Banana-jam swirl bread and versatility

As I opened my freezer to get egg whites to make financiers I found four frozen bananas stashed there, sitting next to a bag of peas. I immediately thought “ok, financiers and banana cake” – nothing wrong with that, right? :)

Then I opened the fridge to get some butter and saw a jar of raspberry jam (I can’t live without jam, so I bought another jar right after I used what I had around to make these blondies) – that triggered my memory: I was almost 100% sure I’d seen a jam swirled banana bread somewhere (here, to be more precise). So I decided my banana cake (or bread, in this case) would have a jam swirl, but raspberry, since I find strawberry jam a tad too sweet. The marbled effect looked beautiful and the flavor was great, too.

Banana cakes or muffins are versatile little beauties, aren’t they? They taste delicious plain, with berries, chocolate, coconut, maple syrup, honey, with lemon icing and with jam – they remind me of the talented (and handsome) Mark Ruffalo, who I saw this morning being cute and funny in the trailer for Begin Again, and physically transformed and dark in the movie I most want to watch this year.

Banana-jam swirl bread
from the delicious Better Homes and Gardens Baking: More than 350 Recipes Plus Tips and Techniques

2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup very ripe mashed bananas (about 4 medium)
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
½ cup (120ml) canola oil or melted butter (I used ¼ cup of each)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 22.5x12.5cm (9x5in) loaf pan, line it with baking paper and butter the paper as well.

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture; set aside.
In a medium bowl combine eggs, bananas, sugar, oil and vanilla. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Transfer batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Spoon jam on top of the batter and use a knife or thin metal spatula to swirl jam into batter. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then carefully remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Serves 8-10

Salted peanut butter and jelly blondies, two great guys left out of the Oscars and a mediocre movie

When it comes to the Oscars apparently every year there is a very talented person (or more than one) left out of the competition, and I’ve written about it already. This year both Tom Hanks and Paul Greengrass were “forgotten” for their remarkable work in Captain Phillips, which is really unfair to me. I wouldn’t say Hanks’ performance was the best among the nominees – that title still belongs to Leo – but it is certainly superior to Christian Bale’s in the mediocre American Hustle and to Matthew McConaughey’s in Dallas Buyers Club.

As far as directors are concerned, David O. Russell’s nomination is just a bad joke and to think that he was included in the game at the expense of Greengrass makes this year’s competition even more ridiculous (I think you’ve already noticed how much I hated American Hustle). :D

After wasting 138 minutes of my life on such a lame movie I needed something tasty and quick to put together – the halfway-through jar of raspberry jam in my fridge (left from the cookies I baked a while ago) and the recently bought jar of peanut butter were combined to create these blondies. As I sliced them into squares and thought of the movie, it hit me that Bradley Cooper – the poor actor who stars in things like The Hangover – is a two-time nominee in a two-year period (for two below the average movies) while it took the Academy more than twenty years to first nominee the best actor in the world – that made me so mad I had to eat a blondie right away. :D

Salted peanut butter and jelly blondies
slightly adapted from Bon Appétit magazine

½ cup (1 stick/113g) unsalted butter, melted
1¼ cups (175g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs
200g light brown sugar
¾ cup crunchy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ tablespoons raspberry jam
flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a square 20cm (8in) baking pan, line it with foil leaving an overhang on two opposite sides and butter the foil as well.
In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and table salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, peanut butter, butter, and vanilla extract; fold in dry ingredients. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Dollop with the jam. Bake for about 30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Cool completely in the pan, then cut into squares to serve.

Makes 16

“Jamaretti” cookies

It is no secret that the list of recipes I want to try is an endless thing, but sometimes because of the large amount of recipes it is hard to choose just one (or two). I usually use the contents of the fridge and cupboard as a guide, but sometimes not even that is enough – I just need something more specific.

