Wilton Cake Decorating Class

I finally signed up and I'm so excited!  They offer this class at most local AC Moore or Michael's craft stores. It's a 4-part class that teaches the Wilton techniques of cake decorating.  And it's only $27, plus any supplies you want. 

Here's the description:
Discover Cake Decorating – Course 1

Thousands of people just like you have experienced the excitement of decorating their first cakes in a Wilton Method Class. With your Wilton Method Instructor as your guide, you will see how easy and rewarding it is to decorate wonderful cakes and other desserts that will delight your family and friends. Course 1 is the perfect place to start. Your Instructor will show you the right way to decorate, step by step. You will share the fun with other students, who encourage you along the way. As you learn each new decorating skill, you will gain a sense of pride in your accomplishments. Plus, you will be able to share your delicious results with family and friends!

So my class starts on February 4th at the AC Moore in Dedham.  Anyone care to join me?

Cheese 101

I've mentioned before I have a love of all things cheese!  When I heard about Formaggio Kitchen's Cheese 101 class, I had to sign up.  This class is ridiculously popular.  It sells out almost immediately.  I signed up back in November for a January class. 

This was my first time there.  It's a cool shop that not only sells cheese, but meats, artisanal chocolates and honey, as well as baked goods, sea salts and produce. 

Our class of 25 stood around the cheese counter gazing at our plates of cheese.  We listened to information on the history of cheese and how cheese is made.  But really, all we wanted to do was eat!  Not only were we able to sample cheeses, but also wine, beer, jelly and honey.  I think I enjoyed every cheese we tasted.

Among the best was actually a cheddar cheese made by Cabot called Clothbound Cheddar.

Another interesting cheese we tried was Taleggio.  This is a washed rind cheese, which means it's rinsed with a salt solution.  It is very stinky!  We bought a little and tried it the next night.  The smell was a little overpowering and once you taste it, that's all you can taste!  I'm not sure I'd go for that cheese again!

I highly recommend a trip to Formaggio Kitchen for all your cheesy needs!

Chewy Almond Cookies

I love anything almond flavored.  And if you've read my previous posts, I'm a sucker for a macaron.  While I've never attempted to make my own, these are a fast and easy substitute you can make at home.  All you need is a food processer.  These are great if you have a gluten allergy and they're also kosher for Passover.

2 1/2 cups almond meal (I found this at Trader Joe's) 
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
almond slices - optional

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper - this helps your cookies from sticking and makes cleanup easy!

Pour your sugar into the food processer and pulse for a few seconds to make it a little more fine.  Add the almond meal and pulse until well mixed, but don't over do it. You don't want to end up with almond butter.  Add the egg whites, vanilla extract and almond extract, and mix until the dough is smooth. 

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto the parchment lined baking sheet.  If you want, add some almond slices on top and dust with some additional sugar.  Bake for 20-24 minutes.  Cool completely, and store in a air-tight container.

Yummy!

Sundried Tomato and Steak Stir-Fry

I love a good stir-fry and they are so easy to make.  You don't need any fancy tools and you can throw in any veggies and proteins you like.

This week I made a stir-fry using sirloin steak, sundried tomatoes and broccoli, since that's what I had on hand.

The rule of thumb in cooking a good stir-fry is to use a hot pan and cook your veggies in order from which needs the longest time to cook to the shortest.  Also, don't forget your mise en place, which means "putting in place."  Stir-fry cooks very quickly, so it's best to get all your ingredients ready before you begin cooking.

Here's what I used:

1-1/2 pounds beef sirloin sliced about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick - just make sure they'll all about even
3 TBLS of soy sauce, divided in half
broccoli - enough as you want, or any veggie you'd like.  If starting with fresh, you should blanch them first.  I used frozen, so I thawed them first.
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, halved, plus 3 tablespoons of their oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bunches of green onions/scallions, chopped about 1 inch
1-2 tsp red pepper flakes, as desired
1 CUP beef broth
1 TBLS arrowroot or cornstarch

In a bowl, combine 1 1/2 TBLS of soy sauce with the sirloin and set aside. 

Heat a pan or wok on high heat and add 2 TBLS of the oil from the sundried tomatoes.  Add the meat and stir fry until no longer red, about 2-3 minutes.  Remove the meat and set aside.  Add another TBLS of the oil to the pan/wok and add the scallions/green onions and sundried tomatoes.  Cook for about 1 minute.

