Banana bread

• 5 Tablespoons butter 
• 1/2 C. granulated sugar 
• 1/2 C. brown sugar 
• 1 large egg 
• 2 egg whites (You can use two whole eggs, its just a bit denser) 
• 1 tsp. vanilla (I usually do not add) 
• 1 1/2 C mashed very ripe bananas (About three) 
• 1 3/4 C. ap flour 
• 1 tsp. baking soda 
• 1/2 tsp. salt 
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder 
• 1/2 C. heavy cream (milk is just fine) 
• 1/3 C. chopped nuts (I always always omit!) 

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Spray bottom only of 9x5x3 loaf pan with nonstick spray.
2. Beat butter in large bowl of electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add sugars and beat well. Add egg and vanilla, beat well until blended. Add mashed banana on medium high speed.
3. Combine dry ingredients and add them to butter mixture, alternating with milk. Fold nuts in last.
4. Pour batter into loaf pan and bake 1 hour 15 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
5. Cool on wire rack.

Christmas Pudding

Recipe.  A pudding basin is a bowl that can be baked or steamed for several hours. I used an aluminum bowl. This is just a little different from a fruit cake. I liked it a lot.

Candied peels

2 large oranges, ¼ inch of top and bottom cut off

2 lemons, same

4 cups sugar, divided

3 cups water

Cut peel on each fruit into 4 vertical segments. Remove each segment (including white pith) in 1 piece. Cut into ¼-inch-wide strips. Cook in large pot of boiling water 15 minutes; drain, rinse, and drain again.

Bring 3 cups sugar and 3 cups water to boil in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add peel. Return to boil. Reduce heat; simmer until peel is very soft, about 45 minutes. Drain.

Toss peel and 1 cup sugar on rimmed baking sheet, separating strips. Lift peel from sugar; transfer to sheet of foil. Let stand until coating is dry, 1 to 2 days. Makes about 2 cups    

Chantilly Frosting

Chantilly Cream Frosting

1 stick Salted butter softened

1 16oz Mascarpone cheese softened

1 8oz Cream cheese softened 

3 cups confectioner's sugar 

1 cup Heavy whipping cream whipped thick 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

Cream the butter, mascarpone and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Maybe 4 minutes. Add in the confectioner's sugar and continue to mix. I used my mixer with paddle attachment. In a separate bowl, whip your whipping cream and vanilla extract. Whip until stiff peaks form in the whipping cream. If the whipping cream is too soft, it will make the frosting runny. Next, gently fold the whipping cream into your creamed butter and cheese mixture by hand with a rubber spatula. Mix just enough to incorporate to a smooth consistency for frosting your cake or cupcakes. If not using immediately, refrigerate in a closed container and remove 5 to 10 minutes before frosting your cake of cupcakes. 

Strawberry Scones

Frozen strawberries are too watery and release too much liquid, so go with fresh strawberries for this recipe. 

 

2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter into 1/4-inch cubes
1 cup heavy cream plus 1 tablespoon for brushing the scones
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries

2 tablespoons sparkly sugar (like for xmas cookies)

 

Preheat oven to 400*F. Line a large baking sheet with a silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender or your hands, quickly cut the cold butter into the flour mixture. Mix until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few larger butter lumps. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup heavy cream and vanilla extract. Pour the liquid ingredients over the flour mixture and stir with a spatula until dough begins to form. Don’t over mix. Gently fold in the strawberries.Transfer dough to a floured countertop and gently push the dough together with your hands, just until it forms a ball. Form the dough into a 1-inch circle by patting the dough and gently pressing the dough. Don’t overwork the dough. You want to work quickly so the butter doesn’t get too warm. Use a sharp knife to cut the scones into 8 triangles.Place scones on prepared baking sheet and put in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes. This will prevent the scones from spreading when baking. Remove the scones from the freezer. Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the scones with the additional heavy cream. Sprinkle the scones with sparkly sugar. For this batch I did not. Bake for 18 to 23 minutes, or until scones are golden brown on the bottom and around the edges. Let the scones cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.  You can make a simple glaze for the scones if you like.

