Zucchini Parmesan

As I mentioned recently, we've had quite the zucchini bounty this year. When we got back from some time out of town and I went to check the garden, I found a real-life zucchini version of James and the Giant Peach. Seriously, a kid and some bugs could live inside that monstrosity of a vegetable.



So, of course, I had to find a way to use up all that zucchini. This was especially challenging since it's at the top of Andy's "Forbidden Vegetable" list, right behind mushrooms. This task was made infinitely easier when he suggested out of the blue that he might give it a chance it if it was slathered in breading, cheese, and sauce, and so Zucchini Parmesan was born.

I had a hard time finding a recipe I liked online, so I wound up adapting a recipe for Eggplant Parmesan from Gourmet magazine. This was a huge deal for me, because even very recently I would have been either ordering takeout or finding the easiest Rachael Ray/Sandra Lee version to make. Actively choosing to make something from Gourmet was a huge milestone for me.



Despite the milestone, though, I wasn't thrilled with the results for a couple of reasons. First, zucchini are not supposed to grow that big. The seeds and skin were incredibly tough to the point of inedibility (it's not a word, but you know what I mean), so that was irritating. Second, maybe I was a little too deliberate and methodical in my preparations (read: I like to space out sometimes when I'm cooking so it takes a bit longer), but the hours of work did not produce a stellar end result like I had hoped. I can't fault the recipe, though; it's for eggplant, not zucchini, and I had to make some guesses about how to adapt.

I'd recommend this recipe for use with eggplant, and just might revisit it when our backyard eggplants are ripe (almost there!). Otherwise, I'd say there's a good reason it's hard to find a zucchini parmesan recipe out there. The best thing to come out of this experience was that Andy actually enjoyed the zucchini, seemingly much more than I did. A step in the right direction!

For Gourmet's Eggplant Parmesan recipe, click here.

Lemon Tart

I spent the longest time coveting a tart pan. It was the last remaining piece of bakeware I needed to complete my well-stocked kitchen. I'm not sure why I hesitated so long (probably because it meant that I'd need to overcome my fear of tarts), but I recently finally took the plunge and bought one.



I made this lemon tart as the perfect ending to the feast Wendy and I made. Successfully making this tart, especially the lemon curd, was so empowering. It almost feels like, if I can make this tart, I can bake anything! Everything about it was divine. The only little snafu was that the crust started to look overcooked towards the end, so I made little foil shields, which then planted themselves in the curd, resulting in a few small blemishes. I need a pie crust shield!

Lemon Tart
Adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book
Printable Recipe

1 recipe Classic Tart Dough (see below)
7 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup grated fresh lemon zest (4 lemons)
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (4 lemons)
Pinch salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
3 tablespoons heavy cream, chilled

1. Roll the dough out into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured counter and fit into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Set the tart pan on a large plate and freeze the tart shell for 30 minutes.

2. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375F. Set the tart pan on a large baking sheet. Press a double layer of foil into the frozen tart shell and over the edges of the pan, and fill with pie weights. Bake until the tart shell is golden brown and set, about 30 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.

3. Carefully remove the weights and foil and continue to bake the tart shell until it is fully baked and golden, 5-10 minutes longer. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the tart shell cool slightly on the baking sheet while making the filling.

4. Whisk the egg yolks and eggs together in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the sugar until combined, then whisk in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Add the butter and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens slightly and registers 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes. Immediately pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl and stir in the cream.

5. Pour the lemon filling into the warm tart shell. Bake the tart on the baking sheet until the filling is shiny and opaque and the center jiggles slightly when shaken, 10-15 minutes. Let the tart cool completely on the baking sheet, about 1 1/2 hours. To serve, remove the outer metal ring of the tart pan, slide a thin metal spatula between the tart and the tart pan bottom, and carefully slide the tart onto a serving platter or cutting board.

Classic Tart Dough
Adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 tsp salt
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and chilled

1. Whisk the egg yolk, cream, and vanilla together in a small bowl. Process the flour, sugar, and salt together in a food processor until combined. Scatter the butter pieces over the top and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 15 pulses.

2. With the machine running, add the egg mixture through the feed tube and continue to process until the dough just comes together around the processor blade, about 12 seconds.

3. Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into a 6-inch disk. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Before rolling the dough out, let it sit on the counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes.

Daring Bakers: Vols-au-Vent

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.



I can't believe it. I seriously cannot believe I pulled this off. Furthermore, I can't believe that I had no problems, that it was one of the most fun things I've ever made, and that Julia Child somehow took over my body and guided me through this. Okay, maybe not that last part. But still. This went very well.



For this month's challenge, we were dared to make vols-au-vent, little vessels of puff pastry, which we were also required to make from scratch. These are traditionally served with savory fillings, but we were given the option to do a sweet filling instead if we preferred. I chose to do both, because I'm indecisive like that.



For the savory filling, I made a spinach and feta cheese mixture, a play on spanakopita. Nothing fancy, just sauteed fresh baby spinach, crumbled feta, and a sprinkle of garlic salt.



