Last year of grad school = some weekends are just too much

So sorry for not updating about the weekend baking adventure and also not taking pictures.

I made baguettes again to go once again with the okra etouffe I made. I love the okra etouffe i found and just okra in general. Bought 3 pounds of it at the Farmers market on Saturday. There is still a pound left over. I found it goes good lightly sauteed with hummus and flat bread. Yum.

Anyway. Baguettes were yummy. I'm thinking banana bread finally for this weekend to use the banana's that have been in my freezer for a while and the fact that I think out of all my baking recipes this is by far my favorite.

Also, I will be making a chocolate cake this weekend. I'm gonna try make Ina Garten's chocolate cake just because I adore her. But I will need to go buy another cake pan, so I'm either punting on getting a bundt cake pan or a new cutting board. We shall see. The new cutting board probably isn't necessary yet. I was just hoping to get one to make cleaning when I make bread a little easier. So cake pan and bundt cake pan? Yes. I think I'm right. Good thing Kitchen Works is having its 25th Anniversary Sale!

Ok. Off to do more work. Blah.

Bread!

I'm thinking this weekend is definitely a bread weekend.

For sure baguettes, but also perhaps some white bread. I've been on a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich kick lately. Parker and Otis have an amazing one!

But I'm tempted to make some brioche.

Anyway...perhaps to much carbs. Efforts should maybe be spent on finding a stock pot so I can make chili, stew, and soups!

All that is necessary in life: Chocolate Cake

Thought it would be a good time to blog about chocolate cake as Jacki loved it and there is currently chocolate chocolate chip pound cake in my oven. A little worried about the pound cake as the recipe called for it to be in a bundt cake pan and I don't have one. So I split the batter into two loaf pans as it wouldn't fit into one. Oh well. This just means I get to go buy more bakeware! Yeah!

So about the cake. I have never made a cake before. But I think I have found the chocolate cake recipe that I will use if I ever have to make one again, which I probably will. It isn't too sweet. Semi-sweet actually, but I think its b/c of the type of cocoa powder I used. It is dense and almost fudge like. It calls for 13.5 oz. of butter. I don't think any thing else needs to be said. Here is a picture.


Since it was Jacki's birthday cake, she thought it was great. She's the chocolate aficionado so I defer to her. And she doens't like frosting. Personally, I think a little sweet butter cream frosting just on top would have made it just right. I think it would also make a perfect double layered cake with chocolate ganache or again, sweet butter cream frosting. See this is why I need another cake pan. Should have realized this when I bought mine. One is simply not enough. Just like loaf pans. You need two. Guess I'll be heading back to Kitchen Works soon to buy one and also get a bundt cake pan.

Anyway. Here is the recipe. I got it from Almost Bourdain.

Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe

(Adapted from Donna Hay Chocolate Cookbook)

Serves 10

Ingredients

375 g (13 1/2 oz) butter, softened

1 1/3 cups (230 g / 7 7/8 oz) brown sugar

3 eggs

2 cups (300g / 10 1/2 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted

1/2 tsp baking powder

2/3 cup (80 g / 3 oz) cocoa powder, double sifted

200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate, melted

3/4 cup (180 ml / 6 fl oz) milk

**Update**

Not going to post about the chocolate chocolate chip pound cake. It came out, but not really like pound cake and Anthony thought the cocoa powder was a little powerful. This is what I thought with the chocolate cake recipe above. But we shall see what other people think. Don't think I'll be doing pound cakes any time soon.

Under New Management....sort of.

Needed to share this just because it is that funny.

While baking Jacki's birthday cake tonight Anthony walks into my room asking me if I'm going to bake more tonight.

Of course I wasn't because it was already 10pm and if I started anything I would be up till 3 in the morning.

Anthony points out though that he only had one of the baguettes I made last week and that I need to get on it and that he would subsidize my flour thus making him management and me hired help. It was then pointed out he should see if Duke would allow him to count managing my baking as credit toward our management/leadership requirements for graduation.

Oh what fun. How I heart the roommate.

Anyway. Jacki's chocolate cake looks like a came out perfectly. After all the cake called for a little over 3 sticks of butter!

