Creative Confectionery Blog

2012-05-10T22:32:00.001-04:00

Here is a cake I made a while back - just found the picture! You can make the cake pops and cake any flavor you like...but the cake serves as the "egg" and of course the pops you can figure out :) Good for any OB/GYNs out there!

Super Bowl Festivities & Life Update

2012-02-10T20:42:00.000-05:00

The sporadic nature of my posts the last year and a half has been the result of (which I think I mentioned before) my decision in 2010 to apply to medical school. I am currently in the application process of this journey...and let me tell YOU...this is the most stress I've ever been under in my entire life! It's sort of like dating....except worse!

Until recently I had resigned myself to the fact that I would be lacking in social life festivities until I (hopefully) entered medical school in some fun, exciting new city. But...this is an impossible task...especially for someone like me that loves her friends and loves to be social.

I was invited to the Super Bowl party of a friend's girlfriend (now also a new friend of mine!) for which I made Super Bowl XLVI cupcakes! And I must say...this is one of my best decorating accomplishments to date!

Have any of the rest of you bakers noticed that Red Velvet is an EXTREMELY popular cake flavor? I think this is the only flavor that has been requested of me for the last three years...they're great! don't get me wrong...but a little vanilla or traditional chocolate...or maybe a new flavor...would be awesome.

The XLVI is a result of melted chocolate with isomalt to thin. I used a simple zip lock bag with the corner cut to allow for the chocolate to flow. Making the letters all run together in a cursive sort of way was key to the strength of the topper.

This confection was a HUGE hit. What did you do for the super bowl??

Summer Pie

2011-07-04T08:10:00.000-04:00

Summer time is the best. The weather is warm, the sun is out (generally) and the produce is flourishing! There are tons of fruits I look forward to in the summer: peaches, plums, nectarines....but especially cherries.

For me, the more turgid the cherry (turgid = full of water to the point where the skin is stretched tight and the fruit has an audible "crunch" to it when bitten) the better. Once my cherries start to go soft they become less appetizing to me. Recently my mother bought a few bags of cherries, forgetting that we had some at home, from the grocery store. I've noticed that BJ's wholesale club sells much better cherries from a turgid standpoint, proven to me by the lack of firmness of these grocery store cherries after about a week of sitting in the fridge. I also noticed that some of the cherries were starting to bruise and become inedible even for those who like less firm fruit. Instead of wasting them, I decided to try my hand and cherry pie.

I found a great recipe on epicurious.com for cherry pie that I'd definitely recommend: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Classic-Sour-Cherry-Pie-with-Lattice-Crust-242514

I pretty much followed the recipe as written, though I decreased the amount of sugar by a few TBSP because I used fresh cherries, and the filling came out beautifully!

For the crust, I had planned to use my usual recipe. This time I realized a little too late that I only had about 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour. So, I substituted cake meal:

for the other two cups of flour and followed the rest of the recipe. I must say, the crust came out amazingly! It didn't burn as quickly as the normal recipe does if not watched properly, and the consistency was light, flaky and delicious!

Life Changes

2010-12-10T15:38:00.000-05:00

So it has been almost 6 months since my last post...and sporadic before that. This is because I made some major changes to my life that left me with very little time to bake & post about it...

I used to be in advertising, which I found very unfulfilling...so I decided to change it up in a major way. I am currently in my first semester finals of a program that will be leading me to medical school :)! It has been so interesting so far ... despite it taking away from my baking.

One thing I've had to learn in the last six months is how to make quick dinners so that I can concentrate on studying. Here is a great rub that can be put on any kind of steak & make it amazing!!! It is called kitchen bouquet:

I love it on fillet and on flank steak...but it can pretty much be used whenever. Try it out and tell me what you think...or if it's already a staple of yours...what do you use it for?

Double Tomato Bruschetta

2010-07-07T10:09:00.000-04:00

Some of my girlfriends in NYC and I have started a tradition of Tuesday night get togethers, complete with wine of course. We also always have some sort of snack to go with our date - who doesn't get a little hungry when drinking wine & chatting with your girlfriends? You know what I'm saying...

This week I decided to provide a snack a little more exciting than our usual chips & salsa / cheese & crackers combination. I found a fantastic spin on the classic Bruschetta recipe that we all died for. The recipe can be found on AllRecipes.com (one of my favorite sites to find new & delicious recipes to try). Here is the recipe for your enjoyment:

Double Tomato Bruschetta

6 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup fresh basil, stems removed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 French baguette
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven on broiler setting.
In a large bowl, combine the Roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes.
Cut the baguette into 3/4-inch slices. On a baking sheet, arrange the baguette slices in a single layer. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly brown.
Divide the tomato mixture evenly over the baguette slices. Top the slices with mozzarella cheese.
Broil for 2 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.(The original recipe calls for 5 minutes but it does not take nearly that long.)