My sweet filling was white chocolate mousse topped with fresh raspberries. The mousse was our least favorite element of this adventure, and I wouldn't make it again so I won't share the recipe with you. I will, however, share with you that I'm officially determined to make a good mousse, and it's now at the top of my to-do list.



Big thanks to Steph for picking such a fun, challenging recipe! As always, pop over to the blogroll to see what my fellow Daring Bakers came up with. If I can do this, I'm pretty confident that anyone can.

Vols-au-Vent
Printable Recipe
Instructions by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon

Yield: 1/3 of the puff pastry recipe below will yield about 8-10 1.5” vols-au-vent or 4 4” vols-au-vent

Well-chilled puff pastry dough (recipe below)
Egg wash (1 egg or yolk beaten with a small amount of water)
Your filling of choice

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

2. Using a knife or metal bench scraper, divided your chilled puff pastry dough into three equal pieces. Work with one piece of the dough, and leave the rest wrapped and chilled. (If you are looking to make more vols-au-vent than the yield stated above, you can roll and cut the remaining two pieces of dough as well…if not, then leave refrigerated for the time being or prepare it for longer-term freezer storage. See the “Tips” section below for more storage info.)

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the piece of dough into a rectangle about 1/8 to 1/4-inch (3-6 mm) thick. Transfer it to the baking sheet and refrigerate for about 10 minutes before proceeding with the cutting.

4. (This assumes you will be using round cutters, but if you do not have them, it is possible to cut square vols-au-vents using a sharp chef’s knife.) For smaller, hors d'oeuvre sized vols-au-vent, use a 1.5” round cutter to cut out 8-10 circles. For larger sized vols-au-vent, fit for a main course or dessert, use a 4” cutter to cut out about 4 circles. Make clean, sharp cuts and try not to twist your cutters back and forth or drag your knife through the dough. Half of these rounds will be for the bases, and the other half will be for the sides. (Save any scrap by stacking—not wadding up—the pieces…they can be re-rolled and used if you need extra dough. If you do need to re-roll scrap to get enough disks, be sure to use any rounds cut from it for the bases, not the ring-shaped sides.)

5. Using a ¾-inch cutter for small vols-au-vent, or a 2- to 2.5-inch round cutter for large, cut centers from half of the rounds to make rings. These rings will become the sides of the vols-au-vent, while the solid disks will be the bottoms. You can either save the center cut-outs to bake off as little “caps” for you vols-au-vent, or put them in the scrap pile.
Dock the solid bottom rounds with a fork (prick them lightly, making sure not to go all the way through the pastry) and lightly brush them with egg wash. Place the rings directly on top of the bottom rounds and very lightly press them to adhere. Brush the top rings lightly with egg wash, trying not to drip any down the sides (which may inhibit rise). If you are using the little “caps,” dock and egg wash them as well.

6. Refrigerate the assembled vols-au-vent on the lined baking sheet while you pre-heat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). (You could also cover and refrigerate them for a few hours at this point.)

7. Once the oven is heated, remove the sheet from the refrigerator and place a silicon baking mat (preferred because of its weight) or another sheet of parchment over top of the shells. This will help them rise evenly. Bake the shells until they have risen and begin to brown, about 10-15 minutes depending on their size. Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF (180ºC), and remove the silicon mat or parchment sheet from the top of the vols-au-vent. If the centers have risen up inside the vols-au-vent, you can gently press them down. Continue baking (with no sheet on top) until the layers are golden, about 15-20 minutes more. (If you are baking the center “caps” they will likely be finished well ahead of the shells, so keep an eye on them and remove them from the oven when browned.)

8. Remove to a rack to cool. Cool to room temperature for cold fillings or to warm for hot fillings.

9. Fill and serve.

Michel Richard’s Puff Pastry Dough
From Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan
Yield: 2-1/2 pounds dough

2-1/2 cups (12.2 oz/ 354 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups (5.0 oz/ 142 g) cake flour
1 tbsp. salt (you can cut this by half for a less salty dough or for sweet preparations)
1-1/4 cups (10 fl oz/ 300 ml) ice water
1 pound (16 oz/ 454 g) very cold unsalted butter
Extra flour for dusting work surface

Mixing the Dough:
Check the capacity of your food processor before you start. If it cannot hold the full quantity of ingredients, make the dough into two batches and combine them.

Put the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse a couple of times just to mix. Add the water all at once, pulsing until the dough forms a ball on the blade. The dough will be very moist and pliable and will hold together when squeezed between your fingers. (Actually, it will feel like Play-Doh.)

Remove the dough from the machine, form it into a ball, with a small sharp knife, slash the top in a tic-tac-toe pattern. Wrap the dough in a damp towel and refrigerate for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the butter between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and beat it with a rolling pin until it flattens into a square that's about 1" thick. Take care that the butter remains cool and firm: if it has softened or become oily, chill it before continuing.

Incorporating the Butter:
Unwrap the dough and place it on a work surface dusted with all-purpose flour (A cool piece of marble is the ideal surface for puff pastry) with your rolling pin (preferably a French rolling pin without handles), press on the dough to flatten it and then roll it into a 10" square. Keep the top and bottom of the dough well floured to prevent sticking and lift the dough and move it around frequently. Starting from the center of the square, roll out over each corner to create a thick center pad with "ears," or flaps.

