Croissants

It's a funny story actually, one that begins with butter and ends with twice as much as butter. I decided to make croissants six years ago and just got around to it. They took a total of 2 days and a seriously late night (2am) to finish these babies, but man oh man were they something worth showing off. The recipe is from Tartine Bakery in San Francisco, whose cookbook was my very first ever and one of my absolute favorites. Elizabeth Pruitt is a genius in the kitchen, and the author of before mentioned Tartine Cookbook. Plus she is married to the most amazing bread guru, Chad Robertson, whose cookbook sits on my bedside table, and who is responsible for teaching me how to bake a perfect loaf of bread. 

We retarded the croissants in my mothers wine cellar overnight so that we could have fresh baked buttery rolls in the morning. Like I mentioned before, I was up until 2am finishing off the correct laminating of the dough, so we were lucky these trays made it down the dark steps unscathed. 

As I baked them in the morning, the buttery air wafted through the house and everyone (including our French intern from Burgundy, Simon) came running. To be frank, they weren't complete perfection (they were a bit dense and lacked that cloud feeling the ones in France have), but my dad always says "Perfection is the enemy of the Good," and by golly these were damn good. We had a little picnic out on the deck, clad with fresh homemade jam and coffee. At that moment, life was pure bliss. 

Here is the recipe from Tartine by Elizabeth Pruitt and Chad Robertson.

Note: To avoid the heaviness that I encountered, try and be as gentle as possible every time you touch the dough.

Preferment:

¾ cup non-fat milk (6 ounces/150 ml)

1 tablespoon active dry yeast (15ml)

1⅓ cup all-purpose flour (6¼ ounces/175g)

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon active dry yeast (20ml)

1¾ cup whole milk (14 ounces/425 ml)

6 cups all-purpose flour (28 ounces/800g)

⅓ cup sugar (2½ ounces/70g)

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon salt (20 ml)

1 tablespoons unsalted butter (15ml)

2¾ cup unsalted butter (22 ounces/625 g)

4 large egg yolks (2 ounces/60 ml)

¼ cup heavy cream

pinch salt

As you form the croissants, place them, well-spaced, on the prepared half-sheet pan. When all the croissants are on the pan, set the pan in a draft-free area with relatively high humidity, and let the pastries rise for 2 to 3 hours. The ideal temperature is 75 °F. A bit cooler or warmer is all right, as long as the temperature is not warm enough to melt the layers of butter in the dough, which would yield greasy pastries. Cooler is preferable and will increase the rising time and with it the flavor development. For example, the home oven (turned off) with a pan of steaming water placed in the bottom is a good place for proofing leavened baked items. To make sure that no skin forms on the pastries during this final rising, refresh the pan of water halfway through the rising.

Dough:

Roll-in butter:

Egg wash:

To Make the Preferment:

In a small saucepan, warm the milk to take the chill off (between 80° to 90 °F). Pour the milk into a mixing bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the milk, stir to dissolve the yeast with a wooden spoon, and then add the flour, mixing with a wooden spoon until a smooth batter forms. Cover the bowl with cheesecloth and let the mixture rise until almost double in volume, 2 to 3 hours at moderate temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.

To Make the Dough:

First measure out all your ingredients and keep them near at hand. Transfer the preferment and then the yeast to the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed until the yeast is incorporated into the preferment batter, which will take a minute or two. Stop the mixer as needed and use a spatula to clean the bottom and sides of the bowl, folding the loosened portion into the mixture to incorporate all the elements fully. When the mixture has come together into an even, well-mixed mass, increase the speed to medium, and mix for a couple of minutes. Slowly add half of the milk and continue to mix until the milk is fully incorporated.

Reduce the speed to low, add the flour, sugar, salt, melted butter, and the rest of the milk, and mix until the mass comes together in a loose dough, about 3 minutes. Turn off the mixer and let the dough rest for 15 to 20 minutes. This resting period helps to shorten the final mixing phase, which comes next.

