this sh*t is bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s!

banana cake with chocolate

i admit it. and it is so wrong on so many different levels. but i've got a problem. with rotting fruit and veggies. i always try to stock up my grocery cart with the good stuff from the produce aisle. but inevitably what i think i'm craving while i'm shopping ends up forlorn in the fruit bowl, pale and overripe, or shriveled up in the crisper. i have all good intentions, but i leave the house at 8am and usually don't get back until 9pm and i'm soooo bad about bringing food to work or school. i know that is just a poor excuse, but it's not like i'm intentional about this wanton wastefulness.

but to my defense, some things are just tricky! i always buy organic bananas. but they seem to ripen on a weirder schedule than conventional ones. it's like hard green ... green ... green ... soft brown! so here i am, stuck with three lonesome bananas, brown on the outside, mushy on the inside. but this time, i was not going to let them go to waste!!

many moons ago mr. mimi baked a banana bread for his work. it was just another one of his work-related creations but i found it scrumptious. of course at that time the kitchen was the last place you'd ever find me, unless you wanted a burnt pierogi for dinner (true story).

but now that i'm on a baking bonanza, i keep bugging him for that recipe. all i get is a pathetic "i don't remember" ... wahhh! i'm sure he could re-create it for me if he *tried* but i figure this one isn't worth fighting for. so i settle on searching around my google reader and see what i can find.


david lebovitz to the rescue with his banana cake. yes, that's cake, not bread. you can read all about the whole nomenclature issue and find his lovely recipe on his website. i followed his recipe, minus the espresso because i absolutely hate the taste and smell of coffea arabica. but trust me, it wasn't missing a thing! it didn't rise as well, because i was having trouble with the temp in my oven and kept opening/closing the door to adjust. but looks aren't everything!



ps: yes, that title is from gwen, and yes i did rock karaoke night with that song!

international women's day

mac-n-cheese for international women's day

celebrated on 8 march, international women's day (IWD) is the global day connecting all women around the world and inspiring them to achieve their full potential.

fiordisale and zorra are celebrating with a call to yellow!

and i couldn't wait to join them! so here is my humble entry, in a light yellow, to show my support all the achievements, big and small, that women have enjoyed and to support the continuing fight against gender discrimination in all its forms. i hope for the day when the need for a global celebration of women is obsolete. if someone were to ask me what i consider my cultural identity to be (with cultural being defined in the correct way as a perspective lens, and not strictly race or ethnicity) i would immediately reply that i identify as a women, first, foremost, and most strongly.

this baked macaroni and cheese comes from martha stewart (i didn't even realize until writing that now, what a fitting connection!) and it was good. but it was baked. so not oozily cheesily amazingly great. so the search for the best mac-n-cheese continues!


baked macaroni and cheese: serves 8
adapted from martha's great food fast (2007, p. 317)

1 lb elbow pasta
4 tb butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups skim milk
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/4 cups (5 oz) shredded yellow cheddar cheese
1 1/4 cups (5 oz) shredded white cheddar cheese
salt + pepper
1 cup bread crumbs

1. preheat oven to 375F. cook pasta. meanwhile in pot, melt butter over medium heat. add onion and cook until softened, 3-5 minutes. whisk in flour to coat the onion. in slow stream, whisk in milk until there are no lumps.

2. cook, whisking often, until mixture is thick and bubbly, 6-8 minutes. stir in cayenne and 1 cup each of the yellow and white cheddar cheeses. season with salt and pepper.

3. toss pasta with cheese mixture. transfer to 9 x 13 baking dish. toss bread crumbs with remaining shredded cheeses and a pinch of salt. top pasta with bread crumb mix. bake until top is golden, about 30 minutes.



what is wrong with blogger? i think i'm going to strangle this blog. i don't spend 1/2 hour on here just so that when i post, it looks like crap and not at all how i set it up.

pistachio butter cookies

i love cookies, who doesn't? and i love baking cookies cuz they are super easy. except when some domestic diva ruined this traditional ease with her paper towel tube obsession (or is it my obsession to whine about it now? okay, rant over).

this was the third of three desserts for last weekend's supper with friends. i just baked off the second roll this morning. still delicious!


pistachio butter cookies: makes 5 dozen
from martha's baking handbook (2005, p. 101)

2 stick butter, room temp
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
4 oz (1/2 cup) pistachios, finely chopped and dust sifted out
1/2 cup sanding sugar for rolling

1. beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, abut 3 minutes. add egg and vanilla and beat to combine. add flour, nuts, and salt; mix on low speed until combined.

