martha mondays: you know you want to!

just what is this martha mondays and why should you join us? this is the bi-weekly join as you like no rules apply event for people who are interested in checking out martha's recipes, good and bad. if you think she's a perfectionist b*tch then this event is probably not for you. well then again, she probably is one, but that's actually what i like about her ;)


normally i will select a recipe out of her baking handbook but sometimes from her empire of magazines. then you guys and gals go out there and make the magic! i'm a proud member of the daring bakers and tuesdays with dorie, and i just love the idea of everyone out there making the same thing. so that's how i started this event. right now it's not big enough to require its own blog site, but we'll just see what happens!

the no rules "rules" include: post on the same day and email me your blog link. yup, that's it!

the next round: choose any recipe from the current issue of "living" or "everyday food" magazine. sweet or savory, appetizer or dinner, hot or cold ... the possibilities are endless and the choice is up to you! if you don't have her magazine, then click here for the living issue and here for everyday food issue. tweaking is allowed, although i'm more curious to see how her recipes work, as is. post date is monday may 12. don't forget to email me for the round-up!

to see our previous two martha mondays, including links to those who joined us, click for coconut-caramel sandwich cookies and mocha (or blackberry) roulade.

twd: fluted polenta and ricotta cake

i have to admit that if a recipe doesn't have a photo, i tend to gloss over it, um, next! so when caitlin of engineer baker picked the fluted polenta and ricotta cake for this week's tuesdays with dorie, i was intrigued. it made me think of this tasty little cake called basbousa i have at one of my favorite middle eastern lunch spots near work. of course thanks to wiki, now i know they are not really similar at all. but in the meantime, i was excited to try this interesting combination of ingredients. i mean, who doesn't like to be transported to a sunny mediterranean lifestyle?


the recipe was pretty straightfoward and easy to assemble. and it could've been just me and the fact that this was my third straight day of baking, but it was also pretty darn messy. i had honey dripping everywhere! and the figs kept sticking to my fingers as i cut them! and i was trying to take photos the whole time! but the beautiful smell coming from the oven, honey heaven, made up for all of it as i was cleaning up.



the end result was lovely. the first bite tastes very sweet, but then the corn and ricotta mellow it out. i used mission figs and i should've added more (and also dusted with a little flour so they didn't all plop down to the bottom). i also would've tried adding some sliced almonds, either to the mix or on top.

for the recipe and more figs than you shake your tush at, visit all the blogging bakers at tuesdays with dorie!


i tried another slice tonight, although it seemed a little denser. it's also just in a pie box because i don't have an airtight container big enough for it, so that could be the culprit. but coupled with a freshly made fruit salad, it was still quite good!

going green at the farmer's markets

i love the farmer's markets here in the city. i definitely believe that it is easier to buy local produce, meats, cheeses, wines, and other bountiful items here in the city than it is back at home, surrounded by farms. i don't necessarily mean better; i know all the environmental arguments against trucking it down here to the city. but it is certainly easier to get it all in one location (and isn't a truck from 70 miles away better than a californian truck from 3,000 miles away, or even further?)

when i went to union square this weekend i really appreciated how much i love my not so little but totally manageable farmer's market. but no matter where i picked up my goodies, i knew i wanted to join in the "go local" theme for art you can eat hosted by amanda from mrs. w's kitchen and holly from phemomenon.


here are two dishes that we recently made. the market options are somewhat limited right now. if this event was let's say in two months, i could probably show a variety of 100% local dishes. but green vegetables are still a no-show, except for asparagus which i just can. not. bear. one. more. time. garlic has not yet arrived but onions, shallots, herbs, and potatoes are are still looking fresh. and we saw these amazing mushrooms that were the freshest, moistest, prettiest looking things. i'm not even really fond of the 'shrooms but these were just asking to be made into something, and we obliged.

now, before anyone says anything, i know that eating meat is one of the worst things for the environment. yes, yes, and yes i know! but i only eat meat a couple times of month, and i wanted to illustrate that it is possible to eat meat and still support local farms that utilize, at least relatively speaking, more sustainable methods of producing such meat. i don't think everyone is going to become vegetarian any time too soon. but if we could reduce our average consumption of meat, and eat locally grown meat whenever possible, it would all be a good start :)

chicken marsala with sugar snap peas (local chicken, mushrooms, shallots, chives)

roasted rosemary turkey with chive potatoes and broccoli (local turkey, rosemary, onion, potatoes, chives)

mm: almond-mocha roulade

martha, martha, martha! i mostly love your baking recipes, but this time you slightly drove me crazy.

