The first blooms of jasmine kind of make me want to stay in California forever. I love how spring comes alive in a tidal rush here. It’s so different from the trickle of crocus that would spread slowly across our New York garden. I still haven’t quite figured out gardening on our shaded terrace, but I will.

We started our Easter with amazing almond pancakes. I didn’t have the recommended blanched almond flour, but using almond meal. It still worked well. They reminded me of Rhode Island Johnny Cakes, with the texture of coarse cornmeal. The almond meal was perfectly toasty when browned on a well oiled cast iron griddle. This recipe takes a whole tablespoon of vanilla extract. Fortunately, we made tons of bottles at Christmas. It was sort of an investment in our baking future. At least that’s how I justified buying half a pound of wholesale vanilla beans. J is a pancake fiend and loved these cakes. I’m sure they will be added to our Sunday breakfast rotation.

Almond Pancakes
Recipe slightly adapted from Comfy Tummy

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups almond meal (or blanched almond flour)
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup almond milk
oil to brush skillet

Combine the dry ingredients, make a well in the center and add wet ingredients. Combine well and cook over medium low heat using about 3 tablespoons per pancake. Turn as soon as the cakes are firm enough to flip. Serve warm.
I found this recipe made about 11 small pancakes.

The post Spring Walks and Almond Pancakes first appeared on Baking Blog.

We were lucky to snag table at Basil before the rush of 6 o’clock reservations arrived. Basil is notably family and dog friendly (outdoors, of course). In fact, the welcoming staff brought Phoebe some dog biscuits as soon as we sat down. The outside tables are lined down a cozy alley under super warm heat lamps. They even offered blankets for those that were still cold. J and I loved the local menu with vegan options. He had a few helpings of their signature basil spread on fresh bread while we waited for our salads.

I had the grilled Monterey squid appetizer. It was perfectly cooked and served atop eggplant caponata with raisins and pine nuts. Squid and eggplant are a fantastic combination in my book. The sweetness of the golden raisins and balsamic drizzle were a nice complement to the grilled smokiness and slight char. It was a happily huge portion for an appetizer.

J had the vegan parpadelle with cranberry beans, tomato and fresh garlic. Their menu noted the chef would make vegan/vegetarian substitutions when possible. The waiter double checked and quickly confirmed this could be made vegan. It is always nice to go to a restaurant that can cheerfully accommodate both food sensitivities and dogs.

We loved Basil, and will definitely be back when we are in the area for another dose of beach views. Our meal came to around $30 (salads, appetizer, dinner, no alcohol). Reservations are probably best for dining after 6pm.

Basil is located on San Carlos Between Ocean & 7th,. Carmel By The Sea, 93921

Disclaimer: I was not paid or compensated in any way for this post. All opinions are my own.

The post Beaches and Basil, Carmel first appeared on Baking Blog.

Roasted Tomato Dill Soup

3 large tomatoes, or a mixture of tomatoes yielding about 3 cups
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 quarts vegetable or chicken stock
1 tbsp tomato paste
pinch red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt, plus additional to taste
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup fresh dill, plus extra for serving
1/4 cup coconut milk for serving (optional)

Slice the two large tomatoes and gently dry them. Place them on a pan without overlapping the slices, add whole cloves of garlic and 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper (no oil). Roast at 475 for 25 minutes, allow to cool slightly. Combine the unheated stock, tomato paste and roasted tomatoes in a pot and blend with an immersion blender. Bring to a simmer and stir in fresh cherry tomatoes, chopped dill, red pepper flakes and taste for seasoning. Serve with extra dill and coconut milk.

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Chimichurri

Adapted from Simply Recipes and Kalyn’s Kitchen

1 cup of flat leaf parsley, chopped with the stems removed
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp vinegar (I used white balsamic vinegar)
4 cloves of garlic
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 lemon zested and juiced
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt

I prefer this to be a fairly smooth texture, and pulsed the ingredients in food processor until well combined.

The post Chimichurri Sauce first appeared on Baking Blog.