Place the cold butter in the middle of the dough and fold the ears over the butter, stretching them as needed so that they overlap slightly and encase the butter completely. (If you have to stretch the dough, stretch it from all over; don't just pull the ends) you should now have a package that is 8" square.

To make great puff pastry, it is important to keep the dough cold at all times. There are specified times for chilling the dough, but if your room is warm, or you work slowly, or you find that for no particular reason the butter starts to ooze out of the pastry, cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it . You can stop at any point in the process and continue at your convenience or when the dough is properly chilled.

Making the Turns:
Gently but firmly press the rolling pin against the top and bottom edges of the square (this will help keep it square). Then, keeping the work surface and the top of the dough well floured to prevent sticking, roll the dough into a rectangle that is three times as long as the square you started with, about 24" (don't worry about the width of the rectangle: if you get the 24", everything else will work itself out.) With this first roll, it is particularly important that the butter be rolled evenly along the length and width of the rectangle; check when you start rolling that the butter is moving along well, and roll a bit harder or more evenly, if necessary, to get a smooth, even dough-butter sandwich (use your arm-strength!).

With a pastry brush, brush off the excess flour from the top of the dough, and fold the rectangle up from the bottom and down from the top in thirds, like a business letter, brushing off the excess flour. You have completed one turn.

Rotate the dough so that the closed fold is to your left, like the spine of a book. Repeat the rolling and folding process, rolling the dough to a length of 24" and then folding it in thirds. This is the second turn.

Chilling the Dough:
If the dough is still cool and no butter is oozing out, you can give the dough another two turns now. If the condition of the dough is iffy, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. Each time you refrigerate the dough, mark the number of turns you've completed by indenting the dough with your fingertips. It is best to refrigerate the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns.

The total number of turns needed is six. If you prefer, you can give the dough just four turns now, chill it overnight, and do the last two turns the next day. Puff pastry is extremely flexible in this regard. However, no matter how you arrange your schedule, you should plan to chill the dough for at least an hour before cutting or shaping it.

Steph’s extra tips:

-While this is not included in the original recipe we are using, many puff pastry recipes use a teaspoon or two of white vinegar or lemon juice, added to the ice water, in the détrempe dough. This adds acidity, which relaxes the gluten in the dough by breaking down the proteins, making rolling easier. You are welcome to try this if you wish. (Amy's note: I did this and it worked beautifully!)

-Keep things cool by using the refrigerator as your friend! If you see any butter starting to leak through the dough during the turning process, rub a little flour on the exposed dough and chill straight away. Although you should certainly chill the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns, if you feel the dough getting to soft or hard to work with at any point, pop in the fridge for a rest.

-Not to sound contradictory, but if you chill your paton longer than the recommended time between turns, the butter can firm up too much. If this seems to be the case, I advise letting it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to give it a chance to soften before proceeding to roll. You don't want the hard butter to separate into chuncks or break through the dough...you want it to roll evenly, in a continuous layer.

-Roll the puff pastry gently but firmly, and don’t roll your pin over the edges, which will prevent them from rising properly. Don't roll your puff thinner than about about 1/8 to 1/4-inch (3-6 mm) thick, or you will not get the rise you are looking for.

-Try to keep “neat” edges and corners during the rolling and turning process, so the layers are properly aligned. Give the edges of the paton a scooch with your rolling pin or a bench scraper to keep straight edges and 90-degree corners.

-Brush off excess flour before turning dough and after rolling.

-Make clean cuts. Don’t drag your knife through the puff or twist your cutters too much, which can inhibit rise.

-When egg washing puff pastry, try not to let extra egg wash drip down the cut edges, which can also inhibit rise.

-Extra puff pastry dough freezes beautifully. It’s best to roll it into a sheet about 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick (similar to store-bought puff) and freeze firm on a lined baking sheet. Then you can easily wrap the sheet in plastic, then foil (and if you have a sealable plastic bag big enough, place the wrapped dough inside) and return to the freezer for up to a few months. Defrost in the refrigerator when ready to use.

-You can also freeze well-wrapped, unbaked cut and shaped puff pastry (i.e., unbaked vols-au-vent shells). Bake from frozen, without thawing first.

-Homemade puff pastry is precious stuff, so save any clean scraps. Stack or overlap them, rather than balling them up, to help keep the integrity of the layers. Then give them a singe “turn” and gently re-roll. Scrap puff can be used for applications where a super-high rise is not necessary (such as palmiers, cheese straws, napoleons, or even the bottom bases for your vols-au-vent).

Print Me!

Hi friends! I'm happy to share a fun new feature that I've spent all night working on. What, you don't sit at home and tinker with your blog on Saturday nights?

Playing House is now featuring Printable Recipes!

In any post with a recipe, past or future, you'll find a link that says "Printable Recipe." Just click on the link and you'll be taken to a printer-friendly page, where you can print the recipe using your web browser's print function. I love this feature on other blogs I read, so I hope you find it helpful!

