Grand Slam #Cake

Remember me? The extremely occasional cook? I've clearly taken a break. Occasions have come and gone and I've just been...lazy apparently. I do have quite a stockpile of recipes that I plan to unroll over the next few weeks. I got inspired by my friend's 13 yo daughter and her friends playing Top Chef with my recipes on a recent  Saturday afternoon. Let's see what actually happens!

Once again breakfast at Wimbledon has come and gone and the American ladies have come out on top. Congrats to Serena on her 22nd grand slam title and to both her and Venus on their doubles win! And of course kudos to Andy Murray on his second Wimbledon title. Truth be told I can't really play tennis but thanks to the generosity of a friend, I have taken a few lessons so that I can at least hit the ball over the net. Most of the time.

As a nod to the British hosts and American players, I made a version of the classic Wimbledon treat, strawberries and cream. I didn't make a shortcake this time but a classic pound cake or #cake or £cake...whatever. (Mine weighed in at a voluptuous 3.5 pounds!) A pound cake is as delish for breakfast as for dessert and though I seriously need to stay away from all things butter and sugar, I made it anyway. Office mates, save room for breakfast tomorrow!

Classic Pound Cake
Adapted from King Arthur Flour

1 cup (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or extract flavoring of your choice)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until very light.

3. Beat in the sugar gradually and then the eggs, one by one. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and beat until the mixture is very light and fluffy.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

5. In another small bowl, whisk together the milk and extract.

6. Alternately add the wet and dry ingredients to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour. Stir to combine after each addition.

7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.

8. Bake the cake for 60 - 65 minutes, until it springs back when pressed lightly in on top, and a long toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. If the cake appears to be browning too quickly, tent it with foil for the final 15 minutes of baking.

9. Remove the cake from the oven, and loosen its edges. Wait 5 minutes, then carefully turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool. Store, wrapped in plastic, for a day or two before serving. Wrap well and freeze for longer storage. Makes 1 loaf cake, about 18 servings.

Independent Women

Once again the Fourth of July holiday and Wimbledon tennis tourney coincide, and particularly well this year with American women making up 25% of the round of 16!! Venus, Serena, Madison Keys and Coco Vandeweghe will all be representing the USA in the fourth round. Get ready for Monday's epic sibling match-up of Venus and Serena, their 26th time playing each other. So exciting!

The American men aren't faring as well. John Isner lost to Cilic in the 3rd round so Denis Kudla is the lone American man who has made it through to the fourth round. Also of note: Rafa got knocked out in the 2nd round when he lost to Jamaican-German Dustin Brown (his second loss to Dustin on grass). Sorry, Rafa. (Stick to clay!) Fortunately we will be seeing more Federer! Go Roger!!!

Anyhoo, I am no sports reporter so the whole point of this post is my latest Breakfast at Wimbledon recipe. Instead of traditional scones, in honor of Independence Day and the American women still playing, I opted for the more all-American breakfast treat, blueberry muffins. I'm sure that none of these fabulous athletes would dare eat such empty calories during this tournament, so I will do it for them!

This blueberry muffin recipe is adapted from The Ski House Cookbook where I used sour cream to make a much lighter muffin with a more delicate crumb. Speaking of crumbs, I added a crumb topping that I swiped from the coffee cake recipe also in the book. These are great for breakfast or dessert. Or for winning a tennis tournament. Probably.

Super Sour Cream, Blueberry-Crumb, Fourth-of-July Wimbledon Muffins

Topping:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar

5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Muffins:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

3/4 cup sugar

8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)

1 cup fresh (or frozen) blueberries

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F.  Butter a standard (12-cup) muffin tin and set aside. 

2. Prepare the topping: In a small bowl stir together the flour and brown sugar. Add the butter and using a pastry blender or fork, mix the ingredients until they are crumbly, resembling a coarse sand. Set aside until ready to bake.

3. Prepare the muffins: In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.

4. In a medium bowl whisk the eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla and lemon zest if using. Stir in the sour cream.

