The very best distractions.

March 29th? That's the last time I posted? Geez. Sorry guys. I guess March and April have been full of distractions and the blog suffered as a result.


It's not that I haven't been baking. In fact, I've been enjoying my baking more than ever recently. What makes it so much fun, you ask? Well, I've been baking for someone. A specific someone. An earth-shatteringly cool someone. So instead of baking and then jumping on my laptop, I've been packaging up my finished products and heading over to share the wealth with the coolest dude in New York.

I'm sure he'll pop up more in this blog as we spend quite a bit of time in the kitchen together. Yeah, it's pretty, pretty awesome. Thank you very much.

The other distraction involves peanut butter and a project I've been working on for a local restaurant in New York. Unfortunately, I can't post anything here about it, but once things get into gear and things start popping up online, I'll be sure to post links to let everyone see this currently top secret info.

Sometimes you just have to bake some cookies

I've been in a baking funk lately. It's been a combination of a somewhat new (and inferior) kitchen and just lack of time, but I won't lie and say my inspiration hasn't been at a dribble too.

This past weekend, I caught a cold and couldn't go out for Halloween. I was bummed as a good friend of mine was throwing her annual Halloween party, and instead of having a great time with friends and dressing up as a Day of the Dead doll, I was lying on the couch watching So I Married an Axe Murderer and wondering what my life would have been like if I had been my age now in 1993 and when exactly Mike Meyers became NOT funny.

After I wrapped up Axe Murderer, I found myself bored. I wasn't tired as I had been sleeping all day. I didn't feel like getting online and playing around on Facebook, so I was left with few options. I went into the kitchen and began what has become my routine the past two months - opening the fridge with the brief hope that somehow it has filled itself magically with ingredients so I could whip up a sweet feast. What did I have? Two onions, half a stick of unsalted butter and black truffle butter. A feast I did not have.

Before meandering back into my bedroom, I remembered the peanut butter and jelly I had bought a couple of weeks earlier. I had bought these household mainstays with the idea of making a cookie recipe I had seen in Martha Stewart Living. I was craving some sweets, so making these comfort cookies became my mission for the night.


To call this recipe a "mission" is a bit dramatic. Time-wise, these bad boys took me less than an hour to make, and that includes bake time.

Even though I'm still getting over this cold, I have to believe that the chicken noodle soup and PB&J cookie combo is what's really speeding along the healing process.


Peanut Butter & Jelly Thumbprint Cookies
Makes 40

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup raspberry jam

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat peanut butter and butter with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add sugars, and beat until pale and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, and beat until incorporated. Reduce speed to low. Add dry ingredients, and mix until combined.

Scoop level tablespoons of dough, and form into balls. Roll each ball in granulated sugar, and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
Bake until cookies are puffy, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and make indentations in centers by pressing with the handle end of a wooden spoon. Return to oven, and bake until edges are golden, 6 to 7 minutes more. Transfer sheets to wire racks, and let cool completely.

Heat jam in a small saucepan, stirring, until loosened, about 30 seconds. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon into each indentation. Cookies can be stored in a single layer for up to 1 week.

Interview with Eric Erwin, the Executive Vice President of Marketing & Product Development for Wilton

This column originally appeared on Cupcakes Take the Cake where I write the weekly CakeWalk column. I thought it was worth posting on my personal baking site as well.



As much as I love cupcake blogging, it's not something that really gets the bills paid on my end. So, I'm proud to say that I'm also the Social Media Marketing Manager at Ask.com. I've learned that not only our my Ask colleagues cupcake fanatics too, they love that I write for this blog. You really can't find a better place to work.

While visiting our corporate headquarters in Oakland earlier this week, I learned that one of my colleague's is the daughter of the head honcho over at Wilton. I was thrilled with the idea of doing a Q&A with the company as I'm a major fan of their baking products and as an employee of Ask.com, it's in my nature to ask AND answer questions.

Eric Erwin, the Executive Vice President of Marketing & Product Development for Wilton, was kind enough to sign on board to answer my questions. In even better news, I've been told that I will be receiving some Wilton goodies in the mail, and I will be giving those away to some lucky Cupcakes Take the Cake readers as soon as I receive them! Keep your eyes peeled for future CakeWalk columns to find out about the upcoming contest...


What is your top seller related to cupcakes?
We noticed about 4 years ago that muffin pans started to sell at a much greater rate than other baking pans. That insight lead us to ask the question why? What occurred to us was that cupcakes had become the ‘individual and personalized’ treat for many celebrations. To leverage this insight, we developed a large assortment of truly innovative products that allowed the home baker a chance to truly deliver inspired and personalized amazing cupcakes. To support this we published a book called Cupcake Fun!

Wilton published Cupcake Fun! to celebrate the cupcake and the people who love it.