When inspiration doesn’t seem to be striking any time soon I turn to the lovely and fun Sarah Carey, and while I watched her make these cookies I thought of the jar of raspberry jam sitting in my cupboard and the homemade almond paste stashed in my freezer – that was when I knew exactly what I would be baking on the weekend. :D

These are delicious and dead easy to make; too bad I didn’t have apricot jam around – I am sure the cookies would taste amazing with it, too.

“Jamaretti” cookies
from the lovely Sarah Carey on Martha’s website

Cookies:
2 ¼ cups (315g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup almond paste – I used homemade
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
½ cup (1 stick/113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup jam (apricot, blackberry, or raspberry) – I used raspberry

Icing:
½ cup (70g) confectioners' sugar
2-3 teaspoons whole milk

Cookies: whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a food processor, pulse almond paste and sugar until smooth. Add butter, eggs and vanilla and blend until smooth. Add flour mixture and pulse until dough forms (here I added 30g of flour because my dough was much too soft). Divide into 4 equal pieces, wrap in plastic, and chill 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
On a lightly floured surface roll each piece into a 25cm (10in) log. Transfer logs to prepared sheets 10cm (4in) apart, then flatten to about 5cm (2in) across. Bake until just dry, 12-15 minutes.
Remove from oven; with the handle of a wooden spoon, make a trench down each log. Spread 2 tablespoons jam into each trench. Bake until golden brown, 8-10 minutes more. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.
Whisk together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Drizzle glaze over logs. Let glaze harden, 20 minutes. With a serrated knife, cut logs on the diagonal into 2.5cm (1in) slices (cut the cookies using the knife like a guillotine - don't use a sewing motion).
Store in airtight containers, up to 1 week.

Makes about 3 dozen – I cut my cookies slightly thinner and got 45

Raspberry jam rolls and "Hannibal"

After some thought, I decided to put Game of Thrones aside and go for something more interesting: between Bates Motel and Hannibal I ended up choosing the latter, Mads Mikkelsen and the comments left on my blog in Portuguese being the reasons. I’m halfway through the show and loving each and every minute of it: the dark atmosphere, the music, the writing and the great acting are amazingly combined and what a surprise it was for me to see Scott Thompson in a drama series (I loved The Kids in The Hall back in the ‘90s, wouldn’t miss it for the world).

I’m not a fan of Anthony Hopkins and after watching Manhunter I found Brian Cox a much better Hannibal Lecter; now I think Mads Mikkelsen is giving those two a run for their money. :D

***
One of the latest DH mag issues I received features one basic sweet yeasted dough turned into several different recipes – they look so beautiful I felt like baking them all, but started with the jam one since it was what I had in my fridge. It was, indeed, a great way to start: these rolls are really simple, yet very delicious.

Raspberry jam rolls
slightly adapted from the always gorgeous Donna Hay Magazine

1 ¼ teaspoons dried yeast
2/3 cup (160ml) whole milk, lukewarm
55g granulated sugar
450g all purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
100g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
200g raspberry jam
icing sugar, for dusting

Combine the yeast, milk and a pinch of the granulated sugar in a large bowl and set aside until foamy. Add the flour, remaining sugar, cinnamon, salt, eggs, vanilla and butter and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic (I used my Kitchen Aid with the dough hook for the entire process). Shape into a ball, transfer to a lightly buttered large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Butter a 12-cup muffin pan. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll it out onto a 60x25cm (24x10in) rectangle. Spread the jam over the dough leaving a 1cm border. Starting with the longest side facing you, roll the dough tightly to enclose the filling. Cut the roll into 12 slices and place each one of them, cut side up, into the muffin pan. Cover and set aside to prove again for about 40 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 10 minutes, then carefully unmold and transfer to the rack. Dust with icing sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12

Raspberry jam and pecan bars + a discussion about age

Some of my colleagues on Facebook were discussing actresses that actually look their age – the examples given were Charlotte Rampling and Fernanda Montenegro, then someone mentioned Judi Dench. I always say that when I think of myself in my seventies both Fernanda and Dame Dench come to my mind: talented, beautiful women who aren’t ashamed of all the years stamped on their faces, and I find that admirable – I would love to look that good when I’m older and yet, at the same time, to have so much more than just looks to be proud of.

