A Birthday Party

by Heather Harris Brady

My camera’s on the fritz so I’m doing a how-to today instead of a recipe. Spring just feels like a time for parties to me, maybe because it’s my own birthday season! Here is a recap of a girl’s birthday party I threw for my daughter and her fashion-loving friends. Everyone came in through our streamer doorway, which was also the start of a red carpet. The dress cupcakes, above, were the star of the show. Here’s a look at the table:

Each plate had a super-cute handbag that I made out of chocolate-graham crackers and white modeling chocolate (or you can use white fondant).

These go together in minutes. I rolled out the handles and clasps, then put them between two crackers a bit of chocolate ganache to hold them together. I rolled the fondant out and cut two ribbons for each bag, and added the stitching with a rolling marker from my sewing box.

For the dress cupcakes I used black dress hangar picks that I cannot find now online. I’ll keep looking and when I find some I’ll post a link here. However, you could make them on a cricut too. I baked a regular batch of cupcakes and the same number of mini-cupcakes. I turned one mini upside-down on top of each regular cupcake, then frosted them. Once the crumb-coat of frosting was on I added the ruffles with a decorating tip. Lastly, I modeled the dress tops out of fondant, stuck them to the hangars and inserted one in each cupcake.

I bought window cupcake boxes and made labels for them that said “Sofia’s Sweet Boutique”. I cut scrapbook paper to add curtains to the windows of the boxes. Then each girl decorated her dress with confectioner’s pearls and silver dragees and put them in the boxes as their take-home gift.

I had the cupcakes all lined up so everyone could see them when they arrived:

Once people saw them, though, it was hard to keep them from asking to start decorating right away but we wanted to save it for the grande finale!

---

Two years ago: New Potatoes with Roasted Garlic & Thyme
One year ago: Gluten Free Brownies

Google+

 

Chocolate Babka

by Heather Harris Brady

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that if you haven’t had chocolate babka you haven’t truly lived. It’s a gamechanger, even if you’re not addicted to chocolate croissants like I am.

This recipe is my adaptation from Smitten Kitchen’s Better Chocolate Babka, which she adapted from the Chocolate Krantz Cakes in Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. I’ve replaced the sugar brushing syrup with some streusel and turned it into an afternoon project. If you start the dough at lunch you’ll have warm chocolate babka by teatime.

Chocolate Babka, Makes two loaves
Dough
4 1/4 c. all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 t. instant/fast-rising yeast
Two large eggs
1/4 c. water combined with 1/2 c. milk
3/4 t. salt
3 T. butter, at room temperature

Filling
3/4 c. mini chocolate chips
4 T. unsalted butter, cold is fine
Scant 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. cocoa powder

Make the dough: Combine the flour, sugar, and yeast in the bottom of the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add eggs and milk/water, mix until it comes together; this may take a couple minutes.

It’s okay if it’s on the dry side, but if it doesn’t come together at all, add extra water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough forms a mass. With the mixer on low, add the salt, then the butter, a slice at a time, mixing until it’s incorporated into the dough. Then, mix on medium speed for 10 minutes until dough is completely smooth and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Let rise until doubled in a warm place.

Make filling: Melt butter and chocolate together until smooth. Stir in powdered sugar and cocoa; mixture should form a spreadable paste.

When the dough has doubled in bulk preheat the oven to 325 and add a pan of water to it, half full.

Punch the dough down and divide it in half.

Roll it out to about 11 x 17.

Spread it with half the chocolate mixture.

Then, following the same technique as Russian braids, slice it down the middle. (You can put it the roll in the freezer for 10 minutes to make this easier if you want.)

Twist the two slices together and lay them in a greased loaf pan. Repeat for the second loaf.

Sprinkle with streusel if you like. Let rise again until doubled.

Bake for about 35 minutes, done loaves will sound hollow when tapped.

Rest them for about five minutes, then run a knife around the pan and turn the loaves out. Finish cooling on a rack.

Cooled loaves may be eaten on the spot or wrapped and kept at room temperature for up to two days. Freeze for longer storage.

