oh, man. it has been a tough week already. my schedule for work was changed again (3rd time!), but this time only by a half hour…and i have been having a lot of issues with my tummy…which i am convinced is because of the musical work schedule. over the weekend i whipped up some brioche (haha, yeah right…brioche cannot be whipped up…at least not for me) to make pecan-honey sticky buns for my friend brooke’s b-day. i would have made her a cake, but she was specific and requested these, and i made these banana cream tarts that i have been thinking about for ages.

i really wanted to make a banana cream pie that incorporated chocolate, because, well, bananas and chocolate were meant for each other. i have also been wanting to make a tart crust out of my favorite korova cookie dough. i figured if i froze the pressed dough in the tart pans i wouldn’t have much trouble with a poofy tart dough. w-r-o-n-g, wrong. the dough poofed up and over…however i was able to press it down with the back of a spoon and even though it did not come out as planned, i have been thinking of other things i could fill these tart shells with. the crust was sandy and chocolatey and salty…all of the things i love about korova cookies. and when matched with bananas, vanilla bean pudding and whipped cream, these tarts were everything i had hoped for…and maybe even a little more.

hopefully, by next week i will have adjusted to this new schedule…and hopefully this will be the one i get stuck with for at least a few months…that way maybe i will be able to re-focus my baking endeavors and at the very least, maybe my stomach will stop rebelling against me.

korova cookie crust
adapted from baking:from my home to yours
as mentioned above, this adventure resulted in an ultra-poofy crust…press it down while it is still hot with the back of a spoon. next time i may try lining the frozen tart shells with parchment and filling them with pie weights.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
11 tablespoons butter, room temp (1 stick plus 3 tbsp)
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel, or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat butter on medium until soft and creamy, making sure not to beat in any air. add both sugars, salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes.

turn off mixer and pour in dry ingredients, drape a kitchen towel over mixer and pulse at low about 5 times. mix for 30 seconds more, just until flour disappears into the dough. the dough will look crumbly.

press the dough into 4, buttered tart pans (mine are small, like 3 or 4 inches), or into a large tart pan (9-10 inches). wrap in plastic and freeze for at least 3 hours.

bake at 325 for 12 minutes. press poofy cookie tarts down with the back of a spoon and transfer for racks to cool completely.

vanilla bean pudding
adapted from baking…

2 1/4 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
6 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons unsalted, room temp butter–cut into 4 pieces

bring 2 cups of the milk to just before boiling with vanilla bean seeds and pod in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan. cover and remove from heat. allow vanilla to steep in milk for 15 minutes. remove pod and bring vanilla milk to a boil with 3 tablespoons of the sugar.

while milk heats, place salt and cornstarch in a food processor and pulse to blend. turn out onto a piece of parchement or into a bowl and blend remaining sugar with egg yolks for 1 minute. scrape down sides and add remaining milk, pulsing to combine, then add dry ingredients back in.

with the machine running, slowly pour in hot milk mixture. process for a few minutes, then add everything back into the saucepan. whisk without stopping, making sure to get the edges of the pan, until everything has thickened and a few bubbles burble to the surface. scrape everything back into the processor (making sure to avoid any schorched spots) and pulse a few times. add the butter and pulse to combine. chill before assmebling tarts.

to assemble:

fill tart shells 3/4 of the way with pudding and top with slices of banana (about 2 bananas for 4 mini-tarts), top with freshly whipped cream* and grated chocolate.

*note, i used unsweetened whipped cream since i figured the tart shell and pudding would balance it out…and it did.

it seems my last post was ages ago, but realistically just 7 days. my work hours have changed (twice!) in the last week and my body and brain are still adjusting…but, those are mere excuses…and i apologize.

so here, have these nutmeg and blood orange zest sables. i made some maple-nutmeg ice cream to go with…but the maple was just not there or maybe the nutmeg was stealing the show…either way, it tasted flat and that my friends makes me have a sad face. next time though, i promise to crawl out of this funk, have a happy face, a little more enthusiasm…and a recipe.

i can’t help it…i love love. i love valentine’s day and i love all the wonderful people that read this blog and comment and also those of you with mountains of knowledge and advice. so, these are for you, red velvet cupcakes with vanilla bean cream cheese, because i think valentine’s day should be somethin’ special and these are just that. a little kitschy, a little silly, and a lot of yummy goodness…just for all of you.

and, before i forget i have to thank elyse for awarding me two (2!) blog awards. i can’t even express how awesome that makes me feel…i’ve never really been awarded anything. thankyouthankyouthankyou!

red velvet cupcakes
recipe from smitten kitchen
this makes a 3 layer cake, but i did cupcakes…i ended up with 24 cupcakes and there was extra batter, which i used to bake up a pan of mini cupcakes.

3 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch process)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups canola oil
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) red food coloring or 1 teaspoon red gel food coloring dissolved in 6 tablespoons of water
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar.

preheat oven to 350 degrees. line cupcake tins with paper liners or grease well. for cake layers grease and line pans with parchement.

whisk cake flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl. place oil and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well-blended. beat in eggs one at a time. with machine on low, very slowly add red food coloring (it may spash!). add vanilla. add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches. scrape down bowl and beat just long enough to combine.

place baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar and add to batter with machine running. beat for 10 seconds.

divide batter among muffin tins, place in oven and bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes (40-45 for cake layers). allow to cool competely before frosting.

very vanilla cream cheese frosting

i doubled the recipe below since i like my cupcakes to stand tall and look dreamy.

adapted from sk

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter room temperature
3 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 vanilla bean scraped and seeded (optional, but that is the very part)

place cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with vanilla bean seeds. with a handheld electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. add sugar and vanilla. beat, on low speed to combine. if too soft, chill until slightly stiff, about 10 minutes, before using.