Engage the mixer again on low speed and mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, a maximum of 4 minutes. If the dough is very firm, add a little milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. Take care not to overmix the dough, which will result in a tough croissant that also turns stale more quickly. Remember, too, you will be rolling out the dough several times, which will further develop the gluten structure, so though you want a smooth dough, the less mixing you do to achieve that goal, the better. Cover the bowl with cheesecloth and let the dough rise in a cool place until the volume increases by half, about 1½ hours.

Lightly flour a work surface. Transfer the dough to the floured surface and press into a rectangle 2 inches thick. Wrap the rectangle in plastic wrap, or slip it into a plastic bag and seal closed. Place the dough in the refrigerator to chill for 4 to 6 hours.

To Make the Roll-in butter:

About 1 hour before you are ready to start laminating the dough, put the butter that you will be rolling into the dough in the bowl of the mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until malleable but not warm or soft, about 3 minutes. Remove the butter from the bowl, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to chill but not resolidify.

Laminating the dough:

Lightly dust a cool work surface, and then remove the chilled dough and the butter from the refrigerator. Unwrap the dough and place it on the floured surface. Roll out the dough into a rectangle 28 by 12 inches. With the long side of the rectangle facing you, and starting from the left side, spread and spot the butter over two-thirds of the length of the rectangle. Fold the uncovered third over the butter and then fold the left-hand third over the center, as if folding a business letter. The resulting rectangle is known as a plaque. With your fingers, push down along the seams on the top and the bottom to seal in the plaque.

Second turn:

Give the plaque a quarter turn so the seams are to your right and left, rather than at the top and bottom. Again, roll out the dough into a rectangle 28 by 12 inches, and fold again in the same manner. Wrap in plastic wrap or slip into a plastic bag and place in the refrigerator for 1½ to 2 hours to relax the gluten in the dough before you make the third fold, or “turn”.

Third turn:

Clean the work surface, dust again with flour, and remove the dough from the refrigerator. Unwrap, place on the floured surface, and again roll out into a rectangle 28 by 12 inches. Fold into thirds in the same manner. You should have a plaque of dough measuring about 9 by 12 inches, about the size of a quarter sheet pan, and 1½ to 2 inches thick. Wrap in plastic wrap or slip into the plastic bag, place on a quarter sheet pan, and immediately place in the freezer to chill for at least 1 hour. If you intend to make the croissants the next morning, leave the dough in the freezer until the evening and then transfer it to the refrigerator before retiring. The next morning, the dough will be ready to roll out and form into croissants, proof, and bake. Or, you can leave the dough in the freezer for up to 1 week; just remember to transfer it to the refrigerator to thaw overnight before using.

Making the croissant:

When you are ready to roll out the dough, dust the work surface again. Roll out the dough into a rectangle 32 by 12 inches and 3/8 inches thick. Using a pizza wheel or chef’s knife, cut the dough into long triangles that measure 10 to 12 inches on each side and about 4 inches along the base.

Line a half sheet pan (about 13 by 18 inches) with parchment paper. To shape each croissant, position a triangle with the base facing you. Positioning your palms on the two outer points of the base, carefully rolling the base toward the point. To finish, grab the point with one hand, stretching it slightly, and continue to roll, tucking the point underneath the rolled dough so that the croissant will stand tall when you place it on the sheet pan. If you have properly shaped the croissant, it will have 6 or 7 ridges.

During this final rising, the croissants should at least double in size and look noticeably puffy. If when you press a croissant lightly with a fingertip, the indentation fills in slowly, the croissants are almost ready to bake. At this point, the croissants should still be slightly “firm” and holding their shape and neither spongy nor starting to slouch. If you have put the croissants into the oven to proof, remove them now and set the oven to 425 °F to preheat for 20 to 30 minutes.

About 10 minutes before you are ready to bake the croissants, make the egg wash. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, cream, and salt until you have a pale yellow mixture. Using a pastry brush, lightly and carefully brush the yolk mixture on the pastries, being careful not to allow the egg wash to drip onto the pan. Let the wash dry slightly, about 10 minutes, before baking.

Place the croissants into the oven, immediately turn down the oven temperature to 400 °F, and leave the door shut for the first 10 minutes. Then working quickly, open the oven door, rotate the pan 180 degrees, and close the door. This rotation will help the pastries to bake evenly. Bake for 6 to 10 minutes longer, rotating the pan again during this time if the croissants do not appear to be baking evenly. The croissants should be done in 15 to 20 minutes total. They are ready when they are a deep golden brown on the top and bottom, crisp on the outside and light when they are picked up, indicating that the interior is cooked through.

