Easy Chocolate Espresso Cake

This cake is embarrassingly easy to make.  I mean it.  If it wasn't so delicious, I wouldn't post it, because it makes me feel like such a cheater to make it.  The base is a box cake, and I hate that only because Sandra Lee makes me want to gnaw my own arm off just so I have something to throw at her.  It's not the business of semi-homemade, it's personal.  I can't stand that lady and her coordinated to the point of vomit inducing "Table Scapes."

The point is, although the idea of jazzing up a box cake makes me queasy, it really is good and worth the embarrassment.   So give it try, and don't tell anyone there's a box involved.

Easy Chocolate Espresso Cake
1 box Devil’s Food cake mix

1 box Cook and Serve chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp instant espresso powder

Put all the ingredients in the bowl of your mixer and beat on medium-low speed until combined.  Pour batter into the cake pan of your choice and bake 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean...don’t over bake it! It’s wonderfully moist!

Challah...L'chiam!

Ok, so I'm definitely not Jewish, but that does not mean I don't drool over a fresh baked challah, or savor the salty bite of gefilte fish...ok, you got me. I can't think of too many other things I hate more, than gefilte fish, but I do ADORE challah.  It's bread enriched with eggs, oil, and a touch of sweetness, AND it makes the most amazing french toast (as described in the previous post.)

I made challah last night, and again this morning to test the difference between dough that rose 3 times in a warm place, and one that rose overnight in the fridge before braiding, and rising again.  The first loaf had a good flavor, but it was rather dense and a little dry, although I may have overcooked it a little.  I tried my hand at a 2 level braid, as the recipe instructed and it was pretty much an aesthetic disaster.  Not only did it look like my 2 year old did it, but one end was much bigger than the other.  If you stood it upright on the counter it bore an uncanny resemblance to my own disproportional shape.  This made for tricky baking, because I was worried about the generous end (that's what I call mine too) cooking through, while the smaller one was sure to dry out.  The loaf I made this morning, was better, but still a little flat.  Don't get me wrong, it tasted wonderful, but I was looking for those elastic strands I know and love, and it was more crumby than that.

So here's the recipe I got from Smitten Kitchen's blog.


Best Challah (Egg Bread)
Adapted from Joan Nathan
The secrets to good challah are simple: Use two coats of egg wash to get that laquer-like crust and don’t overbake it. Joan Nathan, who this recipe is adapted from, adds that three risings always makes for the tastiest loaves, even better if one of them is slowed down in the fridge.
Time: about 1 hour, plus 2 1/2 hours’ rising
Yield: 2 loaves
1 1/2 packages active dry yeast (1 1/2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the bowl
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon salt
8 to 8 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup raisins per challah, if using, plumped in hot water and drained
Poppy or sesame seeds for sprinkling.
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water.
2. Whisk oil into yeast, then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add flour. When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading. (You can also use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading, but be careful if using a standard size KitchenAid–it’s a bit much for it, though it can be done.)
3. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Clean out bowl and grease it, then return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size. Dough may also rise in an oven that has been warmed to 150 degrees then turned off. Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another half-hour.
4. At this point, you can knead the raisins into the challah, if you’re using them, before forming the loaves. To make a 6-braid challah, either straight or circular, take half the dough and form it into 6 balls. With your hands, roll each ball into a strand about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Place the 6 in a row, parallel to one another. Pinch the tops of the strands together. Move the outside right strand over 2 strands. Then take the second strand from the left and move it to the far right. Take the outside left strand and move it over 2. Move second strand from the right over to the far left. Start over with the outside right strand. Continue this until all strands are braided. For a straight loaf, tuck ends underneath. For a circular loaf, twist into a circle, pinching ends together. Make a second loaf the same way. Place braided loaves on a greased cookie sheet with at least 2 inches in between.
5. Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves. Either freeze breads or let rise another hour.
6. If baking immediately, preheat oven to 375 degrees and brush loaves again. Sprinkle bread with seeds, if using. If freezing, remove from freezer 5 hours before baking.
7. Bake in middle of oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden. (If you have an instant read thermometer, you can take it out when it hits an internal temperature of 190 degrees.) Cool loaves on a rack.
Note: Any of the three risings can be done in the fridge for a few hours, for more deeply-developed flavor. When you’re ready to work with it again, bring it back to room temperature before moving onto the next step.