You will definitely have extra, so either save for a later date or perhaps halve the amount of ingredients the recipe calls for (except you definitely want the whole baguette!)

Becomming a Runner...

2010-04-21T08:54:00.000-04:00

I have always dabbled in running - a few years ago I actually got up to 4-5 miles a day, 3-4 times a week (which is A LOT for me, not really enjoying the sport). No matter how you slice it, you have to admit, ladies - consistent running over a reasonable period of time makes our legs look fabulous! This is why I keep coming back...keep trying to make myself enjoy running.

Recently a friend of mine introduced me to a 5k prep running program that I have really enjoyed. It is called the Couch to 5k Running Program located at CoolRunning.com. I've really enjoyed the way that the program has built up my stamina. I've altered the program a little for myself - if one of the weekly steps was particularly hard (or if my schedule didn't allow me to do all three portions of a weekly step), I repeated it the following week to ensure that I was ready to take on the increased challenge of the week following. You may not have to do this - this was a personal choice of my own.

Right now I'm on week five - I did step 2 today, which was to run a mile, walk 1/4 mile, run a mile. I am happy to report that this was relatively easy for me & I was able to run faster than my usual pace - great personal success!

Once I'm finished with this program I plan to continue to build my stamina to increase the amount I can run - maybe even try a 5K or 10K at the end of the summer.

If you know if any good programs that cater to longer distances, I'd love to check them out :).

Delicious Low Calorie Dessert

2010-04-20T19:05:00.001-04:00

I keep saying that I'll start blogging regularly again - this time I promise it!

Recently I instituted "project sexbomb" as my friend Abbie so nicely coined my "look good for 5th year reunion" personal project...funny, I know. I have great friends. This project has lead me to be creative while trying to satisfy my sweet tooth.

Here is a recipe for a DELICIOUS and very low calorie, healthy dessert that you must try!

Balsamic Strawberries

5-7 ounces Strawberries

1 packate Splenda

1/4 tsp Balsamic Vinegar

Cut up strawberries into quarters (or more if you have big strawberries). Place in bowl.

Sprinkle Balsamic Vinegar (yes, you only need 1/4 tsp!) over strawberries & toss slightly.

Sprinkle Splenda over strawberries - toss slightly.

Enjoy!!!

It has been a while...

2010-02-17T07:09:00.000-05:00

I know it has been a while...a few fun facts that I found out about moving/upgrading your blog:

1.) Wordpress charges to host you own domain name (I guess so that they can support the service they provide for you...eh...no thanks...)

2.) It costs a lot of $$ to have someone do an upgrade for you...

So...I'm just going to work with what I have - rearranging has begun. As soon as it is finished, I will start the normal blogging process back up!

Hope everyone is have a great 2010 so far!

New Site Template!

2009-11-19T16:09:00.002-05:00

CreativeConfectioneryBlog.com is undergoing some major maintenance – we’re moving to a WordPress.com format to better adapt to the vision of the blog. The format of the posts is also going to change to a more organized, day of week format so that you can check in on the topics that most interest you! Here is what I’m thinking right now…if you have better ideas, let me know!

Sundays: Great Dinner Idea for the coming week

Mondays: Cookie of the Week

Tuesdays: NYC Restaurant Review

Wednesdays: Guest Blogger or Blog Topic Picked by a reader – is there a recipe you’ve been eyeing but aren’t sure you want to try it yourself? Send to me!

Thursdays: Dessert Recipe (aside from cookies of course!)

Fridays: Baked Goods Decorating Tips & Ideas

Saturday: Day of Rest for the blogger :)

*Jen*

Trip to the Homeland: Israel

2009-11-06T15:02:00.005-05:00

From October 12^th to October 23^rd I was lucky enough to participate in an amazing adventure offered to young Jewish people from the age of 18-26 known as Birth Right. There is much debate about the purpose of providing 18-26 year olds with a free 10 day trip across the globe to Israel. My tour guide jokingly referred to it as “birth rate”, referencing the fact that part of the purpose is to try to get young Jews to fall in love with and marry other young Jews.

Whatever your perspective, everyone has to agree that it is an amazing opportunity. It was one of the best experiences my 26 year long life has offered to me. And, of course, there was AMAZING food there – which is what I’d like to share J

One of the coolest thing was the variety of fresh fruit ready-for-the-picking along our many hikes:

Fresh Pomegranate from the tree – better than anything I’ve bought in the stores here. You can taste the sweetness by just looking at this picture! (Note: this particular pomegranate was bought but the ones we picked were just as juicy & tasty!)

