Ok, let me just get this out there. As evidenced by these pictures, I am not an artist. Not even close. It would have been easier to simply use candy for the eyes, and probably the nose, too. But my real cat has these beautiful green eyes, and I wanted to at least attempt to somewhat replicate them, especially since it was, er, her birthday party. (Yes, we had a little family party for my cat’s 10th birthday. If you have a pet, or a kitty-obsessed toddler in your family, I’m sure you understand.)

I used a cake pattern from McCormick, figuring this would be easy enough to follow. I picked up black food coloring and some cake boards from the craft store, baked the cakes a few days ahead (I individually wrapped the layers and froze them), and made the frosting in my kitchen a couple days ahead of time, as well, and refrigerated that. To transport it all a couple of hours away to my parents, I just piled the frozen cakes on top of the bowl with the frosting – it pays to pick a bowl with a matching lid the same size as the cakes.

The morning of the party, I thawed the cakes and brought the frosting to room temperature. A warm water bath (nestling the smaller bowl in a larger bowl filled partway with warm water) helped speed up the softening time for the frosting.

And then it was time to get to work!

First, I had to cut a circle within a circle – about an inch (2.5 cm) inside the border, but slightly off center, then cut the outer ring into thirds. I needed the inner circle slightly off center because two of those pieces would form the tail, which is slightly tapered at the end.

Out of the third piece of the ring I cut two triangles for ears and two rectangles to represent paws. Don’t worry – the bit of extra cake didn’t go to waste – I sampled it to make sure it tasted good enough to serve to my family. If the cake had dried out at all, I would have thrown together a quick sugar syrup (equal parts sugar and water) to brush on top. Luckily, the cake tasted great. As in, this recipe is my new go-to recipe for vanilla cake.

Not sure if I could fit the entire cake onto a single board, I lined the board with parchment, just in case I needed to slide the work-in-progress from one board to two boards I had taped together.

Then, it was time to start arranging the pieces in the shape of a cat…

and add blobs of frosting to spread for the crumb coat.

My mom left to run errands while I assembled and frosted the cake, just in case I got frustrated and needed to swear like a sailor. What can I say? I try not to swear in front of my mom, and she knows it.

But for the record, I did not utter a single curse word during that time…

and I could have, maybe should have, as spreading frosting over cut cake isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do. Those ears did not want to stay put, but a little extra frosting helped seal everything together.

For the eyes I had purchased a tube of green decorator icing very close to the color I wanted for the eyes. I also picked up a tube of black gel icing (the proximity to Halloween meant all stores were sold out of standard black decorator icing), thinking perhaps I could use it for the nose, whiskers, and mouth, but the consistency was simply too runny for detail work.

So, I went back to my remaining black chocolate frosting (I kept a little aside for an emergency such as this), and added a fair amount of black food color to darken it even more. What’s the point of piping on facial features if no one can see them? (Even if my 3 year old niece likely could have done a better job with the piping.)

To try to replicate the shape of my cat’s eyes as closely as possible, I made her pose for me. If you’re familiar with cats, you probably won’t be shocked to learn that she had absolutely no interest in posing any longer than…about half a second.

Can I just blame her for my elementary-looking kitty facial features???

A couple of notes about supplies:

And finally, the cake boards also came from JoAnn.

This is, by far, the best pizza I’ve ever made in my life. Yes, ever. And I’ve made a few pizzas, even going so far as to store my own partially-baked crusts in my freezer.

But unless you have a wood-burning oven in your home, or have jimmied your self-cleaning oven to allow extremely high temperatures without locking the oven, you might struggle to make a pizza from scratch, with results you’re happy with.

Okay, maybe you can do it if you have a pizza stone. I did, long ago, but didn’t really know how to cook back then. My idea of making my own pizza was to buy a pre-baked pizza crust from the store, and add my own toppings. But then a shelf fell out of the wall in my utility room, and my pizza stone tumbled down with it. (I, um, hadn’t used it in awhile.) Broken in several pieces after that journey from near ceiling to floor, the stone went out in the trash.

This summer, I tried a new stone, safe for the grill, that everyone raved about. Unfortunately, I did not have those great results. It scorched the pizza in about 3 minutes. Rather disappointing, I admit, especially because rather than use my own recipe for dough, I used theirs.

Back to the store it went, completely ruined after just one use.

Frankly, you don’t need the fancy stuff. Just a grill. Charcoal or gas, doesn’t matter, though I like the convenience and control my gas grill affords me.

