Just Peachy!

I've been on a bit of a peach bend lately. When I was in Upstate New York a few weeks back, they were at the height of their season and I bought a couple peck boxes from the local farm stand. For a brunch at my parent's house, I used them two ways.

 

The first was in a summer peach cake. Half of the peaches in this cake are roasted in a hot oven with a little sugar, lemon juice and brandy. The roasting intensifies their flavor and reduces their juices to a delicious syrup that coats the fruit. This is mixed with some panko so that the cake doesn't become soggy. This roasted peach layer is sandwiched between layers of cake batter and then the whole thing is finished off with a fan of the reserved peaches.

The second way I used the peaches was atop a bread pudding. Bread pudding is one of my favorite dishes. For this one, I used challah that I cut into cubes and toasted in the oven. I then soaked most of the cubes in a mixture of cream, milk, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla. About a cup of cubes were reserved and tossed with cinnamon sugar then layered on top right before baking. This created a nice crunchy crust on top of the creamy, gooey inside.

For the peach topping, I made a caramel sauce and then sauteed fresh peaches in the sauce. mmmmm!!!!

Back in LA, this weekend, I created a pie recipe around the roasted peaches from the peach cake. I pre-baked a pecan shortbread crust then spread the bottom with a layer of caramel sauce. I then layered about a pound and a half of roasted peaches on top. Next came a layer of pastry cream, and finally, a topping of whipped cream. This was basically a trifle in a pie plate and was quite delicious, if a bit messy.

I would highly recommend making the roasted peaches to serve on their own or over ice cream. Toss about two pounds of sliced peaches (fresh or frozen and thawed) with 2-3 T granulated sugar, 2 T brandy or peach liqueur, and 2 t of lemon juice. Line a rimmed baking sheet with greased aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes in a 425 F oven. The juices should have reduced to a thick syrup and the peaches should be soft and flavorful.

Baklava

On my last trip home, I made a pan of baklava because it's my dad's favorite sweet. I wouldn't normally peg my dad as a dessert person, but every time I went down to the kitchen, I'd have to reattach the foil to the pan. Someone was obviously sneaking some baklava! (This was true even when I went down for coffee at 6 in the morning!)

Baklava is actually quite easy to prepare and lasts a long time (as long as it's locked up at night). I used a recipe from Cook's Illustrated, which was pretty boilerplate. Their only trick was to clarify the butter so that it browns evenly. To do this, simply melt butter and allow it to sit for several minutes. Then, skim off the milk solids with a spoon.

Corn Spoon Bread

As a Yankee, I didn't know what spoon bread was, but I was always intrigued by Rose Levy Beranbaum's recipe for it in the Bread Bible. Having picked up some fresh corn at a farm stand near my parent's house in Upstate New York, I decided to finally try the recipe. 

The recipe is similar to a corn bread, except that the butter in the recipe is first used to sautee vegetables. I used an onion, garlic a jalapeno, and half a roasted red pepper and two ears of corn. These vegetables are tossed with fresh cilantro and added to the batter which is then topped with grated cheese and baked in a casserole dish. As the name suggest, it is best scooped from the dish with a spoon!

This made a great "light" dinner, along with some broccoli basil soup I made with broccoli straight from my mother's garden. 

Quick and Easy Chocolate Cupcakes

I've been genuinely busy lately (and not just a victim of "The Busy Trap"). In the last few weeks, I completed my certificate in interior design at UCLA Extension, started working for Windsor Smith and continued to do all my usual time sucking activities. 

In the midst of two insanely labor-intensive final projects, I still wanted to do something nice for my new co-worker's birthday, so I reached for an old-standby recipe from Cook's Illustrated, "The Best Easy Chocolate Cake." I actually did a time analysis and decided that making this recipe would be faster than picking something up at the supermarket (I already had all the ingredients in my fridge and pantry). I got home from class at 10:30 pm, whipped these up, and was in bed by 11:45! 