5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just to combine. Do not over mix. Divide the batter evenly in the muffin tin and sprinkle the tops with the crumb topping.

6. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. (A toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin should come out clean.)  Cool the muffins in the pan on a rack for about 10 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan to a rack to continue cooling. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 12 muffins.

Hellooo…Newman.

Woah. It's mid-October and by looking at this blog you'd think that I've been on permanent summer vacation. I wish! I've just been lazy. And drinking rosé and eating salads. But now that it's nearly Halloween, it's time to see if my oven still works! Once I remove all of the pot and pans that are stored there!

With all of the recent Instagram posts from pumpkin patches and apple orchards, an apple recipe seemed the way to go. Granted this recipe uses one singular apple, but it's the thought that counts. And BT dubs, if you go to an orchard and only want to bring home an apple vs. a bushel, you'll be good to go! 

I randomly have a square muffin tin and it makes these little guys look like cute individual cakes rather than your average muffin. Perhaps along the lines of something that could be sold in an individual package like a Drake's Coffee Cake. The full size, not the junior. (Sometimes I feel like I am living a Seinfeld episode, but I digress…) The point is (what was my point again?) that these are super tasty and my oven still works!

Individual Apple Crumb Cakes

Adapted from Food & Wine

Streusel:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Cakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg, beaten
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and finely diced

1. Make the streusel: Preheat the oven to 350°F. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, or using a pastry blender in a medium bowl, combine the flour with the brown sugar and salt. Add the butter pieces and mix at medium-low speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Continue mixing the streusel until very small clumps form. Refrigerate until it is well chilled, about 10 minutes.

2. Make the crumb cakes: Line 12 standard-size muffin cups with paper liners, or simply butter the muffin tin. In a large bowl, combine the flour with the granulated sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add the butter pieces and cut in with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the sour cream and beaten egg and mix until the batter is smooth. Add the diced apple and stir just until incorporated.

3. Fill the muffin cups halfway with the crumb cake batter. Press the streusel into clumps and sprinkle on top. Bake the crumb cakes in the center of the oven for about 30 minutes, until risen, golden and springy to the touch. Rotate the pans halfway through baking. Let the crumb cakes cool slightly before serving. Makes 12.

Cold Comfort

I also use my meat thermometer to read the temp in my apt. It's VERY rare!

When it's 8˚ outside the last thing that I want to do is get up in the dark to go to a 6:30 am spin class. Especially when my apartment is only 55˚ to start with. Thanks landlords! It's super comfy! I think the shivering is helping me to burn extra calories so I don't even have to go to the freaking gym! (Fortunately, because now my gym has no heat or water. Gross.)

Even though I sadly do have to get up supes early to go to the gym and/or work, I'd really rather sleep in and have a snow day like some peeps enjoyed earlier this week. And what I'd love to eat is a giant batch of homemade waffles. (Served to me on a silver platter, thanks.) I'm not talking about the crazy yeasted version that I made here, just your good old-fashioned basic recipe. Mostly I just need a way to consume the six or so bottles worth of maple syrup that I have stashed from purveyors such as Crown in NY,  Gillingham's in VT, and a generic bottle from MI. 

Though I did try, I'm obviously not very good at estimating the amount of batter required to make a full waffle on my waffle iron. The first one didn't have any edges at all. At least my photo below shows improvement. I need help. Who's coming over to cook for me? BTW: BYO space heater.

Quick Waffles
Adapted from Bon Appétit

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups whole milk
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled
Peanut oil

1. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl to blend. Whisk the whole milk, 2 large eggs, and melted butter in medium bowl to blend. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until the batter is smooth. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 hour ahead. Let batter stand at room temperature.

2. Heat the waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions (medium-high heat). Brush the grids lightly with peanut oil (don't miss any crevices or you waffle may stick like mine did). Pour enough batter onto each waffle grid to cover generously (about heaping 1/2 cup batter for 4 1/2x3 1/2-inch grid); spread evenly with an offset spatula. Close the waffle iron and cook until the waffles are golden brown and crisp on both sides, 5 to 6 minutes.

