Valentine's Day 2011

Today I delivered the first Jillicious Desserts Wedding Cake of 2011 and also the first Valentine's Wedding Cake that I've ever created.  The clients planned a small, intimate, low-key wedding in their home and since it was on Valentine's Day, the bride said to incorporate the Valentine theme with the Chocolate Raspberry Wedding Cake she had seen on my website.

As appropriate as hearts are for this holiday, I find that there is a fine line that is often crossed from festive to tacky.  I try to stay away from the latter of the two.  I was really pleased with how this cake turned out. 

I created a double chocolate heart topper to display within the chocolate curls and raspberries.  Thanks to the pouring rain we had today here in Oregon and the lovely overcast skies, it was difficult to really show the topper in the dozens of pictures that I took.  The next picture was the first one I took and forgot to take off the flash--ironically, it shows the double chocolate hearts with the gold dust best in what was probably the worst photo I took today.

It almost has a sepia look to it, minus the washed out middle part of the cake.  But at least you get the idea of what it looked like.  I have to say, it looked better in person.

When I finished setting up the cake and decorating it, the bride exclaimed, "It is exactly how I envisioned it to look!"  That is always my favorite thing to hear, especially considering this cake was discussed through several emails and a phone call.  It's always good to be on the same page as the bride.

Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

Valentine Chocolate & Raspberry Wedding Cake Details:

• Both tiers ~ Dark Chocolate Cake w/Raspberry Filling & Vanilla Buttercream Icing
• Top tier = 6-inch  cake / bottom tier = 8-inch cake
• Dark chocolate curls & fresh raspberries
• Dark chocolate fondant heart details & decorations, w/sugar pearl accents

Daring Bakers: Traditional British Pudding

When I first read what this month's challenge was going to be, I thought hmmmmm...well, ok, this is a new one and something I've never made before and in some varieties, I've actually eaten. But hey, I have a soft spot in my heart for certain British folks and hey, give me that cool British accent on the right guy and it's over! You know the saying, "the way to a man's heart, is through his stomach" and if this type of guy or this type of guy could be the end result, then I say bring it on!

First let me introduce our hostess this month:

The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet.

Monday Must Have: Rose's Heavenly Cakes Book and a New Baking Group.

Whew! The weekend just FLEW by way too fast and the first week of February is already a distant memory. But, I have a treat for you today. Not only do I have a fabulous Monday Must Have, I also joined a new baking group based on the book I'm highlighting today.

Let's start with the Monday Must Have. I have had my eye on this book since I heard that Rose Levy Beranbaum was releasing a new book last September called "Rose's Heavenly Cakes" and I finally purchased it last week. You may be wondering what took me so long, but as I've mentioned before, I own a TON of baking books and I was trying to show a bit of self-control and purchase things I NEEDED, not things I WANTED. I had received a Border's gift card for my birthday (last October) and recently received a 40% coupon and I decided it was time to buy myself a belated birthday gift (thank you Jenna!). I can't believe I waited that long.

Harvesting the Grapes

After a long summer of canning many fruits and vegetables, the early fall produces one of the last fruits that need to be preserved; GRAPES!

We have put up grape juice for years, ever since I was a little girl. When the leaves begin to turn colors and the nights are cooler (but not yet freezing) it's time to pick them.

Putting up grape juice also happens to be one of the EASIEST canning processes of them all. Because the high heat of the steam, we don't need to process them in a Boiling Water Bath (which is one less step) because the juice is hot enough to seal the lids from the steam process. Plus, it's like my little reward after putting in so many hours of canning and now I can just sit back and let the Steam Juicer do all the work.

Making Grape Juice with a Steam Juicer

1) Fill the bottom pan up to the line with water. *Make sure that you check the water level during the juicing process and add more if necessary. You don't want it to run dry!

2) Wash grapes and drain off excess water before putting them into the steamer. Steams do not need to be removed.

3) Place grapes in the steamer.

*We place them higher than the top, as they will eventually cook down and you won't have to make as many separate batches.

4) As the water in the bottom compartment begins to boil, the steam will cook down the grapes and the middle compartment will begin to collect the juice. Steam over continuously boiling water (medium heat) for about 60-75 minutes, or until all the juice has been extracted from the grapes.

5) Have your prepared quart jars ready (hot and sterilized) for the juice. Using the tube on the side of the steamer, fill the jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.

*You'll see some juice begin to fill the tube; don't worry because you have it clipped at the top and if you have the spout pointing up, the juice won't leak out.

*When you get close to filling the jar, use the clip to slow down the juice and be very careful, the juice is VERY HOT and can BURN you which is very painful.