Carob – a super food that helps with many things including improving digestion, lowering cholesterol and it’s an antioxidant. You can read more at http://healthmad.com/nutrition/12-great-benefits-of-carob

Orange with green skin – I’m not sure exactly what this was called – they’re the size of a tangerine actually. They’re SO good – I’d say better than any orange or tangerine I’ve had in the states.

Bamba - one of the favorite snacks of Israeli youth. They have the consistency of cheese puffs but they're peanut butter flavored!

Fresh made pita bread – one of the nights while in Israel we stayed in a Bedouin Tent. The food there was incredible. By far my favorite thing was the fresh made pita. The woman making it had a sphere shaped hot metal cooking device – she stretched the dough out in a manner similar to pizza dough, cooked one side on the sphere & then flipped it. AMAZING!

I also had a ridiculous amount of Falafel…see picture of me and some of my group members eating – I’m not sure I’ll be able to have this again for a while :)

And finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t share with you a picture from the market in Jerusalem – a foodies dream place! Fresh, delicious looking & smelling fruits, veggies, spices, candies, pastries, breads, meats & fish! (And I’m sure I’m missing some food groups represented…)

Back in Business

2009-11-04T16:30:00.002-05:00

Clearly I have been MIA for a while...and for that, I apologize! A lot has been happening over the last few months that has, sadly, taken me away from blogging. Luckily, I have lots of great stories & foods to share with everyone!

If your curious - the two biggest things in the last few months are that:

1.) I've moved to NYC from Boston (a little sad, but what a wealth of food experience opportunities I've just gained!).

2.) I spent 10 wonderful days in Israel due to my eligibility for Birth Right - it's great to be Jewish. Tons of stuff to share with you all from there, including fresh-from-the-tree fruit, delicious pita bread & more!

This weekend I'm having a house-warming brunch, so be prepared for some awesome recipes!

Also, holiday season is upon us...which means I'll be sharing tons of awesome cookie recipes - check in if you love to bake for the holidays!

Independence Day Recipe

2009-07-02T08:25:00.004-04:00

Happy almost 4th of July to you all! If you live on the east coast...particularly in New England...join me in crossing your fingers that it will actually be sunny this weekend. To date, I've been wondering whether I really live in Boston...or if I somehow ended up in Seattle, WA - which, for the record, has had a ridiculous number of sunny days to date. Back here in Boston, I am not sure there was a single day in June without rain. Depressing...I know...

To brighten up the mood, I'd like to share with you all one of my favorite summer time picnic/pot luck recipes that everyone will enjoy. It is a lemon-pineapple Jell-o mold that is both creamy & jiggly...and entirely delicious.

You can use any type of mold that you like, though I strongly recommend avoiding anything with tight or sharp edges - because of the milk factor in this recipe, it's not as solid as a normal gelatin mold. I use the following products, which I found on Amazon.com (click on the picture to find the listing):

The nice thing about this container is that both the top & bottom come off, allowing you to retain the shape of your treat. It also is a great carrying container - after setting, just keep it in the container until you're ready to serve.

Here's the recipe; enjoy!

Pineapple-Lemon Jell-O Mold

6 ounces lemon Jello
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple in syrup
2 cups water
8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
1 (16 ounce) container of cool whip

Drain pineapple and reserve juice, set pineapple aside.

Combine reserved juice and water, heat in microwave until very hot.

Stir jello into hot water/juice until dissolved. Do not heat further in microwave. Over-heating jello will denature gelatin and it will not set.

In separate bowl, stir cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add jello mixture into cream cheese.

Add pineapple

Chill until thickened, fold in cool whip.

Turn into a ring jello mold and chill for 6 hours or overnight.

Mmm Challah...

2009-07-01T10:28:00.004-04:00

For those of you who have been reading my blog since September, you know that I'm a HUGE challah junkie. I probably like it more than anything - cake/ice cream...etc etc.

I've plugged this place before - but really, you have to check it out:

LucysSweetSurrender.com

Located in Cleveland, Ohio, this place is out of this world. My favorite thing there is their Apple Challah...but they also have other ridiculously delicious confections, like their strudel. My family has been ordering from them for parties since I was a kid...we had tons of cherry & apple strudel for my Batmitzva party when I was 13...by my request of course :).

Don't live in Cleveland, Ohio? No problem...they ship it all out! Believe me...it's worth checking out. My mom sends my challah every once in a while - best surprise gift ever!

