New School of Cooking - Pro Baking 1 - Class 8: Flat Breads, Brioche, and Focaccia

I'm taking the Pro Baking 1 series (taught by Chef Carol Cotner Thompson) at the New School of Cooking in Culver City (Los Angeles) this fall/winter. In Class 8, we continued with breads and doughs and made awesome crackers, pizza, focaccia, and started our Brioche dough.

I'm a little behind in posting...today, 2/14 is actually our last class. I'm bummed about it ending, I enjoyed it so much. She offers Pro Baking 2 but that won't be available until August 2010! Well, here is Class #8 of our 10 week class.

Making the Focaccia bread with sage. Yum!

We made a gigantic portion of focaccia! A full-sheet pan of bread!

Oh bread. I heart you.

I went home and made a spinach, roasted red pepper and egg sandwich on lightly toasted bread. Heaven! Then I cut up the rest, froze some and delivered the rest to friends! I can't have a sheet pan full of bread in the house!

We made amazing crackers. Amazing. You really need a pasta maker because you want to get them as thin as possible. You should see your hand under the sheet of dough.

After being spread out like an Ace bandage, olive oil and crushed red peppers are brushed on the crackers. Then, parm cheese and herbs are sprinkled on top. They bake up quickly.

These Spicy Country Crackers put the CRACK in crackers. Seriously. These are sooooo good.

I dropped some off at a friend's house and they said the expense of the class was worth it just for these crackers! :)

Chef Carol Cotner Thompson demonstrated making pizza dough and we each rolled one out. Oh, it was delicious. I need to get myself a pizza stone one of these days. Perhaps Santa will bring one around.

We also started our Brioche dough. Because you need 12-24 hours to make brioche, we started it in class, then the staff will move it from the freezer to the fridge on Saturday so we can make something yummy in Class #9. Stay tuned!

Recaps of the New School of Cooking, Pro Baking 1 course:
Baking Therapy: Going back to school
Class 1: Quick Breads
Class 2: Custards
Class 3: Soufflés & Pate a Choux
Class 4: Tarts, Pie, Crisps and Cobblers
Class 5: Chocolate
Class 6: White Cake with Italian Meringue Buttercream
Class 7: Artisan Breads

Meyer Lemon Sponge Pie or Lemon Cake Pie

Meyer Lemon Sponge Pie

I've never heard of the Lemon Sponge Pie (sometimes referred to as a Lemon Cake Pie). It is attributed to the Pennsylvania Dutch. Where have you been all my life?

Fellow Trader Joe enthusiast, Leah of Wine Imbiber is having a Lemon LoveFest! And of course I'm going to join in! I've been a Meyer Lemon Fairy, leaving my dad's Meyer Lemons around town. Please check out her Lemon LoveFest and submit your favorite lemon recipe(s)!

And be sure to check out the Lemon LoveFest Library that is filled with many absolutely yummy lemon dishes!!! My to-do list just got a lot longer!

The pie is magic! :) A layer of lemon appears on the bottom and a nice light topping floats to the top.

Since my pie class at the New School of Cooking, I've been making pie crusts from scratch. Whoo hoo.

It's Lemon Season. Pick up a few and make a Lemon Sponge Pie!

Lemon Sponge Pie / Lemon Cake Pie
Click here for a printable recipe

Recipe: Adapted from Bunny's Warm Oven (5/21/2008) who adapted it from Betty Crocker Baking Classics (appears to be out of print)

One 9" unbaked pie crust

3 large eggs, separated
2 T grated lemon peel (I used a microplane to zest the lemons)
2/3 cup Meyer lemon juice (Recipe calls for regular lemon juice, but I used Meyer Lemons)
1 cup milk (I used whole milk)
1 1/2 cups sugar (According to Bunny's Warm Oven, the original recipe calls for 1 1/4 cup sugar...so you should decide based on how tart you want your pie. I used 1 1/2 cups in mine)
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare pastry and line pie pan with crust. Leave unbaked.

Beat egg whites in a large mixer bowl until stiff peaks form, reserve.

Beat egg yolks; beat in lemon peel, lemon juice and milk. Add sugar, flour and salt; beat until smooth. Fold lemon mixture into egg whites. Pour into pastry-lined pie plate. Bake until golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. (A layer of lemon will settle to the bottom and a soft meringue-like topping to float to the top.) Serve with sweetened whipped cream if desired. (I served it plain and that was fine).

