Monday Must Have: Fat Daddio Tart Pans

Happy Monday!  After way too long a bit of time off from posting, I'm back with an AWESOME Monday Must Have--the Fat Daddio Oblong Tart Pan! 

Lately I have found that this tart pan is the perfect choice for summer fruit tarts and since it is finally showing signs of summer weather here in Oregon, I have plans to use this pan many times over the next couple of months.

And The Winner Is...

Last Monday, as part of the Monday Must Have, I said that someone would be chosen to receive their very own Fluted Pastry Wheel and a package of Lemon Stretch Wraps.  I numbered each entry on a piece of paper, folded them up and tossed them in a kitchen bowl (yes, of course it was a kitchen bowl) and pulled out lucky number 6!!

Congratulations to Monica of Sweetbites!! 

P.S.  I have had several requests to post more pictures of cakes, so I have listened and I am happy to share.  This was the birthday cake I made for my Mom last month.  The cake details are listed below:

*Lemon Chiffon Cake [layered w/whipped cream & sliced strawberries; frosted with sweetened whipped cream and decorated with fresh strawberries and white chocolate curls; top tier = 4-inch round, bottom tier = 6-inch round.]

Monday Must Have & My One-Year Blog Anniversary

It is Monday.

And being that it is Monday, it's time to feature a new Monday Must Have, since it has been a bit too long since I've had one. AND it just also happens to be the exactly one year ago today, I started Jillicious Discoveries, and I still can't believe how fast the year went. But more on that a little later.

Monday Must Have: My Favorite Rolling Pin

Every kitchen needs to have certain tools for cooking and baking.  You don't need to have every new and fancy gadget that comes out on the market (although some of those gadgets are cool and can be useful), but you should have some basics. 

Today's Monday Must Have is one of those basics--the Rolling Pin.

Monday Must Have: The Beater Blade (and the reason I've been M.I.A.)

I know, I know, it's been three weeks since my one and only post in January so far. But it's Monday, so let's start with the Monday Must Have and then if you want to know more about what I've been up to, I'll give you the scoop.

Monday Must Have: Christmas Stocking Gift Ideas

PSST!! I have a secret to share with you...

I DON'T HAVE MY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING DONE YET!!
Yep, that's right, I'm not quite ready for Christmas, because I've been busy baking Jillicious Dessert orders and helping others get ready for their Christmas celebrations. So, although I should be stressed, I'm just taking it all in stride and I'll get done what I can and not worry (too much) and just call "late" presents, gifts for the New Year.

YOU probably have all your shopping done, packages wrapped and now you are just enjoying the holiday festivities. But for the few of you who still need some gift ideas, here are my top five stocking stuffer gifts that are all under $20 and make great presents.

Jill's Top 5 Monday Must Have Gift Ideas:

1) Lemon Stretch Wraps (a.k.a. Lemon Shower Caps)
[Click here for more information about these cute and handy little caps]



2) The Scoop
[Click here for more information about some of the uses these handy gadgets provide]



3) The Melon Baller
[Click here for examples of what you can use this handy tool for in your kitchen]



4) The Microplane Zester/Grater
[Click here for more information of one of THE best kitchen gadgets ever!]



5) The Citrus Squeezer or Reamer
[Click here to decide which one is your citrus gadget of choice]


Happy last minute shopping!

Monday Must Have: Le Creuset Pastry Brush

Picture from Sur la Table

I know there are many brands of silicone pastry brushes out there, but my favorite is the Le Creuset brand. I have several brushes in a few colors and each one looks brand new, even though I've had them for years.

Top 5 reasons why the Le Creuset Pastry Brush is a MUST HAVE:
1) Easy to clean & stain proof (the brush is removable from the handle and is dishwasher safe).
2) Heat resistant up to 800 degree F. (You may not ever be dealing with that extreme type of heat, but good to know that if you accidentally leave it in a boiling pot, it won't become part of your food).
3) Great for applying butter or egg wash to pastries; flexible but won't damage even the most delicate doughs.
4) Gentle on bakeware or cookware & will not scratch or leave unwanted bristles (as some synthetic brushes break off at times).
5) AWESOME color choices to match any kitchen!

Picture from Sur la Table

Which is your favorite color and which kitchen task do you use it for?

Monday Must Have: The Bench Scraper

Today was a busy day and it included teaching great 4H group of kids (ages 7 to 13 years old) how to make French Galettes & Mini Turnovers, getting the rest of the grapes picked, and putting away the garden hoses and getting ready for the cold weather coming our way.

And this was how my day off went by so fast.

