Gnome Cookies

I had to share with you these sweet little gnome sugar cookies made with an adorable cutter from Hammer Song Tin! I might have gotten carried away with the decorating a tinsy bit, but I hope they are a little something to brighten a dreary winter day...


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Sautéed Figs with Balsamic Bourbon Glaze and Fresh Ricotta

I can't even begin to describe how amazing this is. So I won't. Just make it. Sooner rather than later.

Sautéed Figs with Balsamic Bourbon Glaze and Ricotta
adapted from Fresh Every Day by Sara Foster

yields 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 small fresh figs (I used Mission figs), halved lengthwise
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 shot of bourbon
fresh ricotta cheese
freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:
Melt but do not brown the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until sizzling. Place the figs, cut side down, in the butter and sauté for about 1-2 minutes, until they just begin to soften and give off juice. Sprinkle the sugar over the figs and shake the pan to distribute sugar evenly.

Add the balsamic vinegar and bourbon to the pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Continue to boil the liquid for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan constantly, until the liquid becomes slightly think and syrupy. Serve immediately with fresh ricotta cheese and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper. Enjoy.



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Blackberry Limeade Bars

My friend KC emailed me the other day, saying that she had made the strawberry lemonade bars. It always makes me happy when people make the recipes that I post. She was asking about other flavor combinations and suggested blackberries and limes. Done and done. So here we are. Thanks, KC!

Tart, sweet, and smooth, these blackberry limeade bars scream summer. They cut clean and transport well (place in a tupperware and lay with sheets of waxed paper). I used key lime zest and juice, because, I'll admit it, I'm a lime snob (and they are so cheap to buy in Tucson). Take advantage of blackberry season while you can with these delightful, jewel-toned gems.

Blackberry Limeade Bars

yields one 8-by-8 inch pan of bars

Ingredients:
Crust
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Blackberry Lime Layer
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon lime zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen, thawed
3 large egg whites
1 large egg
2/3 cups freshly squeezed lime juice

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line an 8-by-8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar.  Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, 1-2 minutes.  With the mixer on low speed, mix in the flour and salt just until incorporated.  Add the dough to the prepared baking pan.  Press into an even layer over the bottom of the pan.  Bake for about 25 minutes or until light golden brown.  Remove from the oven, maintaining the temperature.

While the crust is baking, make the top layer.  Combine the sugar, flour, lime zest and salt in a large bowl and whisk to blend.  Puree blackberries and press through a fine mesh sieve, mashing with a spatula, to extract as much juice and pulp as possible, straining out the seeds.  Add the egg whites and egg to the bowl with the dry ingredients and whisk well to blend.  Whisk in the blackberry puree and lime juice until smooth.

Pour the mixture over the crust and bake until the center is just set and not longer jiggles when gently shaken, about 30 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.  Cover and chill well in the refrigerator, at least 2 hours.  When ready to serve, use the parchment paper to lift the bars from the pan.  Place on a cutting board and slice into bars.

Enjoy.

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Sweet Potato Ice Cream

Instead of complaining about another Tucson summer, I've decided to be proactive. I'm going to make new flavors of ice cream to get me through these trying times. Let's be real - I'll probably still complain to you anytime it gets above 105, but - hey - at least you get an ice cream recipe every time I do. You can thank Jeni for inspiring me.

I just received Jeni's book in the mail from my Mom! I officially have a major girl crush on Jeni. Her book is delightful. If you don't believe me - the James Beard Award thought so, too. Here's the book description from amazon.com:

“Ice cream perfection in a word: Jeni’s.” –Washington Post
At last, addictive flavors, and a breakthrough method for making creamy, scoopable ice cream at home, from the proprietor of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, whose artisanal scooperies in Ohio are nationally acclaimed.
Now, with her debut cookbook, Jeni Britton Bauer is on a mission to help foodies create perfect ice creams, yogurts, and sorbets—ones that are every bit as perfect as hers—in their own kitchens. Frustrated by icy and crumbly homemade ice cream, Bauer invested in a $50 ice cream maker and proceeded to test and retest recipes until she devised a formula to make creamy, sturdy, lickable ice cream at home. Filled with irresistible color photographs, this delightful cookbook contains 100 of Jeni’s jaw-droppingly delicious signature recipes—from her Goat Cheese with Roasted Cherries to her Queen City Cayenne to her Bourbon with Toasted Buttered Pecans. Fans of easy-to-prepare desserts with star quality will scoop this book up.
How cool is that? 