i wouldn't describe this roulade as either easy or that difficult. but it was all very new to me, so i felt like each step was a learning process. when the learning went smoothly, how terrific! and when it didn't ... well, cursing out martha seemed better than getting into a fight with my darling mr. mimi. but for the purpose of full disclosure, the truth is ... i cursed out the book AND got into an "out of the kitchen, now!" fight. oh yeah, make your ever first mousse at midnight and see what happens ;)


since i don't feel quite like myself if i don't find 100 random reasons to procrastinate, it was friday afternoon when i realized that i would have to make all three of my daring bakers, tuesdays with dorie, and martha mondays baking challenges this weekend - ack! let's get going!

first, what is "espresso powder"? uhh, i hate coffee, so i had no idea. i bought some fresh ground italian roast at the lovely neighborhood leaf and bean but then i realized i need instant espresso, and this was brew. fine, forget the mocha in the mousse, i hate coffee anyway. i decided to make an almond mousse. disaster number one ... against my instincts i read in another recipe to add the almond extract to the chocolate. it may have used a different method than martha's (i can't remember, maybe the chocolate was already added to something else?) but i went and added the extract. go ahead, guess what happened. it tightened up to a big ball of no you didn't just add some liquid to this tempered chocolate. frick. next time, listen to you instincts!

but disaster number two was all of martha's making (plus a wee bit of not listening to instincts after the fact). in her mousse recipe, the sugar gets heated. then it says, take off heat. then it says, whip the egg yolks for 3 minutes. then add the sugar in steady stream. hmm, i bet you can guess what happened. sure enough the sugar hardened up. and unfortunately instead of listening to my nagging this isn't going to work doubts, i decided to try to scrape it in. yes, of course it didn't work!! by that time, now it really was midnight. but i refused to let this one get by me!!

so i went ahead and did it all over again. and wow of wowzers. i have never made mousse before and this was chocolately and creamy and fluffy. i could have just eaten this on its own, licking right out of the bowl.

but the next day i went ahead and made the cake. in the morning i did go out and buy some instant espresso, and so decided to make the cake as written.

and after that, how was the taste? as delish as the original martha photo enticingly predicted, and truly worth every minute of making (or re-making) it. i was going to bring it in to work. but alas, some pieces may just have to stay home with us ;)



thanks for reading this too-long post. here is the recipe, enjoy! if you also joined me for this martha monday, please email me and i'll get a link up here for you!

update: zakia at frosted bakeshop made a beautiful blackberry roulade and alexandra over at addicted sweet tooth created a lovely chocolate roulade. please go visit their yummy looking cakes! and we'd love to have you join us next time ...

so for the next round of martha mondays ... i'm going all pro-choice! pick any recipe from a current magazine issue and post on monday may 12. it can be sweet or savory. if you don't want to buy her magazine, you can find some recipes from current issues here.

almond-mocha roulade: serves many or few, depending on your mood
adapted from martha's baking handbook (2005, p. 187)

for mousse:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tb boiling water + 1 tb water
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
2 tb light corn syrup
4 large egg yolks

1. whip cream to soft peaks, cover with plastic and refrigerate. in double boiler, melt chocolate. heat water (in the original, hot water was used for espresso. wasn't sure if this would change the consistency. so i used half the amount of water just in case).

2. with whisk attachment, beat yolks on medium speed until lightened, about 3 minutes. in the meantime (but not too far in advance), in small saucepan, bring sugar, corn syrup, and 1 tb water to boil over medium heat, until 238F.

3. with mixer still on medium, slowly pour in sugar syrup. change to high speed and beat about 2 minutes more, until ribbon like trail holds for 2 seconds when whisk is lifted.

4. beat in melted chocolate, extracts, and water to combine. gently fold in the chilled whip cream until well combined. refrigerate overnight.

for cake (bake cake same day as you assemble it):
1/4 cup dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted (plus more for dusting)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tb instant espresso powder
1 tb hot water
6 eggs, separated, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar

1. preheat oven to 325F. line a 17 x 12 inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. dust a large, clean kitchen towel with cocoa and set aside. sift together cocoa and flour, and in small bowl stir together the espresso and water. set aside.

2. with whisk attachment, beat egg yolks on high until thick and pale (with ribbon trail) about 5 minutes. transfer to large bowl, set aside.

3. with whisk attachment, whip egg whites on low speed until foamy. raise to medium-high, and add sugar in slow steady stream. beat until stiff peaks form.