2. turn out dough on work surface. divide in half and roll each piece into a log about 1 1/2-inch diameter. wrap in parchment paper, making sure to cover ends completely. refrigerate 1 hour to overnight.

3. preheat oven to 350F. line two baking sheets with parchment. let dough stand at room temp until soft enough to slice, about 10 minutes. roll dough logs in sanding sugar to coat. slice into 1/4-inch thick rounds. bake, rotating halfway through, until golden round around edges, about 15-20 minutes. transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

does blogger suck or is it just me?

what am i doing wrong here folks? ever since i'm using this new template, some post text is small and tight (sunday supper) and others are nice and space-y (pineapple cheesecake). any ideas on how to fix? i understand how to change line spacing in the HTML template, but for some reason, certain posts don't change even when i adjust the code?

chocolate tart topped with raspberries

what's dessert without some chocolate?

and just like the crazy cheesecake incident, this lovely chocolate tart had its issues too. i am by now means a tart expert. i still haven't learned what doughs go best with what fillings. heck, i still haven't even learned how to make any dough with confidence and consistency. i'm trying out different pie and tart dough recipes so i can try to learn what works best for me.

so saturday night (yes, the infamous saturday night) i proceeded to make the tart dough as outlined in this recipe. it seemed impossibly crumbly and dry but i already added extra ice water. but i balled it up anyway, tried to have a little faith and waited until the next afternoon.

well, i should have known better. i take it out to roll and the crumbs just plop out. i try to shape it a bit, roll it, swear at it ... but it just insisted on doing its thing, which was basically become a dry, crackly, crumbly mess. mind you, this is now about 2:00pm and our friends are supposed to arrive at in three hours.

but like i said, i'm proud and i'm stubborn. there was no way i wasn't going to make this! martha hasn't let me down (besides her ill-placed tragic faith in paper towel tubes) so i decided to make the tart dough from her baking handbook. yes, with only a couple hours until dinner time, i decide to make a new tart dough, sheesh i'm crazy! i didn't watch it carefully and it turned a little wee brown. but whatever, with chocolate heaven in there who's gonna complain about a little crunchy crust?

a slice for you, a slice for me

so all was saved, in the end. i did end up making tyler florence's chocolate filling, but i made it 7 oz bittersweet and 3 oz semisweet. the end result was a velvety smooth, simply rich, knock your chocolate socks off, decadent slice of deliciousness.

the making of an (almost) chef

don't worry, this is still your favorite mimi on the move, just with a new look! spring is coming (i think?) and i wanted something lighter and brighter. some of my older posts look weird now in the new template (if anyone knows why, please let me know so i can fix!). i'm not really 100% happy with the template layout and design, but since i'm too busy (lazy?) to learn HTML or CSS, it is what it is. but now on to the food!

i don't entertain the idea that i am a chef or a cook. and i am certainly not a pastry chef. and until i understand the science of the fine art of baking, i don't really consider myself a baker either. i'm really a student.
sizzling pineapples
however, as most people in the profession will tell you ... there comes a moment in every kitchen where someone goes a crackin' and something goes a flyin'. now sometimes this is a regular occurrence because the guy running the place (and let's face the sad fact that most of the bosses of the kitchen are men) is just a mean and nasty a**hole. yep, plenty of those to go around. but usually, it's just the point of boiling in a pressure steamer ... nothing even really has to go beyond technically wrong, but there's a palpable feeling of negative energy in the air ... and then wack! a fork is flung, a dish is tossed, a wine glass chucked.

