Spork or Foon?

The Perfect Omelette

One thing I love to do when I am watching what I am eating (more than usual), is make unique, healthy omelets. It keeps my meals interesting and keeps me from being bored of any monotonous routines. Because when a food routine gets monotonous, I start thinking about cheeseburgers. And chocolate. And cookies. And pizza. And a bagel. 

Seriously. It has to stop. 

I personally don't like going out to eat for breakfast, because I find that most breakfasts served at restaurants are crap. If you know how to make an omelet at home, why pay $20 to get someone else to make an omelet for you?   Seriously! When did breakfast get to be $20???? 

I adapted this recipe from Ina Garten, because, seriously, I get a kick out of Ina Garten. She makes me feel calm. Paula Deen makes me want to drink butter, Ina Garten makes me want to take a nap in a farmers market. I love listening to her say things in French (like when she says Endive, she says En-deeve) and talk about Jeffrey. 

I've learned a lot from Ina about the art of cooking eggs. And it is an art. Did you know that the folds in a chefs toque represent the 100 ways a chef should know how to make an egg? I'm not kidding!  100 ways! 

The key to omelet making is to keep your stove over medium-low heat and let the eggs cook slowly. Also, beat the eggs very well before putting them in a pan, allowing them to get nice and fluffy.

Herb Omelette adapted from Ina Garten 

• 1/2 tablespoon medium chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1/2 tablespoon medium chopped fresh chervil
• 3/4 tablespoon thin sliced fresh chives
• 1 extra-large eggs
• 2 extra-large large egg whites
• 2 tablespoons milk
• Pinch kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 ounces plain goat cheese or cream cheese 

Combine the parsley, chervil and chives in a small bowl and set aside.

Break the eggs into a small bowl, and then add the milk, 2 tablespoons Fines Herbs, salt and pepper and whisk with a fork.

Preheat an 8-inch nonstick saute pan over medium hot heat and swirl the olive oil into the pan. Pour in the egg mixture and swirl it in the pan. For a few seconds, gently stir the egg mixture with a heat resistant rubber spatula (as if you were going to make scrambled eggs) and then swirl the eggs in the pan to make a nice round appearance. Reduce the heat to avoid any color or scorching. Continue cooking for about 1 minute. The eggs will be set on the bottom, but slightly liquid on top.

Flip the omelet, and remove it from the heat. Crumble the goat  or cream cheese over the center of the omelet. Tri-fold the omelet and plate immediately.

 

Eggnog Pumpkin Oatmeal

I'm one of those people that starts celebrating Christmas is September. I wish I could say that I pull out my Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Rat Pack, et al Christmas CDs and dust them off and pop them in my CD player. That sounds so much more romantic. But really, it's 2011. So what I actually do is scroll through my iPhone and press play. 

Sometimes technology ruins nostalgia. 

I'm normally a "decorate the day after Thanksgiving" type of girl, but Jack is really obsessed with Christmas and begged to decorate the day after Halloween.  I had to put my foot down. That was, even for me, just too early. So we comprimised and decided to decorate for Christmas this past Sunday while watching Christmas movies and listening to Christmas music and drinking eggnog.  

Of course, people feel that it's just TOO early to start celebrating. "Honor Thanksgiving!"  They exclaim. 

So here, is my perfect way to honor the bridge between Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

Eggnog Pumpkin Oatmeal.

Now, if you've been reading this blog, you know how I feel about oatmeal (hate it).

But this oatmeal may have just changed me forever. 

Wow. I mean, really, just wow. I don't even have words for how good this is. This is so good, I didn't even get a chance to cook it. I just kept eating it, spoonful after spoonful.  I couldn't stop myself. 

I was going to compare it to a Friends episode where Joey doesn't share food, but really, I talk about Friends way too much on this blog. 

Deep pumpkin flavor, fragrant spices, and the taste of delicious creamy Eggnog (how do you describe egg nog's flavor? Really... I just can't do it. Everytime I try to think of adjectives to describe eggnog, all I can say is "It just tastes like eggnog".  So eggnog is now a flavor adjective). 

Make this. Right now. I'm not kidding. 

