BitterSweet

… When it’s French bread! Translations aside though, French bread should be anything but a pain, seeing as it’s one of the most simple loaves you can make. Flour, water, salt, yeast- Nothing to veganize, even! At least that’s what I thought when first attempting this most basic bread back in January. Wouldn’t you know, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Especially when you run out for a “quick” grocery shopping, get distracted, and don’t return for six hours? (Hmm, can you see a pattern here…?) Having already shaped and set the dough off on its final rise, there was nothing more to do but bake them off, although I didn’t exactly get two picture-perfect baguettes as I hoped for. Instead, my oven ultimately gave birth to…

Conjoined twins. The crust was a gorgeous golden brown, the crumb was airy and chewy, but alas, these loaves would make a French baker blush. After such an experience, you can understand why I couldn’t control my laughter upon the announcement of this month’s Daring Baker Challenge- You guessed it, French bread!

This time, with Julia Child’s recipe spanning 8 pages in it’s original print to guide me, I simply couldn’t fail. Going for the traditional baguette shape again to make up for my previous mutants, it was certainly nothing new or innovative, but exciting all the same. The hardest part of completing this challenge was getting home and scraping together enough time between book signings and events to complete it!

No muss, no fuss, just a few things I might work on for next time. As you can see, I was a bit shy when it came to slashing the dough, so they weren’t quite deep enough… And then, there’s that tiny little step that I completely forgot. I know, it was an unforgivable, egregious error I made, skipping straight over the final rise… But you know what? The bread was so delicious, I didn’t even realize my oversight until a week later when I was uploading the photos!

A dense crumb, you say? Why yes, that does happen when you don’t let the darned bread rise before baking! I can’t really complain though, as it made incredible toast for a good number of breakfasts nonetheless.

One of these days, I’ll complete a challenge with flying colors, flawlessly executing it and achieving the ideal results. …Just not this month, that’s for sure!

Talk about bad luck; Baking up a storm with less than a day standing between me and the ice cream party in Brooklyn, and disaster strikes. It’s a long story, but let me just tell you that I found myself with a sink full of glass and one less baking dish in my pantry. Flooded with regret and a mild sense of panic, having just broken a dish that had been a part of our family for even longer than I had been, a stunned silence pervaded my mind as I dropped each shard of glass into the trash bin, one by one. What to do, what to do. After a few moments of spinning my wheels unsuccessfully, the truth was became evident: I needed a new baking dish, as there were simply no others big enough to accommodate this crumble. Well, I was soon to find out that this was easier said than done.

Arriving at the local baking supply shop with a sense of urgency and my patient mother in tow, I searched fruitlessly for a matching dish. Employees soon came to my aide, offering up alternatives when the perfect pan didn’t present itself. A roasting pan? No, wrong shape. A jelly roll pan? No too shallow. So we departed with a bit more desperation than before, and ventured to the restaurant supply store. A myriad of fun gadgets and tools presented themselves, and I couldn’t help but poke a bit… But still, no baking dish. Off to investigate at a home supply store… but then, easily distracted as I am, I found myself in a spice shop instead. And then a Whole Foods. And then back at home, with no pan at all but plenty of groceries instead! Curse my wandering mind…

Finally, after going back out a few hours later once the sun had disappeared from the horizon, I secured an acceptable substitute- The only catch was, this model was much bigger than the original, and so the recipe had to be enlarged to follow suit. I must warn you, this makes a huge helping of dessert, and I feared that I would end up taking a good bit of it back with me after the party. Much to my delight and surprise, it was actually the first thing to go, even served cold! So, if you’re hosting a crowd and want an easy dish that will leave a smile on your guests’ faces, this one’s for you.

Just don’t go breaking that pan, or you might never find a replacement!

Apple Crumble for an Army

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 Cups Rolled Oats
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
3/4 Cup Melted Margarine or Canola Oil

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
1/2 Cup Apple Juice Concentrate
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
3 Tablespoons Cornstarch
Pinch of Salt
12 Apples (6 tart, 6 sweet)
1 Cup Mixed Dried Fruit (Chopped into medium-sized pieces, if appropriate)
1 Cup Slivered Almonds

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all dry ingredients for the topping in a large bowl and slowly drizzle in the melted margarine or oil while stirring. It will seem dry at first, but don’t be tempted to add more liquid- Soon you will have coarse crumbs that are plenty moist. Set this aside for the time being.

