Apple Cheddar Cranberry Turkey Meatballs

These meatballs are the kind of dish that, when you hear the name, you either get really excited or run away screaming. For the really excited camp, yay, glad you've joined me! For the run away screaming folks, stay. Please. I promise you'll be glad I converted you.

I read about these meatballs on The Not So Skinny Kitchen, and immediately added them to my to-do list (if you use an RSS reader, click through to see my foodie to-do list of recipes from around the blogosphere on the sidebar). Andy was perusing the list this evening, and lit up when he saw this recipe. He's usually so easygoing and is happy with whatever I decide to make, so I know that he means it when he has a special request.



I'm a total sucker for anything that combines fruit and cheese, which is what attracted me to this recipe in the first place. But they're also healthy, flavorful, moist, and light... a perfect early summer dinner. I used a granny smith apple, which I highly recommend. The tartness was an ideal complement to the other flavors.

Apple, Cheddar, and Turkey Meatballs
Adapted from The Not So Skinny Kitchen
Printable Recipe

1 pound lean ground turkey breast
1 egg
1 medium apple, peeled and shredded
½ cup 2% cheddar cheese, shredded
⅓ cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Using an ice cream scoop, shape into balls, and place on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake for 20 minutes, flip meatballs, and bake for 15 more minutes, or until browned. For extra browning, broil for 1-2 minutes.

Chocolate "Ice Cream" Cupcakes

For Part 2 of Shelby's birthday dessert-stravaganza (see Part 1 here), I did a little experiment. I've gushed before about how Omnomicon is one of my favorite food blogs, but I don't think I've ever made one of Aleta's recipes before today. She recently made a chocolate ice cream cake from a vintage cookbook. This cake shattered my belief that ice cream cakes must be frozen. No, my friends, for this cake, softened ice cream is mixed in with a box of cake mix and then baked. Aleta made hers in a bundt pan, but since my bundt pan hates me, I decided to make cupcakes instead.



I will never make another chocolate cake recipe as long as I live. Seriously. I'm not the biggest chocolate cake fan, but this is hands down the best I've ever made. It's incredibly moist, and the flavor's perfect. You can use any variety of ice cream and cake mix, but I stayed basic with Ben & Jerry's chocolate ice cream and Betty Crocker chocolate fudge mix.



This recipe made 24 regular cupcakes and 24 minis. I used Deb at Smitten Kitchen's cream cheese frosting recipe, and tinted it pink, Shelby's favorite color. For the regular-sized cupcakes, I used my favorite frosting injection technique. YUM.

Chocolate "Ice Cream" Cupcakes
Adapted from Omnomicon
Printable Recipe

1 box chocolate cake mix (or any other flavor)
1 pint chocolate ice cream, softened (again, any other flavor)
3 eggs
1 c. water
Preheat oven to 350^o.

To make cupcakes, line cupcake tins with paper liners or spray with baking spray (I like the Crisco brand with flour). To make a cake, grease a tube or bundt pan, then dust with cocoa powder.

Beat all ingredients together for 4 minutes. Pour into tins or cake pan and bake 17 minutes for regular cupcakes, 12 minutes for mini cupcakes, and 45 minutes for a cake. Serve with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar, a thin icing, whipped cream or the frosting of your choice.

Chocolate Raspberry Tart

Today is my good friend Shelby's birthday! I've looked forward to this weekend all month, knowing that I'd be continuing my new tradition of baking for my friends on their birthdays. I decided to go all out for this one, since Shelby holds a special place in my heart.



Moving away from LA to Oregon 3 years ago was an exciting adventure, but being away from family and friends was pretty lonely and isolating at first. Right around the time I started hanging out with Shelby, the loneliness magically started to disappear and I began to feel more at home here. I love having her in my life, and she's one of those people who I know I'll be friends with for a really, really long time.

Happy birthday, Shelbs!

When I asked what she wanted for her birthday treat, she said either a berry pie or a chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting. Well, I was feeling defiant this week and made neither. Instead, I made variations on both!



First up is a raspberry tart. I know that raspberries are Shelby's favorite fruit, and to tell you the truth, I'm scared of pie crust. So when my friend Julie emailed me a recipe for her favorite berry tart, I decided to make that instead of a pie. This tart is special because the crust is brushed with melted chocolate before adding the filling. I figure that the chocolate will cancel out any disappointment Shelby might have about not having a birthday pie.



