Evil Shenanigans

My grandmother is going to be 89 tomorrow.   I know, 89!!

She told me, when I asked what she wanted me to bake for her special day, to just make whatever.  "Great," I said and smiled, but inside I was frozen.  What was I going to make????

She has no idea what leaving this choice up to me has done.  You see, I am a planner.  Some would call it OCD, but I prefer to call it in control and in charge.  Whatever you call it, I was put in the position of deciding what dessert would be best to make for her … and I am still not sure. 

I am considering making her a lemon layer cake with cream cheese frosting, or maybe some sort of fall fruit tart.  Maybe I could make her crepes, or cream puffs … dang it!  I am doing it again.

*sigh*

I will have to decide soon.  Until then, I hope what is below will entertain you!

As far back as I can remember this stuffing was served for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  My great-grandmother made it.  My grandmother made it.  My mom made it, and I am now in proud possession of this recipe.  It will seem really, REALLY wet when it goes into the oven, but have faith!!  That woodgie casserole will bake into a fluffy and flavorful stuffing.  45 minutes is a good time to start checking, but it can take as long as an hour and 15 minutes.   If you divide the stuffing into two smaller dishes, a good plan if you are pressed for time, start checking after 30 min.  It is done when the center is firm to the touch, and a knife inserted into the center comes out moist but mostly clean.

You can use Jiffy Corn Bread Mix for the corn bread portion of the recipe if that makes your life easier.  My mom has used it for years and the results are lovely. 

Prep Ahead Tip:  If you want to make up the cornbread mixture (cornbread, toast, and veggies with seasoning) and freeze it, then on the day of the big meal just add the wet ingredients and bake it, that is perfectly acceptable.

My Mom’s Cornbread Stuffing                     Serves 8 
Cornbread, recipe follows
10 slices oven-dried white bread
½ cup butter
2 cups celery, chopped fine
1 large onion, chopped fine1 apple, peeled and grated
6 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt Ground pepper
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
5 eggs, beaten  Preheat oven to 350 F

In a large bowl, combine crumbled cornbread, dried white bread slices, and saltines; set aside.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and cook until transparent, approximately 5 to 10 minutes, being careful not to brown them. Pour the vegetable mixture over cornbread mixture. Add the stock, mix well and add salt and pepper to taste.  Add sage and poultry seasoning, beaten eggs and mix well. Pour mixture into a greased pan and bake until dressing is cooked through, about 45 minutes. Serve with turkey as a side dish.

Cornbread                    6 to 8 servings
1 cup self-rising cornmeal
1/2 cup self-rising flour
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter, cooled  

Preheat oven to 350 F

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  In another bowl combine the wet ingredients.  Pour the wet over the dry and stir until just combined. Pour batter into a greased shallow baking dish, 8×8 or 9×9. Bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
To serve, cut into desired squares and serve with butter.

 

11/19/08 - UPDATE!!

I served the pie from the recipe below and it was quite tasty … and runny!  So, I would not fold in the whipped cream.  I would just sort of smooth out the toffee and spread it with great care. 

But, the taste … spot on.  My family, once past the initial trepadation of a new dessert with a strange name, asked for seconds.  And, in one case, thirds.

Yum!

I registered for another semester of culinary school today.  I signed up for Cake Decorating I and II and Pastry Competition.  With my current schedule I will be going to school Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights.  I will not be getting home until 10:30 most nights.  I have not decided if I am happy with this choice, and I may drop the cake decorating classes before the semester starts.

I'm worried that between not getting enough sleep and not seeing my family I will burn out.  Fast.  We shall see what happens, but for now I'm a little afraid.

 My husband had his birthday yesterday (Yay him!!) and we had sushi for dinner at this little place we like.  Tonight we are celebrating with my family.  He asked me to make his bnirthday dessert.  It is something I have never made before, but something we enjoyed in England.  Banoffee pie.

I did some research and found there are tons of recpies for Banoffee pie which are all similar.  Some use a partry crust, some use a graham crust, some use a digestive crust, others are made with cookies.  After a frustrating search I found a recipe from the creator (or so he claims) of the Banoffee Pie and I decided to give it a go.