4. fold a third of egg-white mixture into egg-yolk mixture to lighten. gently fold in remaining egg whites until just combined. fold in espresso mixture, then gradually fold in cocoa mixture. do not overmix.

folding eggs, espresso, and cocoa

5. pour batter onto prepared sheet, spread evenly and smooth. bake, rotating halfway through, for 10-12 minutes until cake springs back when lightly touched. immediately place prepared towel on top, turn over, lift off pan and gently peel off parchment. starting on long side, roll towel and cake into log, incorporating towel as you go. transfer to cooling rack, seam side down, and cool completely.

6. unroll cake. spread almond mousse evenly. gently roll cake again and wrap with the towel. refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours. slice with serrated knife.

daring bakers: cheesecake pops

can i tell you the truth? when i first read this month's challenge, i was kinda like meh. i just wasn't that into it. which is weird because i love me some new york cheesecake. but the whole "pops" part wasn't doing it for me, pops-shmops, whatever.

well darn it if i didn't tell you now that these are not only delish, but so fun to make! (yeah, okay a bit messy but isn't that what made it fun?!) i halved the recipe and still came out with tons. i used the dark chocolate dip, with the usual sprinkles, dots, and some chopped almonds.


so a real thanks to elle at feeding my enthusiasms and deborah at taste and tell for picking this gem! i love to be given a chance to push beyond what i think i would like and find out how very wrong my assumptions can be.


i've only just recently joined the daring bakers, but each and every time i am so impressed by how drop dead gorgeous and creative they make these challenges. all they need is one single recipe and you get hundreds of different, beautiful treats to enjoy. so please, go visit everyone else and have a truly terrific poptastic daring baker sunday!

twd: bill's big carrot cake

i'm a pretty big fan of carrot cake, so when amanda of slow like honey chose bill's big carrot cake for this week's tuesdays with dorie, i was also pretty excited. carrot cake was one of those standard staples that i love, but have never made myself.



since i will be bringing this to work i decided to halve the recipe and make cupcakes instead. and because i am kind of lazy on a late monday night (yes, i am the queen of procastinate!!) i used those foil muffin cups on a baking sheet instead of regular muffin tins. now why does this actually satisfy my laziness?? i really have no idea. but it's all mental folks, and foil cups on a sheet make me feel better ;)


and as some of you may remember, i have not yet been converted to the ILDC (can anyone guess what that stands for?) and so i was a bit hesitant. but they smelled so good from the oven. sure, the cupcakes kind of sank and spread a little. and the cream cheese frosting was a little too thin for me, even with a little extra sugar thrown in. plus, i may have overcooked them (i had them in there for a full 30 minutes). and i had no time to make these cute little marzipan carrots and had to settle with the easy old sprinkle on top quick trick.

but the taste? ... delish!!


yeah okay, so the frosting was a little too sweet. but the cake was delish, even with the overcooking. in fact, it made this crunchy sugary top which was a perfect complement to the creamy frosting. i may tweak it just a wee bit if i make this again, but i think i finally may have found a dorie recipe that i like :)

to see more carrot (cup)cake than you ever thought possible, and for a copy of the recipe, please check out everyone else's concoctions!

happy pesach!

the start of any great gathering ... the wine!

when i was very little i attended lutheran services, and my stepfamily is jewish. but if you gave me a form to fill out, next to "religion?" i would check off "none". i don't follow or practice anything. but if you met me and had a discussion about what religion i feel the most affinity for, i would reply, judaism.


when i was an adolescent, rabbi davidson gave me a copy of a chaim potok book, and i felt like she was nearly the only one who understood my passion (and obsession) with creating art, and my struggle identifying as an artist, even if we didn't explicitly talk about it in that way. i would have loved to have her officiate at my wedding if it were permissible. we did celebrate the jewish tradition of breaking the glass; it's one of my favorite momentos of our wedding day.

when i got older, i was swooning over my philosophy professor (who doesn't fall in love with their college philosophy professor??!) but what really interested me was his philosophical and moral interpretation of judaism. i felt like it spoke to my perspective, moreso than any other organized religion.

seder plate

and one of my fondest memories is celebrating the jewish holidays with nanny and pop-pop. hanukkah was always fun. who doesn't love receiving gifts? oh yeah, and eating latkes!! yumm. but passover was always a real favorite too. even though reading through the haggadah took f.o.r.e.v.e.r, i loved all the rituals and traditions. i loved bargaining to return the matzoh in exchange for some new nail polish (i think one year that is what i actually asked for!) and for being together with family. although pop-pop no longer presides over the seder prayers, i know that he was with us, in spirit and happiness, as we celebrated on saturday.

vegetables ready to be roasted

and of course, what's a family gathering without me trying to bring a baked goodie? i saw this recipe with an article on passover desserts in living last month and knew i really wanted to make it. the online recipe can be found here. i don't have any slice photos because everyone ate it up so quickly! but it came out absolutely delish. just the right balance of sweetness and juiciness. it would be a wonderful dessert, any time of the year.