Pumpkin Eggnog Oatmeal

1 cup quick cooking oats

3/4 cup Silk Vanilla almond milk (you can use skim if you'd like but I really like the flavor and consistency of Silk Almond Milk) 

1/3 cup eggnog

1/4 cup canned pumpkin

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves

Optional Additions:

Brown Sugar

Dried Cherries

Nuts

To make:

Listen... in all honesty, I don't like hot oatmeal (I know, judge me if you must), so I just combine everything and just eat it. But if you want to cook it:

In a saucepan, combine oats, spices, pumpkin, eggnog, and milk. Stir with a wooden spoon to mix. Put the pan on the burner over medium-high heat.. Cook just till bubbly. Turn the burner to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring now and then. Remove the pan from heat and split into four servings, adding optional toppings. . Serve immediately. 

WOOOOOOOO I'm back! With Coffee Pancakes!

 

Yes, I know what you're thinking. "You've said that before, Teanna". And you may be right.  

Well, you are right.

But here's the thing. I've got two months worth of blog posts that have just been sitting pretty in my little brain. I mean, not little brain, but you know what I mean.

I sit here on my couch sifting through two months of photos that have never made it to my blog.  Any of you who are friends with me on Facebook may know that my job has completely taken over my life from such status updates as: "Hey, did you know Friday is the new Monday" or my favorite 12:15 am post on (a completely different) Friday night, simply stating "WHY AM I STILL AT WORK?!?!"

Lately, I have really been missing blogging.  So I'm back!!!! For as long as the season allows! HOLLAAAAAAA!

I wondered which of my posts I wanted to come back strong with and only one came to mind: These pancakes that are a true testament to how busy my life has become.

Let me paint a little picture for you.

I arose from my bed some time back in late August. Although it is the off-season, work was as crazy as ever. It was a Saturday morning - mornings that I have learned to cherish, as I knew that I would be working many-a-weekend when the season is in full gear. And I wanted one thing and one thing only: pancakes.

I didn't have many ingredients on hand, so I just had to work with what I had. Cake flour, vanilla almond milk, eggs, butter.  I'd make it work somehow. Some way.

As I stood over my countertop mixing the ingredients, I brewed myself a cup of coffee in my handy, dandy Kuerig one-cup coffee maker. I listened to the machine whir and grind until a slow stream of liquid poured out from the spout and into my over-sized coffee mug. I grabbed my cup, ready to take a sip, until I looked at the batter that I created in front of me. And then I did something I never thought I would do.

I poured my coffee in the batter.

Not too much, mind you, but just enough. And back in my more frequent blogging days, I may have never committed such a breakfast atrocity. But you know what? I was tired. And I thought, well, may as well kill two birds with one stone. Coffee pancakes. How can you go wrong?

And oh, I did NOT go wrong. These were the BEST pancakes. Wonderfully sweet, supremely fluffy, and flavored with a hint of Donut Hole Coffee for Kuerig. 

I should do things like this more often.

Coffee Pancakes adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients

3 cups Plus 2 Tablespoons Cake Flour

½ teaspoons Salt

3 Tablespoons Baking Powder

2 Tablespoons Sugar

1 1/2 cups Vanilla Almond Milk (You can use regular milk if you'd like)

1/2 cup brewed coffee

2 whole Large Eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

4 Tablespoons Butter

Extra Butter

Maple Or Pancake Syrup

Instructions:

Mix together dry ingredients in large bowl.

Mix together milk, eggs, and vanilla in a separate bowl.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring very gently until just combined.

Melt butter and add it to the batter, stirring gently to combine.

Cook on a greased skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown. Serve with butter and warmed syrup

 

Eggs Benedict with Lemony Hollandaise Sauce

I love posting breakfast dishes right before the weekend, because, honestly, who has time to make special breakfast dishes like eggs benedict during the week?

I call this “lemony”  hollandaise because I had a slight accident and doubled the amount of lemon in  my original recipe. I was a bit worried, but the lemon really shone in this hollandaise sauce and was a nice little flavor surprise.

I decided to use a ham and cheese scone from one of my favorite brunch restaurants in NYC, Alice’s Tea Cup, as the base for this hollandaise.