welcome to my past saturday night :)

because i waited until the last minute to shop at fairway i got stuck baking all my desserts on saturday night before the supper. and because i am an über-doer, i also just *had* to do (i mean, truly had to do!) three different kinds of desserts. folks, this the ultimate mix for the pressure steamer if you couldn't tell already.

the scene: about 1:30 in the morning. the oven has been on all night and i'm sweating (figuratively and literally) to get this shit done. my last baking (because i thought it would be easy) are some icebox cookies. mr. mimi is snoring on the couch, totally and blissfully immune to the storm brewing in the kitchen.

martha may be very good with what she does, but she had the brilliant suggestion to stuff the rolled cookie log into an empty paper towel thing for it to keep its shape. let me save you the heartache: don't do it!! as i'm trying to stuff parchment wrapped cookie logs into this stupid towel tube (which by the way, i took off half of the paper just so i could do this) it became an obvious what the frick? the roll becomes a completely mess of nearly melted butter and i'm ready to toss it into the trash, but i'm too proud.

it's at just about this swell time that sleepy mr. mimi saunters by. we have very different styles, and basically, we drive each other crazy in the kitchen. so he's yapping about cleaning up after myself, a few choice words are exchanged, and he walks away.

and then i had my first (almost) chef moment.

i threw a just-cooled mini cheesecake at his head, but i missed, and it splattered the wall instead. it wasn't my finest moment, but you know what? i happily went back to rolling my icebox cookies (sans the stupid paper towel tube). it was as if a weight had been lifted.

of course the mimis talked about it the next morning. gracious mr. mimi forgave me and said it happens to the best of us in the kitchen. so without further adieu ...

i found this wonderful pineapple almond cheesecake over at tartelette, and i knew i had to make it. i only had a 9" cake pan, so i had the leftover batter for mini cheesecake cups (which, yes, are better used as dessert than as arsenal). it came out a little creamier than i expected, the pineapples were a little under-caramelized, and the crust stuck to my parchment lining. so it wasn't the purtiest of things. but we served it as our first dessert for our sunday supper, and it was devoured. so delicious! for the great recipe, click here.

pineapple almond cheesecake

not the best looking slice, but delish!

sunday supper party

smoked salmon with caper berries and dijon

wow. has it really been over a week since i was last on here? sorry to all my faithful readers (all three of you!) there really is no good excuse. but you will be in for a treat as i have many juicy (and delicious looking!) things to post these next couple of days.

it took us awhile to feel like home here in the city. even with millions of people, it can get kind of lonely when you're first here and know no one. we feel fortunate now to have a great group of friends, but we don't always get to see them as much as we'd like. so we decided to start trying to throw more informal, casual supper parties (as opposed to the fancy, set the table to impress dinner parties) on a regular basis. too often we only host people at our apartment with our two big seasonal shindigs (summer solstice and holiday), and we may have temporarily lost the art of simply being at home, sharing good food, laughs, and wine with a small group of friends.

so this past sunday was our first. we started casual with some smoked salmon with crackers, caper berries and dijon, and olives and grapes. for the main meal we wanted it in the style of the old italian mama sunday supper so we decided on a menu of (vegetarian) meatballs and eggplant rollatini. our friend C would bring the green salad. everyone would bring some wine. and yours truly would be making the desserts ... which will be posted about in the coming days.

but first, a whole hearted recommendation for these great vegetarian meatballs. even if you eat meat, these would be a great healthy choice, or a quick meal alternative. even though they're vegan, they have a great soft texture. if you were ever going to try to convince that diehard carnivore friend of yours, this would be the to try out on him or her!

as for the rollatini, i don't even like eggplant but these were delicious. and super easy to make ahead for a large dinner. i don't have an exact recipe (when mr. mimi creates things, it just happens) but this is the general gist, plus a few tips for using eggplant and standard breading procedure.

rollatini before being baked

eggplant rollatini: serves 8

4 medium eggplants (about 4 lbs)
16 oz ricotta
basil
4-5 garlic cloves
2 shallots
salt + pepper
olive oil
oregano, dried
hot pepper flakes
parmesan
shredded mozzarella
couple cups of homemade marinara sauce
flour / eggs, beaten / bread crumbs

1. cut ends of eggplant so you can stand it up on cutting board. then slice eggplant lengthwise about 1/4" thick.

sweating the eggplant
* eggplant tip: to pull out the bitter liquids naturally found in eggplant seeds, coat both sides of eggplant slices with coarse salt (kosher or sea). this will also work to tenderize it, and season it of course! you'll actually see the water sweating out. wait about 15 minutes, or longer if necessary, and then rinse excess salt with cold water.

