orange-cranberry mini muffins

Good things come in small packages… and that’s certainly the case when it comes to this week’s Foodie Friday feature over at FGG… orange-cranberry mini muffins.

Daring Bakers… What a Maroon!*

Another month gone again already? Let’s not even talk about the fact that it seems as though it’s barely been a couple of weeks since our last Daring Baker Challenge… the speed at which time flies only depresses me. The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

The French macaron (or macaroon) is one of those things that I’ve always only admired from afar. After all, the cool kids have been churning out gorgeous macarons in countless flavors and beautiful colors for quite some time. Me? I’ve always been afraid to try. I mean, seriously, have you seen how delicate these things are? Surely I cannot be trusted.

And then along comes Ami with this month’s challenge. Time to make friends with the whipped egg white and conquer another fear! (But I still went in with HUGE amounts of self-doubt and absolutely positive there was no way I was getting trademark macaron “feet” on my first try.) However… small win… I at least managed to not wait until the very last minute this month!

I opted to go for a chocolate on chocolate combination — chocolate macarons with cinnmon-chocolate ganache. I read and re-read the instructions… I combed the forums for tips and tricks (and, quite honestly, success stories to make myself feel better)… and then… I took a deep breath and got to work.

Everything actually came together suprisingly smoothly. I piped my little macaron rounds and popped them into the oven. After five minutes, I pulled them out and raised the oven temp. While I waited for the oven to warm up, I eyed my macarons suspiciously… no sign of feet. None. Nada. Zip. I was bummed. But… since there was no turning back at that point (I’d still need to post something, even if it was a footless macaron)… I continued on.

Back into the oven went the macarons and, a few minutes later… “I HAVE FEET!!” Needless to say, my husband was more than a bit confused. This has to be one of the most beautiful success stories ever — sure my little macaron feet are a bit more “out” than “up” but for my first go, I must say that I am rather proud of the results.

I let the macarons cool a bit while I made my ganache and then pulled them off the silpat and matched them up by size. Filling them was a breeze — I only broke one cookie and it was, no doubt, the tastiest mistake ever. And then…. I stood back and admired my work. And it was good. So good, in fact, that it’s highly likely that I’ll give these another try for Thanksgiving and yet another for the Christmas holiday. No doubt every time I make them I’ll wonder why in the world I waited so long to give them a try.

*BTW… for those of you wondering what’s up with the title of this post: I can’t help it — every time I hear or see “macaroon,” I think of this. You’re welcome.

Thanks, Ami, for a fantastic challenge and a wonderful learning experience! Be sure to check out the Daring Bakers Blogroll to see all the other beautiful macarons popping up across the blogosphere.

Macaroon making is somewhat labor intensive, yet simultaneously less difficult than you think it will be. One thing you must do is have your egg whites at room temperature. This ensures they beat up properly, as texture is an integral component to macaroons. You will be piping the batter onto parchment paper or nonstick liners, and some home bakers use stencils to make sure their macaroons are uniform in size. It’s your choice.

Be aware that you are beating your egg whites first to soft peaks. Soft peaks means that the peaks of the meringue curl over when you lift up the beaters. After you add the granulated sugar to the soft peak meringue, you will beat the mixture to stiff peaks, which, true to their name, stand straight up. Be careful not to overbeat your eggs.

You will also be folding the nut flour into the meringue. As with most recipes when you combine something with beaten egg whites, be gentle in your mixing to keep the egg whites light.

Some recipes call for drying the piped macaroons on the counter prior to baking for 30 minutes to an hour. This recipe stipulates that you bake the macaroons at a low temperature for 5 minutes, then take them out of the oven, raising the temperature, and baking them for an additional 7 to 8 minutes. Drying is necessary to get the trademark “feet” on your macaroons. Experiment to find the best technique for you.

If you plan on using parchment paper rather than nonstick pan liners, be careful when removing the macaroons from the paper, as they can stick and are very delicate. Some recipes suggest lifting up a corner of the paper and letting a drop of water fall onto the hot baking sheet, thus producing steam, which helps the macaroons release.

Flavor variations are infinite. In Fleming’s original recipe, she calls for adding vanilla bean seeds to the granulated sugar, and folds in the zest of a lemon to make lemon macaroons. You can add cocoa powder, instant coffee or espresso powder, green tea powder, fruit zests. You can tint the batter (use powdered food coloring to keep from adding too much moisture to the batter). The same goes for fillings—anything goes. Ganache, buttercream, jam, caramel, custard.