 

Sourdough bread

Cast Iron Pizza

Yield:  1 12-inch pizza

2 ¼ tsp. active dry yeast

½ tsp. brown sugar

1 ¼ C. warm water 110° F

4 C. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. garlic powder

¼ C butter

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

cooking spray

½ C. pizza sauce

2 C. shredded cheese

Sprinkle yeast and brown sugar over warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam.  Turn mixer to the lowest setting and slowly add 2 cups flour 1/2 cup at a time. Add garlic, salt, and butter. Integrate remaining 2 cups flour and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, 5 to 7 minutes.  Coat a large glass bowl with 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil. Shape dough into a ball and place in bowl, turning to coat all sides with oil. Spray a piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray and loosely cover bowl. Cover bowl with a towel and let rise in a warm area until dough has doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Punch down dough and allow to rest for 20 minutes.

If you are using a meat filling, cook it while dough is resting. If you are making pizza sauce, do it now.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 12-inch cast iron skillet with 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil.  Press dough into and up the sides of the prepared skillet. Poke holes in dough with a fork to prevent air bubbles. Spread pizza sauce around the base of the crust. Sprinkle 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese over sauce; layer half the meat filling over cheese. Repeat the layers of cheese and meat. Top with remaining 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese.   Bake in preheated oven on the bottom rack until crust is golden brown, about 25 minutes.  Remove pizza from skillet and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes before slicing.

Blueberry Scones

Using the King Arthur Flour recipe.

2 C. all purpose flour by weight
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C. sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
1 stick cold butter divided (6 Tbs and 2 Tbs)
1 C. blueberries
2 large eggs
lemon zest
1/4 C. plain yogurt (I used Greek)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbs. sugar topping

Apple Pear Tart

[Recipe]

Blueberry Cheesecake

Crust
60 vanilla wafers (Nilla cookies)
¹⁄₄ C. granulated sugar
1 stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350F. Place wafers in a large Ziploc bag and smash with rolling pin until you have a bag of dust.  Transfer crumbs to a medium size bowl and stir in sugar and melted butter.  Press the crumbs firmly into the spring form pan and up the sides.  Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are just starting to turn golden brown. Let cool completely on a wire rack before filling.

Filing
3 (8 ounce) blueberry flavor cream cheese, softened
¹⁄₂ C. sugar
3 Tb. all-purpose flour
¹⁄₂ tsp. salt
3 eggs
8 ounces sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 zested lemon
2 C. blueberries
3 Tb. blueberry jam

Beat softened cream cheese and add sugar, flour and salt until blended. Add eggs, one at a time and blend.  Add sour cream, vanilla and lemon zest. Gently stir in blueberries. Pour mixture into cooled crust.  Top with blueberry jam and "cut in" to make swirls.  Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 50 minutes. (Cheesecake will be done when it still jiggles in the middle.) Turn off oven and let remain in oven with door open for 20 minutes. Remove and let cool. Cover and chill cheesecake in refrigerator.

Rainbow Berry Pound Cake

Prepare pound cake as recipe dictates. Grease and four your pan. Fill pan with batter 2/3 full, then spoon blobs of jam onto cake. Top with remaining 1/3 batter. Use a spatula to make swirls like you would with marble cake. Bake. Once cool, top with powdered sugar frosting tinted in three fun colors. Top with sprinkles.

Bacon Carrot cupcake

Cupcake	Frosting
3 C. grated carrot	1 stick of butter, room temp
5 eggs	rounded 1/4 C. powdered sugar
7 oz butter melted (close to 2 sticks)	1/4 C. sugar free maple syrup
3 Tb. non nutritive sweetener	pinch of salt
1 ½ C. almond meal
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ cup chopped pecans
2 tsp. vanilla
½ C. shredded unsweetened coconut

Bake 350* for 20 minutes. Makes 12 cupcakes. Serving size: 1 slice iced Calories:327 calories, 6 carb, 34 g. fat, 6 g protein.

Oh Sugar

Holiday cookie season is right around the corner.  I was just thinking about sugar. Specifically colored sugar and white sanding sugar, and why I have to get it at the grocery store instead of making it myself.  The answer is SIZE.  Sanding Sugar is large, polished grains of sugar. The grains are about four times larger than those in granulated sugar.  It is similar to "Sparkling Sugar", and like it will reflect light, but it is smaller.  To make Sanding Sugar, sugar syrup is dried, screened, and colored.  Sanding sugar has larger crystals than typical granulated sugar you buy in the grocery store. Larger crystals  of sanding sugar reflect light of their facets, and so  when using on cookies sanding sugar makes cookies glisten. Also, sanding sugar will not dissolve immediately when exposed to liquid like granulated sugar, instead it sticks to any moist or warm surface. Sanding sugar can be added to cookies right after they were baked, while still hot.