Two years ago: Profiteroles
One year ago: Banana Trifle

Google+

Zuccotto

by Heather Harris Brady

Zuccotto, reputed to be a native of Florence Italy, has grown into a somewhat generic term for a dome-shaped cake. It’s typically lined with slices of sponge cake and from there pretty much anything goes. I’ve filled mine with chocolate mousse and an orange-cream cheese filling because I was thinking of cassata alla siciliana. But improvise here – soak the cake layers in liqueur or espresso, switch up the fillings – no matter how you slice it, this is a pretty, surprisingly easy dessert that makes a big impression at the end of a nice dinner. It’s a great way to welcome in the new year with something sweet – the best way to start!

Zuccotto, Eight servings

One 12 oz. pound or sponge cake

Chocolate mousse:

• One 3.5 oz. dark chocolate bar (I used Ghiradelli Mango Sunset)
• 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 T. butter
• 2 T. water
• 2 c. whipped cream

Orange mousse:

• Fresh zest from one orange
• 3 oz. cream cheese
• 2 T. powdered sugar
• 2 c. whipped cream
• 1/2 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Chocolate glaze:

• One 3.5 oz. dark chocolate bar
• 1/3 c. heavy cream
• 1 T. butter
• 1 t. vanilla

Pistachios for garnish

If you don’t have a hemisphere mold you can use a large mixing bowl, as I did. Line the bowl with plastic wrap and then cover it with 1/8″ thick slices of cake.

Spiral them around the bottom so you will have a pretty top.

And line the sides. Set aside.

Make the chocolate mousse: Heat the butter and water over medium, when the butter’s melted add the chocolate.

Stir smooth.

When the chocolate’s cool but not set, fold in the whipped cream.

Pour it into the cake-lined mold, and make an indentation in the middle. Cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge.

Combine the cream cheese, zest and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat well for two-three minutes, to get those orange oils mixed in.

Fold in the whipped cream.

Pour it into the mold and smooth it out.

The cover the top with the remaining slices of cake. Put it in the fridge for at least two hours, and preferably overnight.

When you’re ready to finish the cake (at least two hours before serving), make your chocolate glaze. Melt the chocolate over medium with the butter and cream. Stir smooth and add the vanilla. Let the glaze cool to the point where it starts to thicken. Turn the cake out onto a serving plate and trim any overlap off the bottom.

Pour the glaze over the top and sprinkle the pistachios around the bottom.

Once the glaze sets, sprinkle the top with powdered sugar right before serving. It will slice into pretty wedges like so:

And with this recipe we close the book on 2014 and look forward to 2015! Thanks for following!

Two years ago: Frosted Sugar Cookies
One year ago: Chocolate Chestnuts (Bernachon)

Google+

Brigadeiro

by Heather Harris Brady

When I’m in a pinch and need some hot fudge ASAP (hey, these things happen) I often melt some chocolate into sweetened condensed milk, add a bit of butter and vanilla and call it good. A few weeks ago I came across an article on these candies, and found that if I kept cooking this mixture I’d end up with brigadeiros – a favorite Brazilian candy!

While sources seem to disagree on the candy’s origin, here’s the version from Celebrate Brazil:

Brigadeiros were first made by the wife of Brigadier Eduardo Gomes, of the Brazilian Air Force. Famous for helping end a coup by the communists on Rio de Janeiro in the 1920s, he later ran for the 1946 presidency and his wife created brigadeiros as a treat for campaign fundraising events.

The legend has it that people asked if others had tried the “Brigadeiro’s’ candy” and the name stuck. It was a simple candy made with only three ingredients during a time when other food items were in short supply because of the war. Also, Nestle was introducing chocolate powder and condensed milk during this time.

And there you have it! I used low-fat condensed milk and they turned out fine. These candies are super easy (gluten free!), you could booze them up with some rum or brandy, and roll them in whatever coating strikes your fancy. If you’re looking for a unique handmade signature treat for the holidays, look no further!

Brigadeiros, Makes about 18 1″ candies

• Two cans of low-fat sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 c. cocoa powder (I used a mixture of Ghiradelli and Hershey’s Special Dark.)
• 2 T. butter
• 1 T. vanilla (or other flavoring of your choice)
• Ground nuts, sprinkles, cake or cookie crumbs for the coating

Combine the first three ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat.

The cocoa will turn into little lumps and it will look like a disaster at first, but that’s okay! Keep stirring, and it will start to boil.