This was breakfast today. Yes, I broke the yolk. This happens in real life. Yesterday, I dropped a whole omelette on the floor so today was an improvement. These turkey sausage patties are actually better the next day making them perfect for reheating. I have a ton of fresh sage and was thinking of a way to start using some of it. It is one of the few herbs that is loving the partial shade on our terrace. (I, however, am not loving it and am thinking of sneaking my tomato plants in with the apartment’s landscaping…) Sage can be really strong, but turkey can be pretty bland. The combination with the apples and onions give these a great texture. Don’t worry about making flat patties as you are forming them. They will be very delicate before you cook them. I just flattened them once they were in the pan. They will cook quite quickly, and I found frying them to be easiest as two man job if you can recruit the help. Of course, these are great with a sunny side up egg.

I am now somewhat obsessed with the idea on making sausage links. Real sausage. Last night I took the first step: adding the grinder attachment for my standing mixer and natural sausage casings to my wishlist on a certain website.

Apple and Sage Turkey Sausage

1.5 pounds lean ground turkey
1 Granny Smith apple, diced
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp fresh sage, finely minced
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, form the mixture into small rounded patties. Heat enough oil to coat the bottom of a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Place the patties into the oil and press with a spatula to flatten. They will cook fairly quickly and need about 2-3 minutes per side.

The post Apple and Sage Turkey Sausage first appeared on Baking Blog.

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Coconut Quinoa Pudding

Adapted from the Quinoa Pudding from Whole Living

3/4 cup rinsed quinoa
4 cups coconut milk (I used an already blended coconut milk as opposed to the canned variety)
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
3 whole cardamon pods
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp cornstarch

For the parfaits:

2 tbsp dried unsweetened coconut, 1 1/2 cups mixed berries, additional cinnamon if desired

Bring the quinoa and 3 cups of coconut milk and cardamom pods to a boil, simmer stirring often for about 15 minutes. Add vanilla and cinnamon. In a separate bowl combine, eggs, cornstarch, honey, salt and cup of coconut milk. Combine until the mixture is well mixed with no lumps and stir very slowly into the pot over low heat. As the mixture thickens add the shredded coconut and remove the cardamom pods.  When the pudding has thickened remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature before serving.

For the parfaits: Using a tall glass layer 1/4 cup of pudding topped with dried unsweetened coconut, cinnamon and berries, ending with the berries on top. Serve immediately.

The post Coconut Quinoa Pudding Parfait first appeared on Baking Blog.

I found this dough to be even more crumbly than I expected.  I added a teaspoon of water and it helped it come together.  This issue had been noted a few times in the comments on the Food Network site.  Due to the richness of this cookie, I decided to roll these a little thinner than the 1/2 recommended.  Mine were closer to 1/4 inch and shaped into large and small rounds.  They were perfectly done in ten to twelve minutes.

Shortbread Cookies
Adapted from Ina Garten, My notes are in parentheses

3/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
(1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, optional)
(1 teaspoon water, if needed)

6 to 7 ounces very good semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 3 by 1-inch finger-shaped cutter. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature. (OR roll into 1/4 disc and use cookie cutters to shape into circles. Bake for 10-12 minutes)

When the cookies are cool, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put 3 ounces of the chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. (Don’t trust your microwave timer; time it with your watch.) Stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to heat and stir in 30-second increments until the chocolate is just melted. Add the remaining chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it’s completely smooth. Stir vigorously until the chocolate is smooth and slightly cooled; stirring makes it glossier.

Drizzle 1/2 of each cookie with just enough chocolate to coat it.

The post Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies first appeared on Baking Blog.

Ginger Peach Pie
Ingredients
Pate Brisse divided into 2 crusts ( I replaced 2 tbsp of the butter with shortening because of the high temperature this bakes at)
6-8 peaches peeled and sliced
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup brown sugar (you may need more if the peaches are especially tart)
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 egg, beaten lightly with a tbsp of water for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 425

Roll one half of the dough to fit the pan.  Mix the peaches with the spices, lemon juice and flour and place in the pan.  Roll the other dough to fit the top and seal the sides. Cut steam holes in the top of the pie and brush with  egg wash and top with a sprinkle of sugar.
Bake for 15 minutes at 425 and lower to 350 and bake for about 50 minutes covering the outside crust if necessary.   Allow the pie to cool for several hours at room temperature.

