Moving Forward with Apple Crumble

After working on this blog – and my cooking skills – for approximately one year, and for doing a substantial amount of baking before that, I feel that I've reached a high point of confidence in my tastes, my techniques, and my skills as a baker. I feel like a different baker than I did a year ago, and with each session I spend in the kitchen, I see myself growing a little more. Now, I rely much less on original recipes as they are printed in cookbooks or online, and I prefer to experiment, adding or subtracting elements as I imagine will create an even better dessert. I can eyeball most of my ingredients (although in baking, precision is essential, and this is generally a no-no). I also find that I can sweep through the kitchen with much more grace than I had had in the past, and still create something edible and satisfying.

Perhaps my next step could be to improve my cooking: I'm accustomed to putting together easily re-heatable meals that I can quickly bring in my bag for lunch, or what I call meal-snacks, which often consist of a few small pieces of food, like an apple along with a chunk of bread and a slice of cheese. Becoming a “real cook” could be somewhere in my future, but I'm having much more fun with the baking. Working with a hand mixer and a measuring cup is a form of meditation for me, and the very feeling of soft cookie dough or cupcake batter is calming. If I have a next step – and I believe I do – I would like to see how I can further share my baking with my friends and my community.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to put together an Apple Crumble for an impromptu potluck, and I did so at the host's house, as the main dish was cooking. The seemingly-small dish fed a medium-sized crowd that was already happily stuffed with lentil soup, souffle, and greens, and it seemed to be the perfect ending to a delicious meal: something not too sweet, not too heavy, and that could easily be eaten with the hands (by dessert, all of the forks had been used).
Given the chance to do this sort of baking on a weekly basis, I wouldn't be able to turn it down; tasting my Apple Crumble, which I adapted from a found recipe, was only slightly more enjoyable than baking it.

Apple Crumble

Ingredients:

4 large Red Gala apples, cored and sliced
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
3/4 cup rolled oats

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Place the apples in an 8x8 inch baking dish. Pour the maple syrup over the apples. In a bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Stir in the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and oats. Sprinkle the oat mixture over the apples.
3. Bake in preheated oven 35 minutes, until golden and bubbly and apples are tender.

Peanut Butter Ball Perfection

As is evidenced repeatedly throughout my blog, I'm quite a fan of the pairing of chocolate and peanut butter. And why not? The sweet creamy chocolate and the salty creamy peanut butter work so well together, I would prefer the saying “They go together like peanut butter and chocolate” rather than “They match up like peanut butter and jelly.” Perhaps I'll start saying that to people, just to get a smirk or at the very least, an amused roll of the eye.
And lately I was at the wonderful vegan bakery near my house, The Flying Apron. Normally when I go there, it takes me several minutes to decide which baked good to try: some sound overly healthy, some show a listing of ingredients that I'm not sure will work together (to be fair, though, many times these types of recipes turn out the best), and others look much too delicious to be vegan. Though there are a few pastries that are my favorites, after this past trip to the bakery, I have a new one: Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls. The one I ate there was actually quite monstrous, yet I managed to finish the whole thing. The best part, in my opinion, was how it did not taste overly sugary, or artificial in the least (which, of course, it was not).

Inspired by the wondrous snack I had eaten, I spent the next afternoon putting together my own version of Peanut Butter Balls. I took some cues from the Flying Apron one I ate, some from a handful of recipes I found online, but mostly I just constructed a treat that I thought sounded amazing. And, I believe this is quite a sound recipe, one that can be tweaked to each individual's tastes. I like the addition of honey as a sweetener, as opposed to many I saw that called for Confectioner's sugar. Also, The most important thing to keep in mind is to cream the peanut butter on its own first; this makes for the lusciously smooth filling that completely compliments the hardened chocolate shell. Additionally, they simply look beautiful plated all together on a dessert tray.