Oh, it's cool, Jeni. So for my first post, I made Jeni's sweet potato ice cream and added some candied ginger pieces. Smooth, creamy, and rich with sweet potato and molasses, this ice cream is like having Thanksgiving for dessert! Enjoy.

         

Sweet Potato Ice Cream with Candied Ginger
adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home

yields one generous quart

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled sweet potato (I used frozen, already cubed potatoes)
2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1/2 cup diced candied ginger pieces

Directions:
Make sure the ice cream maker has been in the freezer overnight or for at least 10 hours.

In a medium saucepan, combine diced sweet potatoes and milk.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until the potatoes are soft and easily pierced by a knife, 8 to 10 minutes.

Fill a large bowl with ice water.  In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch.  In another large bowl, whisk the cream cheese, cinnamon, and salt.

Once potatoes are cooked, transfer to a food processor and puree.  If pieces still remain, return to pan and puree using an immersion blender.  Add heavy cream, sugars, corn syrup, and molasses to potato puree.  Place pan over medium-high heat and bring mixture to a rolling boil until the sugar dissolves, 4 minutes.

Remove from heat and gradually whisk into cream cheese mixture until smooth. Set the bowl in the ice water bath, and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cold, about 20 minutes.

Once ice cream base is chilled, pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Sprinkle a layer of toasted marshmallows on the bottom of a plastic ice cream container.  Lightly spoon a layer of ice cream on top.  Continue to alternate layers of candied ginger pieces and ice cream until the container is full.  Sprinkle a few more marshmallows on top.  Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.
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Harry Potter Birthday Cake {Part 2}

Emily's Harry Potter Birthday Cake: a gingerbread Hogwarts with royal icing decor and candy glass windows, on a chocolate sheet cake (see recipe below), with marzipan characters. It stands solid and lights up!

When I last left off in the previous post (Harry Potter Birthday Cake {Part 1}), Jenny and I had completed making the gingerbread parts with candy windows and the marzipan characters. The time to assemble had arrived. Jenny mapped out on cardboard cake boards where the building would sit and cut holes in the center with an exacto knife where the lights would sit.

We stuck lights through the holes and taped the rest to the back.

We taped another board over the bottom so that the lights weren't lying in cake and flipped it. Voila!

Then came laying the foundations. A common problem with gingerbread houses is collapse. If you use enough royal icing and make sure the sides are standing, set, and dry before you add the rooftops, all should be well, in theory... luckily in this case, also in practice.

So we waited about 45 minutes for the sides to set, and did a light check while waiting - CHECK!

Then we piped icing along the sides and added the roofs and ice cream cone towers.

Finally, it was time for the castle to come to life! The cakeboard was moved on top of the chocolate sheet cake (recipe below). We watered down some of the royal icing and brushed it on the cake board. While wet, we dusted cocoa and sugar on for the ground. Using an Ateco pastry tip #133, I piped green royal icing into grass and shrubs. The landscape was complete with marzipan trees.

Our heros arrived...

Professor Dumbledore and the Sorting Hat were there to greet Ron, Harry and Hermione...

Hedwig was standing by to deliver birthday cards...

We even made a hut for Hagrid!

Another birthday cake was made with scraps from the Hogwarts cake (just in case the dog got to it)...

Emily, who had been in the dark until this point, was in for a surprise... I think she liked the end result :)

Thanks for sharing in this journey. It took Jenny and I the better part of two days to complete, so this cake was definitely a labor of love, but I was glad I could share it with Jenny and her family. It was a bold project to take on and I don't think we expected it to work. We were surprised that nothing catastrophic happened along the way. We were expecting to burn gingerbread, burn ourselves with sugar, collapse roofs, knock down buildings, or drop the cake, but somehow, every step went smoothly. So, bring on the next challenge. I smell a Lord of the Rings cake in my future... Hey, anything is possible. Just ask Ginny Weasley.