My notes: I found the lemon mixture was very very liquid, and that made folding the egg whites into the mixture difficult. I mixed the lemon mixture by hand with a whisk...perhaps I should have whisked it on the KitchenAid to get the yolks into ribbons.

You may also be interested in this vintage recipe that adds butter to the batter.

Stir it 28 - Fundraising event Sunday, 2/21 in Los Angeles

Los Angeles folks! What are you doing on Sunday, February 21st from 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm?

No plans? Great. You are now booked!
Have plans with friends? Great. Invite them!

Bloggers have opened their hearts, wallets and ovens to bring you Stir it 28 for Haitian relief efforts.

Haiti has started to fall off the front page. But the people of Haiti need our help long term. And if you are an Angeleno, you know the devastation that an earthquake can bring. Please help. All of the funds raised from Stir It 28 will go to Share Our Strength and Yéle Haiti.

Buy your ticket today!!
You can meet Los Angeles bloggers and eat, drink and have fun. Tickets are going fast so don't miss out!
Sunday, February 21st from 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm at a private residence in Los Angeles
$30 in advance
$35 at the door (very limited door tickets will be available)

Purchase your ticket at http://flanboyanteats.com or http://cococooks.blogspot.com. Click the link that says "Purchase Tickets For STIR IT 28 Culinary Event-Feb. 21st". Be sure to indicate you are buying a ticket for the LOS ANGELES event. Email chrystal@duodishes.com once you have purchased, and you will receive the address.

Free valet offered by Logistic Parking (http://www.logisticparking.com/) for the first 50 cars, so arrive early!

Enjoy a wide selection of food from:
Gisele, Small Pleasures Catering
Austin, Austio's Catering
Barrie Lynn, The Cheese Impresario
Chrystal & Amir, The Duo Dishes
Michael, Southbay Foodies
Diana, Diana Takes a Bite
Cathy, Gastronomy Blog
Andrea, L.A. Easy Meals
Esi, Dishing Up Delights
Greg, Sippity Sup
Patti, Worth the Whisk
Erika, In Erika's Kitchen
Cynthia, Furey and the Feast
Krissy & Daniel, The Food Addicts
Josie, Daydreamer Desserts
Jennifer, Domestic Divas
Nastassia, Let Me Eat Cake
Nancy Goodman, Food Art LA
Anisha, Food Is My Nish
H.C., L.A. and O.C. Foodventures
Mary, The Food Librarian
Craig, Hipcooks

Valentine's Day Broken Glass Jello

Happy almost Valentine's Day!

Last year, I posted 5-layer Valentine's Jello and it was very popular. But what happens if you want an even easier gelatin treat (or you don't have a level refrig?) Make this very easy version of Broken Glass Jello. You don't even turn on your oven!

You only need a few ingredients from the store: Jello, sweetened condensed milk, and Knox unflavored gelatin. You also need time. I usually make this over a two day period - Make the blocks one night, and finish it the next morning or day.

Normally, I use four different Jello colors (each one a small 3 oz. box of gelatin).
For this Valentine's day jello, I used:
1 - 6 oz (big box) of Cherry Jell-O
1 - 6 oz (big box) of Peach Jell-O

If you are going for the Valentine's colors, you can use Strawberry, Watermelon (this comes out pink), or Raspberry.

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk (don't get evaporated milk)

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin (that Knox stuff)

Directions: For a 4 color dessert, dissolve each 3 oz box of jello in one cup of boiling water. For this 2-color dessert, dissolve each 6 oz box of Jello in TWO cups boiling water. Pour into a container and chill (overnight is best; chill for at least 4 hours until firm). After chilling the flavors, cut each flavor into small blocks.

Carefully mix the blocks in a 9 x 13 pan.

In a separate bowl, sprinkle 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin into 1/2 cup cold water. After the gelatin blooms (just a few minutes), add 1 1/2 cup boiling water and dissolve. Add the can of condensed milk. Stir and cool. Pour cooled milk mixture over jello. Skim off the bubbles for a nicer finish. Chill overnight. Cut into blocks. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve! Enjoy!

Valentine's Day is also my friend Pam's birthday! Happy Birthday Pam!!!

Other recipes of interest:

Broken Glass Jello (4 colors) with step-by-step photos

5 Layer Valentine Jello

Rick Katz’s Brownies for Julia - Tuesdays with Dorie

Rick Katz’s Brownies for Julia

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Tanya of Chocolatechic chose Rick Katz’s Brownies for Julia, page 91 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

When the Food Librarian is tired:
a. I can fall asleep anywhere. Including hallways. Just ask @davery90230
b. I start to daydream about sleeping.
c. I look for shortcuts to save time so I can go to bed.

