Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

When I was 16 and filling out college applications they wanted me to write an essay about the defining moments in my life. Really? I’m 16. Other than a broken heart here and there the wasn’t that much to define. I came up with some bullshit and moved on.
Now since then I have had more than my share of defining moments. My mother getting breast cancer is the one that sticks out the most. You see I never planned on anyone in my family getting sick. I am the sick one in the family. An illness I care not to go into but something that does affect my daily life. And selfish me just always assumed that since I had been made sick that God would not let anyone else in my family get sick. Apparently he missed the memo on that one. So it did come out of left field for me. Silly I know, but it did.
Watching my mother get cancer, and more importantly, surviving cancer(going on 7 years now!) was a defining moment in my life. It helped me get over my panic of cancer. My feeling that cancer equaled death. Here was this crazy woman throwing dinner parties just days after her chemo treatments and going through her small town wearing a Carmen Miranda style hat with fake fruit and all(if you are going to do it why not go big?). Seeing her treat it like the bullshit on my college essay and move on as if it were something that just slowed her down a bit really did help me deal with my cancer fears. Since my mother was diagnosed my mother-in-law, aunts, friends of the family and several friends got cancer….all breast. If it were not going through it with my mother, I could not be the “calm” one of the group when my friends needed support when the rest of their friends and family are freaking out. I am happy to say that all but one of those from that group of people are cancer survivors. And Carol, the lone non-survivor didn’t pass from cancer but the side effects of an experimental treatment(she had stage 4 with little hope).
To honor my mother I made a lemon-berry gratin. My mother is a huge lover of crème brulee. A gratin is basically the same ingredients but instead of going into the fridge, the crème is cooked on a stove top  and then broiled with fruit and sugar. I’m sure my mother would surely approve.
This dish was of course made for Barb’s fabulous event A Taste of Yellow which is in conjunction with Live Strong Day. You have until April 19th to get your entry in so get cooking!

Lemon-Berry Gratin

4 lemons
1 ½ cups whole milk
5 egg yolks
1 tsp cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
2 TBSP all-purpose flour
½ tsp vanilla
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup mascarpone cheese
4 cups mixed berries(raspberries and blackberries)
2 TBSP powdered sugar

Zest lemons. Scald milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the lemon zest and remove from heat. Let sit for 1 hour, strain the milk to remove and discard the zest.
In a bowl, beat egg yolks until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. In another bowl, combine flour, cornstarch and sugar. Add this mixture to the egg yolks and  beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
Scald the milk again and add the warm milk slowly to the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Place the mixture back in the saucepan and over low heat, stirring, cook until mixture thickens and bubbles around the edges, about 8-10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and whisk in vanilla, lemon juice and butter.
Fold in the mascarpone cheese.
Divide the custard among 6 or8 individual gratin or tartlet dishes, 5-inches in diameter. Press the berries into the custard mixture. Sift the powdered sugar over the top. Broil until the tops are golden brown, 1-2 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Source: Adapted from An American Feast: A Celebration of Cooking on Public Television, recipe given by Joanne Weir

There are very few times when I get judgmental in life. Having dessert in a restaurant is one of them. Oh I don’t mean your mom and pop type place, I mean any place that actually has a pastry chef on staff. I went to lunch with my friend J the other day. She ordered a blackberry and lime tart(I went for the peach cobbler with spiced bourbon ice cream). When it came out it looked throw together as if we had come at the mad rush time and had not actually ordered it at 2 pm when us and six other people are in the restaurant. This bothered me immensely. You see, if we were at someone’s home, I probably would not have noticed. But this, this is a restaurant, one I frequent often. And I hold restaurants in a different standard. J, actually liked the taste of the tart very much, but food snob me just could really not get past the presentation. I mean the tart cream was smeared everywhere and down the sides all glopped up. I’m quite sure that my 3 year neighbor could have put it together better.
Coming home after lunch it was still bugging me. So when I saw that we were doing the lemon cream tart for Tuesday’s with Dorie, I knew that instead I wanted to try my hand at the blackberry and lime tart. There really aren’t that many modifications. I used lime juice instead of lemon and did not discard my zest. When the lime cream was done, I simply took out half of it and added 10 blackberries(fresh ones) to the blender and let them whirl with the remaining half of the lime cream. Simple as that.
Not being a huge tart/pie fan I must say that I really enjoyed this tart. Of course it could be the LARGE quantities of butter that is used that won me over. I would definitely make this again, as well as serve it to others.
Thanks to Mary of Starting From Scratch for this great pick! See all the other TWD participants here.