Homemade Pasta

When Wendy came to visit, we had planned a ridiculously long list of recipes we wanted to make together. In the end, we only wound up making one meal together, but it was the meal to end all meals. You shoulda been there.



On the menu:
* Homegrown Heirloom Caprese salad
* Homemade Pasta with Marinara sauce, both from scratch
* Lemon Tart (post coming up next week!)

We don't have a pasta machine, so this was genuinely made completely by hand. We used a recipe from The Pioneer Woman's friend Pastor Ryan. Click on over to Ree's site for lots of pictures and a printable recipe. The texture wasn't quite like anything I've ever had, even the fresh egg pasta in the refrigerator section of the grocery store, which I love. It was thick, a bit chewy, and quite unwieldy... and all 4 of us at the table devoured it. It's incredible how 2 simple ingredients, flour and eggs, can come together into something so tasty. We could taste the love and effort that went into it.

Wendy cutting the pasta:


Making pasta by hand made me want to run out and buy the pasta roller/cutter attachment for my KitchenAid mixer. Does anyone have it? Thoughts?

CEiMB: Sweet & Spicy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

It's Thursday, Craving Ellie in My Belly day! This week's Ellie Krieger recipe is Sweet & Spicy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, chosen by Leslie at Lethally Delicious.



I typically have an aversion to making sandwiches for dinner. If I'm going to the effort to cook, I want to have more to show for it than "just" a sandwich. Making this dish proved to me that my assumptions have been a bit off; t was hearty, filling, and delicious! I'm going to give sandwiches more of a chance from now on. I served them with creamy tomato soup (recipe coming soon!) and mixed greens with hearts of palm and fresh mozzarella. Thanks to Leslie for a great pick!
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A note about this photo: The inconsistent quality of my food photos has been on my mind lately, specifically photos like this taken at night in my crappy kitchen lighting. I've been coveting a Lowel Ego light, but I'm on a grad student budget, and too impatient to wait 3 whole months for my birthday. So! We bought a replacement bulb for a fraction of the price, and my Macgyver husband rigged a setup for me. It's perfect for my needs, and I'm extremely pleased with the photo quality (the photo above was my first experiment with the new light). I wanted to share this in case anyone else is in the same situation. It can be done!
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Sweet & Spicy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Adapted from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger
Printable Recipe

2 teaspoons canola oil
1 large red onion, finely diced
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces sharp Cheddar, thinly sliced, divided
8 slices whole-wheat bread
3 ounces pepper Jack cheese, thinly sliced, divided
1 large or 2 medium beefsteak or hothouse tomatoes, sliced
Cooking spray

1. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lower heat to medium. Add onions and saute, stirring, until edges are browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

2. Place 3/4-ounce Cheddar on 1 slice bread. Spread 1 tablespoon caramelized onions on top of cheese and top with 3/4-ounce pepper Jack. Top with 1 large or 2 medium slices tomato and other slice of bread. Repeat with 3 other sandwiches.

3. Spray a nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray and heat until hot. Place a sandwich on griddle and weigh down with a heavy skillet or plate. Lower heat to medium-low and grill until underside is a deep brown but not burnt and cheese is partially melted, about 5 to 6 minutes. Flip sandwich and grill other side, an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Slice in half and serve hot.

Red Velvet Black & White Cookies

Another recipe crossed off my Foodie To-Do list! Other than my constant struggle with any recipe that involves making icing look neat and/or pretty (I like to say I make "rustic-looking" desserts), these sweet treats were really fun to make, and a creative twist on the half-moon cookies I loved growing up.



I made these as a welcome treat for my dear friend Wendy who came to visit recently. She's one of my closest friends, but we had never met in person before! Believe it or not, we met... online! About a year and a half ago, when we were both planning our weddings, we connected on the forums of a popular wedding blog, and had ridiculous amounts of coincidental things in common. Since then, we've become really close, emailing/writing/talking almost every day. I'm so honored that she made the trip out here from the East Coast, and we had the best time. Stay tuned for a detailed account of an epic feast we cooked together.

Red Velvet Black & White Cookies
Adapted from Joy the Baker, who adapted them from Rachael Ray
Printable Recipe
Makes 10 large cookies

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
5 Tablespoons butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 Tablespoon red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk

For Vanilla Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
1 Teaspoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Chocolate Glaze
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
3 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, or grease and flour the pan well so the cookies don’t stick. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

2. Using a mixer, beat 5 Tablespoons of butter with the granulated sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg, food coloring and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk until smooth.

3. Place 1/4-cup scoops of batter 2 inches apart of the prepared baking sheet, spread the batter out a bit with a butter knife. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, 12 to 15 minutes. Let the cookies sit for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool.

4. To make the glazes: In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon of corn syrup and 2 tablespoons hot water, until smooth. That’s your vanilla glaze.

5. In a separate bowl, melt the butter and the chocolate in a microwave for about 1 minute. Add the corn syrup and stir until smooth. That’s your chocolate glaze!

