Peanut Butter and Julie

Grilled Corn and Tomato Bruschetta

Up until yesterday, I thought that Memorial Day weekend occurs next weekend, not this weekend.  Obviously, we don't have much planned--which is fine with me.  I'm not really a fan of packing up the car and hitting the road or jumping on a plane at the very same instant that every other family in America does the same thing.  All of a sudden, a three hour drive to the beach/mountains/national park turns into an eight hour stressed-out crawl.  By the time that you arrive at your destination, you have listened to your "special vacation mix CD" at least five times, you are sick and tired of your travel companions, and all that you can think about is your return trip home in two days (along with every other family in America.)  Attractions are more crowded.  Prices are inflated.  Sounds like a great vacation!  Piece of advice: STAY HOME. 

Now I know that this isn't an option for some people--those that have a special event to attend or a family member to visit--but for others, I have found off-holiday travel to be so much more enjoyable.  Fewer crowds+less travel hassles+lower costs=happy Julie.  Happy Julie=Happy Eric.  So you see?  It works out for all parties involved.

Even when we stay in Las Vegas over major holiday weekends, we tend to stick pretty close to home.  It seems like the entire state of California arrives on Friday night, judging from the stream of headlights coming from the west on I-15.  You can only imagine how crowded the Strip becomes, and normal activities like parking your car can take five times as long.  When we do go out, our strategy is to stick to the peripheral or "locals" restaurants, or we'll just staying home and grill.

This time of year in Las Vegas is perfect for grilling.  Although the temperatures occasionally reach triple digits during the day, the evenings are still bearable enough to stand over hot coals without feeling like you are inside of a furnace.  I came home from the grocery store yesterday armed with one of those really fresh, chewy La Brea whole wheat baguettes, fresh corn, and tomatoes.  My original idea was to serve everything separately, but I ended up putting them all together for this smoky bruschetta recipe.  This is an easy and healthy dish to serve for parties, and it makes quite a bit.  I was sooo glad that I had some left over for lunch today!  Here are a few extra tips for this simple summery snack:

• If the weather isn't right for outdoor grilling, you can certainly prepare this recipe indoors.  Grill the tomatoes and onion on an indoor grill-pan set over medium heat.  To "char" the corn, set it under your oven broiler, rotating occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
• The corn and tomato topping will keep for 3 days, covered and refrigerated.
• In addition to being a yummy topping for bruschetta, the topping can be used as a condiment for burgers, a filling for omelets, or use it in place of salsa to accompany tortilla chips.
• If you like a little bit of extra heat in your food, add a seeded and minced jalapeno to the topping.  You can also grill the jalapeno along with the other vegetables and then seed, mince, and add it to the bowl.

Grilled Corn and Tomato Bruschetta

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2-inch thick rings

2 ears sweet corn, husks removed

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

4 vine-ripened tomatoes

1 baguette, sliced on a diagonal

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon lime juice

Heat a grill over medium heat.  Brush the onion slices and corn with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place the onions, corn, and tomatoes on the grill.  Grill until the onions and corn are charred and the tomato skins are blistered, 10-12 minutes. 

Transfer the vegetables to a foil-lined baking sheet at let cool.  Brush the baguette slices with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Grill the bread until slightly charred, about 2 minutes on each side. 

Core the tomatoes and cut them in half horizontally.  Spoon out the juices and seeds.  Coarsely chop the tomatoes and place them in a medium bowl.  Cut the corn kernels from the cobs, and add them to the tomatoes.  Chop the onion, and add it to the tomatoes.  Mix in the garlic, paprika, cumin, and lime juice.  Season with salt and pepper, and serve with the grilled baguette slices.

Mixed Berry Brown Sugar Tea Cake

Yesterday, Eric and I went to brunch with my good friend Melia, who I don't get to see often enough.  Brunch is one of those events that I love the idea of: a leisurely Sunday meal filled with champagne-based fruit drinks and plate after plate of hearty foods.  When most Sunday's roll around, however, taking 2+ hours out of my schedule-followed by the obligatory post-brunch nap-just doesn't make sense.  I'll be the first to admit that I'm not very good at the whole "lazy Sunday" thing (Eric would be happy to verify this), and I tend to keep busy trying to get though my to-do list as opposed to just relaxing and enjoying the day.  If I did this, my mind would just be racing with all of the things that I need to accomplish anyhow.  Blame it on my type A personality.

I made an exception to my rule yesterday for three reasons.  First of all, I wanted to catch up with Melia, who has a much more exciting weekend social life than I do (her Facebook photos prove this), and brunch is a much better option for catching up than some noisy Vegas club.  Second, I dragged myself to the early Sunday morning Bikram yoga class, earning my right to a plate full of carbs.  Finally, I had been hearing about the fantastic brunch that Chef Kerry Simon serves at his eponymous restaurant, located at the uber-trendy Palms Place.  Being a huge fan of Chef Simon's signature upscale comfort food, I just had to check it out.

Boy did I pick an exciting day to disrupt my schedule and go to brunch!  No, there were none of the usual Simon celebrity sightings, although there were a few tattooed suspects hidden under hats and shades congregated in the corner. The excitement wasn't even due to the phenomenal menu, which featured everything from Frosted-Flake Crusted Brioche French Toast to custom-blended organic smoothies.  Thisexcitement occurred when, not ten minutes into brunch, we heard a very loud "pop" followed by the sound of shattered glass. 