3. Divide the waffles among 4 plates. Dust with powdered sugar or dollop with unsalted butter or smother with real maple syrup, or do all three. Serves four.

Food for Thought

Indeed.

Biscuit Brunch

Since I spent the last few days in Georgia, it seems only right that I make little biscuit brunch. (And I had leftover buttermilk from a crème fraîche experiment. More on that later.) OK yes, I've made biscuits before, but that recipe called for cake flour and let's be honest, most people don't have cake flour in their cupboards. And this recipe let's you cut the biscuits into perfect circles, thereby creating the perfect sandwich shape with which to create a breakfast treat. Sadly I was out of bacon and cheddar but hello, how good does that sound? Bacon, egg and cheese on a biscuit? Yes, please!

Buttermilk Biscuits

Adapted from Martha Stewart

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk, plus more for brushing

1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and cream. Stir to combine.

2. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and pat into a 6 1/2-inch round (about 1 inch high). Using a lightly floured 2 1/2-inch cutter, cut out rounds. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing about 1 inch apart. Gather the scraps, reshape, and cut out. Brush the tops with buttermilk. Bake until the tops are golden, 22 to 24 minutes. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack, and cool. Makes about 8 biscuits.

Pumped up Pumpkin Bread

Whooops! I forgot to post this before Thanksgiving, but I'm pretty sure that everyone still has plenty of family gatherings, holiday parties, gifts to give, breakfasts to eat, house guests you'd rather not have and all around free time to make some post-Thanksgiving pumpkin bread in the next month or so...am I right??

I tried to find the pumpkin bread recipe that I normally use, but since I couldn't find it, I combed through a ton-age of others and decided that the classic Libby's recipe made the style of bread that I like the best. Their standard pumpkin pie recipe hasn't ever failed me, so why not try the pumpkin bread? Yum. Aside from calling for pumpkin pie spice (which is just an excuse to make you buy another spice you'll never use again) I was totally pleased with the recipe. And you can make your own pumpkin pie spice blend in about 30 seconds. Seriously.

For one teaspoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice:
Measure 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/8 teaspoon of ground allspice or ground cloves, and 1/8 teaspoon of ground nutmeg into a small bowl and stir to blend. The end.



Pumpkin Bread
Adapted from Libby's

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice**(see above)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups granulated sugar
1 (15-ounce) can 100% pure pumpkin
4 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice or water
1 cup sweetened dried, fresh or frozen cranberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans (or any variation below).

2. Combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Combine the sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil and juice in a large bowl. Beat until just blended. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Fold in the cranberries. Spoon the batter into prepared loaf pans.

3. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Alternative loaf sizes:
•For three 8 x 4-inch loaf pans:
Prepare as above. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes.
•For five or six 5 x 3-inch mini-loaf pans:
Prepare as above. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes.

Shock and Awe

Hallelujah! ConEd (boo!) and my landlord (boo!) finally turned the gas back on after TWO WEEKS! Yeah! Now I know what the phrase "cooking with gas" really means! This all dovetailed with the extra annoying snowstorm of October 29. I was without gas, heat and hot water on the 28th & 29th, and have been without gas until today. It actually had nothing to do with the storm, but then again, I have yet to understand what it had to do with. I couldn't get a straight answer out of anyone! Obviously it was nothing like what the people in the state of CT have been dealing with for the past 10 days, but still. Ordering in, making salads, and cooking in the toaster oven gets old after a while! BTW: Does anybody know if I can withhold a portion of my rent? I haven't looked into that yet...

So, in light of being able to cook and bake again, I bring you...lemon pound cake! To be truthful I made this over two weeks ago, but it felt somehow wrong to blog about baking when I actually couldn't! (I am dying to bake something autumnal and pumpkin-y this weekend though, so stay tuned.) Anyway, I have been on a super hard core purge/re-organization of my apartment, and not only came across 150 food magazines hiding in the back of my closet (Relax-I threw them out!), I found a few binders full of recipes, which I similarly didn't recall hoarding, I mean, having. I did quickly flip through the recipes to pull anything that looked appealing, and this pound cake was a clear winner. It was originally a recipe for orange pound cake, but since I can't stand anything orange flavored, I changed it to lemon. Delish. I pawned it off on the folks at work not knowing that it might be the last thing I ever bake...(sniff). I think I'm going to go boil a pot of water! Because I can!