Have you seen an uptick in business with the cupcake trend in the past 4 to 5 years?
Definitely. For a long time we serviced the ‘personalized cake’ treat market by allowing consumers to use our cake decorating products for cupcakes. Today, we have cupcake decorating kits, kits that have just the right ‘tips’ for decorating cupcakes, sprinkles that are oversized just for cupcakes, and a whole range of cupcake wraps that allow even the most novice of decorators to present their creations well.


In your opinion, is the cupcake phenomenon still growing?
Cupcakes work well in many celebrations and parties where individual ‘cakes’ can be put out and left. They can be handled as ‘finger food.’ We are creating some amazing new products that allow you to present and display cupcakes at many parties: Halloween and Graduation for example. Everyone loves a cupcake because it reminds them of childhood and happy memories. Different types and flavors of cupcakes are still very popular but probably as more of a tradition than a trend now.

Wilton carries everything from baking pans to cupcake liners and holiday decorative toppers - these are just some of the products you can find for Halloween on Wilton.com.

According to your sales and/or gut feeling, what is the next big baking fad we’re sure to see?
We just introduced a whole new line of products around brownies. We supported this with a book called Brownie Fun! Many of the new product forms have done very well and this has developed into a basic line of products within our cake decorating assortments. That said we are very excited about the increased interest in cookie baking. Holiday cookie baking and the rise of ‘cookie exchanges’ is invigorating the home baking market. Maybe it is the economy forcing people to think about giving gifts that they hand make, or maybe it is because you can be very creative making a gift and the presentation box. Both activities are exciting, fun and gratifying. Last year there were more cookie exchange parties happening than ever before. To support this we have just launched our Cookie Exchange program. It includes a Cookie Exchange book with instructions on how to host a party plus more than 150 recipes and project ideas, baking and decorating equipment needed plus a Cookie Memories Contest on Facebook and at Wilton.com.

Wilton has a robust cupcake section on Wilton.com – has Wilton always put an emphasis on this tiny cake or is this a new effort emerging from the general consumer interest in cupcakes?
It is reflective of the broad interests in personalized individual baked treats. We’ve always had cupcake products but we now make it easier for the consumer to find all of the different products and inspirational ideas related to cupcakes.


What sort of MUST HAVE tools would you recommend for a new baker on a budget?
A good aluminum pan for cake so that you get the perfect ‘cake skin’— that is cake skin that doesn’t crumble into your icing. Wilton will introduce Ultra Gold bakeware in the spring of 2010 that really are the most innovative baking pans ever! If you can’t wait until then, try our Performance Pans or Decorating Preferred pans.


Who creates the cupcake recipes featured on Wilton.com?
The Wilton Test Kitchen at our corporate location in Woodridge, Illinois.

This little cupcake vampire is the result of Wilton's in-house team, led by Steve Rocco.

Who comes up with the decorating tips on Wilton.com? (The Halloween ideas are FANTASTIC, by the way)
Steve Rocco, our Director of Cake and Visual Design, comes up with the decorating tips. He has worked at Wilton for over 20 years. Steve is special and world famous for the great fun, color, and sweetness he adds to the ideas for the products that our managers develop. Steve has a staff of 12 highly talented decorators who execute the designs you see in our creative content.

The citrus zing that freshens your breath all day

The fact that I have a lemon tartlette in my blog header should be a good indication that I enjoy lemon desserts. If lemon is part of the description when it comes to any tart, pie, bar, cupcake, or pudding, chances are I will eat it.

The main reason I love lemon desserts is that a lemon tart was what I would consider the first fancy-ish dessert I ever successfully made. Up until the lemon tart, I was pretty much sticking to basic recipes like fudge and brownies. However, the day I whipped up a lemon tart for the time, I felt accomplished, like I found something I was actually quite good at. Since that fateful day in my kitchen, lemons represent my love for baking and pastry. I guess the old saying of "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade" applies here. If I hadn't been laid off from my job, I never would have started this blog which eventually led me to the bounty that are lemon desserts.

There are two other reasons I love lemon desserts. The first reason is obviously taste. I find that with lemon dishes, especially bars and tarts, the pop of citrus flavor stays in your mouth all day. I find that to be the sign of a good dessert - if hours later, you can still taste the main flavor. I find nothing more satisfying than hours after eating a lemon bar, I can still taste it on the roof of my mouth. The only problem with this is that it leaves me wanting more. I've been known to eat entire lemon tarts in less than two days. But hey - I'm a dessert blogger. The way I see it, I'm supposed to eat loads of dessert as it's part of the job description.

The second reason I love lemony desserts is the aesthetic appeal. In my almost 28 years, I've never seen an ugly lemon dessert. The taste might be horrible and intestine twisting at times, but damn if lemon goodies don't present themselves well.