2. make ricotta mix: sautée garlic and shallots until golden. fold into ricotta and mix with a handful of mozzarella and grated parmesan, salt and pepper, pepper flakes, oregano, basil chiffonade.

* basil chiffonade technique: if you cut basil like a typical herb in chopping fashion, you will easily bruise it. while this doesn't necessarily affect the flavor in immediate usage, it sure won't look pretty. and isn't cooking all about being pretty? well, at least the french thought so, and created the chiffonade technique, whereby you cut the basil in thin strips. take the rinsed leaves and stack them and roll them up like a cigar, or, ahem, like a herbal smoking somethin' or other :) with the tip of a very sharp knife, do a gentle rocking motion, letting the knife's weight do the cutting; that is, don't cut down. slice the basil as thin as you possibly can. it will become fluffy as the slices unfurl from the roll. there are other knife skills that can chiffonade in a more fluid, clean and gentle manner, but the rocking motion is easier to control for most home cooks.

3. lay out some of the eggplant slices, and spread an even layer of the ricotta mix on one side. make sure there is ricotta on one end of the slice.

4. proceed to roll them up. this is where that ricotta on the one end of the slice comes in ... when you roll it up, you'll use that ricotta on the edge to seal the roll. bread the rolls in small batches as you work.

ricotta mix on slices

rolling, rolling, rolling

* breading procedure: no matter what you're breading, the procedure is always the same. three bowls: flour in one, beaten eggs in another, and plain bread crumbs in the last bowl. and in case you're wondering, the old age is ... season the food, not the bread crumbs ... or at least, so says mr. mimi :) basically, just coat (with flour), dip all sides (in egg), and coat (with the crumbs). if you're making a lot of breaded items it's best to keep one hand dry, one hand wet (bakers know this rule well from julia). for rollatini, make sure to bread all sides, including the short tips (where the cheese peeks out a bit).

ready to bread

5. heat generous amount of olive oil in skillet over medium heat. generous because you're doing a pan fry, not a sautée. i never said this was a healthy vegetarian meal folks! place rolls gently in oil, making sure not to crowd the skillet. after a couple of minutes, check the ones that seems to be cooking the fastest and flip them with a slotted spatula (so the grease doesn't collect in the spatula and splatter), and brown both sides to golden color. drain on paper towel.

ready to fry

6. put in casserole dish, with marinara sauce, and shredded mozzarella on top. bake at 325F for 15 minutes. presto! sunday supper is served!

full disclosure: all these cooking tips, and those cute hands, come from mr. mimi :)

chocolate-hazelnut biscotti

i knew this moment would come, but that doesn't make it any less of a let-down. the beginning of this year was a real spoil. i had over a month of no classes. the freedom of having nothing at all required to do in the evenings or weekends provided the inspiration for baking. but here is my schedule now ... working full-time five days a week, going to school for three classes, going to the gym three evenings a week, tennis lessons on sundays. and all those other errands life gives you, which in the city seems to take double the amount of energy and time to complete.

nothing insurmountable, but certainly daunting ... especially for someone like moi who evidently is incapable of incorporating any sense of time management into my life (and this, despite the fact that i have 2, yes two!, calendars and to-do lists). for instance, instead of being on here blogging away about these great biscotti, i really should be filing my taxes so i can apply for federal student aid. sigh.

i actually made these a week ago. i needed a quick and easy bake night and these seemed like a perfect recipe. i am not sure if i actually did it correctly, as the dough was sooo extremely sticky to work with; i could hardly shape out each piece into a round log. if anyone has made biscotti before, please let me know if this (the super sticky dough) is normal??!