I have to thank my brother for the aluminum foil trick. While not necessary, it does make an easy task of transferring a topped pizza to and from the grill. I like easy. But, if you’re avoiding aluminum for health purposes, you can skip this step – just make sure you have the crust cooked pretty thoroughly before adding toppings. Or use a good quality pizza peel.

I made the first batch of these pizzas Saturday night before the Badger football game. If you’re a Nebraska fan – welcome to the Big 10! ) That would be where the super-thin crust pizza came from (though the picture was taken the next night, after I heated up leftover pizza for the Packer game – still delicious, by the way). I refrigerated the leftover dough until Tuesday, figuring the extra time would only deepen the flavor of the crust.

I was not disappointed. In fact, I can say without a doubt, the Tuesday pizza is not only the best pizza I’ve ever made, it’s one of the best I’ve ever had: crisp on the bottom, slightly chewy throughout, with a very rustic feel and appearance. And since I had some toppings and sauce left from Saturday, I was able to throw it together very quickly, even considering I washed my hands and snapped a picture between virtually every step of the process.

you may also like:

BBQ Chicken Pizzas
Individual Pizzas
Mushroom and Goat Cheese Pizza
Thin Crust Pizza
Make-Ahead Pizza Crusts

around the web:

Zucchini Pizza Boats
Margherita Pizza
Crispy Kale and Chevre Pizza
Pizza Bianca
Stuffed Pizza Bites
Taco Pizza

Grizzed Pizza

Print Recipe

3 1/2 cups (445 grams) bread flour, plus more for dusting board
1 teaspoon sugar or honey
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups (355 mL) hot water (105-110F/40-43C)
2 tablespoons (30 mL) olive oil, plus more for brushing bowl and dough
cornmeal
heavy duty aluminum foil or pizza peel

desired sauce, cheese, and toppings
recommended: whole milk mozzarella, parmesan, monterey jack, cheddar, chevre, chunky tomato sauce, store-bought jarred alfredo sauce, assorted vegetables, assorted cooked meats, extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Combine yeast, sugar/honey, and water in the bowl of stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl). Let proof for 5 minutes (should get foamy and smell yeasty). Add olive oil, combine with dough hook (or wooden spoon if making by hand). Add flour and salt, stir on low to combine. Increase speed to medium-low (or stir with wooden spoon) until mixture forms a ball. If it’s too sticky, add flour a tablespoon at a time; if it’s too dry, add water a tablespoon at a time.

Knead on medium (or transfer to a floured board and knead by hand) speed until smooth.

Brush a large glass bowl with oil and transfer dough to bowl. Roll the bowl around in the bowl to coat it in oil, then cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, about 60-75 minutes, depending on temperature of room. Punch down dough and let rest 10 minutes.

Remove dough to floured board. Run a sharp knife or bench scraper under cold water, then divide dough into 4 equal pieces*. Return one piece to large bowl, recover with plastic. Oil 3 small-medium bowls and divide remaining dough among them; cover with plastic.

Let dough rise at room temperature until puffy. Alternately, you can refrigerate the dough for a few days, for more depth of flavor and/or convenience. It will rise on its own in the refrigerator. If using refrigerated dough, give it an hour or two to reach room temperature, then proceed with recipe.

Preheat grill (high heat).

Punch down first ball of dough, let rest 10 minutes. Dust board or work surface with flour. Transfer dough to board and sprinkle with flour. With a floured rolling pin or hands, roll or press dough with fingers into a circle.

For a thinner crust, a rolling pin is useful; to keep rolled crust thin, prick all over with a fork to inhibit puffing up. For a more rustic crust, use your hands and forget the rolling pin and fork; this will allow bubbles to pop up when grilling. (Note – if the dough wants to shrink back after you stretch or roll it, walk away for five minutes to give the gluten a little more time to relax.)

Sprinkle baking sheet with corn meal. Transfer crust to baking sheet (or pizza peel) and brush top with olive oil.

Place crust, oil side down, on hot grill grates (I use my hands but turn down the flame before putting the crust on, then turn the flame back up to high).

Close grill for 2-3 minutes, checking as needed based on your crust thickness. Use a tongs to check the underside of the dough while cooking, reducing flame if necessary.

By this time, the crust should be pretty well cooked.

Using a long tongs, carefully flip the crust over for a minute or two. If you poke a small hole in the crust – don’t worry, the toppings will help cover it up.

