50 Women Game Changers in Food: #20, Molly Wizenberg

The next two Game Changers will be easy posts....we know their stories well and most of us have been following them for years. This week, it's Molly Wizenberg from Orangette.

Molly traveled and studied through France, gathering  degrees in biology and French and cultural anthropology along the way. While she was attending graduate school in Seattle, her father was diagnosed with cancer. She went home to be with him and was there when he died.

Everyone said: make no major life decisions for 18 months. So Molly didn't but after that she moved to France, intending to work on a doctorate for a career in cultural anthropology. Within weeks of arriving in Paris, she realized that her life kept coming back to food. A writer friend suggested she start a food blog. After returning to Seattle,  she wrote the first Orangette entry in July 2004.

Orangette caught on quickly because Molly didn't just write recipes, but wrote about the meaningful things that happened around food. Slowly, her life inched more and more onto its pages. She even met her husband (Brandon Pettit) through her blog and together, they opened Delancey in Ballard. And all this time, we were there reading and experiencing all the difficulties and successes that life brings and then the complications of opening a new business.
So Molly's blog is about her life,  the experience, the stories, and imaginings that surround food. She says:  "Food is never just food.  It's also a way of getting at something else: who we are, who we have been, and who we want to be."

To celebrate Molly, I chose a recipe she posted back in 2005, Jimmy’s Triple Chocolate Scones. These are a chocolate-lovers delight and when she says triple chocolate, she means it. Don't expect them to be terribly sweet because they are scones, after all. But we did love the restrained chocolate flavor for breakfast. Besides, you can add more ganache topping if you want.

Jimmy's Triple Chocolate Scones
From Orangette, June 5th, 2005 post

Ingredients:

For the scones:
1 ¾ c unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ c plus 1 Tbs unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa
2 ¾ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
6 Tbs cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
½ cup heavy cream
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

For the ganache:
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (be sure to choose a good-quality chocolate that you’d enjoy eating on its own)
3/4 cup heavy cream

Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Drop in the butter, and using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter chunks into the flour until they are reduced to pearl-sized nuggets. Stir in the granulated sugar. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cream, eggs, and vanilla. Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients, add the chocolate chips, and stir to form a dough. The dough will be firm but moist, and a bit sticky to the touch. Knead the dough lightly in the bowl about ten times—or, as Jimmy has found, if the dough is too sticky, don’t worry about kneading. It is better to undermix than to overmix.

Form the dough into a 7- to 7 ½-inch round disk on a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into 6 wedges, and using a spatula, transfer the wedges to a baking sheet. Bake the scones for 17-18 minutes, or until set. Remove them to a rack to cool, and set the rack over a rimmed baking sheet.

To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan until it is very hot and steamy (not boiling, but close), remove it from the heat, and pour it over the chocolate. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and the chocolate is thoroughly melted. Use a spoon to drizzle the ganache over the cooled scones, and serve.

Yield: 6 large scones

Join Mary from One Perfect Bite and all the other participants in this fun series.

Val - More Than Burnt Toast
Joanne - Eats Well With Others
Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed
Susan - The Spice Garden
Claudia - A Seasonal Cook in Turkey
Heather - girlichef
Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney
Jeanette - Healthy Living
April - Abby Sweets 
Katie - Making Michael Pollan Proud
Mary - One Perfect Bite
Viola - The Life is Good Kitchen
Sue - The View from Great Island
Kathleen Van Bruinisse - Bake Away with Me 
Kathleen - Gonna Want Seconds
Martha - Lines from Linderhof
Amy - Beloved Green
Linda - Ciao Chow Linda
Nancy - Picadillo

Marion Cunningham's Custard-Filled Cornbread

Marion calls this recipe magic. She's right. When it's all cooked, there's custard in the center. This is an old recipe...from the 30's actually..... and as I've mentioned before, I'm slowly working my way through Marion's marvelous cookbook, The Breakfast Book. While we like cornbread, I've only made the old fashioned kind: muffins or those wonderful cornbread sticks made with bacon grease.

