Tag Archive for: baking

Not a trick Carrot Cake

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I used to think my mother was trying to trick me into eating vegetables when she would make carrot cake.  I also used think she was not being very sneaky since she called it carrot cake- clearly there were carrots in there.  So, of course I would scrape off the delicious cream cheese icing and not eat the carrot cake.  It wasn’t until actually recently that I ate carrot cake- the actual cake part, and it is freaking delicious.  Who knew!! And it turns out, my mom’s is the best- I might be biased but you can judge for yourself.

Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups cooking oil

3 cups grated carrots

4 eggs

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

Sift first 6 ingredients into a bowl; stir in oil.  Add carrots and then eggs, one at a time.  Fold in nuts and bake at 300 for 45 minutes.

Cream Cheese Icing

Mix with hand mixer 1 package (8oz) cream cheese at room temperature, 2 tsp vanilla, 1/2 stick butter softened and 1 box of powdered sugar. (It is still the best part of the cake!)

Hot Chocolate Pudding

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Every year when I was little, we would spend either Thanksgiving or Christmas at my grandparent’s house.  It was always a lot of fun being with the whole family, but the best part every year was dessert.  My grandmother used to make the most amazing dessert that I had always known as “Gook” but that is not its actual name- actually it was hot chocolate pudding.  I don’t know why it was called that other than maybe a combination of gooey cake, but either way- it is awesome.  For some reason around when I was ten or twelve, we stopped having this as dessert, and while of course only complimentary things were said of the new dessert- everyone really just wanted the “Gook” back.  I decided to make it for dessert last week mainly because the weather seemed to call for a hot dessert, and I hadn’t had this goodness in about twenty years.  It was everything I remembered and more.  The recipe calls for two squares of unsweetened chocolate.  I got the best unsweetened chocolate I could find at the grocery store as opposed to just the regular Baker’s Unsweetened Chocolate.  I think better chocolate equals better dessert.  The squares however were much bigger than the regular squares that you find, so I added extra sugar and milk to the recipe. The other slight adaption that I made was I only had skim milk, and I thought that heavier milk was probably needed.  I also had heavy whipping cream in the fridge, so I used a little more than half heavy cream and the rest skim milk- this worked well but probably whole milk would be best.  Also, the recipe says to grease and flour a double boiler.  I had never heard of this, nor had anyone at the store where I went to buy my double boiler.  The reason behind this is because the bottom and edges of the pudding get cakey- which is the desired effect, so if the double boiler is greased and floured- it is obviously easier to get out.  This might be the most decadent, rich and delicious chocolate dessert I have ever had because basically what you are making is not fully cooked brownies- it’s pretty awesome.  Enjoy!!

Hot Chocolate Pudding

Ingredients:

1 egg

1/2 cup sugar

3 tbsp butter

2 squares unsweetened chocolate

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup milk

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Beat egg and sugar together.  Melt butter and chocolate.  Add to sugar mixture, beating well.  Add vanilla and milk, then the flour sifted with the baking powder and salt.  Place in greased and floured double boiler for 1 hour.  Serve at once with whipped cream.

 

Loveless Cafe Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies

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I know that I have posted a bunch of recipes using pumpkin, but it is such a great fall ingredient and it tastes so good, so here is one more.  I made these this past weekend, and they are amazing.  Thank you to the Loveless Cafe in Nashville for another great recipe.  I will say that I did not have any Loveless Cafe Biscuit Mix which the recipe calls for and had to use Bisquick, so while I loved these little treats- I am assuming that they would probably have been better had I used the Loveless Cafe Biscuit Mix.  I will have to get some of that!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies

Ingredients:

1 package cream cheese, softened

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

½ cup canned pumpkin

1 egg

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1 cup Loveless Cafe Biscuit Mix (or other biscuit mix)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add sugar, pumpkin, vanilla and egg. In a separate bowl, combine flour and Loveless Cafe Biscuit Mix (or other biscuit mix), baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients and place dough in refrigerator for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, line cookie sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350°. Place spoonful’s of chilled dough on sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake 10-12 minutes. Let cool 2-3 minutes before putting on a cooling rack. Let cookies cool completely.

Ingredients for Maple Cream Cheese Icing:

4oz. cream cheese, softened

½ cup powdered sugar

½ tsp. vanilla extract

3 tbsps maple syrup

3-4 Tbs. milk (depending on desired consistency)

Directions:

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add in powdered sugar, vanilla, maple syrup and milk. Drizzle on cooled cookies.