Slide the crust onto your baking sheet. Back in the kitchen, transfer the crust, original oiled side down, to a sheet of foil (shiny side down) several inches wider than your pizza; you’ll want to be able to grab each side of the foil with your hands for easy transfer to the grill.

Brush top of crust with oil,

then add desired toppings, but don’t go overboard here; less is more. Season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Place foil on grill, close cover and grill until cheese is melted and bubbling. With a tongs, grip the foil and pull onto baking sheet for easy removal.

Let pizza rest 3-5 minutes (go for the 5 minutes if you’ve got vegetables – especially mushrooms – to give them a chance to reabsorb their juices). If desired, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Cut, serve, and enjoy!

*Larger pizzas are more difficult to manage when grilling; it’s more difficult to transfer the dough to the grill, and especially to flip it over. Smaller pizzas may take more time, but they really do take less effort. Probably less swearing, too.

There’s something very satisfying and rewarding about making your own croissants. It’s about knowing you put your own elbow grease into rolling out that cold, butter-filled dough, over and over. That the soreness you feel in your arms and upper back is a direct result of the chocolate-filled pastry you have baking in the oven.

I’m not going to lie. Rolling a pound of cold butter into a small amount of bread dough, without tearing the dough, isn’t as easy as say, making a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

However.

I’ve never thought twice about eating a croissant that was the result of my own work. I figure that’s the way it should be. I think Michael Pollan would be proud. (If you’re unfamiliar with his writings, the big take-away message from In Defense of Food is that you can eat whatever you want, as long as you’re willing to make it yourself. Want French Fries? Fine – cut up the potato, heat the oil, fry them up. Want a chocolate croissant? Fine – get started on the dough!)

I’m the first to admit that my croissants aren’t perfect. This is the second batch I’ve ever made, the first being regular croissants. But. They are still darn tasty, and I have the knowledge that I didn’t resort to buying them.

I tried to get pictures of each step, so I could photo-document the process for you. It’s really not as daunting a project as it may seem, but you do need to start at least a day ahead of time. I find the easiest thing to do is to make the dough on say, a weekend or vacation when you have the time, then freeze each rolled croissant on a baking sheet, and finally transfer the frozen croissants to a sealed plastic bag to store in the freezer. Then, simply remove the croissants you need before bedtime, let them sit overnight on a parchment/silpat lined baking sheet to thaw and rise, then pop them in the oven for breakfast. See? Easy and convenient.

Chocolate Croissants
recipe adapted from Secrets of Baking

Print Recipe

Ingredients

for the croissant dough
8 ounces cold 2% milk
3 teaspoons active dry yeast (or 1 ounce fresh)
2 cups (240 grams) bread flour
1 cup (110 grams) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons (30 grams) granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 pound (115 grams) cold unsalted butter, diced

for the butter block
3/4 pound (345 grams) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup (30 grams) all-purpose flour

for chocolate croissants
1 recipe croissant dough (instructions below)
1 egg + 1 egg yolk for egg wash
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate

Instructions

for the dough

Combine milk and yeast in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook; whisk to combine.

In separate medium bowl, combine flours, sugar, and salt; whisk or stir with a fork to combine. Add butter and work together with your fingers to a fine meal.

Add flour mixture to milk. Turn mixer on low and knead in pulses at first (so as not to end up covered in flour), then on low for 1 minute.

Increase speed to medium and knead until smooth, with a temperature of 70-75*F (21-24*C), about 4-5 minutes. (If dough is dry while mixing, add water 1 teaspoon at a time.) Be careful of overmixing – croissant dough will not have the same elasticity as bread dough.

Transfer dough to floured surface. Cut an X halfway through the dough with a very sharp knife.

This allows for expansion and easier rolling. Cover with plastic wrap and place on baking sheet (I wrap the entire sheet in plastic wrap).

Refrigerate 4 hours to overnight.

for the butter block

Lightly flour a sheet of parchment paper. Add butter and sprinkle with flour.

Whack the cold butter a few times with your rolling pin and shape into a 6 inch (15.25 cm) square, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick.

to laminate the dough

Remove dough from fridge.

Unwrap and place on lightly floured work surface; sprinkle top of dough with flour. With a rolling pin, roll from center to corner, following the X shape. Roll 3 times in one direction, turn 180 degrees, then roll another 3 times. Turn 90 degrees, and repeat rolling pattern, sprinkling dough with flour as needed. Roll into a 12 inch (30.5 cm)square.