First, you make the banoffee toffee.  It is condensed milk that is cooked in the can until the sugars are caramalised.  Sounds easy, yes?  Well, look on the interwebs and you will read many different methods for making the toffee, and many dire warnings about exploding cans.  I used the method in the recipe and had no problems.  I placed the cans in a deep cast iron pot, covered with water and brought the whole thing to a simmer.  Once simmering I placed the lid on and put the whole thing in a 275 F oven for 3 1/2 hours.  Since I did it late I just flipped the oven off at the end of the cooking time and went to bed. 

The next morning I pulled the cans and opened one to see the results.  It was VERY thick, and the color of dark amber.  It tasted ok, but it tasted very much like milk and dark sugar.  Since I do not enjoy milk much I was not impressed, but as ALL the recipes I found called for this method to make the toffee I figured it was right.

Second, make a crust.  The creator says he only thinks a pastry crust is the appropriate crust for this pie.  I appreciate as the creator he would have that opinion but I decided chocolate was the way to go so I ground up some chocolate wafer cookies with butter and sugar and baked it at 350 F for 10 minutes.  I made a thick crust because that is always my favorite part of the pie. 

After the pie crust cooled I set to assembly. 

I said before the toffee was thick.  And so it was.  Knowing I would NEVER be able to spread this on a delicate chocolate wafer crust I lightened the toffee with a little whipped cream flavored with coffee and powdered sugar.  I know, you are saying, coffee?  In the recipe I used he calls for coffee in the topping … I just took that idea and went a step further. 

The resulting toffee was lighter in color, thinner, and still quite milkie. 

I spread a layer of toffee, covered that with two sliced bananas, and topped that with another layer of toffee.  At this point I put it into the fridge.  Tonight I am going to place a second layer of bananas and cover that with softly whipped cream flavored with coffee.

I have no idea, at this point, if the pie will even taste good.  I hope so.  The toffee did not send me into raptures, but I am hopeful that the addition of the bananas and cream will transform the flavor into the decadent dessert I had in England.

This is the link to the recipe I used.  He gives complete instructions for making the toffee and the preparation of the pie as he invented it.  Below you will see what changes I made.  It is not traditional, in fact it is quite different, but it is how I made it. 

Banoffee Pie - My Way

Crust
1 Package chocolate wafer cookies (Nabisco Brand is my fav.)
6 Tablespoons salted butter, soft
1/3 Cup White Sugar

Place the cookies in a food processor and process until the wafers are a fine crumb.  Add the sugar and butter and blend until all the crumbs are moist and the sugar is well combined.  Place the crumb mixture into a 9" pie tin and press into the sides and bottom.  I use a measuring cup to pack the crumb tight.  Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes.  Allow to cool completely.

Filling
1 Can of banoffe toffee 
4 ripe bananas
1 Pint heavy whipping cream, divided
3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of instant coffee 
 
Place the toffee into the bowl of a mixer and with the paddle attachment blend until smooth.
In another bowl whip 1/3 cup of cream with 1 teaspoon of instant coffee and 1 tablespoons of powdered sugar.
Fold the cream into the toffee to lighten.

Spread a layer of the toffee (about 1/3 the toffee) on the bottom of the crust.  Slice two of the bananas and arrange the slices on the toffee mixture.  Top the bananas with remaining toffee mixture.  Top this layer with banana slices.
Whip the remaining cream with the instant coffee and the remaining powdered sugar.  Pile the cream over the bananas, making sure that the cream is spread the edges of the pie to seal the bananas.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

I will admit this to you, dear cyber readers.  For the last few months I have been a TOTAL baking slacker.   Cooking slacker also.

Really?  Oh, yes.

But, the impending holidays have reignited my desire to bake and fiddle around in the kitchen.  Well, that and a trip to Ireland.  Yes, Ireland the country.   I am addicted to back bacon and smoked salmon now.  I also got Nigella's new Christmas cookbook while there. :)  (Did anyone really think I would not get it while I was there?) 

I baked my best friend's wedding cake whilein the UK. 

Sunday I made brown soda bread and crumpets which I have put up in the freezer to extend their shelf life.  Monday night I made pan seared trout with brown butter sauce.  Tuesday I made a steamed Golden Syrup Sponge Cake.  Last night I made Chicken Tikka Masala.  Tonight I am making Maple Mustard Chicken Thighs, Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes, and homemade Mac and Cheese.  Tomorrow it is standing rib roast with garlic mash.

See what I mean?  The fire … she is back! 

