I put cole slaw on top of mine.
It might have been one of the easiest and best meals I've ever made.
So good in fact, I am seriously reconsidering my anti-leftovers stance.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Take Two
Tonight we had brisket sandwiches for dinner. (And corn on the cob-- my favorite.)
I put cole slaw on top of mine.
It might have been one of the easiest and best meals I've ever made.
So good in fact, I am seriously reconsidering my anti-leftovers stance.
I put cole slaw on top of mine.
It might have been one of the easiest and best meals I've ever made.
So good in fact, I am seriously reconsidering my anti-leftovers stance.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
The Times They Are A-Changin'
There is some big news in our household that I thought I should share with those of you out there still reading my little blog…I got a new job! After 3+ years of working from home, I will be back in the real world come July. I’m pretty excited about the opportunity to try something new (I have been in my current job—my first out of grad school-- for the last six years) and because this is a big step up for me in terms of roles/responsibilities, salary, benefits, EVERYTHING. The only downside to my new role is that it may require a move. I am going to be working for the federal government (!) and while you might think that would equal DC, the agency I am going to be working for is actually headquartered outside Baltimore. As of now, I will be in the DC office until September at least, but after that is a big question mark. Chances are I will have to be in the main office which means that Jason and I will move –probably to the Maryland suburbs of DC since neither one of us are all that anxious to leave our friends and everything we know in the DC area behind. But working in the DC office has not been taken off the table YET so I’m cautiously optimistic. Regardless of where we end up, there will be a lot of changes ahead as we might finally get to the point where we can BUY A HOUSE! So for those of you who may be a little tired of the food-focused posts and are waiting for more newlywed adventures/life posts—stay tuned…you may be in for more than you bargained for soon!
In the meantime, one of the biggest things on Jason’s mind regarding my job change is what this will mean for his daily dinners. Obviously, it has been much easier for me to whip up a nice meal every night (and have dinner on the table soon after Jason gets home from work) with me working from home. While I am sure that some adjustments may have to be made once I start commuting, I am still planning on maintaining my role as resident cook—I enjoy cooking too much to let it slide. But I realize that some things may change—we may rely on takeout more often than we do now, I may do more prep work on the weekends, or we may eat more leftovers. There is also a little thing called a Crockpot which can be a great way to have a hot meal as soon as you walk in the door with minimal effort. A meal like the one I made for dinner tonight—Smitten Kitchen’s Southwestern Pulled Brisket (how’s that for a segue?!)
I have been eyeing this recipe for quite some time and decided that this week was the week I was going to give it a try. Jason and I are big brisket fans (I much prefer barbequed brisket to pulled pork when given the choice) and this seemed so easy, I knew I had to give it a try. And easy it was. You start by searing the brisket in a pan and then sautéing sliced onion, smashed garlic, and a variety of smoky spices until soft and fragrant. Add some apple cider vinegar, a couple of chipotles, canned tomatoes, and molasses and you got an incredibly flavorful liquid in which to cook your meat. Set the Crockpot on low and let it sit for 8-10 hours and you end up with brisket so tender it literally falls apart. I decided to follow SK’s lead and strain and reduce the sauce until it had thickened slightly and the flavors had concentrated. But you could just as easily leave it as is, making dinner all the more simple. I served the brisket with cole slaw which was a nice cool foil to the smoky-spiciness of the meat. This makes quite a bit—enough for us to have sandwiches for dinner tomorrow night too.
With dinners like this, I don’t think Jason has too much to worry about!
Southwestern Pulled Brisket
Adapted (Just barely) from Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients:
1 3lb beef brisket
2 TBL vegetable oil
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 TBL chili powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 ½ cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, with their juices
1-2 chipotles en adobo (I used two and ended up with a pretty spicy brisket—if you are not a big spice fan, you may want to cut back to one)
2 bay leaves
¼ cup molasses
1.Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season brisket generously with salt and pepper. Add the meat and cook until browned on both sides (about 5 minutes per side). Transfer meat to a slow cooker. Return skillet to heat.
2.Add garlic, onion, chili powder, cumin, and coriander to drippings in the skillet and stir until beginning to soften and fragrant about 1 minute. Add vinegar and boil until it’s almost gone, scrapping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in water and pour mixture over brisket.
3.Crush the tomatoes (either breaking them apart with a fork or your fingers) and add to the slow cooker along with their juices. Add chipotles, bay leaves, and molasses. Cover the cooker and set on low. Cook until it pulls apart easily with a fork, 8-10 hours (I did about 9-9.5 hours).
4.Remove the brisket to a dish, pulled it with two forks and cover with aluminum foil. Strain the cooking liquid into a saucepan (discard the leftover vegetables) and simmer until reduced by half. Check for seasonings and pour over pulled brisket. (You could also skip this step and pull the brisket it original cooking liquid—just make sure to remove the two bay leaves.)