The lumps will dissolve and it will smell amazing. After about 10-15 minutes it should be reduced by half and thicken up to where your strokes leave open areas in the mixture for a few seconds – like chocolate lava.

Stir in the vanilla or other flavoring and pour it into a shallow metal pan to cool.

When it is cold and scoopable, get your work area set up with a bowl of coating crumbs. Roll the candy into 1″ balls. Then roll them in the crumbs.

I put them into these little gold petit four cups to keep them neat.

What do they look like inside? I’m glad you asked!

I think they are best described as the thickest hot fudge sauce you can imagine – smooth and sauve.

Also, cute! These will keep at room temp for two days, or a week in the fridge.

Two years ago: Candy Cane Bites
One year ago: Salted Caramel Pepitas

Google+

Lebkuchen (Gingerbread Cookies)

by Heather Harris Brady

These cookies have been on my “to-do” baking list for a long time, for many reasons. My grandmother’s family left Bavaria for this country in 1752, and I like to think of my Shaull ancestors having these cookies at the holidays. Also, they’re so interesting from the standpoint of culinary history.

Long sacred, from the year 1000 to the 1500s the universal craving for exotic spices from the lands of paradise drove the movement around the globe. By the 1400s there were spice inspectors at the gates of Nuremberg making sure only the highest quality crossed into the city, and even English families were eating their way through seventeen pounds of ginger a year.

Another cool thing about this recipe is that it doesn’t have any shortening, butter or white sugar. Instead, it uses honey, and honeycakes trace their origins back to Greece (2400 BC). Later they were a favorite of King Tut as well.

As the dark dreary days blend into each other it’s a lovely thing to go out, buy some fresh spices and fill the house the scent of paradise to ward off the spirits of darkness – spices are as restorative now as ever! Traditionally these cookies are often glazed on top with a simple icing. I’ve opted to coat the bottoms with chocolate instead.

Lebkuchen, Makes about 36 3″ cookies
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. molasses
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. lemon zest
2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground cloves
1 t. ground allspice
1/3 cup ground hazelnuts
1/2 t. ground coriander

Note: You can add 1 t. nutmeg as well if you like.

Chocolate coating: 1/2 package Ghiradelli dark melting wafers & 3 oz. Ghiradelli Midnight dark chocolate

 

To make the cookies: Warm the molasses and honey together in the microwave for one minute.

Pour it into a mixing bowl with the egg, brown sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest.

Stir in the rest of the ingredients well.

At this point you can wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight. However, I rarely have that kind of time so I just keep going. Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly flour your work surface. Turn out half of the dough and roll it out to 1/4″ thick.

Put the cookies on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, until puffed and barely brown at the edges.

Completely cool the cookies on a rack. To make the chocolate glaze, break the chocolate bar into pieces and combine it in a bowl with the melting wafers. Microwave for one minute, then stir. Microwave for another 30 seconds, and stir until smooth.

Spread the bottom of each cookie with the glaze.

Let the cookies sit while the glaze sets up. After the chocolate hardens, store the cookies in plastic bags, separating the layers with sheets of waxed paper. Add a cut slice of apple or a piece of bread and let them rest for two days. This will soften them slightly while the flavors blend.

Two years ago: Ginger Thins (Pepparkakor)
One year ago: Fruitcake 2.0

Google+

Apple Clafouti

by Heather Harris Brady

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a chance for some great meals last week. This is the companion recipe to the vanilla sauce of my last post. It’s a warm, comforting thing to have when the thermometer shows 17 degrees and the wind chill is even lower. Make sure you use a firm, slightly dry baking apple here – avoid anything that will release a lot of juice during baking.

I sprinkled the top with maple sugar, to give it a bit of a brulee texture and an extra boost of flavor. Maple sugar looks a lot like light brown sugar, but it’s made from maple sap like maple syrup. I bought this on a trip earlier this year through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Apple Clafouti, About six generous servings

• Two large, well-flavored baking apples, thinly sliced
• 3 T. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 c. granulated sugar
• 3 eggs, well-beaten
• 6 T. all-purpose flour
• ¾ c. milk or half-and-half
• 2 t. vanilla
• Maple sugar, optional

Preheat the oven to 375 and layer the apples in a greased 9″ deep-dish pie plate.

