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~Jenn

Sparkle from creme brulee that is.  I decided to play with my Christmas gift, a blow torch (thanks Sarah!).  There was some trial and error with the bruleeing so there was a bit of smoke, but also spark and crackle like my own mini fireworks.  After that, I patiently waited the whole minute before cracking through into a silky creamy pudding.  Mmm.  A great first recipe for the New Year.  I will be back tracking a bit as I spent a lot of the holidays baking, so I have a lot to share from that in later posts.  But first onto the creme brulee!

What I like about the recipe is it involves just four ingredients:

Heavy cream
Egg yolks
Vanilla bean
Granulated Sugar (Vanilla Sugar would be even better.  More on that later)

I was pretty surprised to see how pale and fluffy the egg yolks got.  I’m used to whipping egg whites.  It can take some time to get to this stage but important for making the creme brulee creamy and light.

The heavy cream after it has been strained.  The vanilla flavor infused into it smells amazing and you can see the little flecks from the vanilla bean.

I haven’t worked with vanilla bean before so I was excited to try it out.  I washed and dried the vanilla bean and placed it in a jar of sugar.  The vanilla will get absorbed and create vanilla sugar.  If I had some ahead of time I would have used it for this recipe in place of granulated so that there is a stronger vanilla taste.

After adding the cream to the egg yolk mixture, the combined mixture becomes nice and thick.  I poured mine into four 5.5 oz ramekins (from Crate and Barrel) and had a bit of batter leftover, enough for another serving.

I used superfine sugar for the topping which creates a sheet thin, delicate top.

Glistening, golden, and ready to be eaten.

I wanted to try out the torch a bit more so I also did a twist on the creme brulee with Bruleed Mini Cheesecakes.

Since the cheesecakes are a lot smaller it was harder to control where we were bruleeing.  The first few got a little burnt and smokey.  This was with the superfine sugar so I switched to granulated.

Perfect :) I figured the larger sugar crystals would take longer to caramelize thus preventing them from burning as quickly.

One bite.  Not sure why I even bothered since I literally could put two in my mouth they were so tiny.  Hmm New Year’s Resolution…portion control.

Creme Brulee
from Paula Deen, foodtv.com

recipe notes:

• I first have to say, it was strange doing a Paula Deen recipe that didn’t have a single bit of butter.  It is a great recipe though.
• I had a bit of trouble figuring out when the creme brulees were done.  I was looking for a gelatin-like jiggle but I kept thinking it was too liquidy.  I baked it for an extra 10 minutes after 40 minutes of baking.  On top of that they browned.  There wasn’t much of a change in the jiggle either, but after refrigerating and bruleeing, I went to taste and it was a nice thick pudding consistency.
• Even after all that, I would recommend the deeper ramekins.  I put the leftover batter in a couple of shallow 1″ high ramekins and while those baked much faster and had the gelatin-like jiggle I was looking for, they melt too quickly after bruleeing.  It was a bit too liquidy for me.

Bruleed Mini Cheesecakes
from williams-sonoma.com

recipe notes:

• this recipe is fantastic.  fluffy and light and makes exactly 12 mini cheesecakes in the Williams-Sonoma cheesecake pan.  I know, I know I’m guilty of having a recipe-specific pan.  It’s like having a Madeleine pan.
• I added a pinch of cinnamon to the crust and it added a nice holiday touch.
• granulated sugar for the bruleeing to prevent burning

Payard’s buche de noel                                          Martha Stewart’s birch de noel

About eight years ago I watched the episode of Martha Stewart Living where she made a Birch de Noel.  Instead of a brown log, she decorated it white to look like  a log from a birch tree.  I was inspired but it seemed a bit daunting to make everything from scratch.  I was in high school and still using cake mixes so that is what I did.

I think my presentation was pretty good but not so much the taste.  In my short cut version I used a devil’s food cake mix which was too stiff so it broke when I rolled it up.  And though I covered the cracks with frosting, the frosting tasted like toothpaste.  I used a tub of premade frosting, mixed it with whip cream to make it fluffier, and added a bit too much peppermint extract.