Pumpkin pie

Fresh VS Canned Pumpkin. I made this pumpkin pie and custard with fresh Cinderella pumpkin smash which I prepared by baking the pumpkin until soft.

Another Peach Cobbler

Hot diggity! I just bought a 5 lb box of fresh peaches for $6 at Whole Foods. I could think of nothing I wanted more than a big scoop of peach cobbler. We are trying a different recipe this time because the other one was a bit heavy like a pancake.

1 C. sugar
1 Tb. flour
4 C. sliced fresh peaches
nutmeg and cinnamon,
Combine together in a bowl, and pour into a greased 9x13 pan.

1 C. sugar	1 C. flour
1/3 C. butter	1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt	1 egg

In a new clean bowl, cut cold butter into remaining ingredients to form a crumbly dough.  Sprinkle on top of your peaches.  Bake 375* about 25 minutes.

Brown sugar

Brown sugar can be a bit problematic because, when left unattended, the moist sugar can quickly transform into a rock-like state. This happens because the sugar dries out and the molasses used to keep it brown hardens and sticks it together like glue. There are several ways to avoid this problem.

1. Use a terra cotta sugar disk ($5) (or a .25 unglazed plant saucer), which will gradually release moisture into the sugar.  I use two plant saucers.
2. A slice of bread
3. Marshmallows. 3 or 4 regular size or several minis.
4. Keep in an air tight container.

My Favorite Sugar Cookie Dough

Seriously NO FAIL cookie dough. Thank you Williams-Sonoma.

• 2 1/2 cups (390g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 12 Tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks/185g) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup (250g) sugar
• Food coloring gel (optional)
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Over a small bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on high speed for 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium, slowly add the sugar and a few drops of food coloring gel and beat for 2 minutes, stopping the mixture occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for 1 minute, stopping the mixer once to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Stop the mixer and add half of the flour mixture. Beat on low speed until most of the flour has been absorbed. Add the remaining flour and continue beating until all of the flour has been absorbed and the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, 2 to 3 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide into 2 equal balls, Shape each into a disk and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 2 days. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand for 5 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 3/16 to 1/4 inch (4.5 to 6mm).
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
Dip cookie cutters into flour just before using and cut out shapes. Place on the baking sheet. Gather up the scraps, reroll them and cut out additional cookies. Refrigerate the cookies until firm 20 to 30 minutes.
Bake the cookies until golden brown around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. If baking more than one sheet at a time, switch the sheets between the racks and rotate them 180 degrees halfway through baking.
Transfer the parchment sheets with cookies onto wire racks and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies directly onto the racks and let cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Makes 34 to 30 cookies, depending on the size.

Peach Cobbler

1 stick unsalted butter	1 C. all purpose flour	2 C. sugar, divided
1 Tb. baking powder	pinch of salt	1 C. milk
4 C. fresh sliced peaches	1 Tb. lemon juice	cinnamon, nutmeg

Melt butter in 9x13 pan. In mixing bowl, combine 1 C. sugar, baking powder, salt, and milk, stirring just until moist. It will still be lumpy. Pour batter over buttered dish. In a sauce pan bring1 C. sugar, lemon juice, and peach slices to a boil. Pour peach syrup over batter. Do not stir. Sprinkle casserole with cinnamon and nutmeg if desired.

Bale 375* for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.

Reminder

Baked Donuts

3 C. flour	1 tsp. baking soda	1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 C. apple cider	1/2 C. sour cream	2/3 C. packed brown sugar
2 eggs	8 tsp. soft unsalted butter	1 Tbs. fresh ginger
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Heat oven to 325*. Spray doughnut pan with non-stick spray. Mix batter until smooth. Spoon into large plastic bag, snip corner, and squeeze batter into doughnut pan. Bake 325* for 13 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar when removed from oven. Let cool on rack.