Passover Ends with an Earth Day

Sunset today marks the end of another Passover. It was very nice that this year Passover coincided with the school's spring break. I only had to deal with packing school lunches for two days that were in line with Passover.It's not easy coming up with a palatable school lunch that is Passover friendly. Max today had the old peanut butter and matzoh sandwich and Rebecca opted for tomato soup on Monday.

So it is hard to live without regular bread and it's amazing how many things you have in your pantry that are off limits. However it is not all bread of affliction , we also get to have some amazing desserts like this chocolate tort. Ground almonds, butter, chocolate, eggs, sugar, and a smidgen of matzoh cake meal result in a delicious treat that gets topped with whipped cream.

 Meanwhile today was Earth Day. I normally pay little heed to this particular celebration, but this year NASA was having a Global Selfie Day. I decided the red boys could join in the fun. I printed out a sign and plopped them on a bench for their photo session. They honestly didn't care about the whole thing, but they did like being outside during some gorgeous spring weather.

I think they would rather be celebrating Earth Day in a proper dachshund fashion like this guy being featured on Dream Dachshund rescue's Facebook page. Another good picture can be found over here. Earth Day done as only how an earth dag can do it.

Purim!

Purim!, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

It's a holiday so I must be baking.

It was a long weekend filled with driving and soccer.I got home around 3:00 and Larry followed a couple hours later. We briefly considered attending our synagogue's Purim party, but the idea of getting back in the car to do even more driving was very unappealing. Not even the promise of hamantaschen and pizza were able to get us out.

So instead I made us our own hamantaschen. There was much happiness and no regrets.

The Return

King Cake, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Between snow days, sports, two bands, and life in general I have done pretty much zilch around here. A nice gentle prodding from Diane and my daughter bluntly telling me I needed to update pushed me into action.

So yes we have had far too many snow days around here and when the kids have off I bake them a treat. this week in honor of Fat Tuesday I made a King Cake. Actually two of them, one on Saturday because I had a hankering for one and another on Monday. Both were inhaled in less than a day.It's pretty safe to say that we like King Cake. Mine is a nutmeg and lemon based cake with a cream cheese filling. I found it over at Gourmet Girl and it is pretty easy to make. I didn't get a pretty open ring, but the end result was delicious.

Sweet Rewards

Hard at work, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

We got 4 1/2 inches of snow yesterday. Then it rained, sleeted, and lord knows what else during the night. As a result we woke up to a big sloppy mess that was "only" two inches and very heavy. I knew with the deep freeze predicted for tonight it would turn into a sheet of ice and the driveway would be a mess for quite some time. So I proposed to the kids, if you shovel the driveway I would bake a rat from them. Max and Rebecca lit up at the offer and were soon outside and shoveling away.

clean driveway, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

It was hard work and they were not so thrilled with the bargain. I sweetened the deal by offering to bake two treats, Max would get his beloved pumpkin pie and Rebecca would get a chocolate eclair pie.They worked hard for about ab hour and got the large area outside of the garage cleared away. They came in to rest and get some lunch. I tossed all the wet gloves and Max's jacket into the dryer, which was much appreciated when they went back outside.

I'm not sure how long it took, but they did clear the whole drive. I went out afterwards and I was really impressed. They did a terrific job and certainly earned their treats. Unfortunately we got another inch or so of snow, but it isn't as wet and Jacob has already volunteered to clear it away. He wants in on the baked goods and is willing to work for food.
 

Just rewards, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

So while all that shoveling was going on I was inside baking away. I ended up halving the recipe for the eclair pie I made for Rebecca's birthday last year.  I think it came out even better this time. As fr the pumpkin pie, well it's an old favorite and very dependable. I think I will even let the dynamic duo enjoy their respective pies for breakfast tomorrow, sine we of course don't have school.

Scientific Brownies

Scientific Brownies, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Today two of Rebecca's classmates came over to work on their STEM/science fair project. They were tasked with making a device that would allow an uncooked egg survive an approximately 8 foot fall without using a parachutes. They had created an initial prototype a couple of weeks ago and came to our house to test using the second floor area that overlooks the great room.

They worked away and came up with a second design and decided to test it. An egg was procured, placed in the device, and dropped over the railing. The shell cracked, but the membrane remained intact, this counted as a success However just to be sure they tested two more times, each time with a new egg. Meanwhile Rebecca asked what she should do with the cracked eggs. I told her to set them aside, I would come up with a use for them.