Stay tuned for Part 2 of Shelby's birthday dessert, my wildly successful cupcake experiment.

Chocolate Raspberry Tart
From Julie
Printable Recipe
Serves 10

Crust
6 tbsp butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
3-oz. semisweet chocolate

Filling
3 cups fresh berries, divided
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water

1. Make the crust: In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in egg. When fully incorporated, stir in flour and salt until dough comes together. Press dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 350F. Roll chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface until it is large enough to cover a 9 or 10-inch round pie tin. Press into pan and up the sides. Poke bottom crust a dozen times with a fork.

3. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until edges just begin to turn golden. Cool completely.

4. When crust has cooled, melt chocolate in a small bowl and use a small offset spatula or pastry brush to brush an even layer of chocolate on the inside base and sides of the crust. Chill until ready to use.

5. Make the filling: Combine 1 1/2 cups of the berries with 3/4 cup sugar in a medium sauce pan. Whisk together water and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir into berry mixture. Cook, over medium-high heat, until berry mixture comes to a simmer and begins to thicken. Stirring occasionally, boil for about 1 minute. Transfer berry mixture to a large bowl to cool to room temperature.

6. When berry mixture has cooled, stir in remaining fresh berries. Pour berry mixture into prepared crust and spread into an even layer.

Refrigerate (up to 2 days) until ready to serve.

Post #200 & My First Giveaway!

I'll spare you the sappy talk about how, when I started this blog almost a year ago, I was too embarrassed for anyone to read it, and how much I've grown as a cook and photographer since then. What I will say is how grateful I am to have finally found a hobby that makes me smile, that gives me something to look forward to every day, and best of all, that has allowed me to connect with new friends.

In honor of this, my 200th post, I'm hosting a giveaway that I think is very much in the spirit of my blog. It's not a fancy new kitchen gadget, or even a brand new cookbook. It's my copy of How to Cook Everything: the Basics by Mark Bittman (you know he's my fave).

This little abridged "the Basics" version of HTCE was there with me through my very first experiments in the kitchen and was my trusty guide until I got a copy of the full book. It's not in perfect condition, but it's been well-loved, and I don't use it anymore, so I want to pass it on to someone out there as a little thank you for reading.



To enter: Leave a comment on this post. You can say anything, tell me who you are, where you're from, what you like to cook, how you found Playing House, or just say hi! Even if you don't want to enter the giveaway, I'd still love to hear from you. Seriously, it makes my day every time a comment pops up, so this is my passive-aggresive way of getting you to talk to me. A week from now, next Friday (June 6th) at 6 pm, I'll use a random number generator to pick a winner!

Hugs,
Amy I.

More Bars in More Places

To celebrate our last day of classes this year, my grad school cohort had a potluck feast today. Obviously, I had to bake something fabulous for everyone to ooh and ahh over.



I chose Raspberry Streusel Bars from the Joy of Cooking, because a) yum, and b) I had all the ingredients on hand already. I promise you that there will eventually be something other than raspberry and/or streusel baked goods here, but when I said I was a berry fiend, I meant it!

These bars are delicious. Much better than the raspberry streusel muffins I made last week. I bet they'd be amazing with any other kind of jam (I'm thinking blueberry), but I used the seedless raspberry that the recipe called for. I also used walnuts instead of almonds in the topping. Next time (and trust me, there WILL be a next time), I'll skip the almond extract in the crust and use vanilla instead. I don't mind a very subtle almond flavor, but it came across pretty strongly.

Note: The recipe format in the Joy of Cooking drives me batty. The ingredients are embedded in the text instead of a list at the beginning of the recipe. It's an accident waiting to happen for me (I'm sure I forgot to add something or other). I've adapted it below to be more Amy-friendly, and I hope you find it friendly too.

