Let's Recap a Month's Worth of Desserts!

The holidays have come and gone, and here it's almost February 2009! What desserts have happened in that time? Christmas, of course, inspired plenty of baked goods and candies.

• Sugar cookies - we made these traditional cookies in several festive shapes (angels, bells, reindeer, large and small stars, snowflakes, trees), and used lemon juice to flavor them. This was a departure from years past, in which we gave the cookies a hint of vanilla. I plan on returning to vanilla in future years, as the lemon was an unexpected bit of tartness in a season of cozy, warm, spiced flavors. We tempered the tartness by coating the cookies in red and green sugar. The cookies were rolled slightly thicker than in years past, which meant there was more cheery deliciousness per bite!
• Peanut candy - these candies are so simple, yet so addicting! I can sum up the recipe in four sentences. (1) Put equal parts semi-sweet chocolate and butterscotch chips in a casserole dish; microwave them until they melt. (2) Mix the melted chips into a smooth mixture. (3) Pour a jar of peanuts into the casserole; mix them around until they are coated by the chocolate-butterscotch mixture. (4) Spoon dollops of candy-coated peanuts ono wax paper, and let them cool. Voila! I'll admit, I hoard these...and still have a handful or so pieces left.
• Cranberry coffee cake - this holiday breakfast classic is a typical sour cream coffee cake flavored with almond extract, with whole-berry cranberry sauce swirled throughout the better. The baked cake is then topped with an almond-flavored glaze. Put a sprig of holly in the center, and it looks like one of those classic Christmas puddings - but fortunately, it tastes much better! Yum.
• Dancing Deer Baking Company cookies - yes, commercial baked goods were consumed in addition to the homemade treats. We tried several different cookies. The best were the Molasses Clove cookies, which are moist, sugary, and spicy; these will become a fixture of Christmases future! The Holiday Shortbread comes in three flavors and multiple shapes (vanilla, chocolate, and snickerdoodle; stars, snowflakes, and drop); they were okay, but a bit dry. I liked them best dipped in hot cocoa! The Gingerbread Folk were rather lackluster. As you can see, there was a variety in the quality of the baked goods, but all of them were beautifully packed. I am a sucker for stylish tins and boxes; Dancing Deer wins on both fronts. I'd be interested in trying their other products, particularly their brownies and blondies. Also, their Valentine's cookies are so cute!

Since Christmas, I have baked a few items - Funfetti cupcakes and my classic Epic Brownie recipe for work events, and a cherry brownie recipe as a test to see if it was party-worthy. The best parts of baking and frosting with Funfetti are the colorful sprinkles that are embedded in the cake mix and sprinkled on top of the light pink frosting. The cheerful colors and bright vanilla flavor make Funfetti an easy crowd-pleaser. The Epic Brownies will receive an entry of their own in the future - yes, they are that good! :-P The cherry brownie recipe is similar to the chocolate-raspberry fudge cake baked in December, but slightly better. Better does not mean there will be a repeat baking, however. The sour cherry flavor, imparted by yet another Stonewall Kitchen jam, is really good, but the chocolate flavor isn't as strong as I would have expected from 8 ounces of baking chocolate. Also, the brownies are cakey rather than fudgy. I have had enough of baking with jams!

Here's hoping 2009 will have plenty of good dessert stories to share with you. :-)

From My Apartment's Christmas Table

My roommates and I enjoyed a homemade meal together this past Wednesday, prior to heading our separate ways for Christmas. Laura took care of the main course, which was macaroni with artichokes, mushrooms, and scallions, all tossed in a light cream sauce. I, of course, made the dessert. I tried this Stonewall Kitchen recipe for a chocolate-raspberry fudge cake. Once I got past the general unhealthiness of the ingredients (how many sticks of butter? cups of sugar? eggs?), I was able to enjoy the promise of chocolate - as derived from cocoa powder - and raspberry - as derived from seedless jam - flavors. The cake itself is very dense, but not as moist, smooth or rich as I would have liked. Its aroma is better than its taste. In the finished product, I noticed the dry, plain flavors of flour and butter more than the chocolate, sugar, or jam. I would replace some of the butter with oil in future bakings, and see if that moistens the batter and causes it to bake more smoothly. Also, the oil might draw out the flavors more than the solid butter. Aesthetically, it looks rather plain coming out of the 9" round cake pan. In order to enhance both the presentation and the flavors of the dessert, I served it with fresh raspberries and warm bittersweet chocolate sauce. Both additions were delicious!

This was probably the least successful baking experience / dessert yet recorded in these pages, but hey, the recipe was worth a try. I now have the goal of making an appropriately smooth, rich, and flavorful fudge cake!