The conversation went on and Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock were mentioned as opposite examples: their faces have been changed so much by “cosmetic” procedures that it’s even hard to read their expressions – Nicole’s performance in “Rabbit Role” (an excellent movie, btw) could have been epic, magnificent, but unfortunately the big, weird lips and frozen forehead did nothing for the character, especially in very emotional scenes.

The desperate fixation on eternal youth has made male victims, too: while getting my daily dose of gossip this morning I saw John Rzeznik’s wedding photo and for a moment I thought he was Joan Rivers. So sad. :(

People shouldn’t have to worry about silly things like looking 30 when they’re actually 60. Life should be simpler. Simple like jam bars (in this case, with an extra kick of flavor from the pecans).

Raspberry jam and pecan bars
slightly adapted from the always delicious Desserts from the Famous Loveless Cafe

1 cup (90g) rolled oats
1 ¼ cups (175g) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (130g) light brown sugar, packed
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
¾ cup (82g) pecans, not too finely chopped
¾ cup (1½ sticks/170g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
1 cup raspberry jam

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 32.5x22.5cm (13x9in) baking pan, line it with foil leaving an overhang on all sides and butter the foil as well.
Combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter and mix until it forms crumbs. Stir in the pecans. Reserve 1 ¼ cups of this mix. Press the remaining mix into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and slightly firm to touch. Remove from the oven, spread the jam evenly over the crust, then top with the reserved crumbs. Return to the oven and bake until the top is golden and filling is bubbly, 20-25 minutes. Cool completely before removing from pan and cutting.

Makes 18 – I made the exact recipe above using a 20x30cm (8x12in) pan

Almond tea cake

I had so much fun making the chocolate Victoria cake and the result was so wonderful that I couldn’t wait to bake a layer cake again – for that, I reached out for a cookbook with nothing but gorgeous layer cakes and found this delicious recipe, which would be perfect because I had some cream left in the fridge begging to be used – don’t know about you, but usually at my house it goes like this: if I don’t have cream at home, all I come across is recipes calling for cream; then, when there is a bottle of the stuff in the fridge, I can’t find anything calling for the ingredient. :S

It’s pretty much how it goes with TV, too: when I want to watch drama, there are dozens of comedies on, and vice-versa. Last Sunday the hubby and I were in the mood for something light, but ended up watching “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” – luckily it turned out to be a great movie. Oh, and the cake? It was pretty good, too. ;)

Almond tea cake
slightly adapted from the absolutely beautiful Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes

Cake:
1/3 cup (33g) almond meal
210g cake flour (or 180g all purpose flour + 30g corn starch)
1 cup + 3 tablespoons (236g) granulated sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
210ml heavy cream
150g unsalted butter, at room temperature, chopped
1 egg
3 egg yolks
½ teaspoon almond extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
heaping ¼ cup raspberry preserves, preferably seedless

Lemon curd:
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
½ tablespoon cornstarch
¼ cup (60ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
finely grated zest from 1 lemon
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Amaretto glaze:
1 cup (140g) confectioners’ sugar
1-2 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, lightly toasted and cooled

Make the cakes: preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter two 20cm (8in) round cake pans, line the bottom of each pan with a round of baking paper and butter the paper as well.
Combine the almond meal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixer bowl. With the mixer on low speed, blend well. Add the sour cream and butter and, still on low, blend to incorporate. Raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Put the whole egg and yolks in a medium bowl and whisk together, then whisk in the almond and vanilla extracts. Add the mixture to the batter in 2 or 3 additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition and beating only until the eggs are incorporated. Divide equally among the prepared cake pans.
Bake the cake layers for 25-30 minutes or until risen and golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in the pans over a wire rack.