Raspberry Streusel Bars
Adapted from The Joy of Cooking
Printable Recipe

2 c. plus 1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 c. plus 2/3 c. sugar, divided
1/4 tsp. salt plus another 1/4 tsp. salt, divided
12 tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) plus 8 tbsp. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, divided, all cut into small pieces
3 tbsp. plus 2 tbsp. milk, divided
1 tsp. almond or vanilla extract
1 c. seedless raspberry preserves or jam
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 c. sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, or a combination of both
2/3 c. rolled oats
1 large egg

1. Generously grease a 13x9-inch baking pan.

2. In a food processor, blend 2 c. flour, 1/4 c. sugar, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 12 tbsp. butter pieces in on/off pulses until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs; be careful not to overprocess. In a small bowl, combine 3 tbsp. milk with the almond or vanilla extract. A bit at a time, add the milk mixture to the food processor, and process in on/off pulses until the particles begin to hold together. If necessary, add just enough additional milk so the mixture holds together but is not wet.

3. Firmly press the dough into the greased pan to form a smooth, even layer. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and another in the upper third. Preheat to 375. Bake the chilled dough in the center of the oven until barely firm in the center, 12-15 minutes. Spread jam evenly over the hot crust.

4. To prepare the streusel, blend remaining flour, sugar, salt, and the cinnamon in a food processor. Sprinkle remaining butter pieces over the top. Process until the mixture is well-blended. Turn out into a medium bowl.

5. Using a fork, stir almonds or walnuts into the mixture. Once combined, stir in rolled oats. In a small bowl, beat lightly together the egg and remaining milk. Stir into the flour mixture until streusel is moistened and forms small clumps. If necessary, add a tsp. or 2 more milk, until the mixture is just moist enough to clump. Sprinkle streusel evenly over the raspberry preserves, breaking up any large clumps.

6. Bake in the upper third of the oven until the streusel is nicely browned and the raspberry jam is bubbly, 25-30 minutes. Remove the pan to a rack and cool completely. Cut into bars.

Made-Up Marinade

Until now, I've always used bottled marinades for grilled meats and veggies. There's always something fun at Trader Joe's that I want to try. But now that I (sorta, kinda) know how to cook, I decided to make my own for our Memorial Day grill-fest. After a little Food Blog Search time, I chose to base my concoction on this recipe from the ever-reliable Kalyn at Kalyn's Kitchen. It was fantastic; another go-to recipe added to my repertoire!



I'm calling this my Made-Up Marinade because I grabbed anything in my kitchen that looked good and threw it in, making up the mixture as I went. It will probably never be the same twice. It was great on veggies, and the chicken was by far the moistest we've ever made. I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts, classic grilling veggies (peppers, onions, zucchini, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes), and my favorite: pineapple. Cut everything in relatively uniform chunks before arranging on the skewers.

Made-Up Marinade
Adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen
Printable Recipe

3/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. olive oil
2 tbsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. crushed garlic
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. Spike seasoning
Pinch of kosher salt and black pepper
Vegetables, pineapple, and boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

Whisk all ingredients (except veggies and chicken, obviously) together in a medium bowl. Place veggies in one Ziplock bag, and chicken in another. Pour half of the marinade into each bag, seal, and shake well to coat. Refrigerate until ready to grill, at least an hour.

Arrange veggies and meat on skewers and grill on high on a preheated grill until chicken is cooked through and veggies are nice and charred, and turning occasionally, about 15-20 minutes.

Memorial Day

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend! We're home from the East Coast. We had a fantastic time seeing family and friends, but I'm more certain than ever that I'm a permanent West Coast girl. Posting will be light for the next week or so (boo!) as I finish up my school year (yay!), but I'll be here every chance I get.

Hugs,
Amy I.

Little do they know, they're about to be marinated, skewered, and grilled!

Seeing Stars, 5.25.09

Happy Memorial Day! Hope you're enjoying the holiday (and taking a minute to remember what it's all about)! It's time for Seeing Stars, the weekly feature at Playing House where I highlight some of my favorite blog posts that I've "starred" in Google Reader.

Poking around the internet for delightful photos, recipes, and other interesting tidbits is one of my favorite things to do. I've been gathering more over at my Tumblr page if you'd like to take a look. You can find past Seeing Stars features here. Have a great week!

Colorful Address Books by Kathleen at Twig and Thistle


Perfecting Cannele by guest blogger Anne at The Kitchn


Posie Posts by Mackenzie at Something Old, Something New


Bahhh-licious! by guest blogger Paige at Design*Sponge


A Print a Day "Scalloped" Printables by Kristen at Paper Crave


Super Mario Mushrooms by June and Eve at Folding Trees

How to Cook Something: Chicken in Lemon Sauce

Welcome to this week's installment of How to Cook Something, my feature where I prepare one recipe per week from my favorite beginner's cookbook, How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. I started this adventure in a structured effort to learn my way around the kitchen, and I'm happy to say it's working so far.



