MADELEINE, JE T'AIME!

I am truly in love with Madeleines. They are wonderfully perfect, cake like cookies. Madeleines are also very easy to make if you have the mold for them. You will also find they are perfect for thanks giving, if you have a talent for icing. Their fan shape makes them easy bodies for turkeys. Think how delighted your guest would be to find sweet turkey decorated Madeleines waiting for them at their table place. I think they would be almost as delighted if they were to find a double martini.

So to make your own Madeleines you will need:

2 large eggs

1 table spoon vanilla

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 pinch of salt

1 cup and 2 table spoon cake flour

10 table spoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

To make them you will need to start off by pre-heating your oven to 375°.

In an electric mixer bowl, beat eggs and sugar, just until blended.

Next beat in vanilla, lemon peel, and salt.

Add flour and mix well.

Finally gradually add in butter.

Take your Madeleine molds and grease and flour them.

In the molds place a tablespoon of batter.

Set your timer for 10 minutes of baking. Yes, that is Cary Grant, I always like to bake with a handsome man in the kitchen. The Madeleines should be puffed and browned.

Let cool for about 5 minutes before removing them from the mold.

I personally don't like them to get too brown so I pull them early.

If you are talented with icing you can use royal icing to make these yummy cookies into turkeys.

Happy Thanks Giving!

I am so thankful for my followers.

Gamma Phi Mocktails

So I thought it was fitting to do a post on mocktails. Today is my sorority’s Founders' Day and I have been thinking of fond memories all day long. I remember we once did a mocktail party. It was a blast and I thought it would be fun to share some gamma phi themed mocktails. I love you ladies so raise a cup for Helen M Dodge, Frances E Haven, E. Adeline Curtis, and Mary A. Bingham and enjoy!

The Silver Moon

Tonic water
Squeeze of Lime
3 dashes Angostura bitters
Crushed Ice

In a fun shaped glass combine all ingredients and garnish with a crescent of lime.

Love, Labor, Learning and Loyalty Mocktail

2oz. Amaretto- for love, because who doesn't love amaretto

2oz. Cherry syrup- for labor, if you make it with maraschino cherries you can reward yourself for your hard work by garnishing your drink with a cherry.

4oz. Orange ounce- for learning, an orange a day is so much better than an apple a day

4oz. 7-up- for loyalty, you can always count on 7-up to be a great mixer.

Once again combine and served chilled.

Pink Carnation

(It is a Shirley Temple)

7oz. Ginger Ale or 7-Up

1oz. Grenadine

Combine and serve over ice

Party Punch

(You can't have an event without it)

½ gallon sherbet (strawberry is best)

2 bottles of fruit punch

1 bottle lemon-lime soda

Combine in a large bowl, make sure you keep it filled, and have plenty of napkins for serving the sherbet, it can get a little messy... ladies do you remember last springs pref night?

Chocolate Ganache

1/2 cup heavy cream
3 1/2 oz. dark (70%) chocolate, finely chopped
1 table spoon unsalted butter, softened

Bring cream to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour cream over chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Let stand for 2 minutes. Add butter, then whisk until mixture is smooth. Let cool while stirring often. Use immediately.

Gluttony (Salted Caramel) Macaron

Over-indulge; don't resist the temptation of Salted Caramel Macarons. One taste will always lead to more and more. They are an amazing combination of flavor that will ignite your taste buds.

You will need to make a Chocolate batter macaron, with a Swiss Meringue butter cream filling with caramel and a pinch of fleur de sel.

To add chocolate flavored macarons you will need to follow the basic macaron recipe. In the beginning when you are mixing your almond and powder sugar you will want to add in Dutch-processed cocoa powder. The amounts used are as follows;

3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder

½ cup almond powder

1 cup powdered sugar

I use just a plain Swiss Meringue butter cream filling and store bought caramel. I know “store bought” but I am too afraid of burning it to make homemade caramel. I promise it is on my to-do list but I am just going to use store bought for a while. You can see the Swiss Meringue butter cream post to see how to make it.

Fleur de Sel is an amazing French sea salt and for a French pastry you have to use French sea salt.

