In the far corner of my grandma’s kitchen, below the telephone and in the bottom drawer, is where my grandma stored all her old aprons. Most of them were the ones that tied around the waist, some of them the kind you wouldn’t really cook in they were so nice (like the sheer and frilly organza one), some I think were made by my great-grandmother. Whenever I was at my grandma’s house I’d make a beeline for that drawer and spend hours tying all the aprons around my waist to make a big poufy skirt. I’d twirl and twirl and twirl.

Sometimes my grandma would tell me to choose one apron and come help her in the kitchen. I’d sit on the shiny red vinyl stool at the big wooden island and wait patiently for instructions. I remember one such day when we were about to bake. She’d go in and out of her pantry and place what seemed to me countless ingredients on the island: flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder. Then, the biggest bar of chocolate I’d ever seen. Mind you, I must have been around four or five years old and at that moment my grandma seemed like Willy Wonka. She saw the look in my eyes (she raised five daughters, she knew the look) and said to me,”That’s baking chocolate, honey, it’s not sweet.” I didn’t listen and the next time she turned her back for another pantry trip I bent down and scraped my little teeth on the big bar of chocolate.

“Eeeeeeew!”

“I told you, dear,” my grandma said sweetly, giggling a bit.

Oh how I loved those days. But apparently I didn’t learn much. On a trip to Mexico I found a bag of cocoa nibs at a sweets shop and bought them. Cocoa nibs are chocolate in their purest form. They’re roasted cocoa beans that haven’t been crushed and transformed into unsweetened chocolate. In a nutshell (or nib), they are definitely not sweet.

Barnaby said to me, just like my grandma all those years ago, “They’re not sweet, you know.” I knew (even though I’d never tasted one), but I popped one defiantly in my mouth anyway. It wasn’t the “Eeeeew!” I experienced in my grandma’s kitchen, but it wasn’t necessarily “yuuuum!” either, at least at first. After chewing it a bit I was able to get past the bitter taste and enjoy the lovely natural cocoa flavors.

Best of all, it made me remember that day spent baking with my grandma and the first time I snuck a taste of baking chocolate.

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Categories:	Baked Goods • Chocolate • Mexican	2 Comments
Tags:	baking • Chocolate • cocoa nibs • Mexico

Photo: James.Whisker

Every day as we walked to school in Siena, Italy we passed the big panforte factory. We could smell the delicious confection baking and it was intoxicating. Back then I didn’t appreciate this dense and chewy cake but it’s now something I look forward to during the holidays.

Panforte dates back to at least the Middle Ages, some believe back even further, and originated in Siena (or at least Tuscany). It literally translates to “strong bread,” referring to its piquant flavor. Being so densely packed with dried fruit, nuts, spices, and honey I’m sure the Crusaders referred to it as their energy bar.

Many regard Siena as the panforte capital of Italy. While there are various recipes for panforte most Senese believe it should contain seventeen ingredients to represent the seventeen contrade (subdivisions) of the walled city (my beloved contrada was the Istrice, or the crested porcupine!).

If you’re making panforte follow the traditional Italian way by baking it in small 4-inch disks. Wrap it in wax paper, then brown butcher paper. Tie it with string and, if you want to get really fancy, seal it with red embossed wax. Che bella! A little slice is perfect in the morning with a cup of cappuccino, or after a meal with a nice glass of vin santo.

Panforte
Adapted from Chef Gina DePalma

Nonstick cooking spray, for pan
3 cups whole blanched almonds
1 3/4 cups whole hazelnuts, skinned or unskinned
2 cups diced candied orange peel
6 ounces dried apricots, diced
5 ounces dried figs, diced
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups honey
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 325 degrees with a rack set in the center of the oven. Generously spray a 9-by-2-inch heavy-bottomed, nonstick round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottom of pan with a parchment paper circle, spray parchment paper circle with cooking spray. Coat bottom and sides of pan with flour, tapping out excess.