This week's pick is Chicken in Lemon Sauce. I made a few changes to the recipe, namely using chives (from my herb garden) instead of leeks, and halving the amount of butter. My changes are reflected below. I belong to the school of thought that you can't go wrong with a white wine lemon butter chive sauce. You just can't.



To go along with the chicken, I baked up an Artisan Bread in 5 boule and sauteed some fresh local organic spinach. I squeezed half a lemon over the spinach and sprinkled it with some garlic salt right before taking it off the heat. It might be my new go-to veggie dish, it couldn't have been easier and was really flavorful.



We're off on a whirlwind trip to NYC for the holiday weekend to see family and friends. See you all next week!

Chicken in Lemon Sauce
Adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
Printable Recipe

Makes 4 Servings

A more-or-less traditional Provencal preparation, one that must be served with good bread, or at least a spoon for the sauce.

2 tbsp butter or olive oil
5 chives, chopped
1/2 c. dry white wine
1/2 c. chicken or vegetable stock, or water
1/2 tsp. fresh minced thyme
4 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (2 breasts), 1-1.5 lbs., rinsed and patted dry with paper towels, and cut into 1- to 1.5-inch chunks
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Minced fresh parsley leaves for garnish

1. Melt butter or heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chives and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the wine, stock or water, and thyme; bring to a boil and let bubble for a minute or two.

2. Add the chicken, turn the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer until the meat is barely cooked through, 5 or 6 minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon, set aside and keep warm.

3. Turn the heat to high and cook the sauce rapidly, stirring occasionally, until just about 3/4 c. remains; this will take 5-10 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the lemon juice.

4. Season with salt and pepper and return the chicken chunks to the sauce to heat through. Do not overcook. Garnish and serve immediately.

Button Cookies

I read about these button cookies on iDIY yesterday. Will someone please give me an occasion to make them? You can find the recipe here.


(Source)

That's Berry Nice

I have romantic visions of living on a berry farm someday. Until then, our backyard will make a fine little substitute.

Only the Most Exciting News EVER

So, you guys. I can finally tell you the secret I've been keeping for what seems like forever but has really only been a couple months. I have the best news to share today:

I'm the newest weekly columnist at Elizabeth Anne Designs - Living!



E. has invited some phenomenal blogging ladies to join the team, and I'm beyond flattered to be amongst such talent. You can find my weekly posts (mostly about food and garden with some randomness thrown in, kinda like Playing House) here, and be sure to take a peek this week as the other new columnists are introduced.

A big hi and welcome to anyone popping over here from EAD, I hope you'll stay and play with me!

Raspberry Streusel Muffins

Raspberries have been in abundance around here lately. This is the 3rd raspberry baked good I've made in about a week. I'm a berry fiend, what can I say?



Tomorrow morning, at my new job, we're having a data checking party. I know, sounds like a thrilling time, right? I actually think it is, but I'm a nerd like that. When I volunteered to bring breakfast, I'm pretty sure my new coworkers thought I was kidding. Can't wait until they see that I don't mess around with the home-baked workplace goodies. I hope they stay fresh until then!

Raspberry Streusel Muffins
Adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
Printable Recipe

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 beaten egg
3/4 c. milk
1/4 c. oil
2/3 c. fresh or frozen raspberries (or blueberries or other fruit)
1 recipe streusel topping (below, optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400. Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper baking cups, set aside.

2. In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, set aside.

3. In another bowl combine egg, milk, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened, batter should be lumpy. Fold in 2/3 cups fresh or frozen raspberries.

4. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. If desired, sprinkle streusel topping over batter in cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden and a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups, serve warm.

Streusel Topping:
Combine 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour, 3 tbsp. brown sugar, and 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon. Cut in 2 tbsp. butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 2 tbsp. chopped nuts (optional).

Seeing Stars, 5.18.09

Happy Monday! It's time for Seeing Stars, the weekly feature at Playing House where I highlight some of my favorite blog posts that I've "starred" in Google Reader.

This week my picks are lemon-y and colorful, which definitely reflects my mood these days.

