i know it’s only the beginning of november, but i have the fever.

holiday fever, that is…

i can’t lie…i’ve had it for some time now. i can hear the chorus of grumbles already, but i love seeing holiday displays. even when it’s still warm enough for me to forgo a cardigan or jacket. i’ll walk into a store and slowly drift away from sean, eyes like saucers, one hand stretched out longingly…towards the holiday displays.

i can’t help it, i’m a sucker for candy cane stripes and gift wrap, twinkly things and sparkly do-dads.

the other day i walked into such a store and came home with a mean hankering for some gingerbread. back in the day, long, long ago when i worked for the coffee giant we all know (green aprons and venti cups), i loved to set up the pastry case. especially during holiday season. though, at that time, all of their goods were laden with hydrogenated oil (you could tell because we used to squish up an expired pastry from time to time…which would result in a puddle of clear oil…nice). i’ve been told they have changed their ways. anyways…the gingerbread came in a nice little loaf with a heavy slick of cream cheese frosting and a sprinkling of candied ginger.

though i don’t remember exactly how it tasted, as i was cracked-out on eggnog lattes for the duration of the season, this gingerbread is better. i just know it.

ginger-spice bread
this is adapted from a martha stewart recipe. i swapped some of the spices and also changed some of the measurements as well. i also used fresh grated ginger since i always keep a good chunk in the freezer.

1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup molasses
1 large egg, lightly beaten

preheat oven to 325 F. grease an 8-inch sqaure pan (i used two small loaf pans). in a bowl rub brown sugar with the ginger to combine. add flour, salt, baking powder, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

place butter and water in a small saucepan to melt. stir into dry ingredients until smooth. stir in molasses and egg to combine. pour into prepared pan(s) and bake for about 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (the mini loaves tooak about 25 minutes). cool on a rack before removing from pan.

cream cheese frosting
i just added powdered sugar until i got both a consistency and flavor i liked.

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon grand marnier
2 cups powdered sugar

in the bowl of a mixer, beat cream cheese and liquer on medium-high until creamy and fluffly. add powdered sugar in increments to combine. frost cake and garnish with chopped candied ginger.

i love a quick bread. what baker hates on a quick bread? i like quick breads because like the morning friendly muffin, you can quite reasonably eat a slice for breakfast…yeah! also, surprise! they come together quickly and often with a single bowl. amazing.

banana bread is one of those quick breads that we’ve all encountered and it seems to be one of those things that is best made by someone’s mother/aunt/grandmother. my mother is not a baker, the woman considers no-bake cookies a dreadful task. no. bake… so she sure was not pulling golden loaves of banana-goodness from the oven on the weekends. my mom is more apt to devour a steak dinner in the AM, rather than a dainty slice or muffin. that said, i have no favorite banana bread like so many of you probably do. so, i devised my own with a few delightful additions.

i did a quick search for banana breads and was led to simply recipes, which is a pretty amazing source for recipes. i added bourbon (like i saw on the ever wonderful smitten kitchen), chopped chocolate and pecans, and a few grates of nutmeg. i used organic cane sugar this time (you don’t have to i just have a massive bag) and also reduced the amount to 3/4 cup.

sean really enjoyed the bread, he said it was, “um, so awesome. i liked the bits of chocolate and tasty nuts.”

tasty nuts…haha.

sorry. he actually used those words, i can’t help myself ;)

banana bread with chocolate chunks and pecans
adapted from simply recipes. i used 3 paper loaf forms, which i reduced the baking time to 40 minutes. if you use a single loaf pan the baking time is 1 hour.

3-4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon bourbon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg of the freshly grated variety
pinch salt
1/3 cup chopped chocolate, i used valrhona
1/2 cup chopped pecans

preheat oven to 350 F.

in a large bowl mix butter into banana with a wooden spoon. mix in sugar, egg, vanilla and bourbon, incorporate well. sprinkle baking soda over the top of the mixture along with salt, mix. fold in flour. fold in nuts and chocolate. pour into buttered pan (4 x 8 in loaf) and bake for 1 hour. cool on a wire rack. remove from pan to slice.

let me come clean here.