If you live in New York or if you are ever visiting, you must visit Alice’s Tea Cup for brunch.  There are three locations – 64^th and Lexington, 82^nd and 2^nd, and 74^th and Columbus.  Each location has a slightly different menu, and the 64^th and Lexington location is by far my favorite. However, each of these locations has such a similar charm to them.  The décor is whimsical and charming. As soon as you walk through the doors, you are transported to a wonderland of sorts. For children, fairy wings are available to wear as you enjoy your breakfast, but only after you are sprinkled with a bit of fairy dust to send you on your way.  The countertop is filled with wonderfully decorated cakes and their signature scones – Ham and Cheese, Plain, and the Pumpkin Scone. Ohhhhh the pumpkin scone. I had it once four years ago and have never stopped thinking about it since. However, I do not get it, because I know beneath that beautiful little crust is a calorie bomb waiting to implant itself in my hips. So instead, I tell other people to get it and watch them as they enjoy. J

These scones are the perfect base for a delicate poached egg, where the tender crumb sops up the  golden yellow yolk as it oozes from the broken poached egg.  Topped with a creamy, wonderfully light hollandaise, this is truly a breakfast to be made time and time again.

Eggs Benedict with a Lemony Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients

4 egg yolks

1 1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)

Pinch cayenne

Pinch salt

Directions

Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel or glass bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume. Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler,) the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume. Remove from heat, whisk in cayenne and salt. Cover and place in a warm spot until ready to use for the eggs benedict. If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water before serving.

EGGS BENEDICT 

4 ham and cheese scones 

2 teaspoons white vinegar

4 eggs

Salt and pepper, to taste

Hollandaise sauce

Fill a small saucepan half full of water. Add white vinegar to the cooking water. This will make the egg white cook faster so it does not spread. Bring to a slow boil. Gently break 1 of the eggs into a cup or mug, taking care not to break the egg or yolk, and slowly drop the egg into the water taking care not to break it. Repeat with remaining eggs. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook 3 1/2 minutes until the egg white is set and yolk remains soft. Remove with a slotted spoon, allowing the egg to drain.

To assemble: Top each scone with poached egg. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon hollandaise sauce over the eggs.  

How to Get Perfect Scrambled Eggs

  
I love eggs. Love, love, love. I typically eat egg whites for breakfast every morning. I am always trying to find ways to get the perfect scrambled egg.  A while back, I read in a magazine (Saveur, I believe) that diners will sometimes use blenders to blend eggs in order to really aerate them, resulting in a light and fluffy egg.  

I often use this trick and always get fantastic results.  I have read much on this subject (I know, I need a life), and I find Saveur's tips and tricks extremely helpful. The trick is to keep the stove on medium-low to low heat and let the eggs cook slowly in order to ensure the perfect texture. I love the addition of the soft, sweet onion flavor of chives and to finish out my eggs, I will add up to a tablespoon of cream cheese towards the end of cooking to heighten the creamy texture (and you cannot taste the cream cheese at all) of the egg without it being runny.  If you'd like, you can use heavy cream or milk instead. 

I did this tutorial with whole eggs, but it works beautifully with egg whites as well, which is what I always use. 

PERFECT SCRAMBLED EGGS

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. 

Mix 3 eggs in a blender until the eggs have increased in volume. 

 Pour eggs pan and let set until they just stick in the bottom of the pan, about 20-30 seconds. 

Break up the eggs into curds with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.

 
 Cook, stirring constantly, until eggs are almost set but still runny (3-4 minutes) and remove from heat.

 
Add cream cheese (or milk or cream) and stir until melted and incorporated into the eggs and eggs have finished cooking, about 1 minute.

Add chives and season with salt and pepper. 

 
 Serve immediately. 

 
 

PERFECT SCRAMBLED EGGS

1 tablespoon butter
3 eggs
2 teaspoons chives
2 teaspoons cream cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-low heat in a nonstick skillet.

Add eggs to blender and blend until eggs are pale and increased in volume, 30 seconds.

Add eggs to skillet. Let eggs sit until just set, about 30 seconds. 

Cook, stirring constantly, until eggs are almost set but still runny (3-4 minutes) and remove from heat.