I was in Ohio for my dad's 60th birthday this past weekend & stopped in to visit Lucy's (and to get some Apple Challah, of course!). The man who owns the place, Michael Feigenbaum, is really personable & a great pastry chef. To order, you can either visit their site or email him at info@lucyssweetsurrender.com. They also have a blog, which you should check out:

ForHavensCake.blogspot.com

Let me know what you think once you've checked it out. Oh, and if you need some visual stimulation to order from them, check out this giant challah, courtesy of Lucy's Sweet Surrender:

Fiber One Pie Crust, by Reader Request

2009-06-18T07:42:00.005-04:00

One of this blog's readers reminded me that I never shared with you the awesome, healthified version of Pumpkin Pie that I found about a year ago. I believe I promised it to you guys around Thanksgiving - so sorry for the delay! It really is a great recipe though...and summer is a great time for pie. So, the timing is perfect!

I actually found this recipe on one of my favorite sites: Hungry Girl. If you haven't checked it out yet, it's a really great concept: she provides substitute recipes for foods that are normally very high in calories and fat. I've tried many of her recipes in the past - some have been remarkably similar to the "real thing".

This substitute Pumpkin Pie recipes does a number on the nutrition facts of this classic pie recipe - so much so that you can actually have two servings & not feel guilty! Pretty awesome, right? Hungry Girl reports that a serving of her pie (1/8 of the final product) has only 133 calories, 3 grams of fat, 9 grams fiber, only 8 grams of sugar and 6 grams of protein. This is in comparison to a normal slice of pumpkin pie: 400 calories, 18 grams of fat, 2 grams of fiber, 28 grams of sugar and 7 grams of protein (recipes will vary).

The recipe does use sugar substitute, but honestly, I don't think you can really taste it. Here is the recipe for you:

Hungry Girl's Lighter Pumpkin Pie Recipe

For Crust

2 cups Fiber One Brand Cereal

1/4 cup light whipped butter

1 tbsp. Splenda

1 tsp. cinnamon

For Filling

One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

One 12-oz. can evaporated fat-free milk

1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (I really like baking with these!)

3/4 cup Splenda

1/4 cup sugar-free pancake syrup

1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice (I combined nutmeg, cinnamon & ground cloves for this)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. salt

Optional Topping: Fat Free Reddi-wip or Cool Whip Free

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine butter with 2 tbsp. water. Microwave until just melted, and set aside.

In a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency. You can also get the right consistency by smashing up the Fiber One in a bag using a hammer. It's not nearly as easy as using a food processor, though.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine butter mixture and crumbs with remaining ingredients for crust. Stir until mixed well.

Spray an oven-safe 9-inch pie dish lightly with nonstick spray. Evenly distribute crust mixture, using your hands or a flat utensil to firmly press and form the crust. Press it into the edges and up along the sides of the dish. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for the filling. Mix well.

Pour mixture into pie crust. The filling may be taller than the crust - according to HG, this is okay. If you have any left over, place in small, greased ramekins & bake for about 22- 28 minutes (ovens will vary - important to pay attention to these as they can dry out easily).

Bake pie in the oven for 45 minutes. Allow pie to cool slightly after removing from the oven.

Refrigerate for several hours (overnight is best). Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

"Friendly" Nostalgia

2009-06-17T15:20:00.005-04:00

This past weekend I was down at my beach house in New London, CT with some girlfriends from college. Conveniently, my beach house resides in the same town as our Alma Matter (Connecticut College). The point of the weekend? To catch up & to go to all of our most memorable places from our 4 years together. You know what we realized? About 95% of what we wanted to do while reminiscing had to do with eating…yikes…I’m not sure how I stayed thin in college…

One of my favorite traditions with these ladies was to go to Friendly’s for dinner & ice cream…especially the ice cream. If you haven’t been, it really is quite the treat. One of my friends never fails to get the Reese’s Pieces sundae (which, I might add, is quite tasty). If you went to Friendly’s as a kid, though, you might remember something called the Cone Head Sundae…you know…ice cream in a bowl, chocolate dipped sugar cone for the hat, whipped cream for the ears, Reese’s Pieces under the ice cream & used for the eyes/nose…so fun!

Somehow, my friend Katrina was able to talk the waiter into creating this Sundae for her (so if you go & it’s not on the menu…don’t take no for an answer!). I must say, he did a great job & it was really cute. Take a look:

It’s funny how so many traditions revolve around eating…I’m sure you all have your eating traditions with friends, family, coworkers…etc. My advice? Everything in moderation…life is too short to deny yourself, but you don’t want to gorge on high calorie snacks all day either J

Happy eating & happy summer! Hopefully it’s warmer where you are than here in Boston – it has been the coldest June!

3 Keys to Chewy Cookies

2009-06-12T08:32:00.005-04:00

The PR department at my company often receives free magazines where our stores have had products featured. One of my absolute favorite publications, Cook's Illustrated, is amongst those publications. This is absolutely awesome because I can peruse the recipes, tips and tricks for free!