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients:

2 cups creamy peanut butter
½ cup honey
½ cup oats
¼ cup shredded coconut
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Using a hand mixer, cream the peanut butter about two minutes. Mix in the honey, oats, and coconut. 2. Form into 1 ½ inch balls and place on a piece of wax paper. Place in the refrigerator. While the balls are cooling, blend the chocolate chips and vanilla extract and melt either on the stove or in the microwave.
3. Remove the balls from the refrigerator and roll in the melted chocolate. Garnish with coconut and chill for at least one hour before serving.

Crunchy Granola

I think that Seattle has officially had its full effect on me: this weekend I made granola bars from scratch, and I have been hard pressed to think of a food that goes so well with what I have seen of Seattle: something wholesome, something that brings together a whole host of ingredients, something that one would be happy to sell at the local Farmer's Market. I think that these granola bars encompass all of these qualities, along with the most important: they are very delicious. The taste, along with the nutritional quality, make for a food that I am hard-pressed to find a comparable match for.
And even though there is a long list of ingredients, these granola bars are surprisingly simple to put together. And what comes from it is a large portion of a healthy snack or meal, depending on one's preference.


Crunchy Granola Bars

Ingredients:
6 cups oats (quick or rolled)
½ cup vegetable oil
½ tsp. salt
¾ cup honey
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
½ cup flaked coconut
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup raisins
½ cup sunflower seeds or kernels

Directions:

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 17x11 inch rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Combine the oats, oil, and salt in a large bowl and mix until the oats are evenly coated. Transfer the mixture to a baking sheet and spread in an even layer. Toast until pale gold. Remove the oats and lower the temperature to 300 degrees F.
2. Combine the honey and brown sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. 3. Combine with the oats mixture. Add the coconut, peanut butter, raisins, and sunflower seeds. Stir everything together with a spatula. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet and spread in an even layer, packing it in tightly. Bake until golden, approximately 45 minutes. Cool, in the baking sheet, on a wire rack for 10 minutes then cut into 2x3 inch bars with a chef's knife. Remove the foil from each bar and cool completely before wrapping and serving.

Potluck Chocolate Fudge

Although I know of many people who don't necessarily consider chocolate to be a part of a balanced diet, I have had a difficult time over the years finding anyone who does not like chocolate fudge. I'm sure these individuals do exist, but the fact that they seem to be few and far between is why, in my opinion, fudge has traditionally been such a go-to dessert. It's made in massive quantities and distributed as gifts during the holidays, it's a staple in the tourist shops of every major city, and it's what I thought would be a perfect addition to my monthly staff potluck.

As unusual, my week was a busy one, and when I was reminded of the potluck, I searched my brain for a simple and delicious dish I could put together with what I had already in my cupboard, and with a minimal amount of time spent actually cooking. For me, there simply is no picking up a box of bakery cookies (though there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing so). So I went on a brief search for fudge recipes, which actually could have taken longer than the actual preparation time of any of the ones I was looking at; the sheer quantity of fudge recipes floating around out there is a testament to this candy's popularity. I found countless varieties of peanut butter, maple, peppermint, marshmallow fudges, along with another subset of nutted fudges. Even the basic chocolate fudges could have been made with cocoa powder or baking chocolate, cream cheese or condensed milk.

Since I was hoping to avoid a trip to the grocery store, I chose a Hershey's recipe with a simple ingredient list. The preparation is a bit more involved and precise, and much more of what I consider “candy making” to be: after all, it calls for an actual candy thermometer! I do not own one of these, but I found that with careful attention, I was able to get by just fine without it.
And I'm glad that I tried to: the fudge turned out rich and ever-so chocolatey, and though a bit heavy, one piece is all it takes to enjoy the fullness of this fudge.

Cocoa Fudge

Ingredients:

3 cups sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Line 8-or 9-inch square pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Butter foil.

2. Mix sugar, cocoa and salt in heavy 4-quart saucepan; stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to full rolling boil. Boil, without stirring, until mixture reaches 234°F on candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water, forms a soft ball which flattens when removed from water. (Bulb of candy thermometer should not rest on bottom of saucepan.)

3. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla. Do not stir. Cool at room temperature to 110°F (lukewarm). Beat with wooden spoon until fudge thickens and just begins to lose some of its gloss. Quickly spread into prepared pan; cool completely. Cut into squares. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature.