almond filling

almond-coconut tart

mimi's attempt at a proustian-worthy madeleine

first, wow, this is my 100th post! who knew it would be coming along like this? it's been a joy not only to play around with my food, learn new baking skills, and get a phat camera ... but what i didn't expect was how much i enjoy reading other people's food blogs. so the past couple of months have been quite a treat. i'm proud i've reached 100 and i look forward to my 1000th :)

so it's an hour before midnight. we've spent a lazy evening watching the mets. now what? oh please i don't even have to tell you what happened! i ended up in the kitchen.


i ate my first madeleine this past christmas. i loved them. so one of the first things i bought when i started baking was a special pan to make my own. all four of my baking books have a madeleine recipe, and surely there are more in my google reader too. but i chose julia's recipe (with flo braker) because i loved how it was written. and it didn't require chilling time, which is a make or break deal an hour before midnight. plus! it required me to fold "gingerly" ... which is like telling me to stop dancing, almost impossible to do! there really is nothing ginger about me! so i was on to this challenge!

and guess what? oops, i think gingerly turned a little bit too eagerly when the flour wasn't incorporating that well. but i piped the batter and hoped for the best. they didn't brown as much as i like (although, are they supposed to be browned? i know the classic french hate brown omelettes, maybe true for madeleines too?) and i think i prefer the full sized versions. they did pop right out and were tasty. i was happy to have made my first (albeit modified with yolks) génoise, but i think next time, i'm going to try this recipe instead. looks delish, doesn't it?

from ginger ...

... to eager

ladyfinger génoise
from baking with julia (1996, p. 41)

3 tb butter, melted
1 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 large eggs, room temp
4 large egg yolks, room temp
1 tsp vanilla

1. pour melted butter into bowl and set aside. sift flour, 1 tb of sugar, and salt together and set aside.

2. put eggs, yolks, and 1 tb of sugar into mixer with whisk attachment. beat just to combine. add remaining sugar and whisk on medium until airy, pale, and tripled in size, like softly whipped cream, about 4-5 minutes. you know you're ready when you lift the whisk and the mixture falls back into the bowl in a ribbon that rests on the surface, instead of sinking right into the mix. pour vanilla during last moments of whipping.

3. sprinkle about one third of flour mixture into batter and fold, stopping as soon as flour is incorporated. fold in rest of flour in two more additions. the eggs and sugar batter will deflate, don't worry, but go gently.

4. spoon about 1 cup of the batter into the bowl with the butter and fold. fold this butter mixture into the batter (mixing it first helps to incorporate it more easily).

5. use immediately with a buttered/floured madeleine pan in a pre-heated oven at 400F. regular size should take about 10 minutes, minis about 7 or so.

where's the party? i'll bring the onion dip!

this is going to be one of those pretty boring, but nicely useful posts.

i'm a crudité girl. i love my veggies and dip. i used to just buy a knorr pack and voilà, that was that for the dip. then at our christmas party i decided to try making my own. and i'll never go back! wow. super yummy taste! super easy to make! and caramelizing onions make your kitchen smell sooo good! give this recipe a try for your next party.

lemon yogurt cherry cake and the next martha monday

i had to take a pass on this week's tuesdays with dorie. the selection was marshmallows and i don't use gelatin and i didn't have time to get some vegan alternatives. but please do check out the other awesome TWD bakers that did!

last week i still had leftover lemons and just in time, smitten kitchen to the rescue with her lemon yogurt anything cake, adapted from ina. i've never made a yogurt cake before, but i love yogurt, so why not? although i hesitate to buy berries out of season, i decided to go against olfactory principles and that i must have berries in this lovely cake. until i saw they came from chile. sigh. if i wait just a couple of months i can get them right down the street at the farmer's market. was i going to be stuck with lemon yogurt nothing cake?

but then i decided to buy frozen. cascadian farms organic cherries, ahhh, the packaging looks so californian! and california is closer than chile, so you know, being environmentally sensitive is all relative. then i get home and see these frozen buggers are from chile too!! ugh. serves me right for thinking i could trick mother nature of the northeast. and with that, my watery cherries (because i was in a rush and didn't wait for them to dry out) fell to the bottom of my cake. boo hoo. was still quite delish, although i think i probably would have preferred the blueberries. and can anyone tell me, is yogurt cake supposed to be this sticky? or was it because of the lemon syrup?