i halved the recipe because i didn't have quite the amount of hazelnuts on hand. i didn't like them the first night, but by the next day they were great. and while maybe they weren't as great as the almond ones from here, suffice to say ... i meant to bring them into work, but we ended up enjoying them every night with some of our favorite tea for the rest of the week!! :)




chocolate-hazelnut biscotti: makes 4 dozen
from martha's baking handbook (2005, p. 131)

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
12 oz semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups (8 oz) blanched hazelnuts
4 large whole eggs, plus 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups sugar
sanding sugar for sprinkling (optional)

1. preheat oven to 350F. line baking sheet with parchment paper. in food processor, pulse flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, 1 cup chocolate chunks, and hazelnuts until chips and nuts are size of peas.

2. in bowl of mixer with whisk attachment, beat the whole eggs and sugar until mixture holds a ribbon-like trail on the surface for a few seconds when you raise the whisk. switch to paddle attachment. on low speed, add flour mixture and remaining 1 cup chocolate; beat until just combined.

3. turn out dough on lightly floured surface and divide into three equal pieces. shape each piece into 18-inch log. transfer to lined baking sheet. with palm of hand, gently press the log to flatten slightly. brush egg white over logs and sprinkle with sanding sugar if using.

4. bake, rotating halfway through, until logs are just firm to the touch, 20-24 minutes. transfer sheet to wire rack and let cool for about 20 minutes.

5. place logs on cutting board and with serrated knife, cut 3/4-inch thick slices on the diagonal. place wire rack on baking sheet and arrange slices, cut sides down, on wire rack. bake until biscotti are firm to touch and completely dry, about 10-12 minutes. remove and let cool completely on rack.

red velvet cupcakes

when i first started bringing my baked goodies to work, i took any requests too. the first one was for red velvet cake. that was like over four weeks ago, and for one reason or another, the red velvet never got made. they were all good sports though, and happily enjoyed whatever else i brought in, but i was always reminded of my promise to bring in some of the red stuff. and by now, because of all the anticipation, the pressure was on!

red velvet cake: makes 24 cupcakes (or 1 two-layer cake)
from martha's website

2 1/2 cups cake flour, not self-rising
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups canola oil
2 large eggs
1/4 cup red food coloring
1 tsp vanilla <
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp white vinegar

1. preheat oven to 350F. prepare two muffin tins with liners. in medium bowl, whisk cake flour, salt, and cocoa; set aside.

2. in bowl of mixer, combine sugar and oil and beat on medium until well combined. add eggs, one at time, beating well after each addition. add food coloring and vanilla and beat until well combined. add flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk.

3. in small bowl, mix baking soda and vinegar. add to batter, and beat for 10 seconds. evenly divide batter in muffin tins.

4. bake until cake tester comes out clean, about 25 minutes. transfer to wire rack to cool, remove from tins and cool completely.


cream cheese frosting: makes 2 cups
1 stick butter, room temp
8 oz cream cheese, room temp
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

1. beat butter in electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. add cream cheese and beat until well combined, another 2 minutes.

2. add sugar and vanilla, beat until combined. fold in walnuts. top on cupcakes!

asparagus gruyère tart

i love tarts. all shapes and sizes, but especially savory ones. so with today's balmy 60+ degrees here in the city, i treated myself to a hint of spring for dinner. this tart is super easy to make and is as delicious as it sounds. when creating a meal, i tend to focus more on contrasting textures rather than complimentary flavors, so for the side we had my favorite crispy carrot-celery slaw. and just for a moment, i felt like it truly was spring and i was relaxing outside in the back garden.

asparagus gruyère tart: serves 4
from martha's website

1 frozen puff pastry
5 1/2 ounces gruyère cheese, shredded
1 1/2 lbs medium asparagus
1 tb olive oil
salt + pepper
flour for work surface

1. preheat oven to 400F. on floured surface, roll puff pastry into a 16 x 10 inch rectangle (note: next time i would probably roll out on floured parchment paper and transfer to baking sheet; it was a bitch to pick up otherwise!) trim any uneven edges. place pastry on baking sheet and with sharp knife, lightly score 1 inch from the edges to mark rectangle. pierce pastry with fork at 1/2 inch intervals. bake until golden, about 15 minutes.