Set aside one tablespoon of the melted butter. Whisk all the remaining ingredients together well and pour them over the apple slices.

Sprinkle to top generously with the maple sugar and drizzle it with the reserved melted butter.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the center is firm and the sugared top is browned.

Cut into slices and serve warm with cold vanilla sauce.

Two years ago: Swedish Visiting Cake

One year ago: Russian Braids

Google+

Vanilla Sauce

by Heather Harris Brady

I’m not gonna lie. I made this dessert entirely for the sauce, and because it would fabulous on the gingerbread from the last post, I’m posting the recipe for the sauce first. You might want to skip the frosting if you use the sauce, but hey, what you do in the privacy of your own kitchen is your business.

My son came home from a German-class field trip raving about a vanilla sauce that was on the dessert. Sure enough, I found the recipe below as vanillasosse in The German Cookbook (that’s it’s title, it has a black cover) I bought him last Christmas. To get down to brass tacks, it’s really a thin pudding, and it’s delicious.

Vanilla Sauce, Makes about three cups of sauce

• 2 c. milk
• One vanilla bean or 2 t. vanilla
• 1/3 c. granulated sugar
• 2 T. cornstarch
• 3 egg yolks, beaten in a bowl
• 2 egg whites

Since we’ve made puddings lots of times I’m skipping a few steps here. Warm the milk (with the vanilla bean if you’re using one) in a double boiler or over medium heat (if you’re brave and a conscientious stirrer). Stir together the sugar and cornstarch.

Whisk the sugar mixture into the milk and cook until thick. Remove the vanilla bean. Stir some of the hot, thickened milk into the egg yolks and return them to the pan, whisking all the while. Cook for another minute.

Remove from heat and quickly whisk in the vanilla (if you didn’t use the bean) and the egg whites.

(I have new bulbs in the kitchen lights and I’m still figuring out how to adjust my photos – sorry!)

Beat for two minutes, until lightened. (The hot sauce will cook the egg whites.) Pour the sauce into a shallow metal pan, press a piece of plastic wrap over the top and quickly cool it in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

I’ll post the clafouti recipe later in the week. I hope you will all have a chance to share a good meal with family and friends this week!

One year ago: Parker House Dinner Rolls

Google+

Pumpkin Gingerbread, Gluten-Free

by Heather Harris Brady

With this post I finally feel like we are heading into my favorite time of the year – baking season! Since I did a whole Thanksgiving dinner last year I wanted to give you some more options this year. Often when you’re visiting you want to take something along, and nearly as often there are pre-existing dietary issues you might or might not know in advance. This cake is great choice for those times. It’s gluten-free, but so moist and delicious it would be welcome anywhere. Thanks to the olive oil and yogurt, it’s also healthier than many other recipes from the pumpkin/carrot-cake style repertoire.

For this recipe I used a blend from a Michigan mill, Westwind, but feel free to substitute your own favorite GF flour blend. The cake itself is not very sweet, which a lot of people prefer. However, if you have a real sweet tooth in the house you can add a homey vanilla frosting like I did.

Pumpkin Gingerbread, 16 2″ squares

• 2-1/2 c. gluten-free flour blend
• 2 t. baking powder
• 2 t. baking soda
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1 t. cardamom
• 2/3 c. agave nectar
• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1 T. freshly ground gingerroot
• 2/3 c. nonfat plain yogurt
• One 12 oz. can pumpkin puree
• 1/2 c. hot water

Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and preheat the oven to 325.

Add the next six ingredients and stir well.

Fold in the pumpkin and the hot water.

Spread the batter into a 8″ square pan and bake about 30 minutes, until the center is firm.

Cool completely and frost if you like. (See recipe below.)

The cake keeps well and is actually better the next day after the flavors have had a chance to blend.

Store any leftovers at room temperature lightly covered.