and totally unrelated but without further adieu, i poured through my martha's baking handbook. it's really a tough call, there are so many things that i really would like to make. and plus, i want to get to savories too! but for the next martha monday, i'm staying with the sweet, and have selected ... mocha roulade, p. 187. honestly i don't even like coffee, but the photo looks so luscious, and i know many people who would love a little espresso powder in their dessert! if you really don't like coffee, you could also try the blackberry roulade on p. 184. i couldn't find an exact version of the mocha recipe on her website, but you can check out the chocolate-chestnut one here.

there are no "rules" to martha mondays except these:
1. post your roulade on monday, 28 april
2. email me the link to your post so i can include it here (mimikatzchen-at-gmail-dot-com)
3. have fun!!

mm: coconut-pecan caramel sandwich cookies

martha mondays: coconut-pecan caramel sandwich cookies

welcome to the first showing of martha mondays! i hope you had as much fun as i did making these sandwich cookies. the photo in her baking handbook was one of the first things to catch my eye, and i'm glad i finally tried baking them. and i'm glad to have the company too! especially because this was my first time ever making caramel. wow. homemade caramel = sugar heaven. also, sticky hell :)



how did your cookies go? unfortunately i could not find a flower cut-out in the right shape, so i just made rounds. first lesson for me ... roll out dough in pieces. i seem to have the innate inability to roll out dough evenly 1/8 inch high across 10+ round inches. so next time, i will halve the dough before chilling so i can have smaller pieces to work with.



i had a lot of fun making the caramel. i wanted to use a squeeze bottle, but the plastic melted a bit, whoops! the canvas piping bag i have is too large. so i used a spoon and it came out fine, but the dollop and drizzle on top came out a little too heavy. of course i only show the ones that came out nicely, haha! but to me, my cookies came out a little too caramely and next time i will have to try harder at manipulating the sweet stuff. but to mr. mimi they were perfect.
and the taste? this is definitely a sweet cookie. but really yummy. it's a keeper! and it's great for the diet too. unlike, let's say, chocolate chip cookies which you can totally munch like five, six, ten in a row in one sitting ... you can really only handle one of these sweet babies at a time :)

online recipe can be found here with slight differences from the book (in the book: 1/4 cup coconut and for the filling 1 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 cup cream, and 4 tb butter). depending on what happens with this event, i'll post again with a round-up of anyone else who made these!

update: go check out alexandra at addicted sweet tooth to see her great cookies, including some with ganache filling!

frosted bake shop also joined us and made awesome looking flower shaped cookies! and i was just waiting until someone got around to saying ... it's a "good thing" :)

lime meltaways

extra limes left over from mexican poker night last weekend. i'm sure there are more creative ideas, but i decided to go with lime meltaways. hmm, who wouldn't like to melt away to warmer weather and soft beaches?



these were fun and easy to make, although i made a mess with the confectioner's sugar. and they were a bit more delicate than i expected, so i don't think i can bring these into work (delicate and powdery? that's nothing but trouble and a messy keyboard!) i am also not sure if i particularly like this type of cookie, with the sugar coating all sides. i know i like linzers, so i thought i would like these too. it was worth a try. these were good. but not great.


although you know what? mr. mimi likes them. so maybe you're a limaholic and would like to take your own try? i would suggest adding more juice or zest. you can find the recipe, along with a very cute video, if you click here.

update: i just had some meltaways (two days old now) and let me say, wow, delish! i guess, for me, these are one of those cookies that taste better the next day. super yummy, with a slight saltiness. i would still probably add just a pinch more juice or zest next time. but i take it all back, these are great!

i've got a new toy!

i am a firm believer that machinery does not make a photograph. when reading around blogs or websites, you could swear that if you had a bunch of L-series lens, then you, too, could be one of the best. and yet, the "best" didn't even have image stabilization! what did they have? the eye and the spirit.

so, no, i don't believe that a camera set up over $1,000 will somehow mean you get better photos. but i do believe that they are fun! :)

so without further adieu, let me introduce my new toy and its companion workhorse, and some first photos. as you can see, i have lots to learn. i look forward to a beautiful new relationship! and if anyone has any suggestions to make the lighting less bright, pass them along! :)

canon xt with macro lens

lowel ego lights in my "studio" setup, aka, living room coffee table. for a description of these lights (and where i got the idea to buy them) check out jaden's great write up. of course, my photos still don't look as good as her's, but that isn't cuz i ain'ts trying! :)

at the market (that's mr. mimi in the blue jacket!)

neighbor's kitty

wine

orchid

pine cone

and what did i use before this lovely hunk of digitalization came my way (via B&H)? just a littler version :)

and in case you're curious, this is my old toy, the old classic which has provided many a happy film photo or slide. not so useful for blogging, but still travels with me.