December 2001                                            December 2009

After having the recipe in my “to-do” binder for eight years, I decided to finally make the entire thing from scratch this Christmas.  I’m not going to lie.  It’s pretty time consuming even when you prep over several days, but its the holidays so I think it was worth the extra effort.

Birch de Noel Prep Plan
2 days ahead- white chocolate mousse
1 day ahead- chocolate genoise cake, fill and assemble
day of- frosting

White Chocolate Mousse

The white chocolate mixture should be ribbon like and cooled so when combined with the whip cream, the mousse stays fluffy.

white chocolate mousse thick and glossy, ready to go for assembling

Chocolate Genoise

Whipping up the egg mixture till pale and fluffy and tripled in volume.  Several recipes I looked into said to separate the egg yolks and whites and then combine later.  I like how with this recipe you can skip the separation step.

Incorporating the dry ingredients into the egg mixture and then pouring onto a half sheet pan lined with buttered parchment.

After baking the genoise, I dusted the top with powdered sugar and flipped it onto parchment paper resting on a damp dish towel.  Then I rolled the cake up, from the long end, into a log and let it cool.  By doing this, the cake will not crack when you go roll it up again after filling it with mousse.

The fun part!  Filling it with mousse.  Luckily when I re-rolled the cake, it did not crack.  It helps to have a second person roll the other end.

Trim the ends of the log so you have clean sides, then cut off two pieces at a diagonal and place them on the log so they look like branches.

Adding the frosting, the final touch for making it look like a birch log.

The completed birch de noel.  It is unadorned, but after 4 hours of work on it, I really just wanted to eat it.

Birch de Noel
from marthastewart.com

When researching online for tips on this recipe I didn’t find much to work with, so I hope these notes are helpful should you decide to make one.  I used three different recipes to create this yule log, as if making the log wasn’t complicated enough. :)  The white chocolate mousse is part of the Birch recipe, but I used different recipes for the other two parts, as I have explained below.

White Chocolate Mousse
This recipe makes a lot of mousse.  I used all of it and it was about 1″ thick on the cake.  I would probably cut it down so that its 2/3″ because it difficult to roll with so much mousse.  When spreading the mousse on the cake, it will be a bit stiff from being in the refrigerator.  After frosting the cake, let it sit out for about 2 hours and it will be the perfect consistency for eating.

Chocolate Genoise
Of the three recipes, this was the only one that didn’t work out so well.  The Birch de Noel recipe come with its own cake recipe that uses all purpose flour, where I wanted to use cake flour so that it would be more fluffy.  It came out a bit tough.  It may have been because my sheet pan was 11 x 17″ rather than the 10 x 15″ jelly roll size, so the cake was a bit thinner than what was called for.

Seven-Minute Frosting
from blog, Smitten Kitchen, recipe from Joy of Cooking

Martha’s recipe made me a bit nervous because the last egg white frosting did not whip up properly.  I needed more guidance so I followed the instructions from the blog, Smitten Kitchen.  This version worked out perfectly, fluffy and glossy.  Just make sure you have a hand mixer.  This also needs to be made the day of because it will stiffen the day after.

Tagged: chocolatey, fluffy, make ahead ]]> http://deliciouslygood.wordpress.com/2009/12/28/birch-de-noel/feed/ 0 deliciouslygood buche birch buche de noel (Yule log) IMG_0620 IMG_0550 IMG_0556 IMG_0562 IMG_0564 IMG_0586 IMG_0590 IMG_0592 IMG_0595 IMG_0598 IMG_0599 IMG_0605 IMG_0607 IMG_0610 IMG_0611 IMG_0616 http://deliciouslygood.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/tis-the-season-for-a-santa-burger/ http://deliciouslygood.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/tis-the-season-for-a-santa-burger/#comments Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:03:06 +0000 deliciouslygood http://deliciouslygood.wordpress.com/?p=2260 ]]>
image courtesy of gilmoregirls.org

I’m a huge fan of TV dramedy, Gilmore Girls.  I love the quirky town and the relationship-centered story lines.  Lorelai and Rory, the mother and daughter duo were written to be big eaters and capable of large consumptions of sweets.  Sounds like me. 