Moving on to the filling, whisk together everything but the fruits and nuts in a 17 x 12 baking dish. I started out using a large bowl, but it wouldn’t all fit, so save yourself the trouble of another dish to wash (this is the vessel that you’ll bake the crumble in, too.) Once that’s done, start peeling, coring, and slicing the apples (I used granny smith and fuji, by the way, but any mix you’d prefer would be equally tasty.) Put the apple slices in the mixture you’ve stirred up in the pan, and toss to coat thoroughly. Make sure you don’t leave any slices high and dry. When all the apples have been dealt with in a similar manner, stir in the dried fruit so that it’s evenly distributed (go for anything you’ve got in the house, but I happened to have dates, apricots, and currants on hand). Sprinkle the almonds over the top without stirring, and then sprinkle the oat mixture over that. Slide the whole thing into the oven for 40 - 50 minutes until browned and bubbly. Wait at least 10 minutes before serving and dish it out while still warm.

Serves 25 - 30

That’s right, the one and only, the infamous, Wheeler’s Vegan Ice Cream made a big splash with a tasting party yesterday afternoon in Brooklyn, and I was lucky enough to watch it all go down. Beyond just partaking in the lovely frozen delights, I also brought some baked goods to temper the voracious sweet tooth(s) in search of a more powerful sugar-high than could be attained from those tiny plastic cups. I wish I could share more pictures than this crappy little teaser, but unfortunately, dim lighting + rushed snap shots ≠ blog-worthy photography. However, this sample of ginger ice cream is so exceptionally delicious and unlike anything I’ve had the pleasure of partaking in before, you would really need to taste it for yourself to fully appreciate its complexity. Bright, fresh, and tangy, this pungent and creamy concoction was what a full root ginger would taste like if combined with a rich, sweet pastry cream. With bits of the real thing sprinkled throughout, this spicy concoction sent chills through my spine from delight, not just the cold.

While all good things must come to an end, this party certainly came to a close far before I was ready to pack up and leave though… For a 2 1/2 hour round-trip car ride, it was a matter of 30 minutes before all the sweets had been devoured and the coolers full of ice cream were being carted back out to the vans. It’s a shame, really… I just hope that I’ll be able to get another taste soon!

For everyone who made it out the other day, it was wonderful to meet you! I hope that the cake, cookies, brownies, and apple crisp were all enjoyed. (Luckily another diligent blogger was able to capture a shot of the goods, if you’re curious.) Oh yes, and that apple crisp, the one that I thought would be enough to feel 100 people and still have leftovers, but was the first thing to be polished off? Stay tuned- The recipe will be coming right up!

Convenience foods are undeniably attractive options when compared with traditional, time-consuming dishes, and so I can see how easy it is to get lured in by the seductive notion of easy eating. Just heat and go! No need to chop, measure, or use your brain at all! Salads come pre-washed and pre-assembled, since the task of compiling 6 or 7 vegetables and breaking them down is far too difficult for the average multitasking American. Sadly, the siren song of these effortless comestibles is far too strong to resist completely- After all, who wants to make pizza dough from scratch when you’re already pressed for time and so hungry that you’re liable to gnaw off a hunk of your own steering wheel as you drive home? Homemade is always infinitely better, but unless you do nothing but cook all day long, it isn’t always a realistic possibility.

On the other end of the spectrum are those pointless conveniences that are made for the laziest and most reluctant cooks, and stumbling upon a box of frozen, steel-cut oatmeal at Trader Joe’s I thought for sure I had another one to add to the list. Seriously, frozen oatmeal? How busy/cooking-incompetent/mentally impaired would you have to be to need pre-cooked, frozen oatmeal? Passing the freezer section with just a bit more fear for the future of home cooks, I was convinced that the contents of that box were made from the stuff of nightmares. This preconception lasted for weeks, and then months before I was tempted by that ever-present push for easy meal options, and actually stopped to investigate. Only 4 ingredients, no chemicals, plenty of fiber and protein, and no crazy additives in sight. Perhaps it wasn’t completely evil? Embarrassed to pick up such a product, I brought it sheepishly to the register, trying to nonchalantly slip it in with the other groceries so that it wouldn’t seem quite so ridiculous.

