Savory and Sweet

These recipes were on wsj.com. They are by professionals and I admit that they are not the simplest recipes to follow. But once followed, they give the most heavenly results that no other pies can compare to.

Savory Pumpkin and Apple Pie

This recipe is by Spike Gjerde of Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore

·         Heat oven to 300 degrees.

·         Halve 1 (2-pound) fairytale pumpkin (or an equal weight of hubbard squash) and remove seeds. Season generously with salt and black pepper.

·         Set on baking sheet and roast 25 minutes or until flesh collapses and browns. Remove from oven and let cool.

·         Peel and slice 4 large shallots into a medium bowl. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sea salt and set aside for 1 hour.

·         Stir in ½ tablespoon allspice, 1 teaspoon mace and 2 ounces maple syrup.

·         Scrape mixture into wide pan and cook over low heat until soft and deeply golden.

·         Add 6 minced sage leaves and ½ cup cider vinegar and cook until nearly dry, stirring to prevent sticking. Add 2 cups white wine and simmer 5 minutes.

·         Dice 2 Yukon Gold potatoes. 

·         Peel and dice 2 medium delicata squash. Add both to shallot mixture. Simmer 10 minutes, adding a splash of water if sticky. Stir in reserved pumpkin and 1 apple (tart varieties work best), peeled and diced. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.

·         Raise oven to 400 degrees. On floured surface, roll ½ batch pie dough into a 12" round (reserve rest for later use). Line 9" pie plate with round, allowing 1" overhang at edges. Fill with pumpkin, flute edges and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until crust is golden.

Plum Crumble Pie

This dessert pie recipe is by Rachel McBride of The Blue Stove in Brooklyn, N.Y.

·          Heat oven to 350 degrees.

·         Pit and slice 2 pounds Italian plums (4 cups total). In a medium bowl, combine plums with ½ cup sugar, ¼ cup flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, zest of 1 lemon and juice of ½ lemon. Toss well and set aside.

·         Make crumble topping: In a large bowl, mix ½ cup flour, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon salt. Add 4 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter and, using a pastry cutter or the tips of your fingers, blend butter into flour mixture until the pieces are the size of large peas. Refrigerate until ready to use.

·         On floured surface, roll ½ batch pie dough into a 12" round (reserve rest for later use). Line 9" pie plate with dough, allowing 1" overhang at edges. Crimp edges, prick bottom with the tines of a fork and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons sugar. Heap plum mixture into the pie plate, letting it mound slightly at the center. Top with crumb mixture, leaving 1" of plums exposed around the edge of pie. Bake for 1 hour, or until juices have begun to bubble and topping has browned. Serve plain or with vanilla ice cream.

FlanFlanFlan

Originally from Mexico, Flan is served at many restaurants as a dessert. It’s one of my favorite desserts because of its sweet taste and soft texture. I decided to try making some at home and it was pretty successful. I’ll share the recipe so you can enjoy this delicious dessert at home.

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar

¼ cup water

1 (1 fluid oz) can evaporated milk

1 (5oz) can sweetened condensed milk

6 egg yolks

1 tablespoon almond extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, boil sugar with water and stir until the sugar melts and lightly browns. Pour into a flan pan or a cake mold, tilting the pan to coat the entire bottom. Set it aside.

In a bowl, gently whisk together evaporated milk, condensed milk, egg yolks and almond extract. Be careful air doesn’t get in. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan (from the previous step). Tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles.

Line a roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel. Place the flan pan on the towel. Fill the roasting pan with water to halfway up the sides of the baking dish.

Preheat the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes.

Cool completely.

To take the flan out of the pan, run a knife around the edges of the pan. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours before serving.

PUMPKIN CANDIES

Okay this is my second posting today because I didn't write yesterday. My family went picnic yesterday and I was really tired when I got home... I was going to share this recipe in yesterday's posting but since I didn't write it, here it is. 