Poking around the internet for delightful photos, recipes, and other interesting tidbits is one of my favorite things to do. I've been gathering more over at my Tumblr page if you'd like to take a look. You can find past Seeing Stars features here. Have a great week!

A Cake Fit for Brunch (featuring lemon layer cake with lemon curd and cream cheese frosting) by Kristen at The Kitchen Sink Recipes (Look! She and I have the same ruffly cake stand!)



Moo Card Photo Collage, a la Stinkerpants, from Sara at Stinkerpants



Rice - Summer Collection, featuring the lovely designs of Rice, by Holly at Decor8



Baked Lemon Pasta by Ree, The Pioneer Woman



{One Minute Photoshop Thoughts} by Nole at Oh So Beautiful Paper



Lemon-Poppyseed Mini-Brioches from Jeff at Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day



Crockpot Pho by Jaden at Steamy Kitchen

Double Chocolate Tapioca Puddin'

Very few foods hold such a strong sentimental value for me as chocolate tapioca pudding does. I was first introduced to the kind in the Whole Foods prepared foods section by my not-so-baby sister (Hi Al!) about 5 years ago, and it quickly became one of my favorite snacks.

Soon after that, I started working at a really intense, all-consuming, stressful job. My friends there were my lifeline, and our almost-daily lunch trips to Whole Foods in Glendale, California were often the highlight of my day. Obviously those trips included chocolate tapioca pudding, and if my memory serves me correctly, I converted at least one skeptic (Hi Erin!) into a chocolate tapioca lover. Ever since we moved to a smaller town with no Whole Foods, there's been a gaping hole in my heart where my beloved pudding used to be.



When I saw that my Adopt-a-Blogger mentor, Jenn, had a recipe for chocolate tapioca pudding, I added it to my foodie to-do list right away. I made it today, in part, to thank her for being an awesome new internet friend. She so graciously helps me with inane questions and also encouraged me to submit my photographs to Tastespotting for the first time a while back. It was always a far-off dream of mine to have a picture accepted there, and since then I've had 5 photos featured on the site!

As I tend to do, I made a few changes to Jenn's recipe. The biggest change was using white chocolate chips. The result was perfect-- not too chocolatey, not too sweet. A perfect imitation of the Whole Foods pudding I've been coveting.

Double Chocolate Tapioca Pudding
Adapted from Jenn Cuisine
Printable Recipe
Makes 6 Servings

Ingredients:
1 egg, beaten
2 3/4 cups milk
3 tbsp. tapioca
3 oz. white chocolate chips
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract or Godiva liquor

1. Mix everything except the vanilla or liquor together in a pot over medium heat. Stir constantly until mixture comes to a full boil – i.e. still boiling even while you are stirring.

2. Take off heat, add vanilla or liquor and stir. Let stand 5-10 minutes. Serve hot or bring to room temperature, refrigerate, and serve cold.

Seedlings: The Next Generation

Today I planted veggies in our new sunny plot of land. This area used to be overrun with invasive bamboo. Some people love it, but I'd much rather have a veggie patch.

There's still more room, so I'm hoping to add a few more heirloom tomato plants soon (I already have a Brandywine- my all time favorite- and German Striped tomato in big pots). I can never, ever, ever have enough tomatoes.

It's been rewarding using our homemade compost... hopefully the plants will like it too!

Salt-Kissed Buttermilk Raspberry Cake

What a busy week! I've been totally stressed out and anxious as a direct result of my lack of time to cook, bake, take pictures, and blog. Blogging (and producing blog fodder) has become a large part of how I choose to spend my free time. Needing to slow it down this week due to life happenings has given me new insight into how much I likey this little hobby of mine.

Finally this afternoon I was able to steal a bit of time for myself in the kitchen. Friends had us over for dinner, and of course I jumped at the chance to bring dessert. I wanted to use up some leftover buttermilk, so I made Salt-Kissed Buttermilk Cake with raspberries from Heidi Swanson's site 101 Cookbooks. I love the name... I'm always down to try any baked good that's been kissed with something.



Something went wrong with this one. Our oven usually is spot-on with temps and cooking times, but I needed to about double the cooking time since the middle of the cake stayed raw for so long, even though the edges were burning. I'm guessing this happened because I used a deeper (with a smaller diameter) baking dish than was intended for the recipe. As a result, the cake was pretty dry, but my homemade whipped cream saved the day there.