What a lazy, foolish consumer I felt like, bringing home pre-cooked oats. Trying to rationalize, it was true that these were much higher-quality than the instant stuff, and I really wouldn’t have the time to make steel-cut otherwise… And so into my freezer it went. Surprisingly, it didn’t say there long- The very next day, exhausted from a demanding exam, I was convinced that nothing on earth would recharge me in time for the next class. Grasping at straws, the oatmeal seemed like the best option, and so out it came. And my heart sunk, heavy with regret, upon seeing my snack…

It would be kind to describe the appearance as frozen cat food, or even a brick of baby food. Regret reared its ugly head, but trust me on this one: While it’s not a looker, it does get better from here. Freed from its plastic casing, the beige block went into a bowl and after being nuked for a solid 6 minutes (not 2-3 as the box so enthusiastically claims), a bowl of hot cereal never looked so inviting.

Too tired to fancy it up, I dug right in, and was impressed right off the start by its thick texture, much to the contrary of its soupy appearance. Perfectly thickened, the toothsome texture of the oats was simply spot-on, something I would have never imagined possible for a frozen product. Delightfully chewy, modestly sweetened to just the right degree, this is an oatmeal that everyone could find agreeable. Adding cinnamon really brought it up to a whole new level, as did a few fresh strawberries, but the beauty of this one is that because it’s so basic, you can add in anything you want! Dried fruits, spices, additional sweeteners- It’s all good, so go crazy! Most incredibly, after eating what might have otherwise seemed like a small portion, I was incredibly full. Satisfying my hunger and boosting my energy up like magic, this stuff has earned a permanent spot in my freezer.

Far exceeding my expectations, I suppose it goes to show that all convenience foods aren’t necessarily so bad… At least in this case, this is one breakfast I can definitely feel good about!

All form of intelligible thought flies far from my lips when I try to say exactly how thankful I am for everyone’s recent comments and various forms of flattery, but it never fails to amaze me to see how many people are actually following along. So much attention is still totally new to me, and it’s crazy to see how many times my blog comes up in regular posts these days! Particularly when there are some certain memes taking the blogosphere by storm… I think that I’ve been tagged for the same meme at least 5 times now, no joke! My studies are a bit demanding at the moment so while I’m I’m afraid I won’t be participating in this round, perhaps I could possibly bribe you guys with a cup of tea, or maybe even a slice of cake instead?

There’s a nice wedge of cookies ‘n creme, for those who want the best of both cookies and cake…

Or for those whole prefer simplicity, what about a sliver of brilliantly crimson red velvet cake?

If all else fails, there’s always the old standard of chocolate and strawberries.

I would never try to buy your vote or your love… But would a bite of one of these cakes score me any points, at least?

Talk about irony. A few short years ago, you wouldn’t have been able to get me to touch a block of white chocolate with a 10-foot pole, and now? Now it’s become an incredible luxury, a culinary diamond in my eyes, and I’ve become completely enamored with its simple existence. Simple indeed, because as I’m sure anyone who’s been around the block with a hunk of chocolate knows that the white stuff has no actual cocoa solids, and thus remains pale as freshly fallen snow. Most manufacturers add dry milk powder and other undesirable elements to their white chips and chunks, to increase shelf stability and augment their supplies of pricey cocoa butter… Or cheap, trans-fatty hydrogenated oils, making for that cheap, waxy crap that turned me away in the first place. Insipid and unctuous at best, it’s no shock that most people would consider shelling out their hard earned cash for this pallid imitator when given a darker option.

Before you flip to the next interesting blog and pass this post over, let me venture a guess that you’ve never had real white chocolate. Made with cocoa butter, this stuff is like the nectar of the gods- Creamy, sweet, with some slightly floral notes in the background. It makes my heart flutter just thinking about it.