The Cheesecake Factory's Latest Delight

...is a peppermint bark cheesecake.

The base is a chocolate-mint graham cracker crust. The cheesecake itself has a faintly peppermint flavor, with small chunks of candy and red food coloring swirled in. (The flavor and coloring fade toward the outer crust of the cake, where it is replaced by plain - though still delicious! - cheesecake.) The result truly gives you the impression that you are looking at a slice of peppermint bark, albeit in cream form. There is a layer of vanilla cream on top of the cheesecake, which is sprinkled with more peppermint candy chunks. A dollop of whipped cream, topped with more candy bits, plus two thin wedges of smooth dark chocolate finish off the dessert.

This cheesecake may be my favorite Cheesecake Factory dessert, with the other contenders for that title being Linda's Fudge Cake, Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake, Chocolate Tuxedo Cream Cheesecake, and Key Lime Cheesecake. The only way this particular cake could have been better? More chocolate, of course. (In my experience, peppermint bark has consisted of just as much chocolate as peppermint!) I would recommend enjoying this seasonal delight as soon as possible, as I don't anticipate it being around much after the holidays.

For a Cheesecake Factory restaurant near you, go to http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/locations.htm.

The Holiday Breakfast

Yes, this entry on Thanksgiving baking is several weeks overdue. I know, I know. I will limit it to the Thanksgiving breakfast, which I baked, rather than including the Thanksgiving desserts as surreptitiously prepared by my mother (she knew I'd be upset if I heard she was baking dessert in advance).

I must start by telling you that I am an apple snob. I didn't choose to become such a snob; it just happened that way. I grew up in Londonderry, New Hampshire, a town with four commercial orchards and, as the local phrase goes, "more apples than people." The most popular of the orchards, Mack's Apples, is the ultimate New England fall destination, with apples, cider, pumpkins, other veggies, baked goods, and maple products available for purchase from the orchard shop. (You can also pick your produce straight from the tree/vine, via several "U-Pick" stations; in the summer, you can enjoy locally-made ice cream by a pond with sociable waterfowl.) The orchard grows a variety of apples, which I have sampled throughout the years; my favorite is the Londonderry Cortland. Cortland apples are crisp and tart, with sparkling white flesh covered by red-and-green blotched skin. They are neither too sweet nor too tangy, and produce the most satisfying crunch possible in an apple - I've never encountered a mealy Cortland. Whenever I go to NH in apple season, it is guaranteed that I will return to Boston with a box of Cortlands. Present me with a different apple, and I will look at it in disdain.

Londonderry Cortlands are big apples, and a Mack's box contains a lot of them - so, I was making applesauce on a weekly basis for a while. I didn't add any sugar or other flavors to the applesauce - the Cortland flavor is strong enough that it doesn't need any enhancement. Other favorite apple recipes are apple crisp, applesauce-maple bread, and an apple spice cake. The apple spice cake had the honor of being the recipient of the last Cortlands of the 2008 season (tear), as well as being the 2008 Thanksgiving Breakfast. Since my parents would be eating the cake over the holiday, I asked for their input on the recipe prior to baking. My dad suggested replacing the Cortlands with Granny Smiths (overrated), Golden Delicious (how boring can you get?), or - wait for it - Honeycrisps (blasphemy). Apple snob that I am, I did not appreciate the joke. I ignored the "input" and baked the cake with my beloved Cortlands.

The cake was an instant hit! It's dense and flavorful. I attribute its success and exceptional taste to the following:

• grated apples - grated apples introduce more juice to the batter, so the apple flavor better permeates the cake than if the apples were diced into small pieces.
• lemon zest and juice - the extra tartness of the citrus fruit enhances the apple flavor.
• butter - yes, there is a lot of butter in this cake, but butter is preferable to cups of oil. Oil tends to weigh down these cakes and give them a moist, heavy quality. The butter gives this cake a creamy texture and keeps the batter somewhat light.
• liberal application of spices - it's a family tradition to double the spices in baking recipes; cinnamon gets the star treatment of frequently being tripled. Mmm, aromatic compounds.
  

Here is the recipe, courtesy of Bon Appetit magazine, for your baking pleasure.