My first reaction of course was that two servers had collided mid-restaurant as a result of being distracted by the eye candy lounging at the adjacent Palms Place pool.  Not so.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw thousands of shards of glass raining down onto the pool area from the above condo tower.  It seemed like an endless stream, and I half expected to see a person come down with it (clearly, I have been watching way too much C.S.I. Las Vegas.)  The tourist sitting next to us promptly snapped a photo.  Really??

Three injured sunbathers, two drained pools, and one stretcher later, we learned that one of the glass balcony panes had "somehow" smashed.  These are fairly thick panes.  One can only imagine the story that goes along with this.  Thank goodness that there were no serious injuries, just a few cuts and several dozen displaced sunbathers.  It sure did cause a buzz among the brunch crowd though.  You see, in Vegas, we don't just talk the "never a dull moment" talk, we walk the walk too.  Anything to draw a crowd.

Other than this obvious occurrence, the only downside to brunch was the fact that I couldn't possibly sample everything that I wanted to try (which was pretty much everything that was offered.)  One of these items was a moist-looking berry tea cake, which passed by me in a wicker basket on its way to another table.  I couldn't really tell which berry it was, but I didn't ask because I knew that it would end up on a plate in front of me, and I just. couldn't. eat. another. bite.   I vowed to give it a try upon my next visit, but until then, I tried to create a version of my own, featuring a mix of three berries in a rich brown sugar-based batter.  Enjoying a piece at home might not offer the excitement of brunch at Simon, but I think I've had my fill of shattered glass rain showers for awhile :)  Here are my extra tips for making this triple-berry tea cake:

• I tend to use orange zest in recipes, only because I prefer the flavor to lemon zest, but lemon zest would work just as well in this recipe.
• Instead of using yogurt in the recipe, you can use sour cream or buttermilk.  You can use low-fat varieties, but I wouldn't recommend fat-free.  You need at least a little bit of the fat to keep the cake moist.
• This cake will keep, tightly wrapped at room temperature, for about 3 days.  You can also wrap the cake tightly with plastic wrap after it cools and freeze it for up to 3 weeks. 
• If you want to enjoy the cake over a period of time, pre-slice it and then wrap and freeze the cake.  Remove one slice at a time and thaw at room temperature or reheat it in the oven. 
• This cake would also be great cut into cubes and layered as part of a trifle.

Mixed Berry Brown Sugar Tea Cake

Makes one large loaf (9X5 inches)

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup packed golden brown sugar

Zest from one orange

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup yogurt

2 cups mixed fresh berries (such as raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries)

Preheat the oven to 325F degrees.  Spray a 9X5-inch loaf pan with nonstick baking spray.  Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and the brown sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.  Beat in the orange zest.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Mix in the vanilla extract.

Add the flour mixture to the batter in two additions, alternating with the yogurt, beginning and ending with the flour.  Gently fold in the mixed berries, breaking them up as little as possible.  Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean, 50-60 minutes.  Let the cake cool in the pan set on a wire rack for about 15 minutes.  Carefully invert the cake onto the rack and turn it right side up.  Cool the cake completely, slice, and serve.

Vegas Uncork'd and Payard's Decadent Chocolate Cookies

This past weekend, thousands of foodies descended upon the Las Vegas Strip in search of beautifully plated amuse bouche-sized morsels, created by the best chefs in the world.  This culinary pilgrimage was due to Vegas Uncork'd, an annual 72 hour food and wine extravaganza, which is presented by Bon Appetit magazine.  If you happen to be considering a trip to Vegas next year, and you're the type of person who plans your vacations around the food (guilty), you should strongly consider coming to this event.  It seems to get bigger and better every year, and I doubt that you'll be disappointed. 

This year marked the event's 3rd anniversary, and I was lucky enough to be able to attend some of the events on behalf of Foodbuzz.com (thanks, Foodbuzz!)  Armed with my very first media pass and my camera (I felt pretty important), I ate my way through some of the weekend's many events, rubbing shoulders with everyone from Tom Colicchio to Bobby Flay.  Well, I didn't really "rub shoulders" with them.  I did more of a deer-in-headlights stop and stare from three feet away.  I really wanted to tell Tom C.that it was a huge mistake to not have selected Carla as the winner of last season's Top Chef, but I didn't think that would go over very well, so I didn't.

While I only attended a handful of events, some participants seemed to attend just about everything. This basically meant that they did nonstop eating and drinking from the time that they touched down at McCarran Airport to the time that they collapsed into the cab after checkout--likely in a foie gras-induced coma.  For me, this feat would have been physically impossible, so I stuck with a few choice events that sounded the most delicious intriguing.

The first event that I attended was the one that most people attended, The Grand Tasting at the newly renovated Caesar's Palace pool.  For $150, guests were able to sample dishes from a star-studded list of chefs:  Robuchon, Flay, Savoy, Boulud, Ducasse, Batali, Colicchio, English, Mina, Simon, Pellegrini, Payard, Ogden...perhaps you've heard of a few?  The chefs were all there too, well not Batali, but his shoes were (see left).  In between posing for photos, the chefs were all doing what they do best, and in some cases even plating and serving food.  How many people can say that they were handed a hollowed out coconut filled with a spicy mixture of shrimp and shaved vegetables by the Throwdown king himself (a.k.a Bobby Flay)?

