amazon.com

And truly the creations and recipes Gesine presents are amazing. Just browsing through the photos and recipe titles, you'll be enticed to get into the kitchen and learn to work with sugar.  But, and I can't stress this enough, you really will want to do more with Sugar Baby.  Bullock-Prado falls into my category of must-read cookbook authors; those authors for whom you want to read every luscious word, including the introduction, sidebars and, yes, every single recipe head note (perhaps even multiple times).  Do so and you will find humor, humility and honesty. You'll laugh, you'll understand why she does what she does, and you'll learn.  Sugar Baby is fun not only because of the great things you'll learn to make with sugar, but because Gesine is a fun person who has put her heart into Sugar Baby.

Nanny's Torte

Recipe from Sugar Baby by Gesine Bullock-Prado ("Stewart, Tabori & Chang", 2011)

But Nanny, she had no complaints about her new granddaughter-aside from one. It's widely reported that Nanny was overheard leaving my mother's hospital room muttering, "Why the hell did they name her that?" If I could see my Nanny again today, I'd say, "Why indeed?" And then I imagine she'd make some fudge and I'd make some cake and we'd slap them together and wash it all down with bottle of Coke and come up with a nickname for me that we could both live with, because she never could pronounce my name.

Makes 1 (10-inch/25-cm) torte

• sugar 2 1/2 cups | 500 g
• unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 cups |455 g
• large eggs 6
• cocoa powder 2 cups | 170 g
• salt 1 teaspoon | 6 g
• bittersweet chocolate, chopped 1 pound | 455 g
• Nanny's Peanut Butter Fudge (see below) 1 batch
• Sachertorte Glaze (see below) | 1 batch
• roasted peanuts 1 cup | 150 g
• peanuts, finely ground in a food processor 1 cup |200 g

1. Preheat the oven to 325?F (165?C). Spray three 10-inch (25-cm) round cake pans with nonstick spray and line them with parchment. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fixed with the whisk attachment, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat between each addition.

3. Slowly add the cocoa powder and salt. Mix briefly, then scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix again until the cocoa is completely integrated into the batter.

4. Simultaneously, melt the chocolate in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water, stirring often.

5. With the mixer running on low speed, scrape the melted chocolate into the batter. When all the  chocolate is added, raise the speed to high and beat briefly. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and stir in any lingering cocoa.

6. Divide the batter evenly between two of the prepared cake pans. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the cakes pull away from the sides of the pans and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on racks.

7. Immediately pour the fudge into the third cake pan and allow to set.

8. Turn the fudge out onto a layer of the cake and top with the second cake layer. Press gently to adhere the fudge to the cake.

9. Place the layered cake on a cooling rack that's set over a parchment-lined sheet pan. Pour the glaze smoothly and evenly over the cake. Do not use a spatula or other implement to spread the glaze over the cake. Instead, pour the glaze strategically to cover any naked spots. Manipulating the glaze with any utensils will ruin the sheen.

10. Using a set of tweezers dedicated to pastry work, arrange the roasted peanuts on top of the cake in flower patterns while the glaze is still warm enough for them to adhere.

11. Gently press the ground peanuts onto the sides of the cake.

Sachertorte Glaze

Sachertorte is a magnificent layer cake that's so damn good it has spawned a war between two pastry greats in Vienna since the 1800s: the Hotel Sacher and the confectionery haven Demel, who both claimed the dessert as their invention. Legal wrangling ensued as to who owned the rights to sell the "original" Sacher. Expert witnesses testified under oath that a second layer of apricot marmalade was never applied to the original two-layer chocolate sponge cake. And imagine the horror when it was revealed in court that margarine had been substituted for butter in one of the litigant's cake recipes. Scandal!

Notice that all the wrangling was about the innards of the cake? If it were I, I'd have sued for the rights to the fabulous chocolate glaze and let those whiners keep their marmaladeencrusted interior, because it's the chocolate glaze on a Sacher that is consistently sublime. It is shiny. It is decadent. It is fudgy. That's right. The icing for a fancy-schmancy Austrian dessert, originally created for a prince, has the same culinary origins as down-home American fudge. No wonder it's so tasty. Use it as a glaze on any cake you think could use a pretty sheen and a powerful chocolate punch. Just don't get in a lawsuit over it.