A few days ago I was looking through one such magazine and happened upon three great tricks for making deliciously perfect chewy chocolate cookies. I'm certainly going to be trying these out; I thought some of you might appreciate them as well.

Eliminate the Yolk: Reduce your egg(s) to just the white portion. This cuts excess fat, which can make cookies too tender.

Incorporate Cocoa: Use powder cocoa rather than melted chocolate in your batter. This will help to keep tenderness in check. (Use a high quality cocoa so that you don't lose the intense chocolate flavor). You can also substitute more cocoa for some of the flour to enrich the chocolate flavor without hurting the consistency. Be careful to not subsitute too much - the reaction between the flour & liquid ingredients greats gluten, which helps the cookies stick together.

Use Less White Sugar: By replacing some of your white sugar with dark corn syrup and dark brown sugar, you'll help to boost your cookie's chewiness.

Cook's Illustrated is now available through an online subscription! So, you don't have to sort through paper magazines anymore...just sign in online!

"Curiouser and Curiouser"

2009-06-10T10:30:00.001-04:00

It is my eventual goal to open up a business whose main objective is to sell deliciously irresistible baked goods. These days, with The Food Network becoming more an more popular, the food market is becoming increasingly competitive. Because of this fact, it is important to have a unique & thrilling concept that draws a crowd.

Now think...try to remember a time when you ran into a coffee shop or bakery in your home city or in a city you were visiting and thought "wow, what a great idea". Or maybe I'm describing your favorite place to go for regular brunch dates with your friends...or the local coffee shop you curl up and read in every Sunday afternoon. You know what I'm talking about - that great idea that you wish you had come up with...

I just got back from yet another weekend in NYC (do I live in Boston or NYC? I'm starting to wonder...). While there, I went not once but twice to one of my favorite bakery businesses in the city. The first time was to pick up one of their famous Pumpkin Scones (A-MA-ZING), and the second time was to have brunch with my friend Kristen.

The place is called Alice's Tea Cup and is the greatest concept for all ages. From small children to great grandparents, and all that fall in between, this place is perfect. When kids arrive, they're dusted with "fairy dust" and outfitted with "fairy wings" that they wear throughout their dining experience. The place is great for any dining experience: a couples brunch, a casual meal, or little kid's birthday parties. And did I mention the scones?? Out of this world...I need to find the recipe for their pumpkin scones (help!)...like I just said, they're incredible. Crispy on the outside, fluffy and hearty on the inside...just enough sugar to satisfy and sweet tooth, but not overwhelming.

The wait staff there is young and energetic, and the atmosphere is adorable. The decorations literally make you feel as though you've fallen into the Alice in Wonderland book. The walls are covered with pictures of Alice in Wonderland statues (from around the city) and quotes from the story. Many of the tables are old sewing tables, which ads even more flavor to the place.

Aside from the scones, which I think you get by now that I LOVE, their tea is brewed upon ordering and is incredibly tasty (huge variety available too). The rest of the food is well made and worth checking out too.

NYC has three locations; one on the Upper West Side and two on the Upper East Side. Be sure to get there early (around 9/930) on a weekend if you don't want to wait...once you get into "normal" weekend waking hours, you can expect to wait for over an hour. Surprised? I told you...it's really good :). They also have a display counter where you can get baked goods to go (the scones I keep raving about as well as cupcakes, cookies & other great confections).

Check them out - you won't be disappointed.

Challah Bread

2009-06-09T07:12:00.004-04:00

There are many reasons that I love being Jewish, but one of the big ones is the food. Cultures around the world focus around traditions including cuisine. Being a self admitted carb-a-holic, being Jewish works out quite well for me...not so much for my diet; thank goodness for self control.

One of my personal favorite "dishes" of Jewish cuisine is the traditional bread called Challah. A white, fluffy, sweet bread, this stuff is to die for. When I was little, my family coined the phrase "Challah hollower"...apparently I only enjoyed the soft inside and therefore chose to pull that out of the loaf to the horror of the rest of my family. By the way, I do enjoy the crust now :).

Now living in Brookline, MA, there are a lot of great places to buy delicious challah: Clear Flour Bread Bakery, The Butchery, and there is a woman who makes amazing challah & sells it at the JP Licks on Harvard Ave (in Coolidge Corner). Back in Ohio, where I'm from, there is this bakery called Lucy's that makes the most insanely delicious Challah I've ever had in my life. They have a variety of flavors, my favorite being the apple cinnamon. I've heard from my mother that they're closing...I'll be home in a few weeks and plan to go beg for some of their recipes...we'll see how that goes...

Personally, though, I love to make it! Time consuming? Maybe a little...but the dough tastes aweseome and, quite honestly, there is nothing like filling the apartment/house with the smell of freshly baked bread. And the taste...incomparable!