Lemon Pound Cake
Adapted from Saveur

For the Cake:
14 tablespoons softened, unsalted butter
3 tablespoons milk
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

For the Glaze:
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice



1. For the cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 6-cup loaf pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Set aside. Put the milk, eggs, and vanilla in a bowl and beat until well combined. Set aside.

2. Sift together the flour, sugar, and baking powder into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk. Add the zest, beating on medium speed, then add remaining 13 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting until each is completely incorporated before adding more.

3. Slowly add the milk-egg mixture, beating constantly, until the batter is just mixed together. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 55-65 minutes. (Lightly cover the cake with a piece of buttered foil during baking if it begins to get too brown.) Allow the cake to cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then remove from the pan. Using a skewer, poke holes all over the top of the cake.

4. For the glaze: Combine the sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the glaze by half. Brush some of the warm glaze over the top of the cake, reapplying the glaze until cake is saturated. Serves 8.

Apple, Turn Over

So it must be almost 6 years to the day that at my birthday party at the Pegu Club, I summoned enough liquid courage to approach Melissa Clark (who was there to celebrate her latest book launch - another long circuitous story) to tell her how much I loved her writing and her column in The NY Times. But honestly, who knows what exactly I said? All that I can recall is that she said something along the lines of, "Thank you so much," then asked me if it was my birthday and if I would prefer that she and her small group move to another table to make way for my ever expanding party. We must have been super annoying because even though I said, "No, it's no problem," she moved anyway. Or maybe I came across as scary stalker? Probably.

Anyhoo...I am still reading her column in The Times and I've been holding onto this apple muffin recipe for just over a year waiting for...what? I dunno. Fall is officially here so it seems as good a time as any to bake! And since apples are plentiful, I might as well bake them into something extra tasty. It's so tiresome to eat them raw. Yawn. You should definitely bake and serve (and eat!) these on the same day, preferably within a few hours of making them otherwise they will be super sogged-out the next day. Not cute. But the day you bake them they are extra cute and tasty, like little mini-cakes. My only question about the recipe was that Melis tells you to distribute the apple slices among the muffin cups but doesn't tell you what to do with the extra sauce. Should I have cooked it down to a glaze? Poured it all in the muffin tins? Poured it over my pancakes? What's a girl to do?? I poured about half of it over the apples in the muffin tin and then threw the rest away. I worried about all of that liquid. Maybe I'll just ask her the next time I run into her...my birthday is coming up.



Upside Down Apple Muffins
Adapted from Melissa Clark and The New York Times

For the Apple Topping:
3 apples (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Pinch kosher salt

For the muffins:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract



1. Heat the oven to 375˚F. Generously grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, stir together the apples, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 6 tablespoons butter and pinch salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 15 minutes. Distribute the apple slices among the muffin cups.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

4. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the 8 tablespoons butter, eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold together until smooth. Distribute the batter on top of the apples. Bake until the muffins are slightly puffed, about 20 to 22 minutes.

5. Allow the muffins to cool for about 15 minutes in the pan. Turn onto a platter and serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 12 muffins.

Ladies and Gentlemen

It's a big weekend. It's the Wimbledon finals and the extra long 4th of July holiday weekend. And Will and Kate are nearly in SoCal. Could you just die? No? Well, fine. But it's a good enough reason to acknowledge the English/American mash-up. Too bad there weren't any Americans in the ladies' or men's (excuse me, gentlemen's) finals...

Is there a better way to enjoy breakfast at Wimbledon (not WimbleTON!) than with a plate of scones? I guess actually being there would be a start...But if you watch from your couch at home, you could make a batch for breakfast and then use the ones that you don't eat (assuming that you don't eat them all!) to make shortcakes for dessert on the 4th. Voila!