An important note about coloring and flavoring: liquid food coloring can be used, but be cautious! Use 1-3 drops maximum, otherwise it increases the moisture in the batter, and that can ruin the macaroons. Trick: mix the liquid color with the almonds and powdered sugar and to let that air dry for a couple of hours. This reduces the moisture a little bit. If you use more than 3 drops of food coloring, you’re going to have a disaster. That means using fruit puree is out. One way to flavor the macaroons is to use 1-2 teaspoons of citrus zest, 1-2 teaspoons of matcha (green tea powder), or 1-2 teaspoons of herbs or freeze-dried fruit powders. If you want savory macaroons, you can try 1 teaspoon of saffron or other savory dry flavorings. If you want to use powdered color, up to 1 tablespoon is a safe amount.

Preparation time: Not taking into account the amount of time it takes for you to bring your egg whites to room temperature, the whole baking process, including making the batter, piping and baking will probably take you about an hour to an hour and a half. How long it takes to make your filling is dependent on what you choose to make.

Actual baking time: 12 minutes total, plus a few minutes to get your oven to proper temps.

French Macarons
(adapted from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern)
2 1/4 cups (225 grams) confectioners sugar
2 cups (190 grams) almond flour
2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
5 egg whites (room temperature)

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Combine the confectioners sugar and almond flour in a medium bowl. If grinding your own nuts, combine nuts and a cup of confectioners sugar in the bowl of a food processor and grind until nuts are very fine and powdery.

Beat the egg whites in the clean dry bowl of a stand mixer until they hold soft peaks. Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks.

Sift a third of the almond flour mixture into the meringue and fold gently to combine. If you are planning on adding zest or other flavorings to the batter, now is the time. Sift in the remaining almond flour in two batches. Be gentle! Don’t overfold, but fully incorporate your ingredients.

Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain half-inch tip (Ateco #806). You can also use a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off.

Pipe one-inch-sized mounds of batter onto baking sheets lined with nonstick liners (or parchment paper). (Stack the baking sheet onto a second sheet to assist with getting a proper rise)

Bake the macaroon for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and raise the temperature to 375 degrees F. Once the oven is up to temperature, put the pans back in the oven and bake for an additional 7 to 8 minutes, or lightly colored.

Cool on a rack before filling.

Culinography turns TWO!

Two years ago today… and during a particularly down spot in my life… I decided that I needed a creative outlet that could fill up a little bit of the “extra” time that I had on my hands. I had no way of knowing then that this would be such a wonderful experience, that I’d “meet” so many fantastic, talented people, and that I’d learn so much along the way (thank you, Daring Bakers!).

There have been lots of ups and downs over the past couple of years… lots of change… but this place and this food blogging community have been one of my few constants — even when I’m not able to check in here as often as I’d like.

So, having spent a couple of trips around the sun as a “food blogger,” I’m pretty sure there’s no better way to celebrate Culinography’s second birthday than with cake! I wanted to go with something fun, so made a chocolate-ancho-cinnamon cake with ancho-cinnamon frosting. It sounds like there’s a lot going on there, but really… it’s all fairly subtle, with the ancho chile powder and cinnamon hanging out in the background providing just a little added kick to my easiest “go-to” chocolate cake recipe (original recipe courtesy of my wonderful friend, Becky).

So… here’s to another year of fun. Thank you all for coming along for the ride! Let’s eat some cake!!

Chocolate-Ancho-Cinammon Cake
3 cups flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil (vegetable, canola, etc.)
2 cups water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a 9×13 cake pan (or 2 6″ round cake pans and a 12-cavity cupcake tin). Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes (or 15-20 minutes for smaller pans) until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Ancho-Cinnamon Frosting
1 cup butter, room temperature
1.5 pounds powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
pinch ancho chile powder

Cream butter until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in powdered sugar and heavy cream. Once incorporated, beat on high for three minutes. Add vanilla, cinnamon, and ancho and beat for another two minutes. Taste and adjust cinnamon/ancho… add a bit more heavy cream if frosting consistency is too heavy or a bit more powdered sugar if consistency is too light.

spicy candied pumpkin seeds

For those of you carving pumpkins this weekend in advance of all of the Halloween festivities, don’t throw out those pumpkin seeds! Toast them up using this week’s recipe over at FGG… Spicy Candied Pumpkin Seeds!

it truly IS POM Wonderful!