Optional vanilla frosting:

Combine 4 T. soft butter, 3 c. powdered sugar and 1 t. vanilla in a mixing bowl. Add 1 T. heavy cream. Beat for three minutes. If it’s too thick, drizzle in a little more cream, one teaspoon at a time and beating all the while, until you reach your desired consistency.
One year ago: Pumpkin Ice Cream

Google+

Chocolate Mice

by Heather Harris Brady

I used to make these when my children were small for fun things like picnics at the zoo, but I think you’ll find kids of all ages can acquire a taste for these. The body is really just a cake truffle (or a cake pop if that’s how you roll). Then they get ears from sliced almonds, eyes and a nose from mini chips and a licorice tail. I think they would be amazing if you’re looking for something different for a Cinderella or wizard-themed birthday party.

These would be a great beginner/kids in the kitchen recipe too, they’re easy and quick to make.

Chocolate Mice, Makes about one dozen 2″ long mice

• 1 pkg. semi-sweet mini chips (you’ll have some leftover)
• 1/2 c. heavy cream
• 1 t. vanilla
• 2-1/4 c. crushed chocolate cookies or crumbled chocolate cake
• 1/2 sleeve of chocolate graham crackers
• 1/2 c. sliced almonds
• 1 strand of peel-apart licorice, not yet peeled

Melt 1-1/3 c. of the chips over medium heat with the heavy cream.

When the chocolate is melted and smooth remove it from the heat. Stir in the cookie crumbs and vanilla.

Keep stirring until the crumbs absorb the chocolate and you get something that starts to look like chocolate play-doh.

Put the chocolate mixture in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to thoroughly chill.

Process the grahams to a fine powder.

And arrange the rest of your ingredients in easy reach of the work surface: graham crumbs, remaining chips, almonds, licorice.

Get your chocolate mixture and pick up a spoonful, about a heaping tablespoon. Shape it into a little body.

Then roll it in the graham crumbs.

Add ears and a face like so:

Wearing glittery Halloween nailpolish while you do so is optional. Also, you can use colored chips, confectionery eyes, or melted pink chocolate to do the faces if you want to get really fancy.

In a few minutes you’ll be commander of your own mouse army! Don’t forget the tails.

They’re cute boxed up too.

I love this photo because it reminds me of my favorite picture book, Frederick.

Have a safe and fun Halloween everyone!
One year ago: Fall Dinner, Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Google+

Quick Italian Trifle

by Heather Harris Brady

So you’re probably wondering why I don’t just call this tiramisu because it looks like tiramisu right? Indeed it does my friends, and it tastes very much like it as well. However, I named it something else because, quite frankly, this is a quick and dirty version. Dessert triage if you will, something you turn to when the guests are on their way and the dessert you made is now all over the floor. Or in my case, when a recipe you’re testing didn’t turn out!

Ideally this should chill for about two hours, but if you don’t have that kind of time you’ll see my notes below.

Quick Italian Trifle, Makes about eight 1″ slices

• One sleeve of savoiardi biscuits
• 1 c. semi-sweet mini chips
• 1 cup of fresh, hot, strong coffee
• 1/2 c. whipped cream cheese
• 2-1/2 c. milk
• 2 T. cornstarch
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1 pkg. unflavored gelatin, softened in 1/4 c. cold water
• 1 T. sherry

First, make the filling. Put the milk into a shallow saucepan. Stir together the sugar and cornstarch, whisk them into the milk and put the pan on medium heat. Continue to whisk until thick, about five minutes. Whisk in the gelatin.

Add some of the hot milk to the eggs, stir and whisk the egg mixture. Cook for another two minutes, then whisk in the sherry and the cream cheese.

Set the pan into a larger pan of ice cubes and water to cool it down quickly while you get the next step done.

Line the bottom of a loaf pan with biscuits, breaking them as needed to cover most of the space. Spoon coffee over the biscuits, soaking them well (I used almost half a cup.). Then sprinkle them with chips.

Pour half of the cream over the biscuits, then repeat for the next layer.

You’ll end with a layer of cream, so crush the last two biscuits and sprinkle them over the top.

Now slide the pan into the freezer. Take it out after an hour and put it in the refrigerator if you’re not yet ready to serve. To serve, dust your plates with cocoa powder, then slice down and through the dessert with a spatula. The first piece is always the hardest.

There you have it! Store any leftovers in the fridge. You can cut out/back on the gelatin if you prefer a softer set. This might be a quick recipe but I’ve paid a lot more for a lot less-tasty restaurant tiramisu in my time.

One year ago: Saddle of Venison Cake

Google+