6. Once the cookies are cooled, face them all bottom side up of a clean surface. Spread half of the cookie with vanilla glaze and the other half with chocolate glaze. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to set. Enjoy!

Lemon Lemon (Lemon) Loaf

Remember when my mother-in-law bought me Baked? I'm thrilled to say I finally cracked it open. I can't believe I waited this long, and I hope I never go more than a few weeks without making something from this book. The first thing I made from the book was the Lemon Lemon Loaf, except I'm calling it Lemon Lemon (Lemon) Loaf, because it's a triple whammy of lemon flavor: cake, syrup, AND glaze.



This cake is my new favorite thing ever. You may have already noticed this, but I'm a huge lemon fan-- I've been eating them plain since childhood-- and will take as much strong lemon flavor as you'll give me. In fact, I have at least 2 other lemony posts scheduled in the next week. This cake was a hit with people who don't feel quite as strongly, though, so don't let the triple dose scare you away.

The book says the glaze is optional, but I'm going to be uncharacteristically assertive here and demand that, if you make this cake, you make the glaze. It's totally 100% key to the cake's smashing success.

Lemon Lemon (Lemon) Loaf
Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking
Printable Recipe
Makes 2 9x5x3 loaves

For the Lemon Cake:
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups sugar
8 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup grated lemon zest (from about 4 lemons)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Lemon Syrup:
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar

For the Lemon Glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted, or more if needed
4 to 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Make the Lemon Cakes:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the sides and bottom of two 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray the paper.

2. Sift both flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.

3. Put the sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse until combined. With the motor running, drizzle the butter in through the feed tube. Add the sour cream and vanilla and pulse until combined. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

4. Sprinkle the flour mixture, one third at a time, folding gently after each addition until just combined. Do not overmix.

5. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes, rotate the pans, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F., and bake for another 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

6. Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the Lemon Syrup:
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

2. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper or Silpat and invert the loaves onto the pan. Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the loaves.

3. Brush the tops and sides of the loaves with the lemon syrup. Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush again. Let the cakes cool completely, at least 30 minutes.

The soaked but unglazed loaves will keep, wrapped in two layers of plastic wrap and frozen, for up to 6 weeks.

Make the Lemon Glaze:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and 4 tablespoons of the lemon juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable. If the mixture is too stiff, add up to another 2 tablespoons lemon juice and whisk again, adding small amounts of lemon juice and/or confectioners' sugar until you get the right consistency. Pour the lemon glaze over the top of each loaf and let it drip down the sides. Let the lemon glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.

The glazed loaves will keep for up to 3 days, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Seeing Stars, 9.21.09

Welcome to Seeing Stars, my weekly roundup of blog posts I've "starred" in my Google Reader. This is my last week of summer freedom before I begin my final year of graduate school. I'll be doing as much as I can to celebrate these few remaining days of precious free time! Have a great week!

Pumpkin Mushrooms by Athena at Martha Stewart's The Crafts Dept.


Font Crush - Cordial Bloom by Nole at Oh So Beautiful Paper


I Spy: Mish-Mash Lantern Garland by Sara at Party Perfect


Goldfish Jelly by Ange at Lushlee


Pup & Pony Press by Kristen at Paper Crave, featuring the clever and whimsical letterpress work of Pup & Pony Press

Chocolate Peanut Butter Alliecakes

Today is my baby sister Allie's birthday! I'm pretty bummed that I can't be with my her to celebrate (she's playing with our mom in Omaha), so I baked her favorite cupcakes, chocolate with peanut butter frosting!



I thought she'd appreciate the gesture even though she can't actually be here to enjoy one herself. I'm secretly hoping she'll swing by Oregon on her way back home to L.A. to share one with me (hint, hint!).



Top 5 reasons why Allie is the best:
5. You have the best hair in the family
4. Our lifetimes' worth of inside jokes
3. Everybody loves you, it's virtually impossible not to
2. You make me laugh harder than pretty much anyone
1. You just are. The best.



Happy 24th, little one! Love you!!



Printable Recipe
One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes
Makes 18 cupcakes

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
3/4 c. buttermilk
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. warm water

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners (Amy's note: I always use baking spray with flour instead). With an electric mixer on medium speed, combine dry ingredients. Reduce speed to low. Add eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and water; beat until smooth and combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

2. Divide batter evenly among 18 cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto rack and cool completely.

Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 3 months in an airtight container.

Peanut Butter Frosting
Adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book
Makes 3 cups, enough for 24 cupcakes or the top of 1 sheet cake

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into chunks and softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Beat the butter, peanut butter, cream, vanilla, and salt together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, 1-2 minutes.

2. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low, slowly add the confectioners' sugar, and beat until incorporated and smooth, 4-6 minutes. Increase the mixer speed and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, 5-10 minutes.

Homegrown Heirloom Caprese

Besides berries and sunshine, heirloom tomatoes are my favorite thing about summer. I'm so thrilled that, after 3 years of trying, we finally grew some successfully in our backyard.