While the cakes bake and cool, make the lemon curd: put the sugar and cornstarch in a small nonreactive saucepan and whisk to blend. Add the lemon juice and eggs yolks and whisk until smooth. Bring to a full boil over medium-low heat, whisking constantly. Allow to boil for a full minute, still whisking.
Pour through a mesh strainer into a glass dish. Whisk in the butter, lemon zest, vanilla and salt until blended. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it down onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Cool slightly, then refrigerate until very cold and set, about 2 hours. Stir well before using.

Assembling the cake: turn out the first cake onto a serving plate and gently peel off the paper. Spread the preserves over the cake, then spread the lemon curd over the jam, right to the edge. Top off with the other cake layer, and remove the paper.

Make the Amaretto glaze by sifting the confectioners’ sugar into a bowl. Add the amaretto and mix. Add about 1 tablespoon water a bit at a time–all may not be needed–to make a thick pasty glaze. Pour the Amaretto Glaze onto the center of the top layer and gently spread it to the edge, allowing it to slowly drizzle down the sides of the cake decoratively. Sprinkle with the toasted sliced almonds over the top and set aside until the icing is set.

Serves 8-10

Pb & jelly bars + a TV show I deeply love

One of my all time favorite TV shows is “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” – I began watching the show because of Vincent D’Onofrio and ended up addicted to it. I hated it when they added Chris Noth to the equation and completely abandoned the show when Jeff Goldblum took over – without Goren and Eames things weren’t interesting anymore.

With the help of my good buddy Netflix I’ve been watching the show from the beginning, from the very first episode, and enjoying it a lot: there are episodes I did not see back in the day when they were aired here and some of them I could barely remember (I’d forgotten how the whole Nicole Wallace thing had started, for instance). It’s such a joy to watch a talented actor in action – not many can be proud of their big break the way D’Onofrio can, and to be thanked during an Oscar speech having nothing do to with the movie in question is even for fewer – and it doesn’t hurt when they’re eye candy as well: if he’s your type you should really watch him dance with a very lucky lady in one of the show episodes: jump to 2:13. You’re welcome. ;)

Peanut butter and jam, such a classic combination: a very American thing I learned of when I started reading food blogs, many years ago. In these bars – which are dead easy to make – the combo is lovely and the flavors perfectly complement each other: Goren and Eames in food form. :D

Pb & jelly bars
slightly adapted from here

125g unsalted butter, melted
70g light brown sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
200g all purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
½ heaping cup raspberry jam
395g can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
1 cup unsalted peanuts*

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 20x30 (8x12in) baking pan, line it with allowing a 2cm overhang on all sides, and butter the foil as well.
Combine butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Sift flour, baking powder and salt over butter mixture. Stir until well combined. Press mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool.
Spread jam evenly over base. Place condensed milk, peanut butter and peanuts in a bowl. Stir until just combined. Pour milk mixture evenly over jam. Bake for 30 minutes or until edges are deep golden and center is just firm to touch. Cool completely in pan. Cut into bars.

* I had only salted peanuts at home, so I rinsed them thoroughly under cold water then patted them dry with paper towels

Makes 24

Poppy seed thumbprints

I'm a visual person so I am naturally drawn to cookbooks and magazines with beautiful photos - that is why I got hooked on Donna Hay Magazine, for instance; however, from time to time I try to use the cookbooks with the less gorgeous visual content because I know that I might be missing on some great recipes.

Carole Walter's book on cookies might not have the most beautiful photos around but the woman is a fabulous baker: everything I have made from it turned out delicious and the instructions are clear and precise. These thumbprints were a doddle to make and were a hit with the hubby's coworkers.