2. remove pastry from oven and sprinkle with gruyère. trim bottoms of asparagus and fit crosswise in shell alternating tips and ends. brush with oil and season with salt and pepper. bake until tender, 20 - 25 minutes.



crispy carrot-celery slaw

this salad always goes through slightly different incarnations each time we make it, so i can't really offer an actual recipe. but the basics: julienne a bunch of peeled carrots, and cut celery into matchsticks (a mandoline would shred the celery instead of cutting it). it should be an even ratio carrot to celery. toss with a scant amount of olive oil, just enough to barely coat. add any light vinegar. we typically use a sherry or champagne. this vinaigrette should be more vinegar than oil, a 2 or 3 to 1 ratio, depending on what type of vinegar you use. season with salt and pepper, and whatever other season combos you like. add lemon juice. toss and serve!

random weekend musings

this weekend was especially fruitful, even if it had very little cooking or baking to show for it ...

1. cut my hair short again. sigh, i guess long hair is just not for me anymore. i had been growing it out (again) and i had been doubting whether i really liked it this way. and then a couple of days ago, amidst a chat with colleagues at work, one of them mentioned that when i had my hair cut short and spiky i looked FIERCE. you know, fierce in a christian from project runway kind of way. ever since then, i was like, i am still young enough to be fierce, so chop it off and spike it up! however, as mr. mimi will sadly let you know, i have a terrible problem with salons. this is how it goes: i try out a new salon, get my hair cut, hate it and then the next day i try another salon. without fail, that's how it goes, and this weekend was no different. first stylist didn't want to cut it short. she had good skills and gave me a nice haircut but it wasn't ME and it didn't feel right. so the next day i go to a local salon and get exactly what i was looking for. even if it isn't necessarily the most technically flattering of cuts to my cheery round face, it's matches exactly how i feel and how i want to express myself ... which, in a way, becomes the most flattering look of all.

2. finally saw juno too. one really terrific line ... juno: "you're the coolest person i ever met and you don't even try" ... paulie: "well, actually, i try really hard". everyone talks about how great this movie is. but i found it annoying and certainly less than great. sure, there were funny lines. but the dialogue was so forced and fake. people do not talk like that in real life! maybe one person, but every person? i felt like i was watching that other horrible every-line-must-impress-with-brilliant-wit phenomenon aka, gilmore girls, but times ten. but not all was lost. i did come out downloading "anybody else but you" and i did learn that i shouldn't really watch movies with adoption as a theme; it hits me too hard, and in ways i never thought it would.

3. i woke up early saturday morning and started browsing online for new clothes. not because i actually need anything new, but just because i was bored and wanted something new. then the little good angel whispered in my ear that i should be saving for south africa this summer instead of buying yet another a-line skirt. sure, it's not like i even spend that much on clothing; i don't indulge at bergdorf, i am more a simple banana republic or ann taylor type girl. but i figure five months of not buying new clothes would save me probably, at the very least, five hundred bucks. and then the even brighter idea came along, to go with my must be healthy again kick, was that i won't buy a new piece of clothing until i am one damn size smaller!! but we'll see if that happens. i'm a sucker for online shopping :)

4. i started my tennis lessons on sunday. awesome, loved it. and since it was only two of us on the court, it was basically a private lesson for 1.5 hours. before we left (ray took his lessons too) i pondered whether i would get a good cardio workout from the lesson, considering that i'm only beginner. well, bad shots or not, i felt like i got a better workout from tennis than i did in my kickbox class. let's keep this on a roll!

raspberry-almond financiers

when i saw these financiers on the back page of martha, i knew i wanted to make them for v-day; they just looked so delish. it finishes out my trifecta of raspberry baking this week. my hearts didn't come out quite looking photo perfect, but practice will make perfect. i would have also liked to have baked mine a little longer to get a crisper crust on top, but there's always next time. they tasted great, not too sweet and with that great almond flavor.

