Mud House Year

Oh Joy! Baking Again!

So I've been doing  lot of thinking about a lot of things.   Joy is important.  Fun is important.  Baking is important.  My life has been missing all of these things lately, so I decided to turn to one of my favorite bloggers, Joy the Baker, for some inspiration.

I adapted her recipe for Vanilla Almond Orange Cloud Cookies.  Well actually, I followed her recipe exactly, right down to the last sprinkle of powdered sugar.   And then, like lightening striking from a vanilla cloud, I suddenly remembered the Hershey's Kisses nestled away in the cupboard.  That's the very moment the adaption occurred.  The last two cookies got kisses instead of pokes making them all the more joyful, in my opinion.Here is what you will need:

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoon orange zest

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

10 ounces almond paste

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large egg whites, lightly beaten

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

powdered sugar

Hershey's Kisses

Here is what you will do:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  

Zest an orange.  I've been using this new KitchenAid medium grater and actually like it much better than my zester.  In a small bowl,  combine the orange zest, scraped vanilla seeds, and sugar.  If you look closely you can see the little dark specks of vanilla.  Use your fingers to works the zest and vanilla into the sugar, creating a fragrant, moist sugar.Place sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer and add the almond paste and salt.  Beat on medium speed creating a crumbly sugar and almond mixture.

While almond mixture is combining in the mixer, place two egg whites in a small bowl.  Whisk  with a fork until loose and frothy.  This will help in pouring the egg whites into the mixer.  If the eggs are unbeaten, they’ll just plop into the mixing bowl and not pour in.

With the mixer on medium speed, gradually pour the egg whites in to the crumbly almond and sugar mixture.  Beat until a smooth paste is formed.  Add the almond extract and beat to combine.Spoon by the heaping tablespoonful and roll into little balls.  If your hands get sticky, rinse them with water.  Place onto the prepared baking sheet.  Sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.  Using fingertips, poke three holes into each cookie.OR...(Now pay attention.  This is where I got really creative.) Refrigerate the little balls of dough for about 10  minutes then press a Hershey's Kiss into each one.

Bake cookies for 18- 20  minutes or until cookies are lightly browned on top.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan.  Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.So, pokes or kisses?  You decide.  They are delicious either way. 

 

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!

Pinterest Wednesday

This one has been calling my name for awhile.  I have actually already pinned it twice.

It is a salted caramel cream cheese frosting and it comes to us from Blooming on Bainbridge, who actually got it from Kimberly Taylor Images/Life on Blackberry Farm.

It is really deliciously decadent and I imagine it would be most delicious on any kind of cake.  I am still a bit of a novice with caramel, often allowing hot spots to burn the sugar, or cooking the entire batch too long.  In the following recipe I have included some things I do to avoid these mistakes. 

Here is my adapted recipe:

Salted Caramel

1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt, kosher or sea

WARNING:  Cooking with hot sugar is dangerous.  Use care to avoid burns and do not leave cooking sugar,  even for a minute!

1. Combine the sugar, water, and the corn syrup in a large saucepan.  Stir gently to combine, avoid splashing sides of pan, and let sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes to allow sugars to become uniformly wet.  In the meantime you may prepare the remaining ingredients.
2.  Heat 1/2 cup cream in small saucepan until just simmering, turn off heat and cover pan.   The cream must be warm when it is added later to the hot caramel.
3. Once ready to cook sugar, attach a candy thermometer to pan, making sure tip of thermometer does not touch bottom of pan. 4.  Stir gently with a wooden spoon over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, again avoid splashing sides of pan.
5.  Once sugar has dissolved, stop stirring, dip small heat-proof brush into water and carefully brush any sugar crystals that have formed on the pan. 
6. Watch cooking sugar carefully and as color begins to change, occasionally swirl pan so caramel does not burn.  If necessary, carefully brush down sides of pan with water. 7.  Watch thermometer carefully.  When temperature reaches 370 degrees, remove pan from heat and let stand approximately 30 second.
8.  *** Be careful here *** Pour the warm heavy cream into the mixture. The mixture will bubble up significantly and is very hot.
9.  Stir the mixture, again being careful. Add the butter, lemon juice, and salt. Stir until combined.
10.  Measure 1 cup into a Pyrex measuring cup. Stirring occasionally, allow to cool until thick like molasses and warm to the touch, about 20 minutes. 

Salted Caramel Frosting

2 sticks butter at room temperature
8 ounces of cream cheese
3-4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste 
1 cup salted caramel (recipe above)1. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy.
2. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar into the butter/cream cheese mixture and beat to combine.
3. Add 1 cup of the salted caramel and  1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, beat to combine.
4. Add additional powdered sugar until the frosting is the sweetness and consistency you desire. 

Notes:

When I first tasted the caramel before adding it to the frosting it tasted too strong and salty.  Once mixed into the frosting it was perfect.   

I used all of the caramel and the full 4 cups of powdered sugar in the final frosting.

This is a good one. I'm giving it 5/5 Prickly Pear Margaritas.

    

 

Pop-Up!

I'm just back from Nashville and I had the most wonderful time at the Riffs/Smoke Et Al Pop-Up!   If you are from Nashville,  you probably know what I am talking about.  If not, well here it is... You may have read my previous posts about the Nashville food truck scene.  If not, check them out here and here.   Smoke Et Al is probably my favorite food truck and I've been really looking forward to trying Riffs, so I was very excited to hear they were joining forces to create a Pop-Up evening.    

The location and the menu were carefully guarded secrets until just two nights before the event. When we arrived, we were seated at a table and we quickly made some wonderful new friends!That's Alexandra and Jeremy.  Alexandra is studying the menu and I think Jeremy is seriously contemplating stealing a bite.  He was the only guy at our table and was served last for every course! Alexandra is a Nashville food blogger and she and Jeremy are very knowledgeable about the Nashville food scene.   They gave us some wonderful recommendations which I plan to try next time I am in Nashville.  Be sure to check out Alexandra's blog, Sweet Betweens, for scrumptious recipes and an insiders look at the delicious side of Nashville.The first course was a delicate Asian inspired pairing of mussels and shrimp.   The chefs introduced the course and told us that little green sprig is called sea beans and it is harvested along the Oregon coast.  I had never heard of them before and at first thought it was just garnish. They were delicate and crunchy and tasted just like the sea.   The shrimp and mussels were cooked to perfection and the broth was so delicious, I wanted to tip up the bowl and lick it clean.  However, this was the first course and I didn't want to embarrass myself so early in the evening...The second course presented catfish on a bed of smoked bacon grits.  On the side was a little disc of "mofongo" which is blend of spices and mashed plantains.  It was topped with a little cocoa powder.  My favorite part, though,  was the shallot marmalade at the top right of the plate.  I ate it all by itself and wanted more.The third course was Smoke Et Al's offering.  Beef Ribs, crispy pork skins, and a boidin blanc, or white chicken sausage.   All scrumptious, but the best part was the Bourbon pork jus - another plate licking temptation.And the grand finale was the dessert and a surprise guest.  Jeni from Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream attended the dinner and contributed some delicious rum raisin ice cream to the dessert.  Be sure to check out her website because you can actually order ice cream and they will ship it to you!!

All in all this was a wonderful adventure in eating and meeting new friends.  If you are in Nashville be sure to check out the food trucks.  Their websites will clue you in on any planned Pop-Ups.  Smoke Et Al is having a special Valentine's Pop-Up.

I am back at the Mud House so stayed tuned for some more posts from the currently cold desert!

 

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!