Using a sharp knife, roughly chop almonds and hazelnuts and place in a large, wide bowl, along with orange peel, apricots, and figs; toss to combine.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cinnamon, cocoa powder, salt, nutmeg, cloves, and pepper. Add to bowl of nuts and fruit and toss until well combined.

Place sugar, honey, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook mixture until it reaches 217 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove pan from heat and quickly pour sugar mixture into nut mixture. Using a heatproof spatula, stir until well combined. Transfer mixture to prepared cake pan, smoothing surface with a spatula.

Transfer cake pan to oven and bake until entire surface is bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer cake to wire rack and let cool completely. Wrap well with parchment paper, and then again with plastic wrap. Store in a cool, dry place up to 3 weeks.

To serve, dust the panforte with confectioners’ sugar and cut into thin wedges with a sharp knife.
For more on the history of panforte check out Siena’s Panforte: A Christmas Delight.

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• What Celebrity Chefs Are Making for Thanksgiving
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Categories:	Baked Goods • Fruit • Herbs • Holiday • Italian • Nuts • Seasoning & Spices • desserts	6 Comments
Tags:	baking • Christmas • Food • foodista • holiday baking • Italian • Italy • panforte • siena

Ah, it’s a beautiful day here in Seattle. I wish you were here to enjoy it. The sun is out! People are smiling and more generous than usual saying such things as, “oh, please, you go first,” at stop signs and in supermarket lines. It just makes you want to hug your neighbor.

Okay, I know, that’s odd, but sometimes the sun makes me giddy.

Yesterday was a glorious day, too. I spent it with my Aunt Mimi baking and kavetching over tea. There just weren’t enough hours in the day! So many things to bake, so little time. There’s nothing better than this time of year: long discussions about what to make for Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner, brunches, appetizers, testing recipes, baking bread, cookies…

When you love food, as we do in my family, everything is centered around cooking.

One of the things we baked up yesterday were these delicious shortbread cookies. We took a basic shortbread recipe and turned it “Fall” by adding orange zest and dried cranberries. The result were beautifully red and orange speckled buttery shortbread. You really could add any kind of dried fruit or nuts (or both!) to this recipe. Pecans would be wonderful as well. Or, try a savory version.

Whatever makes your palate sing!

Cranberry Orange Shortbread

3/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
Zest of one orange

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla extract, zest and cranberries.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter/sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and roll the dough into a 2 1/2 –inch thick log. Wrap in plastic and freeze for 30 minutes.

Slice into 1/2-inch rounds. Reshape if necessary. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet or Silpat. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature and serve.

Makes 20 to 24 cookies

Note: For a pecan version, substitute the vanilla extract for almond extract, and add a handful of crushed pecans (or more if you like) in place of the orange zest and cranberries.

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Categories:	Baked Goods • Fruit • desserts	2 Comments
Tags:	baking • cookies • cranberries • cranberry orange shortbread • Food • foodista • orange • shortbread

It’s been darn cold here in Seattle, so I’ve been using any excuse to fire up the stove or oven just to hang out by the heat. My latest excuse was in the form of savory scones. Cheddar dill scones, to be exact. As they baked they filled the house with that lovely something-delicious-is-in-the-oven smell. On a cold day, that is just the smell I love. That and the smell of a real fire going in the fireplace.

If you, too, are a bit chilly, then these little scones are sure to warm your paws.

Cheddar Dill Scones
Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa

4 cups all-purpose flour (plus a little extra for rolling)
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 pound (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup cold heavy cream
1/2 pound (roughly 4 cups) extra-sharp yellow Cheddar, small-diced
1 cup minced fresh dill
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk (for egg wash)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and mix on low until the butter is in little pea-sized pieces. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and heavy cream, then add them to the flour mixture. Combine until just blended. Toss together the Cheddar, dill, and 1 tablespoon of flour, then add them to the dough. Mix until they are almost incorporated.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead until the Cheddar and dill are well distributed (about 1 minute). Roll the dough until 3/4-inch thick. Cut into 4-inch squares and then in half diagonally to make triangles. Brush the tops with the egg wash.