Makes enough to cover 1 (10-inch/25-centimeter) torte

• sugar 2 cups |400 g
• water 1 cup | 240 ml
• salt 1/4 teaspoon |1 g
• bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped 8 ounces | 240 g
• unsalted butter | 1 cup | 225 g
• salt ½  teaspoon | 3 g

1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and salt. Over medium heat, stir until the sugar has completely melted. Add the chocolate and stir until it is melted.

2. Clip on a candy thermometer, stop stirring, and raise the heat to medium-high. Heat to 234F (112C). Immediately remove from the heat and allow to cool, undisturbed, for about 5 minutes, to allow the glaze to thicken.

3. Pour the glaze over your layer cakes, dunk the tops of your cupcakes, or douse your petit fours. Just don't scrape the bottom of the pan, to avoid any burnt bits from separating and marring the pristine sheen of your chocolate covered
delicacy.

Nanny's Peanut Butter Fudge

My grandmother Nanny raised seven kids on her own during the Depression. Seven. On her own. During the Depression. The fact that she was able to do anything in the kitchen seems a miracle, yet she found time to perfect candies and create lasting memories of raucous sugar-pulling parties during a time when nothing should have been sweet. The recipes are simple-there wasn't money for fancy filler ingredients-but they are simply delicious. This is her peanut butter fudge. I like to get fancy on it and pour the fudge over a layer of dense chocolate fudge cake, top the peanut butter with another cake layer, cover all of that with a Sacher glaze, and then stud the sides with chopped roasted peanuts. I'll tell you how to do that on page 199. You'll probably find it hard not to eat this fudge all by its lonesome though. Just imagine having to share it among seven siblings!

Makes approximately 45 squares

• sugar 2 cups | 400 g
• evaporated milk | 5 ounces | 150 ml
• smooth peanut butter | generous 1/4 cup | generous 60 ml

1. In a saucepan over low heat, cook the sugar and milk until the sugar has melted.

2. Raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a full boil, stirring constantly.

3. Reduce the temperature to medium-high, keeping the mixture at a continuous rolling boil until the temperature reaches 235F (113C). Remove from the heat. Add the peanut butter and allow it to melt into the milk mixture, undisturbed, for 5 minutes.

4. Working quickly, stir the peanut butter into the mixture vigorously to distribute it throughout the fudge. Immediately pour the candy into a buttered 8-by-8-inch (20-by-20-cm) dish and allow to cool completely either in the freezer or at room temperature. Slice into 1-inch (2.5-cm) squares. The recipe can easily be doubled. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to a week.

PermaLink

Whether you've searched for recipes on Project Foodie, used tags, or are simply browsing your private Recipe Box, the result is always a list of relevant recipes that warrant further exploration.  Along with the recipe name, ingredients, and link to view the recipe in its entirety, each of the listed recipes offers a number of other options--including saving the recipe to your Recipe Box, tagging the recipe, and adding your personal comments. This short guide will walk you through these various features.

A. Recipe Title:  The title of the recipe (Aebleskivers) that appears in the thumbnail image.

 

B. Save/Remove from your Recipe Box:  This button is displayed either as a green save button or an orange remove button. 

The green Save button is visible only when the recipe is not part of your existing Recipe Box. Clicking the Save button will add it to your Recipe Box.

The orange Remove button is displayed only when the recipe has already beem saved in your Recipe Box. Clicking the Remove button removes the recipe from your Recipe Box.  

C. Publication Details:  This section of the recipe display states where the recipe was published. This can be a magazine, newspaper, television show, or a cookbook. 

For magazines:  The magazine name, month, and year it was published are all listed. 

Clicking on the month will display a list of all recipes found in that specific issue of the magazine; clicking on the year will display a list of the issues available from that magazine in that particular year and the number of recipes available in each issue; and clicking on the magazine name will display an index of the publication years available for viewing for that magazine.

For cookbooks:  The book title, author, and publisher will be listed.

Clicking on the book title will provide you with a listing of all recipes available from that book on Project Foodie.

For newpapers:  The newspaper name, publication month, and year are listed.

Clicking on the publication month will display a list of recipes published in that month; clicking on the year will display a list of months for which recipes are available from that year and the number of recipes available each month; and clicking on the newspaper name will display a list of the available publication years for that newspaper. 

For television shows: The television show name, episode name, and show season are displayed.

Clicking on the episode name will display a list of recipes available for that episode; clicking on the show name will display the available seasons for that show; and clicking on the season will display the available shows for that season.