Contradictory Egg Nog Challah French Toast

It just occurred to me as I was about to write this, that it's pretty funny that I made french toast this morning with Challah and Egg Nog.  Being someone that celebrates neither Christmas or Hanukkah, the delicious contradiction never crossed my mind while I was making it.  Nevertheless, it WAS delicious, and I wanted to share.  Hopefully, you can be as lax as I am, forget about the sacreligiousness of it all and just enjoy it!

Egg Nog Challah French Toast


1 loaf of challah (because why would you want to use any other type of bread!...except maybe panatone)
4 eggs
2 cups whole milk
1/2-3/4 cup egg nog (depending on how strong you want the flavor to be)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Butter for greasing (and eating!)
Maple syrup (please, don't ruin it with Log Cabin like my kids do!)


If you have time, slice the bread a couple of hours before you plan to make it, so it dries out a little, or use slightly stale bread to begin with.  Combine all the ingredients but the bread in a 13x9 dish and wisk until frothy.  Soak the slices of bread while the griddle heats up and press down to make sure it gets good and wet.  Grease the griddle with butter and cook until brown on both sides.  Keep warm on a cookie sheet in your oven on the lowest setting while you finish the whole loaf.  Enjoy, This stuff is GOOD!

Woodberry Kitchen

Thursday, January 7th I am going to dinner with my three favorite fellow foodies.  We're going to Woodberry Kitchen, the hot, local / seasonal, probably overpriced, but famously yummy restaurant in Baltimore city.  My husband agreed to watch the kids (que the happy dance) as our usual babysitters are two of the three I'm dining with (Hi Moms!)  I have been dying to try this place since the time my husband and I went on a Wednesday night, which happened to be graduation day for Johns Hopkins University, and every seat in the house was taken by people with sailboats and seersucker, and sweaters tied around their waspy shoulders. The menu is always drool inducing (Seriously. Check it out here), and changes with what's available locally.  This is a very hot concept in cooking right now, and I'm all for it, but not because it's ecologically responsible.  I'm a fan of seasonal and local cooking because stuff just tastes better when it doesn't have to travel far to get on my plate and in ma' belly!   I will definitely take pictures report back.

As you can see, I just recently became a member of foodbuzz.com and I'm pretty excited about it. Hopefully it will increase the traffic to this blog, so that someone who's not blood related to me will read it (love you guys!), and they have a program where you can sign up to test food and food gadgets for free!...Free, people.  Free is my 2nd favorite word (don't ask about the 1st.)  They will also pay for you to go out to dinner once a year with other members in your area, in exchange for a post about your experience.  I am all over that.

As far as the Challah, I am going to attack it this Saturday.  We are supposed to get a snow day, and there is nothing I love more than cooking on a snow day...except maybe something free.

Pure and Utter Abandonment

That is all I can say about why it's been so long since I've written. It's not for lack of want, or even that I was SO busy (even though I have been pretty busy.) I can't even say it's for lack of inspiration. I've made lots of yummy things lately, and I posted very eloquently about them in my head. I think I just had a temporary lapse in confidence. Temporary. So, in short, I am back, and cheesily enough I was inspired because of watching a movie about a food blogger...yes that's right people, (get those cringing muscles warmed up) Julie and Julia. I FINALLY saw it today on this, the first real snow day of the season. I had fully intended on seeing it with my Mom in the theater, but the short people always seem to make that next to impossible, that is, unless we're going to see something in the computer animation genre. So my loving other half illegally downloaded it for me, and promptly left the room. I did really enjoy it, but I found myself feeling like the parts about Julie Powell were the commercials I had to suffer through to get to the good stuff. (sorry, Julie!)