In the meantime, one of the biggest things on Jason’s mind regarding my job change is what this will mean for his daily dinners. Obviously, it has been much easier for me to whip up a nice meal every night (and have dinner on the table soon after Jason gets home from work) with me working from home. While I am sure that some adjustments may have to be made once I start commuting, I am still planning on maintaining my role as resident cook—I enjoy cooking too much to let it slide. But I realize that some things may change—we may rely on takeout more often than we do now, I may do more prep work on the weekends, or we may eat more leftovers. There is also a little thing called a Crockpot which can be a great way to have a hot meal as soon as you walk in the door with minimal effort. A meal like the one I made for dinner tonight—Smitten Kitchen’s Southwestern Pulled Brisket (how’s that for a segue?!)
I have been eyeing this recipe for quite some time and decided that this week was the week I was going to give it a try. Jason and I are big brisket fans (I much prefer barbequed brisket to pulled pork when given the choice) and this seemed so easy, I knew I had to give it a try. And easy it was. You start by searing the brisket in a pan and then sautéing sliced onion, smashed garlic, and a variety of smoky spices until soft and fragrant. Add some apple cider vinegar, a couple of chipotles, canned tomatoes, and molasses and you got an incredibly flavorful liquid in which to cook your meat. Set the Crockpot on low and let it sit for 8-10 hours and you end up with brisket so tender it literally falls apart. I decided to follow SK’s lead and strain and reduce the sauce until it had thickened slightly and the flavors had concentrated. But you could just as easily leave it as is, making dinner all the more simple. I served the brisket with cole slaw which was a nice cool foil to the smoky-spiciness of the meat. This makes quite a bit—enough for us to have sandwiches for dinner tomorrow night too.
With dinners like this, I don’t think Jason has too much to worry about!
The brisket as it embarks on its journey to deliciousness
A little over 9 hours later, it has arrived!
Southwestern Pulled Brisket
Adapted (Just barely) from Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients:
1 3lb beef brisket
2 TBL vegetable oil
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 TBL chili powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 ½ cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, with their juices
1-2 chipotles en adobo (I used two and ended up with a pretty spicy brisket—if you are not a big spice fan, you may want to cut back to one)
2 bay leaves
¼ cup molasses
1.Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season brisket generously with salt and pepper. Add the meat and cook until browned on both sides (about 5 minutes per side). Transfer meat to a slow cooker. Return skillet to heat.
2.Add garlic, onion, chili powder, cumin, and coriander to drippings in the skillet and stir until beginning to soften and fragrant about 1 minute. Add vinegar and boil until it’s almost gone, scrapping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in water and pour mixture over brisket.
3.Crush the tomatoes (either breaking them apart with a fork or your fingers) and add to the slow cooker along with their juices. Add chipotles, bay leaves, and molasses. Cover the cooker and set on low. Cook until it pulls apart easily with a fork, 8-10 hours (I did about 9-9.5 hours).
4.Remove the brisket to a dish, pulled it with two forks and cover with aluminum foil. Strain the cooking liquid into a saucepan (discard the leftover vegetables) and simmer until reduced by half. Check for seasonings and pour over pulled brisket. (You could also skip this step and pull the brisket it original cooking liquid—just make sure to remove the two bay leaves.)
Monday, June 7, 2010
Race Weekend
Everyone has their hobbies/interests. For some people (like me), it is cooking. For others it’s mountain biking or kayaking. For Jason’s dad, it’s cars. He is a true car aficionado---he knows everything there is to know about cars, does all his own auto maintenance, and has even built at least one car completely from parts. Some of this he has passed on to Jason who has his own encyclopedia-like knowledge of car makes/models and does most of the maintenance on his own car (interestingly enough, though, he has not offered to do any of the maintenance on mine yet!).
In addition to knowing a lot about cars, Jason’s dad also races them. Yes, that’s right—races them. In fact, Jason’s dad has raced cars for over 40 years! (He took a few years off while Jason and his brother were little at Jason’s mother’s request, but other than that he’s been racing steadily for the last four decades.) For the 3+ years Jason and I have been together I have heard a lot about the race car and the various race tracks his dad goes to several times a year but had never experienced a race weekend for myself.
Until last weekend, that is.
That’s right. Last weekend Jason and I (along with his mother) served as “pit crew” for Jason’s dad’s race in Summit Point, WV. Truth be told, being pit crew was not as glamorous as what you see on TV which is a good thing since I know next to nothing about cars and how they work. Basically it meant that we got to be in the holding area for all the cars and help out the driver (in this case, Jason’s dad) if need be. Jason actually did quite a bit to help get the car ready (e.g., checked tire pressure, jacked the car up, changed from the dry tires to the rain tires and then back again), but I mostly sat around and soaked it all in.
