Fat Free Chocolate Cake!

Being that I had a baby not quite 4 months ago, I am currently trying very hard to lose weight.  I have a lot of it to lose  - and that means getting very serious about my diet.  The working out thing, I can do (or I used to be able to do before my abdominal muscles were shredded and then sliced open) - but following a strict diet is difficult because I LOVE food - eating and preparing it.  Its very trendy right now to go the way of Michael Pollan and say just eat real foods and if you want dessert make it from scratch, right?

Um, wrong - cause I already do all that.  I don't eat convenience foods and unfortunately I really have fallen in love with baking.  Telling me to make my own desserts will not help me lose the weight I gained during pregnancy - quite the opposite.  I have to go the much harder route - if I want to lose I have to find a way to eat a lower calorie diet at home.   Which means what I really have to do is find a way to make 'diet' food something I actually enjoy making and eating.  Cooking is much easier (and more fun) when you aren't concerned with the amount of butter you are using.

And of course, when my birthday rolled around a few weeks ago and I really wanted to make a chocolate cake, that meant I needed to find something that wouldn't undo all my hard work.  I immediately thought of Angel Food cake, which is one of my favorite things anyway.  I had always wanted to try a chocolate one and I found this recipe filed under 'healthy' on Epicurious and I thought I would give it a try.  You know what, its really good.  Its slightly more dense than traditional Angel Food cake and could easily be used to substitute any chocolate cake if needed.  Its not too sweet, very chocolatey and only has 185 calories a slice (less if you are making more than 8 slices - which we did).  Its the perfect indulgence for those on a restricted diet and its tastes great even if you aren't.  We had it with just a dollop of Greek yogurt that I stirred some vanilla bean into, and we loved it! 

Diet Friendly Chocolate Cake
from  Chef Albaladejo at Four Seasons Aviara
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
12 egg whites
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 163 C / 325 F

Sift 1 cup of the sugar, flour, cocoa and salt together in a small bowl.

In a (very) large mixing bowl beat egg whites, lemon juice and vanilla on medium-high until peaks form.  Add sugar and beat on high until semi-stiff peaks form (don't overbeat they will break down). 

With a rubber spatula slowly and gently fold in dry ingredients until all incorporated.  Spoon into a tube pan and cook for 45-55 minutes or until the top springs back when you touch it (I found it to be on the lower end of that time frame). 

Remove from oven and invert onto a wire cooling rack to cool (if you don't invert the cake will sink!).   Gently remove cake from pan after it has completely cooled and serve.  Its great with yogurt or cream or marscapone, dusted in powdered sugar, with a light glaze, with fruit...you name it, the possibilities are endless!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crostata

I think one of my favorite smells ever is strawberry and rhubarb together.  How come you never see that in a scented candle?  No matter, cause it filled my kitchen yesterday when I was making this incredibly easy dessert.  I have been seeing long stalks of rhubarb at the market for weeks now, it has been beguiling me with its pretty hues of light pink and green (and super cheap price tag).  I never quite know what to do with rhubarb though - this isn't something I grew up with.  In fact, I think it may have only been in the past couple of years that I had ever even tasted it.

And how weird is that?  I find food like this all the time - stuff everyone seems to know about and have grown up with (or at at least tasted!) that I barely even knew existed.   I really have no idea why that is, either.  I was not a sheltered child by any means, but clearly when it comes to food - my family didn't get out much.  Maybe thats why I love it so much now?  It all seems so new - not only the fruit itself but the very existence of a pie thats not a pie.  And really, with its adorable rustic-ness and lack of pan to clean afterward - there is something so much better about a Crostata (or Gallete....or whatever you want to call it in possibly an English word as well) than a traditional pie or tart.

