Red Velvet Cake

My brother, Will, is not a baker. He is also not cook. He never has been. Sometimes he sautés onions and garlic together to eat over pasta, but that's about the extent of his kitchen skills- or so I thought. My mom and I were shocked when he went to the grocery store yesterday (thats a shocker to begin with!!) and came home with a bunch of ingredients for some kind of dessert. He wouldn't tell us what it was, but, whatever it was, he wanted to make it completely by himself. My brother ended up baking one of the best red velvet cakes I have ever had in my life completely from scratch.

Red Velvet Cake:
Vegetable oil for the pans
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring (1 ounce)
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crushed pecans for garnish

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour 2 round 9-inch cake pans.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.

Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Place the pans in the oven evenly spaced apart. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the cooking, until the cake pulls away from the side of the pans, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
Remove the cakes from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen them from the sides of the pans. Let cool completely in the pans. Once cooled, carefully turn the cakes out onto separate plates or cooling racks.

To make the frosting, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and butter with a mixer on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Occasionally scrape down the sides of the bowl. Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the vanilla, raise the speed to high and mix briefly until fluffy, occasionally scraping down the bowl. Store in the refrigerator until somewhat stiff, before using.

To frost the cake, place 1 layer, rounded-side down, in the middle of a cake stand or plate. Spread some of the cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake. Spread enough frosting to make about a 1/4 to 1/2-inch layer. Top with the remaining layer and cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting. Sprinkle the top with the pecans.

Recipe by: Cakeman Raven, Cakeman Raven Confectionery, NYC

Chocolate Caramel Puffs

On Sunday, I had my whole afternoon free and was looking for a challenge, so I searched for difficult recipes online. When I came across this recipe for chocolate caramel puffs, I knew I had found the challenge I was looking for. It combines two difficult recipes, one for homemade caramel and the other for a choux pastry, into one magnificent dessert. The fluffy, lighter-than-air chocolate pastry is filled with a rich chocolate and caramel ganache. If that doesn't scream "chocolate lovers' fantasy", then I don't know what does.
However, this recipe is not for the inexperienced baker or for those who are pressed with time. If you are confident in your baking skills and don't have any major plans for a few hours (and are up to the challenge), then this recipe may be for you.

Pastry:
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 large eggs

Chocolate Caramel Ganache:
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 ½ cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Pastry:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Sift together the flour and cocoa powder into a bowl or large piece of wax paper. Set aside until needed.
Heat the water, butter, and sugar in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted and the mixture is hot, stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from heat and add the flour mixture. With a wooden spoon, stir until the flour is completely incorporated and mixture comes together in a ball. Then add the eggs, one at a time, and stir vigorously to thoroughly incorporate each egg before adding the next. (At first, the eggs won't want to combine, but if you keep mixing energetically, they will eventually incorporate)
Scoop into level tablespoons and place on 2 non-stick baking sheets, 12 evenly spaced portions per sheet. Place the sheets on the top and center racks of the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes, rotating the sheets and turning them 180 degrees around halfway through. Remove the puffs from the oven and cool to room temperature.

Chocolate Caramel Ganache:
Place the chopped chocolate in a large bowl and set aside.
Heat the heavy cream and two tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to keep the cream hot, but not simmering until needed.
Combine the sugar and lemon juice in a 3 quart saucepan. Stir with a whisk to combine. Caramelize the sugar over medium-high heat for about 7-8 minutes. Use your best judgement with the temperature and time to keep it from burning. Sometimes, I have to remove the mixture from the heat and whisk vigorously to keep it from burning, then replace it on the heat again. When the sugar is light brown and smooth, remove from heat. Bring the cream to a simmer again***, then carefully add one ladle-full of the hot cream to the caramelized sugar. Use a wooden spoon to stir the caramel until it stop bubbling.
(If your cream is not hot enough, the caramel will harden into a ball and will not combine with the cream. If this happens, put the mixture back on the stove and heat until the caramel is melted again, and stir until it combines with the cream. Be careful not to let it burn).
Add the remaining cream and stir until smooth. Immediately pour the hot caramel over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes before stirring. Stir the mixture until smooth and shiny. Refrigerate the ganache until just slightly firm, but not too hard. If the ganache is too firm, it will be difficult to fill the pastries with it.