 

F. Ingredients:  A listing of the ingredients used in the recipe.

G. Your Rating of Recipe:  Here you can rate the recipe by clicking on any of the bubbles to denote how much you liked the recipe, with 5 being the best. 

The recipe rating is denoted by the bubble with the green dot in it.  That is, in the example above the recipe is rated 5. To change the rating to 4, click in the bubble to the left of the 4.
 
H. Recipe Actions:  Here are a variety of other actions you can perform on displayed recipes.

Add Comment:  You can enter a comment about the recipe so others can learn from your experience. You must be logged in to do this, and any comments you add are visible to everyone.  If you would rather leave a private comment visible only to you, follow the process for My Notes described below.  To add a comment:

1. Click on Add Comment, which will open the comment action.

2. Enter your comment. Remember this will be publicly available to everyone who visits Project Foodie.
3. Click on Save; or if you decide against adding the comment, click on Cancel.

Cooking Notes/My Notes:  Want to leave yourself a note about a recipe that only you can see?  Perhaps it's a change in the ingredients, something you would do differently next time, or details on who you served the dish to. Cooking Notes lets you do this and keep the message private. To add a note that will be visible only to you:

1. Click on Add Comment, which will open the Cooking Notes action. 

2. Enter the private note you want to keep for yourself in the My Notes box.
3. Click on Save.

If you decide you'd rather not save the comment simply press Cancel.

If you have a existing Cooking Note attached to a recipe, you can easily modify it at anytime:

1. Click on Cooking Notes, which will open the Cooking Notes action.
2. Modify the existing note to you had written.
3. Click on Save.

Close/View Tags:  This toggles the display of tags which are shown directly below the Recipe Actions.  See below (item I) for more on the tag display.

Share:  Want to let others know about a great recipe?  You can share the recipe via email using the following steps:

1. Click on Share, which will open the share action and allow you to share the recipe.

2. Enter the email address of the person with whom you want to share the recipe. (For now, you can list only one email address at a time.)
3. If desired, modify the pre-printed message that will be sent along with the recipe link.

4. Click on Send.

I. Tag Details/Actions:  This area allows you to add, delete, view, and rename tags associated with a recipe. For details on what these actions do, along with what tags are, see our Tips & Tricks devoted to tags.




 

PermaLink

August in the kitchen, for me, is more about planning what I'm going to make in the cool fall weather than actually cooking in August.  Sure the grill gets fired up and the garden veggies get transformed into either quick meals or pantry staples, but if I can keep out of the kitchen heat I do.  And I tend to do that by indulging in some quiet time with a pile of cookbooks, some iced coffee, my kitty and a chair on my front porch.  The result of that quiet time is a great selection of cookbooks to get me (and you) into the kitchen come September…

Small Sweet Treats: Sassy, Savory, and Sweet by Marguerite Henderson (Gibbs Smith, 2011).

Recipes to try: 2 viewable recipes from "Small Sweet Treats".

Kitchen Simple: Essential Recipes for Everyday Cooking by James Peterson (Ten Speed Press, 2011).

barnesandnoble.com

Recipes to try: 2 viewable recipes from "Kitchen Simple".

The Glorious Pasta of Italy by Domenica Marchetti (Chronicle Books, 2011).

Recipes to try: 3 viewable recipes from "The Glorious Pasta of Italy".

Food from Many Greek Kitchens by Tessa Kiros (Andrews McMeel, 2011)

Recipes to try: 2 viewable recipes from "Food from Many Greek Kitchens".

Simply Great Breads: Sweet and Savory Yeasted Treats from America's Premier Artisan Baker by Daniel Leader (Taunton Press, 2011).

Recipes to try: 2 viewable recipes from "Simply Great Breads".

Lobsters Scream When You Boil Them: And 100 OtherMyths About Food and Cooking . . . Plus 25 Recipes to Get It Right Every Time by Bruce Weinstein, Mark Scarbrough (Gallery, 2011).

We've all heard food myths before, whether we knew they were a myth or not, like "knock on a watermelon to tell if it's ripe."  Leave it to the funny guys in the kitchen, Mark Scarbrough and Bruce Weinstein, to not only dispel the myths but leave us laughing at the same time.  Whether you're wondering what temperature butter should be for cookies, want a great cookie recipe or just want to relax with some laughter, this quick read will satisfy your craving.