i think it is safe to say that reno has nothing on las vegas as far as fine dining goes…i mean have you ever been to vegas. holy damn. that place is crazy and crazy hot too. however, in reno there are a few nice places to go and sometimes those places are in crowded (gamblin’ patrons and cocktail waitresses in crazy-thigh-high get-ups anyone?), noisy, neon-lit casinos. every so often when my mom and her boyfriend, mel, come to town we hit up one of the nicer steakhouses. i always love this…it’s fun and it’s a treat.

the last time we went was over the weekend between christmas and new years. i remember enjoying my meal (ribeye…as far as i am concerned ribeye always wins as far as taste goes…for me anyway) and the wine that just kept on flowing, but when the dessert cart came around i was completely won over. there was a creme brulee trio that was calling to me and luckily my mom and little brother were down for splitting it. there was chocolate, cranberry, and pistachio. i am sure you have gathered by now that the pistachio was the winner…that is if the creme brulee’s were in competition. i loved it so much that it has been on my mind since and has only taken a bit over a month to get to recreating it. i know, that seems like a long time…but i get distracted by other delicious offerings and forget about the task at hand. plus…i had a million egg yolks in the refrigerator from my macaron adventures.

anyway…pistachio creme brulee…yum. if you like pistachio’s, or pistachio ice cream, or pistachio pudding (yes, yes and yes) then try this. it is de-lightful. i also baked up some pistachio-cardamom korova cookies for the side. they were pretty darn good too…not to pat myself on the back or anything…i just love any excuse to make that cookie.

pistachio creme brulee
adapted from baking:from my home to yours
dorie’s recipe does not call for a water bath…which freaked me out. so, i upped the temp according to other recipes and used the water bath since i felt more comfortable with that.

1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
3 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
3-4 ounces chopped pistachios

preheat oven to 350 F and line a baking dish with a tea-cloth (to prevent slippage).

heat cream and milk with vanilla bean (seeds and pod) and pistachios until just under a boil. cover and allow to steep 15 minutes. bring back to temp (just under a boil) if needed.

whisk egg yolks and sugar together until well blended, but not airy. still whisking, whisk in about 1/4 of the liquid to temper the yolks and add the remaining liquid. strain the mixture into a measuring cup (for easy pouring) and divide among ramekins or other dishes (about 6 ramekins).

place dishes in the cloth lined baking dish and place in oven. pour hot water half-way up the sides of the ramekins. bake for 25-30 minutes or until just set in center. allow to cool completely and then refrigerate for at least 3 hours. when thouroughly chilled sprinkle tops with turbinado sugar and caramelize either with a torch (yay!) or under the broiler.

as for the cookies…go here and sub the hazelnuts for pistachios and add 1/8-1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom.

i have been obsessing over making the perfect macarons since last weekend. i find myself separating eggs on a daily basis…i’ve been bitten by that sneaky macaron bug and it doesn’t look like the fever will subside anytime soon. i really have to thank aran and helen for all their advice and macaron wisdom. if i could send virtual hugs i would.

this is the first look and probably not the last…their cuteness is just that overwhelming.

i do have other things to post, but those will have to wait until macaron satisfaction has been reached…

so, i am not a huge sports fan. not a surprise if you know me, i’d way rather watch food network or a cash cab marathon. i know, tons of fun. luckily for me sean is not a football fan (of the american variety anyway, lets not bring up the world cup just yet…) so, we had a “not superbowl party, party”. we had all the obligatory snacks and brewed beverages required, but we watched scrubs and flight of the conchords instead. that is just how we roll. in the midst of all the excitement and preparation, i didn’t really take many photos, but i did snag a few of this brownie cake that i made. de-lightful. that is all you really need to know about it. i mean, come on brownie + cake + caramel + nuts? i know, not a lot else to say.

caramel-walnut topped brownie cake
adapted from baking:from my home to yours. the original recipe calls for peanuts. i like to be crazy and use walnuts instead and some espresso too. i also did not make mine in a springform as directed, but in two 6-inch rounds…which makes for a messier topping, but whatev anyway.

for the cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter cut into pieces
5 ounces coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
3 large eggs
1/2 cup (packed) brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

center rakc in oven and preheat to 350 F. butter an 8-inch round springform pan, dust with flour-tapping out excess and line bottom with buttered parchement. place pan on a baking sheet line with parchment.

whisk flour, baking soda and salt together, set aside.
set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. add chocolate, butter and espresso powder. stir occasionally until ingredients are melted and remove from heat.

i a large bowl whisk eggs and sugars until well blended. add corn syrup and vanilla, whisk until combined. next whisk in chocolate-butter mixture until just blended. gently stir in dry ingredients until just combined. the batter should be thick, smooth, and shiny. pour into prepared pan.

bake for 40-45 minutes or until tester comes out almost clean. transfer to a rack and cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan. the cake may have formed a crater…that is okay, plus it is a caramel catching crater. when it is completely cool remove the bottom and parchement. wash and dry spirngform and return cake, right side up to pan and close the sides.

for the topping:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons corn syrup
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons room temp butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup walnuts

put sugar, water and corn syrup into a large heavy bottomed saucepan. stir just to combine and heat over med-high. heat, without stirring, until the caramel turns a deep amber color, 5-10 minutes. as the sugar is caramelizing, wipe down any crystals with a damp pastry brush. to test the color, drop a bit on a white plate. lighter caramle will not have the same depth of flavor.

lower the heat, stand back, and add cream and butter…it will bubble a steam a lot. when the caramel has calmed stir out any lumps and add salt. stir in nuts and pour into a heatproof glass vessel. spoon the nuts on top of the cake, followed by caramel (you may have extra caramel). allow the topping to come to room temp (20 minutes) before removing from springform and serving.