While I was teaching the group how to make Flaky Pastry Dough by hand, one of the parents asked me why I used the bench scraper instead of a pastry cutter. I love it when people ask me this question, because I think that sometimes this handy tool is often overlooked. I explained that ever since I began using one in culinary school, I've never gone back to a pastry cutter, because you can use this handy tool for so many steps in baking.

Here are a few ways you can use the Bench Scraper in your baking & cooking projects:

1) In making pie dough, it cuts cold butter quickly and then when you are finished with making the dough on a cutting board, you can use it to easily scrape up the leftover flour and clean up the board.

2) It's a great tool for dividing bread dough for loaves or rolls.

3) You can cut bars (brownies, shortbread, etc.) easily in a sheet pan, without scratching the pan like a sharp knife would do.

4) It's helpful when transferring delicate desserts to a serving tray or lifting pastries from the pan.

5) It also is a great way to chop some vegetables quickly and then use it to scoop up the cut vegetables to be used in cooking.

*Bench scrapers come in a variety of sizes and materials, I have several white plastic ones that are great for scraping bowls clean and not wasting any batter.

What task do you use your Bench Scraper for and why?

Monday Must Have: The Palette Knife

The palette knife isn't really a true knife. In fact, the palette knife wasn't originally made for kitchen work, but rather for artists to mix paints and apply them to a canvas. But some of the best tools have come from other professions and have been adopted into the culinary field.

Remember this Monday Must Have? Another great example of a tool that made the cross over to the kitchen.

In my drawers of many kitchen tools, I have nearly a dozen palette knives in several different sizes as part of my collection. These are some of the handiest kitchen gadgets around. I use them daily; for icing cakes, cupcakes, lifting small pastries, lifting cakes for stacking and many other baking projects.

Here are a few of my favorite sizes:


The largest one in the above picture is my favorite size. I use it on almost every cake size that I frost and because of the straight "blade" it allows me to get my icing super smooth and if it's a square cake, it helps create straight and even corners too, which was really helpful on this wedding cake I made last weekend.


The angled palette knife (a cousin to the regular palette knife) is called an off-set spatula and many of the same baking and decorating can be accomplished with either one. But the off-set spatula is a great tool for spreading batter for cakes and jelly rolls, and fillings evenly.

These are just a few of the tasks made easier during my day, thanks to these handy artist/baker tools.
Do you have a palette knife or off-set spatula in your kitchen tool collection? If so, I'd love know how this great tool has made your life easier in the kitchen.

Monday Must Have: The Scoop

In honor of Labor Day, the Monday Must Have is a great kitchen gadget to make your "baking labors" a little easier (and yes, my lame pun was intended). This tool is one that I use often when I make cookies, cupcakes (both mini & regular size), muffins and mini cheesecakes. It is so handy with any of these types of batter or doughs.

Although, there are many sizes available, I have three different scoop sizes that I have found to be handy, but I often look at the other sizes at restaurant or kitchen supply stores and I may be adding to my kitchen gadget collection very soon.

*Side note: Don't you love perusing kitchen stores and seeing all the shiny gadgets? I swear they call me by name sometimes and I just have to purchase one or two and add them to my collection.

The scoop sizes I own and use often are these: the large is a #20 scoop, the medium is a #40 scoop and the small is a #70 scoop, which I use for several desserts. The size refers to the number of scoops obtained from 1 quart (#20 = 20 scoops/quart). Each size works for different types of desserts, but the one thing they all have in common is that I can be sure that each dessert is equal in size and weight.

For those of you that may not think these are anything special and that a spoon or measuring cup could do the same thing, these scoops also have a spring release, so each cookie or cupcake batter is released all at once and you don't have to scrape the extras out--which really saves time if you are making a lot of desserts.

If you don't have one of these, but are thinking about getting one, I'd start with the #40 scoop--it works great for cookies and regular size cupcakes. If you already have one, I'd love to hear why you like it and what food preparations you use it for.

Monday Must Have: Favorite Citrus Gadgets & Bonus Accessory!

I love all fruits in the citrus family. Each one adds a little extra special flavor in cooking and baking. In honor of this fabulous group of fruits, I have three gadgets that I must share with you (actually two gadgets and a bonus accessory) for the Monday Must Have this week.

The Citrus Reamer

I really believe that every kitchen should have one of these handy little things. If you ever use the fresh juice from lemons, limes or oranges--this little tool is for you. Citrus reamers come in a variety of colors, sizes and materials, but the simple wood one will do great.

Step 1: Cut your lemon (or other citrus) in half.

Step 2: Place the tip of the reamer in the center of the lemon and twist back and forth.

Step 3: Repeat motion into a strainer over a bowl, until all the juice has been extracted.