Here's the recipe. See if you spot the secret ingredient!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (7 1/2 ounces)
• 1 cup sugar (7 ounces)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt  
• 1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder  (2 ounces)
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine 
• 1 cup fresh black coffee, hot (I use instant) 
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Confectioners' sugar (for serving; optional)

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray 8-inch-square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in large bowl. In separate bowl, combine cocoa and chocolate; pour hot coffee over cocoa mixture and whisk until smooth; let cool slightly. Whisk in mayonnaise, egg, and vanilla. Stir mayonnaise mixture into flour mixture until combined.
3. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out with few crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes.
4. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack, 1 to 2 hours. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, cut into squares, and serve straight from the pan; or turn cake out onto serving platter and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

The recipe fits 12 standard muffin tins perfectly--just decrease the baking time a bit. I made a quick chocolate buttercream to top, but these are equally good with powdered sugar, whipped cream, or any other frosting.

Patriotic Mini Trifles

I made these mini trifles for a Fourth of July party. I layered chiffon cake, vanilla pastry cream, whipped cream, berries and berry puree (spiked with raspberry liqueur) in small jam jars. I topped with delicious ripe strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries, all bought at the farmers' market.

Trifles are probably my favorite dessert. Despite the work involved in making each component, I am glad to have an occasion to share these with friends.

To life, liberty and the pursuit of deliciousness!

Sour Cream Chocolate Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting

I made this fudgy, chocolate cake for a good friend's birthday. The cake layers are short but rich (just how I like my men, as Grandma Marie would say).  The frosting is sweet but assertive (must add these adjectives to my online dating profile).  Together they make a great pair, their new love glowing under purple sugar crystals and sparkler candles. 

For the milk chocolate frosting, I used: 

1 bar Trader Joe's Pound Plus Milk Chocolate (17.6 oz), chopped fine

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 stick cool butter, cut into 8 pieces

Place the chopped chocolate in the bowl of a mixer.  Bring the heavy cream, corn syrup and salt to a boil then pour over the chocolate. Allow to sit for 30 seconds, then mix with the paddle attachment on medium speed until the mixture is smooth. On low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar and then mix on medium speed until the mixture is smooth. Add the cool butter one piece at a time and mix each time until the mixture is smooth. If the mixture is not becoming smooth, raise the speed and/or apply a warm towel to the outside of the bowl to slightly warm the mixture. This whole process can also be done in a food processor. 

Allow the frosting to cool at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until it is a good spreading consistency. This will be about a half hour if you use the mixer, longer with the food processor. 

Just Wrong Pecan Bars

It was probably wrong to bring these pecan bars to a Super Bowl gathering consisting mainly of friends who had joined Weight Watchers together. But...I did. The combination of sweet and salty and crunchy and gooey was irresistible and addicting. No one actually ate a whole bar, but pieces were broken off bit by bit until they were all gone (at a rate of approximately two per person).  Only after the plate was clean did we try to calculate how many points were spent. That was definitely the wrong thing to do.

For those out there who have hoarded some extra points, these are spectacularly good and truly easy to make. I'm sharing the recipe from Cook's Illustrated, which I followed almost exactly. My only addition was a light dusting of Maldon salt on top (they are already salty, so go very light or leave out some of the salt in the filling if you do this). Pecans are expensive, but Trader Joe's has a 8 oz. bag for less than $5 that is just enough for a batch. Make sure to toast them for about 8 minutes before using to bring out their flavor. You may also consider keeping them whole for a prettier presentation.

Crust

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces)

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar (2 1/3 ounces)

1/4 cup toasted pecans , chopped coarse

1teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (3/4 stick), cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Filling

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (3 1/2 ounces)

1/3 cup light corn syrup

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted

1 tablespoon bourbon or dark rum

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 cups toasted pecans, chopped coarse

1. For the crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Fold two 16-inch pieces of foil or parchment paper lengthwise to measure 9 inches wide. Fit 1 sheet in bottom of greased pan, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan (overhang will help in removal of baked bars). Fit second sheet in pan in same manner, perpendicular to first sheet. Spray sheets with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place flour, brown sugar, pecans, salt, and baking powder in food processor. Process mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal, about five 1-second pulses. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles sand, about eight 1-second pulses. Pat mixture evenly into prepared pan and bake until crust is light brown and springs back when touched, about 20 minutes.
3. For the pecan filling: While crust bakes, whisk together brown sugar, melted butter, corn syrup, bourbon, vanilla, and salt in medium bowl until just combined. Add egg and whisk until incorporated.
4. Pour filling on top of hot crust and sprinkle pecans evenly over top. Bake until top is brown and cracks start to form across surface, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Remove bars from pan using foil or parchment handles and transfer to cutting board.