Skirt Steak with a Chimichurri Sauce

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We had a few people over for dinner this past Friday night, and while I have heard that you are never supposed to serve something new at a dinner party, these were my best friends, so I thought that I could experiment on them.  Everything I made was a first time attempt.  It was a little nerve wracking, so I can see why people say not to do this.  However, things turned out very well, if I do say so myself.  I made skirt steak in a chimichurri marinade.  I had been served this at a dinner party over the summer, and it was amazing.  I googled chimichurri marinade, and several different recipes turned up.  The main difference between the recipes was the use of vinegar or not.  I chose one on www.epicurious.com that came from Bon Appetit.  It wasn’t until after I had read and reviewed about 15 different recipes and chosen this one as the best that I realized it was a Matt and Ted Lee recipe.  I should not be surprised as they are the best!  The only thing that I did slightly wrong was not leave the meat on the grill long enough.  I had bought about 4 lbs of meat in 2 pieces.  The directions I had read said to grill for 5 minutes per side.  I think my steaks were a little bit thicker but in fear of over cooking, I followed the 5 minute rule without checking the inside.  It was a little rare for my taste, but I put the middle section of the steak under the broiler for a few minutes, and it was great.  This is an awesome marinade and a delicious meal to serve- it will definitely be on my go to list!

Here is the recipe for the marinade.

Chimicurri Marinade

Ingredients:

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more
3–4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or minced
1 shallot, finely chhttps://thesouthwillrise.com/wp-admin/post-new.phpopped
1 Fresno chile or red jalapeño, finely chopped*
2 cups minced fresh cilantro
1 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh oregano
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
*At Whole Foods, I could not find a Fresno chili or red jalapeno, so I got a green one.  It turns out there is no difference between a red and green jalapeno other than the color and season in which they are grown.*

Directions:

Combine vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, garlic, shallot, and chile in a medium bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro, parsley, and oregano. Using a fork, whisk in oil. Remove 1/2 cup chimichurri to a small bowl, season with salt to taste, and reserve as sauce. Put meat in a glass, stainless-steel, or ceramic dish. Toss with remaining marinade. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Remove meat from marinade, pat dry, and grill.

Bourbon Chili

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My dad has this saying that everything is good at the Waffle House except the waffles.  It is a big joke in our family, and I feel like this saying is apropos when I go to oyster roasts and say that my favorite thing is the chili.  However, since I can’t eat oysters and my dad can eat waffles- maybe not.  Anyway, we went to a dinner party the other night and were served the most delicious chili- actually it was bourbon chili which is probably why it was so good.  I have not experimented much in the making of chili just in the eating.  For instance, I did not even know there was a difference between regular chili and Texas chili (Texas chili doesn’t have beans), nor did I know that you never serve chili on the same day you make it.  It needs a day to marinate I guess.  Now that the days are getting colder- well not today since it is almost 80 degrees outside, but we have had some cold mornings when I wish I was wearing gloves on my bike ride to work, and chili is the perfect meal on a cold day.  Going to the best bourbon source, I found this recipe for Bourbon Chili on the Makers Mark website, and I can’t wait to try it (when it finally does get cold here). This looks delicious!!! And of course, here is a cute picture of Walker from long ago when it was cold.

Bourbon Chili

Ingredients:

1 cup Maker’s Mark® Bourbon
2 pieces dried Ancho chilies
1 piece dried Pasilla chile
2 pieces dried Guajillo chilies
2 pieces dried Chipotle chilies
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 pounds boneless beef short ribs
3 cups onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup masa harina, if desired
Salt and black pepper
Additional Maker’s Mark® Bourbon, if desired

Directions:

Toast the chilies in a large, dry skillet over medium-low heat until lightly charred and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and pour over the chilies. Weight the chilies down in the water and submerge with a paper towel. Allow the chilies to soften for about 20 minutes in the hot water. Drain the chilies once they are soft, reserving the soaking liquid. If you prefer your chili to be spicy, remove only the stem of the chilies, leaving the seeds intact. If you prefer a milder chili, take the time to open up the softened chili peppers and remove the seeds before adding the peppers to the blender.
Add the softened chili peppers to the blender with 1 cup of Maker’s Mark®. Puree until smooth.
Heat a large skillet or Dutch oven over high heat. Pat the short ribs dry with a paper towel and season them generously with salt and black pepper. Add the tablespoon of oil to the hot pan. Reduce the heat to medium high. Sear the short ribs on all sides until well browned, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the short ribs to a plate and pour off the browning liquid and fat into a small bowl. Return the pan to the heat.
Add the chopped onion and minced garlic to the skillet and cook until softened, about 10 minutes, stirring often.
Add the cumin, oregano, thyme, brown sugar, vinegar, browning liquid, chile water and chile puree to the pot. Season with a heavy pinch of salt. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer over low heat until the meat is very tender, about 3 hours, turning the ribs every 30 minutes and adding water as necessary if the braise becomes too dry.
Once the short ribs can break apart with a spoon, remove the ribs from the stew and break the short ribs apart into small chunks using two spoons or forks.
The chili braise in the pot should be the consistency of a thick soup. Reduce over low heat if necessary or add more water to reach desired consistency. Skim any excess fat and oil from the surface of the chili and discard. Stir the pieces of short rib back into the chili braise. Add an extra splash of Maker’s Mark® if you want.
Thicken the stew with masa harina (fine cornmeal makes a great substitute) if you desire: Ladle 2 cups of chili into a bowl and stir in the masa harina. Return the mixture to the pot and stir in with the rest of the chili. Simmer for 15 minutes. Serve the chili hot garnished with chopped scallions, cilantro and/or sour cream.

My New Braiser

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I hope everyone had a great Halloween and has transitioned into it getting dark at 6:00pm well- I am not quite down with it, and we spent the better part of the weekend arguing over why Daylight Savings Time exists.  It is not for the farmers as I previously thought but was suggested by a New Zealander because he wanted an extra hour of leisure time in the summer during daylight but after work.  Kind of ridiculous if you ask me, but I guess if I really was against it I could live in Arizona- the only state that doesn’t follow Daylight Savings. Here is a quick picture from Walker’s Halloween tunnel- huge success! Now that is over with, I can concentrate on my new favorite thing in my kitchen- my new Le Creuset Braiser.  My amazing friend gave it to me for my birthday- it is in Bone, and it is really awesome.  I have been looking for excuses to use it and trying to find new recipes for it constantly.  Since it is Le Creuset, I went to their site, and they have an awesome Easy Polenta recipe using the braiser.  It is fantastic!  Many more to come.

Easy Polenta from Le Creuset

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups spring water
2/3 cup quick-cooking polenta
3 tablespoons freshly grated imported Parmigiano Reggiano

Directions:

Use the 3 1/2 QT. braiser on the range top for this. Add the water to the pan and bring it almost to a boil.

Gradually add the polenta to the pan, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula. When all the grains are added, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the polenta is thick, smooth and mounds easily. (If you detect any lumps, mash them with the tines of a heavy fork.) This will take about 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and fold in the cheese. Serve at once.

Halloween Costumes and Pumpkin Cheese Puffs

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Halloween has always been Walker’s favorite holiday especially since we have moved back to Charleston.  He loves the carnival at school and of course the candy is great, but Walker actually doesn’t go in for trick or treating. Every year, Walker and my dad build a haunted tunnel up the front steps of my parents house, and Walker hides in the tunnel and scares the trick-or-treaters.  As he has gotten older, he has gotten much scarier in the tunnel.  We now have to ask children and their parents whether or not they want a big scare or a little scare.  If they want a big scare, then Walker has full reign to jump out and scare the living daylights out of them.  If they actually don’t want to be scared, then we have to yell to Walker in the tunnel to “tone it down” at which point he comes out completely disgusted and lets the children through the tunnel without scaring them.  While all this is going on, Corby, my dad and mom, and myself are sitting on the front porch (at the top of the tunnel) drinking wine and handing out candy.  By the end of the night, we are laughing so hard at Walker scaring people that he gets mad that we are ruining it and not making it scary enough.  To be honest, with this whole tradition, Halloween is my favorite holiday as well.  Here are some pictures of Walker through the years- first when I got to dress him up in whatever I thought was cute- then we moved on to a “Star Wars” stage (my favorite is the jazz hands Darth Vader), and then we got scary- initially with the Headless Horseman, and now he is just a zombie.  This year, I think I will add to the wine and candy aspect of the evening with this great recipe for Pumpkin Cheese Puffs that I found on www.tasteofhome.com.