Especially with this crust.  I saw this recipe in this months Bon Appetit magazine (though it was raspberry and not strawberry), and it sounded so simple and had so few ingredients that weren't already in my pantry (I only needed to buy the fruit) - I decided it would be my first Mothers Day dessert.  The thing that always deters me from making more crusted pastries is that I don't want to make the crust.  I don't want to cut the butter into cubes (freeze it for like 20 minutes and it doesn't get all melty when you are trying to cut it), I don't want to sit and mess with the dough until it becomes 'crumb' like...it just isn't that fun to me.  This one though, made entirely in the food processor, took literally only a few minutes to make.  The whole wheat flour makes the dough rich and crumbly...and it literally became my new favorite pastry crust.  The filling is tart and sweet (but not too sweet) and is the perfect combination with the nutty and flaky crust.   With how easy and delicious this is, I wish I could get my hands on rhubarb for more than a just a few weeks each spring - I'll just have to find some other seasonal options (I'm thinking this crust is destined for peaches this summer, and maybe plums this fall!). 


Strawberry Rhubarb Crostata
from Karen DeMasco in May 2011 Bon Appetit

Crust:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (172g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk

Filling:
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 cups rhubarb, in about 1/2 inch thick slices
6 ounces strawberries, diced
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
Raw sugar

For Crust:
Combine flours, sugar, and salt in a food processor and blend for 5 seconds. Add the butter; pulse until butter is in pea-size pieces. Whisk egg and milk together in a small bowl; add to the processor and pulse until moist clumps form. Gather dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 1 1/2 hours. Can be made a couple days ahead (I made mine the night before) - keep in the refrigerator. 

For Filling:

Dissolve the cornstarch in 3 tablespoons water in a small bowl and set aside. Combine rhubarb, strawberries and sugar in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until sugar dissolves and juices are released - took mine about 5 minutes. 

 

Stir in the cornstarch and bring just to a boil (rhubarb will not be tender and slices will still be intact). Careful not to let the sugar burn! Transfer to a bowl and stick in the fridge or freezer to chill until its all the way cooled (but doesn't need to be cold). 

 

Preheat oven to 400 F / 204 C

Roll out dough on floured parchment paper to 12-inches round; brush with beaten egg. 

Mound filling in center of crust; gently spread out, leaving 1 1/2-inch border (I measure at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock, making a little mark in the dough so that I didn't get to close to the edges). 

Gently fold edges of dough over filling, pleating as needed. Brush border with egg; sprinkle with raw sugar. Slide parchment with crostata onto a baking sheet (I actually used my 12-inch round pizza stone - cause my oven is small and something round won't fit on baking sheets that actually fit in my oven!) and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 30-45 minutes (took mine exactly 35). Let cool on baking sheet on a rack. Cut into wedges, and serve with whipped cream or ice cream (or its really just as amazing plain!)

Spring!

 Let me tell you, as much as I love it...cooking loses all of its fun when you are swollen up like the Michelin Man and your joints are aching at the end of pregnancy.   Its been six weeks since we brought the little bugger home, and I finally feel like I'm starting to be a human being again.  I can't wait to post some new stuff on here cause for some reason I love taking photos of the random things I cook and posting them on the internet (what?  we all need hobbies).  In the meantime though...here are few of my springtime-y favorites:

 Angel Food Cake with Lemon Whipped Cream Frosting

Lemon Curd

 Steamed Artichokes with Garlic-Lemon Butter

 Asparagus Soup

Strawberry-Lemon Cake

Classic Banana Bread

I used to hate baking.  When it came to time spent in the kitchen, I would usually much rather spend it over a pot of soup or a sizzling skillet.  That is, until I got pregnant.  I have officially fallen in love with baking - really, its more like I have become obsessed with it.   This is partly because all I want to eat is baked goods.  Real food?  Blech.  Cake?  Yes please (and could you make that slice a little bigger?).

Mostly, though, its because I have very little energy for doing things like cooking (and even less for taking photos and blogging about it, sorry 'bout that).  I have had a rough third trimester, with a risk of pre-term labor, and so when I do feel up to doing anything other than laying in bed watching past seasons of Top Chef, I find myself wanting to spend the precious time making something more exciting than dinner (thats what my husband is for).

Due to my pregnancy-enhanced obsession with bananas - I also frequently find myself with an ample supply of ripe bananas just begging to be made into some kind of sweet treat.   Strangely, I had never made banana bread in my life until last month, and I haven't been able to stop making it since, determined to get it perfect.  Its super moist with the occasional crunch from the walnuts and with just the right amount of sweetness.  Its just so simple and so delicious and so perfect with a cup of coffee on a boring Sunday afternoon in January.   And it will make your whole house smell like childhood.   Perfect.