I have spent hours making obsessive lists for Thanksgiving AND Christmas meals.  I am planning my baked gifts down to the last detail, and I am already scoping out baskets or tins in which to put my tasty creations.  I am getting antsy to start baking cookies and pumpkin bread (something I REFUSE to let myself do until the weekend after Thanksgiving).  Restraint is becoming difficult to come by.

This weekend I am going to begin my Thanksgiving prep by getting my puff pastry made and put up in the freezer.   The rest will have to wait until the week of, and I find myself angry that Thanksgiving is not sooner.  I am anticipating the morning of Thanksgiving, baking and cooking the last minute appetizers and rolls as the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade plays in the background. 

So, you may wonder what is on the Thanksgiving Menu this year?  Ok, here is the list.  I may post a few of the recipes as they big day draws near.

Roast Turkey
Cornbread Stuffing
Gravy
White Butter Rolls
Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon
Bacon Wrapped Green Bean Bundles
Spicy Corn
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon Crumble
Squash Casserole
Jello Salad

And after all that, for dessert we will have:

Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Ginger Snap Crust
Caramel Apple Tart
Pecan Pie

I know, I am full already!!

Not that I really went anywhere, but I have neglected my blog.  Sorry.

So, you may well be wondering what I have been up to in my absence?  Well, I shall tell you.

First, I finished my Laminated Dough class.  I really did not enjoy that class because my teacher was less than stellar.  And, rest assured, that is me being VERY polite.  I did learn a lot about making puff pastry and I learned a lot about dealing with stress.  Both good to know if I plan to pursue baking in my future.

Second, I am taking Pies, Tarts, Teacakes, and Cookies over the Summer.  In fact, I am over half finished with the class!  It has been an interesting class, but not as much of a challenge as Laminated (mostly because I have a great teacher).  I did, however, have a bad mid-term practical.  I had been given a Brandy Apple Pie to make and for some reason the pie did not turn out well.  Think, exploding pie.   It ended up being undercooked because I was seriously afraid it would pop out of the pan!  But, that is the past and I look boldly on to the future!

Third, I have been making cakes and baked goods for friends and family throughout the Spring and Summer.  This weekend I am making a butterscotch pie for my father's birthday.  I also did two (yes that is 2) full sheet cakes for a friend of my mothers.  She just adopted her granddaughter and they had a party.  It was sweet and both cakes turned out really cute.  (I have pictures, but I have not yet added them.  I should try and get to that, huh?)

Last, I am almost finished with baking classes at school!  The only ones I have left are Quantity Bakeshop Production and Pastry Competition.  Both are traditionally offered as day classes so I may never be able to take those classes.  Not that I am all that upset about that.  I hate sugar work, and I am not sure I want to bust it for school lunch service.  (Yes, lazy!!!  Eeee!)

So, with summer school almost out and a month before classes begin again, and with me not taking classes that involve actual baking production, I may shift the focus from cooking school to more television snark and recipes.  Of course, this is all subject to change at my fickle whim.  And it is indeed fickle!!

Till next time … enjoy some cookies since I have them on the brain!  (These are spectacular at Christmas … make half of them with strawberry jam and the other half with pineapple jam that you tint green).  These freeze really well, just roll them in confectioner's sugar before after you take them out of the freezer.

Jam Thumbprint Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted after measuring
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour, sifted after measuring
1/2 cup seedless jam or jelly, any flavor

1 cup confectioner's sugar

Heat your oven to 350F

In the bowl of your mixer combine the butter and cream cheese on low speed until well blended.  Add the sugar and egg yolk and mix until fluffy.

Mix in the sifted flour and mix until combined.  Do not over mix.

Scoop out 1" pieces of the dough and roll into balls.  Place on a parchment lined, or ungreased, cookie sheet.  Press your thumb into the center of each cookie and fill with 1/2 teaspoon of jam.

Bake for 12-15 min, or until the bottom is golden brown.

Allow the cookies to cool completely and roll the edges in powdered sugar, or sift the sugar over the top.

Devour!

Well, I have been sadly negligent in posting this month.  Sorry about that!  To be honest I have not felt like it, but I am happier when I do post so I am getting back to it!

School has been not great.  I shall not say more.  Mid-terms are next week.  Yay.  I can't wait for summer.

I love, love, love my husbands smoker that I got him for Christmas.  We have had all sorts of smoked meats from pork shoulder to chicken and all of it has been tender, juicy and delicious!  I can't recommend one to you highly enough. 