6) Wipe the rim and place lids and bands on the jars. Set on a towel on the counter undisturbed for the next 12 hours to cool and seal.


*We made several types of grape juice (from left to right):

• The darkest one on the left is a mixture of cherry and grape juices.
• Then the next three jars are from concord grapes.
• The next two pinkish ones are also concord grape, but the juices were extracted earlier than the previous three. *The longer you let the grapes steam, the more concentrated (or darker in color) the juice will become.
• The next two jars are a combination of green and concord grapes.
• The final two on the end are from the green grapes only, and they make a white grape juice.

Mix Grape Juice:

*Because the grape juice is a concentrate, you will need to add the following:

Add sugar (about a 1/3 to 1/2 cup; to taste)
Add water (about 3 1/2 cups; to taste)

More Juice Ideas:

Use half of the prepared grape juice (with the water and sugar added) with cranberry juice and part 7-up. Very delicious and makes a nice drink for holiday celebrations (it's perfect that the grape juice is ready by Christmas time!)

*We have found that waiting about 3 months before using the juice, helps to develop a stronger flavor and allows the sediment (which is primarily crystals of tartaric acid) to separate from the juice and settle on the bottom of the jar. These are not harmful, just unappealing. When you pour the grape juice into another container, the sediment will stay at the bottom and you can discard it.

Monday Must (Have) Make: Homemade Fruit Syrups

Last week during the early hours of the morning, I was baking some dessert orders and when I looked out the kitchen window, I saw this beautiful sunrise! I quickly grabbed my camera and was able to capture a few pictures of a foggy, yet lovely sunrise.

With the fall season upon us, comfort foods seem to be very appealing and well, yes comforting. One of the things I love to make for dinner, is breakfast. Eggs, bacon, toast, omelets, pancakes, and my favorite Belgian waffles. And what is a delicious topping? Homemade fruit syrups!

Last week, we canned over 40 quarts of grape juice (oh yes, I will be posting about the "fruits of our labors"--don't you just love a good pun?) and to make some room in our freezer for a meat order arriving soon, we decided to juice the frozen cherries we put up last year. Black cherries make a wonderful juice and a tasty syrup. Although we used a juicer/steamer to extract the juices, if you don't own one, you can still make syrup and it's very easy to make.

Cherry Syrup
Adapted from So Easy to Preserve, pg. 225

Yields = About 3 pints

3 cups prepared cherry juice
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
3 Tbsp. lemon juice

To Extract Juice
If you own a juicer/steamer, this is a great way to extract juice from fruits and vegetables. If you don't own one, here is a link that explains how to extract juices using a saucepan.

To Make Syrup
1) Sterilize canning jars. Combine ingredients in a saucepan.
2) Bring to a rolling boil and boil one minute. Remove from heat and skim off foam.
3) Pour into hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids.
4) Process 10 minutes in a Boiling Water Bath.
*If you will be using syrup right away, you don't need to process in a water bath. When the syrup is cool, store in the refrigerator.

The Last of the Summer Fruits

Ahhh...fresh seasonal fruits.

It's that time of year when I get ready to change my summer menu to a fall menu. Some desserts are taken off and replaced with more seasonal items. This morning I had to pick up some ingredients for a few cakes I'm making over the next couple of days and I found some beautiful strawberries, raspberries and blackberries that I needed to decorate a white chocolate cheesecake. I think this will probably be one of the last cheesecakes decorated with fresh seasonal fruit until next spring--it almost makes me a little sad, like having to say good-bye to a good friend. But then I think about all the great fall desserts that will be coming back on the menu and it's OK.

I've had to push back the bread baking for a couple of days and once I finish up the cake orders I have, then I will be able to bake some yummy bread (I have a couple of recipes from the BBA book in mind).

White Chocolate Cheesecake

On top of the cheesecake is a layer of sweetened whipped cream and decorated with fresh fruits; champagne grapes, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, green & red grapes.

Monday Must Have: Flaky Pastry Dough Recipe

I've been enjoying my day off today. It's been sunny today and I have been taking my time getting things done and yes, I will admit I've even relaxed a bit.

I decided to make Mini Jam Turnovers with the Flaky Pastry Dough for the Monday Must Have:

AND then I walked outside and saw that our pear tree had some beautiful pears that were ready to drop:



And since I didn't get a Monday Must Have post out last Monday, I just had to share a second dessert, Pear French Galettes:

This is a great recipe that I've used for several years and it comes out flaky, buttery and oh-so-tasty EVERY SINGLE TIME. If you follow these directions, you will have success every time you make this delicious pastry dough--I promise!