**As I am expecting the imminent arrival of my son - I don't anticipate any posts for the next few weeks.  See you soon!!**

Classic Banana Bread
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (German type 550)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, at room temp
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 (113 g) butter, softened/at room temp
1 cup sugar
1 heaping cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 or 3 very ripe bananas)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, lightly toasted

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.  Whisk together the eggs and vanilla and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy.  Pour in the eggs while mixing, then the bananas.  The batter will seem kinda curdled at this point, that's ok.

Gently fold in the flour mixture until just combined, then stir in the walnuts.   Pour into a lightly buttered loaf pan and bake at 180 C / 350 F for 40 to 55 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes on a rack then gently turn it out of the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.  Store wrapped in plastic wrap.  Like a lot of quick breads - this one tastes great right away but is even more amazing the next day.  I like it plain or spread with a bit of cream cheese.

Spicy Orange Crescents

I don't usually make many sweets or cookies that don't involve chocolate - but this year I have been craving cookies that incorporated different flavors and textures than I normally like.  I have had a blast experimenting with different traditional flavors and textures that are traditionally 'christmas-y". 

Normally I would have a lot more pictures in a post - but shortly after cooking these I found myself sitting in a hospital for a week with a mild pregnancy scare (not to worry, everything's fine now!).   I didn't get to finish taking the photos I wanted - and in the meantime my dear husband polished off every last one of these cookies (which he claims are his new favorite).   They might be one of my new favorites too - a bit crunchy and crumbly but with a strong sweet flavor.  They have a citrus-y warmth that is very fitting of the holidays and shaping them into crescents breaks up the monotony of the cookie tray.  They are also great with a cup of your favorite tea!

Spicy Orange Crescents
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp Orange Extract
1 Tsp Orange Zest
2 cups Cake Flour (Germany: type 405)
1/2 cup finles chopped Almonds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
extra Powdered sugar for rolling (a good cup at least)

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar until smooth and creamy.   Add extract and zest and mix until well blended. 

In another bowl, sift together flour and spices, and stir in chopped almonds.  Add this dry mixture to the butter mixture and beat until all well blended. 

Form about 1 Tbs of dough into crescent shapes (roll into a log between hands then bend slightly) and place on a parchment-lined cookies sheets.  Bake at 375 F/ 190 C for 10 to 12 minutes or until slightly browning/golden on the edges. 

Cool for a few minutes on sheets then transfer to cooling racks.  When just very slightly warm, gently roll the cookies in powdered sugar to coat.  Return to racks and allow to cool completely.   Keep well for up to 2 weeks in an air-tight container.

Pumpkin Molasses Crinkles

Its my favorite time of year - cookie baking time.  The holidays mean a lot of different things to different people, but for me, it means its time to make lots and lots (and lots) of cookies.   And yes - eat those cookies (ok, maybe I will share a few).

These cookies were an experiment that went so SO right.  The flavor is just ooozing Christmas and childhood.  Though they are pumpkin and molasses - they taste like holiday gingerbread with a hint of pumpkin pie.  They are soft, slightly chewy with just a hint of crunch around the outside.  They are simply delicious (and addicting).

They are also pretty easy and make a bunch - something I really value in a holiday cookie.  In fact, this recipe made nearly 5 dozen.  The finished cookies freeze quite well, another big bonus.  They keep quite well unfrozen as well - just store in an airtight container for up to a week.  I tried these rolled in both granulated and powdered sugar and found them equally delicious both ways, though they keep a bit easier in granulated sugar.  I am glad I took a risk on these - they will most definitely be a new holiday tradition! 

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies
2 1/3 cup Flour
2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Ginger
1/2 tsp All-Spice
1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
1/2 tsp fresh grated Nutmeg
1/4 tsp black pepper
114 g (1/2 cup) Butter (room temp)
1 cup packed Dark Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Molasses
2/3 cup Pumpkin Puree
1 egg (room temp)
granulated or powdered sugar (or both)

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.

In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy.  Add the brown sugar, molasses and pumpkin.  Beat until well combined.  Add the egg and beat until combined.

