Outrageous Mocha Buttercream!

Print Print | Print Email this to a friend | May 29, 2008
Filed Under cake, recipe | 52 Comments

mocha buttercream
This may be the most delicious buttercream I’ve ever made. I wish I could take all of the credit for it, but it is from Carol Bloom’s The Essential Baker. As many of you know I have been baking through the book for the past month or so. On Memorial Day I went to a party and offered to bring dessert. As you can imagine I rarely go anywhere without bringing desserts and/or bread. It is what I love to do and people rarely complain. I decided to make something chocolaty and my husband begged me to make the carrot cake again. Read more

Baking Bread in Chicago, Seattle and San Francisco in June.

Print Print | Print Email this to a friend | May 23, 2008
Filed Under Artisan Bread book, classes | 12 Comments

choc bread

(photo of chocolate ganache bread (page 195) by Mark Luinenburg for Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day)

Jeff and I are heading out on the road in June. We’ll be in Chicago, Seattle and San Fransisco doing demos, teaching classes and baking bread, what we love most. Below is the the itinerary as of now. Our publisher seems to be adding new events all the time so please check back in the next week to see what else they have in store for us. Hope to see you!

Springtime Crêpes and Michelle Gayer’s “Salty Tart” Bakery!

Print Print | Print Email this to a friend | May 19, 2008
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strawberry rhubarb crepes

My friend Michelle, pastry chef extraordinaire (more on that later!), and I went to Porter & Frye for a little late night bite to eat. This was a spontaneous get together, a stolen moment between work and mothering. I’ve been wanting to try Porter & Frye because the executive chef, Steven Brown, is my ex-boss and one of the most talented men I have ever had the good fortune to meet. He, unfortunately had already put in his 12 hour day and wasn’t there when we arrived at nearly 10:00pm. But, his sous chef and pastry chef were still working and willing to whip something together for us. Read more

Balsamic Roasted Strawberries

Print Print | Print Email this to a friend | May 18, 2008
Filed Under dessert, recipe | 14 Comments

balsamic roasted strawberries

This time of year the rhubarb is popping out of the ground and I am impatient to eat those first tender stalks with their natural sweet partner, the strawberry. But, there are no strawberries yet, at least not in my garden. In order to satisfy my craving I go against my desire to use only the freshest ingredients from local sources. It is a philosophy I adhere to as much as possible. However, I live in MN and that means I am VERY limited as to what I can eat during the 8 months of the year when nothing grows. I am determined to learn home-canning this year, then I’ll have summer fruits in February. Until then I do buy fruit that is not grown here, or anywhere near here. Read more

Rhubarb and Vanilla Bean Compote

Print Print | Print Email this to a friend | May 18, 2008
Filed Under basic, dessert, recipe | 8 Comments

rhubarb

Here in Minneapolis, otherwise known as gardening Zone 4, we jump for joy when we see ramps and rhubarb. Rhubarb is the first thing to come up in my garden and it gives me tremendous joy! A sign of life, hope for warm weather and it just happens to be delicious. I love the tartness, combined with a bit of sugar and vanilla it is near perfection.

I just pull off a few stalks, cut the poisonous leaves away, wash off the dirt and slice it up. It is wonderful raw dipped in a bit of sugar, but I generally prefer to cook it. Read more

Same Ingredients, New Pastry! (Blueberry Lemon Curd Ring)

Print Print | Print Email this to a friend | May 14, 2008
Filed Under breakfast, dessert, reader question, recipe | 22 Comments

lemon blueberry ring

Elizabeth wrote and asked me about assembling the Blueberry Lemon Curd Ring from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (page 228). I already had the Brioche dough, in my mini dorm fridge filled with buckets, and I had just made the lemon curd for mother’s day so it was simple to throw this together. Read more

Lemon Curd and Brioche à Tête for Mother’s Day!

Print Print | Print Email this to a friend | May 8, 2008
Filed Under bread, breakfast, dessert, recipe | 4 Comments

lemon Curd

This weekend is Mother’s Day and I will get breakfast in bed from my two wonderful young boys. It is a tradition that always ends up with the duvet and my children wearing a significant portion of food. The menu is a list of their favorite things to eat, prepared by their dad. Waffles smothered in syrup, whipped cream, berries and a side of bacon (because my husband Graham loves bacon). I adore it all! They generally give me about two bites before climbing into bed to inhale the rest. I’m sure someday when the boys get older and more civilized we will go out for brunch and I will actually get to eat something. But, there is a part of me that will sadly miss this display of loving savagery. Read more

Chocolate Soufflé Cupcakes

Print Print | Print Email this to a friend | May 6, 2008
Filed Under cake, dessert, recipe | 28 Comments

flourless choc cake

This is a great little hit of chocolate and coffee for when you need a fix. They are my two favorite vices. Well, the two that come to mind right now. My day ALWAYS starts with a cup of coffee in the morning. About midday I open up my chocolate drawer and have a little square of some treasure I’ve been hiding. Yes, I have a drawer just for chocolate. Actually it shares space with tins of tea, but they are just a foil to throw my boys off the scent. If you lift up the tins there are about a dozen different chocolate bars to choose from. If the boys start reading my website I’ll have to find a new hiding spot. Read more