As they discussed more testing I cut them off. I envisioned my remaining eggs being destroyed and that was not an option. I told them to weigh an egg and use something else as the test subject. Rebecca had some modeling clay and it was perfect for the job. As for the cracked eggs, well it turns out my brownie recipe uses three eggs.

Baking With Julia- French Bread

Proper French Bread, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

I have pretty much fallen off the wagon in regards to the Baking with Julia stuff, but it did get me to buy and use a wonderful cookbook. So instead of sticking to the schedule I will continue on in my own way and maybe some day get back on track.

Which brings me to the lovely bread pictured here. On New Years I decided to bake a brie, but the big question was what to serve with the cheese. I asked Larry what he would like and he said French bread. Which is a bit of a challenge since I have yet to have found an easily accessible loaf of good French bread in the area. So I decide to make it myself, how hard could it be?

Well it turns out it isn't particularly hard, but it is very labor intensive.

I had to first make pizza dough for a 1/2 once of starter. From there I had at least 3 different rises, an in the fridge rest, and a steam filled oven. The end result was very good, precious little of the four loves made to the new year, just a four inch stub that Nate devoured the next day. A good crust, chewy bread, a faint sour tang, and a lovely open structure. The bread was a roaring sucess and it was the first time I had ever baked French bread. I think I will do it again, but really it took a good 24 hours to make it. What is it with French and their complicated bread products.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Our New Years Eve treat is baked brie with fresh baguettes.

The bread was hugely successful while the cheese only appealed to the older half of the family. Jacob had to run back upstairs to stop himself from eating all the brie. Meanwhile, Larry and I keep going back for one more piece. It's a nice change from the usual desserty type thing. The crusty bread, still warm from the oven, is lovely with the honey drizzled and baked brie.

I'm Only Human

Bluffin, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

You see this muffin, doesn't it look delicious? All chocolatey and poofy. You just want to tear into it with a nice glass of milk.

Well it's not.

It is the blandest thing I have ever baked. It was supposed to be a chocolate muffin, Rebecca wanted to make chocolate muffins with me and we had a lovely time. Right up until we tried out the muffins.

They were such a disappointment. I added the upper end of the called for chocolate, but it tasted like I waved a stale bit of chocolate at the batter. Nate came up with the term bluffin, a contraction of bland muffin.

I tried one with some cream cheese frosting and all it did was ruin the frosting. I would have been better off just licking the frosting off the knife. I ended up tossing the last bluffin because nobody, and do mean nobody, wants a second one.

So not everything I bake is good, I'm only human.

Baking With Julia- Summer Vegetable Tart

Summer Vegetable Tart, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week's baking challenge was a savory Summer Vegetable Tart. to see other Tarts head on over to Baking with Julia. Since there is no host I'll give a brief run down on the recipe.

For the crust I used half a package phyllo dough, each sheet  brushed with clarified butter and seasoned with freshly ground pepper. The sheets wee draped on a 9 inch tart pan with the edges resembling the points of a handkerchief. The dough was then baked for a bit under 10 minutes in a 375 oven. It was then placed on a rack and allowed to cool.

About an hour before serving saute in olive oil a sliced onion and two cloves of garlic. Once the onion is translucent add two sliced peppers and a half a pound of sliced mushrooms. Once the peppers are soft remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste, fresh thyme, and half a cup of crumbled goat cheese. The objective to to warm the cheese, not melt it.

The dish is best slightly warm or at room temperature.

I was very pleased with how the phyllo dough worked out for me. Sometimes it can be a royal pain, shredding every time you handle a sheet. I got the corners all artfully draped and backed to a lovely golden color. The filling was delicious, at least to the older half of the family, those 14 and under really didn't care for it. My only complaint was how messy the dish is to serve, the phyllo dough would keep breaking off. Mess aside it is a recipe well worth repeating. I had it as a vegetable side dish for my chicken piccata and the light lemon flavors worked well with the tart.

Baking With Julia- Cheese and Tomato Galette

Cheese and Tomato Galette, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Last week's baking challenge for Baking with Julia was Cheese and Tomato Galette. I could have tried making it last Tuesday, but considering I came home that day after a lovely weekend away with my husband, I decided against such foolishness. It was hard enough getting back into the groove cooking dinner and such, an optional treat such as this was too much.

Which brings us to today.

The recipe called for 1/2 a batch of galette dough, conveniently I had such a thing stashed in my freezer. The dough was a leftover from the Berry Galette I made way back in August of last year.

Oh, that was quite a while ago, however the dough was fine. I really should label things better in the freezer and keep better tabs on little odds and ends like this.