Gently stir in the flour mixture until its all very well combined.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours or up to overnight.  The dough will still be fairly soft and sticky when you remove it, but its much easier to deal with.

Preheat oven to 180 C/ 350 F

Make the dough into half tablespoon-sized balls.   Roll each ball in sugar and bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until set to touch (in my convection oven, 10 minutes usually ended up being just right).

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

When it comes to desserts - I'm not sure there is anything more popular than brownies and cheesecake.  They make the menu at nearly every restaurant  - and not just in the US either.  They seem to have near universal popularity.  So naturally, combining the two is just magical.  Giving it an awesome Fall pumpkin-spice twist is even more magical.

Really, I need to like seriously ease up on the sweets,  but on a boring rainy Sunday afternoon who doesn't make brownies?  Am I right?  I always wish I did more entertaining so I have excuses to make more things like this (without eating it all myself) - but I figure at this time of year all of you have parties and school events to make treats for so it will be useful to you even if it induces gestational diabetes for me (I kid, I kid).  In fact, if all goes according to plan (ha! when does that happen?) there will be even more awesome pumpkin sweetness coming up later this week. 

I came up with this recipe simply after doing an inventory of what I had laying around the house - its basically just your basic brownies topped with your basic cheesecake (pumpkin flavored!).  The pumpkin cheesecake is pretty spicy, cause thats the way I like it, but you can definitely leave out some of the cinnamon/cloves/nutmeg if you prefer it less so.   These ended up being just about the most addicting treat I have ever made - its like pumpkin cheesecake with a brownie crust.  Amazing.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies
Brownies:
113g Butter
140g Bittersweet Chocolate (I used Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips)
2 Tbs Cocoa
1 cup Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
3 Eggs
3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt

Cheesecake:
300g Cream Cheese
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup Sugar
2 Tbs flour

Preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F
In a large bowl, combine all the cheesecake ingredients with an electric mixer until well blended.   Set aside.

Make the brownie mix.  In a double broiler (or a bowl over a pan of water) on medium heat, melt the bittersweet chocolate and the butter - stirring constantly.  When fully melted, remove from heat.

Stir in  sugar and cocoa powder.   Whisk in vanilla.  Whisk in eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each egg before adding the next.  Stir in flour and salt until smooth and silky. 

Butter and flour a 2 L (2.2 qt) baking pan or Pyrex dish.  Spread 3/4 of the brownie batter in the bottom.   Pour the Pumpkin Cheesecake mixture over that.  Dollop the rest of the brownie batter across the top, then drag a knife through it to make it all swirly and pretty (mine wasn't that pretty of a swirl, but hey it still works). 

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.   Allow to cool at least 5 or 10 minutes before cutting.  They taste great the next day (keep chilled), but I thought they were best a little warm :)

Pumpkin Spice Cake

We have been having the most amazing Fall.  It has been cool, crisp air, blue skies, and colorful leaves.  Just plain dreamy*.  I don't really need much prodding to get in the Autumnal spirit - but the storybook Fall weather has had me obsessing even more than usual over all things Pumpkin.  I love it savory or sweet - but Pumpkin as dessert seems to be less common in Germany.  I will never forget when I served Pumpkin Pie to one of my German friends at Thanksgiving last year and watched him nearly gag - it was just not what he was expecting.

I love Pumpkin sweets though - especially this year the pregnancy sweet tooth has really gotten the better of me.   I have no less than 10 pumpkin desserts I am determined to make before the season is over.  But for years - years - I have been trying to make the perfect Pumpkin cake.  Cake that has all the autumnal-awesomeness of Pumpkin spice Lattes in the package of a perfectly super-moist and fluffy cake.

This is that cake.  Its very simple, very easy and really - just the perfect pumpkin cake that I have been trying for all this time.  Its very sweet and pumpkin-y, but with just the right amount of spice to even it out.  The applesauce makes it very moist without being overly rich.  Watch out, because its easy to eat a lot (ahem not that I know from experience or anything ).  And it makes a lot - you can make a large sheet cake, a bundt cake or a whole lot of cupcakes with this recipe (though for the latter two cooking times would need to be adjusted).   I enjoyed it topped with some Maple-Cranberry Compote which made it just an insane overload of Fall goodness - but it was just as delicious plain.  I imagine it would be delightful with a frosting, glaze, or whipped cream as well.  Oh - and ice cream.  I definitely recommend it with ice cream.  

