Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

One thing you learn quickly when you play or score keep men’s recreational hockey is that a perfectly sane, nice man off the ice can turn into a raging lunatic in a matter of seconds when you put a stick in his hand. I don’t know if it is the combination of the smell of the ice and the smell of the unwashed uniforms(laundry anyone?) but something makes them go stupid. And well, a lot of stupid has been floating around the rink as of late. Why just last night I had three fights, a scrum, something that looked like two men dry humping and grown men swinging there sticks at any body part they could find. Maybe it is because I am a woman and I don’t have enough testosterone to truly understand. I mean, I go out and play. Many times(this Monday in fact) I get pushed down, hit, butt ended(when someone shoves their stick in your belly or other areas) etc… but do I feel the need to two handed slash them? Drop my gloves and fight? Thank you, no. Do I tell them to go fuck themselves(or worse)? Usually :P.
Unfortunately, I am living up to my given nick name, Gracie(thanks to Lisa). I didn’t really do anything to my ankle, it just started a revolt against me. I played defense for the first time in awhile. It is my “natural” position(meaning the one I play the best) but I have been a forward for quite sometime because my ankle hurt to much to transition to backwards skating. So after just one period of playing “D” my ankle said no thanks and swelled to the size of a small grapefruit. As I have mentioned before, hockey players are dumb and naturally I skated the rest of the game on it. It’s down to naval orange size now so that is good :).  Will I get to play this season, that is the unknown though :(.
Enough hockey talk. Food. These are another thing I made awhile back but never got around to posting. I can no longer make sticky buns, cinnamon rolls or anything in that family anymore without it being with brioche. Perhaps it is because my body just doesn’t get enough unsalted butter in it on a daily basis. Lots of steps but all in all pretty simple to make.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apple Cinnamon Brioche Buns

For the buns:
1/2 recipe dough for Golden Brioche, chilled and ready to shape(recipe follows)

Generously butter a 9 x 13-inch baking pan(a Pyrex is perfect for this) or you can use a muffin tin.

For the Filling:
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 medium sized apples, peeled, cored and roughly diced (I used Pink Ladies)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground fresh nutmeg
3 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup golden raisins

To Make the Filling: Mix together the sugar,cinnamon, nutmeg and apples in a bowl. Reserve raisins for later.

To shape the Buns: On a flour-dusted work surface, roll the chilled dough into a 16-inch square. Using your fingers or pastry brush, spread the softened butter over the dough. Sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar apple mixture, leaving a 1 inch strip bare on the side farthest from you. Sprinkle raisins on top of the cinnamon sugar apple mixture. Starting with the side nearest to you, roll the dough into a cylinder, keeping the roll as tight as you can.
With a chef’s knife, using a gentle sawing motion, trim just a tiny bit from the ends of the rolls if they’re very ragged or not well filled, then cut the log into 1-inch-thick buns. Fit the buns into the pan cut side down, leaving some space between them. Or you can fit the buns individually into the muffin cup.
Lightly cover the pan with a piece of wax paper and set the pan in a warm place until the buns have doubled in volume, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. The buns are properly risen when they are puffy, soft, doubled and,in all likelihood, touching each other.

Getting Ready to Bake: When the buns have almost fully risen, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375F.
Remove the sheet of wax paper and put the pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. Bake the buns for about 30 minutes or until they are puffed and gorgeously golden: Let sit for about 10 minutes and then frost.

For the Frosting:
caramel frosting(recipe follows)
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

To make the frosting:
Combine caramel frosting and cream cheese in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for about 2-3 minutes. Spread over buns so that frosting melts just a little and seeps down into any cracks.

Caramel Frosting
3 cups (light) brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons half and half
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Mix sugar and half and half in a heavy saucepan and cook, stirring over low heat until syrup reaches the soft-ball stage, 235 degrees on a candy thermometer. If lacking a thermometer, check doneness by dropping a tiny bit of syrup into a cup of cold water. When the syrup can be gathered up in fingers and will almost hold its shape, it has reached the soft-ball stage.

2. Remove pan from heat. Stir in butter, then let syrup cool. Add vanilla and beat until frosting reaches spreading consistency. A little cream (or half-and-half) may be added is mixture is too thick.

Golden Brioche Loaves(adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan)
make dough one day ahead then shape and bake the next

2 packets active dry yeast (4 teaspoons)
1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch water
1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch while milk (I used skim)
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature but still slightly firm

Put the yeast, water, and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and salt, and fit the mixer with the dough hook, if you have one. Toss a kitchen towel over the mixer, covering the bowl as completely as you can to keep you from being covered in flour! Turn the mixer on and off in a few short pulses, just to dampen the flour (you can peek), then remove the towel, increase mixer speed to medium-low and mix for a minute or two. At this point you will have a dry, shaggy mess (it’s true).

Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, set the mixer to low and add the eggs, followed by the sugar. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes, until the dough forms a ball. Reduce speed to low and add the butter in 2 Tablespoon size chunks, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding the next. You’ll have a dough that is very soft, almost like a batter. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes (This made my heavy kitchen aid mixer “dance” across the counter, so you may want to listen and be available to steady the mixer).

Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 40-60 minutes. Deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall with a slap into the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. Slap the dough down in the bowl every 30 minutes until it stops rising, about 2 hours, then leave the covered dough in the refrigerator overnight.

If making Brioche loaves: Butter and flour 2 8.5 X 4.5 inch loaf pans. Pull dough from the fridge and divide into two equal pieces. Cut each piece of dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece into a log about 3.5 inches long. Arrange 4 logs crosswise in the bottom of each pan. Put the pans on a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone mat, cover the pans lightly with wax paper and leave the loaves at room temperature until dough fills pans.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until loaves are well risen and deeply golden, about 30-35 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the pans and turn the loaves out onto cooling racks. Cool at least one hour.

 

 

 

Much sadness around the house of Pea. My Sabres are out. I shouldn’t be too surprised. I did after all bet against them to win it all in our hockey pool. I have Ottawa and Anaheim in the finals. Which now all I need is for Anaheim to make it to the finals and I win the pot. No one else in our pool had that match up. That would definitely cheer me up By default(being Canadian and all) I must now cheer for the Senators to win(sorry Ivonne).

This is a quick post since I’m not much of a writer(in general) and less so when I’m somber. I made this cheesecake a while back and just never got around to putting it up because I hated the lighting that day for the photos. But no baking has been done lately and I have to put up something.

Key Lime Raspberry Bullseye Cheesecake

Crust:
Key lime cookie dough(recipe to follow)

Filling:

2 lbs cream cheese
2  cups sugar
3 TBSP flour
4 eggs
1 egg yolk
3 TBSP key lime juice
½ cup pureed raspberries
1. Line a 10 inch spring form pan with parchment paper. Press the crust onto the bottom of the pan. Prick well with a fork. Bake in a 350F oven for about 10 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Cool the crust.

2. Meanwhile, cream the cheese and sugar until soft. Add in eggs one at a time. Add in egg yolk. Mix until incorporated and scrape down the bowl down occasionally. Add flour and mix well. Stir in the key lime juice.

3. Take 1/3 of the cheesecake batter and place in a small bowl. Stir in the pureed raspberries, until the batter is pink in color.

4. Pour the plain batter into the prepared pan. Pour raspberry portion into the center of the plain batter, trying to create a bullseye.

5. Bake in a water bath at 350F for approximately 2 hours.

6. Remove cake from water bath. Cool to room temperature and then chill over night.

 

Key Lime Cookie Dough

¾ cup powdered sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 egg
1 tsp key lime zest(or if you like me and had none 2 TBSP key lime juice)
2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tarter

Mix sugars, butter, egg and zest until creamy.
Mix in flour, baking soda and cream of tarter.
Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

 

Spring has sprung. That has become more than apparent to me as I drag the dog out for a jaunt. I would love to say walk, however my dog does not walk. She gets all excited when you say the word walk. Her  little tail gets going so fast you swear that at any moment it will detach itself and take flight. The problem comes when she gets the leash on, goes outside, and then realizes that walk means she has to move herself. She will walk only as far as she wants. When she is done walking, she simply sits down. Unfortunately she seems to do this in the middle of our walk, and I alas, am stuck carrying her back the rest of the way.
Anyway, out on our jaunt, the flowers are in full bloom, happily spreading their pedals to greet the sun as it shines down upon them. Oh the pretty flowers. The pretty flowers that bring the bees. The evil, evil bees. Oh sure bees pollinate and make the world go round(blah, blah, blah), but bees are evil. They like to fly close enough to scare me but then not do anything but cause a small panic attack(I’m allergic…so I am anti getting stung). Then they fly back to their other bee friends and make fun of me. I’m quite sure my picture is up at the hive saying “go mess with this woman, win a free cruise.” It’s just so like bees to do that.
Bastards.
They think it is funny to see a girl carrying a dog that refused to walk, running as fast as she can on a bad ankle, because she is afraid they will sting.
Again, bastards.
So what does one do? I get even. I make something with honey, and hope it was stolen honey from their hive.
Bastards.
It’s warm enough around here to break out the ice cream machine. I don’t really have to break it out, since I do actually use it year round, though more predominately during the Spring and Summer months(obviously). I have commented on our current abundance of luscious strawberries, well they are still around, so I had to use them. Strawberry ice cream growing up was the pink junk that came with the vanilla and chocolate in Neopolitan  ice cream. As you can imagine I was quite surprised the first time I ate homemade strawberry ice cream…..world’s apart. There was no Nestle quick fake strawberry flavor. There were actual strawberries in it. And well, it tasted good. Imagine that.
I came across a recipe for Strawberry Mascarpone Ice Cream. Are you kidding me…strawberries and Mascarpone cheese…I’m there. And with the addition of honey, I get back at the bees!!!