The post Ginger Peach Skillet Pie first appeared on Baking Blog.

There are many birthdays in our families over the summer, and I decided to make this torte for my Mother and brother in law’s birthday, which happens to be the same day.  I don’t have any photos yet of the cake sliced because the party is tonight,  and I thought they might notice a slice missing.   I will add some this weekend. I tried especially hard to get reasonably even layers of cake and frosting.  Hopefully, it worked out.  I can say that I really liked the buttercream frosting.  It was a softer buttercream than I am used to but it was really smooth and creamy.  I thought there was just enough chocolate.  I know that my mother in law isn’t crazy about caramel so I opted not do the traditional top layer.  Instead, I played around with some sugar creations until I made one I liked for the top.

Thanks to Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella and Angela of A Spoonful of Sugar for hosting this month! I was so happy it was a cake!  You can check out the other Daring Bakers’ Dobos Tortes here.

ETA: Here is a photo of the caked sliced.  The cake went over really well at the party. The layers weren’t perfectly even, but I was pretty happy with the result when it was sliced.  Have I mentioned I loved this frosting?

Dobos Torte based on Rick Roger’s Recipe

Equipment

• 2 baking sheets
• 9” (23cm) springform tin and 8” cake tin, for templates
• mixing bowls (1 medium, 1 large)
• a sieve
• a double boiler (a large saucepan plus a large heat-proof mixing bowl which fits snugly over the top of the pan)
• a small saucepan
• a whisk (you could use a balloon whisk for the entire cake, but an electric hand whisk or stand mixer will make life much easier)
• metal offset spatula
• sharp knife
• a 7 1/2” cardboard cake round, or just build cake on the base of a sprinfrom tin.
• piping bag and tip, optional

Prep times

• Sponge layers 20 mins prep, 40 mins cooking total if baking each layer individually.
• Buttercream: 20 mins cooking. Cooling time for buttercream: about 1 hour plus 10 minutes after this to beat and divide.
• Caramel layer: 10-15 minutes.
• Assembly of whole cake: 20 minutes

Sponge cake layers

• 6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups (162g) confectioner’s (icing) sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (112g) sifted cake flour (SUBSTITUTE 95g plain flour + 17g cornflour (cornstarch) sifted together)
• pinch of salt

Chocolate Buttercream

• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup (200g) caster (ultrafine or superfine white) sugar
• 4oz (110g) bakers chocolate or your favourite dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons (250g) unsalted butter, at room temperature.

Caramel topping

• 1 cup (200g) caster (superfine or ultrafine white) sugar
• 12 tablespoons (180 ml) water
• 8 teaspoons (40 ml) lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil (e.g. grapeseed, rice bran, sunflower)

Finishing touches

• a 7” cardboard round
• 12 whole hazelnuts, peeled and toasted
• ½ cup (50g) peeled and finely chopped hazelnuts

Directions for the sponge layers:

NB. The sponge layers can be prepared in advance and stored interleaved with parchment and well-wrapped in the fridge overnight.

1.Position the racks in the top and centre thirds of the oven and heat to 400F (200C).
2.Cut six pieces of parchment paper to fit the baking sheets. Using the bottom of a 9″ (23cm) springform tin as a template and a dark pencil or a pen, trace a circle on each of the papers, and turn them over (the circle should be visible from the other side, so that the graphite or ink doesn’t touch the cake batter.)
3.Beat the egg yolks, 2/3 cup (81g) of the confectioner’s (icing) sugar, and the vanilla in a medium bowl with a mixer on high speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted a few inches above the batter, about 3 minutes. (You can do this step with a balloon whisk if you don’t have a mixer.)