This cornbread is an entirely different cup of tea. With this one, there's cornbread on top and cornbread on the bottom with a lovely creamy center. Marion's only instructions were to serve it warm so I did some investigating. Most people served it for breakfast with maple syrup poured over it. Or honey. Almost everyone seems to think in terms of breakfast or brunch. But I read one blog that suggested serving  it with grilled meat, cutting down on the sugar a little, which you could do, but it's really not all that sweet to begin with. I liked that idea.

However you choose to serve it, it's definitely a recipe worth trying. I just couldn't bring myself to pour maple syrup over it so I took my first mouthful plain. And loved it. Then I took another mouthful with a little honey. Liked it that way too....but not quite as well.  I didn't want it sweet (because I'm so accustomed to corn bread as savory?) so that night, I reheated it and served it for dinner alongside some grilled meat. It made a fine side dish as it's rich and really doesn't need anything else, even butter. Besides, everyone wondered how the heck that custard got in there!

I didn't say this was low calorie! Whole milk AND heavy cream.  Yikes!

Custard-Filled Cornbread
From The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham

Ingredients:
2 eggs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 cup flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup heavy cream

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350. Butter an 8 inch square baking dish that is 2 inches deep. Put the buttered dish in the oven to heat up while you make the batter.

Beat the eggs a little and add the melted butter. Beat well. Add the sugar, salt, milk and vinegar and beat well again. Sift the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and baking soda together and add to the egg mixture. Mix just until the batter is smooth with  no lumps.

Pour into the heated dish and then pour the cup of heavy cream into the center of the batter. DO NOT STIR. Bake for 1 hour until golden brown. Serve warm.

Maple Scones

When I start seeing pumpkin and maple recipes I know fall has arrived. In Florida, it's difficult to tell. We'll have heat for another couple months yet. A cold front is suppposed to go through soon (which in South Florida-speak means the temps will lower from 90 to 84.) but still, I'm in fall mode, just reading what all of you are posting.

I adore scones. All kinds, all flavors and make them all the time. This recipe, found on Luisa's blog, is a winner. Love that maple flavor with the pecans. Sheer heaven with a little butter OR if you happen to have some, my father's favorite: maple cream. Luisa made them pie-shaped. I just used my biscuit cutter. Your choice.

Samuel Sewall Inn's Maple Scones
Via Luisa at The Wednesday Chef

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans (I used pecans)
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk or as needed

Method:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine both flours, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry blender, or two knives scissor-fashion, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles fine crumbs.

Add nuts. Stir in the maple syrup and egg and just enough milk so that dough leaves side of bowl and forms a ball. Turn dough onto Silpat-lined baking sheet (I used parchment paper) and pat (with floured hands) into an 8-inch disk; cut into wedges, but do not separate.

Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Immediately remove from baking sheet and carefully separate. Serve warm. Makes 8 scones.

Marion Cunningham's Fresh Ginger Muffins

Would somebody mind telling me why Marion Cunningham didn't make Gourmet's list of 50 Women  Game Changers? Several women on that list quote her, cook from her books and post her recipes frequently. Hello out there? 

Although I have three of Cunningham's cookbooks, her Breakfast Book is the most thumbed-through. I've got so many post-its stuck in the book it almost looks like I'm working my way through Julie/Julia style. Anyway, I'd marked her fresh ginger muffins ages ago as something to try. I've seen them posted here and there to rave reviews and I finally got around to making them. 

I know, they don't look like anything special, do they? Boring even. Au contraire! The flavors sing loud and clear when you bite into one. In fact, the entire house was filled with the most divine fragrance while they were baking. Wouldn't it be marvelous if you could click and sniff these photos like those old scratch and sniff bits in magazines? And isn't it interesting that Ms. Cunningham used unpeeled fresh ginger? I've just got to say it: I think these may be some of the best muffins I've ever tasted.