Because I was armed with my handy media pass, Eric and I were allowed to enter the tasting a bit early, beating the crowds by about 15 minutes.  After that, I knew that photo opportunities would be nearly impossible, not to mention sampling without being bumped into a few times.  It was really difficult to decide where to start, especially when all of these world-famous restaurant signs are staring at you, just beckoning you to come and sample their cuisine.

Somehow, we made it through the entire event in just over two hours. Because it is very difficult to sample every offering, Eric and I traded off, even skipping a few places that weren't so appealing.  Of all the places that I tried, my favorites dished were a tender lamb chop with curry sauce from Wazuzu (Encore Resort), the perfectly seasoned short ribs from Craftsteak, corn salsa-top sliders from BLT Burger, and the artichoke and black truffle soup, served with a rich brioche, from Guy Savoy (photo below).  This soup sells for something like $65 a bowl at the restaurant (yes, one bowl), so I relished in every sip.

I also had the opportunity to attend some other events during the weekend.  One was a Vegas-style culinary challenge between the chefs of the MGM and Caesars Palace. Cat Cora of Iron Chef fame as the emcee, and Barabara Fairchild, editor of Bon Appetit  magazine served as one of the judges.  There was an All-Star Interactive Lunch, during which you could assist celebrity chefs such as Paul Bartolotta and Daniel Boulud in preparing your meal.  I thought that this was a particularly unique experience well worth the price of admission.  Then of course there was the obligatory Vegas-esque event, the Celebrity Chef Blackjack Tournament.  As I said, there were many other events that I didn't have the chance to attend--you would probably need to clone yourself to attend them all--but I definitely attended enough to get my fill.

I don't like to do a post without offering at least one tasty recipe to go with it.  This is first and foremost a recipe blog, after all.  When we entered the Grand Tasting, we were handed booklets, which provided information about the various Uncork'd events as well as about 70 pages of recipes from the participating chefs themselves (nice touch, huh?)  I thought that it would be fun to try one of these esteemed recipes and share it with my readers.

Hmmm.....but which recipe should I choose?  With so many mouthwatering options, I thought that the selection process alone would be both difficult and time-consuming.  Not so much.  When I took both the economic and feasibility factors of the recipes into consideration, I was really only left with a handful of options.  This meant that I had eliminated all of the recipes that contained one or more of the following ingredients: truffles, truffle oil, truffle juice (what?), Kobe beef, Wagyu beef, duck, Berkshire pork belly, sweetbreads, mountain caviar, and of course foie gras.  From the remaining batch, I got rid of anything with scallops (I'm allergic), aioli (just call it what it is folks--gourmet mayonnaise), or foam.  I finally decided on what ended up being a surprisingly simple, but oh-so-rewarding cookie recipe from the famous pastry chef Francois Payard.  In addition to his New York establishments, Chef Payard owns Payard Patisserie and Bistro at Caesars's Palace in Las Vegas.  These chocolatey cookies are quite rich, despite the lack of butter, cream, egg yolks, or any of the other usual suspects.  Bon Appetit! 

Francois Payard's Decadent Chocolate Cookies

Makes about 12 large cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons cocoa powder

3 cups confectioner's sugar

Pinch of salt

2 3/4 cups toasted walnuts, chopped

4 large egg whites

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cocoa powder, confectioner's sugar, salt, and walnuts.  Mix on low speed for 1 minute.

With the mixer running, slowly add the egg whites and the vanilla.  Mix on medium speed for 3 minutes until the mixture has slightly thickened.  Do not overmix, or the egg whites will thicken too much.

Using a 2-ounce ice cream scoop, scoop the batter onto the prepared baking sheets.  Scoop 6 sheet, spacing about 3-inches apart.  Put the cookies in the oven and lower the temperature to 320F degrees.  Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, or until small thin cracks appear on the surface of the cookies.  Pull the parchment paper with the cookies onto a wire rack to cool completely.  Remove the cookies from the paper, and store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Margaritas for Everyone: Cookies and Cocktails

I'm going to do something very uncharacteristic.  I'm going to keep my blog post relatively short and sweet.  So for those of you who have come to know and love my long-winded stories about why I made what I made that day, I'm sorry.  For those of you who read these stories and wondered "What on earth does this have to do with her recipe?", you're welcome.  Consider this my gift to you.

My reason for skipping my usual ten paragraph preamble is that I am tardy with my posting.  I would completely miss the Cinco de Mayo holiday (those of you on the east coast are probably already into your second margaritas as I type) if I rambled on forever and checked my grammar.  Let's face it, the cookie recipe is probably of no use to you for any of tonight's festivities, but at least the margarita recipe is about as easy as it gets (tasty too.)  Save the cookie recipe for your first summer barbecue.

