Caramel Cake Daring Baker Challenge! (with a bittersweet chocolate ganache surprise)

Print Print   |  Print Email this to a friend   |  November 29, 2008
Filed Under Daring Baker Challenge, recipe | 49 Comments

This month’s Daring Baker Challenge was submitted by Dolores of Culinary Curiosity (where you will find the recipes) and features a cake by Shuna from Eggbeater. The challenge is a fabulous study in caramel! The rich, moist cake is flavored with caramel syrup and then topped with a brown butter frosting that also gets its flare from the syrup. In the end I added a bit of dark chocolate ganache, which is a lovely contrast to the sweetness of the cake. I decorated the top of my sweet caramel cupcakes with giant roses, which I’ll show you how to make! Read more

del.icio.us Google StumbleUpon Yahoo

Happy Thanksgiving! Sweet Potato vs. Pumpkin Pie! (we have a winner!)

Print Print   |  Print Email this to a friend   |  November 27, 2008
Filed Under pie, recipe | 18 Comments

Update: There was no contest between the pumpkin and the sweet potato pies that I made for Thanksgiving! The Sweet potato was the unanimous winner. Most of you predicted that in your comments. The truth of the matter is that it wasn’t a fair contest. I made a traditional pumpkin pie, like the one you find on the can and it just wasn’t all that thrilling next to a Butterscotch Sweet Potato Pie that is spiked with whiskey! ;)

Happy Thanksgiving! I love this day. It is the ultimate holiday for anyone who loves to cook and eat. Today I am hosting the feast at my house. It will be a small party of my family, those who live in MN. We have all the old favorites from Turkey to pumpkin pie. Due to my new found love of sweet potatoes I also did a Butterscotch Sweet Potato Pie. There are only 8 of us and we have two pies. I hope it is enough! ;) I thought it would be fun to see which pie becomes the family favorite. After our meal I’ll report back what we decide.

For Butterscotch Sweet Potato Pie inspired by a recipe for pumpkin pie in Bon Appetit: Read more

del.icio.us Google StumbleUpon Yahoo

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 | 55 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?

Read more

del.icio.us Google StumbleUpon Yahoo

A Tale of Two Puffs and a Nest of Nuts!

Print Print   |  Print Email this to a friend   |  November 16, 2008
Filed Under dessert, recipe | 49 Comments

It is my birthday and I decided to make myself something fun to celebrate. Now that I am squarely in my 40s I find it especially important to make this occasion a special one. I was in the mood to play with sugar. It has been years, many years, since I have worked in the restaurant world and had the opportunity and excuse to do over-the-top fanciful things with sugar.  It is more the act of creating these wisps of golden caramel that thrills me, even more than eating them. To sit on top this ethereal nest I decided I needed something creamy and decadent; cream puffs filled with pastry cream in three flavors.

The tale of two puffs: Read more

del.icio.us Google StumbleUpon Yahoo

Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake with Sugared Cranberries! (The Apron Winner is…)

Print Print   |  Print Email this to a friend   |  November 10, 2008
Filed Under basic, cake, giveaway!, kids, recipe | 45 Comments

This past week I taught several classes on bread baking. We made breads from my book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day that fit the cooling weather, like oatmeal pumpkin bread. The recipe calls for a roasted “pie” pumpkin, but only uses 1 cup of it. I promised all the wonderful people in my class that I would come up with a way to use the rest of that pumpkin puree and share it here. Every year at this time I make a Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake, in fact I make a few of them, by demand. It tastes like the richest, creamiest pumpkin pie you will ever eat. Even people who swear they don’t like pumpkin love this cheesecake.

I topped it with some beautiful red fruits, including sugared cranberries. The tartness combined with the crisp sugar coating is a perfect compliment to the smoothness of the cake. Keep reading and I’ll show you how.

Before I make the cheesecake I want to THANK YOU all for the fantastic well wishes during this eventful month! The winner of the Zoë bakes apron by Crooked Brook is… Read more

del.icio.us Google StumbleUpon Yahoo

Happy Blog-iversary Cake (and a “Thank You” Apron Giveaway!)

Print Print   |  Print Email this to a friend   |  November 2, 2008
Filed Under cake, equipment, giveaway! | 124 Comments

This month I am celebrating so many things I felt it necessary to make myself a cake and have a party, with you! As you all know by now it is my blog-iversary, but it is also my birthday in a couple of weeks, the first anniversary of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (75,000 in print, oh my!), the election is FINALLY here and this just happens to be my 100th post! To say the least November is a BIG month for me!

The very talented and generous folks at Crooked Brook, where I get all of my chef jackets, sent me a wonderful apron (see picture below) to give away! Leave a comment and I’ll pick the winner next Sunday and send it off, just in time for Thanksgiving! Read more

del.icio.us Google StumbleUpon Yahoo

Foodbuzz 2009 Blog Awards Nominee

SAVEUR.com's Sites We Love