05/18/12

What’s Up, Doc?

When I was a kid, I didn’t really like carrot cake.

I guess it was the whole concept of combining vegetables and dessert, like….whattheheck? I had a similar aversion to zucchini bread. Madness, right?

Well I got an order from a woman last week to make 100 cookies for a work event. I was pretty sick of rolling oatmeal raisin cookies after my thousand cookie excursion, so I decided to try something similar to oatmeal raisin cookies, but a little more exciting.

That’s where these babies came in.

They have oats and raisins, but they also have these funny little orange things- carrots! And they have this glorious spiced cream cheese filling smothered between them.

They taste exactly like the cake, except that they come in a portable form! The best of both worlds, if you ask me :)

Goodbye, oatmeal raisin. Nice knowing you.

One more thing: the beautiful photographs? Taken by Taylor Thoenes. Visit his website for more information.

Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies

Yield 30 Cookie Sandwiches

  • 2 cups unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 4 cups oats
  • 3 cups grated carrots (about 3 large)
  • 2 cups raisins

Mix all ingredients with a hand mixer or kitchen aid, starting with butter and sugars, then adding in other wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients. Fold in carrots and raisins. Chill dough in refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350. Scoop dough with a tablespoon onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until edges are lightly browned.

Spiced Cream Cheese Filling

  • 16 oz cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients with a whisk (or a hand mixer, if you’re less lazy than I am) until smooth. Prepare a piping bag with a simple round tip and scoop filling into the bag. Creating a spiral pattern from the middle, fill one side of a cookie sandwich and then lightly press another cookie of similar size on to the other side. Store cookies in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

 

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05/5/12

Decisions & Pie

I made a fantastic decision this week.

I was very unsure about whether I wanted to move to Washington and give up my scholarship at the University of Arizona in order to go to culinary school. So I finally decided that the best thing for me to do would be to stay, but completely switch my major so that I was studying something that felt worthwhile to me. I thought about studying business, communications, elementary education, art…

But I couldn’t get myself to choose one definite path. Something about that decision was extremely daunting and unfulfilling to me.

Then I met this glorious person named Justin, who told me about interdisciplinary studies. The jist of the program is that I get to choose three different areas of interest and obtain a minor in each one of them, essentially composing my own major! I have a meeting with an advisor on monday to discuss the application process. I think I will probably choose to study nutrition, business, and a foreign language (either spanish or french).

My reasoning is this: business and nutrition give me the knowledge that I need to open a restaurant that serves healthful food, and the foreign language will allow me to communicate with a larger percentage of the community. Another reason that I’m interested in these three specific areas is that I really want to use my skills to do philanthropy work and if I went to a foreign country, (such as Africa) I could use my french to communicate, my knowledge in nutrition to help the starving community, and my knowledge in business to help the people stimulate income/ bring foreign aid.

Anyways, on the more pertinent side of things, this week I made a mixed berry pie for my friends. It was very summery-tasting with raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and a hint of lemon for added brightness.

It turned out lovely, and everyone gobbled it up! :)

Mixed Berry Pie

  • 1 lb fresh strawberries
  • 1 cup raspberries
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tbsp corn starch
  • pinch salt
  • 2 pie crusts (I used store bought since I’m lazy)

Preheat oven to 450. Roll out one crust and size it into the pie pan. Dice strawberries and mix with blueberries and raspberries. Add all other ingredients and mix until the fruit begins to break down, releasing juices into the filling. Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Top with the second crust with any decorate flair desired. Be sure to cut vents in the top crust to prevent air pockets. Bake 10 minutes at 450, then 40 minutes at 375. Allow to cool. Store in refrigerator until ready to consume.

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04/28/12

Daring Bakers March 2012: Armenian Desserts

This month, Jason challenged the daring bakers to make Armenian desserts! We had a choice between a dessert named “nazook” and an armenian nutmeg cake. I decided to make the nazook because it was more foreign to me, but after reading all of the rave reviews on the nutmeg cake, I think I’ll have to find an excuse to make that someday as well!

Nazook is traditionally spread with a vanilla filling, but it can be substituted with a variety of different flavors. I decided to make a chocolate and vanilla tuxedo Nazook because everything is better with a little chocolate…

The recipe was raved about by everyone who tried it, so I’ll definitely, definitely be making this stuff again!

Thanks to Jason for an amazing challenge :)

Chocolate Vanilla Tuxedo Nazook

Dough

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1 cup sour cream (I used light)
  • 1 cup softened butter

Filling

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup softened butter
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Wash

  • 1 whisked egg

1. Prepare the dough: sift flour into a large bowl. Add yeast, sour cream, and butter. Use your hands to form a cohesive dough. Knead for 5-10 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for 3-5 hours (I only did one hour and it turned out fine!)