Pumpkin Cheese Puffs

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 drops yellow paste food coloring
1 drop red paste food coloring
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
2 eggs
20 sprigs fresh Italian parsley, stems removed

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese and vinegar. Cover and refrigerate. In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine the yellow and red food coloring; stir Romano cheese and food coloring into dough. Add eggs, one at a time; beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny.
Drop by level tablespoonfuls 3 in. apart onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
Using a star tip and reserved cream cheese mixture, pipe stems onto puffs. Add parsley sprigs. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 10 servings.

Weekend Reading and Blackberry Farm Pumpkin Pudding

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Most weekends, outside of Walker’s football or other various sporting activities, we try to keep our days pretty free since we are usually so busy during the week.  A lot of this free time, Corby designates to reading time.  He can spend hours and hours reading the Wall Street Journal Weekend Edition or various magazines that have come in throughout the week.  Sometimes, when I would like to be doing something outside, I can get very slightly annoyed by all this superfluous reading, but most of the time, and this weekend being a prime example, the reading pays off.  Walker, who was waiting for Corby to take him to the aquarium, was less enthusiastic about waiting, but he is not as into recipe finds as I am.  In the Wall Street Journal Weekend edition this past weekend, they had an interview with Blackberry Farm’s Sam Beall.  What is not good about Blackberry Farm- I mean, this is a place that has gift bags waiting for you when you leave.  Dying to go!  It is a great interview, and if you can find a copy, it is definitely worth reading.  The best part is the recipe for Blackberry Farm’s Steamed Pumpkin Puddings with Tennessee Rum Hard Sauce.  This needs to be shared!  I am so excited to try this!

Steamed Pumpkin Puddings with Tennessee Rum Hard Sauce

Ingredients:

2 tbsps unsalted butter, melted, plus 8 tbsps unsalted butter at room temperature

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1 cup natural cane sugar

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup buttermilk

Roasted pumpkin seeds to garnish

For the hard sauce:

4 tbsps unsalted butter at room temperature

3/4 cup confectioners sugar

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

2-3 tsps fine dark rum

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Brush insides of six 6oz ramekins with melted butter.  Invert ramekins on a baking sheet and refrigerate to set butter (about 5 minutes).

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and coriander.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment or large bowl with a hand mixer, beat 8 tbsps butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, followed by yolk and vanilla, beating well and scraping down side of bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition.  Beat in pumpkin puree and scrape down bowl.

4. Add flour mixture in thirds, alternating with buttermilk, beating each time only until the batter is smooth.

5. Divide batter among ramekins, keeping rims clean.  Pick up each ramekin and gently tap on counter to remove any air bubbles.

6. Take a lidded baking dish or Dutch oven large enough to hold ramekins with at least 1/2 inch of space between and line it with a folded kitchen towel (to hold ramekins steady).  Arrange ramekins in baking dish.  Pour enough very hot tap water into baking dish to come halfway up the sides of ramekins.  Cover baking dish tightly with lid.

7.  Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a pudding comes out clean and the top springs back when gently pressed, 30-40 minutes.  Remove lid and let puddings cool in water bath for 20 minutes.

8. Make hard sauce: In a medium bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer set to high speed until fluffy.  Reduce speed to low and add confectioners’ sugar.  When sugar is incorporated, increase speed to high, and beat until light and fluffy.  Add nutmeg and rum and beat a few more seconds.

9. Invert each ramekin onto a dessert plate and garnish with pumpkin seeds.  Serve with hard sauce.

 