These fun margarita-shaped sugar cookies are something that everyone can partake in--and still drive home safely.  The margaritas themselves?  Not so much.  These are potent, so people, pace yourselves.  You don't want someone posting pictures of you doing the post-margarita Mexican Hat Dance all over your Facebook page, do you?  I don't know, maybe you do.  Regardless, have a great, guacamole-filled night.  Ole! Here are a few extra tips for this duo of Cinco de Mayo creations:

• When making the cookies, if the dough has become too soft during the rolling and shaping process, chill the cookie sheet for 15 minutes prior to baking.  This will ensure that the cookies retain their shape throughout the baking process.
• If you want to give the cookies an extra "margarita" touch, replace the orange zest in the cookie dough with lime zest.
• I purchased my cookie cutter from Sugarcraft.com for about $2.00, but if you don't have a cookie cutter, then you could always make a pattern out of waxed or parchment paper and trace it.
• Feel free to play around with the juice ratios in the margarita recipe.  You can also add a few sprigs of mint to the pitcher, if desired.
• The margarita mix can be refrigerated overnight.

Margaritas for Everyone: Cookies and Cocktails

For the margarita cookies (makes about 24)

1 recipe sugar cookie dough

Margarita glass cookie cutters

Royal icing in white and green

Coarse sugar

Gumdrop candies shaped like fruit slices

Roll, cut, and bake the margarita glass cookies according to the sugar cookie dough recipe on this other post.  Color half of the royal icing green (unless of course you are making mango margaritas!)  Leave the rest of the royal icing white.  Pipe the green icing around the top of the "glass," leaving a small strip at the top.  Pipe the white icing around the "stem."  After the piping has dried, thin both icing colors with lemon juice and flood the interiors of the outlines with the colors.  After the icing has dried (let it set for at least an hour), pipe white icing onto the top strip at the top of the glass.  Dip the top of the glass in coarse sugar, so that it looks like salt around the rim.  If the gumdrop fruit slices are thick, trim them lengthwise.  Pipe some royal icing onto the glass, and adhere the "lime" to the glass.  Allow to dry for at least one hour, preferably several hours, so that the lime sticks.

Pomegranate-Orange Margaritas

Serves 8-10

1 liter tequila (recommend Patron)

2 cups Cointreau or Triple Sec

1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice

1 cup orange juice

1/2 cup lime juice

In a large glass pitcher, combine the tequila, Cointreau, pomegranate juice, orange juice, and lime juice.  Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, and add about 1 cup of the margarita mix; shake well.  Strain into a cocktail glass and serve.  Repeat with the rest of the mix.

Chocolate-Covered Brown Butter Blondie Pops

We have a restaurant here in Las Vegas named David Burke, and it is the second outlet (I believe) of a New York restaurant run by Chef--you guessed it--David Burke.  The original restaurant is actually called David Burke and Donatella, but apparently Donatella didn't want to take a gamble on a Sin City locale (ba-dum-bum).

Eric and I have had dinner at David Burke three times.  Before we went the first time, a friend said to me "Oh, you must order the cheesecake lollipops for dessert!!"  Never mind the fact that she has known me for half of my life, and I have told her multiple times that I can't stand cheesecake.  Yes, you've found me.  I'm the American who doesn't like cheesecake.  It's not just some urban legend--I do exist.

I don't remember what we ordered for dessert during any of our dinners at David Burke, or if we even ordered dessert for that matter, but I know that we did not order the famous cheesecake lollipops.  Inevitably, after every dining experience, we were asked by at least one person "Weren't those cheesecake lollipops amazing?"  I think that, much like the chicken lettuce wraps at P.F. Changs, people just assume that you order this item when you dine at David Burke.  When we told them--or perhaps I should say "confessed" (because that's how it felt)-- that we did not try the famous dessert, we were met with the expected "What?", "Oh, you really missed out!", "Bad move.", etc. 

I don't know.  I still enjoyed my dinner without experiencing those whimsical lollipops (which were served on a way cool lollipop "tree.")  But the whole series of dinners spent watching others enjoy these signature sweets did pique my interest.  Why should cheesecake lovers have all the fun?  What about fans of brownies, cookie dough, and blondies?  I had seen some really cute lollipops made from mixtures of cake and icing in other food blogs, so why wouldn't it work with my favorite rich brown butter blondie recipe?  It would.  It did.  And let me tell ya--they are yummy.  Maybe if we go to David Burke again, I'll just bring a few of these babies along in my purse for when dessert rolls around.  Here are a few extra tips for these bite-sized blondie pops:

• Instead of using blondies, you can try this recipe with brownies, cookie dough, or even cake that has been crumbled and then mixed with buttercream.  Be sure that the brownies are fudgy so that you can form them into balls.
• Sometimes melted chocolate can be to thick for dipping.  An alternative would be to make a ganache by bringing 1/2 cup of cream to almost a boil and then pouring it over the chocolate chips.  Once the chips have melted, stir until smooth.  You can also stir 1 tablespoon of corn syrup into the ganache, which help with the consistency.  Do not add cold cream to the melted chocolate or it will seize up.
• You can also use candy melts for this recipe.  They are found in various colors in stores like Michaels, and they are used specifically for projects like this.  I prefer the taste of real chocolate, but the candy melts are more user-friendly.
• These treats can also be served without the lollipop sticks as little blondie truffles.