I mean no disrespect to Julie, and am sincerely happy for her success, but as the movie progressed, I became more and more interested in Julia Child, and really just wanted more about her. I really hope someone makes another movie, solely about her and her life, and My Life in France is definitely my next read.

I am embarrassed to say I don't have, and have never even in person, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, but that will also be my next cookbook purchase. French cooking has never been my friend, with all it's complicated sauces, and expensive ingredients, but french FOOD, on the other hand...well, I'll put it to you this way - Fillet Bearnaise was my favorite food when I was in elementary school. That, and Chicken Fingers.

So the next recipe I have decided to test is Challah...Holla! (Sorry, I couldn't resist) I know, some may say, I've let brioche kick me in the proverbial arse, but it's not so. The truth is, I am still a little angry with brioche and until it calls to apologize, I am on strike.

So onto it's Jewish, and slightly more forgiving cousin...

Dark Chocolate Pear Upside-down Cake

So I saw this recipe on my Epicurious app, and was intrigued.  I had bought these beautiful anjou and red pears from Wegman's, and I needed a recipe for them.  In my opinion, chocolate is the Messiah of the dessert world, so I was thrilled to find a recipe with pears AND chocolate.  I'm going to share the original recipe, but I will say there are a few changes I would make if I made it again.  I did, use dark chocolate cocoa powder, which I thought was great, but the caramel syrup for the top (or bottom) of the cake, was waaaay to sugary, and didn't really have any flavor.  It was just pure sugar.  I would definitely turn it into a real caramel with butter or cream, and flavor it with vanilla.  The cake also came out dry, despite cooking it for 10 minutes less than the recipe called for, so I would just watch it next time.  The combination of pears and bittersweet chocolate, was great, and I think with some tweaking it could be delicious!

Upside-Down Pear Chocolate Cake

•  tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature, for pan

Fruit Topping

• 1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
• 3 firm but ripe pears, peeled, cored, and each cut into 12 slices (1 pound prepped)

Cake

• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter
• 4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (1 ounce) unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup whole milk

Butter a 9-inch round baking pan.

To make the fruit topping, put the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan (one with a tight-fitting lid) and stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then cover and cook for 2 minutes. (Covering in this way allows the steam to wash down the sides of pan, which will prevent any sugar crystals from forming.) Uncover the saucepan and continue to boil the sugar, gently and slowly swirling the pan as needed to cook the caramel evenly, until it becomes a dark amber color. Occasionally wash down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Carefully pour the caramel into the prepared pan and allow it to harden. The pan will be very hot from the sugar, so take care in moving it if you need to. Fan the pear slices on top of the caramel in a circle around the perimeter, filling in the center with the remaining slices.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

To make the cake, place the butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat and melt, stirring occasionally. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Transfer the melted chocolate to a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and add the sugar. Using a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the milk in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the middle of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cake bounces back slightly when touched. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto a plate, leaving the pan on top of the cake for 5 minutes before you remove it. Serve the cake warm, topped with a small dollop of Chantilly cream or a scoop of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

A Disappointment of French Magnitude

Brioche.  It's what I set out to make, savor and share with pride.  I labored over it for two days, mixing and kneading, rising and resting.  I put it into my oven, enjoyed the aromatherapy wafting through the room...and when the time came, all I got was that sad, buttery brick shaped like a brioche that you see above.  This is officially a baking disaster, and I have no idea what went wrong.  

See, the thing that gets me is, the whole time I was making it, I had a sneaking suspicion it was going all too well.  I kept thinking, "this is not hard at all...time consuming, but easy!"  In the back of my head, I knew something was up. Things with yeast as an ingredient do not tend to emerge from my oven, victorious.  I followed Thomas Keller's recipe to a 'T' and I really have no idea what the problem was.  It looked beautiful in my mixer, rose like a champ the first time, but when I took it out of the fridge to rise, after it's overnight rest, it barely rose at all.  Maybe I kneaded it too much after the first rise?  I don't know, but I am going to keep trying until I get the brioche of my 'traditional french breakfast' dreams.   I am trying not to let this debacle rain on my pastry parade, but It's so frustrating! I spent a lot of time on that thing, who does it think it is, turning out like that?!