It’s for Pumpkin candies, which are very common in Southern Brazil. It’s really easy to make, healthy and delicious. The main ingredients are sugar and pumpkin. I changed it up a bit to make the recipe easier and healthier. You can see the original recipe here: http://www.food.com/recipe/docinhos-de-abobora-brazilian-pumpkin-candy-307428

Ingredients:

1kg peeled pumpkin

4 cups sugar

2 cups water

12 cloves

Cinnamon

Direction: 

 Cut pumpkin into 3cm cubes. Boil water and sugar in a saucepan and add cloves and cinnamon. Add the pumpkin. Poke holes in the pumpkin cubes to make so the syrup is more easily absorbed.  Boil on low heat until the pumpkin pieces are tender. Move them with a slotted sppon to a jar. Cool the syrup until it gets thick and pour over the pumpkin cubes. Let it cool before serving.

It makes a good snack or a side dish. Although there’s a lot of sugar in it, it’s a healthier alternative to chips and candies. You can dust it with confectioners’ sugar if you want. Children tend to like it because it’s sweet and soft so if your kids don’t like eating pumpkin, definitely try this recipe. 

Brownie n' Berries Dessert Pizza for Cath's B-Day

Yesterday was my niece Catherine’s 10^th birthday. The whole family gathered together to have a dinner at our house and the kids all watched Despicable Me in 3D. We have 7 kids in the whole family but we only had 4 pairs of 3D glasses so my husband and I made a trip to BestBuy that afternoon to grab more 3D glasses. We paid about $20 for 4 pairs of 3D glasses, which was good considering our budget for this gathering. I baked a Brownie n’ Berries Dessert Pizza with a recipe taken from Betty Crocker website. 

Ingredients

1 box Betty Crocker Original Supreme Premium brownie mix (water, vegetable oil and egg as written on the mix box)

1 package cream cheese

1/3 cup sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla

2 cups sliced fresh strawberries

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup fresh raspberries

½  cup apple jelly 

Direction

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom of 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray or shortening 
•   Make batter as directed on brownie mix box and spread in pan.
• Bake for 26-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out almost clean. Cool completely
• In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread mixture over brownie and arrange berries on top. Refrigerate until chilled.

I love this recipe because it’s sweet and delicious enough to serve as a cake for a child’s birthday but the berries still give some nutrients and natural sugar. It’s so much better than supermarket sold cakes with chocolate frostings and chocolate toppings.

Cake and its culture

The trend of Cakes on ceremonial occasions in the US is not new but centuries old. Cake is often used in social celebrations of various occasions like birthdays, weddings and anniversaries. Countless recipes are found across the country; some are bread-like, some rich and moist and even some are the mixture of cultures.

The first cakes were very different from what we eat today. History of cake tells that ancient Egyptians were the first bakers of cakes, and the modern cake is based on their sweetened breads. In those days cakes were used to celebrate what we think of as strange rituals. Egyptians used to bake cake by using bread, nuts and honey basically. When baking powder and baking soda were came in picture this made the baking process easier.

In the United States, cakes were considered as a symbol of wellbeing by early American cooks. Now the popularity of cakes can be seen as that ‘’cake’’ word has become                                                                                     synonymous of dessert. Varieties of Cakes are found easily on most dessert menus in restaurants around the United States.

Another aspect of Cake is the decoration of cakes. Cake decoration is an amazing art in itself which shows different artistic expressions that reflects their personal taste and style of specific occasion.

Homemade Yogurt for the Kids

Yogurt is a dairy product created by fermenting milk with a Lactobacillus culture. It is also good for your colon health and rich for calcium. My children love it as much as I do, especially when its mixed up with fruit. Yogurt is great because it is one of only a few dairy products that can be consumed as a healthful snack. Here is my recipe to make a homemade yogurt:

Ingredients:

- 8 cups fresh milk

- 1/3 cup powdered milk (this is optional but you’ll need it to make the yogurt thicker)

- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, optional for sweetened yogurt
- 1/2 cup starter yogurt (yogurt that has been made with active live cultures; this is the friendly bacteria that will turn your milk into yogurt. You can buy it at the grocery and remember, you’ll only need asmall amount and it is in plain flavor.)

Other supplies:

• Sterile quart jars with lids, warmed
• Small cooler (lunch-box size would be good)
• Candy thermometer

Directions:

1.       Heat the milk to 180 degrees in a thick-bottomed, stainless steel pot. This is called pasteurization process that kills any unwanted bacteria in the milk. It also changes the structure of the proteins so that they will be set and not shaped like curds.