There were 9 different race groups at Summit Point—each group consisted of different types of race cars. You may not know this but a lot of “regular cars” can be made into race cars. In fact, Mazda Miatas are the most popular class of cars to race in the mid-Atlantic area (because, according to Jason’s dad, they are relatively inexpensive and easy to handle). But there were two race groups of what I would call “real race cars” and Jason’s dad was in one of them (in fact, his race group is the fastest group). He drives a Formula Ford, here is what it looks like:
Unfortunately, despite how much cooler these cars are than boring old Mazda Miatas (which are dime a dozen if you ask me), they are dying off a little bit—his dad’s race group only had 8 cars in it (compared to like 40+ in the Miata groups) and he was the only Formula Ford running. Which meant that he “won” his race and got a checkered flag.
All in all, it was an interesting weekend—I definitely learned a lot more about cars than I probably ever needed to know but I feel like I got to know my father-in-law a lot better in the process.
In addition to knowing a lot about cars, Jason’s dad also races them. Yes, that’s right—races them. In fact, Jason’s dad has raced cars for over 40 years! (He took a few years off while Jason and his brother were little at Jason’s mother’s request, but other than that he’s been racing steadily for the last four decades.) For the 3+ years Jason and I have been together I have heard a lot about the race car and the various race tracks his dad goes to several times a year but had never experienced a race weekend for myself.
Until last weekend, that is.
That’s right. Last weekend Jason and I (along with his mother) served as “pit crew” for Jason’s dad’s race in Summit Point, WV. Truth be told, being pit crew was not as glamorous as what you see on TV which is a good thing since I know next to nothing about cars and how they work. Basically it meant that we got to be in the holding area for all the cars and help out the driver (in this case, Jason’s dad) if need be. Jason actually did quite a bit to help get the car ready (e.g., checked tire pressure, jacked the car up, changed from the dry tires to the rain tires and then back again), but I mostly sat around and soaked it all in.
Jason checking the tire pressure on his dad's care before the practice/qualifying run
There were 9 different race groups at Summit Point—each group consisted of different types of race cars. You may not know this but a lot of “regular cars” can be made into race cars. In fact, Mazda Miatas are the most popular class of cars to race in the mid-Atlantic area (because, according to Jason’s dad, they are relatively inexpensive and easy to handle). But there were two race groups of what I would call “real race cars” and Jason’s dad was in one of them (in fact, his race group is the fastest group). He drives a Formula Ford, here is what it looks like:
This is the race car in the pit paddock
Jason's dad pulling into the grid (where the cars enter/exit the track) after his victory lap with the checkered flag.
All in all, it was an interesting weekend—I definitely learned a lot more about cars than I probably ever needed to know but I feel like I got to know my father-in-law a lot better in the process.
An action shot of the race (not very close up given I don't have a good zoom lens) but you can see one of the other car types (a DSR) coming up behind Jason's dad's car. Considering they were going close to 100 mph when I took the picture, it's pretty good, don't you think?
Friday, June 4, 2010
Jason's Birthday Fiesta: Saving the Best for Last
Tiramisu is one of my all-time favorite desserts. I distinctly remember the first time I ate it—in Sorrento, Italy, in the restaurant of a small hotel where I stayed when I went on a school-sponsored Easter Break trip to Italy and Greece when I was 16. I don’t remember much about the rest of the meal there, but I do remember the tiramisu—rich and creamy with the hints of chocolate and coffee. I was hooked and that combination of flavors has been a real favorite ever since. Jason is also a lover of the chocolate and coffee flavor combo---I think I may have officially made him mine with my espresso brownies early on in our dating life—so it was only a matter time until he fell in love with tiramisu as well.
Not long after discovering Smitten Kitchen, I came across her recipe for Tiramisu Cake and knew that I had to try it at some point. Cut to Jason’s birthday last year when I first tried the recipe in cupcake form. At the time we were still engaged and living separately and I thought it would be easier to give him some cupcakes to take home than try and package up half of a two-layer cake. To say that he liked the cupcakes would be an understatement. The recipe was good but I still wanted to try the full cake form and so when I had a little celebratory dinner for my friend Lauren’s engagement this winter, I decided to give it a shot. While it didn’t disappoint, it wasn’t exactly how I wanted it. Both in cake and cupcake form, I found the cake layer to be a bit dry. And to me, there is nothing worse than dry cake. Jason didn’t seem to notice, however, and when it came time to select his birthday dinner he chose that as his birthday cake.
But I decided to try something a little different. After spending sometime looking for tips for ensuring a moist cake, I ended up back on Smitten Kitchen’s website reading through the Tiramisu Cake post comments to see if I could come up with a solution to my dry cake problem. Several other people had mentioned that it seemed a little dense and wondered if they had overbeaten the batter. Seemed plausible. I also thought about making additional espresso syrup to better soak the cakes in (we’ll get to that later). Somehow I ended up browsing through the rest of Smitten Kitchen’s celebration cakes and found what I had been looking for—a recipe for Espresso Chiffon Cake. Chiffon cakes are very light and airy thanks to whipped egg whites being folded into the batter. It seemed perfect to me—Tiramisu Cake made with the espresso chiffon as a base instead of the original white sponge cake. My brilliant idea was validated when I scrolled through the comments to find Smitten Kitchen herself mentioned she wanted to give this very combo a try sometime.
