Vegan Triple Chocolate Cupcakes from “New Vegetarian” by Robin Asbell (win a signed copy)

Print Print   |  Print Email this to a friend   |  December 9, 2009
Filed Under Book Giveaway, Uncategorized, cake, recipe | 137 Comments

I’m a sucker for a chocolate cake and so it seemed the perfect place for me to dive into Robin’s newest book. This one caught my eye for another reason as well, it is vegan. No, I’m not a vegan, but I’ve been looking for this very recipe since the day my brother and his girlfriend announced to the family that they were. I’d been experimenting with vegan cakes to serve them, but honestly I hadn’t gotten very far. I’m too wedded to butter, eggs and cream. Robin came to the rescue. I gave the recipe a test run for Katherine’s (before mentioned girlfriend of my brother Alec) Birthday. Truth be told I never actually gave them to Katherine, not for lack of desire, but because she and Alec are in Copenhagen at the Climate Change March, where they are preparing to display their artwork to affect change in the world. What a memorable birthday she will have and I will gladly make these cupcakes again once she returns, a perfect way to celebrate.

Robin manages to achieve a rich chocolate cake with a moist (but not dense) crumb without the benefit of eggs or dairy, mystifying! The filling is remarkably reminiscent of mocha pastry cream and the ganache is chocolaty and glossy. It all defies classic baking and yet it works wonderfully.

As a gift to you Robin has signed a copy of New Vegetarian for me to give away. Just leave a comment below and I will pick a winner next week. Read more

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Chocolate-Ginger Marbled Cheesecake “Bars”

Print Print   |  Print Email this to a friend   |  April 29, 2009
Filed Under Daring Baker Challenge, Uncategorized, recipe | 57 Comments

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

Here I am, screeching in at the very last moment, with the Daring Baker’s Challenge. I adore cheesecake and this was a great challenge presented by Jenny. Basically she told us to come up with any variety of cheesecake we wanted. I have to admit that I went to my culinary muses and asked them what they thought. My husband came up with a combination of ginger and chocolate, he was also very insistent that they be bars and not a big cake. Here, in the Midwest, any sweet cut into a square is called a “bar.” It changes this rather sophisticated flavor combination into an after school treat instead of a plated dessert. My sons Henri and Charlie whole-heartedly agreed, and then ran outside to skateboard as quickly as possible. It is very helpful to have opinionated muses.

I have to say he came up with a real winner! The rich chocolate ganache mixed with the ginger cheesecake batter sits on top of a dark chocolate and crystallized ginger crust. Marbling the two flavors and cutting them into bars makes them pure fun! I shared them with several neighbors to keep me from eating the entire batch.

The winner of the Le Creuset baking dish is announced below.

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Strawberries in Red Wine, keep it simple (but delicious) on Earth Day! (the last Le Creuset giveaway for Mother’s Day!)

Print Print   |  Print Email this to a friend   |  April 22, 2009
Filed Under Uncategorized, giveaway!, recipe | 109 Comments

Today is Earth Day and in an attempt to keep my “cookprint” to a minimum, I decided to make a simple, but crazy delicious dessert. Once again Lynne Rossetto Kasper is my inspiration. You see, my husband and I are planning a trip to Italy this summer with our boys. In an attempt to get ready for the journey we’ve been eating a lot of Italian food. I figure it is more important to understand the food than, let’s say, learn the language! ;) So I whipped up a batch of Lynne’s lasagna and then followed it with this incredibly easy and yet divine bowl of strawberries.

I’ve been reading on other food blogs about the perfect spring crop of fresh strawberries. Well, here in Minneapolis we finally have buds on the trees, but we’re a good while off before we are plucking fruits from the vine. In fact today is the day that the Backyard Harvest folks deliver the dirt for my Urban Farm. By June I’ll have my own organic garden, but until then…to the market I go. The strawberries I bought at the store were decent, but not yet at their full potential. To maximize their flavor I macerated them in red wine and a touch of sugar. A little chiffonade of mint and they were bright and summery.

Keep reading to find out about the last Le Creuset giveaway!

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Happy New Year! Chocolate, Candied Ginger and Grapefruit Biscotti!

Print Print   |  Print Email this to a friend   |  December 31, 2008
Filed Under Uncategorized | 24 Comments

What a year it has been. It started with the launch of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. A project that I knew was a great concept, but had no idea that so many people would embrace it. Thank you all for the fabulous support and wonderful emails, pictures and thought provoking questions you’ve sent! Due to those inquiries and suggestions Jeff and I have embarked on our second book. This time we are focusing on breads made with whole grains and really healthy ingredients, that are still fast, easy and tasty! Even some gluten free breads. The book is due at the publisher in TWO days and we are working like crazy to get it in on time. It should be available next fall.

