Cherry pie for the Fourth of July

the Fourth of July-

Independence, fireworks, cold beer, burgers, hot dogs,  PIE.

For our nation's 234th birthday, I decided to wax patriotic and bake something as American as apple pie. Cherry pie. I was a few blueberries short of a full red, white & blue dessert, but maybe I'll try that next time.

The week before the holiday, I passed a farmer's market and saw the bushels of fresh cherries... I knew what I had to do for my country.

"No Pudge" Brownie Sundae

Forgive me, followers, it's been too long since my last post.

To repent, I've got a whole lotta pretty pictures I took of these low-fat brownies I attempted a while back. Unfortunately, they weren't a complete success--texture was a bit off, but more experimentation is planned--so I won't be sharing the recipe just yet. Instead, let's eat with our eyes (that's diet-friendly, no?...) and look at this brownie sundae as it gets constructed...

Summer's here, cue "SkinnyBoy" Banana Bread

Inspired by a recent binge on Bravo shows (how can you not love Real Housewives or Top Chef?), I have been trying new ways to make my cooking and baking a little lighter.

One of the "Real Housewives" of NYC, actually, I should say, a former 'real housewife', Bethenny Frankel, who now has her own hilarious show, "Bethenny getting married?", is the successful natural foods cook and author behind the SkinnyGirl Margarita and a line of books on dieting and healthy eating.

Jason is a lucky man. Lucky and brave.

A Very Special Birthday

Back at the end of April (oh boy, I'm behind) my good friend Katherine (Kay) turned 21, quite a step up from 20, so I felt that I would really have to try and top the cake I made for her last year, a citrus-flavored yellow butter cake filled with lemon curd, raspberries and whipped cream and covered with a white chocolate ganache. Yes, it was delicious.

This year, as you can see, I went a slightly darker route.  I went with Ina Garten's chocolate cake and a delicious frosting from "Hey, that tastes good!", a cocoa and espresso mascarpone whipped cream.

I took my inspiration from Kay's recent world travels- she was studying in Bologna, Italy last semester when I was in Barcelona...

The ruse is over! I actually made pie.

Yes! I finally did it.

My inspiration? The Ratty. What on God's green Earth is that, you ask? It's our affectionate name for our main dining hall here on campus. While having lunch there one day I saw that one of the oversized wicker fruit baskets was overflowing with lovely, plump red  d'Anjou pears.

So I was hit with a brilliant idea, like in one of those Windows 7 commercials: I must make a pie! Then without hesitation, I broke Ratty protocol and took quite a handful (and bagful...) of pears. But I had to, look at them!

Pear pie, c'était mon idée!

The Prize! Simply Divine Brownies "Opposites Attract" (the ObamaBrownie)

I'm back! Apologies for going MIA. That school thing happened again. But I have good news: the semester is over (omg I'm a senior), and  I survived finals and the move back home!

So I won't waste any more time, even though now I have plenty to spare. (woot!)

Back to the goods...

Over a month ago, I wrote about a brownie contest held by Simply Divine Brownies...

It seems like it was just yesterday that I found out that they chose my brownie flavor suggestion (smoke salt caramel) to join their collection of delectable gourmet brownies. After a few short weeks, I received my prize for winning their contest- a full batch of these brownies! 

Rainbow Cookies (Seven-Layer Cookies)

I can't believe I made these a month ago. I miss them. Deeply. But It's well past time I shared my favorite cookie with you.

Rainbow cookies, or as the Smitten Kitchen's recipe calls them, Seven-Layer Cookies (chocolate-spongecake-jam-spongecake-jam-spongecake-chocolate... 7.. mmm), are a rich (as the SK says, they're kinda more like petit fours) combination of three delectable components:  almond-based spongecake, apricot (and/or raspberry) jam, and chocolate.

Dulce de Leche Brownies

My mom and my neighbor were not the only people who decided to employ my baking skills during my stint at home over break. My sister, who also works at a school, requested some goodies for the students she spends her days with. While I questioned her wanting to give school children sugar in the middle of the day, it didn't stop me from finding the perfect treat for the kinder : brownies.

But these grade schoolers were getting more than your (kinder)garden variety chocolate treat.
Dulce de leche brownies by David Lebovitz are far from elementary, am I right?

Hungarian Pogácsa

Pogácsa - pronounced  POH - gah - chuh.   Kind of as in, "You were the head of the biggest crime family in Providence until the  po-po gotcha!".  Capisce?