A few weeks ago, I got a very exciting email from Kristen over at POM Wonderful, offering to ship me some POM pomegranate juice to try and to play around with. Of course, I gladly accepted this kind offer and then waited patiently for my juice to arrive. While I waited, I did my research… antioxidant superpower… free radical killer…. superfood in a bottle!

I decided that one powerhouse food needed to be paired with another, so I pulled out the salmon fillets and got to work! Salmon is low in fat and calories, while high in protein and omega-3 essential fatty acids. Pomegranate juice is full of antioxidants. This, my friends, is a match made in heaven!

The juice, as you would expect, is fantastic (not that we did lots of sampling while we cooked or anything). Combined with balsamic vinegar and reduced to a glaze it’s simply wonderful. Big thanks to the folks at POM for giving me the opportunity to try out their product… and be sure to stay tuned for another POM recipe or two coming soon!

Seared Salmon with POM-Balsamic Glaze
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup POM pomegranate juice
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar
4 (6-ounce) skinless center-cut salmon fillets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Stir together vinegar, pomegranate juice, lemon juice, and brown sugar in a small bowl.

Pat salmon dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat but do not allow to smoke. Increase heat to high, add salmon, and sear until well browned, about 4 minutes. Turn fish over and sear until just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes more.

Transfer salmon to plates and carefully add vinegar mixture to skillet (liquid will bubble vigorously and steam). Simmer, stirring, until thickened and reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 2 minutes. Spoon glaze over salmon.

It’s time for pecan pie!

I love fall… I get to start making all of my favorite foods again! Come on over to FGG and check out these amazing Pecan Pie Bars!

Boogity!

It’s that time…. with candy bowls popping up everywhere you look and entire aisles devoted to it in your local stores, it’s hard to keep your mind from wandering to all of the wonderful possibilities that Halloween candy season brings.

I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for a couple of years and just hadn’t gotten around to making it. Once again, I find myself wondering why in the world I would wait so long… sure, this is a sugar coma waiting to happen, but it’s salty and sweet and AMAZINGLY good.

Is this beautiful terrain or what? It makes my mouth water (and my blood sugar spike) just looking at it. YUM. I won’t tell you how many pieces I’ve already eaten.

No need to wait until Halloween is over to make this (though it would be a great way to use up some of that extra candy). And you can certainly vary the candy elements to suit your tastes. Go ahead… make it today… and then schedule yourself for a couple of extra hours at the gym.

Halloween Bark
(recipe adapted from Recipe Girl)
appprox. 20 halloween oreos broken into various sized pieces, divided
1 1/2 cups mini pretzels
1 cup candy corn, divided
1 1/2 cups Reese’s Pieces
28 ounces (two bags) white chocolate candy melts

Line a large cookie sheet with waxed paper. Spread 3/4 of cookies, pretzels, and 3/4 cup of the candy corn onto the waxed paper.

Place candy melts in a microwave safe measuring cup and heat in microwave at 50% power in 30 second intervals until completely melted.

Drop melted chocolate immediately over cookie mixture, spreading with an offset spatula to coat evenly. Top with reserved cookies, candy corn and Reese’s Pieces, working quickly before chocolate hardens.

Place into refrigerator until firm. Remove and gently break apart (or use a sharp knife to press into the cookie bark – it will break apart easily) into small pieces for serving. Store in airtight container.

turkey meatballs

Join us over at FGG for another great Foodie Friday recipe…. Turkey Meatballs!

What’s been going on at FGG?

I’ve been remiss about keeping you all up-to-date on what’s been going on over at FGG for Foodie Fridays. So, in case you haven’t been keeping up, or are looking for some more great recipes, allow me to get you up to speed…

First, there was the Pomegranite Granita. For those of you still enjoying the warmth of summer, this is a great, easy treat.

Then came Black Bean Burritos. Uber-healthy, so you don’t have to feel guilty about using real sour cream and full-fat cheese.

Molten Chocolate Cakes made a grand appearance when my need for emotional eating kicked in. Easy, decadent, and portion-controlled!

The following week featured Roasted Edamame — perfect for feeding that salty snack craving.

As the weather turned cooler, I turned to Stovetop Mac & Cheese for a little comfort.

We talked about the simplicity of good ingredients and made Bacon-Wrapped Scallops (check these out if you’re looking for a great appetizer for your upcoming holiday get-togethers!).

And, finally, this week we baked up some Chocolate Banana Bars. YUM.

I’m back in the kitchen this weekend, so there will be more fun to come soon!