Pumpkin Spice Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour (Germany: type 550)
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp Salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
approx. 1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
 2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cups extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups pumpkin puree
4 eggs


Butter and flour a large sheet-cake pan (9x13 inch or thereabouts - mine is a bit larger than this but not a full half sheet) and preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together sugar, oil and applesauce.  Blend in vanilla and pumpkin (be warned - its pretty soupy at this point and gets pretty splatter-y when using an electric mixer).   Beat in eggs one at a time.

Gently stir in flour in batches until all well combined and smooth.    Spread batter into pan.

Bake for 30 minutes or until tester comes out clean.  I found it most delightful when served still slightly warm :)


*Until this week...sigh....I think fall is leaving and winter is arriving and its very very sad.

Angel Food Cake with Lemon Whipped Cream Frosting

I always want to make pretty cakes that inspire oohs and ahhs when you serve them.  Except that I'm really not much of a baker, and I especially am not good at making anything I cook 'pretty'.  Usually I don't mind too much, because we all know that what really matters is how it tastes right?  Half the time those gorgeous cakes are dry and flavorless anyway (see: my wedding cake.).  

But then there was Angel Food Cake.  I'm not sure there is anything prettier, fluffier, or sweeter.  I absolutely love the stuff.  I think everyone has a favorite kind of cake (no? just me?  really?)  and my favorite has always been Angel Food. 

I was a bit surprised when I moved to Germany and realized (by doing an informal poll of my international group of friends) that Angel Food cake is pretty much an American thing.   I knew I had to make some for my friends so they experience the sweet fluffy goodness , but - there being no angel food cake here and all - an angel food cake pan was impossible to find.

Luckily my mom was awesome enough to send me one for my birthday and I promptly got to separating eggs, whipping eggs whites and sifting flour and sugar.  I had made this before in the states, and I found this recipe to produce a far superior Angel Food cake to anything I had tried before. The first cake I made was a complete disaster though.  See - I forgot the very important step of inverting the cake to cool and the cake lovingly became known as "crater cake."    Sure it tasted good...but it wasn't pretty.

Luckily eggs aren't too expensive (even organic, free range ones 'round here) and I didn't give up.  And in the meantime I found myself with a very large number of egg yolks to put to good use in what has become my very favoritist frosting ever - Lemon Whipped Cream. 

Its really simple:  take 500g Whipped Cream (Schlag Sahne) and a scant amount of sugar and beat it with an electric mixer until its very stiff (careful....you go too long it will turn to butter).  Then fold in a half cup to a cup of Lemon Curd (just to taste).  I got this fantastic idea from Alice Waters in the Art of Simple Food, and this tart and not-too-sweet frosting just pairs magically with Angel Food Cake.

I had never iced an Angel Food Cake before - I had always eaten it fairly plain, maybe with some berries or fruit compote and some whipped cream at the most.   Iced, with some fresh raspberries and blueberries in the center for decoration,  it was just amazing.  The lemon and berries together with the sweet but low-fat cake seemed so summer-y - it was the ultimate dessert to enjoy after a backyard BBQ and I think would make an adorable take-along to a Fourth of July celebration. 

Angel Food Cake 
with Lemon Whipped Cream Frosting
recipe from Gourmet November 2001

• 1 1/2 cups egg whites (11 to 12 large eggs)
• 1 1/2 cups (150 g) sifted confectioners sugar (sift before measuring)
• 1 cup (100 g) sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring)(type 405 in Germany)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• Special equipment: a 10-inch tube pan (about 4 inches deep) with a removable bottom

Let egg whites stand in large wide bowl at room temperature about 1 hour before making cake. (They should be about 60°F, slightly below room temperature.) 

Set oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 350°F (180 C)

Sift together confectioners sugar, flour, and salt onto a sheet of wax paper using a fine sieve (I just sifted into a bowl). 

Beat whites in mixer until frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat at medium speed until they form soft peaks. Add granulated sugar gradually, beating, and continue beating just until whites are thickened and form soft, droopy peaks. Beat in vanilla. 