Place butter block in center of dough; it should look like a diamond on the square of dough.

Fold each corner of dough over the diamond; pinch and press to seal the edges to conceal the butter.

Sprinkle the work surface and dough lightly with flour. With your rolling pin, tap the top of the dough, working toward you to seal in the butter. Turn 90 degrees and tap again until the dough is 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Roll the dough in an X pattern from center to corner. Always roll the dough away from you, until you have an 8×18 inch (20.25×45.75 cm) rectangle.

Brush off any excess flour with a pastry brush. Measure the dough along the long end into thirds, then fold the right third over the center…

and fold the left third into the center.

This is the first “turn”.

To lock in the turn, place the rolling pin on an unsealed edge of dough and gently press down. Repeat with the two remaining unsealed edges. Roll over the dough in 4 strokes, 2 up, 2 down. Lock in again, then dust off any excess flour. Wrap in plastic, place on baking sheet, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

After the 30 minutes is up, remove the dough from the fridge. Place it lengthwise on your floured surface (open ends should be to the left and right). With your rolling pin, roll the dough into another rectangle, about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick. Fold the right third to the middle, followed by the left third. That’s the second turn. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

After the 30 minutes is up, remove the dough from the fridge. Place it lengthwise on your floured surface (open ends should be to the left and right). With your rolling pin, roll the dough into another rectangle, about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick. Fold the right third to the middle, followed by the left third. That’s the final turn.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap; place in the fridge for 5 hours to overnight.

to form croissants

Whisk egg and yolk in small bowl until thoroughly blended.

Remove dough from fridge and remove plastic. On lightly floured surface, roll dough into 18×20 inch (45.75 x 50.75 cm) rectangle. (If dough keeps springing back when rolling, let it rest 5 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.)

Using a ruler and pizza cutter or pastry wheel, cut the rectangle into 3 horizontal rectangles, measuring 6×20 inches (15.25 x 50.75 cm). Cut vertical strips every 5 inches (12.75 cm) to make smaller rectangles measuring 6×4 inches (15.25 x 10.15 cm).

Place unwrapped chocolate bar in microwave and nuke it in 5 second intervals (2-3 times should do it) until it’s pliable enough to cut with a sharp knife without splintering the chocolate. Each “baton” should weight about 1/4 ounce. Alternatively, finely chop chocolate.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper/silpat.

With a pastry brush, brush the top edge of each rectangle with egg wash.

Place 2 “batons” or 1/2 ounce chopped chocolate at opposite edges of each rectangle (along the short sides). Roll each croissant up (like a roulade or jellyroll) towards the egg washed end, then place on prepared baking sheet, edge facing down.

Leave about 2 inches (5 cm) space between croissants.

If baking immediately, proof at room temperature until doubled in size. If freezing dough, place baking sheet in freezer to individually freeze each croissant; when completely frozen, place all croissants in a sealed plastic bag, return to freezer.

to bake

Preheat oven to 400F/200C. Brush croissants with egg wash. Bake 12 minutes on middle rack, then reduce oven to 350F/175C for an additional 10-12 minutes or until a deep golden brown.

Cool and serve. Store remaining croissants in sealed plastic bag for up to 2 days.

to bake frozen croissant dough

Remove desired number of croissants from freezer the night before baking, right before you go to bed is fine. Place on parchment lined baking sheet to thaw and proof overnight. In the morning, follow baking instructions for fresh croissants.

For me, pasta is more of a delivery vehicle for a favorite sauce, rather than an excitement unto itself. Sure, there are gourmet flavored pastas, which I do enjoy from time to time, but for the most part, I don’t find pasta all that interesting.

A few years back, I discovered spaghetti squash and realized it was an excellent substitute for spaghetti when served with a tomato-meat sauce. I liked the texture, I liked the flavor, and I found it tasted better than noodles. What I didn’t like was the hassle of cooking it, cutting it, and scraping out the strands.

So when I discovered an inexpensive little kitchen gadget that would allow me to turn many vegetables into spirals, I had to get it. I used it for the first time mere days after it arrived, to turn zucchini into curly “pasta”. I tossed the zucchini with some store-bought sauce and served it alongside an easy chicken parmesan.

For a little extra flavor, I dredged the chicken cutlets in shredded parmesan seasoned with Italian seasoning and ground pepper before cooking them.

