Stanley, the REAL miss USA

As we all now know Miss CT won the Miss USA pageant.  I think we can all agree that the real winner should have been Stanley.  He could have brought some dignity back to Connecticut while showing all those pagent girls how it is done.  Stan's platform would include napping, organic foods and animal rights.  Don't believe me?  Here he is in a turquoise speedo.  He would have gotten a perfect score.

Fat Raisins

I got this next one from Baking by the Yard, by Sherry Yard.  She is the pastry chef at Spago.  These raisins are the base for her oatmeal cookies.... More on these later.  You get about a cup of raisins when all done, and you can use dried apricots or cherries.

1 c golden or red flame raisins
1/2 c dry white wine
2 T fresh OJ
1 T dark rum
2 T sugar

 Combine everything in a small heavy saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring all the while.  Lower the heat to a bare simmer, and poach for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and cover the pan with plastic wrap, it sounds odd but it works.  Cool to room temperature.  You can store these in the fridge for two weeks.

Fat Apricots, everything stays the same.
Fat Cherries, use red wine or port for the white wine, everything else is the same.

Mocha Chocolate Chip cookies

Joann got a new cookbook for me, Cooking with Julia.  Who is cooking with Julia you might ask? Why it is none other than Dorie Greenspan.  She is a woman after my own heart.  She feels that she was truly born in the wrong location...the US.  Instead she should have been born in Paris.  I can relate to Dorie.  She also has a penchant for scarves.  You can catch Dorie as a sometimes guest judge on Top Chef Masters.  Frankly, she is rather intimidating and has a hardcore attitude.  She seems so friendly in her cookbooks.  I think she has made more than one chef cry on the show.  For my version of these cookies, I used darker chocolate, I thought it would hold up to the espresso powder better.  I thought these were great, they are Chewy. Joann who enjoys a cookie that crunches like gravel, only liked them, not loved.

Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes four dozen

2 c flour
3 T instant espresso coffee powder
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
2 sticks of butter cut into chunks, mine was room temperature
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
2 large eggs (again, mine were room temperature)
1 t vanilla extract
1 pound of chocolate chips, either dark, milk or white.  Or a combination.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, coffee powder, together, set aside

Put the butter in a mixer with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until it lightens in color (about two minutes for room temperature butter) add white sugar and beat for 30 seconds.  Add brown sugar and beat for 30 seconds.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating for a minute after each addition.  The mixture should be light and fluffy, if not beat for another  minute.  Add vanilla. And beat until blended.

Turn mixer the mixer on low speed and add dry ingredients.  Mix only until they are incorporated.   Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for a few hours, or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350.  I used two cookie trays that have an air cavity built in.  Dorie says if you do not have heavy cookie trays double up.  This book was published in the early 90's before the air pillow type trays were the norm.  If you have those, I say you are golden.  Line with parchment paper, or grease.  These spread, so leave room, but use a heaping tablespoon of dough.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Dorie swaps her cookie sheets while baking, I don't because of the wonders of convection ovens.

Lemon Cake

I got this recipe from that amazing food resource, People Magazine.  There I was waiting for my mother at her hair dresser, going through old issues and found this recipe from Top Chef  winner Kristen Kish.  So I totally made a diversion "Look, a bear!" And tore the page out.  This cake has several of the "it" ingredients of the moment:lemon, olive oil and coconut.  To be honest, I am not really sure it needs the coconut.  I had some baking issues with my oven, but for the most part it came out well.

Lemon olive oil cake

1 c cake flour
1c all purpose flour
3/4 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
Pinch of salt
2 1/2 c sugar
Zest of two lemons
1 1/2 c whole milk
1 1/2 c olive oil
3/4 c sweetened coconut, lightly toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease a 9x13
In a bowl, combine flues, baking soda, powder and salt
In a mixer, whisk eggs, sugar, until it forms a ribbon.  Stir in zest, milk and olive oil until combined.
Fold in dry ingredients and coconut.  Pour into pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Little Apricot Cakes

These were delish and from this month's Bon Appetit magazine.  The name does not lie, these suckers are tiny.  But, they are great after a large meal when you want something small.  I did not have the raw sugar in my house, so I went without, they were still fine.  I accidentally overbaked mine slightly, but if you put something dry in plastic bags, it kind of comes back.  Conversely, if you want to keep something crisp, tins are the way to go.  This recipe was part of a a whole picnic set up.  Seriously, when was the last time you had a picnic?  That's what I thought.

Little Apicot Cakes

1 cup flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4t salt
6T butter at room temperature
1/3 c sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
1 t vanilla extract
1/3 c whole milk
2 apricots cut into wedges
2 T raw sugar

Preheat oven to 350.
Line Muffen tins with paper liners, or coat with spray.  Follow your heart.
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
In a mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about two minutes.  Add egg lemon zest and vanilla and beat until combined.
With mixer on low, add dry ingredients in 3 additions with milk for two additions.  Begin and end with dry ingredients.  Divide batter amoung 12 baking cups, they will be 1/3 full. Don't panic, they are supposed to look like that, smooth tops.  Top with apricots and raw sugar. 

Bake until goldena nd atester comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.  Cool in pan for five and then flip out until cool completely. 

Zuccini Cake

I got this one off of David Lebovitz's site, living the sweet life in Paris.  To be honest, David is kind of a hero of mine.  He escaped Connecticut and is now living in the City of Light giving culinary tours and writing cook books.  I like to think of him as a role model.  Especially the whole escaping from Connecticut part.  everyone who tried this cake LOVED it.  And it was actually pretty.  Normally when I use bundt cake pans I have sticking issues, but not this time.  Use a light colored (aka cheap) olive oil to avoid bitterness.  I placed the cake on a wore rack on top of a cookie sheet to glaze.  My mother scraped all of the glaze off of the cookie sheet and piled it on her slices.  NOT dignified, but delicious.

For the cake:

• 1 cup (135g) almonds, pecans, or walnuts, toasted (I cheated and just used Bob's almond meal.) 
• 2 cups (280g) flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon dried ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 (350g) cups sugar
• 1 cup (250ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups (300g) finely grated zucchini

For the lemon glaze:
1/4 cup (60ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
1 cup (140g) powdered (confectioner’s) sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease a 10 cup (2.5l) bundt or tube cake pan* with non-stick spray or butter, dust with flour, then tap out any excess.
2. Pulse the nuts in a food processor until finely chopped.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, 1 3/4 cup (350g) sugar, and olive oil for 3 minutes on medium speed, until light and fluffy. Stop and scrape down the sides of the mixer, then add the vanilla.
5. Mix in the dry ingredients, scraping down the sides of the mixer bowl to make sure everything is mixed in well, then beat on medium speed for 30 seconds.
6. Stir in the chopped nuts and zucchini.
7. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan, smooth the top, then bake the cake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan.
8. During the last few minutes of the cake baking, make the glaze by whisking together the lemon juice, 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar, and powdered sugar.
9. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then carefully invert it onto a cooling rack. Brush the glaze over the cake with a pastry brush and let the cake cool completely.
Storage: The cake can be wrapped (or put under a cake dome) and will keep for a few days. You can freeze the unglazed cake. However to apply the glaze, you’ll need to defrost the cake then warm it so the glaze will adhere properly.