Line a baking sheet with Silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the outside is crusty and the inside is fully baked.

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Categories:	Baked Goods • Cheese • Herbs	12 Comments
Tags:	Baked Goods • baking • cheddar • cheddar dill scones • Cheese • dill • Food • foodista • Herbs • savory • savory scones • scones

Imagine…it’s the holidays and you and your guest have all stuffed your bellies to bursting point on delicious fare. But wait…there’s always that one little spot in the corner of everyone’s tummies that miraculously have room for one more course.

Dessert.

If the only sound you want to hear after your boisterous holiday dinner are sublime moans, then here is the pie to do just the trick.

Triple Coconut Cream Pie
Adapted from Tom Douglas’ Seattle Kitchen

For the coconut pastry cream:
2 cups milk
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
2 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

For the pie:
2 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the coconut pie shell: see recipe and instructions below.

Combine the milk and coconut in a saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add both seeds and pod to the milk mixture. Heat over medium-high heat until it almost comes to a boil.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and flour until well combined. Temper the eggs (keep them from scrambling) by pouring a small amount of the hot milk to the egg mixture while whisking. Then add the warmed egg mixture to the saucepan. Whisk over medium-high heat until the cream thickens and begins to bubble. Continue to whisk until very thick, about 5 more minutes.

Remove from heat and add the butter, whisking until it melts. Remove the vanilla pod (I like to gently rinse it off and put it in sugar for later use!).

Transfer the cream to a bowl and place over a bowl of ice water. Stir occasionally until chilled. Once cooled, place a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the cream to prevent a crust from forming. Refrigerate until completely cooled (it will thicken as it cools).

Once chilled, fill your pre-baked pie shell with it, smoothing the surface. Using an electric mixer whip the heavy cream with the sugar and vanilla on medium speed. Gradually increase speed to high until stiff peaks form. Spoon or pipe the whipped cream over the entire surface of the pie.

For the garnish, sprinkled toasted coconut chips and shaved white chocolate curls (use a vegetable peeler to create the curls).

Coconut Pie Shell

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup ice water, or more as needed

In a food processor, combine the flour, coconut, diced butter, sugar, and salt. Pulse to form course crumbs. Gradually add the water while pulsing. Use only as much water as needed for the dough to hold together when gently pressed between your fingers. You don’t want to work the dough with your hands; you just want to make sure the dough is holding. The dough will be quite loose.

Place a large piece of plastic wrap on the counter and dump the coconut dough on top. Pull the edges of the wrap around the dough, forming a rough flat round. Chill for 30 minutes to an hour before rolling.

Once chilled, unwrap the dough and place onto a lightly floured surface. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough into a 1/8-inch thick circle. Add more flour if the round sticks to the surface. Trim to a 12- to 13-inch circle.

Transfer dough to a 9-inch pie plate. Ease the dough into the plate. Take care to not stretch the dough as it will shrink during baking. Trim any excess dough to a 1- to 1 1/2-inch overhang. Turn the dough under the edge of the pie plate and flute the edge with your finger. Chill at least one hour before baking. This will help prevent shrinkage during baking.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Place a sheet of foil or parchment paper in the pie shell and fill with pie weights (or dried beans) to prevent bubbling. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden. Remove the pie weights and foil and continue to bake another 10-12 minutes, or until the bottom of the crust has golden brown patches. Allow to cool before filling.

Note: The dough can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days, or in the freezer for a few weeks.

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Categories:	Baked Goods • Cookbooks • Cooking tips • Entertaining • Holiday • desserts	10 Comments
Tags:	baking • coconut • coconut cream • Dessert • Food • foodista • holidays • pie • seattle • Sweets • tom douglas • triple coconut cream pie

Nothing tops off a Summer Solstice dinner more perfectly than an apple tart. My friend’s mother, Val, made a simply divine one the other night, and I am still daydreaming about its goodness. I’m talking the-skies-opened-up-and-the-angels-sang good.