Anyhoodle, as the dough defrosted I combined the cheese and basil. The recipe called for 2 oz mozzarella and 2 oz Monterey Jack.  I had the mozzarella, but not the Jack so I substituted Swiss and cheddar. As for the basil, 1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil was called for. I had only dried, my basil plant are quite big enough, though I did trim off a couple of small leaves for garnish. Once the dough was thawed I rolled it out and transferred to to my pizza pan. I tossed the cheese on top, sliced some tomato, and then layered on the slices on top of the cheese. The edges of the dough were folded up and then the whole thing was backed at 400 for about 40 minutes.

It smelt heavenly and I had a hard time waiting the proscribed 10 minutes for the galette to cool. But wait I diid and it was well worth the wait. I thought it was outstanding as did Larry.

Baking With Julia- Savarin

Savarin, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Last week's challenge over at Baking with Julia was Savarin. Yes I'm a week late, but it is the end of school and things are even crazier than usual. Between potluck dinners, end of soccer season parties, and hey lets give 5th grade pizza for lunch, I've been a wee bit busy. Also in my defense I made a complete hash out of my first attempt.Fortunately all I wasted was an egg, a bit of flour, sugar, and yeast. I had enough sense to toss the flat mess and not just plow forward.

So as you can see by the picture here I was very successful in the end.

As I mentioned before in my first attempt, the bread base was a flat and miserable failure. The second time around I halved the rising times and doubled the dough. Combine that with  going  all out on greasing the ring mold, I had a far more successful go of it. It still slumped a bit, but once you start soaking the bread with simple syrup, splashing a bit of pear flavored vodka (the recipe called for pear eau-de-vie and that's the closest I was going to get without shopping, hurrah for freebie sample bottles come with the regular stuff), filling the hole with whipped cream and ladeling warm berry sauce on top, who cares.

I admit I was a bit dubious of the whole thing, I nibbled on the flop and found it wanting in flavor. However, the full on savarin was fantastic. I don't know if I'll make it again, it was easy but certainly required a huge amount of tarting up.

Scary Cupcake

scary cupcake, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

At the band potluck we attended Tuesday Rebecca snagged this mini-cupcake. As she was unwrapping it she decided to make is scary. A slight tear to the cake, two dots of frosting for the eyes, and voilà one frightening (or frightened) cupcake.

I'm posting this picture because this is how I feel about this week's Baking with Julia challenge. It's savarin and the first one I made was a complete and utter disaster. It completely collapsed on itself and refused to unmold. I think I sussed out went wrong, I over raised the dough and did an inadequate job greasing the mold.

I'm giving it another crack and this time I'll closely watch the dough and not let it rise out of control. I will also double the dough since I don't have a small ring mold and the dough looked a bit lost when I plopped it in.

Artist of the Week: Baking with Jacob

Jacob, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Jacob is this week's artist for his little foray in baking.

I can't believe my boy is finishing up his junior year of high school. He is looking at various colleges and universities with an eye towards architecture. He has grown a lot this year, but he is still the same goofy boy. He is starting to take more of an interest in how food appears on the table, but he is still a ways off in regards to cooking for the family. He'll get there, apart from cookies and cakes, I really didn't start cooking until junior year in college.

Anyhoodle, as I said the school year is winding down and as a result the assignments are getting rather... unique.

mock apple pie, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Monday he had an extra credit project for chemistry, to bake a "chemical apple pie." He started to tell me how there are no apples when I blurted out"Oh it's a mock apple pie and you use crackers."

Bingo.

I have never had nor baked one, but I have always been intrigued by the whole idea of a mock apple pie. This assignment should be very interesting. Pies, apart from the crust, are pretty easy to make and make for a good first time baking project. Jacob was to make the whole thing, all I could do was provide the materials and maybe coach a bit from the sidelines.

sliced mock apple pie, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Here is the recipe he brought home from school:

"Chemical Apple Pie"
Materials needed:
1.5 quart saucepan
3 cups water
1.5 cups sugar
1.5 tsp cream of tartar
25 Ritz crackers
pastry for two pie crust (store bought is fine)
cinnamon
butter
pie plare

Procedure:
1.) Bring the 3 cups of water to a boil in the sauce pan.
2.) Mix the sugar with the cream of tartar and add this to the boiling water.
3.) Add 25 whole Ritz crackers, one at a ti8me, to the water.
 Do Not Stir
4.) Boil for 3 minutes but do nor stir.
5.) Pour this mixture into a pastry lined pie pan.
6.) Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and dot lightly with butter.
7.) Cover with the pastry top and pierce several times to allow steam to escape.
8.) Bake at 450 F for 30 minutes or until done.
9.) Allow to cool and taste for quality.

