Pizza Crust - 04 14 11

I tackled another Bucket List item - pizza crust!  I love the idea of making everything from scratch.  While trying to eat simply, healthy, and on a budget I decided to make a pizza crust.  With Kristen in town, I prepared the pizza crust and pizza sauce on a Wednesday night.  When she arrived Thursday, all we had to do was assemble and bake.  And, it turned out quite good! 

Sources:
Pizza Crust: The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Pizza Sauce: Annie's Eats

Kristen and I made a veggie pizza with lots of cheese!  We had green peppers, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, and onions.  For a time and wallet saver - I purchased the items from the salad bar at a local grocery store.  I think I got all the veggie toppings for under $2.00!

Let me know what kind of pizza is your favorite - I have another crust and batch of sauce in my freezer.

Enjoy!
Jessica

Easter Stollen - 04 22 11

Another one off the Bucket List! 

I decided to make a Stollen using rum soaked fruit, almonds, and orange and lemon extract.  I took it to my Grandpa's house for Easter and he especially enjoyed it!  (He even said it was better than the Martin's kind).  I definitely need to work on my shaping (it was supposed to look like a blanket in a manger but after the 2nd rise looked more like a crescent moon).  I think next time I will divide the dough in half and experiment with other shapes.  Check out my pictures below and if you tasted it, let me know your thoughts!

Source: The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart 

Enjoy!
Jessica 

Pumpkin Ice Cream - 04 16 11

For my birthday, my sister and Ryan gave me the Kitchen Aid ice cream maker attachment! I was super excited!  So, I made some pumpkin ice cream with my ice cream attachment.  (Thanks, Mom and Dad for the ice cream mix from Williams-Sonoma).

It was super mega delicious!  Check out the pictures below.

Additionally, Kristen and Ryan gave 500 ice creams, sorbets, & gelatos by Alex Barker.  I made the classic vanilla ice cream with good results.  I can't want to try pistachio, orange sherbet, and various others. 

Thanks, Kristen and Ryan!

Enjoy!
Jessica

Bucket List: Tamale Pie

Well, I've started.  I made one item from my Kitchen Bucket List - tamale pie.  This was very quick & easy  (but it could be more difficult if you cooked the polenta or made the salsa from scratch).  However, I am thankful I tried this recipe and I can think of ways to change it up already - salsa verde, chicken, pork, etc.

Source: A Couple Cooks - Vegetable Tamale Pie 

Jessica's Notes:
- I used an 8 x 8 dish since I have no 9 x 9 square
- I used only 1 tube of polenta and that was plenty
- I used fire roasted corn and it definitely gave it a kick
- I added in some left over chick peas and results were still delicious
- Of course, I added more cayenne too!

See below for some of my photos!

 

Enjoy! 

Jessica

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

This week I made I coffee cake as a treat to some of my co-workers.  I was quite pleased with the results and thankfully able to sneak a piece for myself.  Everyone enjoyed it and I will definitely book mark it to make again.

I took a picture after it came out of the pan, but then I forgot to take a picture after I sliced it.  So sorry!  You'll have to try it out for yourself to know what the inside is.

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake 

Source: Adapted from Baking Illustrated

Serves: 16
Equipment: Tube pan in 1 piece (not an Angel Food cake pan due to the possibility of leakage)
                  Food processor
                  Stand mixer
                  Various spatulas, measuring cups and spoons, and bowls
                  Wire rack for cooling
                  Rimmed baking sheet

Streusel: 
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 T. ground cinnamon
2 T. cold unsalted butter (I recommended cutting it into pieces)
1 cup pecans, chopped

Additional: 1 cup chocolate chips 
                  powdered sugar for dusting top

Cake: 
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 T. vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 T. baking powder
3/4 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt
12 T. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool, and cut into 1 inch cubs

Directions: 
1.  For the Streusel:  Place the flour, granulated sugar, 1/4 cup of the dark brown sugar, and the cinnamon in a food processor and process to combine.  Transfer 1 1/4 cups of this mixture to a small bowl and add the remaining brown sugar, stir to combine (this will be the streusel for the inside of the cake).  Add the butter and pecans to the food processor bowl and process until the nuts and butter have been broken down into small pebbly pieces, about 10 1-second pulses.  (This will be the streusel for the top of the cake).

