Mud House Year

Pinterest Wednesday (Oops, it's Thursday!)

I have a confession to make.  I gained 10 pounds over the last few months. YIKES!  I'm having way too much fun baking and blogging.  How do all you awesome food bloggers out there manage to do this without looking like the Michelin Man or the Stay-Puff Marshmallow guy from Ghost Busters?  I haven't been blogging as much lately because I haven't been cooking or eating as much.  Sooooooo, I was very excited when my sister called and asked me if I would bake something for her to take to a dinner party. She had offered to bring dessert to a St. Patrick's gathering but she hadn't factored in that she was moving into her new house that very same day.  She was overwhelmed and I was overjoyed to have a reason to bake something yummy and then send it on its way!
I sent my sister several green suggestions including mint/chocolate cheesecake and whoopie pies with mint filling.  However, she reminded me that she doesn't like mint.  She also didn't go for the leprechaun balls.  I don't know why.  I thought they were hysterical.  We finally settled on little individual Boston Cream Pies.  I explained to her that Boston has long standing deep Irish traditions so these little cakes (pretending to be pies) would be perfect.  I used three different recipes to adapt my own.  First was a recipe from Putzing Around the Kitchen. However, this recipe used an instant vanilla pudding mix and I knew I wanted to make my own pastry cream.  Second was this which provided a great pictorial.  I used their method for cutting the cone shaped centers in the cakes to fill with the cream.   Then there was this great video from Martha Stewart which really filled in some of the blanks regarding technique.   

Here is my adapted recipe:

Individual Boston Cream Pies                                                                   Makes about 15

Begin with the pastry cream because it takes about three hours to chill before filling the cakes.

For the vanilla pastry cream:
4 egg yolks, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 tsp salt
2-1/2 cups whole milk
2 Tbls. butter, cut into cubes
1 tsp vanilla (I always add an extra splash of vanilla so you can increase this to 1-1/2 tsp if you like.)

Whisk yolks in medium sized bowl until smooth.

Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add milk in a slow, steady stream. Cook, stirring, until mixture begins to bubble and thicken, about 5 minutes.

Temper egg yolks by very slowly pouring 1/3 of milk mixture into yolks, whisking constantly. This heats the yolks without scrambling them.  Return egg mixture to saucepan, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until thick, 2 to 4 minutes (see the video link above to see what it should look like.)  Pass vanilla cream through a fine sieve into a bowl.   Add butter and mix gently to combine.   Add vanilla and stir until combined.

Press plastic wrap directly on surface. Refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours, or up to 2 days.

For the cakes:
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup whole milk
6 Tbsp ( 3 oz) butter
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour standard muffin tins.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.

Warm milk and butter in a saucepan over low heat while beating eggs and sugar.

Beat eggs and sugar with a mixer on high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes.

Gently fold in dry ingredients in small additions (again, check that video for great info on this)

Bring milk and butter to a boil, remove from heat and gently fold  into batter.

Add vanilla.

Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each halfway. Bake cupcakes until light gold, about 15 minutes. Let cool in tins for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks. Let cool.When cupcakes are completely cool, use a serrated knife to cut cone shapes from the middle of each cupcake. I really love the vanilla cream so I gently removed a little more of the cake from the center then filled them with the cream. Cut the pointy end from the top and place the top on the cream.  

For the chocolate ganache:
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped and placed into medium sized, heat proof  bowl
1/2 cup heavy creamIn a small saucepan, bring heavy cream to a boil. Remove from heat, and add to chocolate; stir very gently until smooth.

Set aside to cool to room temperature and to thicken slightly, about 10 minutes. When glaze has thickened, spoon over filled cakes. Using a small metal spatula, spread glaze to edges of cakes, allowing it to drip down sides. Let glaze set, 15 to 20 minutes. 

Keep cakes refrigerated until ready to serve.  They are better the same day but it's ok to store them in the fridge overnight. It was St. Patrick's Day so once the ganache was set, I sprinkled each little cake with green sugar.  I decorated the serving basket with fresh mint, nasturtiums, and cilantro blooms from my garden.

My sister tells me everyone at the party loved these mini Boston cream pies.   She said they were delicious and a big hit.  She especially liked the vanilla cream. It really is worth the extra effort to make it from scratch.