Strawberry Mascarpone Ice Cream

3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 TBSP vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sugar
6 egg yolks
5 TBSP honey
2 cups Mascarpone cheese

2 cups cleaned and hulled strawberries
¼ cup Grand Marnier

Place milk, cream and vanilla in a heavy saucepan over medium heat and bring just to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, sugar and 2 TBSP honey in a large bowl. Slowly whisk the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture to temper it, or bring it up to the same temperature as the milk mixture. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and again cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it has thickened s lightly and just barley coast the back  of a spoon, 5-7 minutes; remove the pan from the heat. Add the Mascarpone cheese and mix well. Refrigerate until it cools to at least 40F, about 2 hours.
While the ice cream base is chilling, toss the strawberries with the Grand Marnier(you may want to omit because ice cream if you don’t like soft ice cream) and 3 TBSP honey;set aside.
Begin freezing the ice cream. When the ice cream is very thick, but still soft(after 20 minutes, depending on your ice cream maker) add the strawberries and liqueur. Continue freezing to a soft consistency. Transfer the ice cream to a covered container and place in the freezer until completely frozen.

Source: Adapted from Caprial’s Desserts by Caprial Pence and Melissa Carey, 2001

 

To say that the mood around our home is somber is to put it mildly. The old phrase “if momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy” is living proof around here. My Sabres have pretty much laid a giant crap egg and the Ottawa Senators are at this point about 98.3419% sure to win the Eastern Conference finals. They only  have 1 more game to win…and well, we would have to win 4. Odds are not in our favor and after how we played tonight(our wonderful goalie aside) we deserve to lose. At least last year they lost, but they had their dignity…I’m not sure where they put it this year, but it’s so not there.
Needless to say there was much tequila and chocolate to try and make it better…but of course it did not work. This cake did come close to helping though. Peanut studded caramel goodness….but it still doesn’t win my favorite player a Stanley Cup

Caramel-Peanut Topped Brownie Cake

For the cake:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 stick(8 TBSP) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 large eggs
½ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
3 TBSP light corn syrup
½ tsp vanilla extract

For the topping:

2 cups sugar
½ cup water
1 ½ TBSP light corn syrup
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup salted peanuts

Butter and flour a 8 inch springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper. Put the pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
To make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together. Melt chocolate and butter together using a double boiler.
In a large bowl whisk the eggs and sugars together until well blended. Whisk in the corn syrup, followed by the vanilla. Whisk in the melted butter and chocolate. Still working with a whisk, gently stir in the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. You will have a thick, smooth, shiny batter. Pour the batter into the pan and jiggle the pan a bit to even out the batter.
Bake the cake at 350F for 40-45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out almost clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool he cake for 15 minutes,then run a knife between the cake and the pan and remove the sides of the pan. During baking the cake probably will  have puffed to the top of the pan don’t be concerned if tit sinks a little or it if develops a crater in the center. Cool the cake to room temperature.
When the cake is completely cool, invert it, remove the base of the pan and peel off the paper. Wash and dry the springform pan, and return the cake to it right side up. Refasten the sides around the cake.

To make the topping:
Put the sugar, water and corn syrup in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan, stir just to combine the ingredients and then put the pan over medium-high heat. Heat, without stirring , until the caramel turns deep amber., 5-10 minutes. Lower the heat a bit and, standing back from the saucepan add the cream and butter. When the spatters are less vehement, stir to calm down the caramel and dissolve any lumps. Stir in the peanuts, and pour the caramel and peanuts into a 1-quart Pyrex measuring cup or heat proof bowl.
Spoon the peanuts on top of the cake. Then spoon the caramel on top of those. You will have extra caramel leftover to use on something else…like ice cream! You’ll have a layer about ¼ inch high. Allow the topping to set to room temperature-about 20 minutes before serving.
To serve, run a blunt knife between the caramel and the pan and simply remove the sides of the springform. If this isn’t the case, hit the sides with some hot air from a hairdryer or wrap th sides in a towel moistened with hot water.

Source: Adapted from(where else) Baking: Form My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan, Houghton Mifflin 2006