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 3 C flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t ground cinnamon (double/triple as desired)
• 3/4 t salt
• 1/2 t ground nutmeg (double as desired)
• 1/4 t ground cloves (double as desired)
• 1/4 t ground allspice
• 1 3/4 pounds Cortland apples, peeled / cored / coarsely grated (2 apples, to make 2 cups)
• 1 1/2 C (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 1/2 C golden brown sugar, packed
• 1 t grated lemon peel
• 3 large eggs
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 t fresh lemon juice
  

1. Position the rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 325 F. Spray a 12 C Bundt pan with nonstick spray.
2. Sift the flour and the next 6 ingredients into a medium bowl.
3. Grate 2 C worth of apples; set aside.
4. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, both sugars, and lemon zest in a large bowl until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the vanilla and lemon juice.
5. Beat in the flour mixture, and mix in the grated apples. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
6. Bake the cake until a tester inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in the pan on a rack for 20 minutes.

Enjoy the cake warm, whether by eating it straight from the oven or zapping it for a few seconds in the microwave. You will not be disappointed!

Londonderry apple season is now over, but Christmas is right around the corner - so, that will inspire me to new heights of baking. Will there be pumpkin pie? Something chocolatey? Sugar cookies in holiday shapes? Stay tuned...

The Great Political Bake-Off, Part II

This bake-off (as rated by myself, roommates, and party guests) AND election both ended in favor of the same candidate! Michelle's shortbread reminded me of a cross between shortbread and a lemon square - a very enjoyable mix of flavors and textures, since I'm not a particular fan of straight-up shortbread or lemon squares. The citrus zest provided a strong, fruity flavor, which was tempered by the almond extract and the smooth creaminess of the butter. I plan to bake this recipe again, closer to Christmas, in my family's holiday shortbread pan.

Here's to the Obama landslide, in both votes and cookies!

The Great Political Bake-Off, Part I

With so much at stake this election season, there is no way that any self- and country-respecting American can just sit idly by. After casting our votes on November 4, my roommates and I will do our part to foster civic awareness by hosting an Election Night party. During said party, we will snack on the prospective First Ladies' favorite cookie recipes. This afternoon, I donned my imaginary "Baking for Barack" apron and whipped up some tasty treats.

Cindy McCain's Oatmeal-Butterscotch Cookies - makes approx. 4 dozen

• 3/4 C unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 C granulated sugar
• 3/4 C packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 C flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t salt
• 3 C rolled oats
• 1 2/3 C butterscotch chips

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and both sugars together. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating well.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture; stir until blended. Stir in the oats and butterscotch chips. Drop the dough by tablespoons, about 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets.
4. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool immediately after pulling the cookies from the oven.

This recipe is straightforward and easy to make, with a delicious dough that yielded dense, richly textured cookies. There is an unusually high filler-to-batter ratio, with the combined oats and chips taking up more space than the wet and dry ingredients together. As with any butterscotch baked good, the finished product is a bit oily. The oats, by compromising the integrity of the batter, also make the just-baked cookies difficult to work with. Once the cookies have cooled, they are a bit hard and brittle; a quick microwave reheat solves that problem. All that said, these are the best oatmeal scotchies I have ever had.

Michelle Obama's Shortbread Cookies - makes approx. 30 pieces

• 1 1/2 C unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 C plus 2 T sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 T amaretto (can substitute 1/2 t almond extract)
• 1 t each of orange and lemon zest
• 3 C cake flour
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 beaten egg white

1. Preheat the oven to 325. Line a 17x12x1 inch baking pan with nonstick foil (or, grease the pan). In a large bowl, cream the butter and 1 1/2 C sugar together.
2. Slowly add the egg yolks, and beat until smooth. Beat in the amaretto and zests.
3. Stir in the flour and salt until all is well combined.
4. Flatten the dough evely and smoothly into the prepared pan.
5. Brush the top of the dough with the beaten egg white, and sprinkle it with the remaining 2 T sugar.
6. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes, or until brown. Turn off the oven and allow the cookies to sit in the oven, with the door ajar, for 15 minutes. Cut the cookies while they are still slightly warm, with a smooth-bladed (i.e., non-serrated) knife.

I have not yet sampled these cookies, as I am saving them for the party due to a comparatively low yield. However, if the ingredients and my kitchen's aroma are any indication, this is not your mother's shortbread - in a good way. The citrus zest and almond extract seem like an unusual combination at first, but their scents mingled very pleasantly; I will hope for a similarly-pleasant mingling of flavors in the finished product. Also, the egg-white-and-sugar topping helps retain some moisture in the battter, so I doubt this will be the crumbly, dry sort of shortbread most people recollect. The touch of sweetness in the topping will also be a pleasant surprise. It was difficult to adequately mix, and then spread, the stiff dough, but I hope to be rewarded for my efforts.

Family Circle magazine has traditionally published these recipes, and has polled its readers as to which cookie they preferred. Legend has it that the winner of the cookie contest will win the White House. Stay tuned for a poll of the election party's attendees!

I'm a Phantom Phan!