I did a wedding cake over the weekend.  I will try to get the pics of it up soon, but rest assured it lookes almost exactly like the one I did in October.  In two weeks my BFF is coming in for a wedding shower and I will make her a wedding style cake (he he) and I will take pics of that for you to see as well.  Should be a blast.

Tomorrow I will post a new recipe for my Friday Recipe series.  I will make it a good one for the spring, which I am so ready for I can't even begin to express it.

TTFN!

The last couple of days have been personally stressful and to be honest I have not felt like doing much of anything.  Got a mean case of the 'Blahs'.  I'm feeling slightly more motivated today.  Hopefully this trend continues.

I did want to post an update on the reversed puff pastry I began last week at school.  Last night we finished the puff and used it for some really tasty, if a tad fugly looking, Napoleons.  (Not to be confused with the Apple Pie Crapoleon of Sandra Lee fame).  Napoleons are desserts that are at least three layers of pastry.  In this case it was three layers of puff pastry with pastry cream between the layers and it was all topped with fondant. 

The puff was rolled out very thin and baked between two sheet pans for the first half of the baking process.  Then, the top pan is removed so the pastry can brown.  This inhibits the lift provided by the butter creaking a thin, very crisp, and flaky pastry sheet.  You then slice the sheet with a pastry (read pizza) wheel or a sharp chef's knife.  I used the wheel and had good results.  I free handed my cuts because I was in a hurry, but really you should use a yard stick to make perfect even cuts.  I feel this would also be an excellent application for a dough divider.   

If I made them more often I would likely be able to produce a prettier dessert.  This was my second one ever, so taking that into consideration I feel I did quite well.  One woman in our class works for a local restaurant where they make these nightly, and hers were very pretty.  Practice does indeed make perfect.

The flavor of the reversed puff pastry is like a crispy butter cracker.  Layer that with pastry cream and top with pourable fondant icing and you have a stack of yumminess!  This is the kind of dessert I would make at home, and will make, to impress dinner guests. 

Lovely lemon pound cake, forgotten on my dining room table!  Well, you weren't eaten for the birthday for which you were baked, but you sure made a tasty breakfast! 

It was quite lovely, lightly lemony and not too sweet.  I'm sure by the end of the day most of it will be eaten.  That is how it should be.

There is something kind of comforting about a bundt cake.  Maybe it is just me, but when I was a kid there was always some kind of bundt cake for dessert.  Glazed or plain, a bundt was always welcome.  My favorite was marble bundt cake.  It was like two cakes in one  As I grew older I saw less and less of them.  I know they still exist, and they are not just for grandma anymore!

Viva la Bundt! 

Feeling retro?  This is something I had growing up and every so often someone will produce this at a pot-luck or covered dish party.  Most people have had this at one time or another and it is really good. 

Traditional Rum Cake   Serves 12

1 cup chopped, toasted pecans
1 box yellow cake mix
1 1-3/4 ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup cold milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup dark rum

Glaze
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark rum

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Prepare a 12-cup Bundt pan with butter and flour, or with baking spray. Sprinkle nuts on bottom of the pan.

In a large mixing bowl combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, milk, oil, and rum. Beat for 2 minutes on high with electric mixer. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake for 60 minutes. Cool completely in the pan then turn out on a cooling rack with parchment underneath.

While the cake cools prepare the glaze by melting butter in a saucepan. Stir in the water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the rum.

Prick top with a wooden skewer and then drizzle the glaze over the top of cake. Use a spoon to pour the glaze that drips onto the parchment back on cake.

Enjoy!

Who doesn't love a good muffin?  I know I do.  And the muffins pictured below are hard to resist.  Trust me!  I told you all about these muffins last week.  Here is a link to the blog entry that includes the recipe for these chocolaty lovelies.  You really should make them.

I am so PLEASED that the Giants won the Super Bowl!  I was afraid, at the end, that New England was going to win but the Giants were able to score one more time.  Brilliant!  My Dallas Stars also swept their Canada road trip, so I was in a very good  mood this weekend and to cap it all off we had some DELISH food.  Let me tell you what we did.

More pleasing to me personally than the Giant's win, as I am truly a Cowboys fan, was the pork shoulder my husband smoked.  It was tender and juicy.  Far better than the pulled pork you get at most generic bar-b-q places, this pork was sweet from the secret recipe rub we used and tender from the almost 9 hours it spent on the smoker.