Remove the croissants from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool. As they cool, their moist interiors will set up. They are best if eaten while they are still slightly warm. If they have just cooled to room temperature, they are fine as well, or you can rewarm them in a 375°F oven for 6 to 8 minutes to recrisp them before serving. You can also store leftover croissants in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day, and then afterward in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you have stored them, recrisp them in the oven before serving.

Mothers Day Brunch

On actual mothers day, my mom was deathly ill, so we decided to make this last Sunday a make-up Mothers Day. I had baked some Semolina Fennel Bread the day before, so we decided to just make an awesome open faced sandwich.

We had sausages in the freezer from a while back when my dad and I had decided to make them.

I saw the Green Onions in the fridge and just couldn't resist the color.

What we ate:

Toasted Semolina Fennel Bread (olive oil)
Two eggs sunny side up
Grilled Green Onions
Grilled Sausage

We used the Sausage oil to grease the egg pan.

We had Homemade fig Jam and Honey from our Bees to add to the extra bread.
Over all it was a success - mom was happy and us children gained about a thousand points on the daughter scale.

Fava Beans & Potatoes

Ingredients:

6 Baby new potatoes
1-1 1/2 cups Fava Beans, double shelled
1 Tbs. Greek Yogurt
1 Tbs. Goat cheese
1 tsp. chives

Directions:

Boil potatoes until knife inserted goes in easily. Cut into bite sized pieces.
Sautee the bite size potatoes and favas in Olive Oil for about 2 minutes. Add the greek yogurt, goat cheese and chives. Simmer for 2 more minutes and serve.

**Try adding mint, might be good?

Pesto Smashed Potatoes

 My absolute favorite thing to do is to read cookbooks. When I have even a second of free time, I stand and look up at the bookcase full of cookbooks that my mom has collected, and I choose a stack of three or four. I sit wherever seems the most comfortable at that moment (sometimes it's right on the floor in front of the bookcase) and I read the book cover to cover.

The most recent book that has kept me captivated is Francis Mallman's 'Seven Fires.' I read beyond the meats, and found the real beauty in the vegetables and breads. So as we were making dinner last night, I realized the baby potatoes we were already roasting in the oven were half way to becoming "Smashed Potatoes" for the Seven Fires cookbook. In the original recipe, the potatoes are bigger, the spread is an olive tampenade, and they are cooked over an open fire, but cooking is all about improvisation, so I did just that and they turned out rad.

Pesto Smashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

15 new potatoes
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

1/4 cup Pesto (homemade or store bought)

Directions:

Pre heat the oven to 400 Degrees.

In a large bowl toss the new potatoes, salt, pepper and olive oil. Scatter onto a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes. When a knife inserted in one of the potatoes is inserted with barely any resistance, they are ready to be pulled out.

Take a mallet (or something with a flat bottom) and quite literally smash the potatoes. Smear about a tsp. of pesto on each smashed potato. Heat a frying pan with some Olive Oil over high heat on the stove. Flip the potatoes pesto side down into the pan. Let them cook until the pesto has partially caramelized and is a rich dark brown color.

Take them out of the pan one by one and place them on a paper towel to drain. Season with salt and peper and serve.

Petrale Sole Tacos

We made these tonight, and they really are delicious. Mom, Dad and I seem to eat the same meals somewhat consistently, so I have taken it upon myself to search the internet, magazines and cookbooks for a little bit of something new. Mom cooked the Sole, while dad and I made the slaw. Really is super easy, healthy and impressive. 

 Our only complaint was about the tortillas themselves. We had just regular corn tortillas, but they were just a bit to crumbly and didn't have the same "healthy and clean" taste as the rest of the dish. So next time we are going to use the 50/50 flour/corn tortillas that you can get pretty much anywhere. They are just the "gourmet" version of the regular tortillas. 