Many pie or tart dough recipes are very similar. You may have seen several variations that contain less sugar or no sugar, pastry flour, cake flour or all-purpose flour. This one has all-purpose flour and since most people usually have all-purpose flour at home, I find that this is a convenient recipe to have as a great go-to pie dough recipe. And this comes at the perfect time to welcome the fall season which officially begins tomorrow.

Flaky Pie Dough

Yields = (1) 9-inch pie or (12) mini turnovers & (4) 5-inch galettes

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
8 oz. unsalted butter
1/3 to 1/2 cup strained ice water

Directions:

1) Combine flour, sugar & salt in mixer bowl with paddle attachment and mix on low speed for 15 seconds.



2) Remove butter from refrigerator and cut into large pieces.



3) Add cold butter pieces to dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 10-15 seconds till butter combines with dry ingredients and is a little smaller.

4) While mixer is still on low speed, slowly add part of the water until dough comes together. Do not over mix (mixture may still have some dry parts, that is OK, because as the dough rests, it will absorb the water through out the rest of the dough).

5) Set a large piece of plastic wrap on the counter and scrape the dough mixture from the mixer bowl in the center of the plastic wrap.

6) Take all four sides of the plastic wrap and bring to the middle and twist securely together.

7) Using the heel of your hand, press the dough firmly and evenly into a circle.

*When you turn the dough over, you will see pieces of butter--this is a good thing!! These long pieces of butter will create a nice flaky pastry dough.

8) Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes (45 minutes to an hour is best) to chill.

Mini Jam Turnovers


Flaky Pastry Dough
Jam (Apricot, Raspberry, Peach, etc.)
Egg wash (1 egg + 2 Tbsp. milk)
Raw Cane Sugar

1) After chilling your dough, remove from the refrigerator and let it set at room temperature for a few minutes before rolling it out. Roll out the dough to about 1/16-inch thickness, using flour as needed, making sure the dough doesn't stick to the board.

2) Use a round cookie or biscuit cutter and cut as many rounds as you would like from the Flaky Pastry Dough. Drop a spoonful of jam on one half of the round, then fold dough in half and pinch the ends together using a fork.

*I made three different varieties using jam I had canned earlier in the summer; Apricot-Vanilla Jam, Peach Citrus Preserves & Spiced Peach Preserves.

*Don't worry if some of the jam oozes out--this is why I use Silpats. They are so easy to clean, even after baking sweet, sticky desserts.

3) Dock the tops of the turnovers using a fork, to allow steam to escape during baking. Next, place the sheet pan in the freezer for about 30 minutes. This dough needs to stay as cold as possible.

4) After the 30 minutes is up, remove them from the freezer, brush an egg wash on the turnovers and sprinkle some raw cane sugar on each turnover. Immediately put them in your preheated oven (400 f.) and bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until they are golden brown.

*Notice how fabulous and flaky the pastry is on these cute little turnovers!


Pear French Galettes




Flaky Pastry Dough
7-8 Fresh Pears (I used Bartlett Pears)
2 cups sugar
4-6 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 lemons, juiced and zested
1 tsp. mace
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 orange zested


1) Peal, core & slice the pears and put into a bowl with the lemon juice and zest. As you continue adding the pears, toss them in the lemon juice to prevent browning.

2) Once your pears are all sliced and put into the bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and toss lightly to allow them to combine and create a nice juice that the pears will set in for a few minutes.

3) While the pears are soaking up all those wonderful juices and spices, remove your chilled dough from the refrigerator and let it set out for a few minutes at room temperature.

4) Roll out your dough, lightly dusting it with flour to prevent it from sticking to the board. Cut 7 to 8 inch circles (I use a bowl to cut around) and move to a sheet pan with a Silpat or parchment paper. *If you have a Silpat, that works best, but parchment paper will also work.

5) Arrange the pear pieces in a circle, overlapping until they are about 3 inches from the edge. Fold over the edge of the dough securely, until you have all the pears contained within the center of the dough. Place sheet pan in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

6) After the 30 minutes, remove galettes from freezer and brush the egg wash on the dough that is folded over the pears. Sprinkle sugar over the egg wash (regular granulated sugar or raw cane sugar will work). *I also used a streusel topping that I had in the freezer, which is made up sugar, butter, flour and spices.

7) Immediately put galettes in your preheated oven (400 f.) and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

*I love galettes! I love them more than pies and the reason is this: a better ratio of fruit filling to a flaky pastry crust.

Enjoy and Happy Autumn!