Last weekend I visited my friend in NYC - the main purpose of the visit was to attend the Belmont Stakes (awesome!). As a thank you to her for constantly hosting me, I brought her my "famous" cinnamon sugar challah (I say "famous" because she is obsessed).

Here is the recipe that my mother shared with me - I'm not sure where she got it, but it's awesome.

Challah Bread

(Thanks to my sis for the pic - she made it recently as well!)

4 to 4 1/2 cups unbleached flour or bread flour
1 package of dry yeast or 1 cube of cake yeast

1 1/4 cups lukewarm water

1/4 baking powder
1/4 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/2 t vanilla
3 large eggs
3/8 cup oil (corn or vegetable)
3/8 cup + 1/8 TBSP sugar

Place 3 cups of flour in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center.

Blend the yeast with 1 cup of water. Stir to dissolve.

Pour yeast mixture into the well in the flour.

Using a fork begin stirring the yeast mixture in the well, gradually blending about ¼ of the flour into the yeast mixture.

Cover the bowel with a damp towel and set in a warm place to stand for 45 to 50 minutes.

Sprinkle baking powder, 3/8 cups sugar, cinnamon, and salt over the flour and yeast mixture.

Add the vanilla, 2 eggs, oil, 3/8 cup of oil and the remaining water. Blend with the fork.

Add one cup of flour and work into the dough with hands. If dough is sticky add up to another cup of flour.

Continue to work the dough with hands for another 10 minutes. When dough does not stick to hands, it is ready (add more flour if necessary).

Shape the dough into a coarse ball. Cover with damp towel and let rest for 20 minutes.

Turn dough out onto a floured board or granite surface and knead, adding flour as needed to keep from sticking, about 5 minutes.

Shape dough into a smooth ball. Place in floured bowel. Cover with damp towel and allow to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Cut dough into four equal pieces and shape each into a rope. Avoid handling dough too much.

Line the four ropes vertically next to each other. Pinch together at one end. Braid by bringing the far right rope over, under and over the next three ropes. Repeat until ropes are braided together and pinch ends together.

Tuck ends of braid under the loaf.

Place loaf on a generously greased 15 x 10 baking pan. Cover with damp towel and allow to rise for one hour. Volume should approximately double.

Preheat oven to 325°

Beat the remaining egg with ⅛ t sugar and brush over the loaf.

Bake for approximately one hour.

When Exactly Are Cupcakes Done?

2009-06-07T07:41:00.001-04:00

Often I am asked during my cupcake classes "when do you know that cupcakes are done?" There are a few methods that you can use to test cupcakes during the baking process.

The first thing you want to watch for is for the top of the cupcakes to start "poofing" up. A good recipe will always cause your cupcakes to rise above the top of the tins. At the same time, you'll notice cracks in the surface to appear. Your cupcakes will be nearing baking completion when the cracks start to look fibrous rather than wet. The exposed surface area will also start to turn a slightly darker color than the batter. Vanilla cupcakes will start to turn a golden brown; chocolate cupcakes will start to turn a deeper dark brown color.

When your cupcakes start look look as described above, insert a toothpick into the center of 2-3 of the cupcakes (in various parts of the muffin pan). If the toothpick comes out clean, they're ready. Be careful not to wait too long as they can bake too long and dry out.

If you don't have toothpics, you can also feel the tops to see if they're done. Using very little pressure, lightly tap on the top of the cupcakes. If they give but bounce back when you relieve the pressure you're placing on them, they're ready. If they're not ready, they'll feel squishy (like the batter isn't fully baked).

Potassium Packed Party Pastries

2009-06-06T07:00:00.002-04:00

Potassium is a very important vitamin - it helps with blood pressure regulation and muscle contraction. Low potassium can cause your muscles to cramp - you know, those oh so unpleasant "charlie horse" level muscle spasms - not fun.

When muscle cramps happen, say in a sports game or during a run, often the quickest piece of advice is to eat a banana. But hey, wouldn't it be way more fun AND delicious to eat a banana CUPCAKE?? Yeah, I thought so :)

This recipe is packed with potassium goodness, as well as all the other ingredients that make a ridiculously tasty after-meal treat. My favorite combination, using this recipe, is the combination of the chocolate frosting recipe I shared yesterday and this banana cupcake recipe. To top it off (both for additional taste & for a cute look) I add chocolate sprinkles & a slice of banana

DE-LI-CIOUS!

(pic with cream cheese frosting)

This recipe tastes a lot like banana bread - it actually requires one banana more than my favorite banana bread recipe. The difference is the consistency of the pastry - it's not quite as dense as a banana bread, keeping the "cupcake" quality. They also bake up with a nice rounded top - perfect for icing/frosting. Whether you choose to eat solo or top with chocolate or perhaps cream cheese frosting (see below), you'll achieve a treat that your whole family/party/office will enjoy.