as much as i love pie and as tasty as apples are…i don’t love apple pie. not even close. not even these pies…cute as they are! i wish i were awesome enough to love this american icon…but i’m not. i love all manner of berry pies, pies made w/ stone fruits of all varieties, sour cherry pie…omg l-o-v-e!

i mean, i’ve tried many an apple pie. some with blackberries and sour cream, caramel or topped with delicious crunchies…but, apple just ain’t doin’ a thing for me. i had a few spoonfuls of this pie, spiced with candied ginger and while i wasn’t put off by any one element or combination thereof, i just wasn’t wowed. i never am with apple pie.

i know, i’m ashamed. it puzzles me too.

so, now that i’ve tried my hardest to make these pies sound as unappetizing as possible, i’ll mention the crust. ohmy. ohmy…is it ever good! i used dorie greenspan’s recipe for “good for almost everything pie dough” and well, the title speaks the truth…except i thought it was better than just good ;)

good for almost everything pie dough
from dorie greenspan
usually i’m an all-butter kind of gal…but i tried this recipe, which has mostly butter and i loved it. i used non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening here with great results. also, if your feeling adventurous you can add a few grates of fresh nutmeg to the dough like i do. i’m a fan of the food processor, but lately i’ve been using a pastry blender with wonderful results…kickin’ it old school ;) feel free to use either method.

makes enough dough for four ramekin pies with top crusts or for a single crust 9-inch pie.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons of sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces and chilled or frozen in the freezer
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled or frozen
1/4 cup ice water

2 tablespoons half and half

place all ingredients except for water and half and half in a large bowl. using a pastry blender (fork tines, or even cold fingers) cut the butter and shortening into the flour until you have varied sized chunks of fat (yum!), oaty-looking crumbs and pea-sized balls. add ice water (not ice) about 1-2 tablespoons at a time and blend until dough comes together when pinched.

scrape the dough onto a smooth work surface and shape into a disk. there should still be chunks and streaks of butter visible throughout the dough. wrap with plastic and chill for at least 1 hour.
for ramekin pies, divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll out four pieces of dough to fit inside the ramekins, add filling. roll out remaining dough and top and seal each pie. cut an X in the top of each pie, brush with half and half and sprinkle with sugar(i used sanding sugar for visual appeal) and bake at 350 until the crust is golden brown and the insides are bubbling (for my oven, about 40 minutes).

apple pie filling
i used pink lady apples, i think that granny smiths are better for pie though. use what you prefer.

4 medium apples, peeled, cored and cut into a rough dice
4 pieces of candied ginger, minced
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1/2 cup sugar (this will depend on the tartness of your apples)
the juice of half a lemon

combine all ingredients in a large bowl and fold to coat well.

until the wedding! according to my daily project wedding emails. i’ve been trying to organize my thoughts and get this proverbial ball a-rollin. it’s hard and a little overwhelming but, with the help of my friends and sean and my need to write lists…i think we’ll be able to pull it off. i have paper garlands planned and a few other paper-craft projects in the works, that i will post as time progresses. i’m not going to make everything though…heck no. a few months ago, as i was perusing etsy for wedding goods i spied the cutest cake topper ever from lollipop workshop. had to have it, so i convo’d jenny and viola! cake topper! she even added glasses at the last minute. so friggin’ cute! thank you jenny ;)

speaking of cute, i like small, cute food (but really, i like food of all sizes). i think it even tastes cute. like these little lemon tarts…so cute! sunny lemon and toasty meringue…cute!

okay, i’ll stop.

for the crust i used the same sable breton base (i froze it and it was still wonderful) that i used for the raspberry and cream tartlettes from last week. i also improvised a swiss meringue because sometimes i feel like traditional meringue (american style?) is too foamy.

lemon curd
this recipe comes from baking: from my home to yours. i added the juice of one more lemon, rebel that i am ;)

1 1/4 cups sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into pieces
1 large egg
6 large egg yolks
freshly squeezed juice of 5 lemons

put all of the ingredients into a heavy-bottomed sauce pan. stir constantly over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture has thickened like custard. be sure to stir without stopping as the mixture will curdle easily. the curd is done when you can run a finger across the back of your spoon and the curd does not run back into the track. pour into a heatproof bow and cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd. cool to room temperature and srtore int the refrigerator. the curd will thicken as it cools.