This year, I've become a devote user of the Baking Unplugged cookbook. I won't go into my usual speech of how it's probably one of the greatest baking cookbooks ever written as I typically do when the book comes up in this blog. But trust me - it's one of the greatest baking cookbooks ever written. So, after trying out the recipe for cream scones and having a successful result, I ventured further into the book. What did I find? Lemon squares. Delicious, yummy, easy-to-make lemon squares.

Prior to this baking endeavor, I had never made my own lemon squares, and my experience with this particular baked good has been a mixed bag. I've eaten some decent lemon squares at bakeries and coffee shops in my time. Last Christmas time, my sister received some Barefoot Contessa lemon square mix in her stocking, and although the results were kind of mushy (by no fault of my sister), the taste was pretty good. However, I feel that every lemon square I've eaten up until this point has lacked the zing of flavor I described earlier. The lemon squares of my past simply supplied me with enough lemon zestiness that could easily be found in most sub-par lemonade.

To my readers that have hung out with me in real life and not just on this blog, you know what one problem I have with baking is that after I try a recipe, I always say it's easy. Now I'm not a trained pastry chef, but I know I've pissed off quite a few people by referring to a recipe as easy, only to have a friend find themselves contemplating sticking their head in the oven instead of the prepared dough after spending an hour with a recipe I recommended. However, I promise you these lemon squares are simple. If you can mix ingredients together in a bowl, you can make these lemon bars.

As someone obsessed with her Scottish heritage (when I say "obsessed," I mean that i get really excited about the idea of visiting Edinburgh and I can tell the difference between Scottish, Irish, and English accents), I knew I was going to love the Baking Unplugged lemon bars when I saw the recipe called for a shortbread crust. The simple, buttery flavor of the crust provides a nice subtle background to showcase the lemon flavors. Plus, who can deny a crust with such a high butter content? It just tastes really good.


Also, as someone who loves the simplicity of a "pat in the pan" dough, the shortbread crust was ideal. After mixing the ingredients to form the dough, all one has to do is dump the dough into a 13 x 9 baking dish and mush the dough evenly along the bottom. If you have hands, you can mush. Easy peasy.

The lemon curd is second part of the recipe. After reading about my love affair with lemons earlier in this blog post, let me be clear on one thing: Although I love lemons and the desserts they produce, I absolutely loathe zesting any sort of fruit. Similar to my fear of tripping on subway stairs and knocking out my front teeth (something that has not happened to this day), I have an innate fear of accidentally zesting my hand or finger while tackling a lemon. Not only would the act of tearing flesh hurt, you get the added one-two punch of having acidic citrus juice in your wound. But, this recipe calls for zesting, so I zested. Unwillingly, mind you!

And is it just me, or is the word "curd" kind of gross? I don't know why I always envision some of grotesque nature when I hear "curd," but I'm willing to bet it's because it rhymes so easily with...well, you get the picture.


Anyway, back to the dessert. After baking, the lemon squares must sit for 1 to 2 hours. I hated this part of the recipe because after I pulled these bad boys out of the oven, I wanted to dig in. However, I witnessed the benefits of waiting. The puffiness of the baked curd subsided and I was left with beautifully yellow-hued lemon squares. Since I'm a lemon purist, I didn't bother with the suggested dusting of powdered sugar, but that's an option you might like to employ. Powdered sugar is also a great way to hide any blemishes on the squares' surface.

One last thing: Nicole Rees, author of Baking Unplugged, suggests using hazelnuts or almonds in the crust, I've eliminated them in the recipe below as I didn't use them in my final product.


Recipe for Lemon Squares (from Baking Unplugged by Nicole Rees)

Equipment:
13 x 9 Baking pan
Foil
Wooden spoon
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Whisk
Zester
Cooling rack
Juicer

Crust Ingredients:
14 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted and cooled to just warm
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 C. all-purpose flour

Lemon Curd Ingredients:
4 large eggs
1 1/4 C. sugar
3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. salt
3/4 C. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs. grated lemon zest
Powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 13 x 9 baking pan with foil, leaving an overhanging edge for easy removal. Lightly butter the sides of foil (not the bottom) to prevent the lemon curd from sticking. In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, sugar, and salt until just combined. Add the flour and stir until dough just come together. Press the mixture evenly into the pan. Prick the dough with a fork. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (or freeze for 5 to 7 minutes), until the dough is firm.

Bake for 25-minute, until the crust begins to set but has not bun to brown at the edges (the center will not be firm yet).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth, about 1 minute. Whisk in the lemon juice and zest. Pour the filling over the hot crust. Return the pan to oven and increase the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 20 minutes or until the center is set and the edges are golden. The topping will no longer wiggle when the pan is moved. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool for 1 to 2 hours. When the bottom of the pan is cool, carefully lift the bars from the pan using the foil overhang and transfer them to a cutting board. Cut into 2" squares. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired, before serving.

This recipe yields 2 dozen lemon squares.