If you have an abundance of zucchini you don’t know what to do with, turning it into “noodles” is an easy, interesting way to use up some of it. Since I just picked up my produce box yesterday and found it filled with zucchini, you can bet I will be making more meals like this one.

If you’re interested in a spiral vegetable slicer, I’m very happy with this one; it’s easy to use and easy to clean, and it stores the various blades in the gadget itself.

Zucchini Pasta

1 medium zucchini per person, washed
1/2 cup prepared tomato-based pasta sauce or marinara per person

Heat pasta sauce in medium saucepan over medium heat.

While that’s warming, cut the stem end off your zucchini. Depending on the size of the zucchini, you may need to cut then in half, as well. Make sure the suction cups have secured the gadget onto your counter, and place a bowl to the left of the gadget to catch the zucchini strands. Push a flat end onto the circular piece by the blade, then push the spikes into the other end. Your right hand will rotate the zucchini, while your left hand will push the lower handle towards the blade.

Continue with each additional piece of zucchini until you’ve spiralized all the zucchini. Toss the “noodles” in with the warmed sauce, let sit in pan for 1 minute to warm through slightly. Remove from heat and serve.

After taking an unplanned vacation from baking when my oven died, I quickly got over my withdrawal when my new oven was delivered. You already saw the first baked good to emerge from the new oven when I made these chocolate shortcakes. That wasn’t enough, so then I made a super-secret dessert (super-secret because I haven’t shared it with you yet…in due time), which quickly succumbed to the warm temperature and humidity.

It was enough. I had my fix.

Or so I thought.

I blame Martha Stewart. More specifically, one of her many magazines. There it was, sitting next to the grocery checkout, adorned with red, white, and blue iced cookies, all decorated to look like fireworks.

I couldn’t get it out of my head, you see. And with the weather about to go all tropical on me again, if I were to bake cookies, and cover said cookies with royal icing, I had a limited amount of time to accomplish this goal. If I was going to do it, I had to do it NOW.

Out of the fridge came two sticks of butter, over to the store I walked to purchase a bag of confectioners’ sugar, dough was made then chilled, and a counter was cleaned off and thoroughly disinfected to become my workspace. Dough was rolled, cookies baked then cooled.

Then came the real project: icing. It’s not difficult, but egg whites are notoriously temperamental when the moisture content of the air is high. Even though I was tired and hungry for dinner, I had to set that aside to ice the cookies, so the icing could set before the humidity went through the roof.

The thing is, these cookies aren’t difficult to make (or ice), as long as you’re organized. (They are time consuming, however. You don’t want to know what time I finally ate dinner last night.)

I didn’t always know they were easy, though. I shied away from royal icing for years. Years. All because I was intimidated. So, I thought rather than just list the recipes, I’d do a step-by-step of both components: the cookies and the icing. So get ready for a lengthy, picture-filled finish. (That said, it was a challenge to get some of the pictures, holding a camera in one hand while using the other to demonstrate a technique.) Please note, you will still want to print the recipe, but the pictures serve as a guide to each step.

The Cookies
Print recipe

Cut butter into the dry ingredients with 2 knives, a pastry blender, or the paddle attachment on your stand mixer.

Crack the eggs into a small bowl.

Add the sugar and vanilla, then whisk or combine with a fork.

Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture.

Pour the egg mixture into the well.

Mix with the paddle attachment or a wooden spoon until combined. If you use a mixer, you’ll still probably need to use the spoon a little at the end, to get that stubborn flour hanging out at the bottom.

Spoon 1/3 of the dough on a generous size piece of plastic wrap, smack-dab in the middle.

Fold one side of the plastic over.

Spreading the dough out a bit with your hands, then press the plastic together around the edges.

Fold it up to seal, then repeat with the rest of the dough. Into the refrigerator they go for at least an hour, up to 48.

Roll out dough (1/8-1/4 inch thickness) on a floured surface and cut into desired shapes. Bake at 350*F for 8-10 minutes. Cool.

The Royal Icing
Print Recipe

Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a medium bowl.

Combine the meringue powder and water in mixing bowl. Beat with paddle until foamy. Add the corn syrup and extract, mix.

If you don’t want to wear a bunch of white powder, turn the mixer off and add the sifted sugar. Slowly increase the speed until you reach medium-high. Beat until glossy with stiff peaks.

