Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Lemon Icebox Cake


Luscious lemon cloud on a plate,
that's what this is.
Rose's Lemon Icebox Cake
is lighter than air,
what I call
Bridge Lady Dessert.

Growing up 
my brother and I 
were witness
to our mom's
bridge groups
trying to outdo
each other
when it came to desserts.
We were the happy
recipients
of leftovers.


Start with an angel food cake.
Rose's angel food cakes are divine.
They are perfectly sweetened
and light as a feather.


This is not one of her's!
It was either a store bought
cake or no icebox cake.
Humidity was up
and
it was an exhausting week.
I would have had 
a nervous breakdown
had 
it fallen out of the pan 
in a splat.


The ethereal filling
takes a lot of lemon zest.
I detest
making lemon zest.
Is that a haiku?


I had been eyeing this bag
of pink lemons at Trader Joe's.
It reminds me of a grapefruit.


Lemon curd requires loads of patience
but is so worth it.


Italian meringue requires a stiff drink
or at least steadying one's nerves
and taking the sugar syrup head on.
Folded together with whipped cream 
and 
the lemon curd,
well, I could easily have stopped right there.
I was honestly shocked how delicious 
this concoction is.


Slicing a top  and bottom ring
off the trimmed cake,
the rest is cut or torn into pieces.
The humidity was already
starting to cause
the cake to moisten
so I had to tear it apart.


Layered with the filling
and packed in the frig 
for twelve hours.
Twelve hours?!
It was a very long twelve hours.


Plain


With Rose's wonderful
raspberry sauce.


This recipe
is an
absolute winner.
~
by
Rose Levy Beranbaum





Sunday, May 22, 2016

Chocolate Ganache Tartlets



If you like a little something chocolate-y,
not too sweet,
set within a buttery crust,
then Rose's 
Chocolate Ganache Tartlets
are for you.


This tartlet crust is
unusual.
It is made with
golden beurre noisette.
The flavor of 
rich clarified butter
enhances the dough.


Baked and then filled
with creamy
dark chocolate ganache,


they are just the right size
for a special treat.


A dollop of whipped cream
for those
who like something extra.
This is a lovely recipe
and 
easy to make.
~
by
Rose Levy Beranbaum










Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Rose's Classic Chicken Cacciatore Piccante


The Melting Potters
made
Rose's Classic Chicken Cacciatore Piccante.
At first I thought
the recipe was complicated
but as I worked my
way through,
it was actually quite easy.
I did use all white meat
as that is what
my husband and brother prefer.
Being a vegetarian
it began to dawn on me
this recipe would
be quite good with paneer
or tofu.



My husband pronounced it
"very pleasant"
and cleaned his plate.
This is amazing for a couple reasons.
First his appetite is very sketchy still.
Second, being northern Italian,
he is not partial to heavy tomato sauces.
So for him to proclaim "pleasant"
is the equivalent of a standing ovation.
~
by
Rose Levy Beranbaum









Hanaa's Avid Baker's No Knead Brioche


This brioche was quite simple to make.
So simple
I had my doubts
it would turn out.


It's a nice loaf of bread.


It made wonderful French toast.e
Thanks Hanaa!
This was fun.



Monday, May 9, 2016

Blueberry Blackberry Buckle


Rose's amazing Blueberry Buckle
is such a lovely dessert.
I've wondered what a Buckle was 
for quite a while.

This is the optional 
blueberry blackberry
version. 

Unbeknownst to me
my grandmother made them
for years.
She gave the recipe to my mother
who started making them.
My mother gave the recipe to
all her friends
who started making them.
My mom's been gone for fourteen
years 
and whenever I run into one of these ladies,
they invariably say

"I still make your mother's fruit cobbler."

I smile and nod because 
I never cared for it.
It wasn't a proper cobbler with
inch thick pie crust
which is what I longed for
as a child.
Also to live on a farm
with a 
red barn.


So now I have to dig out the
"cobbler" recipe
and compare ingredients.
Because while I didn't care
for that one
I absolutely love this one.
Rose's never fail
combination
of adding lemon zest
and juice
with fruit
works every time.


I, however, do not.

Once again the berries didn't thicken.
My beautiful  
aromatic buckle
was soup.
I can't be trusted with cornstarch.

I pulled off the cake and
used extreme willpower
not to devour it,
threw the 
juice in a pan
and reheated it to thicken.
Did you know entire
studies are written
and papers published
on this?
Neither did I.

Thickened berries cooled,
back in the pan
topped with crust
and no one is the wiser.
Except for my husband
who ate
a bowl of 
Berry Buckle Soup
and declared it
delicious!
~
by
Rose Levy Beranbaum







Saturday, May 7, 2016

Blueberry Muffins with Rose's Bread Bible Bakers


This is the first recipe 
are making together.

These simple muffins are incredible.
A buttery muffin they have
a wonderfully rich crumb.

Trying for a mis en place
instead of a mess all over the place

This is a bowl, wooden spoon
and whisk recipe 
for a bit of fun.

Butter and sugar creamed

The addition of sour cream
makes a lovely batter.
With muffins, just like scones,
it's a light hand at this point
which feels counter intuitive.


These are my standard brand of frozen wild 
blueberries  
and normally are quite small.
Not this year.


Rose's finishing touch is a sprinkling
of sugar with fresh grated nutmeg.
Paired with the lemon zest
inside the batter
they are my 
new favorite muffins.
I've made loads of  blueberry muffins
over the years
for the grandchildren.
These are better.


A bit of nostalgia 
kicked in reading 
post.
This was her first blueberry muffin
which brought back the memory
of the first time my mother made them.
A boxed mix with a little tiny can
of the smallest blueberries
tucked inside.
It was quite a novelty.

Image result for otis spunkmeyer muffins
Otis Spunkmeyer
was the muffin man
game changer 
here in California.
Suddenly muffins were everywhere,
replacing donuts as the
go to breakfast on the run.

Image result for otis spunkmeyer muffins

Seriously, 
common ingredients?
Mixing up a batch of Rose's
Blueberry Muffins
with real ingredients
is simple and quick.
And far tastier.
~
by
Rose Levy Beranbaum













Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Crumpets



Today I finally made a crumpet!


I've been eagerly waiting
to make crumpets,
second only to scones.

These were so much fun to stir up.

The ingredients are minimal;
bread flour, yeast, salt, sugar, 
baking soda, cream of tarter, milk and water.

Double double toil and trouble
fire burn and cauldron bubble

Interesting dough.
After a warm rise the bubbles
start to make themselves known.
They are the real star
of  the show.
No self respecting crumpet
can be without them
lest they be a flubbery 
pancake.


I wasn't too sure about the last step;
pouring in the milk with baking soda
gently.

 I was afraid of ruining all the bubbles,
 poured the mixture into the rings 
and crossed my fingers.


It's interesting that where the dough was thicker,
the bubbles couldn't quite make it through.
Next time I shall heed Rose's advice
to thin with water.


Hands down these crumpets
dance circles
around the packets
from Trader Joe's.
~
by
Rose Levy Beranbaum