Brandywines (my all-time favorite variety, the flavor is heavenly), and giant Striped Germans

I'm a firm believer that, when you have such beautiful, flavorful produce, the best way to serve it is simply. Other than bruschetta and eating them plain like apples, a good caprese salad is my favorite way to prepare summer tomatoes.



I was excited to try making a balsamic reduction to drizzle over the caprese, but the recipe I used didn't achieve the desired effect. It certainly reduced in quantity, but it didn't produce the syrupy texture I was hoping for. Will definitely keep trying, though. Anyone have tips for a successful reduction? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Caprese Salad
Printable Recipe

Arrange sliced tomatoes, basil leaves, and fresh buffalo mozzarella on salad plates. Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a sprinkle of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (I skip the pepper, I'm not a fan. Heresy, I know). Enjoy while you can still get these beautiful summer tomatoes (unless you're in the Southern hemisphere... happy end of winter to you!).

Green Bean Salad with Corn, Barley, and Arugula

One of my favorite things to do on vacation is cook for friends and family (...big surprise). On our recent trip to Palm Springs, I had the chance to cook and bake a few different times (you've already seen my pièce de résistance). I made this salad to accompany a family barbecue feast, and it was devoured by all, even my salad-wary dad (he especially liked the feta).



This salad was quite similar to the Green Bean, Corn, and Tomato Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette that I made earlier this summer, and I can't quite decide which one I like better. Can I take the easy way out and say both?!

Green Bean Salad with Corn, Barley, and Arugula
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Printable Recipe
Serves 6

1/3 cup pearl barley
1/2 pound green beans trimmed and cut into inch-long segments
1 cup fresh corn kernels (from about 1 large or 2 small ears)
4 oz. baby arugula (if you can't find baby arugula, coarsely chop the regular-sized leaves before adding to the salad)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

1. Cook barley in medium saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Drain; cool. Transfer to large bowl.

2. Cook green beans in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain. Transfer beans to bowl of ice water to cool. Drain well. Transfer to bowl with barley. Mix in corn kernels. Washed and dry arugula; add to bowl with barley mixture.

3. Whisk olive oil, vinegar, shallots, thyme and Dijon mustard in small bowl to blend. Pour dressing over barley mixture to coat. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with feta and serve.

Garlic and Herb Tomatoes

Ina Garten is my favorite Food Network chef. I could watch her all day, and her recipes without fail always appeal to my tastes. I've also been battling a serious cookbook addiction, and have been collecting new ones at an alarming rate. It's gotta be pathological.



One of my most recent acquisitions was Ina's Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics. This pan-roasted tomato recipe from the book called out to me as the perfect accompaniment to a variety of dishes, and also a great way to take advantage of our backyard cherry tomato bounty (along with our homegrown thyme and basil)! I served it this time with Lemony Pasta with Broccoli, Walnuts, and Toasted Breadcrumbs, but it would also be wonderful on top of grilled chicken or on the side with a panini or grilled cheese sandwich.

Garlic and Herb Tomatoes
Adapted from Ina Garten
Printable Recipe

3 tablespoons good olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
2 pints cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan large enough to hold all the tomatoes in one layer. Add the garlic to the oil and cook over medium heat for 30 seconds.

2. Add the tomatoes, basil, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 to 7 minutes (Amy's note: mine took about 12 minutes), tossing occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to loose their firm round shape.

3. Sprinkle with a little fresh chopped basil and parsley and serve hot or at room temperature.

Seeing Stars, 9.15.09

Welcome to Seeing Stars, my weekly roundup of blog posts I've "starred" in Google Reader by other bloggers I admire. Hope you all have a great week!

Green on the Go: Top 10 Reusable Utensil Sets by Emily at The Kitchn


Bananas & Paper by Epicute


Finally! A Heart-Shaped Watermelon by Erin at Serious Eats


By Color by Jordan at Oh Happy Day!


Brilliant Marketing: Sydney International Food Festival by the always resourceful Jenny at Geek in Heels

Daring Cooks: Vegan Indian Dosas

It's time for another Daring Cooks challenge! This month's host was Debyi from The Healthy Vegan Kitchen. Not surprisingly, Debyi chose a recipe that is both healthy... and vegan! Her pick was Indian Dosas, savory pancakes wrapped around a curried veggie filling and topped with a coconut curry sauce.

I'm a fan of delicious fillings wrapped in starchy packages: burritos, crepes, mu shu, calzones, blintzes, you name it. This recipe is an Indian take on that theme. Similar to last month's Daring Cooks Spanish Rice challenge, this dish has 3 distinct parts: the thin dosa pancakes, the chickpea/veggie filling, and the coconut curry sauce.

Chickpea/Veggie Filling:


Coconut Curry Sauce:


Surprisingly, I didn't find this challenge too challenging. I know. It's weird. I really don't think it's because I've been getting better at cooking, though. I think it's because this is a straightforward recipe, and Debyi selected it because she wanted to show us that vegan food can be approachable and delicious, which she quite successfully did. Yes, it was time-consuming, but certainly not difficult like the first few Daring Cooks challenges. Thanks to Debyi for introducing us to a tasty new meal!