These are time consuming due to all of the steps involved but worth it.  I'm giving this Pinterest Wednesday recipe 5/5 Prickly Pear Margaritas.

     

 

Chef Amanda

White Chocolate Strawberry Mousse with Lemon Crumble

I've mentioned Miss Amanda before.  She is a pastry chef who works in the most amazing pastry kitchen at the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain.   This unique Ritz property was designed especially for its location here in the desert and it is located about thirteen miles from the Mud House.  It is truly one of the most enchanting places I have ever been, almost spiritual in its beauty.  This week the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Montain is hosting the annual Accenture Match Play Championship featuring the top 64 players in the world including Tiger Woods.

Recently, Miss Amanda created the most exquisite Valentine's Day pastry event at the Ritz, so I thought I would share!   Although the photos make the desserts look BIG, they were actually delightfully mini sized.  That's Miss Amanda overseeing some final details.  There she is again popping into the photo of the pastry buffet!  She's a tricky one!

And here are some of the amazing works of art Miss Amanda and her staff created... Chocolate Whoopie Pie with Mocha Buttercream

Opera Cake

Oreo Cremeux

Lemon Meringue Tart

Chocolate Mango Mousse

Caramel Chocolate Tart with Caramel Krispies

Chocolate Orange Pot de Creme with a Cocoa Nib Cookie

And, one final photo bomb from Miss Amanda!

Wow!  Miss Amanda is truly an artist.  She and her staff are remarkable.  Be sure to visit this amazing place if you are ever in this part of the world.

 

Valentine's Day Salted Caramel Macarons!

So yesterday I made a big batch of salted caramel icing.  It was just sitting in my fridge.   What to do, what to do??  It's been awhile since I attempted macarons so I decided to give them another try.  If you are interested in my recipe and some tips, see here.  You will also find a free download for a macaron template.  If you want even more macaron info,  just click on "Macarons" under categories to the right of this page.

I tweaked my recipe just a bit this time.  I used a fine sieve to sift the almond/powder sugar mixture before combining it with the egg whites.  This resulted in smoother tops.   I also baked the macarons a bit longer, about 14 minutes total, turning the pan halfway through, at approximately 320 degrees F.   Keep in mind every oven is different. I use an oven thermometer to gauge my oven temperature.

Once cooled, I matched up the shells and piped a large hershey kiss size dollop of salted caramel icing onto half of them. Then I carefully sandwiched the shells with a little twist.

Goodness, I love macarons.  They are almost too pretty to eat but when you do... what a delight!Remember, they are better if kept in the fridge for 24-48 hours before eating.  That may be the hardest part!

I still have a bunch of salted caramel filling.  I'm thinking maybe chocolate whoopie pies for the weekend...stay tuned!

And the Final Elf

This is the third and final Christmas cookie post.  The first two posts highlighted cookie recipes that have long family traditions.  This one, not so much.  In fact, it was new  this year and is creatively called "Ginger Coopies."  That's right, not cookies, "Coopies."  There is an explanation for that and here it is:Cooper is the reddish-brown scruffy hound.  As you can see, he is one of many who live at the Mud House.  Cooper is an 11 years old Norfolk terrier who joined the Mud House gang a year-and-a-half ago. He isn't our oldest Mud House hound.  That distinction goes to Sparky, our 16 year-old Westie standing to the left of Cooper.  He isn't the youngest - that's Miss Marzipan in the front.  He also isn't the newest. That would be Rex, the 14 lb crazy Chihuahua who does a killer Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde impersonation. But, Cooper has been through a lot and he is one my youngest daughter's favorites (she has several) sooooo...  Now, I know what you are thinking, she made dog biscuits!  But, sadly for the hounds of Mud Houseville, they are people biscuits.  They are gingerbread cookies that just happen to look exactly like sweet Cooper.  No worries though, we shared our people biscuits with Cooper and all of his scruffy companions.  

This recipe is from Epicurious and you can find it here.  I have made this same recipe using a cookie scoop to drop dough onto cookie sheet rather than making them as rolled and cut cookies.  They are good either way. So, as the official finale to the First Annual Mud House Christmas Eve Cookie Exchange, I am awarding the Most Original Cookie Award to Sam, who came up with the great idea and the cute name for the Ginger Coopies, our newest family cookie tradition! 