Also, I wasn't a fan of the salt. It actually kinda ruined the cake for me. Others at the dinner table claimed to enjoy it, but next time I'd skip the salt. I'm always glad to try a new recipe, but I probably won't be making this one again.

You can find the recipe here.

How to Cook Something: Whipped Cream

Welcome to my series How to Cook Something, where I prepare one dish each week from my favorite beginner's cookbook, Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, in an effort to teach myself the basics of the kitchen.

This week I made whipped cream to go along with a cake that I'll blog about soon. I had some heavy cream left over from Annmarie's birthday cake and this was a perfect way to use it up. The whipped cream section of HTCE is more like a few paragraphs of wisdom rather than an actual recipe, so I'll share some of Bittman's hints below. I poured the cream into the bowl of my KitchenAid mixer, turned it on medium-high, and gradually added as much sugar as my gut told me to (about a tbsp for about 2/3 pint of cream). After a few minutes, I had whipped cream-- imagine that!



Whipped Cream
Adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

There are 4 rules to follow when making whipped cream:
1. Use the purest cream you can find
2. Make sure the cream is very cold: whip it straight from the refrigerator.
3. Although it isn't essential, it helps to chill the bowl and beater as well.
4. Don't overwhip.

You can store whipped cream, covered and refrigerated, for several hours.

Daring Cooks: Ricotta Gnocchi

I'm honored to be participating in my first challenge as a member of the Daring Cooks. Just the simple fact that I had the guts to join the group shows how much progress I've made in the last year, never mind the fact that what I cooked was edible and real live people ate it and liked it!

The Daring Cooks is a group of food bloggers who make a different recipe each month together, and then all post about it on the same day. It’s a new offshoot of the well-established Daring Bakers, which boasts well over a gazillion members. Both the Cooks and the Bakers are now housed over at the new Daring Kitchen site, which is a phenomenal resource for any cook, whether you’re participating in the challenges or not.



This month’s recipe was ricotta gnocchi from the Zuni Café Cookbook by Judy Rodgers. The inaugural challenge was hosted by the Daring Kitchen’s lovely founders, Lis and Ivonne. I enjoy gnocchi, but I had only ever tried the potato kind...I even made it from scratch recently. I was thrilled that the first Cook's challenge was something within my slightly picky comfort zone. In the end, I prefer potato gnocchi, but I'm glad I had the opportunity to try the ricotta variety.

This was definitely the most complicated recipe I've ever made. There were a handful of obstacles to overcome, but I’m happy to say it was an overwhelming success. Some very forgiving friends came over to try it (I knew they’d be nice if I failed…thanks M&D!), and we had a lovely meal.



I did splurge on the fresh ricotta, and wound up having enough left over for a turkey burger experiment the next night. I served the gnocchi with two of my most tried-and-true accompaniments: marinara sauce and roasted asparagus.

The full recipe (along with tips from Lis and Ivonne) is below, including the instructions for the butter sauce that I switched out for the marinara.

Zuni Ricotta Gnocchi
Source: From The Zuni Café Cookbook.
Printable Recipe

Yield: Makes 40 to 48 gnocchi (serves 4 to 6)
Prep time: Step 1 will take 24 hours. Steps 2 through 4 will take approximately 1 hour.

Tips:
- If you can find it, use fresh ricotta. As Judy Rodgers advises in her recipe, there is no substitute for fresh ricotta. It may be a bit more expensive, but it's worth it.
- Do not skip the draining step. Even if the fresh ricotta doesn't look very wet, it is. Draining the ricotta will help your gnocchi tremendously.
- When shaping your gnocchi, resist the urge to over handle them. It's okay if they look a bit wrinkled or if they're not perfectly smooth.
- If you're not freezing the gnocchi for later, cook them as soon as you can. If you let them sit around too long they may become a bit sticky.