Add cream cheese (or milk or cream) and stir until melted and incorporated into the eggs and eggs have finished cooking, about 1 minute.

Add chives and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. 

 

The World's Fluffiest Pancake Recipe

 
Pancakes are probably my second favorite breakfast food that I never eat, right up there behind French Toast. I love them.  I love their soft, doughy middles covered in sweet syrup.  But I only eat them once in a blue moon, due to the amount of calories and carbs behind all of their delicious goodness.  

When I do allow myself a pancake or two, I always make this recipe which was in Saveur Magazine's breakfast issue a few years back. This recipe promised to be light and fluffy pancakes and employs two unusual ingredients:  yogurt and seltzer water. I had to try it.

The result is a pancake that is so high and light, it is almost like a chiffon cake.  But be careful.  If you work with a heavy hand, these will be dense and hard to cook through.  And we don't want that, now, do we? Not when you're about to eat all of those delicious, fluffy, syrupy calories.

Syrupy calories... mmmm.....

Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes

Combine 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon fine salt.

  

Combine 1 cup yogurt with 2 teaspoons baking powder.

 

Let rest for 10 minutes until it looks like this:
 

Combine dry ingredients with yogurt mixture.
 

Add 2 lightly beaten eggs and 1/2 cup seltzer water or club soda.

Let rest for ten minutes.

 

Spoon two 1/4-cup portions batter into a nonstick skillet over medium high heat and cook for 2 minutes. Press a handful of blueberries into the batter and then flip! 
 

Mmm... pancakes.
 

Mmmm... fluffy pancakes...
 

Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes adapted from Saveur Magazine

2 cups flour
2 tsp. sugar
1⁄2 tsp. fine salt
1 cup yogurt
2 tsp. baking soda
1⁄2 cup seltzer water or club soda
2 eggs, lightly beaten
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more to taste
3 cups fresh blueberries
Confectioners' sugar
Maple syrup

Place a sieve over a large bowl and sift together the flour, sugar, and salt. In a large bowl, stir together the yogurt and baking soda; let sit for 10 minutes. Add the yogurt mixture, seltzer, and eggs to the flour mixture and whisk until just combined. Let batter rest for 10 minutes.

Heat 1 tbsp. butter in a 12" nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working in 6 batches, spoon 2 portions of batter (about 1⁄4 cup each) into skillet, gently spreading out each portion of batter with the bottom of a spoon or a measuring cup to make disks about 4 1⁄2" in diameter. Cook pancakes until bubbles begin to form around edges, about 2 minutes. Top each pancake with 1⁄4 cup blueberries, press down on them gently with a spoon, flip each pancake with a spatula, and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes more. (Alternatively, for "silver dollar" pancakes, spoon 1 heaping tbsp. batter into the skillet for each pancake and top with 1 tbsp. blueberries.) Transfer pancakes to a paper towel–lined baking sheet and cover with a towel to keep warm. Wipe out skillet and repeat process with remaining butter, batter, and blueberries to make 12 pancakes in all. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve with butter and maple syrup.

 

Whole Wheat Apple Chai-Spiced Muffins

Tuesdays with Dorie will be "Teanna Does Wednesdays with Dorie" this week!  I was a bit delayed in making the dessert (read: I still haven't made it yet), but will make it tomorrow to post!  I apologize for any inconvenience! 

I saw these muffins on a blogger friend's page. Tracey, of Tracey's Culinary Adventures, had an apple theme on her blog this past week, and when I saw these muffins, I jumped out of my chair and made them.  

I'm not kidding. At 12:30 in the morning on Monday morning, I started baking these whole wheat muffins. There is nothing better than seeing a recipe that you love and knowing you have all of the ingredients to make it.  And then on top of having all of the ingredients, having the will to make it at that very moment. That's a compelling recipe.

Honestly, food bloggers, or anyone who loves to cook for that matter, how many times do you see a recipe and bookmark/dog ear/email it to yourself/rip out the page, swearing that you'll make it at a later date and time.  And how often do you actually make that dish?

Exactly. 