2.       Remove from heat and cool it down to 110 degrees. You can make the process faster by filling your sink with cold water and putting the hot milk pot in the water and keep stirring the milk. The temperature will drop quickly, so make sure you check it with the candy thermometer.

3.       Add remaining ingredients and stir well.

4.       Put the mixed milk in a jar to incubate and culture them. Set the lids to the jars and place them in the cooler. Leave the cooler in a warm place where it can remain undisturbed overnight. Fill the cooler with hot water up to the shoulder of the jars. Wait for 10 to 12 hours.

5.       When the yogurt is firm, put it in the refrigerator and let it cool for at least 12-24 hours to get the best texture and the yogurt is ready to be served.

I’d like to add some fresh cut up fruit or jam. But remember one thing, the longer it incubates, the more sour it will be. Check this video out on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTM_tafz3Bg

Wedding Surprise Cake

Planning and making a wedding cake for your own wedding is a great idea to surprise everybody and your husband or wife. Cakes are always the most delicious way to share your joy and express your happiness. Girls always love eating different cakes like chocolate, strawberry, and coffee. But some people enjoy baking the cakes as much as just eating them.

I helped my cousin bake her wedding cake and it was really delightful to see the cake and to eat it as well. We started our plan for the cake 2 months prior to her wedding, and we practically started baking it a month before her wedding. It takes time because there are many important aspects and the most important for all the girls is shopping. But Jane, my cousin was very eager to make her wedding cake by herself because she wanted to surprise her husband and give him the best wedding cake with all her love. The most beautiful part wasn’t baking process but when decorating it with different colors of chocolates and watching the cake become even more beautiful.

Below is a recipe for a wedding cake that you can make your own

Wedding Cake Timetable: 

2-3 months before: Make the cake. When cold, prick at intervals with a fine skewer and spoon some brandy evenly over the surface. Wrap the cakes in greaseproof paper and then in double thickness foil. Store it in a cool dry place.

14-20 days before: The baked cakes should have an even top but if not, they can be leveled with a sharp knife. Cover each cake with almond paste and store loosely covered with greaseproof paper in a cool dry place for 4-5 days before applying the first coat of icing.

10-15 days before: Apply the first coat of Royal Icing and leave to dry for 1-2 days.

8-12 days before: Apply the second coat of Royal Icing if necessary and leave to dry for 1-2 days.

7 days before: Complete all further decorating a week before the cake is to be served. Do not assemble a tiered cake until the day.

Choosing Tier Sizes: Choose the size of your tiers carefully, avoiding a combination that looks too heavy. 

Suggested proportions are: 

For a three-tier cake - 30, 23, and 15cm (12, 9 and 6in)
For a two-tiered cake - 30 and 20cm (12 and 8in)
28 and 18cm (11 and 7in) 
25 and 15cm (10 and 6in)

Bottom tier : It should be deeper than the upper ones.

25-30cm (10-12in) cakes are generally 7.5cm (3in)deep
18-23cm (7-9in) cakes are 6.5cm (2½in) deep
15cm (6in)diameter cakes are 5cm (2in) deep

There are some points you want to keep in mind; that are, the size of the cake should not be larger unless you have an oven to cope up with it, because you have to give about 1” space between the oval space and tin. It is suggested that the two tier cakes should be baked separately.

So, if you want to try something new and surprise everyone in your wedding, a homemade wedding cake is one of great idea. It is a perfect combination of love and surprise which can give a sparkling start to your married life. However, it is very important that you give a form of proper plan and enough time if you don’t want to rush the process and make something that no one wants

  

Custom cakes, inexpensive and delicious

With summer coming; birthdays, bachelor parties, weddings are getting planed. That’s why I’ve started to see interesting cakes, each one more beautiful then the other.

Last weekend, when I went to a pastry shop with my friend Duygu, its summer so I want alot of sweet food.While I was talking about how delicious the cakes look, the owner told me that she is already making cakes for the next week. I asked her how she does it and she told me that it takes lots of work, for some cakes even 18 hours! She started this as a hobby and now she is making cakes on a professional level.

When I learned about this, my friend’s birthday was coming up. I wanted a special and unforgettable gift for her, so I asked the owner to make a special birthday cake for her. When I saw the cake she made, I was confident that everyone would like it; this picture is very similar to the one I had made.

So if your interested in a custom cake, i would highly recommend one for any occasion.