Sprinkle one fourth of sifted dry ingredients over whites and fold in with a rubber spatula gently but thoroughly. Fold in remaining dry ingredients, one third at a time. 

Gently pour batter evenly into ungreased tube pan and bake until top is light golden, cake retracts a bit from pan and springs back when touched lightly, and a tester comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Invert pan onto neck of an empty wine bottle or a large metal funnel and cool cake completely (mine didn't fit on either of those and I just set it inverted on a baking rack and that worked just fine).

To remove cake from pan, run tip of a long, narrow knife between outer edge of cake and pan. Tilt cake pan on its side and gently tap bottom edge against counter. Rotate pan, tapping and turning a few more times, until cake appears free. Cover pan with a metal rack or cardboard round (or dinner plate as I did) and invert, tapping pan firmly to loosen cake. Lift pan from cake. (It should come out beautifully, like a pillow taken out of a slipcover.) 

To frost, simply gently spread the icing in large heaping spoonfuls with a rubber spatula.  Since I used a thick coating of frosting I didn't see any need to do a crumb coat and the whole bit.  Frost around the whole cake including in the center hole.  I think this cake looks cute with the frosting kind of fluffy and 'rustic looking' but feel free to make yours all smooth and pretty with a cake spreader if that is your thing.   Keep the cake in the fridge until serving.  Fill the center with fresh berries - I used raspberries and blueberries - but I can't think of  a single berry that wouldn't taste great with this.  Strawberries are especially awesome. 

Soft Sugar Cookies

I have never really been that into the hallmark holiday that is Valentines Day - but I am not really against it either. As kids, our parents would always surprise us with heart-shaped boxes of candy, helium balloons and other pink and red goodies (which I loved). In high school, my friends and I would always buy each other those pink carnation-grams (was ours the only school that did this?) and I, for some reason, have almost always made heart-shaped pink-frosted sugar cookies.

My most memorable valentines day was probably my freshman year of college in Hawaii. My boyfriend (now husband) had me convinced that he hated big boats (I have no idea why I believed him - he can be very convincing). Then on Valentines day, he drove me all the way to the harbor in Waikiki (a 40 minute drive, half of which he made me stay blindfolded) and surprised me with a sunset dinner cruise and a very very very funny card that he made (the way into my heart is to make me laugh - what I can say). It was an awesome treat for two very very broke college students - especially since we had spent our "carefree" first few months away from home fighting heart issues of a more life threatening kind. Really though, most of my Valentines days have been spent eating these sugar cookies, watching funny movies with friends or sisters or my husband, and just enjoying the many types of love in my life (and their healthy hearts).

These cookies have always been the recipe I have made - well, almost. I have always used sour cream before (schmand in Germany, not saure sahne). This year, I happened to have a bunch of Greek-style yogurt (well actually Turkish in this case, but basically same thing) and wanted to see if that would work as well. It worked marvelously - these cookies are super soft and chewy and not overly sweet, making them the perfect canvas for sweet butter cream frosting. I didn't include a recipe for the frosting, mostly because I don't really have one. I start with 250g of butter whipped up soft and fluffy and add about that same amount of sifted powdered sugar. I add a dash of vanilla, couple squeezes of lemon juice, and then add more sugar as needed.

Soft Sugar Cookies
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
dash nutmeg (I do like 1 scrape across the microplane)
1/2 cup thick Greek style yogurt (or sour cream if you wish) (schmand in Germany)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
3 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (Germany type 550)

Cream butter and sugar until soft and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla, nutmeg and Yogurt.

Sift the flour then stir in the salt and soda. Combine the wet and dry ingredients with a large rubber spatula until mostly combined, then just use your hands to bring everything into a nice dough.

Roll out the dough over a well-floured surface (sprinkle some flour on top of the dough as well so it doesn't stick to the rolling pin). Roll to about 1/4 -inch thick (make sure its all pretty even so the cookies cook evenly).

Cut the dough with cookie cutters (or just a glass if you don't have any shaped cutters). Bake at 225 C (425 F) until the edges are just barely starting to brown (the more you let them brown, the more crunch they will have around the edges if that is your thing). I don't give time estimates because it is always so different depending on how hot your oven gets and how big your cookies are - they cook fairly fast though so i just keep an eye on them while I cut out the rest of my cookies.