spoon cooled curd onto baked and cooled sable breton bases. top with meringue and toast.

swiss meringue
4 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

in the bowl of a stand mixer combine all ingredients and set over a pan of simmering water. stir the mixture constantly until the sugar dissolves and eggs are warm to the touch. an easy way to check if the sugar has dissolved is to rub a bit of the mixture between your fingers…if it’s smooth you’re golden. place the mixer bowl on the stand fitted with a whisk attachment. beat, gradually increasing speed from med-low to high until meringue is stiff, not dry. spoon or pipe onto tarts and either brown with a torch or toast under the broiler.

on monday, labor day, we brilliantly decided to go to ikea. sean and i have been planning this since we moved into our new place in july. our old dresser didn’t even make it out of the apartment, our old couch is done, we have been coffee table-less for a few years and sean needed a desk. so, we coordinated with our friends danny and jackie and caravaned it to west sacramento.

holy hell were we not prepared to spend 4 hours (usually a 2 hour trip, depending on how speedy you are ;) trying to traverse the sierras from reno to sacramento. that trip rarely takes that long, even in inclement weather. we, stupidly, did not foresee the mass exodus of labor day-weekenders and burning man goers out of the black rock desert with their cars and bicycles and giant mobile art pieces covered and embedded with poof dirt (bug dust, playa sand, hella-powdery-dust-of-doom) to head back to their homes and jobs and lives.

anyway, i digress, as usual…by the time we got to ikea, jackie was green with car-sickiness in their car, while i was swearing to disembowel the other f-ing drivers with a bionic-raptor-pinky-claw that i will apparently someday have grafted onto my hand. sean, however, had his mind on swedish meatballs and cheap-moderately priced furniture. i like a man with priorities.

speaking of priorities, let’s talk brownies. we’ve all had a brownie or two in our time, i definitely have and i have the waist-line to prove it. these brownies combine two of my favorite things: peanut butter and chocolate. they are irresistible! omigodnomnomnom! i had one before our friends arrived for our labor day fête…and then i had another when they arrived…and one for dessert…and yes, one after they left (don’t worry, i washed it all down with copious amounts of white sangria that jackie made).

our dog jezebel even attempted to poison herself by eating the leftovers as evidenced by the torn and pb smeared bag remnants i picked up off the floor the next day. she’s okay, but what a fiend she is.

make these, they will rock your socks off. i promise. unless you hate peanut butter. then i hate you. j/k, i don’t hate you…we just won’t be able to discuss peanut butter, because well, i just can’t understand that kind of insanity.

peanut butter frosted brownies
adapted from epicurious.com
the original recipe calls for an additional layer of chocolate. i like my pb-chocolate ratio to be 50/50 0r 60/40 with the peanut butter as the star.

3/4 cup butter, unsalted, cut into small pieces
10 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate (i used valrhona feves, omg! amazing!)
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, room temp
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup salted, roasted peanuts chopped

position rack in oven and preheat to 325 F. line a 9×13 pan with foil, leaving a long overhang. butter the foil.

add butter and chocolate to a medium saucepan. over low heat, stir constantly until chocolate melts and is smooth. remove from heat and whisk in sugar, vanilla and salt. add eggs one at a time and mix until combines. fold in the flour and peanuts. pour into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick insrted in center comes out with few crumbs attached.

cool completely on a rack.

peanut butter frosting
i think the nutmeg in this does amazing, magical things. don’t skip it fools. i used smooth pb, the recipe calls for chunky. do what you want.

1 cup peanut butter (natural is not recomended)
1/2 stick softened butter, unsalted
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon whole milk
optional: 1/4 cup chopped, roasted peanuts

beat butter and peanut butter to combine in the bowl of a mixer or with a hand mixer and medium bowl. blend in sugar, salt, nutmeg and milk. spread frosting over cooled brownies and sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

i made some jam. it’s real good. i love making jam, it feels so rewarding….like making bread (i always feel rewarded, don’t you?) or grating nutmeg. you know, that raspy sound against the grater, little fragrant shavings, and mostly i like to look at the interior of the nutmeg, all squiggly-wiggly. anyway, i digress.