With a sharp knife, cut each puff in half horizontally. Fill the bottom half of each puff with about 1 tablespoon of ganache and sandwich the top half of the puff onto the bottom half.

Recipe from: Marcel Desaulniers

Aloo Mutter

Cooking Indian food can seem intimidating at times, and sometimes it really is. However, this dish is pretty simple. Even though its pretty quick and easy to handle, it certainly doesn't lack flavor. The cumin gives the curry a bold base while the turmeric adds beautiful color and appealing aroma. This dish is warm and hearty, and is sure to please almost anyone.

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp whole cumin seed
½ cup sliced red onion
2 medium tomatoes cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground cayenne pepper
¼ tsp ground turmeric
3 medium red potatoes, about 1 pound
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup water
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
½ tsp Garam Masaala

Cut the potatoes into about 2-inch pieces and cook until almost done, around 7 minutes. Remove from the hot water into a colander and run cold water over the potatoes until they are cooled.
Add the oil to a 2 quart saucepan and add the cumin seed. Heat over medium to medium-high heat and let the cumin sizzle for about 15-30 seconds, making sure the pan does not become too hot. Carefully add the onions (if the pan is too hot, the oil may splatter) and stir fry until they are golden brown. Add the tomatoes, salt, cayenne pepper, and turmeric. Stir fry until the tomatoes are softened.
Stir in the remaining ingredients except the Garam Masaala. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to medium. Cover and let the curry simmer for about 5 minutes, then uncover and let simmer for 5 more minutes, until the sauce has slightly thickened. Add the Garam Masaala when you are ready to serve.

Recipe from Betty Crocker's Indian Home Cooking by Raghavan Iyer

Long Rise Pizza

This week was the first full week of summer break and now that I have all this extra time, why not make long rise pizza dough? When I first made this dough, I didn't anticipate how long it would actually take. I started mixing it together about 4 in the afternoon, but the pizza wasn't ready until around 10 that night! Late night pizza is a great summer meal for us night-owls because we can stay up late and sleep in. However, if you're a morning bird, I would suggest starting the pizza dough in the morning. That way, it will be ready by dinner time. Either way, this dough is just as easy as any other pizza dough, but richer. The great flavor comes from the sponge and the long rising time.

Sponge:
¼ cup warm water
1 tbsp quick rise, or one ¼ oz. package active dry yeast
¼ cup all purpose or bread flour.

Dough:
1¾ cup warm water
1 tbsp plus 2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
4¾ to 5¾ cups all purpose or bread flour

Pizza:
Dough
Desired Sauce and Toppings
Cornmeal

To make the sponge:
Combine the ¼ cup warm water, yeast, and ¼ cup flour in a large mixing bowl and allow to sit for 20-30 minutes. The more time the sponge has to sit, the more flavor there will be in the dough.

To make the dough:
Add the water to the sponge and stir with a whisk until the sponge is completely broken up and dissolved into the water. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and stir to blend. Add the salt and stir until it dissolves.
Add the flour, one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition until 4¾ cups have been added. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.
**If the dough is too sticky to work with, add a little more flour. However, be careful never to add too much flour to the dough. Too much flour will create a dense and tough rather than a light and fluffy crust. It's better that the dough be a little on the sticky side rather than on the dry side**

Once the dough is smooth, shape it into a ball. Add the two teaspoons of olive oil to a LARGE bowl and put the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat completely with oil. Cover with a damp towel and let it rise in a warm place for 5-8 hours.
**yep, 5-8 hours. During that time, the dough will almost triple in size and develop the rest of its rich flavor!**

5-8 hours later, preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
Punch down the dough and turn it onto a LIGHTLY floured work surface. Divide the dough into halves or thirds, depending on how thick/thin you like your crust or how big you are making your pizza. Shape each portion into a disk and cover with a damp towel while you prepare your sauce and toppings.
**From here, you can wrap the dough in a plastic bag and freeze it. Remember to remove dough from the freezer about 45 minutes before using it**

Coat your pizza pan with a thin layer of cornmeal. This will prevent the dough from sticking to the pan. Place your dough disk in the middle of your pizza pan and spread it out using your fingers, do not roll with a rolling pin. On the edges, pull about an inch or two of dough over the edge and roll it over itself, creating the rolled outer border. Poke small holes in the crust with a fork to prevent it from puffing while it's baking. Bake your pizza until the crust is almost done, 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of your dough.
Take out of the oven, add your desired sauce and toppings and return to the oven until the cheese has melted.