Pretty easy and not an apple in sight. I taught Jacob how to make pie crust, the main points being cold butter and handle it as little as possible. He did a great job rolling out the dough and assembling the pie. The only deviation was a dash of ground ginger to liven things up.

As for the pie itself, it actually worked. It's not the best pie in the world, but it looks and smells like a proper apple pie.

Cheesecake with Strawberry and Rhubarb Compote

Cheesecake with Strawberry and Rhubarb Compote, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

So yesterday this happened.

I asked Larry what he wanted for dessert yesterday and he said cheesecake. Initially I demurred, having just made a chocolate one on Thursday to bring to the Friday congregational potluck and it being a dessert that our guest, Meryl, did not care for. He then thought strawberry rhubarb pie would be good. That too was on Meryl's no fly list, so I said the heck with it all, I'll just make Larry happy and make the cheesecake. At that point, with the whole strawberry-rhubarb pie thing in my head, I had the idea of making a strawberry and rhubarb compote as a topping.

I have never made any sort of a compote before so it was off to the internets for research.

I hit upon this one by David Lebovitz.. It read well, was quick and easy to make,  and (this is key) I had most of the ingredients. All I needed was rhubarb, which was a bit hard to find, but not impossible. The end result was sublime. It was fabulous straight out of the pot and on the cheesecake.

As for the cheesecake, Meryl tried a tiny crumb and discovered the magic of a really good homemade cheesecake. Now she can't wait for the next time I make a chocolate one.

Baking With Julia- Savory Brioche Pockets

Savory Brioche Pockets, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week's challenge on Baking with Julia was Savory Brioche Pockets. For the full recipe and many pretty pictures head on over the the challenge's host, Loaves and Stitches.

I enjoyed making these little pockets full of yum, though they are a bit labor intensive with the brioche dough. I planned a head this time and decided very early on to tweak the recipe more to our liking. I love asparagus, but not everybody in my family can or will eat it. Therefor it was time for a bit of substitution.

Spinach came to mind, I could promote the pockets as a sort of spinach pie. So I blanched the spinach and used roughly a heaping tablespoon per pocket. The end result was quite good even with my forgetting to add the chives (and dang it I was looking forward to cutting back my seemingly immortal chives), all it needed was an extra bit of salt. I don't know if I'll make them again, the dough is a bit fussy, but they were a very tasty experiment.

Artist of the Week: Lemon Squares

me with hat, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

It's my turn to be the artist of the week. Once in a while I like to toot my own horn.

First off the picture, it is the dreaded selfie. I took it after mowing the lawn for no other reason than I like my hat. I've had this hat for nigh on 17 years. I got it in a small shop in Westport Ontario. We had gone of vacation with friends that have access to a fishing cabin on Bob's Lake. The hat is pigskin suede and  although I don't wear it very often, I am rather fond of the hat.

Maybe one of my goals should be to wear the hat more often. Another good one would be to allow other people to take my picture. As self portraits go it is not too bad. At least I am not making a duck face (Why to people do that? Nobody looks good with that expression.). Either way I should stop hogging the camera and allow for more photographic evidence that I exist.

Lemon Squares, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Now on to the lemon squares.

I have quite a repertoire of baked goods and sometimes I lose track of the minor favorites. The lemon squares are a good example. I was trying to think of what to send my mom for Mother's Day when I remembered that she really likes my lemon squares. They are a breeze to make and would also work for the teacher luncheon. I ended up making three batches, one for my mom and a double for the school. Jacob bemoaned the fact that all he was getting were the trimmings and the rejects. I promised I would bake one more batch for the family.

The squares were a much bigger hit this time around. All the kids will eat them as opposed to just Jacob. I don't see these hanging around for any length of time.

Baking With Julia- Fresh Rhubarb Upside-Down (not so) Baby Cake

Fresh Rhubarb Upside-Down (not so) Baby Cake, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This week's Baking with Julia challenge was Fresh Rhubarb Upside-Down Baby Cake with the host being Erin over at When in Doubt... Leave it at 350. Hopefully she'll post the full recipe and at that point I'll fix the link to go directly to the recipe. Yay link works!

As y'all probably guessed by the title I did not make Baby Cakes, I didn't feel like messing around with my four inch pans and decided to make a 12 inch cake  alternative instead. And why yes I do have a 12 inch spring form cake pan, I'm hard core.

