to buffets. Careful not to overdo it on the truffle oil, because that stuff is strong. Sta-rong.







I used both whole grain and Dijon mustard, but substitute whatever you like. And am I the only one who thinks that the truffle oil looks like the "2001"/monolith tribute shot from "Clueless" when Cher gets the call from Christian on that huge black cordless? Or am I reading too much into this? Don't answer that.




Truffled Deviled Eggs

Ingredients
4 eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp truffle oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp whole grain mustard
Pinch cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
Chopped chives, for garnish

Directions
Place the eggs in a pot and cover with tap water. Bring the water to a boil, turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain, cool and peel.

Cut in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks and add to mayonnaise, truffle oil, mustard, cayenne, and pepper. Mix to combine, then whip until very light and fluffy.

Spoon or pipe the yolk mixture into the whites. Sprinkle with chopped chives. I held back on salting the yolk and instead sprinkled coarse sea salt on top, which lent a sharp crunch and nice contrast. Otherwise, just season to taste with kosher salt.

Frisée aux Lardons

Classic. Beautiful. Bacon.


Bacon fat rendered from crisp fried bits is whisked into a warm vinaigrette and drizzled over a salad of mixed greens, served with a poached egg. Classic bistro fare.

Frisée aux Lardons
Adapted from Nancy Silverton (via Dishing up Delights)

Ingredients
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon bacon fat
1 head frisée (I used a bag of mixed salad greens)
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Directions
Over medium-low heat, cook bacon until crispy. Drain fat, reserving one teaspoon, and add olive oil, shallots and garlic. Cook 2-3 minutes.

Whisk in Dijon and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about one minute and stir bacon back in. Set aside.

In a separate saucepan, set water to just below boiling. Crack an egg into a dish, give the water a strong stir and slip the egg into the water. Cook 3-5 minutes, lift egg out with a slotted spoon and set on a paper towel. Repeat for the second egg.

Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and toss to combine. Serve with poached egg on top.

Chocolate Cake (3/24)

I've mentioned before that I get hit by baking cravings. That means I'll just be sitting around minding my own business when a chocolate cake might come up from behind and punch me. It's pretty awesome. I decided on a whim to make this cake with no clear idea of how it was going to get et, and in the middle of the ordeal I get a call from my mom telling me it's my uncle's birthday that night and we're all coming over for dinner. I love my life!



This recipe uses Ina Garten's famous chocolate cake. The cake is soft, rich and oh so chocolatey, with two thick layers sandwiching an oozy strawberry filling. I omitted the coffee in the cake recipe because hey, I'm just not that into coffee flavor in baked goods. Instead I used hot water, which serves the purpose just fine. The idea from the filling came from Katie of Chaos in the Kitchen, which was itself adapted from Deb of Smitten Kitchen. The frosting is a basic chocolate ganache, which was good, but I recommend using a softer, sweeter frosting.

Start by combining dry ingredients (sift the cocoa powder; I use Dutch-processed Valrhona and that stuff gets clumpy).


Give a quick whir.


I never have buttermilk on hand and use this awesome buttermilk powder whenever a recipe calls for it. Just whisk 1/4 cup of powder with 1 cup of water...


Et voilà!


Add remaining wet ingredients (except water) and give them a stir.


Slowly add wet ingredients to dry. When incorporated stir in hot water until just combined, then divide batter evenly into cake pans and bake at 350F for about 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring strawberries, sugar and cornstarch to a boil until thickened and allow to cool completely.


For the ganache, heat cream in a saucepan to boiling and pour over chopped bittersweet chocolate. Stir continuously until thick.

Following Joy the Baker's frosting tips, place 1 layer on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting, creating a dam around the edges to try to hold in your runny filling. (She makes it look a lot easier.)


Put way too much filling on the cake and watch a lot of it spill over.


Frost the second layer and carefully place upside-down on first layer, creating a frosting sandwich with the filling.


Use remaining ganache to frost top and sides of the cake, ignoring the mess, and insist that your family eat it.


Moral of the story: If the urge to make a cake hits you, accept it. Embrace it. Eat it. Or, You Never Know When it Might Be Your Uncle's Birthday.


Ingredients

Cake:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup hot water, almost boiling

Filling:
1 bag frozen strawberries, partially thawed
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch

Ganache:
100 grams heavy cream
125 grams bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the water and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

While the cake is baking, make filling. Give the thawed strawberries a rough chop. In a saucepan, bring strawberries, sugar and cornstarch to a boil, stirring constantly, until thick. Cool completely before spreading over cake layer.

Make ganache by heating cream in a saucepan until boiling. Pour over chocolate and keep stirring until thick and spreadable.

When ready to assemble, prepare first cake layer by spreading about 2/3 cup ganache on top, creating a raised dam around the edge to hold in the filling. Spoon filling onto first layer. Frost second layer thinly, just to protect it from the filling, and place upside-down over first layer. Frost top and sides of cake. Cut a fatty slice and enjoy.

Homemade Oreos (3/12)

Ashley came home in March with her friend Chris from Boston to show him a rip-roarin' southern California time for spring break. This visit happened to coincide with a "homemade versions of your favorite childhood treats" kick I was on, and I asked her whether she preferred Oreos or Nutter Butters. She chose Nutter Butters, but I am withholding and petty. Or she said Oreos and I graciously demurred, I can't remember.



These cookies come out somewhere between crispy and chewy. Like a crisp chewy Oreo. To ensure evenly-sized cookies I rolled the dough into 0.4 ounce balls, but they turned out to be around 3 inches in diameter. I'd make them even smaller if you want them to be more authentic. They taste great--somehow missing that hydrogenated oily crunch from real Oreos, but a whimsical crowd pleaser, and the filling's pretty spot on.

Homemade Oreos
from Retro Desserts by Wayne Brachman via Smitten Kitchen

Makes 25 to 30 sandwich cookies

Ingredients
For the chocolate wafers:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
1 large egg

For the filling:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
1. Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375F.
2. In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly
mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While
pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue
processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.
3. Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment
paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. With
moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes,
rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.
4. To make the filling, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl,
and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the
mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and
fluffy.
5. To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round
tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie.
Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream.
Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the
cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been
sandwiched with cream.



Notes:
-I don't have a food processor. When recipes call for cutting in butter, like pie crust, I just use two knives and cut the butter into the flour mixture just like I would cut a steak: the two tips pointed toward each other, moving back and forth, until the dough is crumbly.
-I hate piping bags. For this recipe I rolled the filling, which is relatively stiff, into little balls and sandwiched them between two cookies, being sure to apply pressure evenly as the cookies may crack.