Chocolate-Covered Brown Butter Blondie Pops

Makes about 60

Ingredients:

10 ounces unsalted butter

2 cups light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup toffee bits (such as Heath brand)

Lollipop sticks

12 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips

12 ounces white chocolate chips

Food coloring, sprinkles, decorations

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.  Line a 9X13X2 inch baking pan with foil so that it hangs over the edges by 1-inch.  Spray the foil with non-stick baking spray.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until it turns brown and fragrant.  Set the saucepan aside to allow the butter to cool slightly.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the brown butter with both sugars at medium speed until well combined.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Continue to beat the mixture at medium speed until it is light and creamy, about 4 minutes.  Mix in the vanilla.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing until combined.  Mix in the toffee bits.  Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Bake the blondies until the top is golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center emerges with a few moist crumbs attached, 30-35 minutes.  Set the blondies aside until they are cool enough to handle, but still warm.

Prepare the blondie pops

Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper.  Remove the blondies from the pan by lifting the edges of the foil.  Trim the edges of the blondies, as these can be too tough to form into balls.  Roll the dough into balls that are about the size of a quarter and place the balls on the prepared sheets.  Chill the balls for 2 hours.

Melt one or both types of chocolate, depending on how you want to decorate the pops.  Insert the lollipop sticks into the ends of the chilled balls.  One by one, roll the blondies into the white or dark chocolate, allowing excess to drip off.  Return the pops to the baking sheets to let the chocolate harden. Once the first layer of chocolate has hardened, drizzle the pops with the other type of chocolate or colored white chocolate.  Allow the second layer to harden. 

White Chocolate Coconut Key Lime Cupcakes

**I felt the need to return to this blog post and add a little note.  A friend of mine emailed me and said "Hey--great recipe!  Is it similar to the one that was made by the girl you competed against on Ultimate Recipe Showdown?"

Panic mode immediately set it when I read her email.  "Oh no!  Did I accidentally copy someone's recipe and claim it as my own?   Noooooo!"  I quickly rushed over to FoodNetwork.com to look atJamie's recipe.  Although the titles are almost identicle, luckily, the recipes are different  (I would have just died if they were the same.)  That being said, I still think that I owe it to Jamie Nondorf to credit her with inspiring this recipe.  I must have stored her great idea somewhere in the back of my mind for future baking occasions.  Thank you, Jamie.

OK.  I feel better now.  Back to the post:

In several of my past posts, I have referred to our pair of Meyer lemon trees, both of which we planted a few months after moving into our house in 2003.  To be honest, Eric did most of the actual planting, while I did my share of pointing and directing.  It was a true team effort.

The same day that we planted the two lemon trees, we also planted a Valencia orange tree and a Key lime tree.  As expected, for the first few years the trees bore very little--if any--fruit.  During the third year, we reaped a "harvest" of half a dozen lemons and two limes.  The fourth year brought us a bag full of lemons, a couple of oranges......and two limes.  Last year, we had so many lemons that we were giving them away, we had enough oranges to make freshly squeezed juice on the weekends.......and we had two limes (Hey, at least it was consistent).  It became pretty clear which tree was the "Charlie Brown Christmas tree" of the batch.

Unfortunately, we had to dig up the lime tree, but in the spirit of Arbor Day (today), we are going to replace it with another.  Eric's goal is to have enough limes so that he can just pop outside whenever he needs to grab a garnish for his Pacifico throughout the summer.  Little does he know that my goal is to be able to make batches and batches of Key lime baked goods using my very own Key limes. 

Before we dug up the tree, I salvaged the two little (very little) limes.  Supplemented with a few additional limes from the grocery store, I decided to create cupcakes inspired by Eric's favorite dessert: Key Lime Pie (What is it about men and Key Lime Pie anyhow?  They all seem to love it.)  Several years ago, I tried one of Bobby Flay's recipes that matched Key lime dessert bars with a white chocolate topping, and it paired really well, so that was behind my thinking for the buttercream.  I threw in the shredded coconut at the last minute.  I thought that it would keep the cupcakes moist, and coconut and lime is always a good combination. The lime curd filling adds an nice citrus kick, but it is optional.  For my cupcakes, I used a marinade injector to insert the curd into the center.  This is a little gadget that looks like a syringe, and it is usually used for infuse meats with flavoring.  I got the idea from my friend, Lorie Roach, who used this technique with her cupcakes on a Food Network competition a few years ago.  I remember thinking "That is so cool!  I can't wait to try it!"  I went out, bought the gadget, and it sat in my drawer for two years.  Finally, I tried it--still pretty cool. 

These cupcakes are the perfect flavor as we head into warmer weather.  Hopefully next year, I will be able to make several dozen from my abundant crop of Key limes in the backyard!  Here are my extra tips for preparing these tropical tasting treats:

• If you don't have access to Key limes and Key lime juice, then certainly substitute regular limes and lime juice
• Be sure to thoroughly spray the pan with a good nonstick baking spray (I love Pam for Baking), and these cupcakes can tend to stick.  An alternative would be to use muffin liners.
• Because I was short on time, I purchased a premade lime curd for this recipe, but you can also make a homemade version.  Here is a recipe for lemon curd--simply substitute lime juice for lemon juice.
• You can also fill the cupcakes with lime-flavored pastry cream.
• If you don't have a piping bag or a flavor injector, you can cut a corner off of a zip-top bag and fit it with a round tip.  Fill the bag with the curd and pipe away!