So run, do not walk, to the store to buy some fresh ginger and lemons and get these made. Not kidding, people. And eat them warm. Trust me on this one.

Fresh Ginger Muffins
From The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham

Ingredients:
A 2 ounce piece unpeeled fresh gingerroot, scrubbed clean
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons lemon zest (from two lemons) with some white pith
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick), room temperature ( I used salted butter)
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Method:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease the muffin tin. This recipe made 12 regular sized muffins.

Cut the unpeeled ginger into large chunks and place in a food processor. Process until it is in fine pieces. You should have around 1/4 cup. (Better more than too little.) Place the ginger and 1/4 cup sugar in a small pan over medium heat and stir until sugar is melted. It doesn't take long, so don't leave the stove. Remove and allow to cool.

Put the lemon zest and 3 tablespoons sugar in a processor and process until it is finely grated. (I didn't do this step because I used a microplane for the lemon zest and it was finely grated already, so I just added the sugar.)  Mix in with the cooled ginger.

Beat the butter  and add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Beat until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well. Add the buttermilk and mix until well blended. Add the flour, salt and baking soda. Beat until smooth. Fold in the ginger mixture by hand.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, fill them 3/4 full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.
(I froze some and when thawed and warmed, they were almost as good as when they came out of the oven. Can you see the little bits of ginger in the photo below?)

Mini Puff Pastry Croissants: Quickie #1

A while back I turned on the TV to watch an episode of Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network. A show I'd never seen was on just before it: Dessert First with Anne Thornton. She was making croissants the easy way with puff pastry. Frozen puff pastry is such a time-saver and this recipe reminded me of Ina Garten's ambrosial puff pastry sticky buns, although not quite as decadent. These simple croissants would make a super company breakfast as you can make them the night before, refrigerate and bake them in the morning. I tried them recently and we loved them. Easy peasy and why haven't I made these before?! (You probably have.) Biting into one of those warm crusty almond croissants was a little mouthful of heaven. 

Ms. Thornton got a tad carried away with her cutting directions so I just did it freehand, but I'll include her involved instructions below. I only had semi sweet chocolate chips in the house, but it worked, although next time I will use a piece of bittersweet chocolate. The almond croissants ought to have had some sliced almonds on top, but I didn't have any of those either. Next time.....

Chocolate and Almond Croissants
Adapted from Dessert First with Anne Thornton

Ingredients:
1 (17.3-ounce) package or 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed 

Flour, for dusting, if needed 

4 (1/2-ounce) semi sweet chocolate bars, each broken into 4 equal pieces

1 large egg, beaten 

Sugar, for sprinkling 

1/2 (7-ounce) package almond paste, divided into 1/2 to 1 teaspoon pieces, shaped like a log or rolled into a ball 

Almond slices, for garnish

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Place 1 sheet thawed puff pastry on the work surface like a sheet of paper or portrait. If the puff pastry is very sticky, very lightly flour the work surface. Using a pizza cutter or kitchen shears, cut the puff pastry in half, widthwise. Using a ruler as a guide, make an indentation at 2-inch intervals (for the base) across the bottom of each puff pastry half. Cut each half into 8 triangles, with the base of each triangle measuring 2 inches. (They will be very long isosceles triangles.) You'll end up discarding the 2 end pieces to get the most out of your puff pastry piece. This sheet of triangles will be reserved for the chocolate croissants. Repeat the cutting for the second puff pastry sheet that will be used for the almond croissants. 

For the chocolate croissants: Place 1 chocolate piece just above the 2-inch edge of 1 pastry triangle, folding the dough over the chocolate as you tightly roll up the dough, enclosing the chocolate. Repeat with the remaining puff pastry and chocolate. Place the pastry rolls on the baking sheet, seam-side down. Cover the croissants with plastic wrap and place the baking sheet in the refrigerator until the dough firms up. (You can make these croissants 1 day ahead up to this point.) 

Just before baking, remove the croissants from the refrigerator, brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle lightly with sugar. 