The result was WONDERFUL! I definitely like the texture of this cake much better than the last. Jason also agreed that it was a winning combination ….and what he would be expecting on his birthday until the day he dies. So I guess I will have plenty of time to continue to perfect!
A word of warning—while this cake is absolutely delicious it is not a quick and easy recipe (as you can see from the very long recipe that follows). I think I spent at least 2 hours in the kitchen Tuesday night making this cake (although that included the time needed for the cakes to cool). It has many parts—cake layers (three of them if you use the espresso chiffon cake), espresso syrup, a filling, and a frosting. But the effort is well worth it, believe you me.
Tiramisu Cake
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen—basically I took parts of two recipes and put them together. You can find the original versions of both here and here.
Ingredients:
For the cake layers:
¼ cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
6 eggs, whites and yolks separated
6 TBL of freshly brewed espresso or hydrated espresso powder* (I went with the latter- although the original recipe says doing might be too bitter, I did not have that issue)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups cake flour
1 ½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon (only thing I would change next time is to decrease this to ¼ teaspoon—I found it to be a bit much)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
* to make, I took about three TBL of espresso powder and added ¼-1/2 cup boiling water
For the espresso extract:
2 TBL espresso powder
2 TBL boiling water
For the espresso syrup:
½ cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 TBL coffee-flavored liqueur or brandy (I used the former)
For the filling and frosting:
2 8-ounce containers mascarpone cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 TBL coffee-flavored liqueur or brandy
2 cups cold heavy cream
½ cup mini chocolate chips
Cocoa powder or chocolate-covered espresso beans for decoration (optional)
To make the cake layers:
1.Preheat oven to 350. Line the bottom of three 8- or 9- inch round cake pans with parchment or waxed paper but do not grease.
2.In a medium bowl, combine egg yolks, espresso and vanilla. Whisk lightly to blend. In a large bowl stir together flour, 1 cup of the sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
3.Whip egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium-low until frothy. Raise the miser speed to medium-high and slowly add remaining sugar. Continue to beat until soft peaks—DO NOT WHIP UNTIL STIFF PEAKS as cake will shrink excessively during cooling.
4.Add egg yolk mixture to dry ingredient and fold together just enough to combine. Add ¼ of egg whites and fold them in until just combines. Lightly fold the remaining egg whites just until no streaks remain. Divide evenly among the pans.
5.Bake for about 18 minutes or until a cake tester/wooden toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the pans. When cooled, run a butter knife around the edge of the pan to release the cakes. Invert onto wire racks and remove the paper liners.
To make the extract:
Stir espresso and boiling water together in a small cup until blended. Set aside. (Note if you use the hydrated espresso for the cake layers, you will have enough to skip this step)
To make the syrup:
Stir water and sugar together in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and 1 TBL of espresso extract and the liqueur or brandy. Set aside.
To make the filling and frosting:
Note: do not do this until you are ready to assemble the cake!
Put the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla, and liqueur in a large bowl and whisk until just blended and smooth (It helps if you let the mascarpone come to room temperature before making). Whisk heavy cream (with an electric mixer if you have one) until it holds firm peaks. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir ¼ of the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture. Fold the rest of the whipped cream in lightly.
To assemble the cake:
1.Line some counter space with parchment or waxed paper and carefully place each cake layer on the paper. Soak each cake layer with the espresso syrup. You can use a pastry brush or spoon—I recommend pouring it carefully over the top and then spooning it around to make sure the entire layer is covered. I’d actually recommend doing this BEFORE you make the filling/frosting.
2.Place strips of waxed paper or parchment paper around your cake plate. Place the bottom cake layer on the plate (the strips will help keep the plate clean during the icing process—trust me, it’s important). Smooth about 1 cup of the mascarpone cream over the layer and sprinkle half of the chocolate chips across the top. Top with the second layer of cake and do the same. Add the top layer.
3.Whisk the remaining 1-2 TBL of espresso extract into the remaining mascarpone cream (depending how coffee-y you like). Note: I actually forgot to do this part this time and it still tastes awesome so you can skip if you want to.
4.Smooth the frosting around sides and top of the cake. It’s good to start with a light layer (also called a crumb coat), and then go back over the entire thing with the remaining icing. I clearly haven’t mastered the art of icing (I chalk part of it up to icing at 10:30 at night) but just remember that whatever it looks like, it will taste good.
5.Decorate with espresso beans if you want to or you can dust the entire top with cocoa powder (Smitten Kitchen used a template to make a star shape on the top of hers)—whatever floats your boat.
6.Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight in order for the flavors to meld.