This isn’t to say that I’ve developed the end-all, be-all recipe for creating this confection; There’s still plenty of room for improvement, and I would love to hear what others find through their own trials. I would love to keep on experimenting for months, honing it to an exact and simple science… But the trouble with using real cocoa butter, as those money-savvy businesses discovered, is that it costs a small fortune. I’m not going to lie, as this stuff doesn’t come cheap, but for an occasional indulgence, I think you could find it a worthwhile investment.

Still with me? Oh good, thanks for your patience. The first critical step to making the white chocolate is: Finding good cocoa butter. I know, I can’t stop harping about this stuff but it’s really important to pick up high quality, food grade cocoa butter. As a popular ingredient in body lotions and lip balms, some of it comes with fillers and undesirable additives, so shop carefully if you search locally. Next, you’ll want to invest in a decent mold. It doesn’t have to be fancy, and it doesn’t even need to be bar-shaped, you just want somewhere to park your molten chocolate so that it can cool and solidify into a usable shape. Hell, even silicon ice cube trays could work!

After collecting all of the software and hardware, the procedure will seem far easier than that preliminary hunt, so don’t worry, it only gets easier from here.

White Chocolate

1/4 Cup Cocoa Butter
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Paste (or Extract… I just like the way the flecks of real vanilla bean look)
1/3 Cup Confectioner’s Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Soymilk Powder
Pinch Salt

Place your cocoa butter in a microwave-safe bowl and nuke it for just a minute or two, so that it liquefies. Be sure to keep an eye on it at all times, as it has a much lower melting point than a bar of finished chocolate. Once completely melted, quickly stir in the remaining ingredients, being thorough so as to break up any clumps of sugar and completely dissolve everything into the molten fat. Don’t worry if it looks rather yellow at this stage, just pour everything into your molds and it will be alright. Tap the molds on the counter lightly so as to remove any air bubbles, and don’t even think about touching them again for the next few hours while they set up. I highly recommend parking them in the fridge to speed up the process… Just don’t forget about them in there!

Congratulations, you have your very own white chocolate! Now what, you may ask? Well, I still wouldn’t recommend munching on it like you would a standard candy bar because it’s tooth-achingly sweet on it’s own, but add it into other recipes and it will shine.

Try making a good, tried and true chocolate cookie recipe and sub in white chocolate chunks for half of the standard chips.

Looking for something a bit more special? Well, why not try making a white chocolate mousse instead? Granted, it will up the cost a bit more, as whippable soy cream is still a pricey commodity, but think of how impressed your sweetie (or your own sweet tooth) will be.

White Chocolate Mousse

3 Ounces White Chocolate
1 10.14 Ounce Container Whippable Soy (or Oat) Cream (divided)
3/4 Teaspoon Agar Agar Powder

Melt your white chocolate with 2.5 ounces of the cream, stir vigorously to combine in a smooth liquid, and let cool for 10 minutes or so. In your stand mixer, whip the remaining cream for 3 - 4 minutes to form soft peaks, and slowly stream in melted chocolate mixture down the side. It will become some what liquid-y and appear to have gone awry, but try not to panic. Sprinkle the agar on top, whisk to fully combine, and place the whole bowl in your fridge for 30 minutes. Once thoroughly chilled, whip for 5 - 6 more minutes until fluffy but firm and serve. At this stage you could also pipe it into bowls and refrigerate for up to 6 more hours before serving.

This stuff is incredibly, deceptively rich- While it feels as light as a cloud on the tongue, it is also unbelievably luscious and creamy. I would suggest serving it with a good bowlful of berries to cut it, or a small dollop on top of hot chocolate would be a delicious addition as well. Top a cupcake with it and you’ll have one intensely satisfying, adult dessert, far too mature for the kids to partake in. The possibilities just go on… And wouldn’t you like to discover them for yourself?

Don’t think that I’ve slighted you for this Valentine’s Day either- White Day, celebrated primarily in Japan, is only a month later on March 14, where white chocolate is given back to any admirers who stopped by with some dark chocolate the previous holiday. So get to it, and try some real white chocolate!