Spicy Thumbprints

When making Macarons I find myself with a large collection of egg yolks. Now I have tried to make Crème Brule with the yolks and its richness seemed to take away from the Macarons. I have also tried to make Bavarian Cream with the yolks but gelatin just freaks me out. I just wanted something simple to make with my left over egg yolks... maybe even something that would freeze well. Finally my very good friend Samantha posted her recipe for Thumbprints on her blog. Score! I found a simple cookie that is amazing even after it has been in the freezer for a while.

Check it out:

The Art of Procrastinating

Since everyone has a unique finger print I thought I needed to make these thumbprints just as unique.

For my thumbprints I used Strawberry Jam and almonds. I also added a little spice by adding ¼ teaspoon (ground) of the following spices to the almonds; Cloves, Allspice, Cardamom, and Cinnamon.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

You need:
6 large egg whites
1 ½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ pounds soften unsalted butter

To make:

In an heat proof mixer bowl, set over simmering water, place your egg whites and sugar. Whisk together until the sugar dissolves and the mixture reaches a temperature of 160º. Remove from heat and mix on a high speed until it forms a meringue (perks start to form). Beat in the vanilla extract and the butter ( 2 tablespoons at a time) on a low speed. Beat until smooth.

It is like silk and makes a generous amount. I always keep it refrigerated unless I am using it to decorate, it is easier to pipe while at room temperature.

Bunny FuFu Muffins

I have been eating so many sweets because I am trying to master baking cakes and tortes. My poor scale is getting abused. So the health food faerie godmother came around and said it was time for Bunny FuFu muffins. So we packed up and went to Whole Foods to pick up some bran.

We read almost every label on the Red Mill flour bags and picked out Teff flour and flaxseed meal. First of all they are both gluten free! Second, the flaxseed meal is heart healthy, contains Omega-3, and will give the muffins a nutty flavor. I picked Teff flour because it is a wonderful source of protein, iron and fiber. The health food faerie godmother is all for high fiber. Just remember to warn family and friends that these muffin are high in fiber, otherwise they might think you are poisoning them. Otherwise they might want to rename these muffins to Bunny PooPoos.


Two other helpful ingredients are wheat germ for vitamins and raw macha powder for energy.

So if you really want to make these muffins you will need:
½ cup Flour
1 cup Flaxseed meal
1 cup teff flour
2 tablespoons raw macha powder
¼ cup wheat germ
2 tablespoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Ground ginger (to taste)
Allspice (to taste)
Ground cloves (to taste)
Nutmeg (to taste)

1 ½ cups Apple Sauce
1 cup honey
½ cup milk
2 eggs
¼ cup soften butter
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds

To make:

1.Sift together the first 12 ingredients.

2.In a large bowl combine apple sauce, honey, milk and eggs.

3.Add dry ingredients to wet batter and mix until blended.

4.Stir in pumpkin seed, if you have raisins you could add in a cup of them.

5.Pour batter into greased pans.

6.Bake at 350º for 30-45 minutes.

7.Let cool on a wire rack

Macaronnage, Macaronner and Pied!

Three things you will need to know when making macarons are macaronnage, macaronner and pied.

Pied is the little feet the pastries have. If your pastries don't have a pied they are not macarons.

Macaronnage is the way you mix the flour and the meringue to make macarons. With a spatula bring the batter from the bottom of your bowl up and turn it upside down. You will do this 15 times.

Macatonner is when you mix the batter until it is firm enough to slowly drip with lifted with the spatula. At this point your batter will be ready to pipe on to cookie sheets.

Basic Macarons

Best thing when making Macarons is to have all of your equipment and ingredients together before you start mixing your batter. Save your alcohol consumption till your done, cuz you will need it then!

Check list time!

Equipment:
Parchment Paper
Cookie Sheets
Pastry bags/ or if you are cheap like me, large zip-lock bags
A mixer, stand or hand held
Spatula
Flour Sift
Mixing Bowl

Ingredients:
2/3 cup ground almonds (I make mine from blanched almonds, but you can always buy almond meal)
1 ½ cup powdered sugar
3 egg whites at room temperature
5 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract



To make a basic Macaron you will need to follow these steps closely, because if the cookies you make don't have feet, they are not a Macaron.