For the almond croissants: Place 1/2 to 1 teaspoon almond paste, shaped like a small log, just above the 2-inch edge of 1 pastry triangle, folding the dough over the almond paste as you tightly roll up the dough, enclosing the almond paste. Repeat with remaining puff pastry triangles and almond paste. Place the pastry rolls on a baking sheet, seam-side down. Cover the croissants with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until the dough firms up. (You can make these croissants 1 day ahead up to this point.) 

Just before baking, remove the croissants from the refrigerator, brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle lightly with sugar and sliced almonds. 

Bake until the pastries are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Raspberry Muffins

Flour is the most divine cookbook, isn't it? I'd like to do a Julie/Julia thing with it, but I know my limitations. :) On the other hand, I often turn to Joanne Chang for ideas and inspiration.
 
Recently I was reading Food 52  (which I hope you know about and at least read if you haven't joined) and someone had made an adaptation of Chang's Raspberry Rhubarb muffins. Because I have that treasured copy of Flour I looked it up to see what changes were made. I liked both the adaptations: browning the butter can't help but improve the flavor of the muffins and the Food 52 recipe used buttermilk instead of Chang's milk. Sounded good to me. 
I've always thought Chang's use of crème fraiche in her batter was a clever idea so I didn't hesitate to combine that with the buttermilk. I didn't have any rhubarb, so I added an extra half cup of raspberries. (BTW, the Food 52 recipe is HERE.)

Not too sweet, which I like in a muffin, and they were moist and tender. Served warm with butter, you can't beat them for Sunday brunch. If you have rhubarb in your garden, use a cup of fresh raspberries and a cup of chopped fresh rhubarb. 
Chang suggests filling the muffin liners right to the top and the image displayed in the book has HUGE overflowing muffin tops. Like mushrooms. I decided to use two kinds of paper liners that are deeper than normal, so only filled mine 3/4 full. They could have taken a bit more. So if you're using regular liners, fill them almost to the top.

Joanne Chang's Raspberry Muffins

From Flour and Food 52

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk or buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 cup crème fraiche, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
1 egg yolk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries

Method:
Melt the butter and allow to brown. Watch carefully, as it burns quickly after a certain point. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 350°. Line your muffin tin with paper liners.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, mix the sugar, buttermilk and crème fraiche. Add the eggs and egg yolk and mix until blended. Then add the browned butter and vanilla bean paste.
Fold in the flour mixture and add the raspberries when it is still not completely combined. Mix until all the dry ingredients are gone, but do not overmix.
Spoon into your muffin cups and bake for about 25  minutes or until a baking tester comes out clean. This recipe made 12 muffins.
Cool on a rack, if you can bear to allow them to cool!  :)

Pancake Soufflé Muffins

Last month I discovered these little gems. You can make the batter a couple hours ahead of time and bake when you want. When I made my first batch and bit into one, it was a surprise to find it wasn't very sweet. You expect a muffin to be sweet. But you've got to remember one word in the recipe name: pancake.
And that's what these taste like. Pancake in flavor, but light and airy like a soufflé and shaped like a muffin. All bases covered. You're gonna love these for breakfast or Sunday brunch. You can serve them with only maple syrup of course, but it's interesting mixing the syrup with fresh fruit...or, if you prefer, top with jam and some crème fraiche. Keep thinking pancakes here. Anything you like on your pancakes, you're going to like on these. 

They were a hit with my troops and you should have seen the surprised looks when everyone thought they were biting into a muffin! 
Pass the maple syrup, please!