This next gadget is the newest member of the Jillicious Kitchen and although it's a new one, I've already used it several times. I had my eye on this tool for several months. My niece had even blogged about how much she loved hers. Every time I was in a kitchen store or on the kitchen aisle in various stores, I would look it over and think, "Maybe if it goes on sale," after all I already had a wonderful citrus reamer that I loved, so I needed to make sure it was something I would really use.

Then last week, as I was picking up some other kitchen gadgets for a gift, I found this citrus squeezer at this store--on sale for less than half of the price I usually saw in other stores! I went home and tried it out and immediately knew I had made the best purchase. My Mom loved it as well and the next day I went back to this store and bought the last five they had in stock (sorry for those of you in the Corvallis area, but I'm sure they will order more in soon), to keep on hand for gifts for friends.

The Citrus Squeezer

Step 1: Cut the lemon in half.

Step 2: Place the cut side of the lemon face down in the squeezer.

Step 3: Position the top half of the tool over the face down lemon.

Step 4: Press the top half of the tool down onto the lemon until all the juice has been extracted.

*After pressing the juice from the lemon, your lemon peel will look like this:

The final part of this post is a little something I had to share because I think they are just too dang cute! Meet the Lemon Stretch Wraps or as I like to call them--Lemon Shower Caps.

Lemon Stretch Wraps (aka Lemon Shower Caps)

I use lemons in baking and cooking, but also with my meals. Fresh squeezed lemon juice is great on broccoli, fish, chicken, grilled vegetables, and so much more. The reason I love these little caps, is because you can have lemon juice quickly and without the hassle of worrying about where the seeds might land.

Step 1: Cut your lemon in half.
Step 2: Place the lemon "shower cap" over the cut lemon.
Step 3: Squeeze onto your favorite meat or vegetable.


*The best part of using these handy caps is this-- if you don't need all the juice from the lemon half, keep the cap on the lemon and place in a sandwich bag and keep in your refrigerator for later use.

It's been a busy week so far, filled with canning, canning and more canning. Recipes and canning process information is coming soon!

Monday Must Have: The Melon Baller

I have been so EXCITED to share this awesome kitchen gadget and helpful tip since I had the idea of the Monday Must Have. But I've had to patiently wait until the right time.

Today is that day. Please let me share with you a nifty little gadget: The Melon Baller.

We always had a melon baller in our kitchen drawer growing up. Back in the 70's it was very popular to make a fruit salad using one of these on every melon you wanted to include; watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, canary melon, etc. I just assumed that everyone had one in their kitchen, but I have realized that this is not the case. I have owned one since I left home for college and then year later I received another one as part of my tool kit in culinary school.

This one is pictured below and is the one in front. It is probably my favorite, because it has two different sizes and since it's on one tool, you don't have to worry about looking for the right size, because it is right there. The other melon ballers are also helpful and the one in the back also doubles as a grapefruit segment cutter that I picked up on sale at a culinary store. They are available in many sizes and brands and if you want to see more choices, click here.

As I mentioned above, I have been waiting for the right time to share this and today, a few of our apples from our backyard trees had dropped and now I had the prop I needed to share my helpful tip. Also, I wanted to give you enough time to find one of your own before fall, when it's time to make those delicious apple and pear desserts.

I learned this great tip while in culinary school during the pie section of the course. The chef was doing a demo for an Apple Galette and after he peeled the apples, he pulled out the melon baller and in seconds had the apples cored. I've been coring my apples this way every since. Since this is so easy to do, I'll let the pictures show you the steps.

(1) Cut your apple in half (either peeled or unpeeled):


(2) Place your melon baller around the core and twist in a circular motion.

(3) Remove the core piece.

That's it!! You can also remove the bottom part of the apple using the tip of the melon baller as well as the stem portion, instead of using a knife. I have found this to be a better method instead of using a pairing knife and it eliminates any chance of cutting too much of the apple away. This method works great on pears too.

Aren't you excited for all those wonderful apple pies, galettes, cobblers and other desserts to be made this fall? I am.

Monday Must Have: Silpats

It's been too long since I've posted a "Monday Must Have." I have been out of town the past two Mondays and didn't have access to a computer and I wasn't organized enough to schedule those posts to well, post using the blogger scheduler. But enough of my excuses--let's move on with another favorite of my kitchen "must haves"--the Silpat.

This past weekend, I made fresh fruit tarts for Farmer's Market and the tart shells baked up perfectly and evenly on the Silpat. I also used them when I applied the apricot glaze (which can be sticky) and if I spilled on it, no problem--very easy to clean. (The picture above was taken before I applied the glaze).