1.Set up your cookie sheets by covering them with parchment paper. You will want to draw out 1-inch circles on the paper. If you plan to add macaroons to your baking repertoire you will want to draw out your circles on a separate piece of paper that you can place under the parchment paper. This way you can use it over and over again.
2.If you are grinding your own almonds you will want to use a food processor. A nut grinder is going to take too long and make more dishes. You will need the food processor to mix the ground almonds with the powdered sugar. After you have done that you will need to sift the almond and powdered sugar mixture. You can discard the large chunks that won't break down after you have shifted the mixture twice. You will want to set this mixture in the refrigerator while you are doing the next step.
3.Angry? Good…you get to beat some eggs! You can stop when the egg whites are foamy.
4.Now a tablespoons at a time add in your granulated sugar and continue to beat the whites until the white become a meringue. Your meringue will be stiff, firm and glossy (sorry that sounds dirty.)
5.If you are adding in a liquid flavor this would be the time to add it in.
6.Now add in half of the almond and powdered sugar mixture to the meringue. Also if you are using dry flavoring this is the time to add it in. Use your spatula to bring the meringue up from the bottom of the bowl. Once the is combined you will add in the rest of the almond and powdered sugar mixture. This is macaronnage. (see Macaronnage and Macaronner post for technique)
7.Place your batter into a pastry bag or a large zip lock bag. Following your drawn out circles, pipe out your batter. (If you suck at piping and your cookies have bumps you can always get your finger slightly wet and dab the bumps down... but I would suggest that you just learn how to pipe better. Dear readers I am sorry for my feistines of this post... all I can say is I just burnt a cookie sheet of macarons and I am taking it out in this post. For better piping instructions I would have to suggest checking out Martha Stewart. This is the only time I suggest referencing her for macaroons.)
8.You will want to gently (something I can't do right now) tap the cookie sheet against the counter top. I am under the assumption that this will help your macaroons get there pied.
9.Here is where you will learn patience. You will have to let your batter dry. You will want them to be still moist with a thin crust. They can be touched without coming off on your finger.
10.Bake your cookies in a 375ºF oven for 15 minutes.
11.Remove from oven when they are slightly crisp and let them cool on a wire rack.
12.Thank me if they have turned out correctly, if they didn't, go to your favorite book seller and pick up a copy of Hisako Ogita's I ♥ Macarons.

Pineapple Bunny Cakes

Autumn is fast approaching and I want to hang on to summer for a little bit longer. So in hopes of capturing a little sunshine, I have made pineapple bunny cakes. These yummy little cakes are in tribute to my beloved rabbit, Stewart Vincent BunBun. Stewie loved pineapple, so it was only fitting to make these cakes in a bunny mold. If you don't have bunny molds you can always make this recipe in a 13” by 9” by 2” baking pan. If you make the little bunny molds you will end up with 12 bunnies. Unlike rabbits that like to multiply, bunny cakes like to add. The beautiful thing about this recipe is all you have to do is count to two. Yes, two, you make this cake with two of everything.

So for you to make Pineapple Cake you will need;

2 cups sugar

2 cups of cake flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 eggs

2 (8 oz) cans crushed pineapple

In a mixing bowl combine everything and mix well.

If you want, at this time, you can stir in about a cup of chopped pecans.

Pour batter into ungreased molds or cake pan.

Bake at 350º for 20 minutes for small molds and 40 minuets for cake pan.

Top with a cream cheese frosting. (see past post)

Have this beach bunny with some Dr. Pepper and Rum

or lift your pinkie as you have tea with this charming couple.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 Cup Softened Butter
8 oz. Softened Cream Cheese
1 1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Combine all and beat until smooth.

ABC

Not so easy as 1-2-3.