Not long after discovering Smitten Kitchen, I came across her recipe for Tiramisu Cake and knew that I had to try it at some point. Cut to Jason’s birthday last year when I first tried the recipe in cupcake form. At the time we were still engaged and living separately and I thought it would be easier to give him some cupcakes to take home than try and package up half of a two-layer cake. To say that he liked the cupcakes would be an understatement. The recipe was good but I still wanted to try the full cake form and so when I had a little celebratory dinner for my friend Lauren’s engagement this winter, I decided to give it a shot. While it didn’t disappoint, it wasn’t exactly how I wanted it. Both in cake and cupcake form, I found the cake layer to be a bit dry. And to me, there is nothing worse than dry cake. Jason didn’t seem to notice, however, and when it came time to select his birthday dinner he chose that as his birthday cake.
But I decided to try something a little different. After spending sometime looking for tips for ensuring a moist cake, I ended up back on Smitten Kitchen’s website reading through the Tiramisu Cake post comments to see if I could come up with a solution to my dry cake problem. Several other people had mentioned that it seemed a little dense and wondered if they had overbeaten the batter. Seemed plausible. I also thought about making additional espresso syrup to better soak the cakes in (we’ll get to that later). Somehow I ended up browsing through the rest of Smitten Kitchen’s celebration cakes and found what I had been looking for—a recipe for Espresso Chiffon Cake. Chiffon cakes are very light and airy thanks to whipped egg whites being folded into the batter. It seemed perfect to me—Tiramisu Cake made with the espresso chiffon as a base instead of the original white sponge cake. My brilliant idea was validated when I scrolled through the comments to find Smitten Kitchen herself mentioned she wanted to give this very combo a try sometime.
The result was WONDERFUL! I definitely like the texture of this cake much better than the last. Jason also agreed that it was a winning combination ….and what he would be expecting on his birthday until the day he dies. So I guess I will have plenty of time to continue to perfect!
A word of warning—while this cake is absolutely delicious it is not a quick and easy recipe (as you can see from the very long recipe that follows). I think I spent at least 2 hours in the kitchen Tuesday night making this cake (although that included the time needed for the cakes to cool). It has many parts—cake layers (three of them if you use the espresso chiffon cake), espresso syrup, a filling, and a frosting. But the effort is well worth it, believe you me.
Tiramisu Cake
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen—basically I took parts of two recipes and put them together. You can find the original versions of both here and here.
Ingredients:
For the cake layers:
¼ cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
6 eggs, whites and yolks separated
6 TBL of freshly brewed espresso or hydrated espresso powder* (I went with the latter- although the original recipe says doing might be too bitter, I did not have that issue)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups cake flour
1 ½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon (only thing I would change next time is to decrease this to ¼ teaspoon—I found it to be a bit much)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
* to make, I took about three TBL of espresso powder and added ¼-1/2 cup boiling water
For the espresso extract:
2 TBL espresso powder
2 TBL boiling water
For the espresso syrup:
½ cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 TBL coffee-flavored liqueur or brandy (I used the former)
For the filling and frosting:
2 8-ounce containers mascarpone cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 TBL coffee-flavored liqueur or brandy
2 cups cold heavy cream
½ cup mini chocolate chips
Cocoa powder or chocolate-covered espresso beans for decoration (optional)
To make the cake layers:
1.Preheat oven to 350. Line the bottom of three 8- or 9- inch round cake pans with parchment or waxed paper but do not grease.
2.In a medium bowl, combine egg yolks, espresso and vanilla. Whisk lightly to blend. In a large bowl stir together flour, 1 cup of the sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
3.Whip egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium-low until frothy. Raise the miser speed to medium-high and slowly add remaining sugar. Continue to beat until soft peaks—DO NOT WHIP UNTIL STIFF PEAKS as cake will shrink excessively during cooling.
4.Add egg yolk mixture to dry ingredient and fold together just enough to combine. Add ¼ of egg whites and fold them in until just combines. Lightly fold the remaining egg whites just until no streaks remain. Divide evenly among the pans.
5.Bake for about 18 minutes or until a cake tester/wooden toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the pans. When cooled, run a butter knife around the edge of the pan to release the cakes. Invert onto wire racks and remove the paper liners.
To make the extract:
Stir espresso and boiling water together in a small cup until blended. Set aside. (Note if you use the hydrated espresso for the cake layers, you will have enough to skip this step)
To make the syrup:
Stir water and sugar together in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and 1 TBL of espresso extract and the liqueur or brandy. Set aside.
To make the filling and frosting:
Note: do not do this until you are ready to assemble the cake!
Put the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla, and liqueur in a large bowl and whisk until just blended and smooth (It helps if you let the mascarpone come to room temperature before making). Whisk heavy cream (with an electric mixer if you have one) until it holds firm peaks. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir ¼ of the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture. Fold the rest of the whipped cream in lightly.