White Chocolate Coconut Key Lime Cupcakes

Makes about 20

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes

1/2 pound unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup Key Lime zest

4 large eggs

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup Key Lime juice

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Lime Curd

For the White Chocolate Buttercream

12 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped

3 cups confectioner's sugar

1/2 pound unsalted butter, softened

1/4 teaspoon salt

2-4 tablespoons heavy cream

Graham cracker crumbs and lime twists for garnish

Prepare the cupcakes:  Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.  Spray 2 (12-cup) cupcake tins with nonstick baking spray and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add the lime zest, mixing until well blended.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated and stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, lime juice, and coconut extract.  Add the flour and lime juice mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Stir in the shredded coconut.

Divide the batter among the muffin tins, filling about halfway full.  Bake the cupcakes for 20-22 minutes, until they spring back when lightly touched.  Let the cupcakes cool for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

When the cupcakes are cool, fit a piping bag with a medium round tip.  Fill the piping bag with the lime curd.  Insert the tip of the piping bag into the center of each cupcake and squeeze until you start to feel some resistance (this will indicate that there has been enough lime curd inserted.)

Prepare the white chocolate buttercream:  In a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, melt the white chocolate until smooth, stirring frequently.  Set the saucepan aside until the white chocolate has cooled to room temperature.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the confectioner's sugar and the butter until it is light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.  Add the salt and the melted chocolate, beating until the mixture is well combines.  Add enough of the heavy cream so that the buttercream is very light, fluffy, and spreadable.

Pipe or frost the buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes.  Sprinkle the top with graham cracker crumbs and top with a lime twist. 

Fashionably Frugal Sugar Cookies

Fashionably Frugal Sugar Cookies

What??  Two posts in one day??

I know--hardly ever happens.  But, when I'm inspired, I'm inspired, and let me tell you:  shoes inspire me (am I right ladies?)  Even if the shoes in this case are edible and much too small to fit my Shaq-esque size 9 1/2 feet, they still inspire me.

Were shoes always such a big deal with women?  Not that I recall.  But from the very first time that the words "Manolo Blahnik" escaped the lips of Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City, a veritable designer shoe obsession started.  This phenomenon will lead women to spend entire paychecks on one pair of black (albeit killer black) stilettos and to pronounce words like "Louboutin" as if French was their native language. 

As Oprah would say: There are two things I know for sure.  One is that you can always get a man to leave a room (or at least tune out of the conversation) if you start talking about shoe shopping.  The other is that giving a woman something that resembles designer shoes (while not nearly as good as the shoes themselves) is sure to put a smile on her face. 

In light of the recent economy, I think that it's pretty safe to say that the shoe departments of the various Saks, Neimans, and Barneys across the U.S. have seen quite a decrease in foot traffic (get it? foot traffic?)  That being said, it seems like the prices of shoes keep rising along with the height of their heels.   Well, even if you're not in the market for the latest strappy sandals thatrock the runway, you can still console yourself over a plate of these designer desserts (dip them in chocolate and they will make you feel even better.)

These sugar cookies were made from another pair of shapes that I dug out from my cookie cutter basket (both of which I probably purchased on Sugarcraft.com.)  The initial shoe shape was a bit "dowdy," so I tried to trim it down a bit, but I think that it still needs some more work.  As you can see to the right, I tried to fashion some of the pumps after Christian Louboutins and their tell-tale red soles. Tried.  They didn't turn out exactly as I had hoped, but maybe that's because I don't have a pair of my own to compare them to (ahem, Eric.)

Here are a few extra tips for making this duet of delicious designer duds:

• The little flowers on the dresses and the shoes are made from mini flower cutters and colored fondant that I allowed to dry overnight.  For faster drying you can use gumpaste instead of fondant--I just didn't happen to have any on hand, and I didn't feel like making it from scratch.
• I believe that I purchased the mini cutters on Sugarcraft.com also, but I don't remember for certain.  The gumpaste/fondant cutters are available on pretty much any cake decorating supply site though.
• The sugar cookie dough recipe that I used can be found .
• When decorating cookies like these, start one day in advance because they have several layers of royal icing.  If the individual layers aren't dry, then it is very easy to dent the icing.

Pomegranate Granola Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I'm really picky when it comes to granola and granola bars.  I distinctly remember the granola that was served in the dining commons in college.  It was served via one of those plastic cereal dispensers--if you pull the handle one of two scenarios occurs: Nothing at all comes out and you either need to shake the dispenser or move on to the Frosted Flakes -or- The entire contents of the dispenser spills out over your bowl, onto your tray, and the floor.  Note: This second scenario occurs almost exclusively when at least half of the student body is there to witness the situation, with that super cute boy standing in line right behind you.

So......back to the granola.  For a cereal that used to be synonymous with "healthy" and "natural", the granola that was served in my college dining commons was anything but.  It tasted like bland, dry, processed clumps of sugar, which disintegrated in your mouth and provided nothing in the nutritional department whatsoever.  No fruit.  No nuts.  Just clumps.  Blech!

I rarely find a granola that satisfies my requirements.  It can't taste like it was made in the 20th century, and it shouldn't have the nutritional equivalence of a hot fudge sundae.  When I find one that I do like, it is usually at some remote bed and breakfast or mom and pop place, so I have just started creating my own varieties, such as the Pomegranate-Tangerine version below (inspired by a case of POM pomegranate juice, which was sent to me as a runner-up prize in the POM Blogger contest--I'm now kind of obsessed with the stuff.)