Breakfast at Wimbledon - 4th of July Strawberry Shortcakes
(Scone recipe adapted from The Best New Recipe)

Scones:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Filling:
2 pounds fresh strawberries
1/4 cup granulated white sugar, or to taste
1 cup cold heavy whipping cream

1. Make the scones: Preheat the oven to 425˚F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

2. Use two knives, a pastry blender, or your fingertips, and quickly cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few slightly larger butter lumps.

3. Stir in 1 cup of the heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until the dough begins to form.

4. Transfer the dough, and all dry flour bits, to a counter top and knead the dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, slightly sticky ball. Pat the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 3/4-inch thick circle (about 8-inches round). Cut the dough into 8 wedges (or rounds). Brush the tops with the 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Sprinkle lightly with sugar. Place the wedges on an ungreased baking sheet.

5. Bake until the scone tops are light brown, 12 - 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

6. Make the filling: Wash, hull, and slice the strawberries. Place about one third of the strawberries in a large bowl and smash them with a potato masher, pastry blender, or fork. Add the remaining sliced strawberries and about 2 tablespoons sugar and stir to combine. (The amount of sugar used will depend on how sweet the berries are.) Set aside to macerate at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

7. Make the whipped cream: Chill a large bowl and a whisk in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Place the cold cream and 2 tablespoons sugar in the bowl and whip until stiff peaks form. The whipped cream can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for a few hours.

8. To serve: Cut the scones in half (like a sandwich roll) and place the bottom half of the scone (cut side up) on a dessert plate. Top with some of the strawberries and whipped cream. Place the top half of the scone on the strawberries (cut side down). Top with additional whipped cream and a few more strawberries. If there is any juice from the strawberries, drizzle a little over the top of the scone. Serve immediately. Makes 8 shortcakes.

National Egg Day

Friday, June 3rd is National Egg Day. Par-tay! Every day is egg day as far as I'm concerned. I don't really need another reason to blow through a carton of eggs, but if you do, try my asparagus frittata. It's perf for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. And get ready because World Egg Day follows in the fall, so consider this practice for the big day. For other random holidays that you don't really care about, check out this helpful guide.



Asparagus Frittata

1 pound asparagus, trimmed of woody ends and cut into 1-inch pieces
6 large eggs
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 ounces Fontina, shredded (about 1/2 cup)

1. Cook the asparagus in a pot of boiling water for 1 - 3 minutes, depending on the thickness of the spears. Drain. Add to a bowl of ice water to stop from cooking and to cool quickly. Drain completely and set aside.

2. Beat the eggs, salt, pepper, and thyme in a large bowl. Stir in the asparagus.

3. Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Drop a bit of egg into the pan; if it sizzles and cooks at once, the pan is ready. Pour in the egg mixture. Tilt the pan to distribute the eggs and filling evenly over the surface. Shake the pan gently, tilting it slightly with one hand while lifting up the edges of the frittata with the spatula in your other hand, to let the eggs run underneath during the first few minutes of cooking.

4. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes, shaking the pan gently every once in a while. From time to time, remove the lid, tilt the pan and loosen the bottom of the frittata with a spatula so that it doesn’t burn. The bottom should have a golden color. The eggs should be just about set. Cook a few minutes longer if they’re not.

5. Meanwhile, heat the broiler. Uncover the pan, sprinkle the frittata with the cheese, and place under the broiler, not too close to the heat, for one to three minutes, watching very carefully to make sure the top doesn’t burn (at most, it should brown very slightly and puff under the broiler). Remove from the heat, and shake the pan to make sure the frittata isn’t sticking. Allow it to cool for at least five minutes and then loosen the edges with a spatula. Carefully slide the frittata from the pan onto a large round platter. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. Makes four servings.

