blueberry cornmeal cake

Today I woke up promptly at 8:30AM and went straight to Fairway, as I was on Mother's Duty. Of course when I got home, there was still nothing in the fridge and breakfast polished off the rest of the cereal that we had. Don't you ever feel like you shop and spend all that money and then your fridge is bare? My Mom and I bond over this. I'm turning into an old lady, aren't I (I won't even talk about when I put the milk container in the cupboard and the sugar jar in the fridge yesterday). 

Then, I went to Brooklyn for a meeting regarding my summer plans; I'm doing community service for 2 weeks with a program called NY2NO that my sister went on a few summers ago. We'll be helping to run a community garden, canvassing, and generally trying to help rebuild the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans. I'm also going to Maine, where I go every year (and love), with my Dad, and to California with my Mom and Kelly. The latter, by the way, will entail a full food documentary. Don't you worry. I'm also going to visit Stanford while I'm there, because, well, I may as well dream, right?

So when I got back home there was a major street fair outside my building which usually I love more than anything, but I had to go inside and study. Instead I went inside and baked. Tada! My procrastination brings you good food. Or brings me good food and you the opportunity to make it. I absolutely love using cornmeal (and FYI, I suspect Big Nick's uses it to dust their pizza. It's addictive), and in this cake, along with the addition of ricotta and yogurt, it makes for a crispy moist, fresh, light summer treat. 

Blueberry Cornmeal Cake
from the Huckleberry Bakery & Cafe via Bon Appetit

 

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/3 cup plain yogurt
• 3 cups fresh blueberries

• 
  
  
  
  Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray 10-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Whisk flour and next 3 ingredients in medium bowl. Whisk oil, eggs, vanilla, and honey in another medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter, 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl until creamy. With mixer running on medium speed, gradually add egg mixture; beat to blend. Beat in flour mixture just to blend. Add ricotta and yogurt; beat on low speed just to blend. Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Scatter 1 1/2 cups blueberries over. Spoon remaining batter over in dollops, then spread to cover blueberries. Scatter remaining blueberries over. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon sugar over.
  
  
• 
  
  
  Bake cake until top is golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack.

banana cupcakes

This week, my mom left for Asia on a business trip, and my sister went back up to college after spending a week at home for spring break. I asked my mom to take me with her but unfortunately she saw no upside in "letting me loose" upon the streets of Asia to stare at all of the out-of-the ordinary foods on display (while being alone and English speaking). So I packed my bags and not at all grudgingly headed off to Queens to stay with my dad. We're having quite the time here, eating chicken parm and nutella sandwiches for lunch, and driving to school in the morning (although maybe not so much my dad, since this requires him to leave his house at 7:30). Did I say nutella? Yum. 

While packing a few of my bags I realized I hadn't blogged about a dessert in the longest time; how could this be, I thought; dessert is an essential (and daily) part of my diet! I can't go on giving off the impression that I'm some healthy eater who only eats baked goods in moderation; pshh, no, I cannot. Resolving to waste no more time, I made banana cupcakes with peanut butter frosting and oh, what a mess they made; I spent the following hour trying to clean the banana out of my KitchenAid mixer because it flew (yes, it flew, as the mixer was on high speed) right out of the bowl. Seeing as I was the only one at my house left (and although I love my dessert, I doubted my ability to go through 12 cupcakes in about 4 days- before they go bad), I packed them up and brought them to school because let's face it, ever since bake sales were banned from schools kids want dessert-y deliciousness more than ever. My friends, no sooner than getting on the bus, had eyed the container in my hands and demanded immediate distribution of whatever it was I had made. 

I know I've been sounding like a broken record lately, but I've been on a "recipe roll." These cupcakes were amazing; people I didn't know came up to me in the hallway and told me that they had had a bite of their friend's cupcake, heard I had made it, and had "just wanted to say that it was the best cupcake they've ever had." Us cooks always wave off these remarks, say thank you, and put on a modest face, but you know we know that our food is that darn good. You don't have to tell us twice (and you probably won't be able to, because I wouldn't spare another cupcake). 


Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
from Bon Appetit, April 2010 issue

CUPCAKES

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 very ripe large bananas, peeled
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk

FROSTING

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned or freshly ground)
• Chopped lightly salted roasted peanuts (optional)

CUPCAKES

• 
  
  
  Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 12 standard (1/3-cup) muffin cups with paper liners. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Mash bananas with fork in another medium bowl until smooth. Mix sour cream and vanilla into bananas.
• 
  
  
  Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and egg yolk and beat until well blended. Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with banana-sour cream mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating just until blended after each addition. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups (generous 1/4 cup for each).
• 
  
  
  Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center of each comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to rack and let cool completely.