Homemade white chocolate: Close, but not quite perfect. A few more tweaks to the recipe and method… and hopefully I can share more than just a picture!

Last-minute gifts are truly the norm for Valentine’s day, especially when it comes to edible offerings. Being something of a cynic, this simple fact just validates my belief that this is one useless holiday, not worth remembering until the date itself even for couples so deeply in love. Of course, it’s also true that all food is best when fresh, so I’ll give you guys the benefit of the doubt and pass along this quick dessert idea, just in case you were holding out for that perfect edible expression.

To be perfectly honest, I’m a bit embarrassed to be posting about this. Unarguably delicious and beautiful, yes, but I barely can even consider this homemade. At its core, it’s nothing but chocolate ice cream smushed into a heart-shaped silicon mold and paired with raspberry sauce. But here’s where the creativity comes in: That ice cream could be any flavor you or your sweetie desires, homemade no less, and the same goes for that sauce. Since I barely had enough time to let these freeze in the first place, and no significant other to speak of, I hope you’ll forgive my lax approach this time. Now, here’s your chance to make this idea shine, so go forth and woo!

[This is also my entry for Zorra's event, A Heart for your Valentine]

Smash! Crash! Bang! Howls of laughter erupted from the room next door, following the most incredible cacophony to ever reach my ears. After such destructive sounds, I could only imagine some macabre scene lay on the other side of the wall, desks and dressers splintered into irretrievable shards, much better suited as tooth picks than furniture. Eyes darting about in the darkness, I wondered if perhaps the whole building might in fact be collapsing, or maybe some bomb had just gone off in the hall. Slamming doors and merry shrieks continued to fill the air, well into the wee hours of the AM. Tossing and turning, jamming my head into the depths of my pillow, nothing would muffle the noise. Should a lull drift in and quiet the conversation, music would shortly follow, the bass pumping and making all the windows vibrate. My head spun, heart raced, and I could scarcely believe my feet would be met with the ground anymore should I venture out of bed.

The night broke and morning came, and yet the racket still carried on. Sun filtered in through the cracks in the window shade, prompting me to give up the fight; The day was here, and it was time to go meet it. Staring blankly out into the courtyard, I saw that one of my neighbors had relocated and was still partying away outdoors…

That crazy guy, monkeying about high up in a brittle tree branch. Still in a drunken stupor no doubt, he carried on with joyous shouting and slurred songs. The lack of sleep didn’t seem to bother him one bit, but then again, you probably could have cut off his arm and that wouldn’t even register in his addled mind.

So many classes await me now… And I am so utterly exhausted. It’s going to be a long day.

At least according to Peabody and Helen it is! While I don’t have time to participate in many blogging events, I sorely regret seeing each fun new theme pass me by, and so even in the midst of homework, exams, and book signings, I put this one on my calendar, and dove right in. Unfortunately, that isn’t to say that I was able to give this project my full attention… Oh, far from it. So thoroughly distracted was I that I could have just as easily been measuring out dirt instead of flour, and I wouldn’t have even noticed. If there’s any tiny scrap of wisdom that I might pass along to you, my dear readers, it’s this: Pay attention to what you’re doing! All too often, recipes fail not because of poor directions, but a distracted or imprecise baker. And such was the case on the day I decided to make baked donuts.

Hot out of the oven, coated with cinnamon sugar, and then liberally slathered with a gooey coat of maple icing, these babies were all I had dreamed of. Except for one small detail… They were completely flat.

Aw crap, I ended up making hockey pucks with holes instead of donuts! Such disappointing results just wouldn’t do, but the clock continued to relentlessly clicked away the minutes and hours all the same, so a second attempt was out of the picture. Desperately searching for a quick fix, I decided that since the only trouble was the fact that my donuts were vertically challenged, perhaps they could help each other out. Yes, that’s right, I teamed them up into pairs and created…

A decadent donut sandwich! And since they’re baked, you don’t need to feel quite so guilty about consuming this ridiculous concoction!

Tasty as these were, I’m afraid the recipe will have to wait until they’re tall enough to stand alone. I’ll just make sure that the next attempt isn’t so rushed!