Recipe Adapted from Kitchn

Slaw:
About 4 cups shredded cabbage
1 small carrot
2-3 green onions
1/2-1 Jalapeño chile
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Salt and pepper

Fish:
1/2-3/4 lb. snapper, sole, tilapia or catfish
1/3 cup rice flour (all purpose is fine)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/8-1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika or chipotle powder
2 tablespoons vegetable oil suitable for high heat cooking (like safflower or grapeseed)

8 gourmet tortillas
Garnish: cilantro leaves, avocado, lime wedges and your favorite salsa

Place cabbage in a bowl and sprinkle a bit of salt on it. Massage and squeeze it with your hands to help it release its liquid and wilt. Set it in a strainer over a bowl while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Peel and shred the carrot with a grater or mandoline, slice the green onions (green and white parts), seed and chop the Jalapeño. If you like a bit of heat, put the seeds in a small bowl and cover with vinegar to use as a sauce later. Place all these ingredients in a small bowl and toss.

Whisk together garlic, lime juice and mayonnaise. Set aside

On a plate, mix together flour, salt, pepper and paprika or chipotle powder.

Squeeze excess liquid out of the cabbage and add it to the bowl with the carrots, onion and Jalapeño. Pour the mayonnaise-lime juice mixture over and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper (if desired).

Heat a heavy (cast iron if possible) pan over medium-high heat. Dredge the fish in the seasoned flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Add oil to pan, heat until shimmery and add fish to pan. Cook for about 2 minutes per side, carefully flipping only once, with a spatula. Meanwhile, heat the corn tortillas one-by-one in a heavy, dry pan, until soft and warm. Wrap them in a clean cloth as you go.

Serve the fish on a platter with the tortillas, slaw, cilantro, avocado, lime and salsa on the side, letting each diner assemble his or her own tacos. Or for a more formal setting, plate each persons plate with two tacos and put the garnish on the table!

Grilled Cheese

Really all it takes is good ingredients. You can really taste the difference!

Ingredients:

2 slices Good Country Loaf
3 or 4 slices sharp cheddar
3 or 4 slices Manchego Cheese
Approximately 2 Tbs. Goat cheese
Butter

Directions:

Spread the goat cheese onto one of the slices of bread and cover with remaining cheeses. Close sandwich with remaining slice. Lather each side of the sandwich with butter, and place in a hot pan, preferably cast iron. Flip when a crust is beginning to form and it is light to dark brown. Cook until equally colored on the other side and the cheese is all melted.

**To make it even more delicious, melt a bit of sharp cheddar in the skillet in the approximate shape of the bread and place the buttered bread directly ont the cheese. This will give it a really nice crispy outer shell with an amazing caramelized cheesy taste.

Poached eggs and a Breakfast Salad

Mom and I spent the weekend in Sausalito, and there is something about that house that gets my inner cook to take action. The night before we had made a yummy dinner of Roast Chicken, Brown Rice and roasted Butternut squash, beets, and sweet potatoes, and a salad. Like responsible people, we cleaned up and put all the extras into the refrigerator, just waiting to be used the next morning.
When we woke up the sun was shining on the city and it just called for a beautiful breakfast. So I improvised and came up with this beautiful breakfast!

Ingredients:

Salad greens
Anything you want to add to the salad (tastes good without as well!) - avocados, goat cheese, carrots, dried cranberries, pecans...
Brown rice or other grain (quinoa, farrow...)
Lardons (small pieces of Bacon) - crisped and drained
Roasted butternut squash, beets and sweet potatoes, cut into small cubes
Lemon, vinegar salad dressing
Eggs

Directions:

Mix all the salad ingredients together and add salt/more dressing to taste.

To poach the eggs, boil a pot of water. Add a splash of vinegar and create a spiral current in the water. Drop egg into the current (it will begin to spin over onto itself). As the egg begin to slow down, create another current and add a second egg. With scissors clip off any ghost-like ends and scoop them out of the water with a slotted spoon. When the eggs are done (they will feel like the top of a fried egg), take them out with a slotted spoon and place on top of your salad. Enjoy!

Sunday Lunch - Seven Fires Style

This last Sunday (March 25, 2011), Cindy Pawlcyn and dad are doing a benefit at the Monterey Bay aquarium to raise awareness about endangered fish. So they ventured outside of the ocean and decided to cook an entire lamb on an iron cross.