FROSTING

• 
  
  
  Sift powdered sugar into large bowl. Add cream cheese, butter, and peanut butter. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until smooth. Spread frosting over top of cupcakes, dividing equally. Sprinkle lightly with chopped peanuts, if desired. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

honey caramel peach pie

This past summer I didn't find myself at any out of state peach-picking farms, but instead, I settled for somewhere a much shorter distance away: the supermarket's fruit aisle. Yes, I can proudly say that if someone asked me to name the aisle where they can find fruit, and what fruit to find there, I could tell them. Ok, maybe not that proudly. But I'll admit that Fairway proved extremely satisfactory. No! I don't mean that! What can I say? I'm a right off-the-tree junkie. 

Am I the only person who thinks that the seasons are flying by? Summer was too short, and the fall is already becoming too cold for me. And now I'm once again falling into my regular all work, no cooking regimen. I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that after a long day at work (or school), all I want to do is get home and have something for dinner that does not require an hour of prep time. Yep, you could find a month's worth of food stocked away in our freezer. 

But the peach pie. Oh, the peach pie. Where to begin? The filling was incredible but a little runny, which is my fault because I insisted on eating it right out of the oven and didn't give it any setting time. It was ooey-gooey with a mildly sweet and flowery flavor from the honey. Who could have resisted? The crust; my new favorite recipe. Flaky, crispy, not at all soggy, and it puffed. Yes, folks, my pie crust puffed up like those in really homey bakeries where the crust is extremely uneven and balloons up and looks oh so delicious. Perhaps a little alarming, even, that my excitement over being able to make a giant mound of butter and flour swell up has not ceased after weeks. Maybe pathetic would be the right word?

This is the best darn pie I've ever made, and even if you've never made one before, I insist you try this. Just one thing: make sure to use mild honey, otherwise, the flavor will overpower the dish. Or, you could try increasing the amount of peaches to compensate (who cares if it overflows a bit, right?) I used golden blossom honey.

Honey Caramel Peach Pie

from Gourmet Magazine

3lb ripe peaches

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided

1/4 cup mild honey

2 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

All butter pastry dough (recipe follows)

1 tablespoon whole milk

Cut an X in the bottom of each peach, then blanch peaches in batches in boiling water 15 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to stop cooking. Peel peaches and cut into 1 inch thick wedges.

Toss peaches well with cornstarch, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.

Put a foil-lined large baking sheet in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Bring 1/2 cup sugar, honey, and water to a boil in a 1 1/2-to 2qt heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then wash down any sugar crystals from side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Boil without stirring, swirling pan occasionally so caramel colors evenly, until dark amber, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and add butter, swirling pan until butter is melted. Pour over fruit and toss (caramel may harden slightly but will melt in the oven).

Roll out 1 piece of dough (keep remaining piece chilled) into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. Fit into a 9-inch plate. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2 inch overhang. Chill shell while rolling out remaining dough.

Roll out remaining piece of dough into an 11-inch round on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. 

Transfer filling to pie shell, mounding it. Cover pie with pastry round. Trim with kitchen shears, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Press edges together, then crimp decoratively. Brush top all over with some milk, then sprinkle with remaining Tbsp sugar. Cut 3 steam vents in top of crust with a paring knife. 

Bake pie on hot baking sheet 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Continue to bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 5o minutes more. Cool pie to room temperature, 3 to 4 hours.

All-Butter Pastry Dough

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/3 cup plus 1 to 4 Tbsp ice water

Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl (or pulse in a food processor). Blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse) just until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Drizzle 1/3 cup ice water over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated. 

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

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together, with a pastry scraper if you have one, and press into a ball. Divide in half and form into 2 disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.

Notes: Dough can be chilled up to 1 day. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes before rolling out. Recipe can be halved if making a single-crust pie. Use a rounded 1/4 tsp salt and start with 3 Tbsp water. 

sunday morning waffles and strawberry butter

As a receiver of Christmas gifts, I know that my duty is to eat, and use, all of my kitchen- related items. But, unfortunately, it wasn't until a few days ago that I got around to using my waffle maker that I had pleaded for, despite my mom's claim that there are enough of my dear cooking tools (or, as she calls them, "little accessories") in the kitchen. But she finally consented after she caught a glimpse of me pathetically slipping a small frozen waffle (and, uh, not at all purposely) out of the freezer, and then witnessing it burn in our erratic toaster oven.

And though it was Sunday, it was a good Sunday, because I realized I had the whole week ahead of me before I have to pack my books and go back off to school.

So I went all out.

Scrambled eggs, veggie sausages, the whole deal. I even dug out some frozen strawberries to try and make strawberry butter. And I happened to eat plenty of it (the food, not just the butter!) before I realized a half eaten meal would not make for a semi-attractive picture. I think I'm starting to notice a pattern here... At least there was some food left before I remembered the camera.

Anyway, I'm trying to enjoy my last two days of break, and spreading optimism. I think my good mindset has something to do with the butter.