Although tarts seem like a relatively simple dessert, it’s the crust wherein lies the excruciating challenge. And to me, it’s the crust that’s the crucial ingredient. What you put on top – albeit delicious – is secondary. But Val, sweet Val, you nailed it! If crust making were an Olympic event you would win the Gold Medal. Perfectly browned; neither too thick nor too thin; and (here’s where the angels started singing) ever so light and flaky.

Mmm…mmm…mmm!

I asked her for her recipe, afraid that she wouldn’t divulge some secret family recipe, and she responded, “It’s Julia Child’s recipe. You can never go wrong with Julia.” Amen, sister.

And so I share the Queen’s recipe for Pâte Brisée Sucrée (Sweet Short Paste), which can be found in her must-have book Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Sweet short paste is made exactly like regular short paste except that sugar is mixed into the flour before you begin.

For an 8- to 9-inch shell.

1 cup flour, scooped and leveled
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon plus a pinch salt
6 tablespoons chilled butter
2 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening
4 to 4 1/2 tablespoons cold water

Directions for making short paste by hand: Place the flour in the bowl and mix in the sugar and salt. Add the butter and shortening and, with the tips of your fingers, rapidly rub them together with the dry ingredients until the fat is broken into bits the size of small oatmeal flakes. Do not overdo this step as the fat will be blended more thoroughly later.

Add the water and blend quickly with one hand, fingers held together and slightly cupped, as you rapidly gather the dough into a mass. Sprinkle up to 1 tablespoon more water by droplets over any unmassed remains and add them to the main body of the dough. Then press the dough firmly into a roughly shaped ball. It should just hold together and be pliable but not sticky.

Directions for making short paste in the food processor: Measure the dry ingredients into the bowl (equipped with the steel blade). Quarter the chilled butter lengthwise and cut crosswise into 3/8-inch pieces; add to the flour along with the chilled shortening. Flick the machine on and off 4 or 5 times. Turn the machine on and pour in the water. Immediately flick the machine on and off several times, and the dough should begin to mass on the blade. If not, dribble in a little more water and repeat, repeating again if necessary. Dough is done when it has begun to mass; do not overmix it. Scrape the dough out onto your work surface and proceed to the fraisage.

The fraisage — or final blending — for handmade and machine dough: Place the dough on a lightly floured pastry board. With the heel of one hand, not the palm which is too warm, rapidly press the pastry by two-spoonful bits down on the board and away from you in a firm, quick smear of about 6 inches.

With a scraper or spatula, gather the dough again into a mass; knead it briefly into a fairly smooth round ball. Sprinkle it lightly with flour and wrap it in waxed paper. Either place the dough in the freezing compartment of the refrigerator for about 1 hour until it is firm but not congealed, or refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. (Uncooked pastry dough will keep for 2 to 3 days under refrigeration, or may be frozen for several weeks. Always wrap it airtight in waxed paper and a plastic bag.)

Rolling out the dough: Because of its high butter content, roll out the dough as quickly as possible, so that it will not soften and become difficult to handle. Place the dough on a lightly floured board or marble. If the dough is hard, beat it with the rolling pin to soften it. Then knead it briefly into a fairly flat circle. It should be just malleable enough to roll out without cracking.

Lightly flour the top of the dough. Place rolling pin across center and roll the pin back and forth with firm but gentle pressure to start the dough moving. Then, with a firm, even stroke, and always rolling away from you, start just below the center of the dough and roll to within an inch of the far edge.

Lift dough and turn it at a slight angle.