Thus, the Brownie Bite.

The instructions say to cook a pan of brownies for 35 minutes. Heck no. I'm not staying up for that long waiting for brownies when I can be SLEEPING. I had a sleep deprived weekend and I'm trying to rest up for the Winter Olympics. Oh yes, I'm in Olympic watching training mode right now. It's tough work. Reading athlete profiles, clearing off saved programs on the DVR, and getting a box of Kleenex ready for those touching Curling championship wins.

I baked half a batch in a mini cupcake pan. I filled 24 and had leftover batter (which I tossed because nothing was getting between me and my pillow). I baked them for 10 minutes.

The texture is a little spongy because half the egg mixture was whipped into a ribbon and folded into the chocolate batter. There is no leavening agent, only the power of the egg! Please note that many bakers who made the 9 x 9 pan of brownies found them gooey and fudgey.

ahhh. the brownie bite. a piece of chocolate on your pillow.

Be sure to check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers!

Recipe:
Chocolatechic's blog (February 9, 2010)
Page 91 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Apple & Special K Granola Muffins

As part of the FoodBuzz Featured Publisher program, I get offers of free product to try. With a few clicks on the mouse, something edible is sent to me in the mail. I'll take it.

I received Special K Low-Fat Granola and Special K Fruit Crisps.

I decided to adapt an Everyday Food recipe and put this granola in a muffin.

The Special K Low-Fat Granola has, I feel, a long list of ingredients and lots of sweeteners which include (in order): Whole grain oats, sugar, corn syrup, oat bran, rice, honey, soluble wheat fiber, modified corn starch, soy grits, molasses, corn flour, natural flavor, salt, acacia gum, soy protein isolate, oat fiber, evaporated cane juice, malt flavoring, high fructose corn syrup...[and vitamins].

I also made a yogurt parfait with blueberries and granola. The cereal provided a nice crunch. I also had it in soy milk and it was yummy. I usually make my own granola (oats, nuts, dried fruit and a touch of maple syrup) so I'm not sure I would buy this product.

The original Everyday Food recipe calls for pears but I subbed shredded apple. I also subbed the low-fat yogurt with non-fat Greek yogurt.

For the topping, I just put straight Special K Granola on top (the recipe has a crumble mixture you can make instead).

The muffin tasted like a Muffin. Not a mini-cake. But a muffin. The granola provided a nice crunch and made the topping very easy to make. By the way, here is my Homemade Granola recipe.

Recipe:
Apple & Special K Granola Muffins
Adapted from the Pear & Granola Muffin by Everyday Food

Click here for the printable recipe

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour (I didn't have any wheat flour and used all AP flour. I would like to try it with whole-wheat)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt (I used non-fat Greek yogurt because I had it on hand)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup granola (I used the Special K Low Fat Granola)
2 cups shredded apple, with skin on (I used Fuji apples)

Topping:
3/4 cup granola
(See the Everyday Food recipe for alternative topping)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray or place paper liners in a 12-cup standard muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, brown sugar, yogurt, and butter. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Add egg mixture to well, and mix in flour mixture until just combined. Gently fold in the granola and shredded apple.
4. Fill each cup 3/4 full. Sprinkle with granola. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before removing from tin. Serve warm or at room temperature.

FTC Disclosure: I received two products free from Special K. No payment was made for this post. The opinions expressed are my own.

Nutella Bread Pudding for World Nutella Day

Whoo Hoo!
February 5, 2010 is World Nutella Day. Sure, not as exciting as National Bundt Day (hello...what did you expect from me?!), but Nutella Day is fun.

Organized by Ms Adventures in Italy and Bleeding Espresso, they have celebrated World Nutella Day for several years.

I started the morning by making a Nutella French Toast with my homemade Challah bread. Delicious way to start the day!

When I saw that my friend JustJenn developed a recipe for Nutella Bread Pudding, I was there!

And, as yesterday's post details, I made my first Challah bread in my baking course!
Challah + Nutella = Hella yes!

Recipe:
Nutella Bread Pudding - JustJennRecipes

Notes: I used 12 of these absolutely cute mini-ramekins. They are 2.5 ounces and I picked them up at a restaurant supply store. They each hold about 1/2 cup of bread pieces. Jenn's recipe is for 8 regular size ramekins. I only needed half the custard to make my minis.

Happy World Nutella Day!!

New School of Cooking - Pro Baking 1 - Class 7: Artisan Breads

Hallah for my Challah!