I use my silpats every time I bake cookies, tarts, pies, galettes, french macarons and anything else that requires a sheet pan. They have saved much time from scrubbing pans that have had a juicy pie spill over with a sugary mess (you know what I'm talking about) the kind that leaks out onto the bottom of your oven and leaves a blackened mess that is a pain to clean up. Yes, you can use parchment paper or even wax paper in place of the silpat, but ever since my very first experience using them--I haven't gone back.

Here's three tips in taking care of your Silpat:

1) Wash in warm, soapy water by hand (don't put them in the dishwasher, in case they slide down on the bottom and get stuck on the heat element--that could ruin it).

*Also, I like to wash them as soon as I'm done baking with them, put them on a sheet pan and stick them in the oven that is still warm from baking. They dry out great and you don't have to have them take up valuable counter space waiting for them to dry. Just remember to remove the pan & Silpat from the oven before your next baking experience.

2) Never cut your baked good while still on the Silpat. Once slice from a sharp knife will cut through it and it can't be fixed.

3) Store them flat. I place them on the sheet pans and put them away in a drawer for my pans.

Monday Must Have: TRAEX Spatula

There are many heat resistant spatulas on the market, but the TRAEX brand is my favorite and yes, I own at least seven of them. You may be thinking, "really, how great can this spatula be?" Let me explain.

If you notice the two half circles on the handle, just below the silicon scraper, this is one of the features that I love about this spatula.

Those two half circles allow you to do this--ta da!!



See how the knife is under it, but there is still space between the two? This keeps your counter cleaner and also keeps miscellaneous ingredients that might be lurking on your counter from getting onto the mixture you are working with.

Some other features this awesome spatula:

• Made of silicon for using in high heat (up to 500 f.).
• One side has a point for scraping square dishes and the other has a rounded corner for scraping bowls.
• On the other side there is a cut out like this: > so while scraping your mixer bowl you can also clean up near the top of the bowl as well.
• The end of the handle, is a groove that hooks on to a bowl or saucepan, so it won't slip down into it and then you don't have to stick your hand into something that is hot or sticky.

If you love trying new kitchen tools, then this one is a "must have" in my book. Definitely in my top ten!

Monday Must Have: Microplane Zester/Grater

I love kitchen gadgets and I have a top 10 list of gadgets that I don't ever want to be without. My Microplane zester is close to the top of that list.

There are two kinds of people: those who use Microplane zesters and those who don't. Which ever category you fall into, keep reading because this post is for you. If you do own a Microplane zester and have used it, you probably love it like I do. If you received one as a gift and you haven't used it, read on. If you don't own a Microplane zester, let me share with you how this kitchen gadget can change your life (OK, maybe not your LIFE, but it will change how you cook or bake). First, here is a list of a few things that can be zested:

• fruits (lemons, oranges, limes)
• spices (whole nutmeg, cinnamon)
• chocolate bars (white, milk, dark)
• cheese, ginger, onions, garlic, etc.

I use my zester almost every time I bake. I use it for cakes, cheesecakes, cupcakes, cookies, fillings, curds, muffins, biscuits, quick breads, garnish, toppings, ice cream, pies, fruit fillings and frosting.

There is no comparison between freshly grated nutmeg and ground nutmeg you buy from the store. The smell is heavenly!

Zesters are available in a few sizes--I have found that this size works for all my needs. There are smaller Microplane graters that are advertised specifically for grating spices, but I find that the one I have works great for nutmeg, so I haven't purchased an additional one. It works fabulous on chocolate bars, for a nice garnish over whipped cream on a dessert.

Lemons are the number one ingredient that I use my Microplane zester for in many of my recipes. I use a lot of egg whites for several desserts on my menu and this leaves many egg yolks left over. The best thing to use the leftover egg yolks is to make them into lemon curd. This is a great recipe from one of my favorite books on lemon desserts.

Lemon Curd
Luscious Lemon Desserts by Lori Longbotham

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
Pinch of salt
6 large egg yolks

1) Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
2) Remove pan from heat and whisk in sugar, lemon juice, zest and salt. Whisk in the yolks until smooth.
3) Cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it thickens and leaves a path on the back of a wooden spoon when a finger is drawn across it; do not allow the mixture to boil.
4) Immediately pour the Lemon Curd through a strainer into a bowl. Let cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally. Refrigerate, covered until ready to serve.
*Lemon Curd keeps for a month in the refrigerator and about 3 months in the freezer.

Lemon-Orange Curd: (Jillicious variation)

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• add 1 Tbsp. of orange zest + 3 Tbsp. of lemon zest
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice + 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• Pinch of salt (kosher salt)
• 7 large egg yolks

Prepare using the directions above. (I use less butter, because I like my curd to be a little more tart and the lemon-orange flavor is stronger without it).