OK, before I hang myself with kitchen twine, I'll share a really delicious recipe I created last night for dinner.  It was my version of  Thai Drunken Noodles.  I love thai food, and have yet to find a good thai place in my new neighborhood, so I had to figure out a way to satisfy my craving on my own.  I'm sure the ingredients aren't authentic, but I think I definitely captured the essence and flavors of one of my favorite dishes.  

Drunken Noodles

Wide rice noodles

1 lb chicken, shrimp, beef or tofu cut into strips (marinated in soy sauce and red chili sauce for 1 hour)

Baby corn

Shitake or straw mushrooms sliced

large bunch fresh basil leaves(thai basil if you can find it) cut into ribbons

4 cloves garlic minced

1 or 2 red chiles

1/4 tsp white pepper

4 tbsp oil

3 tbsp dark soy sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

2  tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp red chili sauce

1 tbsp sugar

Soak noodles in very hot tap water for 25-30 min.

Heat oil in wok until it dances around.

Add garlic and chilles and stir to keep from burning. 

Almost immediately add meat and saute` untill cooked through

add corn and mushrooms, saute for a couple minutes

Drain and add noodles, all the sauces and pepper, toss and saute` for a few minutes

Remove from heat, toss in basil and add more sauces to taste.

     

Brioche...to be continued.

I was not able to start my brioche dough over the weekend, and thus won't be able to bake tomorrow.  I did, however make a bunch of other stuff, that my family gobbled up with enthusiasm.  Most of it was standard family fare: Ham, mashed potatoes, roast chicken, blah blah blah...  But I did make a pumpkin pie that was pretty interesting.  I made it with fresh pumpkin, not necessarily because I think fresh pumpkin is so superior to canned, but because I have a substance abuse problem:  Roasted pumpkin seeds.  They are the stuff of autumn dreams.  Crunchy, salty, earthy, and habit forming.  I have to tell myself to stop eating them, when my lips are drying out from the salt.  This batch I seasoned with Old Bay seasoning (bawlmr, hun), paprika, and the standard salt and olive oil.  They were crazy good!  

Now back to the pie.

It was a recipe I got from the Epicurious app on my iPhone (which I highly recommend, it has tons of recipes, makes shopping lists and everything.)  It was a pretty standard Pumpkin Pie recipe, in most respects, but it was made in a tart pan, (which I ignored, and made in a standard 9 inch pie plate) and instead of adding sugar, you make caramel and mix that in with the pumpkin and spices.  When I saw that, I said "What? CARAMEL pumpkin pie?...oh I am making this asap."  As someone who loves most things slightly burnt, this was right up my alley.  It turned out GREAT.  My Mom and I were discussing the difference in flavor with the cooked sugar, and we decided it was a very nice mellow and rich sweetness.  I think I will use this method with other pies and cakes.  Ideas like that kill me! It's so simple, but I would have never thought of doing that!

I also made a salad with roasted beets and goat cheese, that I could've bathed in.  I used the greens from the grocery store that are labeled "Fresh Herb Salad."  It had arugula, swiss chard, radicchio, spinach, cilantro and parsley. I made a balsamic vinaigrette, and crumbled some goat cheese over the top.  GORGEOUS.

So I will start my brioche "sponge" tomorrow, or tuesday, and will update when I do.  

As I've said before, please share your favorite recipes, and if you want to stay updated, be sure to become a follower of the blog.  

Thanks for all the support, so far.  This is proving to be extremely fun, and rewarding already!

Caramel Pumpkin Pie

For pastry

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

For filling

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 (15-oz) can solid-pack pumpkin (not pie filling; a scant 2 cups)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Pinch of ground cloves
• Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten

Make dough:
Blend together flour, butter, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 4 tablespoons ice water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in processor) until incorporated.

Squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated, then test again. (Do not overwork dough or pastry will be tough.)

Turn mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather all of dough together with scraper and press into a ball, then flatten into a 5-inch disk. Chill dough, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 14-inch round, then fit into quiche pan and trim excess dough flush with rim of pan. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Bake pie shell:
Lightly prick bottom of shell all over with a fork, then line with foil and fill with pie weights. Put quiche pan on a baking sheet and bake pie shell until side is set and edge is pale golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Carefully remove weights and foil and bake shell until bottom is golden, about 10 minutes more. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 30 minutes.

Make filling while shell cools:
Bring sugar and water to a boil in a 3- to 3 1/2-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil syrup, washing down side of pan occasionally with a pastry brush dipped in cold water and gently swirling pan (do not stir), until mixture is a deep golden caramel, about 10 minutes.

Reduce heat to moderate and carefully add 1 cup cream (mixture will bubble vigorously), stirring until caramel is dissolved. Stir in remaining cup cream and bring just to a simmer.

Whisk together pumpkin purée, spices, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in hot cream mixture, then add eggs, whisking until combined well. Pour filling into cooled crust and bake until puffed 1 1/2 inches from edge and center is just set, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack, about 2 hours. (Pie will continue to set as it cools.) Remove side of pan before serving.

Pastry is the New Black

For a while it seemed that pastry was the embarrasing Aunt who wore too much lipstick, and not enough clothes, of the food world. All the food competition TV shows, quoted their contestants saying the same thing: "I'm not a pastry chef, I don't do dessert...Ever." And it was always in this superior tone, like pastry was the Filet-O-Fish to their spot prawns. Then, suddenly Pastry was so en vogue. It was popping up on every food magazine, every talk show. Perez Hilton was drawing drool marks on it's pictures...
I tend to think that the reason it was ever un-popular, is the same reason I tried to be snooty about it: It scares me.


Pastry and baking have been my sworn enemies since I started cooking as a kid. They have taunted and heckled me continuously. Of course I want to make croissants! Who doesn't want fresh baked bread? Would you say "no, thank you." to piping hot biscuits?


I love pastry. I love how it looks, how it smells and I REALLY love how it tastes, but I'm afraid of it (see? I told you I get intimidated.) I can throw together almost any savory dish with no measuring, no special techniques, and just my senses to make it delicious, and best of all, almost NO MATH. Baking requires just the opposite, and that seriously freaks me out. I have made some pretty durn good desserts and baked goods, but I still get those twinges of panic when I think about trying a new pastry recipe. This is the reason I have decided to look my measuring spoons in the face and yell "No more!! I will dip you into baking powder and yeast, with no fear!" I am going to dedicate the whole of my extracuricular cooking to trying new pastry and bread recipes. I will share them all, good, bad or as my favorite pastry chef, Candy would say: Stupid Good! Please feel free to share your favorites, and for the love of pete, any pointers you may have!



First up: Brioche.

Check back Monday for the blow by blow...

A food blog about Food Blogs...

So I've been enjoying various food blogs for a little while now, and I realized that I love to write, I love to have a creative outlet, and let's face it, I love my own opinions! Enter: I Owe it all to Spaghetti. Sophia Loren was quoted as saying: "Everything you see, I owe to spaghetti" It's one of my favorite quotes and it's also very personal for me...I am what I eat: Salty, sweet, tart, spicy - with a fair amount of fat.

I've always loved to eat, and was raised to try everything once. This is also my philosophy for cooking. I never let a recipe intimidate me...well, sometimes I do, but never so much that I won't give it a try. Not everything turns out, but it's always a learning experience, and I always have fun, even when I'm covered in hot soup I put in the blender.

I will try to post weekly, but I'm not making any promises. I'm a notorious procrastinator, with big aspirations; not the best blend. Expect recipes; successes and failures, opinions, and life experiences. I hope it will be as fun to read as it is to create, and always feel free to chime in!

For now,

Tracy