The resultant cake was delicious. There is nothing like fresh rhubarb and loved the flavor it imparted. I couldn't find crème fraîche nor did I feel like making it so I used the third alternative listed in the recipe, sour cream. It worked out very well, though I would like to try making the cake sometime with crème fraîche. Also I think it was easier to make it in one pan than 8 (!) mini cake pans, it would be  tricky dividing the caramel between all those pans. 

Oh and my one modification, I lined the cake pan so I wouldn't mess up the rhubarb when I turned out the cake. It was very easy to peel off after I removed the spring form pan from the overturned cake. 

This would make an excellent brunch or tea-time treat. Next time, and there will be a next time, I might just halve the recipe for a more manageable quantity of cake.

Baking With Julia- Madeleines

Madeleines, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Woo hoo! I'm back on schedule!

This week's baking challenge from "Baking with Julia" is madeleines. For the full recipe head on over to Counter Dog, Katie will give you the recipe with pictures.

Technically I made ladyfingers, not madeleines. I don't have the pan and I have no great need to buy one. Conversely my ladyfingers don't look like ladyfingers either. I didn't feel like making the tradition finger shaped cookie and decided to use a really big star tip and do a sort of free hand madeleine piping. The earlier cookies came out better, probably because the batter was beginning to break down in the bag from the pressure and the warmth of my hands on the piping bag.

Anyhoodle, the cookies came out quite well. They are a bit on the dry side, but this recipe seemed to be geared towards a dunkable creation. I liked it and it was a very quick treat to knock out, I got the whole thing done in under an hour. As for making them again, I don't know. Maybe if I make a trifle and want to use home made ladyfingers.

Baking With Julia- Rustic Potato Loaves

Rustic Potato Loaf, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

The Rustic Potato Loaves were actually from last week over at Baking with Julia, however with it still (barely) being Passover I elected to give a miss until this week. For the full recipe head on over to Simply Sweet and see what Dawn cooked up.

It is an easy bread to make, though you really do need a stand mixer to do it. I'm sure the 11 (!) minutes of beating by hand or a hand mixer would get very old, very fast. Apart from being sticky and my apparent inability to make a torpedo shape loaf, it was one of the easiest breads to bake so far. It has a nice chewy crust and a pleasant tang from the potatoes.

We had this instead of challah tonight and the loaf was quickly devoured. Rebecca didn't care for it, but Jacob was ecstatic. He loves potato bread and is very happy boy. This is definitely a keeper.

Lemon Angel Pie

Lemon Angel Pie, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This year for the community Seder I wanted to make a non-chocolate dessert. Passover friendly chocolate desserts are easy, for years I've brought my flour less chocolate tort. Chocolate is easy, but it has been done to death.

So I hauled out my go to cook book for Passover, Something Different for Passover by Zell Schulman, and started flipping through the dessert pages. About two thirds the way in the section I found a likely candidate, Lemon Angel Pie. I had all the ingredients on hand and it looked easy.

Normally I would link to the recipe, but the lone version (of the hundreds of variations out there on the web) I could find attributed to her was quite different from the one I used. So here it is:

Lemon Angel Pie

Crust
1/2 cup of egg whites (4 large eggs), room temperature
1 teaspoon of vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups sugar

Filling
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 tablespoons potato starch
Dash of salt
1 1/4 cups ice water
4 slightly beaten egg yolks
grated peel of 2 lemons
6 tablespoons lemon juice*
2 tablespoons of butter or margarine**

1. Preheat oven to 250 F. Grease a 9 inch pie plate.

2. With an electric mixer, beat egg whites at medium speed until they are frothy. Add vinegar and vanilla and turn mixer to high. When eggs begin to hold a soft peak or  whn you see lines from the beaters in the egg whites, begin to add the sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time. Beat thoroughly after each addition. Continue until all the sugar has been added and the egg whites are very stiff and glossy.

3. Spread the meringue into the pie plate, building up the sides and leaving the center flattened for the filling. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on cake rack for 1 hour.

4. While the meringue is baking,*** make the filling. Combine sugar, potiao starch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Gradually add ice water. Stir in egg yolks, lemon peel, and lemon juice. Cook and stir over medium heat until bubbly. Boil only one minute- no longer!

5. Remove from heat and stir in butter.margerine. let cool 15 to 20 minutes.

6. Fill meringue shell, and garnish with toasted coconut or toasted almonds.****

* I didn't bother to measure, I just used all the juice from the two lemons.

**I used margerine since the Seder was a meat meal.

***It's better to make the filling as the meringue is cooling.

****I skipped the toppings.

The pie is delicious and was a huge hit. One gentleman thanked me for using real lemons. The only thing I might change is to cut back a bit on the sugar. The pis is very much worth making.