The Most Extraordinary Blackberry and Lime Tart

For the crust
1 ¼  cups all purpose flour
¼ cup almond flour
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick + 1 tbsp unsalted butter, very cold, cut into pieces
1 egg yolk, lightly whisked

To make the crust, put the flours, icing sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine.
Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is coarse, around the size of oatmeal and/or peas.
Add the egg yolk a little at a time, pulsing after each addition and then processing in 10-second pulses once the whole egg has been added until the dough forms clumps.
Turn the dough onto a flat work surface and lightly knead the dough until all dry ingredients are just incorporated.
Butter a 9 inch fluted removable-bottom tart pan. I used smaller tart pans of various sizes.
Press the dough into the pan evenly. Freeze for about an hour.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit it tightly against the crust.
Bake for 25 minutes. 15 minutes for the smaller ones.
Carefully remove the foil, and press the dough down gently if it has puffed using the back of a spoon.
Return it to the oven for another 8 minutes, or until it is beautifully golden brown.

For the lime cream:
1 cup sugar
Grated zest of 4 limes
4 eggs
¾ cup lime juice (4 limes)
2 sticks + 5 tbsp (10.5 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
For the cream:

Before you start the lime cream, have a candy thermometer, a strainer and a blender at hand.
Simmer a little water in a saucepan.
Put the sugar and lime zest in a large heatproof bowl.
Off the heat, rub the mixture together with your fingers until the sugar is moist, grainy and aromatic.
Whisk in the eggs and then the lime juice.
Set the bowl over the pan of water and whisk continuously until it reaches 180°F
As it gets close to temperature it will start to thicken. This can take up to 10 minutes, so be patient!
Remove the cream from the heat and strain it into the blender.
Discard any solids. Let the cream stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes, or until it cools to 140°F.
Turn the blender(or food processor)on high, and add the butter a few pieces at a time.
Scrape down the sides to incorporate the butter.
Keep the machine on for 3-5 minutes once the butter is in to ensure a perfect lime cream
Pour into an air-tight container and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (it will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days).

Assembly:

When you are ready to assemble the tart, whisk the cream to loosen it and spoon it into the tart shell.
Serve the tart or refrigerate as needed.

Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.

Several of my friends started doing a little craze that has been going around the Internet for awhile. Perhaps you have heard of it….101 things in 1001 days. The concept of it is to make a list of 101 thing you would like to accomplish in 1001 days. Now they do not all have to be big accomplishments. It could be as simple as finish reading that book you never did, going to a museum you have never gone to, eating something  you have never had or alphabetizing your spice rack. Then of course you have your big things like going to Tahiti, learning to sky dive or getting your masters degree. The options are limitless as you can imagine.
I, I am not a goal setter. Never have been. Too lazy. I mean sure, I have over all goals that I have in the back of my mind but really…no goals. This is why I am not on TV doing infomercials at 2 am telling you how to get ahead in the world. Instead, I bake cakes. And cookies. Bread and what not. If I had goals, I doubt I would have time to do that, as I would be too busy trying to accomplish things instead of simply baking. And really, who wants that?
However, I do have these friends that made these lists and seem to insist on actually fulfilling them. My good friend A is one of them. I already helped her by letting her make a birthday cake for me. You might recall I posted about how no one will ever bake for me and so I always have to bake my own birthday cake. So A stepped up and made me a great birthday cake. Now, I am not goal oriented but I am all for helping out those type “A” people who are. In case you were wondering, I am a type “B-” personality.
One of A’s goals was to eat a kumquat. She asked if I ever made anything with them, and I had but really not that often…too much work for such a small fruit. But alas she turned to me in her tiny citrus fruit time of need. What I found were these Tangerine Kumquat Cookies(I know, again with the tangerine). They come from The Good Cookie by Tish Boyle, which is a wealth of cookie goodness. The only actually kumquat part was a candied one. You do the candying. The rest of the cookie is pretty much a tangerine scented butter cookie. Me not being a fan of the kumquat just simply ate the cookie part only.
A was more than appreciative and seemed to eat quite a few. I’m not sure if she is sold on the world kumquats, but at least it is one more thing off her list. Next up, Tahiti(for real…she is going…be jealous, I am).
As for me, my goal is simple….get to bed before 2 am and actually fall asleep before  3 am tonight. Wish me luck!