 

Thank You Cookie Elves Part II

Some of the most unexpected contributions to the Christmas Eve cookie exchange came from the men in our family.  Uncle Greg made reindeer cow-pies,  Allen made his Bourbon balls, and our sweet son-in-law rolled up his sleeves, called his mom, and made an old family recipe for delicious, soft and gooey chocolate cookies. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the finished cookies but they were the perfect Christmas cookie and a big hit. Rich and chocolaty, a little crunch on the outside, and just the right amount of gooey on the inside. Our son-in-law tells us he has wonderful childhood memories of these cookies and he really missed them when he grew-up and moved away from home.  The good news is, he now knows how to make them and he can make them whenever he wants, creating special memories for his own little guy. We have special permission to share the recipe.  I'm not sure what they are called so I'm naming them...

Hunt's Mom's Special Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:
1 12 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 stick butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3 tablespoons  sugar
1 cup of flour
1 tsp vanilla

Here's How:  Preheat oven to 350. Grease two cookie sheets.  In a double-boiler over simmering water, melt chips, butter, condensed milk, and 3 tablespoons sugar.  Once melted, remove from heat and add flour and vanilla. Mix until well combined. Drop a tablespoon of dough onto greased cookie sheets and bake approximately 10-12 minutes. Let cool 5-6 minutes on cookie sheet then remove cookies to cooling rack.

These cookies can be made a day or two ahead of time and store well in an airtight container at room temperature.

I will post one more cookie exchange recipe with you tomorrow.  See you then!

Thank You Christmas Cookie Elves!

As I mentioned, this year we introduced a new tradition - a Christmas Eve cookie exchange that doubled as dessert.  I really wish I had pictures of the baking that went on in every household.  I hear that some had fun and some, well... not so much.   That was also true here at the Mud House where some of us were into baking and some of us were downright, doggone it, absolutely not!  Ah well, even with a few abstaining, we still ended up with enough cookies to choke a moose! 

I did want to share some of the fun surprises that occurred during cookie baking here at the Mud House. First, there was Cowboy Al who decided, all on his own, mind you, to hearken to his family heritage and make Kentucky Bourbon balls.  He decided one new tradition deserves another, and served everyone Bourbon and cokes as he began baking.   I tell you, I kind-of like some of these new traditions.He followed an old family recipe from his family cookbook.
They were wonderful.  My sister called the next day and told me she was getting drunk on the Bourbon balls.   I asked her how many she had and she said, "Um, two."  Hmmm,  I guess it's a good thing she wasn't here for the new pre-Bourbon-ball-baking-Bourbon-and-coke tradition! She's a bit of a lightweight.  

Anyway, the Bourbon balls were delicious and they keep in the refrigerator for a long time.  Store them in an airtight container with wax paper stacked between rows.  If you decide to make them be sure to include the finely chopped pecans.  

Thanks, Cowboy Al, for making some amazing Bourbon balls and for making it all so much fun!

Next-up:  My son-in-law's mom's delicious chocolate cookies...

Bang! The Night Before Christmas Hot Chocolate Party Favors

After visiting Bang Candy Company in Nashville, I knew I wanted to do something fun with their marshmallows for Christmas Eve.   I called Sarah and ordered three different flavors of marshmallows to be shipped to the Mud House. The marshmallows arrived as promised.  They were fresh and beautifully packaged. I ordered cellophane bags, hot chocolate, and candy canes from Amazon.  I packaged three marshmallows, one each of chile chocolate, orange ginger cinnamon, and rose cardamon in small cellophane bags.  I also packaged individual portions of hot chocolate.

I wrapped it all together with a candy cane in a larger cellophane and tied each little package with a pretty red bow.I added a tag explaining the hot chocolate was a gift to take home and enjoy with the cookies from our cookie exchange. It was yummy! Chef Amanda will be teaching me how to make my own marshmallows soon!  