Down in the south liquor is sold at a different store than the grocery store. It is called the ABC Store. I really didn't think about this before I moved to the South. In Wisconsin I had it made. I could do all of my baking shopping in one simple trip. I just had to do it between 8:00 AM and 8:30 PM. Now I have to make two trips. Also the only ABC store I know of is in a very small city and has a very small selection. Oh how I miss the mega-liquor stores. Everything from Absinthe to Zima. So dear readers, I have to apologize to you for the lack of liquor in my baking. I also have to apologize for my lack of baking in general; most of what I have been baking has been very experimental and not quit blog worthy. But never fear…I will conquer my shortcomings in regards to the 3 B’s…Booze, Baking and Blogging and I will be back in the Ovens again.

Do-Ri-Mi…1-2-3, baking you and me!

Irish Coffee Cookies

For my birthday this year I was given the coolest set of cookie cutters. I love them, they are so adorable. One major problem though, I have never been good at making sugar cookies. I have always stuck to low fuss cookies. So one night I decided to make my very first batch of sugar cookies. I think they sucked. There were so boring. So what makes things better in my book....? Whiskey. Those who know me know that whiskey is my liquor of choice. I was sneaking it in the dorm rooms back in the day and well I think I might have to blame it for half of my boyfriends. Plus Whiskey gave me the Irish courage to take on a new form of sugar cookie. Irish Coffee Cookies.

So to make the best Irish Coffee you need to start with an Americano. It is going to be so much smoother than just regular coffee.

For Irish Coffee you need:

1 1/2 oz Irish Whiskey
1 tsp brown sugar
6 oz hot coffee
Heavy Cream

Combine whiskey, sugar and coffee in a mug and stir to dissolve. Float cold cream gently on top. Do not mix.

In the summer I love iced Irish Coffee. Milwaukee's Irish Fest got me hooked on that.

So to make this into a cookie I took a basic sugar cookie recipe. If you have one you like it can be easily converted.

You will need:

For cookies

1/3 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup shortening

1 teaspoon baking powder

Dash of salt

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon Irish Whiskey

1 pack Italian VIA (or instant espresso)

For Royal Icing:

2 cups sifted powder sugar

4 teaspoons meringue powder

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

¼ cup warm water

½ teaspoon Irish Cream

In a medium bowl beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add in your sugar, baking powder, and a dash of salt. Beat until combined. Add in your egg, vanilla, VIA and Whiskey. One cup at a time add in the flour. Cover and let chill. It takes about hour to chill and you know what that means... Happy Hour!

Preheat your oven to 375°.

On a floured surface roll out our dough so it is about ¼ inch thick. Get now it is time to get creative. You can use any type of cookie cutter you want. Hey if anyone comes across cookie cutters in the shape of martini, wine glass or beer mugs, please, let me know where you found them.

Place your cutouts on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes and let cool on sheet for 1 minute before transferring to a cooling rack.

Right before you are ready to ice your cookies make your royal icing.

Combine all of you icing ingredients and mix on a low speed for about 7 minutes.

Pipe icing on your cookies and you are set.

Please don't look too closely at my cookies... they look like a drunken person decorated them... ummm well... I did have a happy hour while the dough was chilling.

Since I am sweet enough, I only frost the cookies a little. I don't like overly sweet things but you may find you like them fully frosted.

“Russian” Spice Cake

As of late, I have had time to catch up on my reading. This means I have been reading all of Nick Hornby's columns for the Believer magazine. His clever columns got me thinking about how the books I am reading, shows and movies I am watching and just everything around me affects my baking.

These past few weeks the Russian spies have been a news topic and I have been wearing my favorite Mireasma perfume, “Russian Spice Cake.” So I thought I should make a Russian Spice Cake. Having no recipe I hit the internet looking for one. I came across a few and they didn't seem to be the best sounding. I took what I liked from a few of them and then created my own version of a Russian Spice Cake.

This is what I used:

6oz Hot water

1 pack of Starbuck's VIA, instant coffee in Italian

½ cup clover honey

¾ cup sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

3 cups All Purpose Flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon allspice

a good grating of nutmeg

To make:

Heat oven to 325º F

Grease and Flour Bundt Pan.

Prep the instant coffee according to the directions on the box and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix honey, sugar, oil and eggs until light and fluffy.

Next add flour, one cup at a time.

Once incorporated add coffee, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cloves, allspice and nutmeg.

