Kitchen Ranch

Cake and Fan Letters

David Lebovitz is one of my favorite people that I´ve never met.  I love to read his blog which makes me laugh out loud AND get inspired.  I want to ride bikes with David through the streets of Paris, then drink cocktails while we stuff chocolate pastries and pickled beets into our mouths.  

I like him so much that I have even considered writing David a fan letter.  Not the fan letter like I wrote to Tony Danza FROM my friend Bill that begged Mr. Danza for an autographed photo; but a real fan letter, like I once wrote to Erica Jong many years ago.  

And, when I need a delicious dessert, I reach for Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes.  This birthday cake for Rich was top top delicious: Banana Walnut with Mocha Frosting and Candied Peanuts.

By the way, Tony Danza never wrote to Bill.  But, Erica Jong did send me a signed greeting card that thanked me for reading her work.

Spiced Orange Cake and Giddy

I am pretty giddy right now about the travel post I wrote over at Babyccino.  And, if you ever have guests for brunch, here is your perfect recipe: Spiced Orange Cake.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Nutella

 

On Easter, I thought I would bust out some fancy cupcakes to accompany brunch. Since everyone is a fan of Nutella, I thought vanilla cupcakes with nutella would be a hit.  And, they were (no surprise).

I used Martha Stewart's vanilla cupcake recipe which makes 12 cupcakes.  I then dropped a dollop of nutella onto the cupcake and with a toothpick, I swirled the nutella.  

Once baked, the swirl sunk.  I had to top the cupcakes with another dollop (which was fine).  

The cupcakes did not last long.

On a side note, I found a use for the handful of pie dough I always have left over after I make a couple pies.  Does this happen to anyone else???  It is enough dough to feel guilty about throwing out but not enough dough for another pie.  So..... I made these mini pop tarts the next morning and they were delicious.  I sprinkled cinamon and sugar in between the layers.  

Happy Spring and chocolate goodness! 

Chocolate Chip Cookies (not a recipe)

I want to note what I cannot find here in Nosara.  Parchment paper, a cookie sheet and chocolate chips.  

Chocolate chips can be found at Pricesmart, which is like a Cost Co,  in San Jose.  San Jose is a four hour drive (not worth it for chocolate chips).  Having made chocolate chip cookies with chopped chocolate, I don't know if I'll ever miss chcolate chips again.  The chunks are well worth the wrist work out.  

I never found a cookie sheet but I did find a silicone mat which disregards a need for parchment paper.  The mat works fine as you can see below.

This guy.

The chunks are more tempting, no?

Happy Holiday Menu

I hope your holidays are filled with joy and delicious food.  Here is the menu for our Christmas dinner-

Gourges from Ina Garten

Crusted Pumpkin Wedges with Sour Cream from Plenty: Vibrant Recipes from London's Ottolenghi

Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms from Smitten Kitchen

Onion Galette 

Fresh greens tossed  in a red wine shallot vinaigrette

Salted Chocolate Tart (shown above) from Sunset Magazine

Bon Appetit all!

Peach Pie with Crumble Topping

A couple weeks ago I made that strawberry and bluberry crumble...remember?  When I saw the peach farmer at the market was selling big bags of "second peaches" I knew what needed to be done.

I like Martha Stewart's pie crust and I used the left over crumble I still had in the freezer. I prepared the peaches as I did in the crumble recipe and baked the dish as I did the crumble.

Delicious. 

Blueberry and Strawberry Crumble

When I make a crumble, I always have remaining crumble topping. This crumble freezes well for a later use.

Crumble

• 1/2 c (100g) brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 c (100g)  flour
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 4 Tbsp (60g) butter, frozen and cubed
• 1/4 c (25g) oats
• Mix (I use my fingers) into a crumble.

Fruit Filling

• 1/2 c (100g) sugar
• 1/4 c (35g) flour
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Mix, then coat fruit.

I baked this at 350 F (170 C) for about 25 minutes. When I pulled it out of (my new oven!!!) it was bubbly and smelled so inviting. I topped it with a dab of creme fraiche...oh my.  How I love a crumble.

Currant Scones, Pickled Turnips & Beets, and Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

Here are a few tried recipes as of late. Recipes I certainly approve of! I will start with these scones above which are super. Really SUPER. Recipe found on Martha Stewart.

I love them. I ate them every night for 3 nights in a row. Pickled turnips and beets via David Lebovitz.

Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble thanks to Smitten Kitchen. It is all about the freshest strawberries and rhubarb!

Home Made Ding Dongs

A Ding Dong is a chocolate cake with a creamy frosting center and chocolate surround (as shown above). When I was a kid, I always wanted ding dongs from the corner store. Ding dongs were a rare treat for me; to think that some kids ate them everyday in their packed lunch-Ga!

Knowing now what I know about what goes into the individually packaged ding dongs- never ever would I eat.  

But why not make my own minus all the hydrogenated crap, preservatives, and packaging?  The recipe is three parts and then assembly: The cupcake, the center cream, and the ganache.

As you can see (in the bottum picture), some of the ding dongs have cream filling oozing out- I think I felt a bit akward in the assembly and should I make these again they might be prettier. I skimped on the chocolate sauce surround as well for fear of the cakes getting soggy-next time I would not skimp. Never-the-less they tasted GREAT.

The Cup Cake (modified Donna Hay recipe)

• 125g salted butter, softened (125 g is about 1 stick of butter)
• 1 cup plain flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1.5 tsp double-acting baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Handfuls of dark chocolate chips

1. Mix plain flour, cocoa powder & baking powder.

2. In another bowl, whisk together butter, sugar & vanilla extract for about 10-12 mins.  Add in eggs one at a time.

3. Add in milk and flour mixture alternately in 3 additions.

4. Add chocolate chips. 

5. Bake in a muffin tin at 320 F or 160C for 20 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Hole out your cupcakes once they cool. Add the seven minute frosting and recap. 

Seven Minute Frosting (for the center)

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 3 unbeaten egg whites

1. Mix sugar, vanilla, and egg whites. 
2. Add boiling water.  
3. Beat on high til mixture forms peaks (like thick whipped cream). A stand mixer would have been nice for this- Robert assisted immensely in this process. It took about 15 minutes with a handheld mixer. 

Turn the ding dong over and then add chocolate sauce or use your favorite ganache recipe. 

Fabulous Puff Pastry

Puff Pastry is fabulous. There are so many uses for puff pastry that I always keep some in the freezer.

One use for a snack or dessert in a jiffy is this one- it is a sort of palmier meets cinnamon roll. Be sure your puff pastry is thawed (I usually transfer mine from the freezer to the fridge at noon time-that insures it will be in right condition for use at dinner hour).

Melt 2 or 3 tablespoons of butter and brush onto your rolled out sheet of puff pastry. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over the butter and roll your sheet of pastry like so:

Cut 1 inch thick pieces of your rolled pastry and place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 350 F or 176 C for 10 -15 minutes depending on your oven. The delicious bites should be lightly browned as shown in the top photo.