To assemble the cake:
1.Line some counter space with parchment or waxed paper and carefully place each cake layer on the paper. Soak each cake layer with the espresso syrup. You can use a pastry brush or spoon—I recommend pouring it carefully over the top and then spooning it around to make sure the entire layer is covered. I’d actually recommend doing this BEFORE you make the filling/frosting.
2.Place strips of waxed paper or parchment paper around your cake plate. Place the bottom cake layer on the plate (the strips will help keep the plate clean during the icing process—trust me, it’s important). Smooth about 1 cup of the mascarpone cream over the layer and sprinkle half of the chocolate chips across the top. Top with the second layer of cake and do the same. Add the top layer.
3.Whisk the remaining 1-2 TBL of espresso extract into the remaining mascarpone cream (depending how coffee-y you like). Note: I actually forgot to do this part this time and it still tastes awesome so you can skip if you want to.
4.Smooth the frosting around sides and top of the cake. It’s good to start with a light layer (also called a crumb coat), and then go back over the entire thing with the remaining icing. I clearly haven’t mastered the art of icing (I chalk part of it up to icing at 10:30 at night) but just remember that whatever it looks like, it will taste good.
5.Decorate with espresso beans if you want to or you can dust the entire top with cocoa powder (Smitten Kitchen used a template to make a star shape on the top of hers)—whatever floats your boat.
6.Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight in order for the flavors to meld.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Jason's Birthday Fiesta, Part 2
In trying to come up with something to go with Jason’s fish taco birthday dinner, I immediately thought of some kind of corn. Jason and I are both big fans of corn on the cob and fresh corn in general. I am not a huge canned vegetable person, and while frozen is okay, it really is hard to beat fresh vegetables when possible. Fortunately, June means fresh corn is starting to make its way into grocery stores (although I know it is not really corn season yet which means it’s been shipped in from somewhere else, going against everything Barbara Kingsolver has been trying to teach me in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle but that is a different post altogether). Rather than going with the usual corn on the cob I thought a corn salad would be a good variation on the flavor we love.
A couple of days after making this decision I ran across a recipe for just the thing on Martha Stewart’s website—Grilled Corn, Heirloom Tomato, Avocado, and Arugula Salad. Not having a grill, I ended up boiling the corn instead and nixed the heirloom tomatoes (which were not yet available in our usual grocery store) in favor of grape tomatoes instead. It turned out wonderfully. The perfect summery side for a summery birthday meal. I can’t wait to make it again (and again) this summer with fresh corn and tomatoes from our local Farmers Market.
Corn, Tomato, Avocado, and Arugula Salad
Adapted from MarthaStewart.com
Ingredients:
4 ears fresh corn, husks removed
¾ pint of grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup chopped cilantro leaves
½ jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
2 cups of arugula
Juice of 2 limes (next time I think I’d use more)
3 TBL red wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil (I may have used slightly less)
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
1.Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add corn to boiling water and cook for about 10-12 minutes until done but still crisp. Drain and immediately rinse with cold water (you could also use an ice bath but I was using all available counter space getting the fiesta together so decided to go without).
2.Once corn has cooled enough to handle, cut kernels from cobs. Transfer to a large bowl and add tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeno, and arugula. Season with salt and pepper.
3.In a small bowl, mix together lime juice, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. Set aside.
4.Right before serving, chop the avocado and add to bowl. Pour the lime juice mixture over the salad and toss to combine.
A couple of days after making this decision I ran across a recipe for just the thing on Martha Stewart’s website—Grilled Corn, Heirloom Tomato, Avocado, and Arugula Salad. Not having a grill, I ended up boiling the corn instead and nixed the heirloom tomatoes (which were not yet available in our usual grocery store) in favor of grape tomatoes instead. It turned out wonderfully. The perfect summery side for a summery birthday meal. I can’t wait to make it again (and again) this summer with fresh corn and tomatoes from our local Farmers Market.
Corn, Tomato, Avocado, and Arugula Salad
Adapted from MarthaStewart.com
Ingredients:
4 ears fresh corn, husks removed
¾ pint of grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup chopped cilantro leaves
½ jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
2 cups of arugula
Juice of 2 limes (next time I think I’d use more)
3 TBL red wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil (I may have used slightly less)
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
1.Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add corn to boiling water and cook for about 10-12 minutes until done but still crisp. Drain and immediately rinse with cold water (you could also use an ice bath but I was using all available counter space getting the fiesta together so decided to go without).
2.Once corn has cooled enough to handle, cut kernels from cobs. Transfer to a large bowl and add tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeno, and arugula. Season with salt and pepper.
3.In a small bowl, mix together lime juice, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. Set aside.
4.Right before serving, chop the avocado and add to bowl. Pour the lime juice mixture over the salad and toss to combine.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Jason's Birthday Fiesta, Part 1
It’s Jason’s Birthday Week!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST HUSBAND AROUND!