One of my favorite food moments is in Season One.  Luke’s diner is their usual eatery where they consume burgers, fries, donuts, and pie on a daily basis.  Lorelai wanted something festive for the holidays, thus the creation of the Santa Burger.  Gross but entertaining. 

Santa Burger ingredients: Wonder bread, two buns, ketchup, cream cheese, patty, olives, cherry tomato

See the clip from the episode below:

I love the idea of literally adding tea into the cookies.  Luckily I had an Earl Grey tea bag but then I realized I could experiment with other teas too.  Orange Spice sounded fitting for the holidays.  Lastly this recipe inspires the idea of drinking tea, but  in the form of a cookie, which to me sounds more satisfying on rainy weekend.

The tea bags I cut open.  The recipe says loose tea leaves but I think the tea bags work just as well.

The dough is a bit dry and I found it hard to get them into the log shapes.  I would add a bit of water until you reach a consistency where it will easily hold together, much like you would for pie dough.  I didn’t add enough and so it was crumbly at times.

The recipe has orange zest so you can see the little bits of it in the cookies which adds nice color.  The more pale ones are the Orange Spice and the darker ones are the Earl Grey cookies.

I personally liked the flavor of the Orange Spice tea cookies more.  I can really taste the orange and the spice makes them festive.  The Earl Grey tea cookies have a nice tea flavor, but they’re not as sweet.  It really depends on what tea you prefer which makes this recipe so unique.  You can make the cookies whatever flavor you want.  Also I like the idea of giving the cookies with bags of the tea used in the recipe.

Earl Grey Tea Cookies
from marthastewart.com

my recipe notes:

• I halved the recipe, then divided that in half so I could use both teas, which is a bit more tedious when measuring and forming the dough.  I would stick with just halving the recipe for each tea.  Also the original recipe says it yields 8 dozen but somehow when I halved it, I go 20 cookies, which is way less than half.  Weird.
• I used the tea as is from the tea bags but it does give the cookies a bit of texture.  Next time I may grind the tea a little bit in a coffee grinder so it blends in more into the cookies.
• As I mentioned earlier, the dough is a bit dry.  Add a little bit of water at a time till the dough comes together.

Tagged: make ahead, simple ]]> http://deliciouslygood.wordpress.com/2009/12/13/orange-spice-early-grey-tea-cookies/feed/ 0 deliciouslygood IMG_0376 IMG_0336 IMG_0340 IMG_0353 IMG_0362 http://deliciouslygood.wordpress.com/2009/12/12/glazed-pumpkin-cinnamon-buns/ http://deliciouslygood.wordpress.com/2009/12/12/glazed-pumpkin-cinnamon-buns/#comments Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:31:49 +0000 deliciouslygood http://deliciouslygood.wordpress.com/?p=2276 ]]> After dessert, I love making brunch.  I’ve gotten really good at savory items but when there are a lot of people over I jump at the chance for sweet things- pancakes, french toast, crepes.  It’s like having dessert in the morning.  Every Thanksgiving and Christmas I make a sweet brunch item.  It’s a warm up to cooking the holiday dinner.

Last year, I made pumpkin cinnamon buns for Christmas dessert.  It could have been for brunch but after waiting for the dough to rise two times, it was a bit late.  These are probably better suited for dessert anyway with all the sugar in them :)

First rising.  Its amazing how large it gets.  Depending on the warmth in your kitchen it can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 90 minutes.

The all important filling.  The recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of butter, which is surprisingly little.  I believe I doubled the filling in order to cover the entire rectangle.

My favorite part of the process is rolling the dough and cutting into pieces.
I like seeing the cross sections.

Second rising

Baked and spread with cream cheese frosting that has melted slightly so its like a glaze.

They always say the first piece is the hardest to take out.  Yay tester piece.  So was the next one and the one after that.  They were so warm and fluffy I just kept eating out of the dish.