Chocolate Shortbread for a GNI

Thanks to the television show The Office, I can no longer hear the term “Girls' Night Out” without thinking of one particular episode of the show and one of the more memorable (in my mind) Office quotes. One of the women in the office is getting married, and the female employees throw her a worktime bridal shower, which is joked about as their “Girls' Night Out.” Of course, a lunchtime party with co-workers is not normally what many think about as “Girls' Night Out,” and is does not turn out to be: in fact, the presentation given by a Ben Franklin impersonator isn't what many people consider entertaining or enjoyable at all. But, The Office manages to make it both, and the following exchange is what always come to my mind when the phrase “Girls' Night Out” is uttered around me.
Angela says: “You know this is a luncheon shower. Girls only.”
And Michael, her boss, responds with, “No problem. The guys are having a little shindig of their own in the warehouse. From 2:30 to 3:15. That is the only time that Bob was available. Sort of a guys' night out. A 'G-N-O' if you will. A 'gno.' Actually it's more of a guys' afternoon in. A G-A-I. A gay. Not-- not... it's uh, not gay. It's, uh, just uh, it's a bridal shower for guys. A guy shower. An hour long shower with guys.”
So this week, when my roommate and I hosted a relaxing “Girls' Night In” at our place, my mind immediately jumped to this quote, and I giggled endlessly to myself as I baked the Chocolate Shortbread cookies for our GNI.
And the cookies were a lighter, smaller dessert selection to top off the full table of tapas that we snacked on into the evening. Additionally, they were easily handled while lounging in the living room, watching a movie. I found just one cookie to be the perfect end to a larger group dinner, with a powerful chocolate taste that left me, and the others, very satisfied.

Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until the butter is fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add sugar, and beat about 2 minutes until very light in color, scraping down the side of the bowl as necessary. Add vanilla, blend, then add flour mixture, mixing until the flour is just incorporated and the dough sticks together when squeezed with fingers. Form dough into a flattened disk, wrap in plastic, and chill until firm (at least 1 hour).
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly spray two baking sheets with vegetable oil.
Using a spoon, form dough into 1-inch balls; place on prepared baking sheets. Bake until firm, 20-22 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with cocoa powder just before serving.

Luscious Chocolate Mousse Cake

Although my baking habits generally err on the side of healthy (my desserts do not normally boast the butter or sugar content of, say, Paula Deen), I still savor the opportunity to make a fully no-holds-barred dessert that equally tickles the palate of those who swear by sweets and also of those who instead appreciate one spectacular piece of chocolate a month. This really only happens when I'm baking for a group, and most definitely when I'm baking for someone other than just myself. This is when I want to create something memorable that is so decadent that I simply cannot wait to pull it from the oven, let it cool, and then plate it. A dish that's mere smell or appearance induces raised eyebrows, salivating mouths, and smiles of anticipatory pleasure (of the chocolate variety).

When this sort of dish is in order, I have found that I cannot trust just any recipe to fulfill the specifications. I do not pull a random one from my recipe file, but I go straight to my most trusted teachers. In this case, I took my cookbook, “How to be a Domestic Goddess” from the shelf, and asked it to give me something that would elevate me slightly higher toward that title. Of course, I brought the book with me to the kitchen in which I was cooking — which was not my own, but that of a friend's —and I received a requisite amount of teasing over the title. I counteracted with a confident smile and a remark about her Nigella Lawson's expertise, and then I continued to work with some of the most marvelous equipment that I ever have: heavy ceramic mixing bowls, metal measuring utensils, a wonderful springform pan. And although these pieces played an integral part in the creation of this Chocolate Mousse Cake, the real reason for its amazingly light composition, yet decadent flavor (not my words, but those of my tasters) is the chocolate used. Nigella specifies that only the “best quality” chocolate bars should be melted into this dish, and she is spot on. This time, I used Green & Blacks Organic chocolate, and I'm sure that anything above the waxy drugstore candy will do. Decent eggs and butter are also essential, mainly because there are so few ingredients, and each one stands out in its own way.