olympus OM-1

linguine with fresh clams

beautiful weather is almost here, which gets me thinking about the fresh clams, one of my favorites for on the grill. but since it isn't that beautiful yet, we're still stuck inside for our cooking.

this little dish is super easy to make, quite quick, and has tons of flavor, freshness, and fills you right up. that is why i'm submitting it for the fun blog event hosted by equal opportunity kitchen for tried, tested, and true. you know ... those great dishes that are loved by all, all the time. we are lucky to have a couple of those in our repertoire, and are happy to share this lovely one. often times i crave this dish, and it always comes out delicious. although the recipe described is for two, it is easily adaptable for dinner party size.


linguine with fresh clams: serves 2

1/2 lb linguine
1 lb fresh clams (get the smaller sized clams, like cockles or littlenecks)
2 large shallots, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tb parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flake
1 tb butter olive oil
1 lemon
1 cup vegetable broth (or water, or fresh clam juice)

1. cook linguine according to package. put clams in cold salt water bath, let sit for 15 minutes. rinse thoroughly with fresh, cold water.

2. in meantime, heat olive oil and butter in sauté pan (using butter gives great flavor, adding olive oil ensures it doesn't burn). add garlic and red pepper flakes, sauté until golden. add shallots and sauté until tender. de-glaze with broth.

3. bring to simmer, add clams, and cover. let simmer until clams all open. depending on size, but it should be about 5 minutes. discard any clams that don't open.

4. gently toss pasta with broth and clams. add parsley, fresh lemon juice. serve and dream of the briny summer ocean air!

twd: lemon cream tart

by the stroke of the seasonal luck, when i went to fairway this weekend to buy lemons for this week's tuesdays with dorie, the meyer lemons were back in stock! i first spotted them in february, but hadn't seen them recently and was begrudgingly paying $1.50 for each pair of plain measly thick-skinned lemons. but here they were in all their gorgeous orange-yellow soft juicy glory and i bought a whole bagful. so be ready for lotsa lemon posts :)

first is the lemon cream tart by dorie, inspired by pierre hermé (who isn't inspired by him?), with a pâte sablée dough.


hermé's lemon cream (and dorie's recipe) is pretty much a traditional lemon curd, but with the butter added at the end, after the double boiling of the sugar, eggs, and lemon juice. according to dorie's description, emulsifying the butter like this creates a "velvety light" texture.

who doesn't want velvety light lemon curd?


and what beautiful fragrance the meyer zest made! i was in lemon heaven.


continued to whisk in the double boiler until 175F, thick and whisk tracking. moved to adding the butter. looks light and airy with lots of bubbles. i set it in the fridge sunday night. come home monday evening, i take a look, and it's fairly thick.

or so it seemed! i whisked it loosely as prescribed but then proceeded to pour it into the tart shell. that's right ladies and gents, it poured. no spoons need apply! if you need a lemony crème anglaise, i got what yous need. but a tart curd? uhh, just move along folks, nothing here to see.

this was obviously beyond set-able in the proper sense. so i popped it in the freezer for a little over an hour to get it to firm up in the fastest, easiest way i knew how. it came out manageable. and absolutely velvety light and delish. no complaints on the taste at all, one of the best i've had. but a couple of photos later, and it was already melting.

which i'm sad to say because i've now tried five dorie recipes and have been unhappy with all of them. sometimes with the taste and sometimes with the mechanics and end result. of course it could be me, i'm a newbie, what good do i know? but i've been happy with many other baking recipes so it can't be that i'm totally ill-equipped and incompetent.

then again, many other people out there thoroughly enjoy her book and have great success with her recipes. but baking chemistry is more than just what goes on in the oven, right? it's also the relationship between the teacher and the student. so i (somewhat) look forward to trying more, but it may just be that dorie isn't the right lady for me :(

for the lemon cream tart recipe, click here.

to see the list of other lovely tuesdays with dorie bakers, click here!




oops! all three photos have a different yellow hue. pardon my complete lack of post-processing skills ;)

bratwurst: another first

yes i am getting older (wahh!) but i'm still young enough to be able to say that for nearly half of my life i have not eaten meat. the very first time i chose to become vegan at thirteen was because i ended up reading (from where did i even get this book in the first place?) the book that changed my life. yes, words have power and books can change one's lives. that is why i can theoretically understand why people want to ban them. of course i believe censorship is wrong. but i can't stand when my fellow anti-censorship folks smugly reply, "it's just a book!" no folks, you can't have it both ways. you can't treasure books for their beauty and meaning and endless possibilities, and then when challenged, you claim "it's just a book!"

