Ginger Scones from La Brea Bakery

Make these.
Make these.
Make these.

Okay, that's pretty much my post about these ginger scones. Pretty simple message, no?

Cream, butter, just the right amount of sweetness and lots of crystallized ginger.

Yes, this is deliciousness in a little square.

I used Trader Joe's crystallized ginger. It was the last of the package; I went back the other day and they were out...for the last two months! Eeck. I hope it comes back! I made my scones by hand. One bowl and way less to wash and clean. I used my fingertips to work in the cold butter and quickly, quickly mixed the liquid together. There isn't anything like making scones by hand in the morning. Mix, throw in the oven, take a shower, and come out to lovely scones.

The recipe calls for round scones...but I made square scones. So much easier and you don't need to re-roll anything. I made small scones by dividing the dough into 25 pieces. Quick and easy.

Recipe:
Ginger Scones
Epicurious | October 2000
by Nancy Silverton from Nancy Silverton's Pastries from the La Brea Bakery

Click here for printable recipe or original on epicurious

2 1/4 cups unbleached pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour (I used AP flour)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest (about 1/2 lemon) (I had used up my lemons and subbed orange zest)
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
4 1/2 ounces candied ginger, finely chopped into 1/4-inch pieces to equal 2/3 cup
3/4 cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing the tops of the scones

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400 F.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, and baking powder, and pulse or mix on low to incorporate. Add the lemon zest and butter, and pulse on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is pale yellow and the consistency of fine meal. (I mixed mine by hand. Using my fingertips, cut in the butter until the mixture had the consistency of sand.)

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the ginger. Make a well in the center and pour in the cream. Using one hand, draw in the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. (Do not overmix!!)

Wash and dry your hands and dust them with flour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead a few times to gather it into a ball. Roll or pat the dough into a circle about 3/4 inch thick. Cut out the circles, cutting as closely together as possible and keeping the trimmings intact. Gather the scraps, pat and press the pieces back together, and cut out the remaining dough. Place the scones 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (I formed mine into a square and cut 25 pieces (5 x 5) They were mini scones.)

Brush the tops with the remaining cream. Bake for 12 to 16 minutes, until the surface cracks and they are slightly browned.

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.

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

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.

Gingerbread Apple Upside-Down Cake

Gingerbread Apple Upside-Down Cake

The other day I asked my friend what food should I wave in front of her in case she falls into a coma. You know, just regular lunch time conversation. Hey, come on, it can happen...look at soap operas!

She instructed me to wave little squares of Scharffen Berger chocolate in front of her.

Dear friends, please take note. Please present the following to me should I have a medical emergency (Treats listed in no particular order):

a. Fresh lemon tartlets
b. Mochi (especially kinako and pink with white beans)
c. Wasabi mashed potato salad from Delica in San Francisco (I also think the powerful smell of wasabi might help wake me too)
d. Carnitas burritos. Hello, wouldn't you wake up for this?
e. Pumpkin bread
f. Kettle Corn (only made a Farmer's Market, not from the store. Dude, I'm in a coma and only want the best :)
g. This Gingerbread Apple-Upside Cake

Nancy of The Dogs Eat the Crumbs mentioned this cake to me and she had me at Ginger. I'm all about the Ginger. And Apples. And Cakes without Frosting. And Cakes that are upside down.

I found that Smitten Kitchen adapted the recipe. She cut the molasses and added honey in the cake, and caramelized the sugar for the topping. I just cut the molasses some, but followed her technique for the topping. That change added a really nice caramel flavor to the apples.

After pouring the brown sugar/butter topping on the bottom of the pan, Fuji apples were placed on top.

This has a LOT of batter. The recipe calls for a 10" pan. I baked it in a 9 x 3 inch pan, and I think it would go way up to the top (if not overflow) a 9 x 2 inch pan. So, if you don't have the recommended 10" pan and use a 9 x 2, I wouldn't add all the batter (make a little mini cake to go along with this cake!)

I actually made it twice. The first time I put it into a 10" cast iron skillet, added all the batter and it way, way overflowed. Luckily I had some foil under the skillet!

Because I was using a 9" pan, I had to bake it a lot longer than the recipe...65 minutes.

This cake is delicious! It takes like fall on a plate. I loved the gingerbread cake so much I could just eat that without the apples...but that would be silly because the apples rock it too.

Recipe:
My adaptation - click here for printable recipe
Gingerbread Apple Upside-Down Cake
Adapted from Karen Bates at the Philo Apple Farm via the New York Times (published: October 27, 2009) and Adapted from Smitten Kitchen's Gingerbread Apple Upside-Down Cake (blog post: Monday, November 23, 2009)

Topping
2 tablespoons butter, plus extra for greasing pan (This is different than NY Times and Smitten Kitchen's versions)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
Pinch of salt
4 apples (about 1 3/4 pounds), peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch wedges

Batter
1/2 cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
2/3 cup molasses (This is less than NY Times version)
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Note: This has a LOT of batter. The recipe calls for a 10" pan. I baked it in a 9 x 3 inch pan, and I think it would go way up to the top (and might overflow) a 9 x 2 inch pan. So, if you don't have the recommended 10" pan and use a 9 x 2, I wouldn't add all the batter (make a little mini cake to go along with this cake!)