jam. it’s good. this summer i’ve not had the time to make much, just this jeweled raspberry jam with some bay leaf. i wanted to spoon the jam into a tart crust and top it with something creamy. i ended up searching for a tart base on cannelle et vanille, aran never fails to inspire ;) i ended up drooling over her passion fruit, apricot and vanilla bean cream tart. not only are aran’s treats gorgeous and mouthwatering, she is always nothing but nice to me. if i have a pastry question, i usually send her an email and her replies are always helpful. thanks aran;)

my version has the same sable breton base with lemon instead of orange, raspberry bay leaf jam, and mascarpone cream. these were easy to assemble…after all the components were made. if you are not the jammin’ type, use some purchased jam…definitely, still delicious. the buttery base with the jam and the cream, oh my.

it’s labor day weekend here in the US people. hopefully those of us that are privy to this holiday are enjoying the long weekend. i sure am. we have plans to devour some carnitas tacos, ingest much sangria, and eat many brownies with our friends. even a trip to ikea is in the works. crazy, wild times…i know. i hope you all have equally fun and delicious plans.

sable breton
adapted from: canelle at vanille

160 grams sugar
160 grams unsalted butter, softened
pinch of salt
4 egg yolks
zest of one lemon
225 grams all purpose flour
15 grams baking powder

in an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together. add the egg yolks and combine. fold in flour, baking powder, salt and zest until a dough forms. shaped dough into a flat rectangle and cover with plastic wrap. refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

preheat oven to 350 F.
roll out dough to 1/2 inch thickness and cut out 3-inch circles with a round cutter. place into ring molds on a lined baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. remove from oven and cool completely.

mascarpone cream
i used one regular sized container of marscapone…i forgot to note how many ounces it was…i’m sorry!

1 container of mascarpone cheese, softened
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons honey

cream the cheese in a stand mixer to loosen. add whipping cream and honey, on medium-high speed, whip as if you are whipping plain cream. the mixture is ready when the peaks are held. be careful to not over whip or it will be mascarpone butter ;)

raspberry jam with bay leaf
you could leave the bay out, i like the flavor of it with the raspberries. i also like bay leaf with blackberry too. yum!

4 packed cups raspberries
3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 bay leaf

combine fruit, sugar, and lemon juice in large bowl. let stand at room temperature 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

put 2 saucers in freezer.

in bottom of heavy large stockpot at least 3 inches deeper than height of jars, place metal rack or extra screw bands from canning jars to protect jars from direct heat. fill pot with water, cover, and bring water to boil. reduce heat to low. wash jars, lids, and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse well. set screw bands on clean towel to dry. place lids in small saucepan; cover with cold water and bring to simmer; turn off heat. fill jars with very hot water.

transfer fruit mixture to large saucepan and bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. mash to thick puree with potato masher. reduce heat to medium and boil gently until mixture begins to thicken, stirring often, about 20 minutes.

remove saucepan from heat to test jam for gelling point. drop 1 teaspoonful jam on chilled saucer and return to freezer 1 minute. remove saucer and push edge of jam with fingertip. if jam has properly gelled, surface will gently wrinkle. if not, return saucepan to heat and cook jam a few minutes longer; repeat test.

drain hot water from jars and shake out excess water. place jars on clean cutting board. ladle hot jam into each jar, leaving 3/4-inch space at top. slide flat plastic spatula between jam and jar to eliminate air bubbles (if necessary). clean rim of each jar with damp cloth. using tongs, lift hot lids from saucepan, 1 at a time, shake dry, and place atop jars. seal each with screw band, twisting to close but not too tightly. return filled jars to pot of hot water.

add water to pot, if necessary, to cover jars by at least 1 inch. cover pot and bring to boil; reduce heat and boil gently 10 minutes. turn off heat. wait 5 minutes; use tongs to remove jars without tilting. place upright on towel; cool completely at room temperature. jam will thicken as it cools.

check lids for seal by pressing each lightly. lids of sealed jars will be concave and show no movement when pressed.

so, i have pictures from my week of camping…but…i haven’t gone through them yet. extreme laziness got in the way. sorry, it happens.