Of course, I need something to nibble on as I work on the book so I made my favorite biscotti. This is the one cookie that I can not keep my hands off of. I force myself to give some of them away so that I don’t eat the entire batch all by myself! ;) Read more

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The Sweet Potato vs. Yam Debate on “Weekend America” (which one do you use?)

Print Print   |  Print Email this to a friend   |  November 21, 2008
Filed Under Uncategorized | 59 Comments

A couple of days ago I got an email from Ochen Kaylan, a producer of American Public Media’s Weekend America. He was gathering information about the differences between Sweet Potatoes and Yams, for a Thanksgiving show, and invited me to participate. We all know the sweet, sticky, gooey side dish that is loaded up with brown sugar, spices, lots of butter and the ubiquitous marshmallow topping. But people always wonder which to use, sweet potato or yam? Really what is the difference?

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Clean-out-the-fridge-lemon-curd-cheesecake-tart!

Print Print   |  Print Email this to a friend   |  September 23, 2008
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Today I was inspired to clean out my refrigerator and freezer. Partly because I was procrastinating like crazy. I just couldn’t force myself to sit at the computer all day and work on the new book. The January deadline is getting bigger and more menacing, and yet today I just couldn’t do it. I really did need to clean out the fridge to make room for more buckets of dough and for the hundreds of mini Devil’s Food Cupcakes I have to make for the Children’s Heartlink Gala this Friday. ** Read more

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Creamy Chai Cheesecake (or is it Pots de Crème?)

Print Print   |  Print Email this to a friend   |  September 15, 2008
Filed Under Uncategorized | 18 Comments

As some of you know my oven blew up last week, literally! I am still waiting with bated breathe for the UPS driver to deliver the new heating coil, so I can resume doing the thing I love most. It should finally come tomorrow and believe me I am regretting not paying the extra $37 to have it delivered overnight! Patience is clearly something I need to work on.

Just before the oven combusted I’d made this creamy chai cheesecake. I guess it would be more aptly called a chai cream cheese pots de crème. Unlike the dry, grainy version so many of us are used to and frankly don’t care for, this cheesecake is so smooth and creamy that it is just barely set. It is baked in a cup or ramekin, like a pot de cream, without the distraction of a crust. Read more

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Thank You Stephen!

Print Print   |  Print Email this to a friend   |  June 30, 2008
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stephen

(Stephen Durfee, pastry chef and host extraordinaire!)

For the past 5 days Jeff and I have been in the Bay Area promoting our book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

While we were traveling in California my dear friend Stephen Durfee, who happens to be a former teacher, my mentor and a James Beard winning pastry chef at The French Laundry, who is now teaching at the CIA, was our generous host and guide. He cooked for us, housed us, helped us make dough, introduced us to wonderful people and a couple of restaurants that were utterly mind boggling in their creativity and flavors. Ubuntu in Napa and Aziza in San Francisco are not to be missed by anyone traveling in the area. Both of which have inspired SO many ideas for desserts I will be sharing with you soon.

Let me not leave out Emily Luchetti who so generously lent us her pastry kitchen at Farallon to do our baking. She too has been an inspiration to me as a pastry chef from back when she was at Stars. It was an honor just to work in her space.

Not even 12 hours after coming home and unpacking, I am packed up and leaving again tomorrow morning. This time to Florida. Yes, Florida in July. Partly to promote the book on TV in Tampa, but most importantly to celebrate my grandmother’s 90th birthday!!!

Thank you all for your wonderful notes and questions while I have been away. I will continue to check in and write when I can.

Thanks! Zoë

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Vanilla Pastry Cream

Print Print   |  Print Email this to a friend   |  March 21, 2008
Filed Under Uncategorized, basic, dessert, recipe | 18 Comments

I had a series of emails from Matthew about making pastry cream and I thought it a topic worth sharing with everyone. It is, like creme anglaise, one of the most versatile recipes in a professional pastry kitchen (and soon your home!). It is used for the filling of eclaires, napoleons, fruit tarts, banana cream pie, trifle, and just scooped out of the bowl with a spoon! Many pastry chefs will blush to read this, but it is essentially “kick-ass” vanilla pudding, to quote one of my former bosses. It can be scented with vanilla, in fact I always start there and then add flavors to it. I’ve made everything from Thai chili-chocolate to passion fruit pastry cream. Here is the basic recipe to start with! Read more

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