Second attempt at scones = SUCCESS

Last week, I attempted to bake scones for the first time, which I reported about on this blog. Well, my results were a big, fat failure. I guess the word "failure" is relative - the scones were edible and the flavor was actually pretty good, but they were too moist. My virgin scones were more like muffins masquerading as another breakfast treat.


So, I decided to throw the Martha Stewart recipe to the wayside and consult one of my favorite cookbooks - Baking Unplugged by Nicole Rees. I've made both cookie recipes from Nicole's book, and based on the rave reviews I received from eaters, I was confident that I'd have a better shot at achieving optimal scone results if I followed her recipe for cream scones.


I've said it before and I'll say it again - Nicole Rees is a baking genius. I was a little worried that the dough looked too dry and thought maybe that I should increase the amount of heavy whipping cream the recipe calls for, but I decided to trudge ahead and hope for the best. I knew I was on the right track when the dough actually formed into a round instead of a soggy clump as was the case with the Martha Stewart recipe. I actually got to cut the round into wedges, instead of taking handfuls of wet dough and slapping them on a baking sheet, as I did in my first attempt.

I had to increase the baking time by about 8 minutes, but that's just my crappy oven. I really need to invest in an oven thermometer. In the end, I ended up with eight golden cream scones. I tasted one just to make sure they tasted as good as they looked, and I'm proud to report that if I was grading this baking result, I'd give myself a 95%. I need to work on my presentation a little - some of the scones were a little cracked on top - but all in all, they are a complete success.

The only variations I made to Nicole's recipe concerned the vanilla and the sugar used for sprinkling. I received some wonderful homemade vanilla and bourbon extract from Katie at Salt and Chocolate, whom I follow on Twitter, and instead of regular sugar, I used demerara sugar, but only because I had bought it for use with the Martha Stewart scones from last week.


If you don't already own Nicole's book, you need to buy it. The lady is a food scientist when she's not writing fantastic cookbooks, so she really knows what she's talking about. I'm now 3 for 3 when it comes to successful baking results because of Baking Unplugged.

And for those of you that are interested, here is the recipe (but go buy the cookbook - it's full of more awesome recipes!):


Cream Scones (from Baking Unplugged by Nicole Rees)

Equipment:
Mixing bowl
Whisk
Spoon
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Pastry blender
2 baking sheets
Sheet of parchment paper
Fork
Pastry brush
Cooling rack

Ingredients:
2 C. all-purpose flour
1/4 C. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. heavy whipping cream plus 2 Tbs. for brushing
1/3 C. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" pieces
Sugar for sprinkling


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Stack two baking sheets together and line the top one with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir the vanilla extract into the heavy cream. With a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour until a few pea-sized lumps remain. With a fork, gradually stir in enough of the 3/4 cup heavy cream until the mixture just starts to come together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat into an 8" round about 1 1/2" high. Using a chef's knife or bench scraper, cut the dough round into 8 wedges. Transfer the wedges to the baking sheet, spacing the scones at least 1" apart. Brush the tops with the remaining heavy cream and sprinkle liberally with sugar. Bake in the top third of the oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until the tops are golden. Transfer the scones to a wire rack to co0l slightly, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve warm with jam.

My first attempt at blueberry scones

* This is not a photo of one of my scones. I didn't take any photographic evidence as I had just moved into my new apartment and misplaced my camera.

I've been a fan of scones for several years, but when I say this I mean a fan of eating them, not baking them myself. But about two months ago, I started mentally cataloging every scone recipe I came across. Martha Stewart included a blueberry scone recipe in Martha Stewart Living in the June issue, and Molly Wizenberg focused on a blueberry oat scone recipe in her Bon Appetit column this year. Nicole Rees has several scone recipes in her terrific cookbook Baking Unplugged, and obviously, The Joy of Cooking gives its opinion on the subject.

However, I've always made excuses not to try my hand at scone making. Typically, when I see a recipe that calls for some sort of fancy gadgetry, such as a food processor, I have a built in excuse - I don't have the money for that kind of new fangled kitchen technology (i.e. I'm currently unemployed and scrimp by each month on unemployment checks). Luckily, almost every scone recipe I've seen calls for a food processor, so I've been let off the hook. I conveniently ignored Nicole's recipes in Baking Unplugged, which is probably my favorite cookbook at the moment because the whole premise of the book is that you don't need expensive kitchen machinery. But Martha Stewart cornered me - her blueberry scone recipe was old-fashioned. I didn't need an electrical outlet for these scones. I was trapped. The scones were getting made.

It should be noted that I like baking because of its devotion to preciseness. The measuring of ingredients is not optional - it's essential. So, I will say right now that I followed the Martha Stewart Living recipe exactly. I double-checked the quantities of every single ingredient, so I was confident that my first go at scones was going to be successful...until I saw the dough.