Recipe based off of "Long Rise Pizza Dough" from The Doughmakers Cookbook by Bette Laplante and Diane Cuvelier.

Gingerbread Blondies

Blondies are fundamentally the same as brownies; but the difference is that brownies always have a chocolate base and blondies don't. Blondies can have anything from a sugar cookie-like base to an almond or peanut flavored base, and, like brownies, they can contain chunky mix-ins. These blondies are made with gingerbread spices, and white and bittersweet chocolate chunks. The contrast of the white chocolate to the bittersweet chocolate adds depth and an unexpected, but delicious, bite of bittersweet.

2¾ cups plus 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1¼ tsp baking powder
1¼ tsp salt
1¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
2½ sticks room temperature butter
1¼ cups brown sugar
½ cup plus 2 tbsp white sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1¼ tsp vanilla
1/3 cup molasses
8 oz. coarsely chopped white chocolate
2 oz. coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12x17-inch baking sheet with cooking spray and then line with aluminum foil. Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and the spices in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat butter and brown and white sugar on medium speed until creamy and pale, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and yolk one at a time and mix until blended. Add the vanilla and molasses and mix until combined. Stir in the flour mixture until combined, then stir in the chocolate.
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan, but be patient. This may take a while because the batter is so thick and the pan in so big. Bake until the edges just start to pull away from the sides, about 25 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies
Makes about 4 dozen.

Cardamom Cookies

Similar to Indian Chai, cardamom cookies get their flavor from cinnamon and, as the name says, cardamom. They are soft and chewy, and are complemented with perfect spiced icing. Cardamom cookies taste so much like Chai that, when I made these for my friends, they called them Chai cookies. These cookies are perfect with a scoop of ice cream or alongside a hot cup of tea.

for cookies:
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 egg

for icing:
½ stick butter, room temperature
½ tsp vanilla
¼ cup milk
¼ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk together baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon, and flour. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture and beat until just combined. Roll dough into balls and transfer to prepared baking sheets, spacing dough about 2 inches apart. Carefully press dough with a flat edge and bake until lightly browned, 14-16 minutes. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool completely. Remember, these cookies will be iced with a frosting that contains butter. If the cookies are still hot, the butter will melt and the icing won't hold up. It will just melt away!
In a large bowl, beat butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add milk, cardamom, and cinnamon and beat well. Reduce speed and add powdered sugar. Spread icing on cooled cookies.

Recipe from Matt Boisen of Owatonna, MN.

Double Chocolate Brownies

My grandparents, who live in Indiana, came up to Minnesota to see my play this spring. Whenever family comes up to stay with us, we always like to have baked treats around the kitchen. It always seems to make a house feel warm and welcoming. So, we decided to bake these double chocolate brownies. Who doesn't like a warm, fudgy brownie for a snack or after dinner? Brownie Lovers: this is the recipe of your dreams.

6 tbsp unsalted butter
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a greased or buttered 8x8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing an overhang. Grease or butter the parchment paper.
Put butter, chocolate, cocoa powder in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water- but don't let the bowl touch the water. Stir until the butter and chocolate have melted. Let cool slightly. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a separate bowl and beat until the mixture is pale, about 4 minutes. Add the chocolate mixture and mix until combined. Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Pour batter into the prepared pan, and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the brownies comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 35 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan for about 15 minutes. Lift the brownies out of the pan with the overhang of the parchment paper. Peel off the parchment paper.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies.