okay, that was a huge random tangent. anyhoo, since the majority of at least my young adult life has been meat-free, there are many kinds of meat i have never eaten. it wasn't until i was in my 20s when i had a mussel. or a flank steak. but to this day i still have never eaten fried chicken. or pork tenderloin. or duck. or lamb. or many kinds of other beef cuts. etc etc etc.

so i found it amusing this weekend when we went to the farmer's market and in front of flying pigs, mr. mimi asked me what i would like? tenderloin, chop, ribs? i had no idea and i just looked at the stand table, sadly kind of feeling lost. even if i had these things before, i was probably ten years old and i can no longer remember the taste, or feel, or smell of these meats.

then mr. mimi spotted the bratwurst and was instantly enamored by the idea of a proper german-inspired quick dinner. after buying, i asked the farm person why it was white and not red like the other sausages? he did not hear me or did not want to answer. i asked twice. nothing. so we walked away (so unlike me to just walk away! but standing in front of meat induces me into such an unfamiliar bewilderment). i kind of regretted that i let mr. mimi take charge and buy this pack of strange, white sausage. actually, as we continued shopping at the farmer's market, i pouted the whole time and told him i didn't want the 'wurst!

but oh how delicious those strange, white sausages became! i absolutely loved them and felt so good. you know when you have a meal (home cooked or otherwise) that is just so satisfying? it's not really about being full or even being satiated. it's not even about the taste or the ambience. it's never just one thing and i can never adequately articulate the feeling it creates. but i also find that mysteriousness quite sexy about food and eating.


we enjoyed the grilled bratwurst with red cabbage and mr. mimi's dijon-dill potato salad. this is the old standby. the quickie that never fails. no exotic ingredients or creative combinations. just potatoes, onions, and mustard. the way it should be :)

dijon-dill potato salad: serves 6

1 lb yukon gold potatoes
1 large vidalia onion, sliced
1 tb dijon mustard
1 tb dijon mustard, whole grain
2 tb olive oil
1/2 tb white wine vinegar
1 tb water
salt + pepper
1 tb fresh dill, chopped

1. boil potatoes whole. i know what you're thinking, can't you just cut them up and then boil them to make it go faster?! but please don't, because you'll end up with a potato mush as the pieces would saturate with water. so boil the potatoes whole in salted water. you can also bake them if you prefer.

2. cool potatoes. meanwhile sautée the onions with salt and pepper until golden caramelized, about 20 minutes.

3. cut potatoes in 1" diced cubes and put into mixing bowl. add onions.



4. make dijon vinaigrette: in small bowl, combine both mustards. whisk in oil. whisk in vinegar. add water and whisk in until vinaigrette becomes fluffy and frothy. thinning it out like this makes it easier to coat. but don't add too much water where it becomes runny. you can also use milk if you prefer a creamier vinaigrette.

5. add vinaigrette to potatoes, add dill, a little pinch more of salt and pepper. toss and serve!

swiss orange chocolate cupcakes

i work full-time five days a week. i go to school three days a week. including school and gym classes or tennis lessons, i don't get back home until past 9 o'clock at five nights a week. add all of that to my renowned lack of time management skills, and it is rare that i actually have any leisurely spent afternoons on the weekends.

yesterday afternoon, after the morning spent running errands, and before our friends would arrive in the evening, the most sensible thing would be to relax on the couch with mr. mimi as he watched in perennial disappointment as the maine went down.


but ladies and gents, i have caught the baking bug and the fever is running high. two or three hours down time? sure, that's all i need. i just NEED to bake something, anything. i need to measure, mix, whip, crack, fold, and pour.

and i had leftover buttermilk burning a hole in my fridge. so i dreamed and salivated around the daring bakers until i found a recipe with buttermilk and all the other ingredients on hand.



so here they are, quick and easy. i omitted the chocolate glaze because i only had regular size chocolate chips, so the cakes were quite chocolatey already (okay, okay, the real reason was because i was lazy). i forgot to dust the chips with a little flour so they wouldn't all sink in baking, but let's not get picky. they were delicious and buttery. almost too buttery. is there such a thing? :)

for the recipe, click here. thanks to mary at alpineberry!

there is a season, turn, turn, turn!

asparagus bread pudding
(it ain't the prettiest, but it's pretty tasty!)

sure the song might be about peace, but when i hear the word "season" i always think of hours at the ocean in the long days of summer (did you actually wonder if think about food first?!) but then i do think about all the great seasonality of food.

most of us follow seasonality on a most basic level. a hearty stew or beanful chili gets made in the cold days of winter. a hamburger (boca, of course! but we'll see what happens this summer huh?) on the grill. cold margaritas at a summer sunset. yeah yeah, okay that can be enjoyed any time of the year :)

but i also really try to follow seasonality in the small choices i make about vegetables and fruits. of course, living in new york means i don't really follow seasonality to a T, but don't confuse being seasonal with being a locavore - they are related but not the same (i still eat oranges from florida and "hawaiian gold" pineapples).

