Strawberry Shortcakes

After making a yummy strawberry shortcake cake for a client last weekend, I was craving traditional strawberry shortcakes.  I wanted to make them at home which meant that I had to find a super simple recipe, since basically all of my equipment is located in my baking kitchen.  Well I found an easy recipe (from of my old-time favorite Gourmet) which was actually a little healthier than a lot of the others (it has buttermilk which is naturally lowfat vs. heavy cream or whole milk).  This recipe was not only easy it made the most delicious and moist biscuits I have ever had!  If you are looking for a simple Mother's day dessert to put together for your mom this would be great!

Strawberry Shortcakes - Adapted from Gourmet Magazine

Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk

Strawberries

3 cups strawberries

2 tablespoons sugar

Whip Cream 

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup confectionate sugar

Note: I did make this in my kitchen with an electric mixer if you want to make this no fuss you can buy cool whip but it does not compare to home-made whip cream!

Preheat oven to 450°F.

1. Slice your thinly slice your strawberries, place them in a bowl and toss with the sugar.  Let them sit so they form a great syrup!

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Blend in butter with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and stir just until a soft, sticky dough forms.

3. Drop dough in 6 mounds about 2 inches apart on an ungreased large baking sheet and bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer biscuits to a rack and cool to warm, about 10 minutes.

Note: These look small when you are making them, but they puff up.  You could probably make them a little smaller and stretch the recipe to get 8-10 out of it.

4. Beat cream together with sugar in a large bowl(it helps to chill the bowl first) with an electric mixer until it holds soft peaks.

5. When the biscuits are ready you can assemble them!  Carefully cut biscuits in half horizontally and arrange 1 bottom half, split side up, on each of 6 plates. Top each with berries, whipped cream, and other half of biscuit.

Enjoy!!

Homemade Yogurt and Granola

One of my favorite gifts from our wedding registry is my automated yogurt maker from William-Sonoma. If you love yogurt and enjoy using fun gadgets I highly recommend a yogurt maker. Our’s is super easy to run, does not require much manual work AND is a big money saver. As much as I love it, there are some downsides to consider. First, you have to wait overnight for the yogurt to ferment and this model doesn’t produce as much as we’d like. I have done some research lately and found there is a 2 quart version available. I recommend this over the William-Sonoma one (if you’re not putting it on a registry) because you do not get a lot for the amount of time that you have to wait. 

The second downside is really just a personal preference. The William-Sonoma model produces a plain yogurt consistency, while I have become a big fan of Greek yogurt. Food & Wine was my savior this month as their article on homemade yogurt (this month’s edition) described how to strain the yogurt to get more of a Greek yogurt consistency. 

This is how is will look if you do not strain it

To strain just place your cheese cloth in a strainer over a glass bowl

Making yogurt is actually pretty simple. You need the live culture to transform the milk to yogurt and then keep that cultured milk at a specific temperature. The yogurt makers keep that yogurt at the right temperature for you, but Food and Wine says you can actually just do this right in your oven (If you do I would recommend you get a thermometer to make sure your oven is between 105-110 degrees F) . I have not tried this method so let me know how it goes! 

I love granola with my yogurt, but I hate when that granola is soaked with oil. I lightened up a granola recipe for you by using some apple juice :) (The apple cooks off so you won’t taste it) Enjoy! 

Yogurt with cherries honey and homemade granola to go!

Homemade Yogurt

42 oz 1% of 2% yogurt (I have done it with skim too!)

1/2 cup plain yogurt containing active yogurt cultures OR Yogurt Starter

Need: Thermometer, Double Boiler and Yogurt Maker or Oven

1. Place a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water and pour the milk into the bowl.
2. Heat until the milk reaches 180 degrees (this will take awhile, about a 1/2 hour to 45 mins).
3. Once it has reached 180 degrees take the bowl off of the double boiler and cool to 110 degrees (will take about another 1/2 hour).
4. Once cooled whisk in the yogurt or starter, whisk for 3 minutes and then pour into glass jars. 
5. Put the jars in the yogurt maker (I have done it with and without the lids and it does not seem to make a difference) or oven if you do not have a yogurt maker.
6. It will then take between 6 and 7 hours to be ready.  It is ready when it is thick and surrounded by a clear liquid (whey).  
7. Refrigerate until chilled.
8. It can then be eaten just like this and you will have 42 oz of Yogurt. 
9. If you like thicker yogurt, line a strainer with cheesecloth (this can be found at any local grocery store).
10. Let strain for an hour.  Make sure there are no spaces and then squeeze the remaining liquid out.  You will have 2 cups of liquid.  When you strain the whey out you will be only left with about 20oz of yogurt.  