Mud House Christmas Eve

I know that Christmas has come and gone and we are well on our way in 2013.  However, my next few posts are dedicated to our wonderful Mud House Christmas.   This is the first moment I have had to sit down and organize my thoughts but Christmas was just too much fun to let slip by without sharing!Christmas in the desert does not offer the anticipation of snowfall and sleigh rides but it is lovely and festive none-the-less.  At the Mud House, we share distinctive and charming traditions, some of which have been handed down through seven generations of my family here in the desert southwest.  For example, whimsical tin ornaments and sweet brass angels collected in the border town of Nogales by my grandmother, Mema,  (and later by me) grace our tree and mantel.Other traditions are more recent and some are new this year such as gingerbread tee-pee making with Chef Amanda at the Ritz at Dove Mountain.  One of our oldest family traditions began when my great-grandmother, Bammi,  first served flat enchiladas on Christmas Eve.  Family lore maintains  that Bammi actually created the recipe and later shared it with a lady down the street. This lady eventually opened  a little restaurant,  El Charro, which now has several locations and is celebrating its 100th anniversary.  Flat enchiladas, now widley known as Sonoran enchiladas, have been on El Charro's menu for a century.   They have been served on Christmas Eve in my family for longer than that. This photo does not do them justice but the contrast between the colors of the red sauce, green olives and white and yellow cheeses make them especially festive.   

My family celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve.  We gather at one of our homes and share a wonderful dinner of Mexican food.  This year our celebration began on the porch of  the Mud House with sparkling sangria. We then enjoyed a buffet of flat enchiladas, frijoles, green corn tamales, tortillas, and fresh salsa.   The tables were set with rose bowls, mason jar candles, and individual kits to make Christmas Eve hot chocolate .This year we introduced a new tradition which may or may not take hold.  Everyone was asked to bake and bring a batch of cookies.  These cookies served the double purpose of being treats for dessert and for a cookie exchange.  Guests took them home in red Chinese take-out containers.   All the cookies were delicious and so creative!  We even had some reindeer cow-pies (thanks Greg!) However, rumor has it that some of the cookie makers were not too thrilled with their assignment.   Also, we ended-up with way too many cookies so maybe next year we will ask for one batch from each family rather than one from each person. As always, it's the little things that make our gatherings so special.  Rumor also has it that next year we will be doubly blessed yet again with more little things.

At the end of the evening,  guests were guided on their way by the warm glow of luminarias and sparkly white lights festooning dried mesquite and century plants.

Thanks to every single member of my dear family who helped make this evening so much fun.  My next few posts will share some recipes and more details about our Mud House Christmas Eve. 

As a side note, Pinterest Wednesday will return soon.

 

Pinterest Wednesday

I took a little break from blogging over the holidays, but I'm back.  I will soon be posting about our wonderful Mud House Christmas but I wanted to share something fun for Pinterest Wednesday.   I especially love this cheesy snowman for so many reasons:  My daughter made it;  I love cheese;  it's adorable; it's whimsical; it's delicious; and I love cheese (yep, I said that twice).   He was too cute to eat and too delicious not to, so everyone just kept nibbling from his back until he was almost hollow.   We followed the recipe with only some minor changes in cosmetics, including using roasted red pepper for the scarf and mouth.   He comes to us from  Betty Crocker, so mosey on over to find the recipe.  

He is easy to make, easy to customize,  so yummy, so cute,  and so so cheesy.

He gets 5/5 Prickly Pear Margaritas.
    

Pinterest Wednesday

Kiss PiesThis is one of those recipes that looks like such a good idea but it is much better in theory than in reality.  I was so excited to find it on Pinterest because I had leftover pie crusts in the freezer from Thanksgiving and I thought this would be a perfect way to use them AND make some goodies for Christmas Eve.   These little pies were easy - just two main ingredients!  They were fun to make and really cute...before I baked them.
After they were baked, they didn't look as cute and I'm afraid they tasted like pie crust, just pie crust.
I really wanted these to be wonderful.  I even tried a second batch using more sugar...
and some crushed peppermint.
I even tried different flavors of kisses
but, alas,  they just tasted too pie crusty.

If you are a fan of pie crusts you might really like these.  You can find the recipe at Picky Palate.   I'm giving these only 2/5 Prickly Pear Margaritas.  They were easy and fun to make but, as my daughter said, "Mom, they are not that great."