2.  For the Cake:  Adjust oven rack to lowest position.  Heat the oven to 350*.  Grease a tube pan. 

3. Combine the eggs, 1 cup of the sour cream, and vanilla in a medium bowl.  (I whisked them together).

4.  In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt at a low speed, about 30 seconds.  Add the butter and the remaining sour cream (1/2 cup) and mix at low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened.  Increase to medium speed and beat for 30 seconds.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

5.  Decrease the mixer speed to medium-low and slowly incorporate the egg mixture in 3 additions, beating for 20 seconds after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Increase the speed to medium - high and beat for 1-2 minutes (the batter should increase in volume and become aerated and pale in color).

6.  Add 2 cups of the batter to the prepared tube pan.  With a spatula, smooth the surface of the batter. (If adding in chocolate chips, sprinkle 1/2 cup onto the batter before the streusel).  Sprinkle with 3/4 cup of the streusel filling (without butter and nuts).  Drop 2 cups of the batter over the streusel, and then add the remaining streusel filling. (Again, if adding chocolate chips add these before the next layer of streusel - your streusel filling should go on top of the chocolate chips).  Top with the remaining batter and then the streusel topping (with butter and nuts).

7.  Bake until the cake feels firm to the touch (about 50-60 minutes) and a toothpick comes out clean from the center (ignoring chocolate chip or streusel residue).  Cool the cake in the pan for 30 minutes on a wire rack.  Place a rimmed baking sheet over top of cake and invert the cake onto the pan (cake should be upside down with streusel filling touching the baking sheet).  Using a wire rack, re-invert the cake so the streusel is facing up.  Cool for 2 hours and serve or cool completely and wrap the cake in aluminum foil.

8.  Since I sliced mine, I topped the slices with sifted powdered sugar. 

Enjoy!

Jessica

Sandwich Bread

Hello folks!  This Saturday I made some light wheat sandwich bread - perfect for the turkey and cheese I have in my fridge (and for the mango butter I bought on impulse at Trader Joe's).

This is the first time my sandwich loaf has turned out!  I've tried 3 different whole wheat recipes before abandoning ship and starting with a light wheat.  (The other attempts resulted in dense, super "healthy" tasting bread).

I think the keys to a perfect loaf are as follows:
- Make sure you're using the right kind of yeast.  I used active dry for this recipe.
- Make sure you're not over kneading the bread (difficult to do by hand, but isn't unrealistic if using the dough hook on the Kitchen Aid).
- Make sure you're letting the dough rise in a warm place (I think this was my downfall the first time).  I actually put the dough in my closet upstairs (because it is the warmest place and free from drafts - and it worked out perfectly!).
- Make sure your dough is touching all sides of the pan before the 2nd rise. 
- Make sure you're using the correct equipment.  I have 2 - 1lb. loaf pans from Chicago Metallic sized 8.5 x 4.5.  9x5 loaf pans (found in Target) were not working for me.  My mom bought me one pan from Sur La Table and I purchased a matching one from amazon.com
- Make sure after your second rise that the dough is cresting above the lip of the loaf pan.
- Make sure you've baked the bread until the internal temperature reaches 190*F.  When checking the temperature, make sure you're checking the temperature from the bottom of the loaf (i.e. take the loaf out of the pan and turn it upside down).

The recipe I used is from Annie's Eats - adapted from Smitten Kitchen - adapted from The Bread Baker's Apprentice. 

Enjoy!

Jessica

Kitchen Bucket List

Check out the newest page to my blog- My Kitchen Bucket List. 

Feel free to suggest additions in the comment section.  Hope you can follow along on this kitchen adventure!

Jessica