This is a recipe that is simple and straightforward and packs a great punch.  Tracey saw this recipe on the King Arthur Flour blog (a site I never read, but checked out when I saw this recipe and now realize what I've been missing)

I made some changes to the recipe, but not many.  I didn't have white whole wheat flour on hand, so I used regular whole wheat flour, and I added my favorite spice - McCormick Gourmet's Chai Spice.  I usually don't often use premade spice blends (like pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice) because for some reason, actually measuring the out ginger, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, etc, etc etc makes me feel like a more accomplished cook/baker, but I make an exception with this spice. 

These complex fragrant spices of the chai spice work so well with the robust cinnamon (in my opinion, you can never have too much cinnamon) and the crisp gala apples become soft and sweet once baked and are finished with the slight tang of buttermilk to create a wonderful breakfast muffin.  

I've listed my ingredient changes, but head over to Tracey's blog to see the entire recipe! 

1 cup (4 ounces) whole wheat flour

1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon chai spice

1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup buttermilk

2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

Chai Spiced Bread with Pumpkin Butter

I think Top Chef was on hiatus last week for some unknown reason.  That, or my DVR went on hiatus, but I am going to believe the former.  So that means no Top Chef post this week.  Instead, I'm posting some bread.  Some nice bread that doesn't have 8,000 ingredients that doesn't take all day to make.  Holla for hiatuses.

Talk about a fall dessert in a bread. Earthy, sweet pumpkin is flavored with the delicious and complex flavors of cinnamon, ginger, star anise, black pepper and cloves from the chai tea.  The bread is unbelievably moist, and incredibly versatile, as I also made a healthy version with applesauce, which was equally as moist and delicious, but a little more dense. The smells that wafted through my apartment when this bread was baking were heavenly.  It was as if fall was sucked from the air outside and found a home in my apartment for the hour that the bread cooked in the oven. 

This bread comes together so quickly... which I guess why it must be considered a quick bread. And I am apparently Captain Obvious. Reporting to duty.

I made some pumpkin butter to pair with the bread.  I have never tried or tasted pumpkin butter, or apple butter for that matter, so I really wasn't sure what the ingredients were or what the consistency would be like.  I found a great recipe on Smitten Kitchen's website and went forward with my butter making conquest.

Oddly enough (to me), it did not turn to butter.  The consistency was more like a very thick applesauce. I was confused but it was delicious, so I decided to go with it.  It was sweet and creamy and wonderfully spiced, and the best part was that there was actually no butter so I wouldn't feel bad about eating it.  By the spoonful.

When Jack got home from work, I handed him a piece of bread slathered with the pumpkin butter.  He took a bite and looked at me quizzically. 

"This isn't butter." he said, accusingly.

"Yeah, I know. It's pumpkin butter.  It's pumpkin..."  I attempted to find a better way to explain it to him. "...butter."  Attempt failed. "But is it good?"  I asked, hopefully.

"Well, yeah it's good, but it's false advertising.  If this were called a pumpkin spread, I wouldn't have been expecting butter." Now he's Captain Obvious.

I let it go.  Yes, he had a point, but I didn't want him to, as the British say, "Piss on me fireworks."  The bread is wonderfully moist and flavorful, the spread butter smooth and spicy.  A perfect match.

Like bread and butter.

Check out Smitten Kitchen for the Pumpkin Butter Recipe.

Chai Spiced Pumpkin Bread: adapted from A Bowl of Mush

To make the healthy version of this bread, substitute the butter for 1/2 cup applesauce.  Also, I found that the healthier version took longer to cook, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
(makes 1 loaf)

1/2 cup butter (softened) (***or 1/2 cup applesauce)

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 can of pumpkin puree

2 black tea bags steeped in 1/4 cup hot milk 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon Chai Spice (optional.  The McCormick brand sells this at the supermarket.)

pinch of black pepper

pinch of all spice

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Grease a loaf pan and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract. Fold in the pumpkin puree and the milky tea (make sure the tea has completely cooled before adding).  Set aside

In another bowl mix together the all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Add the spices and whisk to incorporate.

Add the flour mixture into the pumpkin mix and gently fold until just combined.  Pour the mixture into the loaf pan. 

