Rosemary Bread

This was my first time ever making bread. I had a few struggles at first, mainly dealing with getting the yeast to be active, but once I got that all figured out it was quite simple. I think why most people don't make bread from scratch is probably because it is just time consuming. This bread takes maybe about 2 1/2 to 3 hours to make, which is actually quite short compared to most.

Rosemary Bread

1 1/2 tsp dry active yeast
1/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup water
5 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil - plus more for bowl
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary, plus whole leaves for top of bread
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup whole wheat flour


Stir together yeast and 1/4 cup warm water in large bowl, let sit for about 7 minutes - until foamy.

Add 3/4 cup water, olive oil, sugar, salt, rosemary, all purpose flour, and wheat flour. Stir mixture together. Dust counter top with flour and knead dough. Flatten dough to a round disk, and fold back towards yourself, and with palm of hands push away from yourself. Repeat process about 4-5 times, until dough sticks together and you can form a round ball. Place round ball of dough in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover with a towel in a warm draft free spot. Let rise for 1 hour.

Punch down dough, let rest covered for 15 minutes.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Roll dough into two 11 inch loaves, gently twist each loaf to create contours. Transfer to a baking sheet, and press rosemary leaves into top of bread. Loosely cover baking sheet with towel, and let rise in a warm draft free spot for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Dust loaves with flour and bake for 30 minutes.

Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

6 ripe bananas
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line mini muffin tin with liners.
Peal 4 bananas, and mix until mashed, about 1 minute. Add brown sugar, oil, and egg; beat until smooth. Add flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; beat until smooth. Add sour cream and vanilla; beat until smooth. Add chocolate chips; stir into mixture.

Fill muffin tins 3/4 full. Slice remaining bananas into thin slices about 1/8" thick and place one on top of each muffin before baking. Bake for about 20 minutes, rotating pan half way through. Cool on a wire rack.

Baked Apples With Dried Cherries And Walnuts

Baked Apples with Dried Cherries and Walnuts

8  Rome apples
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons Greek yogurt
cinnamon for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Core each apple with an apple corer to about 1/2" from bottom. Peel tops of apples about 1". Fill cavity with dried cherries, walnuts, butter, and brown sugar - alternating ingredients while filling. Push cherries and walnuts down with thumb, to be able to fit plenty of filling.  Top each apple with 1/2 tablespoon of butter and generously sprinkle cinnamon over the tops of apples.

Bake apples for 45-60 minutes. Transfer baked apples to a plate. Pour remaining liquid from apples into a bowl and add the Greek yogurt. Whisk mixture, and drizzle over each apple. Top each apple with cinnamon.

Served at Brooklyn Fork and Spoon's March 12th Dinner.
http://brooklynforkandspoon.com/

Gingerbread Cakes with Chocolate Ganache

This was the first dessert I made for the Supper Club Brooklyn Fork and Spoon, that I co-host with Mardi from Sprout and Pea. www.sproutandpea.com
 I'm slow at blogging, but figured it was time for some photos and a recipe.

Gingerbread Cakes - adapted from Martha Stewart


5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp, plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1 Teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup boiling water
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1 Teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 Teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 Teaspoon salt
1/4 Teaspoon black pepper (optional)
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 large egg
2/3 cup unsulfured molasses
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger
crystallized ginger, thinly sliced lengthwise for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a standard 12 cup muffin pan, tapping out excess flour; set aside. In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, and black pepper; set aside. In another small bowl, stir together the baking soda and boiling water; set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg, and beat until combined. Add molasses, fresh ginger, and reserved baking soda mixture; beat until combined. Add the flour mixture, and beat until combined. Stir in optional chocolate chips to batter.

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups, filling each about halfway. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until cake tester inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer pan to a cooling rack and cool for about 15 minutes, then invert cakes onto rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache

4oz of quality semisweet chocolate - I used a bar of Ghirardelli
1/2 cup heavy cream

In a small saucepan over medium high heat bring cream to a full boil; turn off heat. Add chopped chocolate, and swirl pan to completely cover it with cream. Let stand for about 5 minutes. Slowly whisk mixture until smooth.

Spoon about 1 tablespoon of Chocolate Ganache over each cake, letting it drip down the sides. Garnish with strips of crystallized ginger.

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pretzel Balls

I made these for a Christmas Eve dinner that I'm attending tonight. I found the recipe in the new issue of Martha Stewart Living - perfectly sweet and salty!

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pretzel Balls


1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup, plus 1 tbsp confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon room temperature unsalted butter
1 cup crushed pretzels
5 ounces melted milk chocolate

Stir together peanut butter, confectioners sugar, unsalted butter, the crushed pretzels. Roll into 1" balls. Freeze for 30 minutes.
Melt chocolate over very low heat. Dip balls into melted milk chocolate, refrigerate until set.

*To crush pretzels, place in a resealable bag, and bang with a rolling pin.

Buttermilk Biscuits with Parmesan

Buttermilk Biscuits with Parmesan


2 1/2 cups all - purpose bleached flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup Parmesan
1/8 teaspoon of paprika
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Set a rack to middle level of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees (500 degrees if you aren't adding cheese)
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl and stir several times.
Rub in butter until completely blended using your fingertips. Add buttermilk and stir in with a fork. Add Parmesan, paprika and lemon zest stir in with fork.
Turn dough out on lightly floured work surface and fold dough over on itself several times to distribute moisture evenly and to make the dough slightly less sticky.
Pat or gently roll dough 1/2 inch thick. Cut with floured cutter. Avoid twisting cutter which distorts the sides of the biscuits. Place biscuits on pan.
Press scraps together and pat to 1/2 inch thickness again and cut remaining biscuits. Discard any scraps left after second rolling.
Bake Biscuits about 10-12 minutes, until well risen and light golden brown.

Chocolate-Espresso Snowcaps

They look like little chocolate mountains, and taste like the perfect blend of morning coffee and chocolate. Delicious!

Chocolate-Espresso Snowcaps - Martha Stewart

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

4 tsp instant espresso (or coffee)

1 tsp baking powder

4 tbsp unsalted butter

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

4 ounces semi sweet chocolate, melted and cooled

1 tbsp milk

confectioners sugar for coating

1/8 tsp salt

In medium bowl, sift flour, cocoa, espresso, baking powder and salt. With an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until well combined. Mix in cooled chocolate. With a mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture. Beat in milk until just combined. Flatten dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, freeze 45 minutes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 sheets with parchment. Shape dough into 1" balls. Pour confectioners sugar into a medium bowl, roll balls in sugar 2 times, letting them sit.

Place on prepared baking sheets, 2" apart. Bake until cookies have spread & coating is cracked, 12-14 minutes. Cookies will be soft to touch. Cool cookies on wire rack.