As you may recall, my birthday celebrations tend to revolve around what restaurant I want to try out. But Jason requested a home cooked meal and, fortunately for him, I really enjoy planning special occasion/holiday meals. (In fact, I’ve pretty much had this meal planned out for weeks.) Of course, since he is the man of honor, Jason had most of the say in what his birthday dinner consisted of. His requests--- fish tacos (shocker!) and tiramisu cake. Here is how I chose to round out the menu:
Although Jason was a huge fan of the fish tacos I made last month I decided to make a few tweaks. The first was to sprinkle the tilapia with a little Baja seasoning before sticking it under the broiler. This idea came from a fish dish Jason likes to get from the Whole Foods out in Fairfax, VA where they have several mini restaurants serving really good food at incredibly reasonable prices (seriously—if you haven’t been and you live in the DC area…go!).
The second was to swap the chopped white onion for pickled onions! One of our favorite Mexican places serves shrimp tacos with these delicious pickled onions on top and I’ve long wondered how to make them at home. Enter Smitten Kitchen and her recipes for pickled onions. They were actually pretty close to what is served at Taqueria Poblano (a little less sweet maybe) and definitely a good addition to our fish tacos. All in all, a very successful meal :)
Pickled Onions
From Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients:
½ large red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup cold water
2 TBL coarse salt
1 TBL sugar
2 dashes hot sauce.
Combine all of the ingredients into a bowl or mason jar and refrigerate overnight.
Stay tuned for more birthday dinner extravaganza recipes later this week!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST HUSBAND AROUND!
As you may recall, my birthday celebrations tend to revolve around what restaurant I want to try out. But Jason requested a home cooked meal and, fortunately for him, I really enjoy planning special occasion/holiday meals. (In fact, I’ve pretty much had this meal planned out for weeks.) Of course, since he is the man of honor, Jason had most of the say in what his birthday dinner consisted of. His requests--- fish tacos (shocker!) and tiramisu cake. Here is how I chose to round out the menu:
- Roasted tomatillo salsa and tortilla chips
- Fish tacos with cabbage and lime (with a few twists—more on that in a minute)
- Corn and tomato salad with avocado and arugula (recipe coming up tomorrow)
- Tiramisu cake (recipe coming Friday)
Although Jason was a huge fan of the fish tacos I made last month I decided to make a few tweaks. The first was to sprinkle the tilapia with a little Baja seasoning before sticking it under the broiler. This idea came from a fish dish Jason likes to get from the Whole Foods out in Fairfax, VA where they have several mini restaurants serving really good food at incredibly reasonable prices (seriously—if you haven’t been and you live in the DC area…go!).
The second was to swap the chopped white onion for pickled onions! One of our favorite Mexican places serves shrimp tacos with these delicious pickled onions on top and I’ve long wondered how to make them at home. Enter Smitten Kitchen and her recipes for pickled onions. They were actually pretty close to what is served at Taqueria Poblano (a little less sweet maybe) and definitely a good addition to our fish tacos. All in all, a very successful meal :)
Pickled Onions
From Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients:
½ large red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup cold water
2 TBL coarse salt
1 TBL sugar
2 dashes hot sauce.
Combine all of the ingredients into a bowl or mason jar and refrigerate overnight.
Stay tuned for more birthday dinner extravaganza recipes later this week!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Let Him Eat Bread
Have I told you how much Jason loves bread? Not as much as my cousin who was known for eating his weight in yeast rolls every Christmas Eve (and who ate 2/3 of The Liberty Tavern bread basket when he was in town last week), but a lot. Don’t get me wrong, I love bread too but I have come to realize that eating 3-4 dinner rolls with a meal is probably not the best thing to do on a regular basis. Jason has no such will power when it comes to bread (especially bread slathered with butter), so I have significantly cut down on the amount of bread I serve at dinnertime.
Despite this, I got it in my head this week that I needed to make some homemade bread. Maybe it’s because this is Jason’s birthday week and I am feeling more eager to please than usual (SPOILER ALERT—lots of yummy birthday dinner recipes coming your way the rest of the week!). Or maybe it’s because I am in the middle of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and have become somewhat enamored with the author’s self-sufficient lifestyle and am trying to emulate it in some small way. Whatever the reason, I made bread.
Now this is not my first bread—that honor goes to the it’s-so-good-you-will-never-believe-it’s-this-easy-to-make No-Knead Harvest Bread from King Arthur Flour. But that is a fall/winter bread to me. So I decided to give Serious Eats’ recipe for The Simplest White Bread Ever a try.
It definitely lived up to its name! It requires minimal kneading and no special equipment (unlike the no-knead method which requires a dutch oven). While it did not look as nice as the pictures that went a long with the original recipe, it was not bad for a first try. And the taste---according to Jason it was just plain good (which is definitely a compliment). I had one piece with our big dinner salad tonight. Jason, of course, had two. I guess it could be worse!