Bake for 55-60 minutes at 350F (for the healthier version, you may need to bake longer, up to 1 hour and 20 minutes. If you don't want the bread to brown any more, tent some aluminum foil over the top.)

Brown Sugar Buttermilk Snack Cake with Blackberries and Caramel Walnut Drizzle and an Event with Dede Wilson!

Since my camera is still in ICU, I am excited to be able to use someone else's gorgeous photos on my site.  All photos are courtesy of Peter Doyle. 

This past week, I was lucky enough to attend a baking a blogging event for Dede Wilson's newest book "Unforgettable Desserts" held by the good people at The Baddish Group. If you are not familiar with Dede Wilson, then it's time to familiarize yourself.

Dede is the author of Unforgettable Desserts, The Birthday Cake Book: 75 Recipes for Candle Worthy Creations, Truffles: 50 Deliciously Decadent Homemade Treats; A Baker's Field Guide to Cupcakes:  Deliciously Decorated Crowd Pleasers for All Parties and Holidays; A Baker's Field Guide to Holiday and Candy Confections: Sweet Treats all Year Long; A Baker's Field Guide to Chocolate Chip Cookies; A Baker's Field Guide to Christmas Cookies; Entremeses, Pabocas/Quick Snacks, Appetizers for Dummies, Christmas Cookies for Dummies, Bake it to the Limit: Easy-to-Prepare Desserts with Showstopping Variations for Special Occasions; and the Wedding Cake Book... just to name a few. Click here for a full list of her books.

She also needs to write a Field Guide to Being Awesome, because she is. When I walked into the room, she immediately walked over to me, hand extended with a warm smile.  She greeted each person who walked in the room this way, geniunely eager to meet each of her baking companions.  

The event was sponsored by Driscoll's Berries, and we were going to make the perfect dessert to highlight some of their deliciously ripe blackberries:  A Brown Sugar-Buttermilk Snack Cake with Blackberries and Caramel Walnut Drizzle.

Yes.  Yes you did read that correctly. And yes, your mouth should be watering right about now.

My fellow bloggers who attended the event were my baking partner for the day Christo of Chez What?, Jordan of Non Society, Robert of Halogen Life, and Evie of Product Pasha.  Some of us were experienced in the kitchen, some were not, but we all had two things in common:  we wanted coffee and we wanted cake.

Dede was great at walking us through each of the steps, explaining why she used cake flour as opposed to AP flour in this particular recipe, or why she used dark brown sugar as opposed to light brown sugar and how beautifully it paired with fresh blackberries... I could go on and on, but I'm going to let the pictures do the talking.

 

Our mise en place.

Dede, breakin' it down.

 

We all look on in awe.

 

The only thing that is bad about baking in front of a group of people is that you can't eat the batter. Seriously. Don't do it. You will be judged.

 

Dede shows us the right way to make her glaze. Don't let it get too cool or else it will become too firm. Then you will have a pot o' glaze that you can't use and you'll be forced to eat the whole thing by yourself and then cry in a corner about your lack of willpower. It won't be pretty.

 

Interesting thing I learned. See the two cakes? The cake on the left is slightly domed and cracked. The cake on the right is flat and even. Same makers of the pans (Wilton), but the cake on the right is a higher quality cake pan. Looks like I have a new excuse to buy more cake pans. 

 

The representatives from Driscoll's Berries inform us a little bit about how it is done on their farms. And you can even find out a bit about where the berries that you just bought were grown and who was growing them using their Online Berry Tracker.  It's not called that, but that is what I just named it. I'll even trademark it... Online Berry Tracker(TM). Done. 

 

Our first finished cake.  Tell me you are not drooling right now. You're lying.

 

Laura from the Baddish Group looks like a proud mama! 

 

It's not that the croissants were bad, but we had three of those amazing cakes sitting in front of us.  The croissants didn't stand a chance. 

Me and Dede! Note to self:  get some more sleep or get some eye cream, and make the cover cake.