Banana Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour (spooned and leveled)
3/4 cup Sugar
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, melted
1 1/2 cups mashed Bananas (about 4 ripe bananas), plus 1 whole banana, for garnish (optional)
2 large Eggs, room temperature
1/2 tsp pure Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla.

Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Place banana mixture in well. Stir to incorporate flour mixture (careful not to over mix). Dividing evenly, spoon batter into muffin cups.

Bake until toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25-30 minutes.

Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Spread tops with frosting of choice. Just before serving, peel and slice banana into rounds, and place on one each cupcake, if desired.

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz Unsalted Butter, softened
4 oz Cream Cheese, softened
2 cups Powdered Sugar (Confectioners' Sugar)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer.

With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until smooth and creamy.

Beat in the vanilla extract. Chill before using.

Cupcakes Cupcakes Cupcakes

2009-06-05T07:00:00.002-04:00

I've posted before about my side hobby/job as a baking instructor at the Boston Center for Adult Education (by the way - teaching a cookie class on July 23! click the cookie pic in the upper left corner for more details). Last night I had my first class in their brand new kitchen at 122 Arlington Street - AMAZING kitchen. I felt like I was teaching a class on the Food Network or something...all stainless steel appliances, beautiful assortment of mixers, pots & pans, bowls...ah...amazing!

The class was a lot of fun too - I stuck with the standard (but delicious) chocolate & vanilla cupcakes. I did add one fun cupcake recipe: banana cupcakes with cream cheese frosting...mmm. The banana cupcakes were AMAZING with the chocolate frosting actually...yum!

The vanilla cake recipe that I used is my go-to that I've blogged about before: http://www.creativeconfectioneryblog.com/2009/01/classic-vanilla-cupcake.html

The chocolate & banana cupcakes baked SO well in the new, state of the art ovens - actually better than the vanilla ones - not too sure why that was. These are great recipes to use though. Some are from the recipe files of the famous NYC bakery Magnolia Bakery, and some are others I've had or found along the way...

Today I'm sharing the chocolate cupcake & chocolate frosting recipes - banana cupcakes, vanilla & cream cheese frosting recipes coming soon :)

Chocolate Cupcakes
(makes 24 cupcakes)

2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, Softened
1 cup Sugar, granulated
1 cup firmly packed Light Brown Sugar
4 large Eggs, at room temperature
6 ounces Unsweetened Chocolate, melted*
1 cup Buttermilk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers. Set aside.

Using a double boiler, slowly melt the unsweetened chocolate, being careful not to burn. If you don't have a double boiler, use a pan with a bowl over it with an equal sized diameter. Once you have this, here is what you do:

- Fill a small to medium sized pan 1/2 way with water. Heat until simmering.
- Turn the heat off & place bowl immediately over hot water. This will keep the

chocolate from burning

- Add the chocolate in pieces, constantly stirring, until all is melted. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the chocolate, mixing until well incorporated.

Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.

Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full (a little higher is okay).

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins & cool completely on wire racks before icing.

Chocolate Frosting

2 3/4 cups Confectioners' Sugar
6 TBSP Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
6 TBSP butter
5 TBSP Evaporated Milk (add more, 1 TBSP at a time, of the frosting seems to dry)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

In a medium bowl, sift together the confectioners' sugar and cocoa 5 times, and set aside (really important to get the right consistency)

In a large bowl, cream butter until smooth, then gradually beat in sugar mixture alternately with evaporated milk (split the sugar mixture into 3 or 4 parts for this altering method).

Blend in vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy.

If necessary, adjust consistency with more milk or sugar (more milk if too dry, more sugar if too soupy).

**Before frosting your cupcakes, make sure that they're completely cool or this frosting will melt.

No Double Boiler? No Problem!

2009-06-04T07:33:00.003-04:00

Many great baking recipes require a double boiler to melt chocolate. Problem is, many of us (myself included) do not own a double boiler. Bummer...

Please don't let this fact persuade you to avoid recipes requiring ingredients like melted chocolate, or more expensively - to go out and buy a double boiler.

Do you have a standard small-medium sized pot? Do you have a mixing bowl? Great - then you can melt chocolate in your very own home!

Here is what to do:

Fill your pot up 1/2 way with water. Place over stove & heat until the water comes to a simmer/almost boil.

Place bowl over the pot & turn the heat OFF. Chocolate burns very easily, creating a gummy, congealed consistency. Turning off the heat slows the melting process only a tiny bit & makes burning the chocolate much less likely.

Once your bowl is over the pot, with the heat off, add 1-2 pieces of chocolate. Stirring constantly, you should start to see the chocolate pieces melting almost immediately. Once these pieces are mostly melted, add 2 more pieces. Continue until all pieces are melted.