Mix well.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 60 minutes. Make sure your tester comes out clean. Let cool in pan for about 15 minutes and then turn onto a wire rack to completely cool.

Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

You will have a spicy cake that is as sexy as Russian Spy Anna Chapman.

Pound Cake (Not GreatGrandma's)

So before I packed up everything to move down south, I made one last treat for everyone in Wisconsin. I made my Great Grandmother's pound cake. The recipe is a guarded secret in our family and it was very hard for me to come by. I had to get my 85 year old Grandmother drunk before I could get her to divulge the family secret. I guess it really wasn't that hard, my Grandmother adores Hot Sex, a chocolate milk flavored liquor. It has to be a very low proof, but the way she was acting, you would have thought it was 110 proof. But once I got Grandma talking I heard much more about all of my family secret’s that I really would have been happy not to know....it explains why she likes Hot Sex. OK, time to get back to baking.
That being said, you all are going to hate me. I will not be sharing my Great Grandmother's recipe with you but, yes but, I will share a modified Chocolate pound cake with you instead.


There are some rules.
Rule #1: Everything needs to be added to the butter 3 tablespoons at a time

Rule #2: You must use the best cocoa and pure vanilla you can afford, you can drink PBRs for a while.

Rule #3: You can NOT open the oven door while your pound cake is baking... It's a big no no. If you are one who is not very patient, my I suggest some spirits or the thought that if you open the oven doors all the spirits of your Grandma's past are going to haunt you.... ick.

Rule #4: This only applies if you or anyone in your family owns a dog. The pound cake smells so good while it cools that it is very hard for dogs to resist. Even the shortest of dogs will find a wayonto the counter to get to it. So protect your pound cakes, bakers, while it is cooling. Since the pound cake takes a while to make, it would be a shame to see it lost in a few seconds. My first pound cake was lost to my Dad's dog Mac. He may look cute but he was the foil of my baking triumph.

Rule #5: Have all of your ingredients measured out before you start baking.

So this is what you are going to. The best part of pound cake it you can get a little workout while you gather the ingredients.
1 pound All-Purpose Flour (for the Chocolate version, use 2 ¼ cups flour and 1 cup unsweetened cocoa)
1 pound Unsalted Butter, at room temp. (Best to have the butter and eggs sitting out an hour before you start baking).
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
9 large eggs, at room temp.
2 cups Sugar, my GG's called for more, but I thought we could be a little more health conscious.

So let’s get started. Get your stand mixer out and preheat your oven to 325°F.

In a large bowl, of any kind, whisk together flour and cocoa.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter.
Now slowly mix in the flour, 3 tablespoons at a time.
Once the flour is incorporated add in one egg at a time, making sure each egg it completely mixed in before adding the next.

Now carefully add in the sugar 3 tablespoons at a time.

Lastly add in your vanilla. Vanilla bean paste is amazing in here.

If I have forgotten anything just add it in 3 tablespoons at a time, I have been up since 4am and I am drinking a PBR on a relatively empty tummy, bet you can guess where all my money goes... quality cocoa and vanilla beans.
I normally make my pound cakes in bunt molds; I think they are prettier that way. But you can make this pound cake in loaf pans, I know this will make one large bunt cake and maybe it will make two 5 by 9 loafs. (I think that sounds right)

Before you move your batter to pans, you will need to grease and flour them. The best thing to use is a baking spray with flour in it already.
Now it is time to pop the pound cake in the oven for 1 hour and 40/55 minutes for the bunt, and about 65 minutes for the loafs.

At this time you make open your oven to make sure a tester comes out clean.

Let your pound cake cool for a half an hour in the pan and then flip it over onto a wire rack.


Now you have a wonderful pound cake every generation will enjoy! It is Kid friendly... unlike Grandma's stories.

Banana Bread

For some reason I have the nutrition for this Banana Bread. I know when I collected this recipe I was on a major diet so I am sure that it is from some health food magazine. I also think this bread is much better with nuts and I will usually mix in a hand full or two of walnuts.

Nutrition:

Calories 230

Fiber 1.6 g

Sodium 246 mg

Protein 3.7 g

You will need:

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup butter

¾ cup brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 ½ cups mushed bananas

(I don't know about you but this really doesn't sound all that healthy. I think it worked for me because my boyfriend at the time was eating the loaves before I had a chance.)