i brought them to work and they got gobbled up. i'm sure some people are just being nice to me, but i never realized how happy i would feel when people really genuinely expressed joy for what i bake. i love baking because it is peaceful, patient, and reflective. it is quiet time for me and releases all my stress. i love the tactility, i love the creativity, i love the smells and surprises. but even so, i still wouldn't be as thrilled about baking unless i knew it gave a small glimmer of happiness in every tasty morsel.

mini-hearts

be mine

raspberry-almond financiers: makes 45
from martha's mag (feb 2008, p. 216)

1 stick butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup honey
2 cups sliced blanched almonds (6 1/2 ounces), lightly toasted and finely ground
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup sifted cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
5 large egg whites
1 cup raspberries, puréed and strained

1. preheat oven to 350F. butter mini muffin tins (or use cooking spray).

2. heat butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking frequently until golden brown, 6-7 minutes. add honey, whisk until combined. remove from heat.

3. using mixer with whisk attachment, combine almonds, sugars, flour, and salt on low speed. raise speed to medium-high and add egg whites one at a time, beating after each addition until just combined. reduce speed to low, and add warm butter-honey mixture in slow, steady stream. raise speed to high and beat for 45 seconds.

4. spoon batter into muffin cups, filling halfway. spoon scant 1/2 tsp raspberry purée near one edge of each cup. draw skewer through purée toward opposite edge of cup to form heart shape.

5. bake, rotating halfway through, until edges are golden brown, 15-20 minutes. let cool slightly in tins on wire racks. using small offset spatula, unmold financiers, and transfer to rack.

small tarts have big hearts

little buttery boats

i so desperately wanted to join the revolution this month! i had been thinking about it all along, trying to decide what mini tart i wanted to sacrifice to the liberation. you know, the one that is due *tonight*! yesterday i finally decided on a caramel-hazelnut mini tart, recipe found on epicurious. no problem mee thinks, i've made tarts before, this is just a mini version!

well ... i was tempted not once, not twice, but like a dozen times to chuck this thing in the garbage!! i expected to roll the dough and trim to fit. but this recipe was a "pat in the pan" type of dough so instead, i was furiously trying to put this shit into tiny 2" tartlet pans with all the butter melting on my fingers. what a pain in the ass!! i was so pissed off. i was about to say frick with the revolution in all my turncoat shame. but then i took a deep breath, remembered that i am an honored member of the daring bakers, and pressed forward (no pun intended! and albeit, only making about a dozen because i was just so exhausted).

i finished the dough shells last night but then time ran out so i thought no problem (oh haha, we remember what happened last time i thought that! see above) i'll make the filling today. after waiting in the freezing snow for half an hour for the bus that never appeared, i was in no mood to be making caramel. between the trauma of the tart dough yesterday to the freezing sleet tonight i was just full of crank for this project. i could of easily whipped up a simple pastry cream ... if i had milk in the fridge. back to square one, with me *this* close to dumping those tartlet shells.

but then came mr. mimi to the rescue. pity the poor man that must make a self-indulgent pity-party-throwing baker feel better for the sake of a sane evening! :)

the revolution marches on!

so without further ado, here is my small contribution, thanks to the brilliant idea from mr. mimi, to the fight against cupcake oppression in all its magnolia bakery incarnations (which by the way, wasn't too bad of a place when we lived nearby ... but then sex and the city came and ruined it all) ... hazelnut-pear raspberry tartlets. no recipe here because it was a concoction of inspiration without much measurement. but it was basically caramelized butter, d'anjou pears, pinch of salt, dark brown sugar and then tossed with chopped hazelnuts. topped with cinnamon-vanilla whipped cream and a raspberry.

caramelizing the pears

filling the tartlets

piping the cream

and the verdict? some of the best tartlets i've ever tasted!!! no kidding. pat in the pan was a dreadful affair in these little tin things; but a crumbly (rather than flaky) crust was perfect. the pears were sweet but the nuts were earthy, the cream was just spiced enough, and the raspberry was tart. wow. i could have eaten them all!

hazelnut-pear raspberry tartlets

aerial shot

with raspberry purée

dessert is served

how do i love thee?