Simplest White Bread Ever
From Serious Eats
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons (1 package) yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
2 1/2 cups (11 1/4 oz) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1. Add the sugar and yeast to the water in your measuring cup and stir to combine. If you're using anything except an instant yeast, let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the mixture is lively and bubbly. If it's instant yeast, you can continue without proofing, or let it proof to ease your mind that the yeast is alive—your choice.
2. Put the flour and salt into a medium bowl, and stir to distribute salt.
3. Add the water/yeast mixture to the bowl with the flour, and stir to combine all the ingredients.
4. Sprinkle some flour on your countertop and dump the dough mixture onto the counter. Knead for a minute or two, adding flour as necessary to keep it from sticking. You don't need to knead until the dough is stretchy and elastic - just knead until it's a nice cohesive mixture and not a lumpy, sticky, blobby mess. Form it into a ball.
5. Drizzle the olive oil into a zip-top bag and plop the dough into the bag. Make sure the dough is completely coated with olive oil, zip the top, and stash it in the refrigerator overnight.
6. The next day, take the bag out of the fridge and massage it a bit, still in the bag, to mash out all the bubbles in the dough. You may need to open the bag to let the air out, but reseal it after.
7. Leave the bag on the countertop until the dough has come to room temperature, about an hour. It will rise and expand a bit during that time.
8. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Sprinkle some cornmeal on the bottom of a loaf pan.
9. Sprinkle some flour on your countertop, and dump the dough onto the counter. You don't need to squeeze every bit of olive oil out of the bag, but don't try to hold it back, either.
10. Knead and fold it a bit to incorporate the olive oil into the dough, then form the dough into a log that will fit into your loaf pan.
11. Put the loaf into the pan, cover the pan with plastic wrap, and let it rise until it has at least doubled in size. I used a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and let it rise until it was about even with the pan (1 hour or so).
12. Remove the plastic wrap, slash the top with a knife, and bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
13. Let it cool completely on a rack before slicing.
Despite this, I got it in my head this week that I needed to make some homemade bread. Maybe it’s because this is Jason’s birthday week and I am feeling more eager to please than usual (SPOILER ALERT—lots of yummy birthday dinner recipes coming your way the rest of the week!). Or maybe it’s because I am in the middle of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and have become somewhat enamored with the author’s self-sufficient lifestyle and am trying to emulate it in some small way. Whatever the reason, I made bread.
Now this is not my first bread—that honor goes to the it’s-so-good-you-will-never-believe-it’s-this-easy-to-make No-Knead Harvest Bread from King Arthur Flour. But that is a fall/winter bread to me. So I decided to give Serious Eats’ recipe for The Simplest White Bread Ever a try.
It definitely lived up to its name! It requires minimal kneading and no special equipment (unlike the no-knead method which requires a dutch oven). While it did not look as nice as the pictures that went a long with the original recipe, it was not bad for a first try. And the taste---according to Jason it was just plain good (which is definitely a compliment). I had one piece with our big dinner salad tonight. Jason, of course, had two. I guess it could be worse!
Yeast proofed and ready to go
After a quick knead
After a night's rest in the fridge
Slashed and ready to go into the oven
Simplest White Bread Ever
From Serious Eats
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons (1 package) yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
2 1/2 cups (11 1/4 oz) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1. Add the sugar and yeast to the water in your measuring cup and stir to combine. If you're using anything except an instant yeast, let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the mixture is lively and bubbly. If it's instant yeast, you can continue without proofing, or let it proof to ease your mind that the yeast is alive—your choice.
2. Put the flour and salt into a medium bowl, and stir to distribute salt.
3. Add the water/yeast mixture to the bowl with the flour, and stir to combine all the ingredients.
4. Sprinkle some flour on your countertop and dump the dough mixture onto the counter. Knead for a minute or two, adding flour as necessary to keep it from sticking. You don't need to knead until the dough is stretchy and elastic - just knead until it's a nice cohesive mixture and not a lumpy, sticky, blobby mess. Form it into a ball.
5. Drizzle the olive oil into a zip-top bag and plop the dough into the bag. Make sure the dough is completely coated with olive oil, zip the top, and stash it in the refrigerator overnight.
6. The next day, take the bag out of the fridge and massage it a bit, still in the bag, to mash out all the bubbles in the dough. You may need to open the bag to let the air out, but reseal it after.
7. Leave the bag on the countertop until the dough has come to room temperature, about an hour. It will rise and expand a bit during that time.
8. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Sprinkle some cornmeal on the bottom of a loaf pan.
9. Sprinkle some flour on your countertop, and dump the dough onto the counter. You don't need to squeeze every bit of olive oil out of the bag, but don't try to hold it back, either.
10. Knead and fold it a bit to incorporate the olive oil into the dough, then form the dough into a log that will fit into your loaf pan.
11. Put the loaf into the pan, cover the pan with plastic wrap, and let it rise until it has at least doubled in size. I used a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and let it rise until it was about even with the pan (1 hour or so).
12. Remove the plastic wrap, slash the top with a knife, and bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
13. Let it cool completely on a rack before slicing.
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