I recommend doing this almost immediately before you need to add this ingredient to the recipe. Allowing it to cool some is okay, but you don't want it to re-solidify in your bowl.

Good Luck!

Nut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

2009-06-02T12:00:00.001-04:00

I happened across this recipe when baking with a friend a few months ago. I have to say, this is one of the better peanut butter cookie recipes I've found. The oatmeal inclusion gives these cookies a great, chewy texture. When I made these a few months ago with my friend we used Almond Butter - I liked this better than peanut butter, though I do like the peanut butter version as well.

Here's the recipe - enjoy!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

1 stick Butter, softened
1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar, lightly packed
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Egg
3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1 cup Quick Oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream the butter and peanut butter together in a large mixer on high.

Add the sugar, brown sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until the mixture is fluffy.

Add the egg and beat until combined. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and oats together in a separate bowl and add to the butter mixture. Mix until well combined.

Place the batter onto a sheet pan by the tablespoonful, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Bake in the top half of the oven until the cookies are golden, about 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Spin on Summer Pasta Salad

2009-06-01T12:00:00.001-04:00

Most of what I know about cooking, I learned from my mother. I'm not sure how she knows what ingredients combine to make a great pasta salad - but she certainly has a knack for it! The following recipe is a spin off of a non-pasta salad that she made a few years ago. It's quite healthy & delicious!

When you think of summer cooking, I'm sure one of the biggest themes that come to mind is Barbecue. Grilled veggies, hot off the grill, comprise my favorite summer side items. One favorite in particular is asparagus. The tomato is also one of my favorite summer sides - I guess that's a fruit though :).

For a friend's barbecue yesterday I created a pasta salad that combined my favorites listed above with the idea of a pasta salad. Because it's bathing suit season, I decided to steer clear of the creamy pasta salad variety. Try to combine these flavors in your head: grape tomatoes, asparagus, balsamic vinaigrette and blue cheese. Tasty, right? Add in some bow tie pasta of your liking and you have a great side dish for any summer barbecue. Below is the recipe in full.

Vinaigrette Based Pasta Salad

1 box Bow Tie Pasta (I prefer Barilla as it is multi-grain & a healthier choice)
1 small container Grape Tomatoes
1 large bunch Asparagus
Crumbled Blue Cheese (to taste)
Newman's Light Balsamic Vinaigrette (to taste)

Bring a pot of water to boil. Break off the ends of your asparagus spears & throw away. Chop the usable part of your spears into 1.5 - 2 inch pieces.

Blanch your asparagus pieces. To do this, place into boiling water & cook for approximately 5 minutes. Immediately strain & allow to cool.

Cook your pasta as described on the box. Strain & cool about 5 minutes.

Combine your pasta & asparagus. Cut grape tomatoes in half & mix into the pasta/asparagus mixture.

Add blue cheese & dressing to taste. I added about 3 - 3.5 ounces of crumbled blue cheese and 7 TBSP of dressing to my salad.

Refrigerate for 2-3 hours (until everything is nice and cool). Stir before serving to make sure the dressing is covering all of your ingredients.

Enjoy!

Grilled Summer Dessert

2009-05-30T07:59:00.004-04:00

When I do have time to watch television (which doesn't seem to be much these days), my tv is tuned to The Food Network. This morning, thanks to my cat, I was up watching this very network at 7am this morning. Though I wish I had slept a bit longer, I did get the chance to catch a great idea for a summer fruit dessert. This recipe requires very few ingredients and only about 40 minutes - most of which is just waiting.

I'm a huge fruit fan, so of course I needed to try this right away. I ran up to my local grocery store & picked up three types of fruit: a red plum, a white plum & a nectarine. You can really use whatever sweet fruit you want - Giada (the chef showing this recipe on TFN) recommended strawberries & pineapple as great alternatives.

So - you want to buy stone fruit that is firm but gives slightly to the touch. You need one of each fruit for every two people you'll be serving.

First, soak the appropriate number of bamboo skewers in water for about 30 minutes. This keeps them from burning during the grilling process.

Once your skewers are ready, slice each of your pieces of fruit in half & remove the pits. Next, skewer 1/2 of each type of fruit onto your skewer (so you have 1/2 nectarine, 1/2 red plum, 1/2 white plum - or whatever fruit you've decided to use).

Place your skewered fruite cut side up on a plate & sprinkle lightly with granulated sugar. This recipe would be excellent by itself, but the inclusion of sugar gives the surface a sweet crispy taste that is to die for!

Heat up your grill and place skewers cut side down. Grill for about 5 minutes. Remove & plate on a serving platter along with some pretty green adornments - Giada used mint leaves, which I thought looked beautiful.