i am not a big fan of the big annual v-day of mid-february. first of all, i ain't a big chocolate lover. second, i'm allergic to the fragrance of roses. third, such peer pressure!! a "special" dinner with a crowded house and inflated prices just doesn't seem all that romantic to me. so this thursday i hope to be sweating it out in my kickbox class that starts this week.

but i do have a soft spot for baked goods during the v-day madness. when i heard lovely zorra over at 1x umrühren bitte was hosting a heart for your valentine i knew i couldn't pass it up. i decided to make some linzer hearts, one of my favorite cookies. when i was in undergrad, i used to love treating myself to some at the all-popular hungarian pastry shop that was right around the corner from school. i figured if i was going to procastinate writing that 20 page paper on the use of romanian troops in the second world war, at least i should have some relevant late night snacking to go with it!

one of my favorite cookware shops in the city was always broadway panhandler. however, since it moved to 8th street, i just haven't been feeling the love. my last trip there was a disappointment. so today i decided to try sur la table. if martha lists it as resource, it has to be decent. and their website is pretty tempting so i had some good hopes ... that were quickly dashed. i was specifically looking for new aluminum jelly roll pans and mini muffin pans. all they had was non-stick (same problem i ran into at the bp). i don't want to get into a huge debate about why i don't use non-stick or silicone (carcinogens) but suffice to say, i do believe there should be other options for consumers than just the usual non-stick shit. i mean c'mon already!! if you're going to be using silpats anyway, why do you need non-stick pans? at least give me those in the real stuff!!

i was also annoyed at myself. usually i go to cook's companion here in brooklyn. they truly are a testament to quality vs. quantity. they may not have a huge store, or every variety of every tool. but they always have everything i need. sure the majority of bakeware is non-stick, but they have plenty of good old fashioned aluminum. for some reason, i still tend to think that manhattan stores will be better. and then every time i betray my borough-based consumer loyalty, i am faced with the stinkin' reality that they are not necessarily so.

i have to admit, i did forget about new york cake in the flatiron district. i haven't been there in years. last time i was there, buying supplies for christmas cookie gifts, i was greeted by the unmistakable aroma of ganja. the juxtaposition of looking for sprinkling sugar and smelling cannabis was just weird! :)

golden hearts
but i digress at the expense of sounding bitchy. this post is about happy hearts. somehow in my excitement, i used the wrong sized cutters. so not only were they a pain to put together because the cutouts were so thin and delicate, they also didn't quite come out looking the perfect ratio of white powder to red jam. but looks are so superficial when you have delicious flavor to enjoy! to check out other people's hearts, click here.

linzer hearts: makes 1 dozen cookies
from martha's baking handbook (2005, p. 117)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup (4.5 oz) blanched hazelnuts
2 sticks butter, room temp
2/3 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup raspberry jam
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1. in large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. in food processor, pulse hazelnuts until finely ground; whisk into flour mixture and set aside.

2. in bowl of electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. add egg yolks, vanilla, and lemon zest; beat to combine. add hazelnut-flour mixture and beat until just combined, 15 seconds.

3. turn dough onto floured surface. divide in half, shape into flattened disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

4. remove one disk from refrigerator and let stand until softened slightly (to prevent cracking). on large piece of parchment dusted with flour, roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness. transfer dough on sheet to pan and freeze until firm, about 20 minutes. repeat with other disk.

5. preheat oven to 325F. line two barking sheets with parchment paper. remove one sheet of dough from freezer; working quickly, cut into heart shapes with 3-inch cutter. cut out center heart from half of the shapes with a 2-inch cutter. transfer cut outs to prepared baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inch apart, and freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. you can bake the center cutouts as bite-size cookies, or re-roll the dough - i decided on sandwich cookies).

6. bake, rotating halfway through, until cookies are crisp and lightly golden all over, about 15 minutes. transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool completely. spread flat sides with about 1 1/2 tsp of jam. sift confectioners' sugar on open hearts. top jammed hearts with open hearts and enjoy them with the one that makes you smile!

waiting to cool

raspberry jam = love

linzer darling

three hearts