Early to bed

Need a last minute scone recipe to whip up at 4:00 in the morning? (West coasters, you are definitely at an advantage with the 1:00 am kickoff .) I'll be asleep, but perhaps you will be getting up at the crack to see just what the hell Kate will be wearing to the wedding of the century! I'm guessing a wedding dress. But in the meantime, you'll need loads of coffee (or tea if you're trying to be more authentic) and a scone (or three). Try my classic cream scone (or chocolate!) recipe that you can totally throw together during commercial breaks, or, whilst Giuliana or Meredith (or whoever) is trying to fill airtime whilst nothing else is happening. Enjoy!



Cream Scones
(Adapted from The Best New Recipe)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup dried sour cherries, (or chocolate) roughly chopped
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 425˚F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

2. Use two knives, a pastry blender, or your fingertips, and quickly cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few slightly larger butter lumps. Add the dried cherries (if using) and mix just to combine.

3. Stir in 1 cup of the heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until the dough begins to form.

4. Transfer the dough, and all dry flour bits, to a counter top and knead the dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, slightly sticky ball. Pat the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 3/4-inch thick circle (about 8-inches round). Cut the dough into 8 wedges. Brush the tops with the 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Sprinkle lightly with sugar. Place the wedges on an ungreased baking sheet.

5. Bake until the scone tops are light brown, 12 - 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 8 scones.


Or make Chocolate Scones

Baking 101

The other day I held a mini-baking class for my friend, Lisa. I didn't think to take photos because I was more worried about the tower of baking pots and pans crashing onto us (an empty oven is prime storage real estate) while we were trying to prep our recipe. We managed to bake without any major organizational disasters and made basic cream scones from the recipe that I posted here.

It was interesting to see the process through the eyes of someone who doesn't normally bake. I discovered that the most challenging parts of the scone recipe were cutting the butter into the flour mixture (because why would anyone ever do that otherwise) and shaping the dough into one giant scone in order to cut it into individual pieces (the dough has a tendency to be a little crumbly until it is gathered together). Both steps could worry the novice baker that they might not be doing something right.

All's well that ends well. I think that Lisa was surprised at how quickly it all came together and that she owned all of the necessary tools to make the scones, except for a pastry blender which you can pick up for a few bucks. The one pictured below is from Williams-Sonoma and sells for 10 bucks, but you can find one for a little less.


From Williams-Sonoma

I decided to try out this chocolate scone alternative because a.) I had never had a chocolate scone before and b.) there can never be enough chocolate at breakfast. They turned out to be quite delicious though, dare I say, they could stand to be MORE chocolatey! I do love the idea of wrapping and freezing the scones individually for baking in future weeks. I think I might do that in the future when I make my regular scone recipe. Also, I think that I would cut these square scones into triangles so that you get 12 scones rather than only 6. They are pretty massive and must be about a million calories each. That's just my unprofessional opinion. Off to the gym!



Chocolate Scones
From Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
½ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
5 ounces (1 cup) semisweet chocolate, chopped into ½-inch pieces
1 large whole egg + 1 large egg yolk
½ cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Sanding (or demerara) sugar, for sprinkling

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few larger clumps remaining. Fold in the chocolate.

2. In a small bowl whisk together the whole egg and ½ cup + 1 tablespoon heavy cream. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. Using a rubber spatula, fold in, working in all directions and incorporating crumbs at the bottom of the bowl, until the dough just comes together.

3. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, and gently pat into a 18-by-3 inch rectangle about 1-inch thick. Using a sharp knife or a pastry wheel, cut the rectangle into six 3-inch squares (you may cut these squares in half into triangles to make 12). Place the squares about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until the dough is very firm, at least 1 hour or overnight. (At this point you can freeze the unbaked scones in a resealable plastic bag until ready to bake, up to 3 weeks. I wrapped each individually in plastic wrap and placed in the plastic bag in order to bake one at a time at a later date. You can then place the frozen scones directly into a preheated oven.)

4. Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg yolk with the remaining tablespoon heavy cream; brush over the tops of the scones and sprinkle generously with sanding sugar. Bake, rotating the sheet halfway through, until the sugar on top of the scones turns golden all over, or a cake tester inserted in the center of a scone comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. They are best eaten the day they are baked. Makes six to twelve.