If outlining in white, add some icing to your pastry bag fitted with a small round tip (I use #2 or #5). Use way less than you think you need. I used about 1% of what’s in this bag. Smooth the icing towards the tip, twist the bag above the icing and secure with a twisty tie. Get out a tall glass and pour enough water in to cover the bottom. Place the decorator tip into the water so the icing doesn’t dry out.

Divide your icing into clean containers for each color. Notice my glass of water with the pastry bag in the back?

Get your colors ready…

And mix! Remember, in general, a little of the paste coloring goes a long way. Well, except red. I think I used half the bottle. If you need some of the thick icing for outlining, add it to a prepared decorator bag.

Thin the remaining thick icing with water, a teaspoon at a time, until a ribbon of icing falls back onto itself after 3 seconds. Pour into squeeze bottle and cover the tip with a damp paper towel.

Get organized! Try to have a clean tray or board nearby for decorated cookies, as well as your work area. Make sure the bottles are easily accessible.

If necessary, move things around a bit. Notice my glass with icing has moved? I remembered from experience that it’s more convenient to have it located off to my right. Also, make sure plenty of toothpicks (clean ones!) are available.

My least favorite part: outlining. The first ones are always the worst. Work in batches of 4-6 at a time.

My favorite part: flooding. Just squeeze the thinned icing around the cookies; try to get pretty near the outline without touching it, then move in towards the middle in a swirl.

Use a toothpick to spread the icing a bit to fill in the gaps…

so it looks like this.

To make hearts, place dots on the cookie in the pattern you want the hearts to go in. Here, I plan to make a circle of hearts.

Slowly drag the toothpick through the dots, creating hearts.

To make a “flower firework”, add circles in the desired colors.

With your toothpick, start at the outside and drag it through the circles to the middle, then back out towards the edge. (Sorry for the crazy picture – I had the camera in one hand, the toothpick in the other.)

Continue the toothpick pattern, creating petals.

So it looks like this. Well, minus the part where I hit the edge because the camera slipped. Whoops.

(For the more traditional fireworks pattern that I somehow didn’t get a picture of but resembles a spiderweb, do the colored circles, but run each line from the middle to the edge, pick up the toothpick, go back to the middle, run it to the edge, etc.)

When you’re done, your kitchen might look like this. If necessary, move everything to a safe area (kitty-, child-, significant other-proof area) to dry. Overnight works perfect.

Enjoy your cookies! They’ll keep quite awhile.

Royal Icing recipe adapted from Bake at 350

Eclairs. Fruit Tarts. Napoleons. Cakes. Cannolis. Fruit Pies. Cream Pies.

What do these desserts have in common?

They all can include pastry cream, a silky custard that is an important component to many recipes, but is also rather decadent on its own. You’ll find this custard filling an éclair, topping the prebaked pastry shell in a fruit tart, nestled between layers of baked puff pastry in a Napoleon, and sandwiched between cake layers in a Boston Cream Pie.

Pastry cream happens to be an easy custard to make. Unlike crème anglaise, which can easily turn into scrambled eggs if you’re not careful, the addition of starch in pastry cream helps keep the custard smooth.

I’ve been making pastry cream for a few years now. I was introduced to fresh fruit tarts on vacation in Jamaica several years back, when my brother was getting married. The resort we stayed at had these tiny little tarts topped with tropical fruit; we looked forward to these treats every day.

Six months later, our families got together again to throw a party celebrating our favorite food and drink from the trip. I volunteered to make the tarts, though up to that point, I’d never done anything like it before. I did a little research on-line, then went to my local bookstore to browse cookbooks. I went home that night with Barefoot in Paris, specifically because it had a recipe for tarts. At that point, I’d never even heard of Ina Garten, I only knew that she had a cookbook with a recipe I wanted, replete with a pretty picture.

The first time I made that pastry cream, I stirred and stirred. I whisked and whisked. And I sweat – it was early August, and I rushed around my little condo trying to get the components of the tarts ready so I could begin the two hour trek to my parents’. But try as I might, the cream just didn’t seem to thicken the way I hoped it would. Sure, it tasted good, but the texture just wasn’t quite right. Eventually, I gave up and packed everything up for my trip.

The next time I made pastry cream, I looked to Julia Child for assistance. I mean, she’s solely responsible for the introduction of French cooking to the US. It made sense. Her recipe relied on flour for thickening. So I gave it a whirl.

