D'Anjou Pear & Pesto Pizza

As I sit at the kitchen table writing cover letters, looking out on the cold, gray, rainy day I decide it's time to spice up my afternoon and make... pizza! A quick jaunt down to Bi-Rite for dough and this pizza is already halfway done.

Basil is back on the shelves at the store so the pesto pizza options are endless!
I bought a couple pears earlier in the week and decided to make a sweet-meets-savory pizza for myself and my roommates - depending on how generous I want to be. This simple pizza will have you and your lunch mates/dinner guests/fellow Super Bowl viewers watering at the mouth.

D'Anjou Pear & Pesto Pizza

Ingredients

Pre-made pizza dough, I used whole wheat dough from Bi-Rite

Pesto, my homemade recipe is here

1 D'Anjou pear, thinly sliced

Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Directions

**Follow directions according to your specific pizza dough label.  

Preheat oven to 500°F. Lightly flour your pizza stone or work surface and roll out the dough. 

Add a hefty dollop of pesto to the center of the dough and spread the sauce outwards, using the back of a spoon and working in a circular motion.

Layer the pear slices onto the pesto. This doesn't need to have any rhyme or reason to it, I just started in the middle and made a sunburst.

Next, add as much or as little cheese as your heart desires and bake for 10-12 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and golden.

And here is the finished thing!

Thin crust, flavorful pesto, sweet pear, and a little tang from the cheese... mmmmmmm

Hope you enjoy! 

Vegan Baking Experiment: Lemon Cake

The vegan wedding cake challenge is on. And so far I am not impressed. BUT - but - that does not mean this first cake was a disaster. It was just not up to my standards.

Here is a faithful narrative of my dealings with the Vegan Lemon Cake.

 

Vegan Lemon Cake with Lemon Icing

    slightly modified from Vegan Feast Kitchen

**This particular cake, being vegan and a little more temperamental than your average cake, does not rise 
so I recommend doubling the recipe in order to have a taller, more lofty looking cake.

Ingredients

2½ cups plus 2 tbsp cake flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt

¼ cup plus 2 tbsp faux butter, I used Earth Balance, room temp

2 tbsp lemon juice

1½ cups sugar

1 cup water

grated zest of 1 large lemon

¾ cup almond milk

1½ tsp vanilla

1 tsp pure lemon extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Thoroughly grease two baking pans, 9 or 8 inch. Set aside. 
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Using a standing mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and then add in the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in thirds. Fill pans half way and bake in the center of your oven for 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cakes cool in pans before turning out onto a wire rack. Make sure cakes are completely cooled before frosting.

Vegan Icing

**These are all eyeball measurements.

faux butter, Earth Balance for example

powdered sugar

almond milk

lemon juice

Directions

Using a standing mixer, cream about ¼ cup of faux butter. Slowly add in powdered sugar until the two are thick and combined. Carefully add in a couple tbsp of almond milk, enough to make the icing runnier, and a splash of lemon extract for flavor. Add as much or as little of the sugar and milk as you see fit.

Assemble

Add a spoonful of the icing to the center of a cake stand, this will keep the first cake layer from moving around. Spread an even layer of icing on the cake and then add the second layer. Frost the top of the second layer, allowing for excess icing to spill down the sides of the cake. Decorate with sprinkles or flowers. 

NOTES

• The lemon flavor is delicious, not overbearing but rather delicate. This is good news.
• The texture is similar to a sponge cake. This is not great news because I want a cake that will rise, layer well, and look like a wedding cake.
• Overall, the cake is tasty and looks cute but lacks the gusto of a main attraction. And I want my friend's wedding cake to be a main attraction.
  
  

   

Thank you to my guinea pigs, Aunt Cathy, Sarah, and Elizabeth! You will be called on again 
to test more cakes very soon! xo

Banana Coconut Loaf

I'm experimenting with a new flavor combo, banana & coconut.
I really like coconut so when I came across this recipe in an old cookbook of mine I knew I had to try it. It's a good thing I did because this bread is a winner. The flavors are subtle but the toasted coconut adds a great, sweet boost.

My family devoured this at breakfast. Let me know how you like it!

Banana Coconut Loaf

     from Frame-by-Frame Baking

     yields 1 large loaf 

     *I doubled the following recipe & made 2 loaves 

Ingredients

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup shredded coconut, some toasted, and extra for topping

2 eggs

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together. In a separate bowl combine the coconut and sugar. And in a third bowl beat the eggs, banana, soup cream, and vanilla together.

Stir all the ingredients together until fully incorporated. Fill loaf pan and bake for about an hour, until risen, firm, and golden.

Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning out and transferring to a wire rack. Top with toasted coconut, slice, and serve.

The finished product! I'm heading back for a third slice now.

Kitchen Sink Pasta Sauce

It's a weeknight. You might be a little tired, time might not be on your side, and you may be pressed to make a dinner and fast. Now's when you frantically open the refrigerator and scan the shelves and drawers looking for something - anything - that will work. 

Now's when I tell you a simple and last-minute pasta sauce is in your sights. And it'll take you no time. Well, hardly any time. 

I'm calling this my Everything but the Kitchen Sink Pasta Sauce because you can use whatever you have on hand. I only had half a red onion and no canned tomatoes so I got creative. If you don't have the ingredients I listed below, don't fret.

Kitchen Sink Pasta Sauce

Ingredients
olive oil
1/2 red onion, diced
1 medium shallot, minced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
10 baby carrots, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 spicy Italian sausages, casings removed
Red wine
1-28 oz. can marinara sauce
10 cherry tomatoes
Nutmeg
Sugar
Salt & pepper

Directions
Heat olive oil in large sauce pan, add in onions. Stir to evenly cook onions and keep them from browning. 