"You sort of start thinking anything's possible if you've got enough nerve."
- Ginny Weasley, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Texas Brownies or Texas Sheetcake

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup strong coffee
1/4 cup dark, unsweetened cocoa
1/2 ounce unsweetened baking chocolate
1/2 cup buttermilk
2  eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Butter a 17 x 11 inch jelly roll pan (or baking tray with sides).  Combine four, sugar, and soda in large bowl.  In a heavy saucepan, combine butter, shortening, coffee, cocoa, and chocolate.  Stir and heat to boiling.  Pour boiling mixture over dry ingredients in bowl.  Add  buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.  Mix well, using a spoon or electric mixer.  Pour into jelly roll pan.  Bake for 20 minutes or until brownies test done in center (toothpick inserted in center comes out dry). Cool completely before serving.

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Harry Potter Birthday Cake {Part 1}

Back in August, my good friend Jenny asked if I would help her make "an awesome cake" for her sister Emily's 16th birthday in December, and six months later, create an awesome cake we did: specifically, a chocolate cake with a gingerbread Hogwarts castle on top, as Emily is an avid Harry Potter fan. Emily was kept distracted by siblings during the process. She knew we were making a cake, but was slightly confused as to why it was taking so long to complete. It took us the better part of two days to finish, so forgive me for breaking this into a two-part post, but I think the end result is worth the wait, as I hope it was for Emily.

For the castle, we doubled a recipe for molasses gingerbread cookies (recipe below). While the cookie dough was chilling in the refrigerator, we drew and cut out templates for the sides and roofs of the castle, and the characters of Harry Potter leaped to life with a can of marzipan and food gels.

Once chilled, the dough was rolled out on a heavily floured surface and the templates were traced with knives to cut out the castle parts. It was easier to cut out the windows on a baking tray lined with parchment paper (that way the windows don't get distorted when transferring the dough to the baking tray).

The pieces were baked and then placed on a wire rack to cool.

After the pieces cooled, we made hard sugar windows (recipe and instructions below),

cocoa-sugar dusted roofs (We brushed a simple syrup on gingerbread pieces and ice cream cones and then sprinkled them with a cocoa and sugar mixture. The cocoa-sugar sparkles in the light and gives a nice weathered texture.),

and royal icing decor (recipe below).

Stay tuned to see the completed Hogwarts cake, that LIGHTS UP...

In the meanwhile, you can test your HP knowledge with this quiz.

Molasses Gingerbread Cookies
from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups unsulfured molasses

Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in a medium bowl.

Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in molasses. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Divide dough into 3 portions, and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a generously floured surface roll dough to a scant 1/4 inch thick. Brush off excess flour. Cut out desired shapes. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets.

Bake cookies for 6 minutes. Remove sheets from oven, and tap them firmly on counter to flatten cookies. Return to oven, rotating sheets, and bake until crisp but not darkened, 6 to 8 minutes more. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers for up to 1 week.

Hard Candy Windows

Ingredients:
1 cup granulated cane sugar
1/3 cup hot water
1/3 cup light com syrup

Combine sugar, hot water and corn syrup in a heavy saucepan. Place on high heat and stir with a wooden spoon until all sugar crystals are dissolved. Wash down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in hot water. Clip on thermometer. Continue cooking, without stirring, to 290F, then remove from heat. Entire cooking process takes about ten minutes.

Place windowed molasses gingerbread cookies, face down, on a surface lined with aluminum foil. Transfer (carefully - VERY HOT) sugar to a heat proof container with a spout and pour into the windows. The candy cools almost instantly, in about a minute.

Note: We used a pyrex measuring cup to pour in the hot sugar. It then proceeded to harden on the cup and didn't want to come off. Jenny has written this handy how-to for cleaning:

Cleaning Hard Candy out of a Pyrex:
Be VERY VERY VERY careful. Molten sugar can cause serious burns.

As soon as you are done making the candy windows, use a spatula to get as much of the hard candy out of the Pyrex as you possibly can. I recommend pouring it into a stack of three disposable coffee cups. When stacked they can (or did for me) contain the very hot liquid. You can stick a popsicle stick in there to make a very large lollipop; otherwise just let it cool and harden for a few hours and throw it away. Fill the pyrex with hot water and stick it in the microwave until the water boils. Remove from microwave and pour down the drain. Repeat until all the hard candy has dissolved.

Royal Icing

yields 4 cups

Ingredients:
1 pound confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons meringue powder
5 tablespoons water

Using an electric mixer, beat ingredients for 3-5 minutes.
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