So to make it you start by preheating your oven to 350°F and lightly greasing your pan or pans

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, cream together mashed bananas, butter, brown sugar and eggs. Stir in flour mixture to banana mixture. Pour into prepared pans.

Allow to bake for 60-65 minuets or until tester comes out clean.

Black-eyed Susan Macaron

This May, the 135th running of the Preakness Stakes was ran and won by Lookin at Lucky.

While watching the Preakness it is hard to miss the beautiful black-eyed Susan's gracing Pimlico. If you were at Pimlico you would be downing Black-eyed Susan's. I wish I was there.
The Black-eyed Susan is made very simply, combine:
¾ oz. Vodka
1 ¼ oz. Kentucky Whiskey
3 oz. Sweet Sour mix
2 oz. Orange juice

Garnish with: orange slice, cherry and stirrer

So lets turn it into a macaron.


Flavor your shell with sweet sour and vodka.

Make a whiskey butter cream to go between the shells along with some chopped cherry and orange marmalade.

La Vie en Rose Macarons

I am in a world apart, where the vita is dolce and breakfast is at Tiffany's. The sun is shining and roses are blooming. Yes this is the land seen though rose colored glasses and those glasses where filled with citrus vodka, lemonade and rose water over ice. Life is better in the pink... oh I wish I had some pink lemonade now... what makes it pink.

Maybe I am a romantic but these macarons are the best I have ever made. The moment you bring them to your mouth your lips are kissed with the fragrance of lemon and rose. When you finally finish the macaron you sigh with want for more. Yes, I am talking about a cookie and the drink too.

These macaron's have an Absolut Citron and lemon zest shell with lemon curd and rose water Swiss meringue butter cream.

Guinness Brownies

My Goodness
My Guinness Brownies

Every girl ought to have a tall, dark, and handsome Guinness. If she is lucky she will be able to cook with it to catch herself a tall, dark, and handsome man. My Guinness Brownies are my first signature dessert. When I was started out making them all I was doing was substituting flat room temperature Guinness for all liquids in box brownie mixes. They were good but not great.
Then I figured out how to make them from scratch. They are amazing. You can top them with caramel or an infused chocolate ganache.


You will need:
1 cup All-purpose flour
¾ cup Dutch processed unsweetened Cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into cubes
8 ounces dark bitter sweet chocolate, 56% for sweet brownies – 100% for chocolate lovers to enjoy with coffee, chopped
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 ¼ cup flat room temperature Guinness

To Make:
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder and salt.

In a double boiler, melt butter and bitter sweet chocolate over a very low heat. Once melted remove from heat.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. It should take you about 3 minuets. Add in the melted chocolate mixture and continue to beat until combined. Then beat in the flour mixture and once that is combined add in the Guinness. The batter will become thin after the Guinness is added.
Pour batter into a greased baking pan. I use one of those “as seen on TV” brownie pans, it works out perfectly for me.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes on center rack.
Topper

The Irish Car Bomb Brownie : Cover the Guinness Brownies with an infused ganache
4 ounces semi-sweet or bitter sweet chocolate
⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
1 table spoon butter
1 teaspoon (or a ½ shot if you are a lush) of each Irish whiskey and Irish cream

In a medium heat proof bowl, place chopped chocolate and set aside.

In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring cream and butter just to a boil.

Immediately pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand for about 5 minutes.

Stir with a whisk until smooth and add your liqueur.


Enjoy and good luck.

Mint Julep Macaron

The Kentucky Derby is fast approaching. Before you pick out your fabulous hat and brush up on the words to "My Old Kentucky Home," you may want to consider making Mint Julep Macarons. They are sure to become a new Derby tradition and they are the first jewel in my Triple Crown Macarons. Yes there are more to come!

So let’s start our run for the roses by reviewing the recipe for a traditional Mint Julep.

To make one you will need:

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon water

8 fresh mint leaves and sprigs for garnish

1 cup crushed ice

2 ⅔ ounces bourbon

In a mint julep cup stir together sugar and water until the sugar dissolves. Add mint and gently muddle. Fill cup with ice and top with bourbon. Stir until outside of the cup is frosty. Add in mint sprigs as garnish.