Poppy seed thumbprints
from the great Great Cookies: Secrets to Sensational Sweets

2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ cup poppy seeds
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly firm
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
raspberry preserves, or use the flavor you like the most

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
Mix together the flour, salt and poppy seeds in a large bowl. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter on medium-low speed until smooth. Pour in the sugar and mix just until incorporated. Add the egg yolks and vanilla, mixing only until blended. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the dry ingredients in two additions, mixing just to combine after each addition. Do not overmix or this dough will become oily.
Roll 1 leveled tablespoon of dough into balls place 5cm (2in) apart on a lined cookie sheet. Using a wooden spoon with a rounded handle no wider than 1cm (½in), make a deep indentation with the tip of the handle in the center of each cookie. Place the cookies in the oven. After 10 minutes, remove the cookies from the oven and re-press each indentation. Then fill the centers with preserves. Point the tip of the spoon down into the indentation and slide the preserves off with your fingertip. Do not overfill these or the preserves will run over. Return the cookies to the oven, rotating the pans top to bottom and front to back. Bake for 5-7 minutes longer until the cookies are golden brown around the edges. Using a spatula, loosen the cookies from the pans and cool on a wire rack.

Makes about 45 cookies

Coconut and raspberry cakes

I love baking with coconut - it's an ingredient I always have in my pantry. I had other plans for the coconut used in these adorable little cakes, but when I saw them on the magazine I could not resist. The cakes tasted great and were super tender, and it was also an opportunity to use the mini Bundt pans I hadn't used in ages; while unmolding the cakes I remembered why: it is always so difficult to remove them from the pans! Luckily the raspberry glaze covered some of the damaged parts, and it was so delicious I want to make it again to serve with vanilla ice cream or panna cotta.

Coconut and raspberry cakes
from Dish

Cakes:
280g unsalted butter, room temperature
280g granulated sugar
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
200g all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (100g) unsweetened flaked coconut
½ cup (120ml) whole milk, room temperature
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
about 2 ½ cups frozen raspberries

Raspberry glaze:
200g frozen raspberries
200g raspberry jam
½ cup (120ml) water
2 teaspoons icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Generously brush eight 200ml capacity mini Bundt pans with melted butter.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt over the mixture, add the coconut and fold the ingredients in along with the milk and lemon zest.
Fill the cake pans halfway full. Top with 5 raspberries, then spoon over the remaining batter. Top with 4 raspberries. Bake the cakes for about 30 minutes or until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool over a wire rack for 15 minutes then carefully unmold onto the rack. Cool completely.
Make the glaze: put the raspberries, jam and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir to combine. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture is thick and reduced. Remove from the heat and tip into a fine sieve over a medium bowl, using the back of the spoon to press the mixture until only the seeds remain in the sieve. Discard the solids. Add the icing sugar to the glaze, mix to combine, let cool then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Spoon the glaze over the cakes and serve.

Makes 8 – I halved the cake recipe above, used 1-cup capacity mini Bundt pans and got 4 cakes; ¼ of the glaze recipe was enough to glaze all the 4 cakes

Peanut butter and Port thumbprints

A long time ago I bought an adorable cookbook filled with recipes spiked with alcohol; but me being me, when it came to using the book I realized I did not have all those kinds of booze around the house – I don’t even have any tequila at home! – and therefore the cookbook patiently awaited on the shelf, up until the day it suddenly hit me: I had a bottle of Port begging to be used! That is how I ended up making these delicious cookies.

Peanut butter and Port thumbprints
from the lovely The Boozy Baker: 75 Recipes for Spirited Sweets

2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks/226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups (262g) light brown sugar, packed
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup peanut butter
¾ cup jam or jelly
3 tablespoons ruby Port

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until creamy and lighter in color. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the vanilla and peanut butter. Stir in the dry ingredients just until combined. Chill the dough for 20 minutes*.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
In a small bowl, mix together the jam and the Port and stir until smooth.
Scoop 1 heaping tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Place the ball onto the prepared sheets 3in apart. Press the center of each ball with your finger or a small measuring spoon. Carefully fill each cookie with the jam mixture.
Bake the cookies until slightly browned at the edges, about 15 minutes. Cool completely on the sheets over a wire rack.