Pancake Soufflé Muffins with Strawberry-Maple Syrup
Recipe from Bill Telepan via Fine Cooking

Ingredients for the muffins:
Nonstick cooking spray 
10-1/2 oz. (2-1/3 cups) all-purpose flour 
4-1/2 oz. (1 cup plus 2 Tbs.) cake flour 
2 tsp. baking soda 
2 tsp. baking powder 
1 tsp. kosher salt 
6 large eggs, separated and at room temperature 
3/4 tsp. cream of tartar 
3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly 
6 T bs. granulated sugar 
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 
3-1/3 cups buttermilk, at room temperature 
Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling

Ingredients for the syrup:
1 cup pure maple syrup 
1 cup quartered, hulled ripe strawberries

Method:
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Liberally spray two 12-cup muffin pans with the cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a large, clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric hand mixer on medium-high speed to firm (but not dry) peaks, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.
In another large bowl, beat the egg yolks with the mixer on medium-high speed until thick, ribbony, and lemon-yellow, about 6 minutes. Add the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla; mix on medium-low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add one-third of the dry ingredients and mix on low speed. Add one-third of the buttermilk and mix to combine. Alternate adding the remaining dry ingredients and buttermilk, ending with the buttermilk and mixing until just combined.
With a large rubber spatula, gently fold the whites into the batter, leaving some streaks.
Scoop about 1/2 cup of the batter into each muffin cup—you can fill the cups to the rims. Bake, rotating the pans after 10 minutes, until browned on top and puffed, and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out dry, 20 to 25 minutes total.

Make the syrup: 
While the muffins are baking, bring the maple syrup to a boil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Put the strawberries in a medium serving bowl. Pour the syrup over the berries and set aside in a warm spot.
With an offset spatula, pop the muffins out of the cups and arrange on a platter. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and serve with the syrup.
Makes 24 muffins.

Summer Berry Scones

It'll be June tomorrow. Finally! I've been holding this recipe back until fresh fruit abounds in our markets. How fortunate we are in South Florida to have fresh fruit all year; we are spoiled. Although most of the larger markets nationwide now carry fresh fruit year round, it can be pricey.  But hopefully, you now have berries available whether at your grocery or farmer's market and you can try these fabulous scones. I really do think it's important to use fresh, not frozen, berries.

I had family visiting recently and they love fresh berries for breakfast so I thought it would be fun to spoil them with these scones. I was worried they'd be soggy what with the raspberries, certainly not the driest fruit, but they weren't. As long as you cool them on a rack, the bottoms hold up perfectly. I love the raspberry jam in them and those raspberry and almond flavors marry beautifully. My favorite sweet mini muffins have raspberry jam and almond paste in them. 

The recipes in Once Upon a Tart are practically no fail and the only additional advice I would add to this recipe is when mixing the dry and wet ingredients, use your best kitchen tool: your hands. It's rather a stiff dough and it's hard to mix with a spoon. However, I did use a big spoon for mixing in the berries. Very. Carefully.

Wouldn't this be wonderful to use for a fruit shortcake? Slice the scone in half and put some berries in the middle and top with whipped cream. Another bonus: I had some left over and put them in the freezer. A week ago, I thawed them in the fridge overnight and stuck them in a convection oven the next morning. They were still perfect.

Summer Berry Scones
From Once Upon a Tart by Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau
  

Ingredients:
4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 sticks (20 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, diced small
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 tablespoon raspberry preserves
1/2 cup dried currants
3/4 cup blueberries, rinsed and dried on paper towels
2/3 cup raspberries, rinsed and dried on paper towels


Method:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a food processor, pulse the flour, baking powder, soda, salt and sugar to mix. Add the butter all at one time. Run the processor for 15 seconds. You want the mixture to look grainy like moist crumbs and with no chunks of butter. Pulse if you need to (I didn't)but don't overwork the dough.
Dump the crumbs in a big bowl. Whisk the eggs, add the buttermilk, extracts, preserves and currants. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until there is no flour visable. I did this with my hands.
Add the berries and mix gently, trying not to break them up anymore than necessary.
Using your hands or a 1/2 cup measure, scoop the batter onto the parchment paper, leaving 2 inches in between scones.
Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake 20-25 minutes, until they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place baking sheet on a wire rack to cool for a couple moments, then transfer the scones to to the rack. Makes 12 scones.