Sounds good? It makes an even better macaron.

I make all of my macarons following Hisako Ogita’s book “I ♥ Macarons.” For the filling I do use a Swiss Meringue Buttercream… I don’t know where it came from but it is so amazing. The variations for the flavors are very simple and easy to incorporate.

To make the macaron batter follow Ogita’s book and incorporate 1 tablespoon dried mint leaves into the dry ingredients. I split my batter into two. I did this so I could leave one half bare and make one half colored.

For the Bourbon infused Swiss Buttercream Meringue you will need:

3 large egg whites

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

2 sticks of butter, softened

1 tablespoon Bourbon

Now let’s make it:

Combine egg white and sugar in a heatproof mixer bowl and set over a simmering saucepan. Whisk until the sugar is dissolves. The mixture will be about 160°F. Remove from heat and with an electric mixer beat for 5-7 minuets until stiff peaks form. Slowly add in softened butter, about a tablespoon at a time. When the Buttercream becomes smooth add in the vanilla and bourbon.

When putting your macarons together place a fresh leaf of mint in the Buttercream for the finishing touch.

Helpful Links:

http://www.kentuckyderby.com/
http://www.chroniclebooks.com/index/main,book-info/store,books/products_id,8167/title,I-Love-Macarons/

Zopf (Swiss Braided Bread)

I wish I knew more about this bread first hand... sad to say I had to look up info about it online. All I knew about it, when I first made it, was that it was a Swiss bread and like all things Swiss it was simple with wonderful craftsmanship. Zopf is a braided white bread and the first bread I ever made. Let me tell you, this is the type of bread to give a new baker the confidence to make any bread.

This Zopf pictured in the posting is my Easter Zopf. I colored it like an Easter egg and covered it with poppy seeds (to make it look Polish next to the Easter Lamb cake.)

Let me set the scene for this Easter. Family holidays = StReSs! Three generations of women (grandmother, mother, aunts, cousins) all running around cooking and setting the table and running to the store because someone forgot she made pretzel bread on Saturday and used up the flour. The yeast sat waiting a little longer than expected but still mixed wonderfully with the flour. I had time to kill and had the movie GiGi on.

"The night they invented champagne
It's plain as it can be
They thought of you and me
The night they invented champagne
They absolutely knew
That all we'd want to do
Is fly to the sky on champagne"

Oh what a wonderful idea… this isn't call LUSH-ous baking for nothing and isn't Cook's champagne made for those who are cooking for a family meal. So here is how to make Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzoopppppfffffff the bread so easy to make you could make it drunk. (Please have a designated sober baker there to do the oven work, that would be a bad way to get burned.)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp active dried yeast

1 tsp clover honey

1 cup lukewarm whole milk

4 tbsp melted butter

3 ¾ cups bread flour

1 egg

1 egg yolk to brush on bread

Now Make It:

Combine honey, milk, butter and yeast and set aside for 15 minuets, it will get a little frothy.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Make a well and add the egg and yeast mixture. ( for the spring look, I added in food coloring to the yeast mixture just before I added it into the flour and egg. OH yeah and to get the three colors in one loaf I made enough dough for three loaves. )

Combine well and when you have a rough dough transfer it to a floured surface and knead until smooth (get some tension out… Just picture the dough as one of the guys standing in the kitchen eating the carrots you just pealed for the casserole, ass ... OK, maybe not because you don't want to over work the dough).

Place dough in a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it double. (You will know it is ready when it doesn't rise up after you put a thumb print in it. It takes about two hours, this is when you can get your drink on.)

Grease a baking sheet. Punch the dough down and divide into 3-4 equal parts. Roll each into a long thin rope. Bring one end of the ropes together and braid. Be creative. I used a fish tail braid, which required four ropes. When you get to the end tuck the ends under the braid.

Once again cover the bread loosely and let set aside for another 30 minutes. Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Brush bread with egg yolk, add poppy seeds if you would like and bake for 30-40 minutes. It will have a beautiful golden color.