Oh, it thickened wonderfully! Unfortunately, to me it tasted a little too much like…flour. I tried again. Same result. I started playing, and discovered that for me, a combination of cornstarch and flour yields the perfect result; divine flavor and perfect consistency.

Next, I started tinkering with the sugar, as I found that I could decrease the sugar a bit and still be happy with the results. To me, more important than the sugar, is the inclusion of vanilla. For special occasions, I scrape the seeds of a vanilla bean for a more intense flavor. The vanilla perfume does more to enhance the flavor and sweetness than the inclusion of more sugar ever could.

One of the best things about pastry cream, to me, is its versatility. Just look at the list of desserts it plays a part in! But for me? I think I like it best served simply in a custard cup with a sprinkling of fresh berries and a mint leaf for garnish.

Pastry Cream

Print Recipe

1 1/2 cups (355 mL) whole milk
5 large egg yolks (at room temperature)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (130 grams) granulated sugar
½ vanilla bean, cut in half length-wise, seeds scraped*
2 tablespoons (10 grams) cornstarch
1 tablespoon (7 grams) flour
1 tablespoon (15 mL) Grand Marnier
1 tablespoon (15 grams) unsalted butter
pinch of salt

Heat milk in a small saucepan with the vanilla bean and seeds over medium-high heat until it’s just before the boiling point. You’ll see a skin form on the top of the liquid, and the milk will appear to “dance” underneath the surface. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, combine egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl. With electric mixer (use paddle attachment if using a stand mixer), beat on medium-high speed until the eggs are thick and pale, and fall back on themselves in a ribbon, about four or five minutes. Reduce speed to low and add cornstarch, flour, and salt.

With mixer on low, slowly pour in a little scalded milk. Continue pouring adding milk slowly, to raise the temperature of the eggs. When mixed, transfer to a large saucepan and heat over medium-low heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens. Don’t worry if it appears to curdle, simply switch to a whisk and it will come together again.

Remove from heat. Add butter, Grand Marnier, and vanilla; whisk to combine. Pour cream through a sieve into a medium-sized bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream, refrigerate until cool. (For faster cooling, place bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice water.)

*Can substitute 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract for the vanilla bean. Add the extract at the end, off heat.

At any given time, I have several variations of flour at my disposal: whole wheat, all purpose, bread, cake, almond, whole wheat pastry…

With that many varieties, it stands to reason that I sometimes run out of one or more. The kind I run out of most often? Cake. I tend to buy it when I need it but don’t really pay attention when I use it up, because I generally use it for one recipe: vanilla cupcakes.

When I decided to make some Valentine’s cupcakes, I realized I had no cake flour. But you know what? It doesn’t matter. As long as you have all purpose flour and some cornstarch in your pantry, you have everything you need.

To achieve a similar-textured flour, for every one cup of cake flour called for in a recipe, subtract 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and replace with cornstarch, then sift the flour/cornstarch combination a minimum of 3 times (more wouldn’t hurt).

A helpful hint here is to remember that there are 4 tablespoons in 1/4 cup. And if you happen to have a kid who doesn’t think they’ll ever need to know how to add and subtract fractions in the real world, have them help you make cake flour for a recipe sometime.

The first time I decided to try my hand at home canning, I was terrified. If you read any “how-to” instructions on canning, they sound so scary! In reality, it’s really not difficult to can, but there are a few important steps to take so that you do not poison your family and friends.

1. Always use new lids. I do keep my old lids and use them for freezer jam, but if you’re worried things might get mixed up, only use lids that are fresh out of the box. Lids are pretty inexpensive, so why chance a bad seal – you could lose all of your hard work, or get sick. Neither sounds very appealing to me.

2. Only use jars specific to canning (mason jars). These jars are designed to withstand the high temperatures necessary for canning.

3. Always wash jars and lids with hot soapy water, then sterilize the jars by placing them right-side up in a canner or deep stockpot. Fill with hot water to 1 inch above the top of the jars and bring to a boil; continue to boil for 10 minutes. (If you’re above 1,000 feet in elevation, you’ll need to add an additional minute to the boiling time for each additional 1,000 feet in elevation.) Remove jars one at a time from the hot water to use in canning. Save the water – you can use this for the water bath.

4. The “rules” differ between high acid foods (tomatoes, salsa, fruit, jams) and low acid foods. Higher acid foods are able to block the growth of the bacteria that causes botulism, and kill it when heated to high temperatures. Thus, high acid foods tend to be the choice of novice canners. Low acid foods (meat, vegetables, seafood, milk, poultry) require a pressure canner, as the botulinum bacteria is destroyed at a temperature of about 240-250*F. The time needed to process the canned goods varies based on what is being canned, so follow the recipe! Canning is not the time to improvise.