Give it another roll. Continue lifting, turning and rolling and, as necessary, sprinkle the board and top of dough lightly with flour to prevent sticking. Roll it into a circle 1/8-inch thick and about 2 inches larger all around than your pie pan or flan ring. If your circle is uneven, cut off a too-large portion, moisten the edge of the too-small portion with water, press the 2 pieces of pastry together and smooth them with your rolling pin.

The dough should be used as soon as it has been rolled out, so that it will not soften.

Making a pastry shell: Mold your pastry in a false-bottomed, straight-sided cake pan 1- to 1 1/2- inches deep and refrigerate.

(A French tart is straight sided and open-faced and stands supported only by its pastry shell.) When the shell is ready for unmolding, the pan is set over a jar and the false bottom frees the shell from the sides of the pan. It is then, with the aid of a long-bladed spatula, slid off its false bottom and onto a rack or the serving dish.

Prebaking the pastry shell: Partial baking sets the dough and is a safeguard against soggy bottom crusts. Line the pastry with buttered lightweight foil or buttered brown paper, press it will against the sides of the pastry and fill it with dried beans. The weight of the beans will hold the pastry against the mold during the baking. Bake at the middle of a preheated 400-degree oven for 8 to 9 minutes until pastry is set. Remove mold or foil and beans. Prick bottom of pastry with a fork to keep it from rising. Return to oven for 2 to 3 minutes more. When the shell is starting to color and just beginning to shrink from sides of mold, remove it from the oven.

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Categories:	Baked Goods • Cookbooks • Cooking tips • French • Sweets • desserts	6 Comments
Tags:	apple tart • baking • cooking • Dessert • Food • foodista • julia child • pastry • pastry dough • pate brisee sucree • recipe • recipes • sweet short paste • tart crust • tarts

I usually crave cheese more than I do sweets, but when my sweet tooth rears its ugly fang it’s usually for some form of chocolate. Specifically cake. I’ll look at Barnaby and ask,” Did you pick up that chocolate cake today?” Knowing full well that, of course, he did not. I just want chocolate cake. I never buy cake, I never make cake. Perhaps that’s some form of perverse self-denial thing, but whatever.

So imagine my glee when our friend Tracy made a glorious one for dessert the other night! The recipe she used, Chocolate Cloud Cake, was from Nigella Lawson’s book Nigella Bites. It’s flourless, dense yet light at the same time (hence the name cloud), and is pure dark chocolatey goodness. My apologies for gobbling it up before photographing.

Here is a simply fantabulous sounding Chocolate Cake with Yellow Beets from A Cat in the Kitchen. Yes, yellow beets! How wonderfully wicked to sneak veggies into a cake. Brilliant.

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Categories:	Sweets	5 Comments
Tags:	baking • Cake • Chocolate • cocoa • Dark Chocolate • Dessert • flourless • Food • foodista • Nigella • Nigella Lawson • Pudding • Sweets

I stepped into Bakery Nouveau and, as I wiped the drool from my chin, my eyes fell upon them – gasp, mon dieu! – les macarons. These are not coconut macaroons, mon cher. While I adore a good coconut macaroon, Parisian macaroons are in another cookie league altogether. They are quite hard to find in U.S. bakeries, so you can imagine my excitement over them. Pink, yellow, purple, green, white. Clapping my hands and hopping up and down like I’m five, I declared, “One of each color please!” (Actually, I did restrain myself a bit, but such passion makes for better confection fiction, non?)

Bakery Nouveau

Typically, Parisian macaroons are two meringue-like cookies (crispy and wafer-thin on the outside with moist insides) sandwiched together with pastry cream or ganache. The meringue melts in your mouth followed by its creamy filling. C’est bon!

If you’re lucky enough to find yourself in Paris use Sally Peabody’s Your Great Days in Paris as a guide to finding macaroons and other patisseries.

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Categories:	Baked Goods • French • Sweets	4 Comments
Tags:	baking • confections • cookies • Food • foodista • French • ganache • macarons • macaroons • meringue • Pastries • pastry • patisserie • Patisseries