Add the beef broth, red pepper flakes, 1 1/2 TBLS of soy sauce and arrowroot and stir until thickened.  Add back the meat and broccoli and heat through.  Serve over rice or couscous.

Canadian Bacon Mini Crustless Quiche

Well, sorry for the lack of posts lately.  I was just recently diagnosed with something called SIBO - Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth.  So now I have to tweak my diet.  I was gluten-free before when my doctor thought I had Celiac.  That was a tough diet to stomach.  Now, I need to cut back on not only wheat, but sugar, artificial sweeteners, dairy, soy, and most starches as well.  I'm in an adjustment period and for now, I've been eating a lot of salads, fruits, and meats, so I guess that's a good thing!

So while I'm adjusting, I'll have to post some new recipes!

Today, I made these Canadian Bacon Mini Crustless Quiches! They are so easy, and make great leftovers.

My package of pre-cut canadian bacon came with 10 slices, so I made 10 mini quiches.

10 slices of canadian bacon

10 eggs

red peppers

shallots

chives

salt and pepper

havarti cheese

Those are the ingredients I used, but feel free to play around with any combo of veggies, cheese and herbs you have on hand.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray a cupcake tin with some spray oil. Cut slices, about 1/2 inch, along 4 sides of the bacon. Place a slice of bacon into each muffin cup. These don't need to be perfect. Place your veggies on top of the bacon. I sauteed mine slightly, but you don't have to. Then carefully put an egg into each cup. Top with some herbs and put in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, depending on how firm you like your eggs. Top with cheese, salt & pepper and voila!

Faux Turtles

These are the easiest, tastiest chocolate treats you can make!  They're salty and sweet.

Ready for this?

Buy Rolos.  Buy those square, grid pretzels.  Buy some nuts or M&M's.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Place the pretzels on a baking sheet and top each with a Rolo.

Pop these babies in the oven for 2-3 minutes, or until the chocolate looks shiny.  Take them out of the oven and immediately top them with nuts or M&M's or whatever you fancy.  You can also top them with another pretzel to make a pretzel-Rolo sandwich!

Let them cool completely before storing them,  If you try to move them while they're hot, the chocolate will get everywhere.

Cook's Illustrated Apple Cake

I came across a picture of this cake when I was surfing the food blogs.  I found it was a recipe from Cook's Illustrated.  Most Cook's Illustrated recipes are only available to paying members of their site.  Luckily, they have a free 2-week trial.  So I signed up and grabbed as many recipes as I could find.


So, Cook's Illustrated Apple Cake can be found here for those you pay, or want to try it out free for 2-weeks.  Did you know, Cook's Illustrated, Cook's Country and America's Test Kitchen recipes are developed right here in my state of Massachusetts?  Actually, in the town next to where we live, Brookline!    I even did some cat sitting for someone who works there, and I'm very jealous of her job.  But I digress....

The first step to making this apple cake is to butter and sugar your bundt pan and add a layer of brown sugar at the bottom.

Next, chop your green apples, toss them with some more brown sugar and layer them on top of the brown sugar already in the bundt.  You could also toss the apples with some cinnamon.

Next, combine your dry ingredients, and your wet ingredients.  This recipe uses cake flour, which gives the cake the texture of a pound cake.  The batter is very thick.

And then bake!  I had a hard time figuring out if this cake was done, since the middle still looked a bit loose even after 45 minutes.  Once it's done, you're supposed to immediately invert the cake onto a foil-lined baking rack.  Well, this part wasn't so easy!  Part of the apples and cake stuck to the bundt!  I think perhaps it had something to do with sugaring the pan??  Either way, it smelled delicious, like a warm apple pie.

I just picked the stuck-on pieces out of the pan and put them in the middle of the cake.

After the cake cools completely, top it with some confectioner's sugar.  I also made some Brown Sugar and Bourbon Cream to be served alongside.  I have to say, the cake was good, but very sweet.  The Bourbon Cream, which is made with sour cream, gave it a nice tang to cut the sweetness.  The cake was good the day it was served, but the leftovers weren't so great.

Here's the recipe for the Brown Sugar Bourbon Cream - Printable Recipe