These savory biscuits (my sweet tooth does not control me ALL the time) are a staple of every Hungarian bakery and home kitchen. A perfect snack for any time of day or part of a hearty meal, they come in a few, simple varieties: butter, cheese and--my favorite--pork crackling. As you should know by now, I have many childhood memories filled with these little buttery, cheesy biscuits made by this old lady my grandparents knew, who I called Erzsi néni - -"Aunt" Lizzie--who isn't just some old lady, but a family friend who ran her own baking business. She lives in Florida now. :(   I'd call and ask her to ship up some pogácsa--the best I've ever had--but I wouldn't be able to ask in Hungarian any more.  But that's a story for another day.

Chocolate Almond Upside-Down Cake

While still home on break, I turned to another of my recipe books, Chocolate and Vanilla by pastry chef Gale Gand and  Lisa Weiss, for some excellent recipes that illustrate the versatility of those two classic flavors. Not in combination, mind you. The book is literally split between vanilla and chocolate--you need to turn the book over to switch from one to the other. Each flavor gets its own introduction and historical background, followed by a group of recipes employing the flavors in all their forms, from Dutch-processed cocoa powder to vanilla beans.

One of the recipes that I've become particular fond of celebrates the classic combination of  chocolate and almonds. The Chocolate Almond Upside-Down Cake is a dark, moist chocolate cake that is topped (once you flip it over)  with rich caramel and toasted almonds. omgah so good. Gale Gand flat out rejects the traditional upside-down cake with those cherries and pineapple all up in it. Blah. This cake looks much better. Dark and sexy, even, to use my friend's words.

Coconut Birthday Cake: I love CakeLove

The day after I got home for spring break (alas, no trip to Cancun), I got a call from a neighbor asking if I could make her husband a birthday cake. Oh let me think. HECK YES I COULD.

  A quick pause: do we notice that this is yet another March birthday? (I'm just posting late.) Seriously, what is up?

Sweet, salty victory! Simply Divine's Build a Brownie Contest

I WON I WON I WON WOOOOO!

Back at the beginning of the semester my friend Tessa sent me a link and told me I had to participate in a contest--a brownie flavor creating contest. Tessa knows me well. And she had heard about the contest because she follows the blog of the bakery running it: Simply Divine Brownies. Based in Fort Andross, Brunswick, Maine, Simply Divine is run by Tessa's former grade school teacher and was going to randomly select a winner from among the brownie flavor entries who would receive a tray of his or her flavor brownies as a prize!

That same day I submitted my flavor: brownies with a layer of caramel and sprinkled with smoked sea salt. I called it the Obamabrownie because I happen to know that smoked salt caramels are our president's favorite candy. Such a classy guy.

As luck would have it.... I was one of three winners. "VICTORY SCREECH!" (You have no idea how completely and utterly surprised I am that this is the first Spongebob reference to show up on here.)

It looks like the crew at Simply Divine will even be selling the "Obamabrownie", which they have renamed Opposites Attract. Very cute. And very true. Sweet and salty together wins big. As do I!  Updates to come as soon as I get that tray of 45 brownies ;)

All of the above are Simply Divine's pictures of the creation of Opposites Attract

Tessa's Birthday Cake: Black & White

We're still in March, so you know what it's time for? A birthday, duh. Last week my friend Tessa was celebrating her 21st, so of course I wanted to make her a cake. I was a little apprehensive, though, because Tessa knows a thing or two about cakes. In high school she did an independent study on cake decorating (really) and she made some great looking cakes--she even had one covered with sunflowers. Once we get back from spring break I'll have her send over some pics.

Banana Bread Muffins with Chocolate Pecan Streusel

I was going to call this Banana Bread with Derby Streusel, as in "Derby" Pie, but interestingly enough that name is a readily defended registered trademark of Kern's Kitchen. Sheesh. I thought it was just the common name given to that delectable combination of chocolate and pecans (or walnuts).

Anywho... how did I even get to that combination? Here goes:

Friday Afternoon Bake-off: Cupcake Throwdown

Friday was a beautiful day in Providence- the sun was shining all afternoon, people were outside playing and running around....  and my friend Blair and I were in the basement kitchen of Caswell (another dorm) locked in an intense showdown of baking skills. Typical springtime activities.

When we first met at the beginning of the semester, it didn't take long for us to realize we both thought ourselves skilled with an oven and a whisk. We talked about how we both were big fans of Food Network, and somehow we got started about Bobby's Flay's Throwdown , a show in which he challenges a local food legend every episode to see if he can't outdo their famous barbeque ribs, ravioli, German chocolate cake, etc. Before I knew it, Blair threw down the gauntlet, leaving a note outside my door one day (fyi- this should be read with the Alabama twang that, until meeting Blair, I'd never heard in person before in my lahf):

better brush up on ya' bakin' skillz, cuz it's goin' down...