* not enough time; I chilled the dough for 4 hours and it was still too soft; I would definitely add a bit more flour to the dough

Makes about 32 cookies – I halved the recipe, used 1 leveled tablespoon of dough per cookie and got 35; for the filling I used a generous 1/3 cup raspberry jam + ½ tablespoon Port

Rugelach - the cookie nightmare of perfectionists

I guess that this recipe tried to teach me a lesson: nothing worse for a perfectionist/control freak like me to realize that no, I won’t be able to shape all the cookies the same way and yes, some will be tiny and others will be huge. At least I waited for a cold day to make these (after the other rugelach fiasco) and despite the problems with the rolling and shaping of the cookies they turned out delicious – the cocoa and pecans work beautifully with the raspberry jam and the dough is so tender and flaky it resembles puff pastry.

Rugelach
from the delicious Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours

Dough:
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into cubes
226g (8oz) cream cheese, softened, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
2 ¼ cups (315g) unbleached all-purpose flour
approximately ½ cup raspberry or apricot preserves

Filling:
¼ cup (28g) pecans, finely chopped
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light brown sugar, packed
½ teaspoon cocoa powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until evenly combined, scraping the sides of the bowl once or twice. Beat in the sugar, vanilla, and salt. Reduce the speed to low. Add 1¼ cups of the flour and mix just until incorporated, then repeat with the remaining 1 cup of flour. Do not overmix.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Flour your hands well and gently knead to be sure that the ingredients are evenly distributed, about 10 seconds. Divide the dough into thirds. Shape each portion into a 2.5cm (1in) thick disk and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled and firm, about 2 hours.

Filling: combine the pecans, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa, and cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside.
Preheat to 180°C/350°F. Line two large baking sheets with foil.
Working with one disk of dough at a time (keep the others refrigerated), unwrap and place on a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour, and roll out into a 32cm (13in) diameter circle. Using a small offset metal spatula, spread with about 2 tablespoons of the preserves, leaving a 2.5cm (1in) border around the edge. Sprinkle the jam with about 2 tablespoons of the filling mixture. Using a sharp pizza wheel or large knife, cut the dough into quarters, then cut each quarter into 3 wedges, to give a total of 12 wedges. One at a time, starting at the wide end, fold the corners in about 6mm (¼in) and then roll up. Do not roll the rugelach too tightly or the jam and filling will ooze out. Keep the outside of each cookie free of the jam and filling, or they’ll tend to burn. Wipe your fingers clean after making each rugelach, or you will transfer the sticky interior of the last cookie to the exterior of the next one. Place each rugelach on the pans about 2.5cm (1in) apart, with the point of each facing down. Curve the ends of the rugelach slightly toward the point to make a crescent. Repeat this process with the other two disks of dough.
Bake until lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Cool completely on the pans.

Makes 3 dozen cookies

Linzer muffins and a new goal

I feel that some of you reading me right now will relate to the following situation: every time I go to the grocery store I buy ingredients I do not actually need just because I might need them for a certain recipe someday. Then days, months go by before I use those ingredients. And, shame on me, sometimes they go to the garbage can. I know, it’s awful. And I’ve done that too many times, I must confess.

I’ve decided to bring that kind of silly thing to an end and bake with the ingredients I have on hand. To achieve that goal, I made an inventory of my ingredients – inspired by Martha – and that resulted in these delicious, super tender muffins.

Linzer muffins
slightly adapted from the wonderful Gourmet Today: More than 1000 All-New Recipes for the Contemporary Kitchen

1 ½ cups (210g) all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups (150g) almond meal (finely ground almonds)
¾ cup (150g) superfine sugar
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (240ml) whole milk, room temperature
6 tablespoons (¾ stick/84g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
about 1/3 cup raspberry jam
confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Butter a muffin pan with twelve ½ cup capacity muffin cups.
Whisk together flour, almond meal, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Whisk together milk, butter, egg and vanilla extract in a small bowl, then stir into dry ingredients just until combined – do not overmix; batter should be lumpy.
Put a scant ¼ cup batter into each muffin cup. Top each with 1 rounded teaspoon jam. Divide remaining batter among cups. Bake until golden and muffins pull away from edges of cups, about 20 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 5 to 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Makes 12 – I halved the recipe, used 1/3 cup (80ml) capacity muffin pans and got 8 muffins

Bakewell slice and almost forgotten CDs and books

Trying to organize – at least a little – my CD collection I found this CD: I bought it in 1996 because of 3-4 songs but a couple of days later all the tracks had become favorites of mine – and still are. I absolutely love Erasure and even though I hadn’t listened to this CD in several months I instantly started singing along each and every song.