Equipment required:
- Sieve
- Cheesecloth or paper towels
- Large mixing bowl
- Rubber spatula
- Tablespoon
- Baking dish or baking sheet
- Wax or parchment paper
- Small pot
- Large skillet
- Large pan or pot (very wide in diameter and at least 2 inches deep)

For the gnocchi:
1 pound (454 grams/16 ounces) fresh ricotta (2 cups)
2 large cold eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) unsalted butter
2 or 3 fresh sage leaves, or a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg, or a few pinches of chopped lemon zest (all optional)
½ ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (about ¼ cup very lightly packed)
about ¼ teaspoon salt (a little more if using kosher salt)
all-purpose flour for forming the gnocchi

For the gnocchi sauce:
8 tablespoons (227 grams/1/4 pound/4 ounces) butter, sliced
2 teaspoons water

Step 1 (the day before you make the gnocchi): Preparing the ricotta.
If the ricotta is too wet, your gnocchi will not form properly. In her cookbook, Judy Rodgers recommends checking the ricotta’s wetness. To test the ricotta, take a teaspoon or so and place it on a paper towel. If you notice a very large ring of dampness forming around the ricotta after a minute or so, then the ricotta is too wet. To remove some of the moisture, line a sieve with cheesecloth or paper towels and place the ricotta in the sieve. Cover it and let it drain for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can wrap the ricotta carefully in cheesecloth (2 layers) and suspend it in your refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours with a bowl underneath to catch the water that’s released. Either way, it’s recommended that you do this step the day before you plan on making the gnocchi.

Step 2 (the day you plan on eating the gnocchi): Making the gnocchi dough.
To make great gnocchi, the ricotta has to be fairly smooth. Place the drained ricotta in a large bowl and mash it as best as you can with a rubber spatula or a large spoon (it’s best to use a utensil with some flexibility here). As you mash the ricotta, if you noticed that you can still see curds, then press the ricotta through a strainer to smooth it out as much as possible.

Add the lightly beaten eggs to the mashed ricotta.

Melt the tablespoon of butter. As it melts, add in the sage if you’re using it. If not, just melt the butter and add it to the ricotta mixture.

Add in any flavouring that you’re using (i.e., nutmeg, lemon zest, etc.). If you’re not using any particular flavouring, that’s fine.

Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the salt.

Beat all the ingredients together very well. You should end up with a soft and fluffy batter with no streaks (everything should be mixed in very well).

Step 3: Forming the gnocchi.
Fill a small pot with water and bring to a boil. When it boils, salt the water generously and keep it at a simmer. You will use this water to test the first gnocchi that you make to ensure that it holds together and that your gnocchi batter isn’t too damp.

In a large, shallow baking dish or on a sheet pan, make a bed of all-purpose flour that’s ½ an inch deep.

With a spatula, scrape the ricotta mixture away from the sides of the bowl and form a large mass in the centre of your bowl.

Using a tablespoon, scoop up about 2 to 3 teaspoons of batter and then holding the spoon at an angle, use your finger tip to gently push the ball of dough from the spoon into the bed of flour.

At this point you can either shake the dish or pan gently to ensure that the flour covers the gnocchi or use your fingers to very gently dust the gnocchi with flour. Gently pick up the gnocchi and cradle it in your hand rolling it to form it in an oval as best as you can, at no point should you squeeze it. What you’re looking for is an oval lump of sorts that’s dusted in flour and plump.

Gently place your gnocchi in the simmering water. It will sink and then bob to the top. From the time that it bobs to the surface, you want to cook the gnocchi until it’s just firm. This could take 3 to 5 minutes.

If your gnocchi begins to fall apart, this means that the ricotta cheese was probably still too wet. You can remedy this by beating a teaspoon of egg white into your gnocchi batter. If your gnocchi batter was fluffy but the sample comes out heavy, add a teaspoon of beaten egg to the batter and beat that in. Test a second gnocchi to ensure success.

Form the rest of your gnocchi. You can put 4 to 6 gnocchi in the bed of flour at a time. But don’t overcrowd your bed of flour or you may damage your gnocchi as you coat them.

Have a sheet pan ready to rest the formed gnocchi on. Line the sheet pan with wax or parchment paper and dust it with flour.

You can cook the gnocchi right away, however, Judy Rodgers recommends storing them in the refrigerator for an hour prior to cooking to allow them to firm up.

Step 4: Cooking the gnocchi.
Have a large skillet ready to go. Place the butter and water for the sauce in the skillet and set aside.

In the largest pan or pot that you have (make sure it’s wide), bring at least 2 quarts of water to a boil (you can use as much as 3 quarts of water if your pot permits). You need a wide pot or pan so that your gnocchi won’t bump into each other and damage each other.

Once the water is boiling, salt it generously.