Once you start baking or cooking for a while, you start to develop a sense of when something has gone wrong. I could tell the second I got to the step that called for turning the dough out onto a smooth surface to gently kneed and then form into a round to then cut into wedges. This dough was gooey. This dough wasn't going to form into a nice round. This looked almost like cookie dough, but wet.

My first inclination was to add flour. I thought this would soak up some of the moisture, but I became concerned it would dry out the final product. So, I gave up the idea of making perfect scone wedges and instead lumped wads of the dough onto a baking sheet and topped with sugar. Before putting in the oven, I took a quick taste of some leftover batter - it tasted scone-y. Maybe I was still on track.

I baked for about 10 minutes longer than instructed my Martha. The scones were definitely not finished when the original baking time expired. And even when I took the baked goods out of the oven, I was still confident that they were going to be great.

But, my perfect first try at blueberry scones was not to be. I don't like crumbly, dry scones, but my finished product was too moist. They tasted like scones - actually, the flavor was quite good, but the moist texture reminded me of a muffin. A muffin with a moist scone texture. As much as I like both scones and muffins, I do not condone an incestuous relationship of the two. A few days later, after being stored under a cake dome, the scones were still moist. I'm a big enough fan of scones to know this isn't the desired effect.

I'm not quite sure where things went wrong, but my guess is the amount of buttermilk the recipe calls for. I believe it was too much. Secondly, I don't think I let the scones cool long enough on the cooling rack before I put them in the cake dome. I think this caused moisture to sink in when it at least some of it should have evaporated. But I blame the buttermilk for the root of the problem. I will not take the fall for buttermilk, my least favorite of any milk-related products.

My next plan of attack is to try out the cream scone recipe in Nicole's cookbook. I've tried out two of Nicole's recipes so far, and they have both turned out wonderful - and that isn't just praise from me, but from the people that enjoyed the fruits of her book. I'll be sure to post a recap of Scones: Round 2 soon.

The perfect tart for your summer soiree

When it comes to desserts, my philosophy is that if done properly, they become a work of art. I think the tart is a prime example of this. Even with the simplest decoration, the tart can be the most eye catching dish on one's table, the glazed sheen of the fruit acting almost like an organic chandelier.

On the same token, tarts can be intimidating as hell to make. I learned a few years ago that the biggest hurdle people must get over in their creative pursuits is fear of failure. This lesson was made clear to me while attending a floristry class in Sydney, Australia. While working on my first flower arrangement, I couldn't help but here the women surrounding me uttering "I can't do this" and "Why doesn't mine look like hers" while pointing at another student's work. It struck me as odd that these women seemed on the verge of an emotional melt down because in their minds, their interpretive flower designs weren't "right." However, I can identify. I've been in positions in the past where I've actually had bosses say "You suck at writing." Despite the lack of professionalism, my main issue was that I didn't see their name published alongside any noted pieces of literature or newspaper bylines. What made them the authority on what constituted good writing? The worst part was that my confidence in my writing abilities was greatly diminished. I'm still working on my fears of not writing well. Harsh words stick with you, but I've found the more you stick at something, the better you get. Whether you apply this motto to flower design or writing, and everything in between, I think this mantra applies.

Assembling a delicious tart is something anyone can do. My advice is start out small, which is the exact course I'm taking. And luckily for me, I found a great recipe in Martha Stewart Living to start me on my way of constructing beautiful, eye catching tarts.

In the July edition of Martha's magazine, French chef Tony Esnault is featured along with a terrific menu he put together for a family meal. Obviously, I skipped right to the end where Chef Esnault chose a strawberry tart with cream as the dessert of choice. At first, the words "glaze" threw me for a loop. How do you make a glaze? I can't do this! I give up!

The idea of this dessert stuck with me for a few days. I prefer to make "pat-in-the-pan" crusts because I find them easier to manage (The Joy of Cooking has a great recipe) or I'm sure a store bought crust would work just as well. If I could make the crust, which is something most people find to be the most difficult part of baking, why couldn't I make the filling? I reminded myself that baking is not rocket science and picked up the magazine again.

In the end, it was the photo of the dessert that brought me back to the recipe. It was simple - an arrangement of shiny strawberries. Why would I be afraid of that? Strawberries won't keep me down!

Then I learned Chef Esnault's tip to making a delicious tart filling AND glaze. All you need are two jars of strawberry preserves. You simply heat up the preserves on the stove and when the preserves have loosened, you strain them through a fine sieve. Whatever is left in the sieve (the solids) goes into the tart crust. After you arrange the strawberries in the tart filling, you take the glaze that was strained through the sieve (the liquids) and brush it onto the strawberries. Voilà! The perfect summer time dessert!

For the recipe below, I've used the crust that Chef Esnault recommends, but as mentioned, feel free to get creative with this aspect of the dish.