To go with that tender slab of pork I made macaroni salad as a side and for snacking I prepared the guacamole, queso blanco, and spiced bean dip from my Friday Recipes.  For dessert I used some left over puff pastry that I had frozen the week before and made chocolate rolls.  I broke one open and snapped this picture before I devoured it. 

So, yesterday I also made a birthday cake for one of the people in my office and this morning I was in such a rush to get out the door I forgot it.  I feel like a total tool, and I went out and got an ice cream cake to make up for it.  I hate that it is not the cake I made, but since it takes me 30 min on a good day to get home I would use my entire lunch hour going to get a cake that I can just as easily bring up tomorrow.

I made a lemon bundt cake with a lemon glaze.  It looked yummy, and since I don't really need it now I may take a slice tonight for dessert and see if it tastes as good as it smelled. 

I just really hate that I forgot it.  Of course, I would leave my head behind if it were not attached to my body. 

I rule!

So, last night we made, or at least began making, reverse puff pastry.

Unlike regular puff pastry where butter is enclosed in dough, reverse puff pastry encloses dough in butter.  As the name implies it is reverse of the regular way.  Oddly enough it worked quite well though the first three turns (I have two to complete next Wednesday) despite the very warm room in which I worked.

Are you asking yourself how it works?  Well, if so, you're in luck!

Reverse Puff Pastry

Butter Block:
190 gr soft butter
75 gr flour

Dough:
175 gr flour
7 gr. salt
60 gr melted butter
70 ml water

First, you mix the first quantity of butter and flour together in a large mixer with the paddle attachment.  Mix until it is well combined.  Take this mixture and roll it between two sheets of parchment, as square as you can manage, until it is 3/4 of an inch thick.  Rest in the fridge.

Next, combine the second quantity of flour with the salt, water and melted butter using the dough hook.  Rest for 30 minutes in the fridge. 

After it has rested roll it till it is a little under half the size of the butter.  You will need to leave a border around the outside so you can fully enclose the dough in butter.  Use the parchment paper to help you enclose the package.  Removing the paper can be a trial, but just do the  best you can and repair any holes in the butter.

Allow this to rest in the fridge (this will become a trend if you had not already deduced that for yourself) until the butter is firm but not hard.

Roll out the packet until it is three times as long as it is wide.  Give the dough a three fold.  Rest for 15 to 20 minutes in the fridge and repeat this process 4 more times (for a total of 5 turns)

Roll out and make up as desired!

---

Friday Recipe Time!!!

Since the Superbowl is this weekend I thought to post a recipe that you could use for a party, or to just munch on while watching the big game.  So, with that in mind, here are some yummy dips that will please a party or satisfy the munchies!

Queso Blanco    Serves 4-6

1 cup cheese (Monterrey Jack, Asadero or Chihuahua) shredded fine
4 ounces green chiles
1/4 cup Half & Half
2 tablespoons onion, grated
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, minced (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced (optional)

Combine all the ingredients in a double boiler and heat until melted and well combined. 

Guacamole   Serves 6-8

Two ripe avocados
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon onion, grated
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced 
1 can Rotel tomatoes, drained
Fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper

In a bowl combine the mayonnaise, cumin, onion, and garlic. 

Add the flesh of one avocado to the mixture in the bowl and mash well.  Take the flesh of the second avocado and dice into 1/4 inch cubes and gently fold into the mixture along with the rotel.  Season with salt, pepper and lime juice.

Spiced Bean Dip   Serves 6-8

2 tablespoons canola oil 
1 large onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 can vegetarian refried beans
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salt and pepper
1 juice of one lime In a food processor combine the onion and garlic.  Process until it is almost a paste.  Place a pan over medium heat and add the oil.  Cook the onion and garlic until soft and golden.

Add the beans, tomato paste and spices.  Cook until warmed though.

Add the lime juice to the mixture. Take the pan off the heat and put in a serving bowl. 

 This is something I sort of threw together for dinner Sunday.  I say 'sort of' because you can't just throw puff pastry together, but I already had that ready from the night before.  I just layered thin sliced apples with cinnamon and sugar on the pastry, baked it, and like magic it's dessert!

There is a new folder in the gallery, Spring 2008, where there are other glamour shots of this tart and a pic of one of my school projects.