Tangerine Kumquat Rounds

Kumquat Slices:
15 kumquats, rinsed and dried
1 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
2 TBSP light corn syrup

Make the Kumquat Slices:

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Using a small sharp knife, cut ¼ inch off the ends of each kumquat. Cut the kumquats crosswise into 1/8-inch slices. Remove the sees as you slice the kumquats.
In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar and the corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring just until the sugar is dissolved. Add the kumquat slices, reduce to a simmer, and simmer until they are translucent and tender, about 20 minutes.
Increase the heat to high and cook the syrup until it registers 220F on a candy thermometer. Immediately remove from the pan the heat. Drain the kumquats, discarding the syrup. Using a spoon, carefully transfer the slices to the lined baking sheet, making sure they do not touch. Let cool while you make the cookies.

Tangerine Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
 ¼ tsp slat
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp finely grated tangerine zest

Make the Dough:
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk to blend and set aside.
In the bowl of and electric mixer, using  the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar at medium=high speed until smooth. Beat in the zest and vanilla. At low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until the dough starts to come together in large clumps. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until firm enough to roll.

Cut Out and Bake the Cookies:
Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a thickness of 1/8 inch. Using a  1 ¾ -inch fluted cookie cutter, cut out as many rounds as possible and arrange them an inch apart on prepared cookie sheet. Gather up scraps and reuse them to make more cookies.
Place candied kumquat slice on top of each cookie and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, for 9 to 11 minutes, until they are set and golden brown on the bottom. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.

Adapted from The Good Cookie by Tish Boyle, 2002

My husband teases that I should have a whole other website called “Ask Peabody”, for I get many an email each day asking me a variety of baking and cooking questions.
Some are quick and easy. Like, can I make this cake into a cupcake and how long should I bake them for if I can.
Some are tricky. Like, we ate at the restaurant and had this great Sea Bass with a yellow sauce. What do you think was in the sauce? Ummm, yeah, I’m going to need a little more than that.
I try and help a lot of people figure out “family” recipes that they only know the ingredients to but not the actual measurements. Sometimes I am helpful, sometimes not.
Sometimes people ask me about recipes on my blog. The really hard ones are when they ask me to remember recipes from 2 ½ years ago. My brain simply doesn’t work that well. So I have to go back and desperately try to remember what I did. I mean I have the recipe but they ask me to remember what the texture was and what not. Sometimes I just can’t.
If I think I can help, I try. If I know it wont be possible, I tell them so. Sometimes people don’t take that well. I just want to remind people I do this for free…so if I can’t help, please don’t take it out on me that I can not recreate the meal you had with your husband 16 years ago at a restaurant that no longer exists.
One woman, Michelle, whom I hope this is helping asked me a long while ago if I could help recreate a Bailey’s Irish Cream Caramel that they had bought but no longer had. Through a series of emails, I think/hope I have come somewhat close to what she was looking for. If not, it is still good.
Sorry this took forever Michelle, life has been a blur as of late.
I also made a Chocolate Bailey’s Pound Cake to go with it.
Hope this is what you were looking for.
If you have a question, feel free to “Ask Peabody”, just remember, I can only do so much.

Chocolate Bailey’s Pound Cake

½ cup unsalted butter
1 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
4 heaping tsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
3 cups sifted cake flour
½ tsp salt
1 cup milk
3 TBSP Bailey’s Irish Cream
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325F. Cream the butter, shortening, and sugar well. Beat in the eggs. Sift the dry ingredients together. Beat the flour mixture, 1 part at a time, into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk, until just blended. Add the vanilla and Irish Cream and mix. Pour into a greased 8-inch tube pan lined with waxed paper(I skipped that part). Bake for 1 ½ hour.
Serves 16-20

Adapted from Mrs. Wilkes’ Boardinghouse Cookbook

Bailey’s Caramel Topping

2 cups sugar
½ cup water
1 ½ TBSP light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream plus 1 TBSP
1/8 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream plus 1 TBSP
2 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temperature

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. Combine Bailey’s(1/8 cup) and Cream together. Take the pan off of the heat and, standing back from the saucepan add the cream mixture and butter. When the spatters are less vehement, stir to calm down the caramel and dissolve any lumps. Add in the 1 TBSP of Bailey’s and whisk until incorporated.

Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Top cake with caramel and some whipped cream(perhaps spiked with Bailey’s).