Roshni's Birthday Cake: A pair of Louboutins

 Sin dessert shop, Providence, RI

March is the month for birthdays. For her birthday on Tuesday, my friend Roshni, the classiest Brit I know, was surprised with Louboutin shoes-- but not ones to wear on her feet. These red-soled bad boys are made entirely of sugar and fondant. The shoebox, a vanilla butter cake, was covered in golden fondant and the sugar "tissue paper" was painted silver.

I'd always wanted to see a cake like this up close after seeing shows like Ace of Cakes and Food Network Challenge, so many thanks to Roshni's sister (who orchestrated the whole affair from overseas) and Sin, a dessert shop here in Providence, Rhode Island for making sure Rosh had an awesome birthday cake. And a big apology to Rosh and sister... I may have spoiled the surprise just a little bit.

Trent's Birthday Cake: Chocolate PB Cup Cake

This past Monday was my friend Trent's 21st birthday. It only made sense, seeing as how he always lets me bake in his kitchen, that I would make him a cake. Luckily for me, he had this insight months before I did, and sent me this recipe while I was still in Spain last semester. He told me (although part of me wishes he hadn't) that he actually first saw the cake on  another site: thisiswhyyourefat. Sigh. Quite the fan of peanut butter and chocolate (who isn't? communists?), he embarked on an expedition to the food blogosphere to track down the recipe. I don't know how much his Eagle Scout training helped him, but he eventually managed to snatch it.

A few months later,  I started examining the specimen.  I quickly saw that it kinda earned its place on TIWYF...  2 sticks of butter, 2 eggs + 2 egg yolks, buttermilk, melted chocolate. This made me... hesitant. But, praise be, a solution presented itself in the frosting that the cake was paired with: a peanut butter icing used by Ina Garten to top some chocolate cupcakes. Having made my way to her corner of Food Network's website (here goes yet another food blog adventure...) I saw another recipe of hers for chocolate cake that had a 5-star review, but no butter and fewer egg yolks. I decided I would not be the reason WYF, so I would make Beatty's Chocolate Cake into Trent's Birthday Cake.

Brownies with Browned Butter Espresso Frosting

I like to think of brownies as an experiment in the interaction of two principles taken from architecture and design: form and flavor.  Are the brownies cakey, fudgy, gooey, marbled, frosted? Do the brownies have a strong chocolate taste (they friggin' better- none of that blondie business, please)--dark, milk or white chocolate? mocha or mint?  sweet?  a little salty?  (Stay tuned for excellent news I just received about a certain type of salty brownies! Seriously.)

All that said, brownies can be incredibly simple. Architectural design is easy, after all. Simple, not plain, but "just a little bit conceited", like Fergie. They're just all about how chocolately and fudgey/cakey they are. But if you're feeling adventurous, they can be jazzed up by adding another flavor into the mix. The other day when I was invited over to the kitchen of some other friends, Tessa and Katie, I was feeling adventurous.

I found this recipe, that perfect, self-centered brownie: all about having the  right texture and a good amount of chocolate. Pair it with a fierce browned butter and espresso icing inspired by this, and you get the diva of baked goods.

Lemon Bars

Lemon bars - the staple of bake sales, church functions and cookie exchanges... unless you're me. Gasp! I know. Several of my friends looked at me with wide eyes when I said I'd never, ever had a lemon bar before making these. Somehow these sweet and tangy treats managed to elude me for 20 years. Luckily, my friend Trent (I swear, I have other friends too.) asked if I could whip some up, thereby ending the two decade drought of lemony goodness.

So I turned to Tastespotting, and again was brought to the perfect recipe by the perfect picture. Smitten Kitchen's reworking of Ina Garten's lemon bars looked and sounded amazing. You should take a look- her pics blow mine out of the water. Granted, I didn't have any powdered sugar on hand to prettify the bars... but her photo skills are still light-years ahead of mine. And beyond all that, she even came up with an option for increasing the "lemoniness" of the bars. Great success. I needed to recreate these to fix this gaping hole in my life.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

In the spirit of last month's world athletic activities, I'd say that the delectable combination of peanut butter, oatmeal and chocolate makes these cookies

creamier.
chewier.
tastier.

Baked at the right temperature and for just the right amount of time, these medallions of flour, sugar and butter achieve the perfect golden and bronze hues that'll make anyone's mouth water.  (Ok I'm done with the puns.)

Once again, my friend Trent spared me from having to schlep all my baking gear down five flights of stairs to the kitchen. Instead I just had to carry my baking sheets halfway across campus. A fair deal.

Trent proposed making some sort of peanut butter cookie this time, so I turned to one of my favorite blogs, Brown Eyed Baker. Of course, she had just what we were looking for: Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies. Even though their name was a bit of a mouthful,  they looked so good that all I could think of was just that:  mouthfuls and mouthfuls of them.