Strawberry Butter
From epicurious.com

Ingredients

1 10-ounce package frozen sweetened strawberries, thawed

1 cup (2 sticks) unsweetened butter, room temperature

3/4 cup powdered sugar

*1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel (I omitted this because I didn't have any orange, and it turned out well)

Combine all ingredients in processor. **Blend until smooth, scraping bowl occasionally, about 5 minutes. Transfer strawberry butter to medium bowl. Cover and chill. (Can be made 5 days ahead. Keep chilled. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

*If you're out of oranges, I would advise you not to use orange juice instead. This recipe is already very smooth, and the addition of the juice may just liquify it. It turns out well without the orange, either way

**It took a lot longer than 5 minutes for mine to get really smooth, like the consistency of butter. It will eventually turn light pink, and clump-free, just make sure the strawberries are well thawed.

granola and ultimate peace

Until recently, there have been a couple things that I just can't get right. Try as I may, no matter how many times I make these things- and attempting different recipes, too, they just don't come out well. At all. In fact, they leave my kitchen in a state of colossal disaster, both physically, and for me, mentally, because the end product of the mess turns out so inedible that I have nothing to look forward to eating after I clean. But today I got a tasty snack after dutifully washing each, and every dish, leaving me with a well earned sense of peace that I could cross two more things off of my inedible list.

My first success was carrot cake. Though some may dubb it as easy to make, I just could not do it well. I must have tried over 5 recipes before I made Magnolia Bakery's carrot cake, which filled me with joy when my family couldn't keep away. 

The second, as of today, is granola. Something about it was always just off.  I admit my second granola disaster was due to me halving a recipe, and then forgetting midway and doubling the spices. But all of the other times, the honey to oil ratio was wrong, and the amount of dried fruit was disproportionate.

 Even though this recipe doesn't hold a candle to my favorite granola- Le Pain Quotidien's (which they sell in hefty bags, by the way), it's simple, easy, and versatile (as most granola is). Besides, we don't always feel like spending $7.50 for a bag of this stuff, no matter how good it is. Am I right, or what?

Power Granola

Adapted from Cooking Light 

2 cups regular oats

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup chopped slivered almonds

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/3 cup orange juice

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking Spray

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup chopped dried apricots

1 tablespoon chopped crystallized (also called candied) ginger

Preheat oven to 300 degrees 

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl

Combine orange juice, honey, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat just until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in oil and vanilla.

Pour honey mixture over oat mixture, stirring to coat. Spread mixture in a thin layer onto a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes; stir well. Bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Spoon granola into a bowl. Stir in dried cranberries, apricots, and ginger. Cool completely.

Note: Store completely cooled granola in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

 

*Keeping the granola in the freezer helps preserve it's crunchiness

apple crumb pie

As the apple picking season is drawing to an end, I felt it was, at last, the right time to go and get my apples. I went with my dad to New Paltz, and after countless complaints about our original hiking plans, a screech of tires, and a last minute U-ey, we headed in the other direction towards an apple orchard.

Well, may I say, it was quite overwhelming; which apples to get, what tree to get them from, and the constant belly-aching 'full' feeling you get from tasting the apples (er, each and every). In the end, we drove home with a hefty two pound bag that kept a bright smile on my face.

Of course, I knew just what to make. A classic- apple crumb pie. Easy to make, and not one of those you'll-have-no-clean-pots-after-this recipes, this is perfect for one of those days where you don't feel like working too hard for a good treat.

Apple Crumb Pie

Adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients

1 (9 inch) pie shell

6 cups thinly sliced apples

1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)

3/4 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I upped it to 3/4 teaspoon- I love my cinnamon!)

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Place sliced apples in a large bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice if desired. In a small bowl, mix together white sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sprinkle mixture over apples. Toss until apples are evenly coated. Stir in walnuts if desired. Spoon mixture into pastry shell.

In a small bowl mix together 1/2 cup flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle mixture over apple filling. Cover top loosely with aluminum foil. 

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 25 to 30 minutes, until top is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. 

 

Whole Wheat Cranberry Scones

Blueberry Pie

I'm Emily, and my blog is about trying new recipes and being creative in the kitchen! Hopefully, I can show people that food doesn't have to be made expensively to taste good, and that sometimes the simpler recipes are the better ones.

Yesterday was one of the few times I didn't have school, an overwhelming amount of work, or anything to do. At all. So you see, this decision had to be made extremely carefully. Nothing too sweet that would leave me feeling [very] guilty for hours to come, and nothing too savory to the point where I would find myself poking around the fridge at 11 o'clock looking for something sweeter. I eventually concluded that blueberry pie was the winner. 

After anxiously waiting hours for it to cool off in the fridge (and a restless attempt in the freezer), it was, at last, ready. I ended up scooping some of the juice out because it had overflowed. But boy was it good.