Pumpkin Cookies

For the past four months or so, I was in West Side Story at my school- which explains my lack of postings over the past month or so. During that time, this play became the primary focus of my life. Practice was every day for about 6 hours a day, and started right after we got out of school. The cast really grew together and became one big family. On one of the last shows, I made these pumpkin cookies for the cast. Needless to say, they were a hit!

2¾ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1¼ tsp salt
1½ tsp cinnamon
1¼ tsp ginger
¾ tsp nutmeg
1½ sticks room temperature butter
2¼ cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1½ cups canned pumpkin
¾ cups evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low and add the pumpkin, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Mix until well blended. Add flour mixture and mix until combined.
Put about half the batter in a pastry bag (or a ziplock or plastic bag with the corner cut off about ¾ inch up). Make 1½ inch sized cookies from this onto parchment-paper lined baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, for about 12 minutes.

Recipe from "Martha Stewart's Cookies"

Lemon Bars

I am a die-hard lemon bar fan and, to me, most lemon bars served at bakeries and restaurants taste more like sugar than they do lemon. Either that, or the crust takes over the entire dessert. Don't get me wrong, lemon bars should be sweet, but not more so than they are lemony. And I'm not saying they shouldn't have a crust. They need a crust, but it should be soft and flaky, and serve to balance the richness of the filling, rather than overpower it. This recipe is the perfect version of a great lemon bar, and a generous coating of powdered sugar over the top balances the intensity of the lemon.

crust:
1 1/2 sticks frozen butter
1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3/4 tsp salt

filling:
4 eggs
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup whole milk
Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 by 13-inch baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Grate the butter on a cheese grater with large holes and set aside. Whisk together the flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a large bowl, then add the butter and stir with a wooden spoon until combined and crumbly. Transfer the mixture to the baking pan and press evenly onto the bottom with your hands. Freeze the crust for about 15 minutes. Bake until slightly golden, 16-18 minutes. Leave the oven on.
While the crust is baking, whisk the eggs, sugar, flour, and salt in a bowl. Stir in the lemon juice and milk. When the crust comes out of the oven, pour the mixture over the hot crust and return to the oven. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake until the filling is set (no longer jiggles when the pan is gently moved), about 18-20 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. When cool, lift the edges of the aluminum foil to pull the bars out of the pan. Cut into squared and dust with powdered sugar.

Recipe from: Martha Stewart's Cookies.

Oatmeal Raisin Bars

This version of a dried fruit bar is more rustic than other traditional recipes. They have a crumbly oat and brown sugar streusel-like topping that is pressed onto the bars before they bake. The original recipe says to puree the raisins and sugar before you cook them over the stove. However, when I tried to do that in my food processor, the mixture just spun around. It neither combined nor processed. So, in my version, I processed the raisin mixture AFTER it was cooked over the stove- creating a rich, gooey, and smooth filling.

filling:
2 cups raisins (about 13 oz)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
1 cup cold water
1/2 cup apple cider**

dough:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups vegetable shortening
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 10 by 15-inch rimmed baking sheet (or a jelly-roll pan) with parchment paper.
Mix the raisins and sugar together in a saucepan. Whisk cornstarch into the cold water, then whisk into the raisin mixture. Stir in cider. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and let it cook until the mixture has thickened and the sugar has dissolved, about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Let the mixture cool completely. When cool, puree the raisin mixture in a food processor until it has a smooth consistency and can be evenly spread. Put back into the bowl and set aside.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Put shortening in a bowl and mix on medium speed until smooth. Add brown sugar and cream the mixture until pale and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix until combined. With a large plastic spoon, stir in the flour mixture in 2 parts. Mix until just combined. Then add the oats and mix with your hands to make sure the it is thoroughly incorporated (and to keep your spoon from breaking- the mixture is thick!).
Press half the dough into the prepared baking sheet- making sure to cover the whole pan. Spoon the raisin filling over the top of the dough. Crumble the rest of the dough over the top with your fingers, gently pressing down so that topping covers and sticks to the filling. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until the top is golden brown, about 35 minutes. Let it cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into squares and enjoy!

**If you don't have apple cider on hand, just mix 1/2 cup apple juice with a pinch each of: cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and nutmeg. Nobody will know the difference!

Recipe from: Martha Stewart's Cookies