The Menu:

Iron Cross Lamb
Empanadas
Griddle cooked bread
Asparagus
Sweet Breads
Coal cooked Onions and Potatoes

and for Dessert

Flan

The meal was to die for. After eating this explosion of flavors, no one will ever go seeking a fish again! This whole ordeal was merely a practice, so instead of pure work (does that sound like us?), we turned it into a party. Friends and family gathered around two long picnic tables in the old barrel room eating, drinking and working, if you can even call it that.

Sinfully Easy Tomato Soup

This tomato soup requires Mom's canned tomatoes, I believe her recipe is from When French Women Cook. If you don't have access to it, it is pretty much stewed tomatoes with onions and herbs de provence.

Ingredients:

1 can homemade tomato sauce (canned tomatoes)

Bring sauce to a simmer in a large pot, remove from heat. With an immersion blender, or the Vita Mix, puree the sauce to the desired consistency. Add a dollop of cream or creme faiche to serve.

Lather some country bread with olive oil and grill over an open fire to serve.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 Large sweet potatoes
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper

Wash and peel the sweet potatoes, making sure to get all the skin off since it is so rough. Slice them 1/2 an inch thick rounds. Coat with Olive Oil, salt and pepper and spread onto a baking sheet. Bake at 400 for appx. 30-45 min - until soft and golden.

Jacques Torres’ Secret Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Makes twenty-six 5-inch cookies or 8 1/2 dozen 1 1/4-inch cookies

Ingredients 
1 pound unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
4 large eggs
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons pastry flour
3 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 pounds bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Reduce speed to low and add both flours, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, and chocolate; mix until well combined.
- Using a 4-ounce scoop for larger cookies or a 1-ounce scoop for smaller cookies, scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake until lightly browned, but still soft, about 20 minutes for larger cookies and about 15 minutes for smaller cookies.
- Cool slightly on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Perfect Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

1/2 recipe Basic Pie Dough, rolled out and fitted into a 9-inch pie plate

2 large eggs
3/4 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp all spice
1 can pumpkin puree (1 1/2 cups)
1 cup half-and half

Directions:

Trim the dough to a 1-inch overhand. Lightly flour your fingers and fold overhang under itself to form a rim, pinch between thumb and forefinger to form a crimped edge all the way around the pie plate. Refrigerate until filling is ready.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, cinammon, all spice, cumin and pumpkin. Whisk in half and half. Pour mixture into the pie crust. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 min, then reduce the heat to 350 and bake until set, about 45 min, until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Refrigerate to cool completely.

Serve with whipped cream.

Serves 8.

Basic Pie Dough

Crust:

3 Cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup crisco
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup ice cold water



In the bowl of a food processor mix together the flour and the salt, pulse once or twice to incorporate. If making by hand, then just mix together in a large bowl. Add the crisco and pulse until the mixture resembles oatmeal, if making by hand cut in with a pastry cutter until it reaches the same consistency. Add the butter, and same thing, only either pulse or cut until it resembles peas.

With a fork fluff the mixture while adding the water -- make sure the water is cold, this is very, very important -- one Tablespoon at a time, until it is just wet enough to hold itself together in a ball. Depending on the outside temperature you may use less or more water, just make sure not to make it to wet or else it will become rough.

Wrap in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least half an hour. Crust can be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days, or frozen for up to two months.

Macaroni and Cheese

If I could think of one thing that I looked forward to most as a kid, I would say this Macaroni and Cheese. My mom would make it in huge batches and freeze whatever was leftover - we would feast on it's deliciousness for months!

Ingredients:

1 cup elbow macaroni
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 small shallot, minced
1 Tbs. all purpose flour
1/2 cup hot chicken stock
1/2 cup hot cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
dash of hot red pepper sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees. Cook the macaroni in boiling salted water until just tender, about 8 minutes. Rinse under cold running water and drain. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking together.

Melt 2 Tbs. of the butter in a saucepan over medium low heat. Add the shallot; cook for 5 minutes. Stir in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes longer. Whisk in the stock and cream. Heat to boiling, boil for 1 minute and remove from heat. Whisk in the salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce. When the sauce has stopped bubbling, whisk in the egg. Stir in the cheese and macaroni. Mix well and transfer to a greased baking dish.