After a few servings I managed to take out one for a photo.

My method for eating a cinnamon bun is unraveling and breaking off pieces so I can see the cinnamon middle that’s been absorbed into the bun.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns

my recipe notes:

• I noted earlier that I doubled the cinnamon filling so that I could cover the entire rectangle.
• Also instead of the caramel frosting recipe I wanted a cream cheese frosting.  I edited a classic recipe to have a bit of spice to go with the spice in the bun.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1/4 cup butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 or 2 dashes cinnamon
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

I’m not going to lie.  My mouth is watering after posting this.  Next on my list are Pecan Maple Sticky Rolls.

Today’s Picks:  Edible Treats
I love making gift baskets.  They are a great way to be personal and thoughtful without having to cook/bake things yourself.  For the mixes, I like to create a “basket” using a pan or mixing bowl and fill it with gadgets and necessities needed for the recipes.

Cafe du Monde Beignet Mix
$2.68
I am absolutely crazy about beignets.  Dipped into raspberry sauce and dredged in powdered sugar that gets all over your lips, it’s way better than a donut.  I had to read the price three times to make sure I was seeing it correctly.  Even with $8 shipping it is a great deal.

Williams-Sonoma Eggnog Waffle and Pancake Mix
$14.95
I sampled an eggnog waffle at the store and it was crisp and light.  It has a slight eggnog sweetness.  Really good.

Sprinkles Cupcake Mix
$14.00
Rather than spend $3 for one, you can make a whole dozen.  I haven’t had a chance to try it but the new Spice mix sounds tasty and festive.

Jacques Torres Chocolate-Covered Cheerios & Cornflakes
$5.00 each
For a chocoholic, instead of the usual chocolate truffles, these chocolate-covered cheerios and cornflakes are a fun gift.  Of course, for even more chocolate, add Jacque’s Wicked hot chocolate.

Harry & David Moose Munch – Mix and Match 4 Flavor Pack
$29.95 for 4
Everything in moderation, except for Moose Munch.  It is incredibly addictive.  Last year I consumed far too much at one time, so this year I’m counting 8 pieces to eat per day.  Its painful.  My favorites: Milk Chocolate, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut.

Charles Chocolates S’mores
4 for $21
Place under the broiler until the marshmallow gets golden brown.  I was first introduced to these when I saw Charles himself demo the recipe at the Great American Food & Music Fest.  Unfortunately they ran out of ingredients before I could actually buy one to eat.  My mouth starts watering thinking about what I could have had.

Martha Stewart’s Christmas Special (Fine Living Network)
December 5-24, multiple airings
Highlight: Meringue Snowmen with Michel Richard – Every year I re-watch this part of an old Martha Stewart Living episode.  The snowmen are the most adorable things ever.
UPDATE: I found a close up of the snowman on Michel Richard’s Citronelle restaurant Facebook page (shown right)

Martha Stewart’s Holiday Cookies (Fine Living Network)
December 5-24, multiple airings
Highlight: Gingerbread People – these are right up there with the meringue snowmen as one of my favorite Martha segments.  She gets extra creative by adding gingerbread clothing and hair elements prior to icing.  I love the addition of peppermint pillows.

Sandra Lee’s Semi-Homemade Holiday (Food Network)
December 7, 18
I am a big fan of Sandra’s holiday specials.  She really goes all out with the decor, food, and presentation.
Highlights: To be honest, after reading the recipe reviews, many are not that great.  However I think its worth watching for the ideas and then using your own researched recipes.  I especially like the Hannukah-decorated meringues.

Everyday Italian- Holiday Gifts from Home (Food Network)
December 8, 15
In the episode Giada has great tips on putting together treats for a gourmet holiday basket.  My favorite tip is the addition of store-bought traditional candy from her native Italy to build out the basket.
Highlight: Parma-Style Carrot Cake- No more boring fruit cake.  Giada deLaurentiis bakes up individual sized carrot cakes in star-shaped holders that act as a bakers and gift packaging in one.