I'm taking the Pro Baking 1 series (taught by Chef Carol Cotner Thompson) at the New School of Cooking in Culver City (Los Angeles) this fall/winter. For Class 7, we moved from the sweet stuff to yeast breads!

This class is fantastic. I am leapfrogging over terrifying baking concepts! Today, it was yeast. I love bread (I have a button that says "I Love Carbs"), but don't make it. That is, until I had my class!

We learned all about yeast. The freeze dried yeast you get in the store is quite amazing - pretty indestructible stuff. You should keep it in the freezer, by the way. We learned about making your own starter with organic grapes, water, flour and time (read the La Brea Bakery cookbook for a good explanation and technique)...I won't ever be doing that, but learning about making your own starter from your regional yeast spores in the air is very interesting.

Rosemary Olive Bread

We made a Rustic Country Bread, Rosemary Olive Bread and Challah. We kneaded all the breads by hand. I felt very rustic and pioneer. Hee hee. I can knead bread, but the laundry back then? Holy smokes. I say a little thank you to my washing machine and dryer for saving me a day's worth of labor. Anyway, back to bread making...

Challah making! Oh, I faltered with the braid, but it all sorta came together. One side was bigger than the other, but my stomach could not tell the difference.

My Rustic Country Bread. This is super easy. The best part is that you take the risen dough out of the big bowl and just plop it onto a cornmeal covered pan. Yeah, it looks like a bone! :)

I'm not posting the recipes from class but they don't have special powers or ingredients...the class is more about technique. We spent a lot of time feeling different dough textures to determine the difference between dry, middle, and wet doughs. We kneaded our dough and brought it up for the instructor to feel it!

I'm excited because I have plans for my Challah...and it involves World Nutella Day (February 5th)! See the post on Saturday, February 6th. Cheers, Mary

Recaps of the New School of Cooking, Pro Baking 1 course:
Baking Therapy: Going back to school
Class 1: Quick Breads
Class 2: Custards
Class 3: Soufflés & Pate a Choux
Class 4: Tarts, Pie, Crisps and Cobblers
Class 5: Chocolate
Class 6: White Cake with Italian Meringue Buttercream

Milk Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes - Tuesdays with Dorie

Milk Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Kristin of I’m Right About Everything picked Milk Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes on page 188-189 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

One of my co-workers can't eat nuts so I skipped the nuts. I bypassed the swirl in the middle and just dusted the tops with powdered sugar.

This cake is lovely. The texture is soft, the cake is moist and there is just enough chocolate flavor...but not overwhelming to the senses. I could eat a tray of these.

I used Trader Joe's Milk Chocolate (repackaged high end chocolate from Belgium)

Be sure to check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers!

Recipe:
Kristin of I’m Right About Everything has the recipe
Milk Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes on page 188-189 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours

Black Kale Chips

I made some new friends today.
The kale chip.
Let me introduce you.
Oh, don't be shy.
They are really nice, easy going, and their hearts are filled with antioxidants.

Look at this beautiful black kale from my local farmer's market!

I've seen kale chips go around the internet and food blogs, and since I'm almost always a late adopter, I finally made these. I first saw them on Esi's blog, Dishing up Delights. And I'm here to help you. Help you by telling you to go to your Farmer's Market this weekend and yes, get on the kale chip bandwagon. This isn't a crazy fad, this is a friendship that can last a lifetime. Just sayin'.

I made mine from black kale but I've seen it made with more common curly kale as well.

Okay, for those Japanese food eaters out there...These chips completely remind me of NORI!! (seaweed used to make sushi) They are light as air and I ate a whole head of kale chips in one evening. Oh yes, I found a new friend. Thanks Esi!!

Here is Esi's Recipe: Dishing up Delights, Kale Chips

Here is how I made them:

Kale Chips
1 bunch of kale
1 T olive oil
Salt

1. Heat over to 350 degrees.
2. Line baking sheets with a Silpat or parchment paper.
3. Wash kale and strip out the center core or stalk. Tear kale into small pieces. Dry the kale with towels or a salad spinner (I skipped this part and they turned out okay)
4. Coat the kale with olive oil and salt. (Esi's recipe has 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar but I didn't add that.)
5. Spread kale into SINGLE layer. This is important. You will probably need to bake several batches.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes, turning once about halfway through. The chips should be dry and light.

Fresh out of the oven. The chips should be light, crisp and dry. You can't use these chips for dip - they are too fragile (or at least mine were). They are just pop-in-your-mouth while watching TV chips.