PermaLink

Whether you're looking for some fun while cooking, a handy condiment, a great Spanish wine, or a weekend of wine tasting, you'll find it in this month's What's Tasty...

I"m not sure my mother actually said this, but I'm sure someone's mother tagged the phrase—"Dress for the job".  That's why construction workers don't wear suits and chefs wear aprons, but nothing says that an apron has to look like a rag.  Still, I admit accessorizing in the kitchen with a gorgeous apron isn't something I'd normally fall head-over-heals for. Yet... I have thanks to Flirty Aprons: fashionable aprons that add a little extra something to time in the kitchen! The aprons come in fun-named styles like Sugar n’ Spice, Strawberry Shortcake, Very Cherry, Frosted Cupcake, Sassy Black and more. Frosted Cupcake adds fun in everyday cooking but Sassy Black has a chic flair to it that will be perfect for me to wear while finishing dinner at my next dinner party.  They also have matching aprons for kids, although Strawberry Shortcake is probably a better choice for that than Sassy Black!

Yes, I know, I know tomato season has barely ended and here I am talking about canned pasta sauce.  But even the best of us don't always have the time, energy or desire to make our own sauce.  Or perhaps you have a lack of tomatoes as I did this year (I'm blaming the weather...).  Whatever the reason commercial sauce has its place.  La Famiglia DelGrosso — a family-owned pasta sauce producer that has a line of sauces inspired by family members.  Each sauce matches with a family member's memories that inspired the flavors such as Aunt Mary Ann’s Sunday Marinara,  Aunt Linda’s Arrabbiata Memories and Uncle Bo’s Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.   Not only is it fun to read the inspirational memories but the different sauces are also fun to try and they taste good too!
 
In recent months I've tried several Spanish whites.  I wasn't on a specific quest, I was just looking for something other than a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc.  To my surprise not only did I find a great tasting white but one that  won't break the bank. Albariño (US $15) is a crisp, fruit-forward wine from the signature varietal of Spanish winery Martín Códax.  Had I been on a quest it would have been very successful indeed!

Speaking of wine, if you live near the California Central Coast and enjoy wine then you may want to check out Sunset SAVOR the Central Coast.  This 4-day event includes area winemakers, chefs, and artisanal food producers.  On October 1, Paso Roble's will host Paso Glow—a food and wine dinner under the stars and with star chef Celebrity Chef Cat Cora.  Better yet, until midnight August 25th, Travel Paso Robles Alliance is offering a chance to win tickets to the events. Get all the details on the contest at the Travel Paso Robles Alliance website. 

Disclosure: Items discussed in this post may have been provided to Project Foodie by vendors, publicists, and/or manufacturers.

PermaLink

If you're anything like us, your summer kitchen adventures are a mix of joy and frustration. Fresh vegetables and fruits are available like in no other time of the year.  We return from the farmers' market with practically more than we can carry and eagerly look forward to spending a day cooking.  But then Mother Nature strikes and turns up the heat outside making that day in the kitchen closer to a day sweltering in hell than the subject of our day dreams.  No, sorry, I don't have a solution (if you do, please share!), but balance and counter measures are great starting points.  After a long day of canning, enjoy a frozen ice pop, or just turn on the AC (we promise we won't tell)!  No matter how you survive the heat of the summer kitchen we know as a foodie you will be there enjoying the highs that only fresh from the garden produce can bring.  That's what we've been doing this summer and here are a few of the cookbooks (and recipes to try) that have brought us joy this summer (both with and without the AC on…).

Plum Gorgeous: Recipes and Memories from the Orchard by Romney Steele (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2011)

Recipes to try: 2 viewable recipes from "Plum Gorgeous: Recipes and Memories from the Orchard".

Sweet & Skinny: 100 Recipes for Enjoying Life's Sweeter Side without Tipping the Scales by Marisa Churchill (Clarkson Potter, 2011)

Recipes to try: 2 viewable recipes from "Sweet & Skinny: 100 Recipes for Enjoying Life’s Sweeter Side Without Tipping the Scales".

Ice Pops: Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Frozen Treats by Shelly Kaldunski (Weldon Owen, 2011)

Recipes to try: 2 viewable recipes from "Ice Pops: Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Frozen Treats".

A Southerly Course: Recipes and Stories from Close to Home by Martha Hall Foose (Clarkson Potter, 2011)

Recipes to try: 1 viewable recipe from "A Southerly Course: Recipes and Stories from Close to Home".

PermaLink