Marion Cunningham's Chocolate Yeast Bread

I'm sure you've all heard of Marion Cunningham. No, not the one from Happy Days, but the wonderfully talented American chef. David Lebovitz calls her "the last of the great, classic American cooks." She assisted James Beard for 11 years, was responsible for the most recent versions of The Fannie Farmer Cookbook and has several cookbooks of her own. An unpretentious woman, she continues to provide straightforward, practical recipes for delicious American cuisine. She was a regular contributor to Gourmet and Food & Wine Magazine and I believe still writes a column for the San Francisco Chronicle and the Los Angeles Times. I can't begin to list all her accomplishments, but refer you to one of the nicest articles I've ever read about a chef, written by David Lebovitz HERE. She also received the Grand Dame award from Les Dames d'Escoffier "in recognition and appreciation of her extraordinary achievement and contribution to the culinary arts,"  and in 1994, she was named Scholar-in-Residence by the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

                

                                                                                                    Marion Cunningham
                                                                                               (photo by Christopher Hirsheimer)

I've previously done a post on her yeast waffles, which have rightly replaced any other waffle recipe we've ever made at our house and have three of her cookbooks which I frequently search for inspiration. Here's yet another gem to tell you about: her Chocolate Walnut Butter Bread.

If you're looking for a delicious surprise for a Sunday breakfast, or if you're having company for brunch.. you've got to try Marion's fabulous bread. It's a combination of a yeast and sweet bread. Only one rising, you don't need a mixer and you can do it in one bowl. I don't make a lot of yeast breads any more but I made one loaf to see how it turned out and we loved the tender crumb and the rich surprising flavors. And here's a thought: make some French toast with this bread. There'll be some happy faces!


Chocolate Walnut Butter Bread
From The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham

Ingredients:
1/2 cup warm water
1 package dry yeast
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
4 eggs, room temperature
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts (I used pecans)
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken or chopped into large pieces (I used chocolate chips)

Method:
Put the warm water in a mixing bowl and add the yeast. Give it a stir and then allow to stand for 5 minutes to dissolve.
Add the flour, sugar, salt and eggs to the yeast mixture and beat vigorously until well blended. (I used an electric mixer) Beat in the butter one tablespoon at a time until it is all incorporated and the batter is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to let the batter rise to double its bulk.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Stir the batter down and add the nuts and chocolate. Spoon into two 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 3 inch greased loaf pans. The pans should be about half full so the tops are nicely rounded when they are finished baking. Bake for 45  minutes. Cool in the pan for about 5  minutes, then turn out on a rack to finish cooling.

Divine Muffins

 I love muffins, don't you? And cupcakes. Really fine line there. What is it I read once about the difference? Cupcakes have frosting, whereas muffins do not.  That's a good enough explanation for me. But if you want a formulaic definition, here it is, courtesy of Diana's Desserts:

"A basic formula for muffins is 2 cups flour, 2-4 tablespoons sugar, 2½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 egg, ¼ cup oil, shortening or butter and 1 cup milk. When the fat, sugar and egg ratio in a recipe reaches double or more than this, you have reached the cake level."

But the first definition says it all. Muffins never have frosting. Does the cinnamon sugar on top of mine count as frosting? :) And just to make these a bit more unusual, I added a touch of cardamom. Of course, these are rhubarb muffins. Did I forget to mention that? They are a little tart, a little sweet...a great combination. And incredibly tender. Just a tad of butter needed....or maybe not. I passed on the butter and scarfed them down warm right out of the oven.

What do you think of the tall, narrow shape? Someone gave me a couple packages of Robert Gordon paper cupcake liners. They make a really sweet presentation at a party. I didn't expect it, but the paper peeled back just as easily as the flimsy regular paper muffin cups I normally use. I have two patterns, this floral one 

and some with stripes. I haven't looked online for a source yet, but I bet you clever blogging buddies know where to get them. Let me know, will you? (And yes, they're Australian. Anyone know a U.S. source?)