Lowcountry Local First Field Feast- Food is Good

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We went to the 4th annual Lowcountry Local First Field Feast on Sunday, and it was as expected- AMAZING!! The setting was spectacular out at Rosebank Farm on Wadmalaw Island.  The tent  was set up by the river, we enjoyed cocktails on the lawn with Long Miles played, and then we moseyed down to the dock for a cool breeze and a raw bar.  I had gone over the menu when we arrived, and by the time we sat down, I almost couldn’t contain my excitement for the meal.   Fire charred bread was served with pumpkin seed condiment and a yogurt dip.  We snacked on this yumminess while introductions and thank yous were given, and then we heard from the farmer about the cow named Link that we were about to enjoy.  Okra soup followed, and then we were onto the meat.  Plate after plate of the best meat and sauces and vegetables and beans came out of the side yard where it was all prepared by Chef Mike Lata and his unbelievable staff from FIG (which stands for Food Is Good and they are so right).  I am in awe of this group.  It was a little warm on Sunday, the bugs were out, and the serving staff from FIG had been there all day on their day off no less.  While they passed around the drinks and appetizers, helped cook and serve us all dinner (and there were about 180 of us), dealt with the rain that came pouring down right after the soup course- they all smiled, were cheerful, were the best wait staff I have ever seen.  I could not be more impressed.  Now, I need to make special mention of dessert.  Because I am still dreaming about it.  On the menu, it just said Sea Island Milk Candy.  I was curious.  When dessert was served, it was cream stuffed crepes with a caramel sauce that was just special.  I don’t want to even degrade it by superfluous adjectives.  It was just special. This is by far and away my favorite event in Charleston, and if you are ever able to go, I would jump on the tickets as fast as possible, and if you can’t make it, then you should just eat at FIG because it is the next best thing.

The Whole Pig

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I have eaten a lot of pulled pork in the last two weekends.  It has been pretty awesome.  What I have been amazed at is the different ways said pork has been prepared and how tasty each different one is.  The first round of BBQ sandwiches was last weekend when we spent the day on the dock down in Wadmalaw.  My fantastic friends Brooke and Jodie said they were bringing some BBQ which was great because while I had dinner planned out, I had not done anything for lunch.  When we all got hungry from not catching any fish, Brooke ran up to the house to heat up the BBQ.  He came down with Jack Daniels new line of “ready to eat meats” Pulled Pork (http://jackdanielsmeats.com/products/PulledPork/index.html).  I must admit I was skeptical as I am not usually a fan of that kind of stuff, but this was really good.  The sauce was great, the meat was delicious, and it was so easy, and also the perfect size for just a few people.  Definitely a great thing to have in the fridge when you have a craving for BBQ.

The second event for pulled pork was this past Saturday night.  My brother and his wife have just recently moved to Charleston, and they had a house warming party.  Mac and cheese, biscuits, and pulled pork were on the dinner menu, and bourbon banana pudding and apple pie was for dessert.  It was pretty special.  Corby has cooked pulled pork on the grill a couple of times before, and it has been really delicious, but it takes forever!  He has to let it marinade in a brine for 24 hours and then he puts it on the grill for 8-10 hours, and it is just a huge effort that doesn’t happen very often.  Clearly, the low and slow technique is what good BBQ is all about, so why had I never thought to cook it in my crock pot like my sister in law did for Saturday night- genius!  As much as I love my crock pot and BBQ, I can not believe I have never done this!  Here is a great recipe I found for crock pot pulled pork- it is at the bottom.

Now, the third eating of pulled pork was last night at a Lowcountry Local First (www.lowcountrylocalfirst.org) event out at some friend’s house on Sullivans Island.  It was a great event to raise money for LLF which is a great group supporting local farmers and connecting them with restaurants and people to buy local and eat local.  The hosts had spent some time getting ready for the party.  The house is amazing and looked beautiful, they had a great band, and they had cooked an entire pig in a pit in their yard.  A big, huge pig in a hole- slow cooked for hours and hours.  It was pretty impressive and oh my god good.  So basically, from store bought to crock pot to whole pig in the ground- pulled pork BBQ is pretty awesome no matter what.

Crock Pot Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

1 pork roast or butt (size depends on how much you want)

1 large Vidalia onion, sliced thin
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (4-6 lb) boneless pork butt or shoulder
¾ cup cider vinegar
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoons dry mustard
½ teaspoon garlic salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

Rinse pork roast under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

Place onions in crock-pot. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, paprika, kosher salt and pepper; mix thoroughly. Rub mixture all over roast and place the roast on top of the onions.

In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, Worcestershire, red pepper flakes, sugar, mustard, garlic salt and cayenne pepper; whisk to combine. Drizzle about 1/3 of vinegar mixture over roast. Cover and refrigerate remaining vinegar mixture.

Cover crockpot; cook on low for 10-12 hours. Drizzle about 1/3 of reserved vinegar mixture over roast during last ½ hour of cooking.

Remove meat and onions; drain. Chop or shred meat and onions. Serve with remaining vinegar mixture or your favorite barbeque sauce.