5. When filling the jars, always leave 1/2 inch of headspace (unless the recipe calls for more) and wipe the top of the jar clean before covering with the lid and ring band. Place the jars in the water bath one at a time with a jar lifter (okay, I just use a tongs). Make sure there is at least one inch of water covering the top of the jars and process the jars in boiling water for the length of time specified in the recipe. After processing, turn off the heat and wait a few minutes, then remove the jars from the water bath. Cool jars on a wire rack or towel to cool; allow 12-24 hours to seal. For any jars that don’t seal, you can replace the lids and reprocess, or put the jars in the fridge.

These are general instructions for canning. Remember that instructions given in a recipe will trump what I’ve written here, as the rules do change a bit based on what you’re canning. In general, beginning with tomatoes, fruit or fruit products, and salsa are fairly foolproof due to their higher acid content (though some tomatoes are not as acidic as others). My first time around, I definitely walked the line of being too careful, but I was giving away a spiced fruit preserve around the holidays, and I certainly didn’t want my gift to hurt anyone!

Tomorrow I will post my adventures in canning salsa!

Poaching chicken is a very simple and healthful method to cooking chicken. The meat is moist and tender, and by adding aromatics to the poaching liquid, the chicken can take on some additional flavor.

Poached chicken is great for chicken salads, shredded BBQ chicken, as a topper for salads, in a wrap…the list goes on.

The secret to successfully poaching chicken is to first bring the water with the aromatics to a boil, then reduce the temperature so the water is kept at a bare simmer. At that point, add the chicken and poach until cooked through.

Simple Poached Chicken

1 carrot
1 celery rib
1/2 large yellow onion
4 sprigs of thyme
1 tsp whole peppercorns
1 tsp sea salt
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Heat enough water to cover the chicken breasts, bring to a boil. Add the carrots, celery, onion, thyme, peppercorns, and salt, and reduce the heat until the liquid is at a simmer. Add the chicken breasts; be sure they are completely submerged.

Poach until the internal temperature reaches 160 F (or 165 if you feel more comfortable, though the chicken will cook a bit more after it’s removed from the broth). Allow to sit for 10 minutes before shredding or dicing.

Strain the broth and reserve for another use.

What’s more comforting than a pot of soup cooking on the stove? Making soup used to intimidate me, and the thought of making soup stock made me want to run away from my kitchen. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that both are quite easy. If you’ve ever roasted a chicken, you may as well make your own chicken stock, as the process is incredibly simple.

Print Recipe
Chicken Stock

1 chicken carcass*
2 carrots
3 stalks celery
1 parsnip
1 onion
1 bulb garlic
a few sprigs of thyme
a few sprigs of dill
bay leaf
bunch of parsley
peppercorns

To make your soup stock, simply take the leftover chicken carcass and the neck and throw them into a stock pot or dutch oven. Cut the carrots, celery, and parsnip in half or thirds, and throw them in the pot. Cut your bulb of garlic in half, crosswise, and toss it in the pot. Cut the onion into quarters, and toss it all in (no need to peel). Add the herbs and a teaspoon of whole peppercorns,

Cover all ingredients with water and simmer (don’t let it boil!) away on the stove for about four or five hours, or put an oven-proof cooking vessel into the oven at a very low temperature so the stock doesn’t boil. The reason you don’t want the stock to come to a boil is because your stock will be cloudy and not very appealing to look at. Keep the temperature low enough (under 212 F or 100 C), and perhaps even use a thermometer to warn you if the temperature is getting too high.

Remove the carcass and veggies, and strain the stock into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, skim the fat off the top of the stock. Either use the stock within three days or put into containers and freeze for up to six months. With homemade stock, you’re getting superior quality soup stock with no preservatives. It tastes better, and it’s better for you.

*If the chicken came with the neck, go ahead and throw that in the pot. An inexpensive way to save stock ingredients is to save the peelings, ends, and skins from carrots, celery, an onions – just start a large freezer bag of stock ingredients. When you make chicken, throw the extra bones or carcass in the freezer until you’re ready to use them. If you have leftover parsley sometime, chop it up and freeze it into ice cubes, so you can just toss the cubes into your stock or any soup that you make.