The complete package:


I made a few small adaptations: couldn't find banana peppers so I used a jalapeno, and added a bit of water several times to the filling as it cooked, since it seemed quite dry. In the sauce, I accidentally added only half of the vegetable broth. I added a bit more after the fact, but I don't think it affected the final result, and if it did, it was for the better because the sauce was divine.

As always, pop on over to The Daring Kitchen if you'd like to see how all the other Daring Cooks fared this month!

Indian Dosas
Printable Recipe
Debyi says: This recipe comes in 3 parts, the dosas, the filling and the sauce. It does take awhile to make, but the filling and sauce can be made ahead and frozen if need be. You can serve them as a main course with rice and veggies, or as an appetizer.
Serves 4

Dosa Pancakes
1 cup (120gm/8oz) spelt flour (or all-purpose, gluten free flour)
½ tsp (2½ gm) salt
½ tsp (2½ gm) baking powder
½ tsp (2½ gm) curry powder
½ cup (125ml/4oz) almond milk (or soy, or rice, etc.)
¾ cup (175ml/6oz) water
cooking spray, if needed

1. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, slowly adding the almond milk and water, whisking until smooth.

2. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray your pan with a thin layer of cooking spray, if needed.

3. Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the center of your pan in a circular motion until it is a thin, round pancake. When bubbles appear on the surface and it no longer looks wet, flip it over and cook for a few seconds. Remove from heat and repeat with remaining batter. Makes 8 pancakes.

Curried Garbanzo Filling
Debyi says: This filling works great as a rice bowl topping or as a wrap too, so don't be afraid to make a full batch.

5 cloves garlic
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 green pepper, finely diced (red, yellow or orange are fine too)
2 medium hot banana chilies, minced
2 tbsp (16gm) cumin, ground
1 tbsp (8gm) oregano
1 tbsp (8gm) sea salt (coarse)
1 tbsp (8gm) turmeric
4 cups (850gm/30oz) cooked or canned chick peas (about 2 cans)
½ cup (125gm/4oz) tomato paste

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium to low heat. Add the garlic, veggies, and spices, cooking until soft, stirring occasionally.

2. Mash the chickpeas by hand, or in a food processor. Add the chickpeas and tomato paste to the saucepan, stirring until heated through.

Coconut Curry Sauce
Debyi says: This makes a great sauce to just pour over rice as well. This does freeze well, but the texture will be a little different. The flavor is still the same though.

1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic
½ (2½ gm) tsp cumin, ground
¾ (3¾ gm) tsp sea salt (coarse)
3 tbsp (30gm) curry powder
3 tbsp (30gm) spelt flour (or all-purpose GF flour)
3 cups (750ml/24oz) vegetable broth
2 cups (500ml/24oz) coconut milk
3 large tomatoes, diced

1. Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and garlic, cooking for 5 minutes, or until soft.

2. Add the spices, cooking for 1 minute more. Add the flour and cook for 1 additional minute.

3. Gradually stir in the vegetable broth to prevent lumps. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the coconut milk and tomatoes, stirring occasionally.

4. Let it simmer for half an hour.

Top pancakes with filling and roll. Top with coconut curry sauce, and serve with grated coconut and cucumber slices.

Farmers Market, 9.12.09

A few shots from today's trip to the Farmers Market, my favorite Saturday morning activity. I've been playing around more with the manual settings on my camera, so these shots are all the results of a little experimentation and a lot of wishful thinking. Hope you're all having a great weekend!

Zucchini Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Like many of you, we've had quite a zucchini bounty in our garden this year. I had always heard about their reputation for producing ridiculous amounts of fruit in backyard veggie patches, and this was the first year I dared to plant some. This is what happens when you're out of town 2 weekends in a row and forget to check the garden:


More on that monstrosity in a few days.

While trying to decide what to do with some of our surplus, I remembered a post by the lovely Kristen of Dine and Dish. She recently started an initiative called Clicks 4 a Cause, where she's donating all the proceeds for the rest of the year from ads on her blog to her dear friend Ann's cancer treatment, and she's encouraging other bloggers to do the same for any cause they're passionate about.



Kristen's moving post about Ann and Clicks 4 a Cause also included a recipe for Zucchini Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting. I'm not going to share the recipe or my minor adaptations to it, because I'd like to ask that you visit Kristen's blog instead. If even one of you clicks over to Dine and Dish (you don't even have to click on an ad, just visiting her blog helps!), we will be doing a small part together for this generous undertaking. This is just another example of why I love the blogging world: so much love for strangers floating around out there!

I will say that these bars were a huge hit with both Andy's and my coworkers. And Andy, who hates zucchini, was giddy with excitement when he came home at the end of the day and saw that I had saved him an extra one. I highly recommend this if you're looking for a crowd pleaser. And again, for Kristen's Zucchini Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting recipe, click here!

Lemony Pasta with Broccoli, Walnuts, and Toasted Breadcrumbs

I've had Pasta with Lemon, Broccoli, Walnuts, and Toasted Breadcrumbs from Susan at Food Blogga on my Foodie To-Do list (over there on the right sidebar) forever. In fact, it may have been one of the recipes that inspired me to start the list in the first place, that's how long I've wanted to make this dish. Many of my favorite flavors rolled into one meal. Now that's efficiency!