Throwdown with Bobby Flay – Buche de Noel (Food Network)
December 9, 10, 13
One of my favorite episodes of Throwdown.  I became a fan of Francois Payard after seeing his amazing creation.  If you are in New York you can order one for the holidays. www.payard.com

Paula’s Cookie Swap (Food Network)
December 12, 13
Paula hosts a cookie swap with some fun cookie recipes.

All-Star Holiday Gifts (Food Network)
no air date (I’m hoping they will add it soon, but if not the link goes to all the recipes)
Great edible gift ideas that will bring variety to the usual cookie platter.
Highlights: Spiced Candied Almonds from Michael Chiarello, Pumpkin Muffins for something sweet but healthy from Ellie Krieger, Three Chocolate Bark from Emeril looks so chocolatey and decadent.

This recipe does require first sauteing the apples and simmering cranberries but it creates a nice sauce for the fruit to soak up.

I love seeing the flecks of cinnamon on apples.  The cooked apple mixture would even be good for pancakes or crepes.  Careful when you combine the fruits.  The cranberries are softened and can “bleed” onto the apples.

Pile all the fruit in the center in one mound.  It almost seems like too much but it really shrinks down.

Folding up the edges of pie dough to create a crust.  Notice the juices from the fruit are already spilling out.  To make clean up easier, I should have put foil or parchment down first so the sugary liquid doesn’t burn and get stuck.

The essential pads of butter…

for a glistening golden finish

Cranberry Apple Galette
from williams-sonoma.com

No special notes this time.  I followed the recipe exactly.  Just make sure to line the pan for easier clean up.  :)

A girl was holding the most beautifully browned swirled S’more cupcake.  I walked 10 steps before turning around and asking where to get them.  That’s how I discovered Cako cupcakes.

I love the window display.  Very boutique looking with all the cupcakes lined up in rows.  Unfortunately the rest of the shop is a bit disappointing.  They had a pink and brown balloon arch in front so maybe it was a grand opening and thus explains the lack of decor and design on the inside.  But what really matters is how the cupcakes taste, so onto the selection.

They had the usual vanilla and chocolate but they have a lot more creative ones like the Apple Pie that I was drawn to when I walked in.  The cupcakes come in three sizes- small, medium, and large.  Apple Pie was only available in large that day and it seemed to rich to finish so I passed, especially when I still had my eye on the S’more.

Pumpkin cheesecake.. so tempting but again only in large.

They even had Banana Split.  To the right is the Andes Mint Chocolate cupcake.

Finally settled on a S’more- large, Red Velvet- medium (the standard cupcake size), and Lemon Raspberry- small

Lemon Raspberry was so tiny it didn’t last more than a minute after getting into the car.

The Red Velvet design looks a bit like Kara’s Cupcakes.

A deep red on the inside.  It was not bad.  The cake was light and moist.  The cream cheese frosting was a lot lighter than what I’m used to, which is okay, but at the same time the thick cream cheese frosting gives it that Southern feel that makes the cupcake so good.  If you want a lite version of the Red Velvet, then you’ll like this one.

Onto the S’more.  I love trying S’more cupcakes mainly because of the marshmallow frosting which is so different from buttercream.  I also like the graham crust.  This is by far the best marshmallow cupcake ever.

Kind of looks like a Baked Alaska.  The crust was just thick enough that when you cut into it, it still holds together.  The chocolate cake was moist and light.  Best of all, the marshmallow frosting was thick and fluffy.  This one should have come in XLarge.

Though not able to eat, this Sugar Castle was amazing to see.  It was unveiled in the main lobby at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in Union Square the day after Thanksgiving.  It is one of the largest sugar castles in the country and has gotten bigger every year since the first creation in 2005.

Sugar Castle by Executive Pastry Chef Jean-Francois Houdre

The 12 foot tall castle rotates and has a moving train circling around it.

I thought there would be some styrofoam or cardboard in some of the cake but it is all edible.

To see the Sugar Castle…
Westin St. Francis
335 Powell Street
San Francisco, CA

For cupcakes…
Cako Bakery
211 O’farrell Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

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