Rhubarb Muffins

From the recipe here

Ingredients:

9 oz. (2 cups) all-purpose flour 
3/4 cup granulated sugar 
2-1/2 tsp. baking powder 
1 tsp. ground cinnamon 
1/2 tsp. baking soda 
1/2 tsp. kosher salt 
1 cup sour cream 
4 oz. (8 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly 
2 large eggs 
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 
1-1/2 cups 1/4-inch-diced rhubarb (7-1/4 oz.) 


For the topping: 
3 Tbs. granulated sugar 
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
(I added 1/4 teaspoon cardamom)

Method:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper or foil baking cups.
Make the muffin batter: In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt and whisk to blend.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Lightly stir the sour cream mixture into the dry ingredients with a spatula until the batter just comes together; do not overmix. Gently stir in the diced rhubarb. The batter will be thick.
Divide the batter among the muffin cups, using the back of a spoon or a small spatula to settle the batter into the cups. The batter should mound a bit higher than the tops of the cups.
Make the topping: In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Sprinkle a generous 1/2 tsp. of the cinnamon-sugar mixture over each muffin.Bake the muffins until they’re golden brown, spring back most of the way when gently pressed, and a pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes. Carefully lift the muffins out of the pan—if necessary, loosen them with the tip of a paring knife—and let them cool somewhat. Serve warm.
Yields 12 medium muffins.

A St. Patrick's Day Giveaway! And Some Bonny Irish Scones.....

I'm a scone fanatic. I admit it. So I just had to make these in honor of St. Patrick's Day; they're practically the only kind I've never tried. I made soda bread last year (although I didn't post it; I got side tracked with a cake, LOL) but with company coming, I thought it might be fun to serve these for breakfast. Always better to get a few more opinions anyway. 

I love the two kinds of raisins and the caraway seeds. While walnuts are not my favorite, they seem just right in this recipe. I didn't even consider using pecans. Just enough sweetness in these scones, but not too much. From one of my favorite cookbooks, Once Upon a Tart. With a bit of jam or honey, these are wonderful. 

Irish Soda Scones
From Once Upon a Tart by Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau

Ingredients:

4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

12 tablepoons ( 1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons caraway seeds

1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup dark raisins

Method:

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor, pulse the flour, baking powder, soda, salt and sugar to mix. Add the butter all at one time. Run the processor for 15 seconds. You want the mixture to look grainy like moist crumbs and with no chunks of butter. Pulse if you need to (I didn't) but don't overwork the dough. Dump the crumbs in a big bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and add the buttermilk, caraway seeds, walnuts and both raisins. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until there is no flour visable. I did this with my hands.

Using your hands or a 1/2 cup measure, scoop the batter onto the parchment paper, leaving 2 inches in between scones. (I rolled out the dough on a floured board and cut into squares.)

Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake 20-25 minutes, until they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place baking sheet on a wire rack to cool for a couple moments, then transfer the scones to to the rack. Makes 12 scones.

Now.....on to the giveaway!

Have you ever been to Prune in New York City? Then you will have enjoyed Gabrielle Hamilton's extraordinary food. She's the owner and chef and also happens to be a trained writer (M.F.A., University of Michigan); you'll love this memoir of her unorthodox trajectory to becoming a chef. You also might enjoy this article she wrote in Food and Wine. 

 And here's a couple quotes from a review in Grub Street New York:

"And that’s the beauty of this book, really — in this age of celebrity restaurateurs being turned into bobble-head dolls and robotic reality-show judges, it’s refreshing to read the memoir of a chef who admits to being only human."

Mario Batali: “I will read this book to my children and then burn all the books I have written for pretending to be anything even close to this. Then I will apply for the dishwasher job at Prune to learn from my new queen.”

Her book is newly released and I've got a copy just for you!