Drop the gnocchi into the water one by one. Once they float to the top, cook them for 3 to 5 minutes (as in the case with the test gnocchi).

When the gnocchi float to the top, you can start your sauce while you wait for them to finish cooking.

Place the skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Swirl it gently a few times as it melts. As soon as it melts and is incorporated with the water, turn off the heat. Your gnocchi should be cooked by now.

With a slotted spoon, remove the gnocchi from the boiling water and gently drop into the butter sauce. Carefully roll in the sauce until coated. Serve immediately.

Freezing the gnocchi: If you don’t want to cook your gnocchi right away or if you don’t want to cook all of them, you can make them and freeze them. Once they are formed and resting on the flour-dusted, lined tray, place them uncovered in the freezer. Leave them for several hours to freeze. Once frozen, place them in a plastic bag. Remove the air and seal the bag. Return to the freezer. To cook frozen gnocchi, remove them from the bag and place individually on a plate or on a tray. Place in the refrigerator to thaw completely. Cook as directed for fresh gnocchi.

Seeing Stars, 5.11.09

Happy Monday! It's time for Seeing Stars, the weekly feature at Playing House where I highlight some of my favorite blog posts that I've "starred" in Google Reader. Poking around the internet for delightful photos, recipes, and other interesting tidbits is one of my favorite things to do. I've been gathering more over at my Tumblr page if you'd like to take a look. You can find past Seeing Stars features here.

Have a great week!

Bread + Jam by Jordan at Oh Happy Day!



















Neighborhood Fruit: Where to Find Fruit on Public Land by Kathryn at the Kitchn


















Pad Thai by my foodie blog mentor Jenn at Jenn Cuisine















Summer Sweet Raspberry Lemonade by Joy at Joy the Baker













Wallpaper Canisters by Mary at Olivet












Twitter Fail Whale Sushi by McAuliflower at Brownie Points


















Post No. 151 Stylin Stamps by Audrey at Parcel Post









Getting Started in Food Photography by Steve at Digital Photography School



















Summer in a Box by Grey at Grey Likes Weddings



















S'More Cupcakes, Please! by Rebecca at a Homemaker's Habitat

Baby's First Layer Cake

In honor of my sweet friend Annmarie's birthday tomorrow, I offered to make her a special treat. When she told me that her favorite flavors are chocolate and raspberry (mine too!), I knew I had to make this Double Chocolate Layer Cake from Gourmet magazine with this raspberry filling. This is quite the famous cake recipe, and one of the reasons I chose it was because the feedback (both on Epicurious and Smitten Kitchen) was overwhelmingly adoring, bordering on cake worship.



I'm an old pro at boxed cake mixes, but this was my very first layer cake from scratch. I had the best time making it, and I definitely learned a lot in the process, like what ganache is... though healthy Amy wishes I didn't know that!



I modified the recipe a bit to fit my 9" round cake pans (the original recipe calls for 10"). I had enough batter for 2 cake layers and 12 cupcakes, which I injected with the filling before frosting them with the ganache (thanks Mom for teaching me how to do that!). I baked the layers for 45 minutes and the cupcakes for 20.



I'm planning on starting a tradition of baking for my friends on their birthdays. Why didn't I think of this sooner?



Happy birthday, Annmarie!

Double Chocolate Layer Cake
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine
Printable Recipe

For cake layers
Non-stick baking spray
3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

For ganache frosting (Amy's note: I halved this and still had some left over. If you're making all the layers, make all the frosting)

1 pound fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

Special equipment:
2 10" round cake pans

Make cake layers:
Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper.

Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well. Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Make frosting:
Finely chop chocolate. In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth.

Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting to spreadable consistency).

After assembling cake with raspberry filling (below), spread frosting over top and sides. Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Bring cake to room temperature before serving.

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Raspberry Filling
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen (Amy's note: I also halved this and had plenty left over to pipe into the cupcakes.)
Printable Recipe

2 10-ounce bags frozen raspberries, thawed
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Take raspberries out to thaw while you prepare the ganache. Once thawed, puree raspberries in a food processor, blender or immersion blender. Press the puree through a fine-mesh strainer with the back of a spoon or rubber spatula, removing the seeds. Heat the puree in a small pot with the sugar and cornstarch until mixture boils, stirring constantly. As it boils, it should quickly thicken.

Let it cool complete before spreading it thinly over cake layers or piping into cupcakes.