Strawberry Tart with Cream by Chef Tony Esnault

Makes 2 tarts
Serves 8

Ingredients:
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting (optional)
2 large egg yolks, plus 1 large egg, lightly beaten, for egg wash
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 pints (6 cups) strawberries, hulled
3 cups strawberry preserves (two 12-ounce jars)
1 cup heavy cream

Directions:
Cream butter and 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy. Add yolks, and beat until just incorporated. Add flour and salt, and beat until just incorporated. Shape dough into 2 disks, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to 3 days).
Roll out each disk into an 11-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Fit each round into the bottoms and up the sides of a 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Prick the bottoms of dough with a fork, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush crusts with egg wash. Bake, pressing down crusts if they start to bubble, until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely, and remove from pans.

Trim strawberries to about the same height. Heat preserves in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until loose. Strain through a fine sieve. You will have about 1 cup of solids. Spread 1/2 cup solids over bottom of each tart. Arrange strawberries in a single layer over the top, placing cut sides down. Brush strawberries with just enough warm glaze to make berries shiny. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired.

Beat cream with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar just until thickened. Cut each tart into quarters, and serve slices topped with whipped cream.

Helpful Hint:
If you prefer to make one tart, this recipe can be halved.

Check out Cupcakes Take The Cake for my weekly column today!

I just posted my weekly CakeWalk column over at Cupcakes Take the Cake. Head on over and check it out!

This week's topic is the importance of a moist cupcake (Please note that I loathe the word "moist," but sometimes it must be used...).

CakeWalk: The Savory Cupcake Dilemma of 2009 is posted on Cupcakes Take The Cake!

My weekly CakeWalk column has just been posted on Cupcakes Take the Cake. This week's post is entitled "The Savory Cupcake Dilemma of 2009". Check it out!

Also, you can see last week's column ("Will the real buttercream icing please stand up?") here.

CIA Baking & Pastry Student Wins Scholarship that Brings Money, Travel and Fame

The Culinary Institute of America has just announced that pastry and baking student Kathryn Stork has won the Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter/Food & Wine Scholarship after completing a 30-week intensive course at the CIA. Stork will soon graduate with a Baking & Pastry Certificate and will then head to Ireland to further explore the benefits of Kerrygold butter, presumably.

The full press release, and winning recipe, is below:

CIA Baking & Pastry Student Wins Scholarship that Brings Money, Travel and Fame

St. Helena, CA, May 6, 2009 – It wasn't long ago that Kathryn Stork regularly watched her idol, Martha Stewart, bake inspiring creations then head to the kitchen of her Port Ludlow, WA home to channel the inspiration into her own baking. Now, Stork is about to graduate from the Baking & Pastry Certificate Program at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, in St. Helena, CA. She is also about to travel to Ireland with a $10,000 scholarship, and she will be featured in the June issue of Food & Wine magazine as the winner of the joint Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter, Food & Wine Scholarship.

Stork received the scholarship after creating a recipe for Apricot Cheese Tartlets with Butter Balsamic Caramel, Peach Whipped Cream, and Crushed Butter Toffee (recipe follows). She also wrote an essay about the importance of using good quality butter when creating baked goods.

"It makes a huge difference in the final product," says Stork. "I've learned that butter quality can be influenced by how well the cows are taken care of, what kinds of dairy practices are used and whether it includes preservatives like salt."

Stork will graduate from the CIA in May after completing 30-weeks of intense training in baking & pastry. She plans to make her trip to Ireland in the fall, and in the meantime she will head to Seattle to decorate cakes in a pastry shop. She hopes to open her own pastry business one day.

"I love the idea of having a little pastry shop that is a comfortable haven for people to relax and unwind," says Stork. "It would be a dream come true and I plan to work hard to see that it does."



Apricot Cheese Tartlets with Butter Balsamic Caramel, Peach Whipped Cream, and Crushed Butter Toffee

24 servings

Tart Crust:
* 4 cups flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup cold butter, diced 1/4"
* 8 tablespoons heavy cream

Filling:
* 3 packages (24 oz) cream cheese
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 6 egg yolks
* 3 tablespoons flour
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 3/4 cup apricot puree (from fresh, peeled, and pitted apricots)
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

Sauce:
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 3 tablespoons water
* 6 tablespoons sweet cream butter
* 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
* 3/4 cup heavy cream
* pinch of salt

Toffee Garnish:
* 1/2 cup sweet cream butter
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 1/2 tablespoons water
* 1 1/2 teaspoons corn syrup
* 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
* 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Whipped Cream:
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 2 tablespoons crème fraîche
* 4 tablespoons brown sugar
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon peach schnapps

Equipment
* Mixer with whip and paddle attachments
* 24-cup muffin tin


1. Tart Shells: In a medium-sized mixer bowl, combine flour and salt. Add butter and toss to coat the butter in flour. Using a paddle attachment, mix until butter is broken into pea-sized pieces. Add the cream and mix on low until just combined, being careful not to over-mix. Divide dough in half, and place each half onto a sheet of parchment, form each into a disk, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

2. Preheat standard oven to 350 degrees. Roll each disc of dough out 1/8" thick. Cut 24, 5" diameter rounds of dough (save extra dough for another use). Place one dough round into each of the 24 unlined muffin cups, pressing to cover bottom and sides. Trim off any excess with paring knife. Chill 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cut 24, 5 inch squares of parchment paper. Prick each tartlet shell with fork, place one parchment square in each tartlet, and cover bottom with dried beans or rice. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges begin to turn light brown. Remove from oven, remove paper with beans, and cool completely.