Make the topping: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 10-inch cake pan (I used a 9" x 3 cake pan). Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add brown sugar and simmer over moderate heat, stirring until thick. I forgot to add the salt but Smitten Kitchen says to swirl it in. The New York Times recipe doesn't caramelize the sugar and butter in a pot; I really liked the nice caramel flavor. Remove from heat and pour into the bottom of your cake pan. Make circles of overlapping apple slices on top of the caramel.

Make the batter: Using a mixer with paddle attachment, beat 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter and the sugar on medium-low speed. Increase the speed to high and cream until light and fluffy.

In a bowl, whisk together the egg, molasses, honey and buttermilk. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon. Alternate mixing the flour and molasses mixtures into the butter mixture, adding the next once the last has been incorporated.

Pour the batter into the pan. New York Times says to bake for 45 to 50 minutes (in a 10" pan) or until a wooden tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. (It took me 65 minutes in a 9 x 3" pan.) Let cool on a rack for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn out onto a platter.

NY Times suggests serving warm or cool with very softly whipped cream. (I didn't top it with anything...and it was still delicious!!!)

You may be interested in:
Smitten Kitchen's recipe (adapted from NY Times)
New York Times recipe ("Ginger-Apple Upside-Down Cake" Adapted from Karen Bates at the Philo Apple Farm, Published: October 27, 2009)

New School of Cooking - Pro Baking 1 - Class 5: Chocolate

I'm taking the Pro Baking 1 series at the New School of Cooking in Culver City (Los Angeles) this fall/winter. For Class 5, it was all about the Chocolate! As you can imagine, no one was absent from class! :)

We learned about cacao seeds, nibs, and the history of chocolate. We had a chocolate tasting with a bunch of Tasting Chocolates (these are expensive and NOT for baking). My favorites were the single origin chocolates of Michel Cluizel. These chocolates are made from a single plantation, not a combination of many growers.

Hint: The Trader Joe's Pound Plus blocks of chocolate are repackaged high end chocolate from Belgium. Get it. It's yum and way way cheaper. (By the way, you can usually find this chocolate above the freezer and near the little boxes of mini peanut butter cups and chocolate covered sunflower seeds, it is not in the baking section)

We made brown sugar chocolate cupcakes (made with Dutch-processed cocoa) and had a selection of frostings and toppings. So-called "Buttercream" (next week we'll make an Italian Meringue Buttercream - the real buttercream): Vanilla and Chocolate, and a chocolate gananche. We used jumbo cupcake holders to hold a nice topping of ganache.

Chef Carol, our instructor, also demonstrated making a Chocolate Decadence Cake or Flourless Chocolate Cake with a mound of chocolate ganache. The white lines are a combo of powdered sugar and heavy cream. You need heavy cream so you made the texture of the ganache...if you used milk, it would harden.

The next day, I practiced by making the cupcakes again and frosted them with some cream cheese frosting (just for you @justjennrecipes!) The little balls? Those are delicious Valrhona Crunchy 55% Chocolate Pearls (available at Surfas)

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

Los Angeles Times Upside-Down Meyer Lemon Cake

Meyer Lemon Upside-Down Cake

The Los Angeles Times Food Section is opening its vault and has the Top 10 recipes of the past 25 years on the website. See the listing here. Earlier, I made the Cafe Beaujolais' Buttermilk-Cinnamon Coffeecake from 1985.

And the LA Times Food Section will be moving to Thursday (from Wednesday). This will be tough! The Wednesday Food Section is such a "hump day" treat...oh well, it used to be on Thursday and it's going back. I know the Los Angeles Times staff has taken a beating in this economic climate...I can't imagine life without the LA Times, especially the Food Section. I've been reading the paper forever...and will run out to the driveway on Thursdays now to grab the Food Section. Thanks LA Times Food Section and @latimesfood for all the great recipes and articles!

My dad has a lovely Meyer Lemon tree. It's old, short and stout. Hum, that kinda sounds like my dad too. :) Anyway, when I saw the Upside-Down Lemon Cake on the LA Times website, I knew I had to use my dad's Meyer lemons.

I just bought a new cast iron pan for the TWD Tarte Tatin, and was happy to use it again! A layer of brown sugar and butter is topped with the lemon slices. Then a cake batter is cooked on top.

Although difficult to cut because of the rind (make sure you use a sharp knife), this was a fan favorite at the library. Give it a try and let me know how you like it!