International Waffle Day!

Friday, March 25 marks a momentous day for waffle lovers near and far. International Waffle Day, which originated in Sweden where it's called Våffeldagen, is a great excuse for a big breakfast. And to make it even better, according to Midtown Lunch, you're entitled to a free waffle from Wafles and Dinges if you dress in your Belgian finest...colors that is. That's black, yellow, and red, HEAD TO TOE my friends...a baseball cap will not do. (Send me pics if you go!) According to the W&D website, you'll be able to find the truck in Manhattan on Friday at 52nd Street between 6th and 7th Aves from 10:00 am - 4:30 pm and at 7th Ave & Christopher Street from 6pm- 1am. If you can't make it for the freebie, hit up your favorite breakfast joint or make your own with the recipe I posted here. Enjoy!

Golden Granola Bars

I know that I've posted about making my own granola and granola bars before, but I swear I'm not slacking (well, today anyway) by just cobbling together old posts. The cool thing about making your own granola/bars is that you can customize the recipes according to your tastes. Don't like almonds? Use cashews. Want more coconut? Add it. It's not an exact science. I made these granola bars today for a healthy snack at work (don't ask) and I have to say that I got 100% positive feedback. Some people are even hoarding the extras for tomorrow's breakfast. But I guess it's not really considered hoarding if you're actually going to consume what you're hoarding, right? I mean, that's probably another show altogether...

Golden Granola Bars
(adapted from The Ski House Cookbook)

1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F. Combine the sugar, honey, and oil in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat just until the sugar has dissolved.

2. Combine the oats, wheat germ, coconut, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and salt in large bowl. Pour the sugar mixture over the oat mixture and stir to combine. Spread in a 9 x 13-inch pan and press evenly.

3. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting into bars. Cool completely before removing the bars from the pan. Makes about 20 bars.

Chocolate Chip Childhood

When I was little, my sister and I use to craft our own candy bars by filling a plastic sandwich bag with chocolate chips, placing it in a sun patch on the living room floor to melt, and then putting it in the freezer to harden (more or less) into a candy bar shape. Sometimes I would add nuts if I was feeling fancy. Candy making safe for kids! It could be all the rage.

Eventually I upgraded to filling Pillsbury Crescent dinner rolls with chocolate chips to bake my own chocolate croissants. (There were always chocolate chips in the house thanks to my family of chocoholics.) I don't remember ever having a chocolate croissant as a kid so have no idea how I came up with that masterpiece. Maybe it was from watching a Bugs Bunny episode with Pepé Le Pew...

Anyway, I've upgraded my childhood chocolate croissant experiment by using frozen puff pastry and really excellent chocolate. It's closer to the real thing but still super simple. (The day I actually make my own puff pastry, someone please tell me that I'm out of my mind. I live in New York and can just go to Balthazar, or other fabulous French bakery to buy my croissants!) I suggest splurging on the good puff pastry if you can find it, otherwise ye olde grocery store brand will work if you're desperate. I made mine by folding the dough in a triangular shape around the chocolate (just like I used to fold the American flag back when I was the Safety Captain in the sixth grade) but you can just roll them up for ease. King Arthur Flour sells chocolate batons just for this use. Hmmm...what if baton twirlers twirled chocolate batons? Now that would take talent!



Quick Chocolate Croissants
(Adapted from The Ski House Cookbook)

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed and cut into 8 squares
1 large egg
2 teaspoons water
1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate, or 8 chocolate batons
Sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Whisk the egg and water in a small bowl. Brush one edge of a puff pastry square with the egg wash. Place 1 tablespoon chocolate (or baton) on the opposite edge of the pastry square and roll up the dough tightly. Press the edge with the egg wash into the dough to close. Place the pastry roll seam side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pastry squares and chocolate.

2. Brush the tops of the pastry rolls with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake until the pastries are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 8 pastries.