3. Filling: Place cream cheese in medium-sized mixer bowl. Using paddle attachment, mix on low speed to soften. Add sugar and mix on medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn speed down to low, and slowly add egg yolks one at a time, mixing fully after each addition. Add the flour and mix until incorporated. Add the vanilla, apricot puree, and salt. Mix just to combine. Divide filling evenly between the tart shells, filling two thirds to three quarters full. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the edges appear firm and the center is still slightly soft. Cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

4. Sauce: In a large saucepan, combine the water and sugar. Place pan over medium high heat and cook until the mixture is dark golden in color, being careful to swirl the pan rather than stirring. Add butter, balsamic vinegar, cream, and salt, and cook over medium heat to combine flavors and reduce slightly, one minute. Remove from heat and cool. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

5. Toffee garnish: In heavy saucepan, melt butter. Add sugar, stirring constantly. Add water and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat, stirring, to hard crack stage (300 degrees F). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and almonds. Pour into a well buttered disposable pan with sides. Once cool, using a meat mallet or heavy skillet, crush into small pieces for sprinkling as a garnish.

6. Whipped Cream Topping: Place all ingredients expect schnapps in a chilled mixing bowl. Chill 30 minutes. Add schnapps. Beat with whip attachment on medium high speed until mixture holds soft peaks.

7. Plating: Invert tartlets onto a plastic wrap-lined board. Flip tartlets over so filling is on top. If sauce is too thick, place in microwave on low to thin slightly. Drizzle each serving plate with balsamic caramel. Place tart on top of drizzle. Top with a dollop of the whipped cream. Sprinkle with the crumbles of crushed toffee. Serve immediately.

CakeWalk- my new column debuts on Cupcakes Take The Cake!

Yesterday, my debut post on Cupcakes Take the Cake went live. My new weekly column is called CakeWalk and you can read a new installment every Friday. I can't tell you how excited I am to be writing for Cupcakes Take the Cake. Be sure to check out the site!

And if you're interested, you can read my first column here.

Julia Child - you know how to make my day

Even though she's been gone since 2004, Julia Child always finds a new way to pop up in my life and remind me how much I admire her. Today, I stumbled upon the PBS web site for Julia Child, which features full-length episodes of her legendary shows Cooking with Master Chefs, In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs, Baking with Julia, and Cooking in Concert. With over 65 master chefs featured alongside Julia, these online videos are a great reminder of how Julia Child revolutionized the cooking world and is still making an impact on today's kitchen enthusiasts.

Be sure to check out the site and watch all her wonderful episodes on how to make puff pastries, tart shells, chocolate dome cake, deep friend chocolate truffles, genoise cake, chocolate tulles, sweet potato pie, creme fraiche ice cream with almond roasted figs - the list goes on!

Also, after looking at that Time Magazine cover above, I never realized that Julia Child was the Serpent Fish Queen - what's with that scary fish drawing? And with all those boiling pots around her hovering head with a red background, apparently some editors thought she was the second coming of Satan. They probably had bad taste in food. Pft.

Fashionable cupcakes never go out of style

The lovely ladies over at Cupcakes Take the Cake have a great post about fashion designer Rebecca Taylor's chic take on cupcakes. She's designing two flavors for Billy's Bakery, just in time for their Tribeca store opening AND Mother's Day.

According to the blog post:

"Just in time for Mother’s Day, designer Rebecca Taylor has created two cupcake designs inspired by her spring 2009 collection. Vanilla Twinkle consists of Billy’s yellow daisy cupcake topped with blue vanilla buttercream and a sprinkle of white crystal sugar and silver dots. Mocha Meow is created from Billy’s chocolate cupcake and special Mocha-flavored buttercream with dark and light chocolate sprinkles. The Rebecca Taylor Mother’s Day cupcakes will be available beginning May 1st."

It remains to be seen if Ms. Taylor's models have indulged in the sweet concoctions or if they have chosen to stick with their preferred powdered treat of choice...

Everyday Cake

Molly Wizenberg, the genius behind Orangette, posted a great story on "everyday cake," an idea she thought of after being inspired by Edna Lewis’s Busy-Day Cake.