To win this fabulous book, just leave a comment letting me know the name of your favorite restaurant (no matter where) or which one you've always dreamed of trying. If you become a follower, you'll get two entries. And if you've actually been to Prune, you get a third entry! I know, that's not fair, but definitely worth three entries!  (Please leave a separate comment for each.) And make certain I have your email address. I'll announce the winner March 14th.

Maida Heatter's Indian River Sweet Orange Bread

This bread is a staple at my house. Along with my coconut bread, I usually have a loaf  in the freezer at all times for unexpected company. The coconut bread (For some reason I've never posted that, so if you want the recipe, email me.) is my daughter's and, I was informed yesterday, my granddaughter's favorite, but personally I prefer this orange bread. Maida Heatter's of course....my dessert guru. I've said it before, but will repeat myself: I've never made a recipe of hers that failed or that I didn't like. That is really saying something.

Years ago, among her many other accomplishments, Ms. Heatter used to give cooking classes in Miami. My mother regretted for years that she never drove down to take them. This was before I lived in Florida or I would have gone with her. Mother was addicted to cooking classes, she loved them.  She was a Maida Heatter fan from way back. I was indoctrinated early. :)

I prefer it toasted and in the photo below, if you look closely, you can see the bits of orange rind in it. It's what makes this bread so special. That bright orange flavor. The only other way I've served it is for tea sandwiches; add a little cream cheese between two slices, cut on the diagonal, chill them and serve. Delicious. And as with so many sweet bread recipes like this, I bet it would make marvelous French toast too.

Indian River Sweet Orange Bread

From Book of Great Desserts by Maida Heatter

Ingredients:

4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 large oranges (to yield 1 1/3 cups juice)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons butter
3 eggs


Method:

Preheat oven to 350 and put a rack 1/3 up from the bottom of the oven. Butter two loaf pans (8  1/2 x 4  1/2 x 2  1/2) and then coat them lightly with fine, dry bread crumbs.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
With a vegetable peeler, remove the thin, bright colored outer rind of about 2  1/2 oranges and reserve it. Squeeze the oranges. You will need 1  1/3 cups juice. Set it aside.
Cut the rind into slivers. Place the rind, sugar and water into a saucepan. Stir over high heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and let mixture boil gently without stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add butter. Stir to melt. Beat the eggs lightly just to mix and stir them in. Pour this over the dry ingredients and stir until dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened.
Pour into prepared pans. Shake gently to level batter. Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour or until a cake tester comes out dry.
Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing to racks to finish cooling.

Corn Sticks

Soup and chili weather is fast approaching...more for you than me, but our night temps dropped below 70 for the first time. We had a cold winter last year, so who knows what's in store for Floridians this year?

I love old fashioned corn sticks and am lucky enough to have one of those marvelous cast iron pans to cook them in. And I saved some bacon grease to coat it with too. What could be better?

I found this recipe in Sarah Leah Chase's Cold-Weather Cooking. It's got some mustard seeds for a little crunch, cheddar, chives and lovely grainy Dijon mustard, a super combination. How could it miss? With chili (I wish I had made Deana's recipe!), stews and short ribs, these are perfect. I never would have thought to try it, but Sarah suggests serving them with winter brunch egg dishes as well. So I made a batch in my miniature muffin tins...much more appropriate for brunch, I think.

One small bench note: the cheese makes these stick a bit so use plenty of grease and remove from the pan carefully. When I made the muffins, I also sprinkled some fine bread crumbs in the tins before filling.

Cheddar and Mustard Corn Sticks
From Cold-Weather Cooking by Sarah Leah Chase

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives or scallions
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
melted lard, bacon grease or butter for the molds

Method:
Preheat oven to 350. Stir the first 8 ingredients together in a bowl. In another bowl, stir the remaining ingredients and then add the cornmeal mixture. Stir until just blended.

Brush the mold with the grease and spoon the filling in, about 3/4 full. Bake until crusty golden brown, 15-20 minutes. Let cool slightly, turn out on a wire rack and repeat the process with the remaining batter.

Makes 12-14 corn sticks.