Low fat Walnut and Dried Cranberry Granola

2 1/2 cups Oats

1/3 cup Bran

1 cup chopped Walnuts

1/2 Honey

1/3 cup Apple Juice

1 tbs Oil

1 tsp Vanilla

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 cup Dried Cranberries

2 tbs Flax Seeds

2 tbs Pumpkin Seeds

325

1. Spread nuts and oats on a baking sheet and toast for 12-15 mins
2. While toasting whisk together oil, honey, salt and cinnamon
3. Remove oats and nuts from oven and immediately pour it into the wet mixture
4. Fold ingredients together and make sure all dry ingredients are covered
5. Spread mixture in an even layer on a baking sheet
6. Bake for 20 minutes (rotate halfway in-between)
7. Toss Fruit in when it comes out of the oven

Note: Granola is a very flexible recipe if you want the full fat version you can use 1/3 cup of oil.  You want to add more/different nuts go for it, it is personal preference.  I prefer mixing regular fruit into my yogurt and having less dried fruit in my granola. When I add almonds I like replacing the vanilla extract with almond extract and using dried apricots.  When I use pecans I love to replace the honey with maple syrup.  You can make a tropical granola with toasted flaked coconut, macadamia nuts, and dried pineapple.  

Red Wine Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Cherry Buttercream

My husband and I fell in LOVE with South African red wines while we were there.  They are unique, bold, robust and full of flavor! Very strict US customs laws and expensive shipping make it tough for distributors to import to the States, so we have had some trouble finding good variety since we have been back.  One night, Chris brought home a bottle with a description made just for him! “A burst of intense rich coffee and chocolate aromas with ripe nuances of mulberry, plum and maraschino cherries”.  

The wine is amazing and I suggest if you like the sound of it you should run out and buy it!  The coffee is the most prominent of all the flavors but you taste the hints of chocolate and its sweetness reminds you of cherries.  After doing a little research, I discovered the wine maker now has the nickname Starbucks and that is why it is called Barista DUH?! (read here if you want to learn more).  

I immediately thought of a recent post I had read on Love and Olive Oil about a red wine chocolate cake and thought this wine would be perfect, especially since coffee brings out the flavor in chocolate.  I decided it would be the perfect birthday cake for my husband.  Since he loves cherries and chocolate together I wanted to do it with a cherry buttercream.  Similar to Lindsay from Love and Olive Oil, I decided to use my-go to chocolate cake recipe and just swap the milk for the wine.  

Since this cake is so intense, it would also be lovely as a bundt cake (or mini individual bundt cakes), which make a great, quick dessert for a dinner with friends.  If serving this as a bundt cake, simply serve with powdered sugar or a dollop of whip cream.  If you are married to someone who loves cherry you can drizzle it with a cherry compote as well :)

Chocolate Wine Cake (inspired by Love and Olive Oil)

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups dry red wine (I would use a wine you like to drink because the wine does not cook off entirely)

Directions: 

1. Grease three 6 inch pans (this also can be made into a two-layer 8 inch cake) and line them with parchment paper.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
3. In the bowl of your mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, 4 minutes. 
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla and beat for 2 minutes longer. 
5. On a low speed (stir if you have), work in two batches and alternately fold in the dry ingredients and the wine, until just incorporated.
6. Separate your batter evenly into the pans.
7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until cake springs back when lightly touched in center.
8. Let cool 10 minutes and then flip your cakes onto parchment paper to cool
9. To assemble your cake start with leveling your layers.  Place each layer on a cake stand and cut off the domed top of the cake with a serrated knife. 
10. Next place the first layer (flat side down) on your cake stand and spread with a layer of the cherry buttercream (about 1/4 cup - it is really personal preference).  
11. Place your second layer on top of the first and spread with the a layer of the cherry buttercream.  
12. Next place your third and last layer on top with the flat side up
13. Cover the entire cake with a thin layer of your chocolate buttercream and place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes (this is what is called the crumb coat, it does not have to be perfect it just holds in the crumbs that form from leveling the cake and creates a base to cover the cake.
14. After the 20 minutes are finished you finish frosting your cake with your desired look

(Alternatives: 10 inch Bundt pan and cook for 40-50 mins or 8 mini bundt cakes cook for 30 mins).