I used a food processor to finely chop the carrots and celery.

 
Once the onions are soft and changing color, add in the chopped carrots and celery. Saute for a few minutes then add in the shallot and garlic.  
After one minute add in the sausage, breaking the meat up with a spoon. Saute until the meat is cooked through. Add in about 1/4 cup of red wine to deglaze the pan.

  

Add in the marinara sauce, cherry tomatoes, and a little more red wine. Stir together and reduce heat to med-low. Season with nutmeg, a spoonful of sugar, and salt and pepper. Always season to taste. This sauce will be slightly sweeter than other sauces because of the carrots. If you like oregano or something a little spicier add it on in.

If you are rushed for time start boiling your pasta water now and let the sauce simmer until you're ready to serve. If you have more time, turn the heat down to low and leave the sauce alone.

I used pesto-filled tortellini which I found to be a perfect match with the sweet sauce. Serve your pasta with a healthy topping of Parmigiano cheese, a simple salad, and glass of wine. 

Salut!

   

Mediterranean Dinner

What better way to celebrate the new year than with wonderful friends, great stories, 

and a big, fat Mediterranean dinner party?

~~~

Mediterranean Menu

  

Layered Hummus & Vegetable Dip 

with Pita Chips, Carrots and/or Bread

  

Chicken & Tomato Stew

  

Cinnamon Couscous

White wine with the Appetizer & Red with the Mains

~~~

  

Layered Mediterranean Dip

     adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients
Hummus
Pesto
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
1 small red onion, diced
Sun-dried or oven-dried cherry tomatoes**
4-6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
banana peppers (optional)
olives (optional)

**Oven-Dried Tomatoes
1 pint cherry tomatoes, washed and dried.
Preheat oven to 225 degrees.
Cut tomatoes lengthwise, place in a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, sugar, salt, and pepper and bake for 2.5-3 hours. Tomatoes will look shriveled and slightly blackened on the edges. They will be delicious.

Directions
On a large serving plate, spread an even layer of hummus. Next, an even layer of pesto.

Evenly distribute the cucumber, onion, (other veggies if you're using them), feta, and tomatoes.

Chill in the refrigerator before serving. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Serve with pita chips, carrots, or bread.

Chicken & Tomato Stew with Cinnamon Couscous

     from theKitchn

Stew Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp dried oregano

1- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes, in puree

1- 16 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 cup chicken broth

Salt & Pepper

1 rotisserie chicken, cut into bite sized pieces, skin removed

Dash of cinnamon

½ of freshly squeezed lemon

Cinnamon Couscous
2 cups chicken broth

1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp salt
1- 10 oz. box plain, quick-cooking couscous 

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 freshly squeezed orange

Directions

Over medium heat, add olive oil in a heavy pot or dutch oven. Add onion and cook until softened, 5-8 minutes. Add garlic and oregano, cook for one minute while stirring.

Pour in tomatoes, chickpeas, chicken broth. Season with salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes.

Add chicken, lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Just before serving, make the couscous. This takes all of 8 minutes.

Bring chicken broth, oil, and salt to a boil. Add couscous, stir, remove from heat and cover.

Let rest until all liquid has been absorbed, about 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork, add cinnamon and orange juice. Fluff until everything is fully incorporated.

Remove stew from heat, add lemon juice, stir.

Serve the stew hot over couscous. Cheers! Or as we said in Greece, yiamas! 

Deeply Chocolate Layer Cake

2013 will be the year of the cake. 

I am making the wedding cake for my beloved friend Stephanie's June wedding. To ensure the best cake possible for that day I'm making a boat load of test cakes from here on out. And today I am starting with a chocolate cake. 

Deeply Chocolate Layer Cake with Vanilla Whipped Cream, 

     Chocolate Buttercream & Raspberries

     from The Little Red House

Chocolate Cake

2 oz. semisweet chocolate

¾ cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder

¾ cup boiling water

6 tbsp melted butter

1½ cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

1¼ cups cake flour**

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

**After seeing how fragile the cake turned out, I would recommend decreasing the cake flour to ¾ cup and ½ cup all-purpose flour.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

!IMPORTANT! Line bottom of two 8" pans with a round of parchment paper. Grease both side of the parchment paper and sides of pan.

Finely chop the chocolate, in a bowl combine it with boiling water and cocoa powder. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

In a bowl add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In large bowl of a standing mixer, beat butter and sugar until combined.

Add eggs, one at a time, until the mixture has thickened slightly and light colored, about 3 minutes.

Slowly add buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate, beating until combined well.

Add flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.

Pour batter into the two pans, bake in the center of your oven for 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool, turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Vanilla Whipped Cream Ingredients

     (double if making 4 layers)

1 cups whipping cream

¼ cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Using an electric mixer, whip the cream on high speed for 2 minutes until soft peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla. Whip until light and fluffy.

As my pictures may suggest, the cake is falling apart. It's very fragile and crumbles easily so be prepared. 

It might look a little rustic.

Chocolate Buttercream

     (double if making 4 layers)

1 stick butter, room temp

½ cup cocoa powder

2 cups powdered sugar

a few tbsp milk

Directions

Beat butter, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and a little milk. Beat, adding more milk, until you reach your desired the consistency.

Layering the cake...

This cake can be 2 or 4 layers. My cake turned out very fragile so I left it in two layers.

Spread the first layer with a hefty portion of whipped cream, adding a small handful of raspberries. Spread a layer of chocolate buttercream on top. Place the second layer of cake on top, frosting with the chocolate buttercream then whipped cream. Top with lots of raspberries.

This is cake very rich, very chocolately. So don't say I didn't warn you, chocoholics.