This cake received many compliments, including “out of this world” and “absolutely amazing.” And upon trying a slice for myself, I can think of several more perfectly apt phrases.

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Ingredients:
11 oz. dark chocolate
2 oz. good quality milk chocolate
¾ cup unsalted butter
8 large eggs, seperated
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
A pinch salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and put a kettle on to boil. Line the inside of a 9 inch springform tin with silver foil, make sure that the foil is pressed well to the sides to form a smooth surface.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter together and allow to cool. In another bowl, beat the eggs yolks and sugar until very thick and pale, they should form ribbons when lifted with the whisk. Stir in the vanilla and salt and then the cooled chocolate mix. Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until they form soft peaks, lighten the chocolate mix with a beaten in dollop of the whites before folding in the rest of them.
3. Pour the cake batter into the foiled cake tin and place the whole thing into a larger roasting dish. Add hot water from the boiled kettle into the roasting tin until it comes about 1 inch up the side of tin. Cook for about 50 minutes - 1 hour.
4. When the cake has cooled, slowly peel off the foil. The outside of the cake will be cooked and dry and the inside will be soft and moussy. Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve.

For the Love of Lavender

My new found love of culinary lavender is quite well-known amongst my friends by now; it seems that whenever I talk about food lately, I'm describing the latest lavender Earl Grey tea I've tried (Revolution Tea has a blissful blend that is strong and aromatic), or the dark chocolate with lavender I ate (for this, Dagoba Organic chocolate), or the lavender-iced cupcake I enjoyed not too long ago. Even the chocolate shop where I work part-time recently debuted a specialty lavender hot chocolate, with the signature hot chocolate base, homemade vanilla whipped cream, and a sprinkling of culinary lavender buds on top, giving the drink a floral quality without being overpowering.

Lavender just seems to go well with so much in the foodie world, both in sweet and savory dishes. As I've looked for recipes, I've seen lavender sauces matched with duck and pork, it's included in beef Carpaccio dishes, paired with goat cheese in tarts, and roasted with tomatoes. For the majority of people I've spoken to, though, using lavender in foodstuff generally is a bit too adventurous. I, however, am all about adventure, which explains the wide range of ingredients that my baking cupboard contains.

Today was a beautiful day off from work (thanks, President's Day!) and as I walked through Woodland Park here in Seattle, my mind wandered to my baking, and why I have so quickly warmed to all things lavender. The reason, I mused, is that the very essence of lavender is soothing and calming, and what better way to infuse these properties into my life than to literally consume them? I know I was not considering this when I took the first sip of lavender tea or when I excitedly helped to put together the lavender hot chocolate at the shop, but it makes sense to me. I, like many others, use lavender body lotion and lavender candles to soothe myself at the end of the day: these things help me to relax and re-center myself. If I use lavender for these reasons, then why not take it a step farther by suffusing my diet with the herb? What other healing herbs can I make a mainstay in my kitchen, then?

It's a beautiful flower in sight and smell, and equally so in taste, as I'm discovering day by day.

This lavender recipe comes from Hood River Lavender in Oregon and is a wonderfully fragrant, bready dish that showcases lavender very well.

Lavender, Rosemary, Garlic and Olive Focaccia

Ingredients:
1 pound pre-made pizza dough
2 Tbsp olive oil (extra-virgin)
¼ cup pitted & chopped black olives
2 tsp chopped lavender buds
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp coarse salt
ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Lightly oil a large baking sheet. On a work surface, roll pizza dough out into an 8 x 14 rectangle. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cover with a clean dish towel, let rise at room temperature for 20 min. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. After final rising on baking sheet, make dimples in dough with finger tips. Brush on 2 Tbsp olive oil; then add mixture of: 2 tsp chopped lavender, 2 Tbsp rosemary, 2 cloves minced garlic and chopped olives. Press into place, sprinkle with 1 tsp coarse salt & black pepper to taste. Bake 12 – 15 min. or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Cut into pieces to serve.