Let cool completely before frosting (I usually cook one day and frost the next, storing them in an airtight container overnight).

Blood Orange Yogurt Cake

Winter is tough. Its cold, dark, and food-wise can be especially long and dreary if you aren't really into root vegetables or greens, like me (I mean...they're ok...but nothing that gets me excited). The one bright spot in winter - the thing that really keeps me going - is citrus. Grapefruits, tangerines, satsumas, and for a few short weeks...blood oranges. I love them all.

You know what else I love? This cake. I have made this once before on this blog, with Grapefruit (as per the recipe I got it from), and I completely fell in love with it and knew it would be awesome with Blood Oranges as well. In fact, you can probably substitute just about any citrus fruit you like.

 
So, when I saw an abundance of blood oranges at the market last week I decided it was time to make this delicious cake again (and I might make a grapefruit one again as well because its just that good). If you use something like a Microplane that gets some good zest from your oranges (I got myself one for christmas, yay!) this will be an intensely strong flavored cake. The glaze forms a sweet and adorably pink crust on the outside that contrasts nicely with the orange/yellow cake inside (note - cooking mine for the recommend time in a convection oven the crust got a little more brown than I liked, but it still tasted great and didn't seem overdone). The yogurt makes it light, fluffy and moist and its a perfect mix of sweet and tart. I loved every last bite of it.

Blood Orange Yogurt Cake
adapted from Ina Garten via SmittenKitchen
1 1/2 cups flour (recommend is all-purpose but I used German type 405 which is more similar to cake flour and it was great)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 c plain yogurt (I used greek-style with 10% fat)
1 c plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3 eggs
1 or 2 tablespoons grated Blood Orange zest (honestly, this can really be to taste...the cake is very sweet and I find that more zest equals strong citrus-y tartness which contrasts nicely with the sugar)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice

For the glaze:
1 c powdered sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed blood orange juice
Preheat the oven to 350f/180c. Grease a loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, orange zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the olive oil into the batter, making sure it’s all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup blood orange juice and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan or plate. While the cake is still warm, pour the blood orange-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.
For the glaze, combine the powdered sugar and few tablespoons juice - it will make a delicious pinkish/reddish glaze - and pour over the cake.

Cranberry-Pear Pie with Ginger Snap Crumb Topping

Guess where I am right now? I am sitting -probably poolside, maybe even seaside - in San Diego. Right this very minute I might be grilling Lobster tail in the backyard, sipping an ice cold Horchata or devouring a double-double, animal style, from In-n-Out (yeah be jealous....of all the weight I am gaining while I am here). To me, Christmas was not meant to be spent freezing your ass off in the snow...it is best celebrated with ocean breezes, sunshine and fish tacos (omg! fish tacos!).

That being said, its also pretty fun celebrating with some traditional Christmas goodies on the big day. Maybe some glazed ham or a cheese ball? And definitely pie. This might just be the quintessential holiday pie. It is festive and colorful with in-season juicy pears, cranberries and a struesel-like Ginger Snap crumb topping that is to die for. Its the type of thing that is just asking to be enjoyed with a glass of fresh egg nog while watching The Muppets Christmas Carol.

This isn't complicated either. If you are doing some entertaining, you can easily make this pie the day before, store in the fridge, and just let it sit at room temp for a few hours before serving. It was delightful with a dollop of whipped cream and I am just guessing - going out on a limb here - that this would be simply devilish with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.


Enjoy and Happy Holidays everyone!!



Cranberry-Pear Pie with Ginger Snap Crumb Topping
recipe from Food & Wine

prepared Pie Dough
Egg Wash: 1 egg and 1 Tbsp milk, beaten

Topping:
1 cup Flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
12 gingersnap cookies*, crushed
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp salt
1 stick (113 grams) butter, melted and cooled

*I used the Scandinavian "Pepparkakor" cookies, which you can buy at Ikea or in the US you can also find them at Cost Plus World Market or similar stores. I also used more like 15 or 16 cookies.