Rosemary + Chocolate + Olive Oil = Dessert

It must be the chill in the air that makes me want to bake everyday, at least that's my excuse. Even after my trip to Eataly, land of savory goodness, I managed to find a way to bake with my new olive oil. I've been reading about using olive oil for baking for quite a while, but had never actually made an attempt. It was time. This rosemary-chocolate tea cake recipe is the perfect vehicle for venturing into the world of sweet and savory all at once. I don't particularly love super sweet desserts, but thought that this recipe could use a tiny touch more sugar, and maybe a touch more chocolate (everything tastes better with more chocolate, obvs). I also substituted whole wheat flour for spelt flour...because I didn't have any and was too lazy to go out and buy some. Since this cake is not overly sweet, you could consider it more of a breakfast treat than dessert, perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. Hey, they say that olive oil and dark chocolate are good for you so this is my new breakfast of champions.



Rosemary & Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
via The Catskill Kiwi via The Wednesday Chef via Good to the Grain

Olive oil, for the pan
3/4 cup spelt flour (or whole wheat flour)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup plus 2 tablspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 eggs
1 cup olive oil
3/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
5 - 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (about 70% cacao), chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Rub a 9 1/2-inch fluted tart pan (or regular round cake pan) with olive oil.

2. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Set aside.

3. In another large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the olive oil, milk, and rosemary and whisk again. Using a spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry, gently mixing until just combined. Stir in the chocolate. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly and smoothing the top.

4. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. The cake can be eaten warm or cool. Once cooled the cake can be wrapped tightly in plastic and kept for up to 2 days.

True Story

Remember way back to last week when it was nearly a million degrees?

Picture this: It’s the middle of summer. You’re late for work. You decide to grab breakfast and eat it on the way to work. “Oatmeal sounds good,” you think. Never mind that it’s 167 degrees and 3000% humidity. An iced latte and an ice cream sandwich might make more sense considering the weather, but you’re trying to be healthy and you’re starving. While you’re waiting for your train you decide to pop open that paper container of hot paste and start chowing down. (Wait. Are those banana slices on top??? I think I'm going to hurl.) Incidentally, you’re not waiting for your train in some air conditioned waiting room (cue Fugazi here) or on an elevated open air platform with a gorgeous view and a balmy breeze. No, this is the SUBWAY platform, the furthest place you can get from fresh air, where the only view is of stagnant water, rats, and crumbling tiles, illuminated only by the sickening glow of fluorescent lights. Pleasantries be damned, that oatmeal is calling your name so in the hot, humid, foul subway station, you slurp it up while I stare at you in shock and horror, sweat dripping down my face, neck, back, and legs. Not only is it a bazilion degrees, but it smells like a urinal. I can't take it. I'm feeling faint. For the love of God, stop! There are better ways to get your oats, and not on a subway platform. Check out my recipe links below:

(And don't worry. Fall's not here quite yet, despite this rainy NYC day. It will be a million degrees again starting this weekend, so there's still time to complain about the heat before launching into 4 months of complaining about the cold.)


Olive Oil Granola


Oatmeal (Cookie) Pancakes


Peanut Butter Granola Bars



Extra Nutty Sour Cherry Olive Oil Granola

happy breakfast at wimbledon 4th of july!

Too bad there's not an American in the Gentlemen's Singles final at Wimbledon on this fourth of July. (Marathon man John Isner? Roddick? Hello?) At least Serena kicked butt yesterday. Yeah!

I made something that I think can work for you whether you are sitting on your couch with a cup of coffee this morning or going to a bbq later this evening. My mixed berry crumble might seem like dessert but it's not all that different from eating a bowl of granola with fruit. Am I right? Just top it with yogurt (or ice cream!) and wait for the fireworks.



Mixed Berry Crumble
(Adapted from Family Circle)

Berries
6 cups berries (any combination of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Zest from one lemon
Topping
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup whole rolled oats
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. In a large bowl, gently mix the berries, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour, and zest. Pour the berry mixture into a 2-quart baking dish.

2. In another large bowl, stir the remaining flour, brown sugar, and oats together. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.

3. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the berry mixture. Bake for 45 minutes, until the topping is golden and the mixture is bubbling. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. Serves 6.