i did manage to make these sweet little pies and a bit of (extra-easy) vanilla-bourbon ice cream to go with, because pie and ice cream…come on.

tomorrow morning, i am off on a plane and headed east to nyc. i will be visiting one of my very favorite friends and we will be using this as our guide, created by the nicest of nice cindy of quaint handmade. it seems that the summer time has taken me away from this ol’ blog, but it’s okay…we all need a little vacay, even blogs. plus, with fall around the corner, i will definitely be more willing to turn on the oven ;)

vanilla and bourbon ice cream

2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 vanilla bean pod, gutted
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon

heat milk and sugar w/ vanilla bean until sugar is dissolved. mix in cream and bourbon. allow to cool and rest, well covered, in refrigerator over night. remove vanilla bean pod. process according to manufacturers instructions in an ice cream machine.

sweet cherry pie
this is not a recipe…not even close. sorry. laziness.

i’m going to be honest here, i just made the first recipe for pie crust that i turned to in the first book i grabbed from the shelf. you should use whatever pie dough recipe you prefer. i like all butter, some don’t. who am i to say what pie crust you use. just bake the pie(s) at 350 until the crust is golden and the cherries are a’bubblin…

as for the cherries, i mixed 3 cups of pitted, dark sweet cherries w/ sugar to taste, the juice of a lemon and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch. i rolled out rounds of dough and folded that into some ring molds, added cherries and made a lattice top. i also did it the way, way easier route, galette style. roll out your crust, mound some cherries in the center and fold up the sides.

i’m probably on the beach right now, camping it up in california. i’m snapping some pictures and rubbing my toes in the sand. maybe heating up a honey nut brownie on the campfire…yeah, i made brownies and blueberry cake and wrapped single servings up in foil for easy campfire toast-age. i’ll try to remember to take some pictures ;)

as i mentioned before i left, i made some cherry sorbet…it’s good. good like frozen cherry goodness good. enjoy!

cherry sorbet
i only pressed half the puree through a sieve…do what you like. i guess i could have cooked the cherries with the sugar and lemon, but i didn’t.

4 cups pitted, dark, sweet cherries, like bing!
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons honey
juice of half a lemon

put everything in your food processor or blender and let it rip! until you have a smooth puree. press through a sieve and chill. process in ice cream machine according to manufacturers instructions.

awesome? maybe it’s just me, but the old “life is a bowl of cherries…” doesn’t cut it because, well, i don’t even know what that’s supposed to mean. life is a bowl of small stone fruits that are varying shades of red (other colors too, lookin’ at you rainier cherries…) and delicious? see what i’m saying?

anyway, all i know about that phrase is life is good when you have a bowl of cherries hanging around your house. you can eat them or jam them or make them into sorbet (which i did! but, you have to wait. hehehe…)

or cook ‘em with some lemon and sugar and spoon them into the bottoms of whatever vessel you have and top them with goat cheese panna cotta! yeah!

it’s cool and creamy with that goat-y tang and some yummy cherries on the bottom…that do not disappoint like that gray fruit mush in the bottom of your yogurt. i love yogurt, but i hate that crap. fruit-on-the-bottom my ass, is what i say to that.

cherry stuff (compote?)

1-2 cups pitted, dark, sweet cherries
juice of half a lemon (a tablespoon or so)
1/4 cup sugar

heat cherries, sugar, and lemon juice over medium heat in a medium saucepan, bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, until cherries are heated through and release their gorgeous red juices. cool, spoon into cups or ramekins and freeze (so the layers look pretty!) while you prep the panna cotta.

goat cheese panna cotta
this makes a small amount, maybe for 4 people. it is not very sweet since i served it with the sweet cherries, you can adjust this to your taste.

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon of plain, powdered gelatin
1 tablespoon of water
3 oz. goat cheese
1 tablespoon honey

put water in a small bowl and sprinkle gelatin over the top. let stand for 5 minutes.

heat milk and cream with honey in a saucepan until just before boiling. add the gelatin and whisk until completely dissolved. whisk in the goat cheese until smooth. pour mixture over the frozen cherry compote, cover and refrigerate until set (at least 2 hours).

i was able to put down my wine glass and peel my but off the porch swing to capture this…it’s the sunset! from our back yard!