Filling:
2 pounds (4 or 5) ripe Pears, peeled, cored, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp fine lemon zest
1/2 tsp pure vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie dough to a 12-inch round and fit it into a 9-inch glass pie plate. Trim the overhang to 1 inch, fold it under and crimp decoratively. Brush the rim with the egg wash and refrigerate the pieshell until chilled.

MAKE THE TOPPING: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, gingersnap crumbs, ginger and salt. Stir in the melted butter until large crumbs form.

MAKE THE FILLING: Preheat the oven to 350° F (176 C). In a large bowl, toss the pears with the cranberries, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla. In a small bowl, toss the sugar with the cornstarch, then stir the sugar into the fruit.

Pour the fruit into the chilled pie shell (I found I had just a bit more than would fit). Pour the gingersnap crumbs onto the pie, carefully spreading them to the edge to cover the filling completely. Set the pie on a foil-lined baking sheet (in case stuff bubbles over). Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling; cover the pie loosely with foil if the top is browning too quickly. Let cool before slicing.

Cherry Drop Cookies

If there is one thing that means Christmas to me, it is these cookies. My mom has been making them for us and all our neighbors for as long as I can remember. Soft almond cookies with a little candied cherry right in the center - they are colorful, just slightly sweet and definitely addicting.

Where this recipe came from is somewhat of a mystery. There is a torn and tattered cookbook sitting on the back of my mom's shelf, the pages stained and dirty and falling out. Deep in the center of this old falling apart book is a recipe titled Cherry Drop Cookies by Nancy Weir. Who is Nancy? Where did this book come from? No one knows or remembers.

An important quality in Christmas Cookies is the ability to make them in bulk and make them quickly. These are a snap - and seeing as we have never made less than a triple batch of these cookies they are easy to make in bulk as well!


Cherry Drop Cookies
1 cup Margarine
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Candied red and green (we sometimes only do red) cherries, cut in half

In a large mixing bowl cream margarine and sugar with a mixer. Add eggs and beat until fluffy. Add milk, vanilla and almond extract - mix well. Add flour, baking powder and salt and blend thoroughly.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased or lined cookie sheets. Top each cookie with a cherry half. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool on wire rack.

Cocoa Crinkle Cookies

While I am not much of a baker, I do love baking cookies. At this time of year, I just can't help myself either - I find myself wanting to bake dozens and dozens of cookies and give them to everyone I know. My first holiday season after I got married, I made these cookies on a whim and wouldn't you know it? They have totally become our holiday tradition.

They have also become some of my all-time favorite cookies. First of all, they have a rich dark chocolate flavor which, as an unabashed chocoholic, is always going to appeal to me. Second of all, they have the awesome combination of texture that I love - just a tad crisp on the outside from the crunchy sugar but with a warm soft center. But most importantly - these cookies are insanely easy to throw together and look adorable. You can double, triple, even quadruple the recipe with no problem at all. You can make the dough ahead and freeze it. The finished cookies keep well, both fresh and frozen. They are the perfect candidate for a holiday cookie.

You can also make them sandwich cookies by spreading some of your favorite frosting in between two cookies -then roll the edges in crushed up candy canes (one of my personal favorite things to do). You could also roll the cookies in colorful sprinkles instead of granulated sugar for some added festiveness (not something I have tried, but have thought about doing). Make them with some super high quality cocoa and you won't want to do anything extra with them - just enjoy the flavor of the sweet rich chocolate!

Cocoa Crinkle Cookies
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup good quality unsweetened cocoa powder (not dutch process)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (115 grams) butter
1 1/4 cup sugar, plus another 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a bowl.

Melt the butter in a medium to large saucepan over medium low heat and cool slightly. Add the 1 1/4 cup sugar and stir until smooth. Whisk in the eggs one at a time until well blended. Stir in vanilla.

Stir the soft butter mixture into the flour/cocoa mixture until just combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm - around two hours (you could also make this dough ahead of time and freeze. Let defrost in the fridge over night before using).
Line cookie sheets with parchment. Shape dough into even sized balls (I do around 1 and half inch wide). Place the 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl. Roll dough balls in the sugar then place on the cookie sheets around an inch and half apart. Bake for 12 minutes at 350 F (176 C). Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.