When I left the event, I couldn't wait to see what desserts awaited me in the pages of the book.  Here are some that really stood out to me:

Almond Mounds of Joy Cake

Matcha Tea Leaf Shortbreads

Cacao Nib and Caramelized Almond Biscotti

Butterscotch-Pecan Brownies with Boozy Raisins

Almond-Apricot Brownies with Tart Cherry Ganache

Ginger Shortcakes with Caramelized Nectarines and Sour Cream

Mango, Banana, and Pineapple Chocolate Crisp

Thousand Leaves with Blackberry Pastry Cream

Banana-Walnut Baklava with Honey-Cinnamon Syrup

Six Fruit Gazpacho with Crystallized Mint

Clementine-Chocolate Almond Torte with Chocolate Lace, Candied Zest, and Caramelized Fruit (cover)

Chocolate Mousse Meringue Cake with Blueberries and Cream

Latticed Browned Butter Vanilla Bean Pear Pie

Deep Dish Sour Cream-Apple Pie with Lemon Cardamom Streusel

Frozen Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Frozen Peanut Butter-Honey Cheesecake with Warm Chocolate Honey Sauce

OK I need to stop. I am getting weak in the knees... and stomach.  And I swear, no one told me to shill for this book. I am shilling it all on my own. Because it is AMAZING. The recipes are creative with original flavor combinations, interesting back stories, and clear directions, which is vital in a baking book.  Dede, like Dorie Greenspan, another favorite baking author of mine, often lets you know what the ingredients should look like at each step so you are not worried that you are doing something wrong.  I just made her Bliss Bites - firm, ripe raspberries ensconced in dark chocolate, and have never had more success tempering chocolate in my life, thanks to her fantastic directions. 

The book is fantastic, the breakfast cake was AMAZING (like, seriously.  Who knew brown sugar glaze and blueberries went so well together?), and I have a lot of baking ahead of me.

Thanks to Laura and Chris of the Baddish Group, the people at Driscoll's Berries for providing us with some great inspiration, my fellow bloggers and bakers, and of course, Dede! 

Click here for the book and click here for the recipe! 

Belgian Waffle with Glazed Bananas

I love me some belgian waffles. However, I rarely eat them because they are huge calorie bombs and I don't like eating half-a-day's worth of calories before 9 am.  Therefore, if we are out at brunch, I beg Jack to get pancakes/waffles/french toast so I can have a bite. He often says no.  I then sulk and order my egg whites and dry toast with a side of fruit, dreaming of the deliciously warm, crisp on the outside, pillowy inside belgian waffle, drizzled in syrup with a bit of butter. 

But once in a while, I whip out my Wolfgang Puck Belgian Waffle maker and whip up some delights at home. They still aren't low fat or low calorie, but I can only eat half and not feel bad for wasting money. 

I did make some changes to make this a bit less artery-clogging. The recipe called for 3/4 stick of butter to be put into the batter. I omitted this. It also called for 2 cups of buttermilk. I used 2 cups of skim milk.  Small changes, but I saved at least 600 calories for the entire recipe by making these changes. 

This belgian waffle hit the spot. Sweet caramelized bananas, perfectly browned waffles, a drizzle of banana-infused syrup made me a happy girl. 

Belgian Waffles with Glazed Bananas - adapted from Gourmet Magazine

For waffles

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups skim milk

2 large eggs

Spray for waffle iron

For topping

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 firm-ripe large bananas, cut diagonally into 1/3-inch-thick slices

1 1/4 cups pure maple syrup

Special equipment: a waffle iron (preferably Belgian-style)

Accompaniment: sour cream or whipped cream

Make waffles:

Put oven rack in middle position and put a large metal cooling rack directly on it. Preheat oven to 250°F and preheat waffle iron.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

Whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, and eggs in another bowl, then whisk into flour mixture until just combined.

Brush hot waffle iron lightly with vegetable oil and pour a slightly rounded 1/2 cup of batter into each waffle mold (see cooks' note, below). Cook waffles according to manufacturer's instructions until golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer as cooked to rack in oven to keep warm, keeping waffles in 1 layer to stay crisp. Make more waffles in same manner.

Make topping:
While last batch is cooking, heat butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then add banana slices in 1 layer and cook until golden, about 1 minute per side. Remove from heat and add syrup to skillet.

Spoon bananas over waffles, then drizzle with warm syrup before serving.