Check out the other LA Times favorites over the years here: Opening the vault: 25 years of our best recipes. This recipe was part of: Top 10 recipes of 2007

Recipe:
Lemon Upside-Down Cake
From Los Angeles Times test kitchen director Donna Deane. Published March 14, 2007.

From the article (Hello, I'm a librarian and had to get the citation :)
Blingtime for lemons; Let this season's precious fewer fruits sparkle and shine in desserts that make the most of every sweet-tart bit of golden citrus. Susan LaTempa, Donna Deane. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, Calif.: Mar 14, 2007. pg. F.3

Lemon Upside-Down Cake
Printable recipe here or on Los Angeles Times

4 small lemons (about 4 ounces each) - I used Meyer lemons
One-half cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) butter, divided
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 vanilla bean, split - I used 1 tablespoon of vanilla paste instead
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.

2. Cut 3 of the lemons into one-eighth inch thick slices. (I ended up using 4 smaller Meyer lemons) Remove seeds and set aside. You will have about 30 lemon slices. Grate 1 teaspoon lemon peel from the remaining lemon. Set aside the grated peel; save the lemon for another use.

3. Heat 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet or an ovenproof 10-inch saute pan until melted. Brush the sides of skillet with a little of the melted butter. Add the brown sugar, stir until it is moistened with the butter and spread it into an even layer. Arrange the lemon slices, slightly overlapping, to cover the bottom of the skillet. Set aside.

4. Cut the remaining 6 tablespoons butter into a mixing bowl. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean with the point of a knife onto the butter. (I used 1 Tablespoon of vanilla paste). Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until creamy. Add the sugar and grated lemon peel and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time.

5. Add half the flour mixture and beat until blended. Add milk and beat until combined, then add the remaining flour mixture and beat until blended.

6. Spread the batter over the lemons in the skillet to cover evenly. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cake is golden and the center tests done. Let the cake stand 5 minutes, then invert the skillet onto a platter. To serve, slice into wedges with a sharp knife. (It is difficult to cut so make sure your knife is sharp to get through the rind).

Tofu Burger made with House Tofu Burger Patty Mushroom Mix

House brand Tofu Burger Patty Mushroom Mix

Folding tables at the end of aisle drive me crazy.
By crazy, I mean they make me throw additional stuff in my cart.

One of my local Asian grocery stores always has someone giving away free samples. And this isn’t just a little nut-cup filled with 1/4 of an Almond Roca like at Costco. These ladies cook.

So, one day I happened upon a nice lady handing out hot, cute little tofu patties. She was hawking the Japanese House brand Tofu Burger Mix. And I was buying.

Here is the package. The cover is in Japanese, but the back has a sticker in English with the ingredients, nutritional value and directions.

First, this is NOT a vegetarian or vegan product. It contains wheat, egg & milk products, dried bonito flakes, dried spices and, of course, a bit of MSG. Dried Bonito flakes are a staple in the Japanese kitchen – it is used to make dashi or soup stock that you find as the base of miso soup.

I’m sure you could make something similar with your own spices, but darn it, it is sometimes very nice to just open a packet to help you along. I don’t see this product on their House Food America page...but I know they have a different House Tofu Patty Mix (all in English I believe).

Take a block of extra-firm or firm tofu. Of course, House suggests their own brand of tofu (12 oz), but I happened to have an organic Tofu from Trader Joe’s (19 oz) in the fridge. As Esi says, I am a Trader Joe-aholic and I’m not quitting.

Drain the tofu. If you want, you can squeeze it in cheesecloth or press it between paper towels or a dish towel. I pushed it against this strainer. Add the House mix to the tofu and mash and stir. As you can see, there are a lot of Panko breadcrumbs in this mix and dehydrated spices.

Form into patties. You can make 4 patties from the mix. I made two large patties and a series of mini patties because I’m all about the mini.

Cook over medium heat with a dollop of oil. The best part of tofu burgers is that you are just heating it through and don’t have to worry about e-coli. Tofu is also much lower in fat and calories than meat, and has no cholesterol. The mix only adds 40 calories per serving and no fat (4 servings in a packet).

I served mine with okonomiyaki sauce (similar to Worcestershire sauce but thicker and sweeter) and some pickled ginger.

Overall, I liked this mix and it tasted Japanese-y. I really like anything with a fried crust and this patty uses less oil than if you fried up tofu slices. This is a pretty cheap meal too...I don't remember, but I think the mix was $2-3 and tofu is cheap.

When I feel up to it, I’m going to try to make my own with some Panko, green onions, probably an egg and some furikake (Japanese rice seasoning that kids (and food blogging adults) adore).

In the meantime, stand at the end of an aisle, give me something on a toothpick, and I’ll probably buy what you are selling! Cheers, Mary the Food Librarian