I'm happy to say that I finally got around to crossing it off the list. With a few changes (i.e. adding in a LOT more lemon than the recipe called for), I hit the sweet spot where everything came together quite nicely.

This was my first time making fresh breadcrumbs (I've always used the canned variety, which I have been informed is the ultimate foodie faux pas), so that was empowering. Yeah. I made a batch of Ina Garten's Garlic and Herb Tomatoes (recipe coming soon) on the side, and wound up tossing a bunch in with the pasta as well. It added a lot more flavor and color, which is never (ok, rarely...) a bad thing.

Lemony Pasta with Walnuts, Broccoli, and Toasted Breadcrumbs
Adapted from Food Blogga
Printable Recipe

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
2 small shallots or 1 large, thinly sliced
4 cups broccoli florets
About 2 tsp fresh lemon juice, plus more as desired
1 tsp lemon zest
8 oz pasta (your favorite shape... the ridgy or spiral-y kinds are especially good with this)
½ cup walnuts, toasted (see directions below)
½ cup breadcrumbs, toasted (see directions below)
A few shakes of crushed red pepper
A few shakes of salt
Freshly grated Grana Padano
Some good olive oil to drizzle on top

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Layer walnuts on a baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes, until slightly golden and aromatic.

2. To toast the breadcrumbs, place in a skillet on the stovetop; slightly shake until golden and evenly toasty, just a couple of minutes. Remove from pan, so that the heat won’t continue to toast them.

3. Cook pasta in salted water according to directions.

4. Add olive oil to a skillet. Over medium heat, sauté garlic and shallots until slightly caramelized. Add the broccoli, lemon juice and zest, red pepper flakes, and salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the broccoli turns a brilliant green and remains firm to the touch. Add your cooked pasta to the skillet with the broccoli mixture, and toss in the toasted walnuts and breadcrumbs. Taste and squeeze more lemon juice in to reach desired flavor.

5. Sprinkle with a healthy dose of grated Grana Padano cheese and some fresh parsley. Finish with a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil.

Serves 4.

Phoenix Foodie Fun

One of the highlights of my Labor Day weekend trip to Phoenix (other than quality time with friends, family, and a beautiful wedding) was being taken on a veritable culinary tour of the city by my way-cooler-than-your-uncle Uncle Jason. This is the first restaurant review I've ever done, but I'm reading through Ruth Reichl's books right now so I feel inspired!


(I was trying to be sneaky and stay out of the picture, but there I am in the reflection!)

First stop on the tour, Liberty Market. I am madly in love with this place, and spent most of the meal scheming to convince Andy that we should pack up our lives immediately and move somewhere within driving distance.



Liberty Market is a salad/sandwich/pizza/coffee/bakery-type cafe. But it's so much more than that too. The entire staff was so genuinely friendly, especially the lovely hostess/barista (didn't catch her name) who kindly treated me to espresso and a souvenir lip balm. There's a little gourmet marketplace, the art in the bathrooms is ridiculously awesome, there are some grand communal tables, and (per Uncle Jason) the produce is grown locally (like, a couple of miles away) on a farm owned by the one of the owners of the restaurant.



We had a feast fit for a royalty. An Antipasto Platter, a simple Farmer's Salad (with a lemon vinaigrette that I plan on trying to recreate. Too good for words), and a Margherita Pizza.



For dessert, Jason's favorite: Carrot Cake. And Cuban micro-lattes called Cortaditos. Never had anything quite like it, and it was a sublimely perfect way to top off the meal.





Simple, delicious food. Hands down the best meal I've had in recent memory, and I'm already looking for excuses to return.

Liberty Market
230 N. Gilbert
Gilbert, AZ 85234
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The next day, we gathered up our friends and family and headed to Sweet Republic. This nationally-acclaimed artisan ice cream shop is owned by Jason's sweet friends Helen and Jan. I'd been hearing about this place for what feels like years, and it totally lived up to the hype.


(See those cute brown hats down there in the corner? I am the proud owner of one.)

The selection of flavors was just the right balance of classic and off-the-wall innovative. My endearingly old-school grandparents went for vanilla and espresso. Andy had Cheese Course Duo, a blue cheese and date-flavored ice cream with balsamic glaze, and I had a scoop each of Key Lime Pie (my fave) and Peanut Butter Chocolate. Jan whipped out a blowtorch and roasted a house-made marshmallow right on top of my ice cream. How awesome is that? They also had a flavor called I Love Bacon... toffee-covered bacon in caramel ice cream, for you pork lovers out there.


Cheese Course Duo with Balsamic Glaze


Chocolate Peanut Butter & Key Lime Pie with a Roasted Marshmallow

If you ever find yourself in the Phoenix area, please stop by Sweet Republic, I promise you'll love it. Their website says that their goal is to put a smile on each customer's face. To me, that says it all. Mission accomplished!

Sweet Republic
9160 E. Shea Blvd.
Scottsdale, AZ 85260