That kind of feeling is what made me want so badly to cook or bake something from "Feast" – despite having bought the book in 2007 I don’t use it very often, but I get something delicious every time I do; These bars are no exception.

Bakewell slice
from Feast: Food to Celebrate Life

Base:
1 ½ cups + 1 tablespoon (220g) all purpose flour
1/3 cup (47g) icing sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and chopped

Frangipane filling:
2/3 cup (150g/1 1/3 sticks) unsalted butter
4 eggs
¾ cup (150g) superfine sugar
1 ½ cups (150g) almond meal
2/3 cup (80g) flaked almonds
1 heaping cup jam

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 20x30cm (8x12in) metal baking pan, line with foil, leaving an overhang in two opposite sides. Butter the foil as well.
Start with the base: put the flour, icing sugar and salt into a food processor and blitz to combine and remove any lumps. Add the butter and process again to get a crumbly mixture that’s beginning to come together. Transfer mixture to the prepared pan and press into the base of the pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly golden.
Make the topping: melt the butter and set aside. Put the eggs, sugar and almond meal into the bowl of the food processor. Process until smooth.
Lightly toast the flaked almonds in a dry frying pan. Set aside.
When the base is cooked, remove it from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Spread the jam evenly over the base. With the processor motor running, pour the slightly cooled melted butter down the funnel into the other ingredients and process until smooth. Pour it over the jam layer and top with the toasted almonds. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan, over a wire rack. Cut into slices to serve – it’s best warm, but it tastes delicious at room temperature as well.

Makes 16

Raspberry Port linzer tartlets and a list of the movies I love

I’ve finally finished something I’d been meaning to do for ages: a list with my all time favorite movies – the ones I deeply love. It was rather difficult putting the list together – and I might have forgotten something, only time will tell – but it was a lot of fun doing it. It is posted here, if you’re curious. :)

These lovely tartlets were a similar challenge: the pastry was very difficult to work with – too crumbly – but it tasted so good it was all worth it. And the filling was delicious, too – raspberry jam spiked with booze? I’m in. ;)

Raspberry Port linzer tartlets
slightly adapted from The Boozy Baker

Dough:
1 ½ cups (157g) sliced almonds
2/3 cups (133g) superfine sugar
2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened
3 large egg yolks

Filling:
1 ½ cups raspberry preserves
3 tablespoons Port wine

Start by making the dough: combine the almonds and 1/3 cup (66g) of the sugar in a food processor and pulse until coarse. Add the remaining sugar (66g), flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt and pulse to combine. Add the butter and the yolks and process until a dough begins to come together. Turn the dough onto a clean surface and knead lightly to make it come together. Divide in two pieces, one slightly larger than the other, flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Make the filling: place the preserves in a small bowl and break it with a fork. Add the wine and mix to combine.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Roll the larger piece of dough between two pieces of lightly floured baking paper until you have a 30cm (12in) circle. Transfer to a lightly buttered 23cm (9in) tart pan with a removable bottom and press up the sides.
Roll the second piece of dough to a 30cm (12in) circle. Cut into strips, transfer to a baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes.
Pour the filling into the tart shell and smooth the surface. Remove the dough strips from the freezer and arrange half horizontally and half vertically across the tart, creating a lattice pattern.
Bake for about 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Cool completely in the pan over a wire rack. Remove the outer ring of the pan, cut into wedges and serve.

Serves 8 – I halved the recipe above, used 9cm tartlet pans and got 6 tartlets