4.In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 2/3 cup (81g) of confectioner’s (icing)sugar until the whites form stiff, shiny peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, stir about 1/4 of the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remainder, leaving a few wisps of white visible. Combine the flour and salt. Sift half the flour over the eggs, and fold in; repeat with the remaining flour.
5.Line one of the baking sheets with a circle-marked paper. Using a small offset spatula, spread about 3/4cup of the batter in an even layer, filling in the traced circle on one baking sheet. Bake on the top rack for 5 minutes, until the cake springs back when pressed gently in the centre and the edges are lightly browned. While this cake bakes, repeat the process on the other baking sheet, placing it on the centre rack. When the first cake is done, move the second cake to the top rack. Invert the first cake onto a flat surface and carefully peel off the paper. Slide the cake layer back onto the paper and let stand until cool. Rinse the baking sheet under cold running water to cool, and dry it before lining with another parchment. Continue with the remaining papers and batter to make a total of six layers. Completely cool the layers. Using an 8″ springform pan bottom or plate as a template, trim each cake layer into a neat round. (A small serrated knife is best for this task.)

Directions for the chocolate buttercream:

NB. This can be prepared in advance and kept chilled until required.

1.Prepare a double-boiler: quarter-fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil.
2.Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes. You can use a balloon whisk or electric hand mixer for this.
3.Fit bowl over the boiling water in the saucepan (water should not touch bowl) and lower the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook the egg mixture, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes until you see it starting to thicken a bit. Whisk in the finely chopped chocolate and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes.
4.Scrape the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl and leave to cool to room temperature. It should be quite thick and sticky in consistency.
5.When cool, beat in the soft butter, a small piece (about 2 tablespoons/30g) at a time. An electric hand mixer is great here, but it is possible to beat the butter in with a spatula if it is soft enough. You should end up with a thick, velvety chocolate buttercream. Chill while you make the caramel topping.

Lorraine’s note: If you’re in Winter just now your butter might not soften enough at room temperature, which leads to lumps forming in the buttercream. Male sure the butter is of a very soft texture I.e. running a knife through it will provide little resistance, before you try to beat it into the chocolate mixture. Also, if you beat the butter in while the chocolate mixture is hot you’ll end up with more of a ganache than a buttercream!

Directions for the caramel topping:

1.Choose the best-looking cake layer for the caramel top. To make the caramel topping: Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper and butter the paper. Place the reserved cake layer on the paper. Score the cake into 12 equal wedges. Lightly oil a thin, sharp knife and an offset metal spatula.
2.Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved into a smooth syrup, turn the heat up to high and boil without stirring, swirling the pan by the handle occasionally and washing down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan with a wet brush until the syrup has turned into an amber-coloured caramel.
3.The top layer is perhaps the hardest part of the whole cake so make sure you have a oiled, hot offset spatula ready. I also find it helps if the cake layer hasn’t just been taken out of the refrigerator. I made mine ahead of time and the cake layer was cold and the toffee set very, very quickly—too quickly for me to spread it. Immediately pour all of the hot caramel over the cake layer. You will have some leftover most probably but more is better than less and you can always make nice toffee pattern using the extra to decorate. Using the offset spatula, quickly spread the caramel evenly to the edge of the cake layer. Let cool until beginning to set, about 30 seconds. Using the tip of the hot oiled knife (keep re-oiling this with a pastry brush between cutting), cut through the scored marks to divide the caramel layer into 12 equal wedges. Cool another minute or so, then use the edge of the knife to completely cut and separate the wedges using one firm slice movement (rather than rocking back and forth which may produce toffee strands). Cool completely.

Angela’s note: I recommend cutting, rather than scoring, the cake layer into wedges before covering in caramel (reform them into a round). If you have an 8” silicon round form, then I highly recommend placing the wedges in that for easy removal later and it also ensures that the caramel stays on the cake layer. Once set, use a very sharp knife to separate the wedges.

Assembling the Dobos

1.Divide the buttercream into six equal parts.
2.Place a dab of chocolate buttercream on the middle of a 7 1/2” cardboard round and top with one cake layer. Spread the layer with one part of the chocolate icing. Repeat with 4 more cake layers. Spread the remaining icing on the sides of the cake.
3.Optional: press the finely chopped hazelnuts onto the sides of the cake.
4.Propping a hazelnut under each wedge so that it sits at an angle, arrange the wedges on top of the cake in a spoke pattern. If you have any leftover buttercream, you can pipe rosettes under each hazelnut or a large rosette in the centre of the cake. Refrigerate the cake under a cake dome until the icing is set, about 2 hours. Let slices come to room temperature for the best possible flavour.

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