The concept is simple, really. Basically, all of us need that "go to" cake. The cake we can rely on to be there on those stressful days when hanging out on your fire escape or lazily sitting on your kitchen counter are on the only things you fathom doing. The Everyday Cake is a basic recipe, and although easy to make, reminds you of the good things in life.

Hop on over to Orangette to read her full blog post and Everyday Cake Recipe. And for those of you wondering, my Everyday Cake is Sour Cream Coffee Cake. Talk about a great way to cap off a day that seems to never end...

Also, if you haven't already, but sure to purchase a copy of Molly's book, A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen.

Baking Unplugged: Two amazing cookie recipes

When I was in Portland, Oregon, in March I had the privilege of meeting Nicole Rees, a wonderfully talented cookbook author and all around cool woman. She sent me a copy of her latest cookbook, Baking Unplugged, and over the last two nights I've tried out two of her oatmeal cookie recipes - Soft Oatmeal Cookies with Walnuts and Dried Cherries and Chewy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips.


Normally, this is the part of the blog entry where I would share the recipes, but because these cookies might be some of the most delicious I've ever tasted, I want you all to go out and buy Nicole's book, so I'm not sharing! I am a huge proponent of Baking Unplugged because all of the recipes are gadget-free, meaning you don't have to own a fancy schmancy mixer or high tech oven to get these amazing results.

You can purchase her book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other retail outlets. I highly suggest you check it out!

The New York Times: No-Fear Phyllo Torte

The New York Times is featuring a great article on a phyllo torte, which is basically a feta cheese torte. The main ingredients are sheep’s milk feta, nutmeg and dill. You can see the whole article here, and although this torte is a Greek Orthodox Easter delicacy, I'm sure it would taste mighty fine any time of the year.

National Peach Cobbler Day!

Today is National Peach Cobbler Day! A peach pie,"Cobbled" together with a buttery crust & ice cream...why not?


Tip courtesy of Foodimentary.

Check out all the photos from CupcakeCamp NYC!

Sunday is National Tangible Karma Day - spread the love with some baked goods.

I learned this evening that Sunday is National Tangible Karma Day. Honestly, I went seeking a food-related holiday and this is what I came up with instead. However, I think food can easily be put to good use for this particular event. Bake some muffins or cookies, whip up some macaroons or bake a cake - you get the idea, and surprise someone with your abilities by presenting them an unexpected culinary gift. I'm telling you, people love this kind of thing. Once, while leaving an ATM machine, a homeless man asked me for money. I told him I couldn't break a $20 but I could give him a brownie (I was on my way to a party and had a plate full of book club brownies with me at the time - I don't normally carry baked goods around with me on a casual basis). He said he would take the brownie, but I could tell my his tone he was disappointed I wasn't giving him cash, but after one bite, he smiled and said it was the best donation he'd received all night.

Now don't get me started why begging outside of an ATM when people will only have large bills is a mistake...

Recipe of the Day - Lemon Thyme Cream Puffs

I'm on a big lemon kick lately, which is slightly weird because generally, I'm not a huge fan of lemons. But the past few weeks, I can't seem to get enough of them, whether it comes in the form of a cocktail or dessert. Must be my Spring fever coming out.

So, I'm happy to share today's Recipe of the Day - Lemon Thyme Cream Puffs. You can't really go wrong when you eat something that contains the words "cream" and "puff," but now I believe I have to add "lemon" to that list.


"Mary Ann has lemon fever" Lemon Thyme Cream Puffs Recipe

Equipment:
Measuring spoons
Measuring cups
Cooling rack
Parchment paper
2 baking sheets
Mixing bowls
Rolling pin
Saucepan
Sieve
Pastry bag w/ plain tip

Ingredients:
1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet)
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons sanding sugar *
1 cup heavy cream
3 large sprigs fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup prepared lemon curd
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped

Thaw the pastry sheet at room temperature for 40 minutes or until it's easy to handle. Heat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease or line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 12-inch square. Brush with the egg mixture. Cut the pastry into 36 (2-inch) squares. Sprinkle with the sugar. Place the pastry squares onto the baking sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes or until the pastries are puffed and golden. Remove the pastries from the baking sheets and cool on wire racks.

Heat 1/3 cup cream and thyme sprigs in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the cream mixture steep for 30 minutes or until it cools to room temperature. Pour the cream mixture through a sieve. Discard the thyme. Refrigerate the cream mixture for 1 hour or until it's well chilled.

Beat the remaining cream in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the chilled cream mixture and lemon curd. Beat until stiff peaks form. Spoon the cream mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip.

Pipe about about1 tablespoon lemon thyme cream mixture into each pastry puff.

Place the chocolate into a small microwavable bowl. Microwave on HIGH for about 1 minute. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Drizzle the chocolate over the pastry puffs. Let stand until the chocolate sets.

Serves 36.


Recipe from Puff Pastry.com.