2. Prepare the filling: Mix ingredients in a small bowl. Use hands to form a crumbly, unified filling. It should look like sand.

3. Preheat oven to 350. Take 1/4 of the dough and roll it out into an oval/rectangular shape. Fill with 1/4 of the filling. Spread as far to the sides of the dough as possible. Roll the dough long-ways. Brush with egg wash. Cut into 10 equal pieces and place on prepared cookie sheet. Repeat process 3x wit remaining dough and filling. Bake for 30 minutes and enjoy!

 

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04/25/12

Breaking the Sweet Streak & Thoughts on Patisserie and Baking

So obviously I’m into baking.

As in, if you look at my recipe archive, about 50% of them are deserts. I guess it’s mostly because I just understand the concoction and combination of sweet things better than I understand that of “real” food.

That being said, I definitely do not go around everyday noshing on cookies and pie like it’s no one’s business. Actually, if you talk to most people who know me, they’ll probably tell you that I am somewhat of a health nut! I care about getting my body all of the nutrients that it needs. I don’t think that anyone should treat their body like a garbage disposal. The saying really is true- we are what we eat. The carbohydrates and proteins and fats that we obtain from our food are all broken down into amino acids, polypeptides, and fatty acids, all of which are used to synthesize and repair our body’s tissues, enzymes, hormones, energy stores….

So real food is important, ya’ll. You can nosh on cookies all day but eventually, you’re just going to put yourself at a high risk for heart disease and obesity and a handful of other diseases and starve your body of the nutrients that it deserves. The nutrients that you deserve!

I made my boyfriend and my roommate a lovely dinner last night. It consisted of grilled chicken, asparagus, and a tomato risotto.

I had never made risotto before. (are you sensing a trend? I always decide to tackle the things that I really don’t know how to do. ;) ) Surprisingly, it turned out really good. And because I made it with brown rice, there was a little nutritious bonus! After several sweet posts, I figured I would lay off on the sugar coma that I was giving you all for a while, and give you something more wholesome :) Enjoy.

Tomato Risotto

  • 7 ripe roma tomatoes
  • 5 cloves of minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 1/2 cups brown rice
  • Pine nuts, basil (garnish, optional)

Pour the chicken broth into a large pot and heat on low. Mince garlic and dice tomatoes. In a large saucepan, brown garlic in the oil. Add the rice and mix until all of the grain is lightly coated in oil. Add about 1/4 of the hot broth and the water and allow the mixture to thicken. When the broth is almost gone, add more. Stir in the tomatoes. Add the remainder of the broth and allow the mixture to thicken and the rice to cook until the broth is nearly used up. Garnish with pine nuts and basil. Serve hot.

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04/24/12

A Pie-Like Occasion

This weekend, everything suddenly started to feel very summery. The air was warm, the sun stayed in the sky late into the day, and I was surrounded by good company :)

Taylor and his mom :) They’re precious, aren’t they?

Amidst that summery feeling, we celebrated Taylor’s Papi’s birthday! Naturally, when I found out a birthday was afoot, my first question was what does he like to eat? And it turns out that Papi is a loyal banana cream pie lover.

I had never made banana cream pie, and being my lazy ol’ self, I decided to just wing it. I took a sort of cheesecake-like approach by first baking it and then chilling it.

This gave it a lovely thick, moist, cake-like texture. It was delectable.

Banana Cream Pie: Re-invented!

yield 1 nine-inch pie, serves 8-10 (unless you’re a little greedy!-nothin’ wrong with that…:)

  • 3 fresh bananas
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1 egg
  • 1 packet Kraft Jello banana cream pudding mix, sugar free
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • dash of cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 hostess crunch donette (you know the ones, they come in a roll of six and they’re incredibly addicting? Turns out they go great in banana cream pie, and you can eat the other five!)
  • 1 nine-inch graham cracker pie crust
  • Shredded coconut
  • Whipped cream (I chose the spray can so that I could decorate more efficiently)

Preheat oven to 350. Mash bananas in a medium bowl until you achieve fine chunks. Whisk in all other ingredients, minus the coconut. Crumble the donette into fine pieces and whisk it in as well (it added a lot of interesting spice tones to the batter, but if needed, it can be eliminated without reaping too much havoc on the recipe :) Pour the batter into the graham cracker crust and bake for 35-40 minutes, until lightly browned on top, and it no longer sloshes in the middle when moved. Chill in the refrigerator overnight.
On a baking sheet, sprinkle about 1/4 cup of shredded coconut. Toast in the preheated oven (350 degrees) for about 5 minutes, until a light golden brown shade is achieved. Decorate the pie with whipped cream as desired, then sprinkle with toasted coconut, and enjoy!

 

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