i'm not pedantic or preachy but some things i'm strict on. i pretty much only buy apples in the fall, oranges in the winter, artichokes in the spring, berries and pit fruits in the summer. that's why you won't see any strawberry tarts from me yet. with other things i'm flexible. sure, spinach tastes best after harvesting in the cold months, but i eat it all year long. melons, bananas, corn, and green beans are almost year round too. thank goodness cheese has no season huh? :)

bread alone is one of my favorite places for bread that i don't bake myself. the other is tom cat and that isn't just because we have four cats :)

asparagus is one of those only in the spring purchases. because it's cheesy and bready, this recipe is great for thinking about spring produce even when it's still cold outside, like the most unfortunate days we're not enjoying in the city.

did i tell you i can't wait for strawberries to arrive? sigh ...


asparagus and mushroom bread pudding: serves 6
adapted from madison's local flavors book (2002, p. 37) - i love deborah madison!

1 head garlic
3 cups milk
1 loaf white bread (1 lb) cut into thick slices (stale bread from the day before)
1-2 lb asparagus, preferably thick and bottoms peeled
3 tb butter
1 large shallot, finely diced
1 lb mushrooms, coarsely chopped
4 large eggs
1/3 cup parsley
3 tb chopped tarragon or marjoram
2 cups grated gruyère cheese
salt + pepper

1. preheat oven to 350F. lightly butter a 8 x 12 gratin dish. coarsely chop garlic, add to milk, and bring to boil. turn if off and set aside to steep.

2. break bread into chunks, put in large dish, and strain milk over it. let it sit while you prepare the vegetables. occasionally turn bread so it soaks up as much milk as possible.

3. slice asparagus on diagonal about 1/3 inch thick and soak in cold water for couple minutes. fill skillet with water, bring to boil, add salt and asparagus. simmer until bright green and partially tender, about 3 minutes. drain, rinse with cold water.

4. melt half butter in skillet. add shallot, cook for 1 minute, then add mushrooms. cook over high heat until tender after several minutes. season with salt and pepper.


5. break eggs into large bowl and beat until smooth. add herbs, salt and lots of pepper. add bread and any milk left behind, along with asparagus and mushroom mix (plus the skillet juices) and 2/3 of the cheese. toss well.


6. pour mixture into gratin dish, even it out, dot with remaining butter and sprinkle with remaining cheese. bake until golden, about 45 minutes. let cool for few minutes and serve with crunchy side salad. the delicious gruyère smell makes this a great leftover to re-heat for lunch in your cubicle :)

twd: gooey chocolate cake

because i can't just get enough, i've just signed up for tuesdays with dorie. my first recipe was for gooey chocolate cake, a perennial favorite of chocoholics everywhere! good luck for mr. mimi, as he, too, very much likes this dessert.

this recipe is super easy to whip up, and more than likely you already have all the standard ingredients on hand. because it's so easy, this would make a great dinner party dessert.


we ate them right away, but i think thirteen minutes was a bit too long in the oven. it was very soft and slightly gooey inside, but it wasn't the real gooey lava. next time, i would probably cut off a minute or two (or three).

but with that said, we served them up with a scoop of soy ice cream (to make us feel just a wee less indulgent) and they were delish!! although not very photogenic :)

gooey chocolate cakes: serves 6
adapted from dorie's baking from my home to yours (2006, p. 261)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tb unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
5 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 stick butter, cut into 8 pieces
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
6 tb of sugar

1. preheat oven to 400F. spray 6 cups of a regular size muffin pan, dust the insides with flour and tap out excess. i used the disposable aluminum foils (as recommended by dorie) so that they would pop out easier.

2. sift the flour, cocoa. and salt together.

3. set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, put the coarsely chopped chocolate and the butter in the bowl and stir occasionally over the simmering water just until they are melted – you don’t want them to get so hot that the butter separates. remove the bowl from the pan of water.

4. in a large bowl, whisk the eggs and yolk until homogenous. add the sugar and whisk until well blended, about 2 minutes. add the dry ingredients and, still using the whisk, stir (don’t beat) them into the eggs. slowly and lightly stir in the melted chocolate and butter. divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

5. bake the cakes for 13 minutes (i suggest a shorter time if you want real gooey cakes). transfer them, still on the baking sheet, to a rack to cool for 3 minutes.

6. unmold cakes onto dessert plates and serve with a glass of milk or scoop of ice cream!