Will post the recipe and pictures later as tomorrow/Wednesday I have to make Jake his going away/congrats you got a job chocolate chocolate chip pound cake and some time soon I have to make baguettes again for Anthony.

Ok. Off to bed now.

Can't Wait for Sunday!

This is going to go with my two cups of coffee tomorrow morning while I read about regression discontinuity design studies. Oh what fun! Seriously should have gone to culinary school instead. At least I have my retirement plan. Work straight after grad school for 25 years. Retire early. Open up a bake shop and do policy consulting on the side. I can name my bake shop Baking Policy!


Ok. Enough fun for tonight. Tomorrow if I still feel the need to procrastinate I'll probably end up making cinnamon bread, more baguettes, or banana bread. We shall see what happens.

Sunday brunch calls for Biscotti

Every time I head to a coffee shop to read/get some work done my usual order is a coffee and almond biscotti. I am seriously getting addicted to this combination.

I also knew that Dorie Greenspan had a biscotti recipe. This weeks hunt for a recipe concentrated around finding it. And I finally did. Will be making these later tonight so I can have a cup of coffee and almond biscotti with my brunch tomorrow!

Here is the recipe. Will post pictures from my adventure when I'm done with it.

Cheers!

Almond Biscotti
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Yield: about 24-30 cookies
Ingredients:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup yellow cornmeal
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1½ tsp. almond extract
¾ cup sliced almonds, blanched or unblanched

Directions:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the cornmeal and whisk again to blend.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together at medium speed for 3 minutes, until very smooth. Add the eggs and continue to beat, scraping down the bowl as needed, for another 2 minutes or until the mixture is light, smooth and creamy. Beat in the almond extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing just until they are incorporated. The dough will be sticky. Scrape down the paddle and bowl, add in the sliced almonds and mix just until blended in.

Scrape half of the dough onto one side of the baking sheet. Using a rubber spatula or your fingers (I like to cover my hand with lightly oiled plastic wrap), form the dough into a log about 12 inches long and 1½ inches wide. The log will be rectangular, with a bumpy and uneven surface. Form a second similar log on the other side of the baking sheet.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the logs are lightly golden but still soft and springy to the touch. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and cool the logs on the baking sheet for 30 minutes.

(If you turned the oven off, return it to 350° F.) Using a long serrated knife, cut the logs into 1-inch thick slices. Turn the slices so that they stand on their sides, and return the sheet to the oven.

Bake the biscotti for another 15-20 minutes, or until they are golden and firm. Transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.

Source: adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

For Mom: Homemade baguette and okra etouffee

Just pictures:

Bourbon vanilla extract and a buckeye. Definitely had more fun making the vanilla extract. Love the smell of bourbon. Sadly the extract won't be ready for use till late November.


Buckeye Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 4 ounces plus 3 tablespoons softened butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups confectioners sugar, about 1 pound
• 1/2 cup very fine graham cracker crumbs
• 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

With a wooden spoon or large mixer with paddle attachment, beat peanut butter, butter and vanilla until smooth. Slowly stir or beat in confectioners' sugar and graham cracker crumbs. Mixture will be dry, but will hold together when shaped into balls. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls; place on wax paper lined cookie sheet and chill in freezer or until firm.

Melt chocolate chips over hot water. Spear a peanut butter ball with toothpick or dipping fork and dip ball into the chocolate to cover most of it. Place chocolate side down on cookie sheet. If desired, leave the top uncovered to resemble the Ohio buckeye nuts. If desired, drizzle more butter over the balls to fill in gaps made by toothpick or dipping fork. Refrigerate buckeyes for about 2 hours or longer, or until the chocolate is set. Store buckeyes tightly covered in refrigerator or freezer.

Makes about 5 dozen buckeye candies.

A quickie

Bourbon and vanilla beans are sitting in bottle. Who knew vanilla beans cost so much?

Buckeyes turned out great. And OSU beat Navy!

Will post recipes and pictures tomorrow when I do banana bread. Also thinking about doing baguettes.

Ok. Out for now!

Fall Things To Do

Go apple picking so I can:
1) make apple pie
2) make apple sauce to make apple sauce bread and spice bars

Go pumpkin picking so I can:
1) make pumpkin pie

Seriously need to do these things cause during the summer didnt go blueberry or strawberry picking to make things.