Granola is such a simple and versatile recipe.  You start with oats, and then you just go from there.  Don't like nuts?  Use more fruit.  Allergic to dairy?  Leave out the butter.  Bake it until crispy or keep it soft and chewy.  Honey. Coconut. Maple syrup. Orange Zest.  The sky's the limit as far as possibilities go.  Not only is granola a versatile recipe, but it's a versatile ingredient too.  Use it as part of a parfait or mix it into muffin or bread batters.  For the following recipe, I added granola to a pretty standard (given a spice or two) chocolate chunk cookie recipe.  The granola adds a caramelized, nutty flavor with bits of spice and tart cranberry to complement the bittersweet chocolate.  Here are a few extra tips for making these chock-full chocolate chunk cookies (and granola):

• If you don't have pomegranate juice for the granola, try using cranberry or orange juice instead.  You can also substitute pure maple syrup (not the fake kind!) for the honey.
• After the granola comes out of the oven, immediately press it down all over with the back of a spatula and let it cool.  This helps to form the little clusters of granola when you break it up into pieces.
• Instead of using dried cranberries, you can use dried cherries or golden raisins.  Substitute pecan halves, walnuts, or pistachios for the almonds.
• The cookie dough can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and chilled, tightly covered, untilready to bake.  You can also "pre-portion" the cookie dough into balls and chill.  This way, you just need to transfer the balls of dough to the prepared baking sheet and bake!
• The baked cookies will keep at room temperature, covered, for 3-4 days.  You can also freeze them in zip-top bags for up to 3 weeks. 

Pomegranate Granola Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Makes about 20

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup golden brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups Pomegranate-Tangerine Granola (recipe follows)

1 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 3 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl, and mix until combined.  Stir in the granola and the chocolate chunks.

Using a medium (2 tablespoon) ice cream scoop, drop the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the portions 2 inches apart.  Bake the cookies until they are golden brown, 10-12 minutes.  Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes and then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.

Pomegranate-Tangerine Granola

Makes about 8 1/2 cups

4 cups rolled oats

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

1 1/4 cups sliced almonds

Zest from 2 tangerines

3/4 cup POM pomegranate juice (gotta love the super-POM-hero picture to the right)

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup golden brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup safflower oil

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 325F degrees.  In a large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, almonds, and tangerine zest, mixing well.

In a medium saucepan, combine the pomegranate juice, honey, brown sugar, safflower oil, cinnamon, allspice, and salt.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking until the sugar dissolves.  Pour the hot liquid over the oats mixture, tossing until it is evenly coated.

Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with non-stick baking spray and spread the granola mixture evenly on the sheet.  Bake until the granola is golden brown on the edges, tossing once, about 20 minutes.  Mix in the cranberries and stir to blend.  Continue to bake until the granola is golden and dry, stirring once, about 15 minutes longer.  Cool the granola completely on the baking sheet.

Fire Engine Birthday Cake and Cookies

When I turned three--or perhaps it was four--my brother and I had a joint birthday party out by the pool.  We both had summer birthdays, and we were only one year apart in age, so it was probably much easier on my mom to throw one party with both sets of friends as opposed to two.  Besides, as long as there were the requisite cake and presents with my name on them, what did I care?

There is very little that I remember about this party without the aid of photos.  I do remember that one of my friends cried from the moment that her mom dropped her off until the moment that her mom returned to take her home.  This girl refused to get into her bathing suit to go swimming, and she didn't even want a piece of cake.  I have no idea what her name was, but I am guessing that my mom was thrilled to have her as a guest.  I'm pretty sure that we had a pinata filled with candy, only because my birthday parties always featured a pinata.  My attire for the party was my favorite late-70s model purple bathing suit.  Oh yeah, I was chic.

What I don't remember about my party is what gifts I received for presents, although there was probably at least one Barbie and a stuffed animal or two.  Other than a handful of friends and crying girl, I don't remember who was there to help us celebrate.  I don't remember what we had for lunch, and I don't recall the cake.  It was probably a Carvel though, as those were my favorite, even though they were impossible to cut through without nearly dislocating a shoulder.

Today's 3-year-old birthday parties are much different from the ones that were held when I was little.  Elaborate themes, jumpy houses in the back yard, large budgets, and long, multiple-generation guest lists are all standard.  The food is much different too.  Hot dogs, pizza, and Carvel cakes have been replaced by catering and custom sculpted cakes.  This weekend, I made a cake and cookies for one such party, honoring an adorable three-year-old named Dominic.  The theme of the party was "Fire Engines," so coming up with a correlating idea for the cake was pretty easy.  The idea was easy.  The cake, not so much.  I stayed up all night on Friday working on it, working right up until the time of the party, so that when I delivered it, you can only imagine how absolutely stunning  I looked.  I'm talking about buttercream in my hair and food coloring on my clothes stunning.  I'm surprised I didn't scare Dominic away.  He seemed to approve of my work though (Phew!Those three-year-olds can be pretty demanding), and I was happy with how the cute themed cookies turned out too.  Here are a few additional notes regarding this custom pair of sweet treats:

• The fire truck was made from 3 standard cake recipes, which I baked in three half-sheet pans.  I made two chocolate and one vanilla.  For sculpted cakes, it is really important to use dense cake recipes, as opposed to lighter recipes that are prone to crumbling during the assembly and shaping.
• The buttercream for the entire cake was a simple white chocolate buttercream, which I like to work with because it is very spreadable and easy to pipe.  I piped most of the cake using a #21 star tip, and some of the detail and outlining was done with a #2 round tip.
• The ladders were made from fondant, which I allowed to dry and harden for 24 hours.  The ladders were secured to the side of the fire engine with pretzel sticks--I like the entire cake to be edible so people don't bite into something like a toothpick!  The tires, fire hose, and pool of water were also created with fondant.
• The "lights" on top of the fire engine were made using three Jolly Rancher candies.
• The entire cake sat on a standard 2X2-inch wooden board that I bought from Lowe's, which I wrapped in plain black fabric.  It would have been much too heavy for a regular cake board.
• The cookie cutters were purchased from a great baking supply site called Sugarcraft.  They have just about every shape imaginable, and their prices are really low.

Whole Wheat Hot Cross Buns

Hot Cross Buns.  Hot Cross Buns.

One a penny. Two a penny.  Hot Cross Buns.

I cannot see, eat, or prepare hot cross buns without that song constantly running through my head.  Only in my version, the song is not being sung;  it is being played on the recorder.  I vividly remember sitting cross-legged next to my classmates in Mrs. Kemp's third grade music class at Stuart Country Day School, playing Hot Cross Buns over and over again until we attained one harmonious sound.  Mrs. Kemp was a perfectionist.  You would think that we were preparing Vivaldi's Four Season for Lincoln Center as opposed to Hot Cross Buns for the Lower School Parents Night.  

I actually found my old orecorder a few weeks ago when I was rummaging through some boxes of old toys, papers, and my collection of Sweet Valley High books (I was obsessed with those.)  For some reason, I had painted a ring around the bottom of the recorder with bright pink nail polish--perhaps to distinguish my recorder from those of my friends?  I don't know, but I probably thought that I was super cool to come up with something like that.  Oh, and I'm still not any good at playing Hot Cross Buns on the recorder.  I guess I'll stick to Guitar Hero for now.

Hot Cross Buns (I'm referring to the edible version now) are something that I make every year around Easter, when they are traditionally eaten.  Each year, I try to change up my recipe just a little bit, as there are so many different ways in which it can be interpreted.  My version always contains a mix of dried fruits and spices, along with the requisite criss-cross made from a mixture of confectioner's sugar and lemon juice.  Some people use a cream cheese icing for the cross, but we all know how I feel about cream cheese (blech).  This year, I used a combination of dried cranberries, figs, and raisins, as that is what I happened to have in the pantry.  I also mixed in some slivered almond--had a huge bag from Costco just waiting to be put to use.  In addition, I decided to substitute half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, which gave the buns a healthy boost.  I usually start preparing this recipe the night before and then refrigerating the dough (see below), but they can be prepared the same day too.  Here are a few extra tips for making these traditional Easter treats:

• After the dough is mixed and allowed to rise the first time, it can be refrigerated overnight, tightly covered.  Bring the dough to room temperature before continuing with the recipe.
• You can experiment with many different variations of this recipe.  Try using dark raisins, chopped apricots, dried figs, and chopped hazelnuts, walnuts, or pecans in place of the listed dried fruits and nuts.
• After the buns have been baked, but before they are glazed, they can be frozen, tightly wrapped, for up to 1 week.  Thaw or reheat in a 325F degree oven, wrapped in foil.
• When setting dough aside to rise, I like to place it in an oven that has been heated for a few minutes and turned off.  This creates a nice warm environment, perfect for rising. 

Hot Cross Buns

Makes 24

Ingredients:

1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar

4 ounces unsalted butter (1 stick)

2 cups whole milk

2 teaspoons salt

3 1/2 cups flour

3 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Zest of 2 oranges

1 cup golden raisins

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup sliced almonds

2 eggs beaten with 2 tablespoons milk

For the glaze

2 cups confectioner's sugar

3-4 tablespoons lemon juice

Place the warm water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon sugar in a small bowl; stir to mix.  Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes or until foamy.  Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the butter, milk, salt, and remaining sugar; cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted.  Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the mixture into the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the dough hook.

Add the yeast mixture to the milk mixture and stir until combined.  Gradually mix in 3 cups of all-purpose flour and 3 cups whole wheat flour, mixing until the mixture forms a soft dough.  Add the remaining 1/2 cup flour if the dough is too sticky.  Remove the mixture from the bowl and knead on a lightly floured work surface for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth.  Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in bulk, 30-45 minutes.

Punch down the dough and set it aside to rest for 10 minutes.  Combine the spices. orange zest, dried fruit, and almonds in a small bowl, stirring to mix.  Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead in the fruit mixture, a little bit at a time, until evenly distributed.  Divide the mixture into 24 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and place the balls on the baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.  Cover the balls loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes, until almost doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.  Brush the tops of the balls with the egg wash and bake for 25-30 minutes, until they are golden brown and firm to the touch.  Remove the buns from the oven and allow them to cool. 

For the icing, whisk together the confectioner's sugar and the lemon juice to form a thick, but pourable glaze.  Drizzle a criss-cross shape on top of the rolls.  Allow the glaze to dry before serving.