Chocolate and Cherry Swiss Buttercream

4 large egg whites

1 cup of sugar

2 1/2 sticks of butter (20 tablespoons)

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 oz melted bittersweet chocolate

1/4 cup cherry compote (or cherry jam if you do not want to make)

Directions

1. Whisk egg whites and sugar together in a large glass bowl over a pot of simmering water.
2. Whisk occasionally until you cannot feel the sugar granules when you rub the mixture between your fingers.  
3. Transfer the mixture into the your mixer and whip until it turns white and about doubles in size (10 minutes).  Make sure no water gets into the egg whites!
4. Add the vanilla
5. Turn the mixer down slightly and add the butter in small pieces on a medium to high speed, work quickly and continue to whip.  Once all the butter is in turn the speed up to high and continue to whip until it comes together.  THe mixture will curdle first but do not stop, continue to whip and I promise it will come together (could take up to 10 minutes)!
6. Once it is all together put 1/2 cup of the buttercream in another bowl and combine it with the cherry jam.  Make sure to fold the cherry and the buttercream together until the cherry is fully incorporated (Note: you will probably have some left over).  
7. Add the 2 oz of melted and cooled chocolate into the remainder of the buttercream and blend until the chocolate is fully incorporated. 

Cherry Compote (fabulous for ice cream!)

10oz bag of frozen cherries

1/4 cup of sugar

1/2 tbs of cornstarch

1/3 cup of water

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a small saucepan.  
2. On medium heat bring them to a boil.
3. Let it boil for 5 minutes until slightly thickened
4. You can strain out the cherries but I prefer to mash them with the back of the spoon as it is boiling.

Adventures with Caramel

I was asked to make a Butter Pecan Cake with a Caramel Buttercream. I have never made either before so they were a fun project!  For now I am going to talk about my caramel making experiment and I will have a follow-up post about the cake because it also involved a penguin on top it :) 

I have made toffee and brittle before (and have sold it on my menu), but I have never made just caramel.  I knew I needed a sauce since it would have to blend with the buttercream.  From my experience when working with sugar you need a good candy thermometer, a careful eye and gloves.  I learned a lot from David Lebovitz 's  post about "How to Make the Perfect Caramel" (he posts a few more precautions). 

When making a sauce there are a couple of decisions to make: Dry vs. Wet and Butter vs. Heavy Cream, and Light Amber or Dark Amber (see note)

From David Lebovitz and a few other resources, I learned that there is a wet caramel (made with water) and a dry caramel (where sugar is cooked by itself and liquefies).  David recommended the dry caramel but other resources said the wet was easier (it did not burn as fast).  

When making a sauce you need to add in butter or heavy cream.  As I searched to find what the difference was I could not really find an answer.  I found that all recipes were different some just used heavy cream and some just used butter and some used both.  

So I decided to start with the wet caramel and just the heavy cream. What I did not like about the wet version was how the sugar stuck to the side of the pot and it seemed to take a very long time to reach the amber color I was looking for.  The result with just the heavy cream tasted more like a chewy candy to me and they actually hardened like a chew candy (I ended up making candies with a sprinkle of kosher salt).   

On my second trial I went with the dry caramel and both butter and sugar.  Working with the dry  can be tricky but for some reason I liked it better, it turned to the amber color faster and you needed less ingredients. You have to work fast but not too fast and keep the heat on low.  This , combined with the butter and the heavy cream resulted in a delicious rich and creamy sauce.  I added the sauce to my butter   cream, but it would also be super yummy over ice cream, as a filler for a cookie, or drizzled over a bundt cake :)

The sugar is starting to melt

The sugar has fully melted and it is time to add the butter

Once the butter is melted add the cream

Make sure to strain!

Carmel Sauce - adapted from Simple Recipes

1 cup sugar

6 Tbs Butter

1/2 Cup Whipping Cream

1. Get all your ingredients ready, because if you do not work fast your sugar will burn.

2. Heat sugar on a medium heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart or 3-quart saucepan. As the sugar begins to melt, stir fast (but not too fast because the sugar can lump) with a wooden spoon.  The sugar will start to turn a light amber color make sure to move the sugar around to prevent it from burning.  

3. If your sugar does begin to lump you can lower the heat to even out the melting and continue to stir (any left over chunks can be strained at the end).  

4. As soon as all the sugar is melted (you reach your desired amber color), immediately add the butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter has melted.

5. Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat.  Then slowly add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk to incorporate.

6. The cream will foam up but whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. 

7. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then strain it into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. (Remember to use pot holders when handling the jar filled with hot caramel sauce.) Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

This will make between 8-10oz of caramel

Note:

The darker the color the more depth of flavor the caramel will have. Some people like that but some prefer a more mellow flavor it is all personal preference.  Since it takes longer for the sugar to liquify, the color is easier to control with a wet caramel, dry caramel is fairly dark which may influence your decision on where you want to start.