The premise of this blog proves that I'm a fan of desserts. The same can be said about food in general, and this weekend gave me a chance to indulge in said fandom unlike any other. Or, should I say phandom?

On Saturday, the Phantom Gourmet Food Festival came to Boston! Over 80 food vendors from the greater Boston area converged on Lansdowne and Ipswich Streets to offer samples of their cooking and baking. Rumor was that one's stomach capacity would be sorely tested, so I tried to limit my food intake the night before and morning leading up to the event. I arrived downtown around noon, and met up with some friends who had been there since the festival opened at 10:30. They had already passed through one street's worth of vendors, and I heard glowing reviews of everything from ribs to risotto, crabcakes to cupcakes. My stomach was groaning in anticipation, so we left Tequila Rain and meandered down Ipswich Street. We were soon swallowed up in a crowd of purple-bead-wearing "Phantom Phans," and a few elaborately-costumed fellows emulating the caped and masked Phantom Gourmet mascot.

The verb "gorge," referring to a ravenous style of eating, most accurately describes my response to the array of food I found on this street. The most compelling dishes, to use Carr's classification, were either meat or sweet - I tried to stay away from the breads and pastas, since I knew they would fill me up but not provide much flavor. My favorite meat dishes were ribs from Firefly's, served with a side of whipped sweet potatoes and pecans, and Harrows' chicken pies, complete with thick, savory sauce and pastry topping. (Linda, if BC Dining had had access to these pies, chicken pot pie day would have been one hundred times as exciting.) However, in keeping with the theme of this blog, I'll give you a breakdown of the sweets:

• Wholly Cannoli, dynamite stick - this cannoli in ball form was, without a question, the best dessert there. The dynamite stick had a traditional ricotta cannoli filling. That filling was enrobed in caramel, and then contained within a chocolate-covered pastry shell. The resultant ball was then given a coating of chopped-up pecans and cocoa powder. I was absolutely delighted. (A note to Mike's Pastry: start offering a version of these if you want my cannoli patronage to remain in the North End! Sadly, Wholly Cannoli is based out of Worcester.)
• Simply Divine Brownies, brownie truffles - these truffles were small, extremely dense bits of brownie enrobed in fruit-flavored chocolate. The raspberry and cranberry truffles were decent, but simply divine? Not even close.
• Ivy's Fine Cakes and Pastries, assorted cakes/brownies - these tasted too much of mass-produced baking mixes to deserve special mention for their flavor. However, their cakes were beautifully presented, and an Ivy's wedding cake would make a stunning visual statement at any ceremony.
• Sugar Bakery, brambles and cupcakes - a bramble cookie is made from two layers of pie crust dough, with fruity filling between the layers and a healthy sprinkling of sugar on top. These cookies were crisp, sweet, and fruity - a definite winner, and something I might try to recreate. The bakery's cupcakes were equally pleasing. I had a chocolate caramel cupcake, which featured a delicious and moist cake topped with swirls of caramel and sweet frosting.
• Pure Chocolate, P2C2 bar - this Quincy-based chocolatier uses Belgian chocolate to create interesting barks and individual pieces. The P2C2 bar is milk chocolate swirled with peanut butter, caramel, and crisped rice. Tasty, and a potential personal replacement for Berkshire Bark's discontinued Pretzelogical bar.

There were several other dessert offerings, such as ice cream and biscotti, but I was too full from meats, the above sweets, and Captain Eli's blueberry soda to partake. Stuffed and barely able to walk (waddle?), I insisted on a break to nurture the food coma.

One La Verdad margarita and glass of water later, it was time to hit Lansdowne! Unfortunately, most of the dessert vendors there (Kickass Cupcakes, Rosie's Bakery) had closed up shop after running out of samples, so I didn't enjoy as many sweets during the second round. However, there was one interesting dessert. Gaga's "SherBetter" is a light, refreshing frozen dairy treat that contains more butter fat than sherbet, but less than ice cream. I tried two fruity flavors (lemon and rainbow), and enjoyed the smooth consistency and robust fruity flavor. Would I have this again? Not necessarily, since all frozen-dairy-treat cravings can be satisfied by my beloved Christina's, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Food-wise, Not Your Average Joe's offered delicious crabcakes and a mixed-greens salad, and Ivy (reviewed in the Restaurant Week entry below) served arancini, which are fried balls of cheesy risotto. I also sampled cheese, clam chowder, and another helping of chicken pie.

Sigh. Foodie heaven! I look forward to the Festival's return next September.

Needless to say, I did not eat for the rest of the day, and my appetite has only now returned, more than 24 hours after my last Festival bite. Perhaps a light dinner is in order?