Melt the remaining 1 Tbs. butter in a small skillet. When it foams, stir in the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the macaroni and cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Bruschetta

This past weekend a very large group of us Turley's were at the Frog Farm, from this amazing time sprung a few wonderful posts for Turley Eats.

On Friday night we all crowded around a big bowl of this delicious Bruschetta, mounding it on top of the fire grilled bread. The table was beautifully set, but us being the family of hooligans that we are we just stood in the kitchen refilling our plate. Half way through my second piece of Bruschetta, I looked outside at the beautiful sunset and knew the weather was amazing, so I began barking out orders to march to the pool area for a nice outdoor diner.

Ingredients:

Ripe Tomatoes
Olive oil
Basil

Just mix together and enjoy

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is just off the back of the Gold Metal Flour bag, but I love it!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 Tbs. vanilla
2 eggs
4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chip cookies

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees.

In large bowl, beat butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs on medium speed or with spoon until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in chocolate chips.

On ungreased cooked sheet, drop dough by tablespoonfuls or ice cream scoop 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly.

Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

For nut lovers: stir in 2 cups coarsely chopped nuts with the chocolate chips.

Cheese Cake

Ingredients:

3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup cream
2 logs cream cheese

Separate eggs, beating egg whites until stiff. Mix cream cheese and cream, add vanilla, eggs and sugar. Pour into Gram Cracker crust lined pan. Bake 15-20 min at 350 Degrees. Cool.

Deviled Eggs

This is another recipe from Banana Bee's recipe book, but it is actually Big Jacks. I've been so spoiled by these Deviled Eggs - I can hardly eat other ones without thinking Grandpa's is better.

Ingredients:

6 Hard Boiled Eggs
1/2 Tsp. Salt
Bit of Pepper
1/2 Tsp. CHECK mustard
1 Tsp. Garlic Vinegar
3 Tbs. Mayonnaise
1 Green Onion, minced

Paprika for garnish.

Half all the eggs and mash together with all ingredients. Fill whites with yolk mixture and sprinkle paprika on top and maybe a bit of parsley.

Cheese Soufflé

I went down to my Grandma's (Banana Bee's) house today and was looking through her old recipe book, inspiration was found! Banana Bee makes this quite often - usually when she has a bunch of cheese left over, but it is so good and actually quite easy.

Tip: Make the entire recipe until it calls for you to fold in the egg whites. Then when you have company you can just whip the whites while chatting with your guests!

Ingredients:

4 Tbs. Butter
3 Tbs. Flour
1/2 Tsp. salve
Few grains of Cayenne Pepper
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Soft Bread Crumbs
3/4 Cup Grated Cheese (Cheddar, Gruyere)
1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder
3 Eggs

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees.

Melt butter; add flour, salt and cayenne and mix to a smooth paste. Gradually add the milk and cook and stir until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat; add the crumbs and cheese and stir until later dissolves. Separate the eggs; heat the yolks until thick and lemon colored and add to cheese mixture. Fold in the baking powder and the egg whites, whipped stiff. Transfer to a baking dish rubbed with butter. Bake at 350 Degrees for 30 min.

**Grandma uses sharp cheddar cheese.

Vanilla Buttercream Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

I seem to have Alena on my mind both day and night lately, I know cupcakes and her had a good relationship, so Laney, this is for you. 

This recipe comes from Magnolia's Bakery in New York City -  I fist had this small piece of heaven when I was 13, from that experience I decided I wanted to open a Bakery called Banana Bee's Bakery (we call my grandma Banana Bee). I was pretty serious about it for a while, my best friend Tess and I had lots of long conversations about it, but as many childhood ideas do, it faded away. I guess you could say this blog has revitalized that dream - in a more realistic manor. 

Tess and I were recently in New York and polished off our fare share of these cupcakes, we tried to save one for Laney Loo, but it just couldn't be done.

• Ingredients:

Cupcakes - 

• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (1/2 cup-12 capacity) muffin tins with cupcake papers. In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Ingredients:

• Vanilla Buttercream-

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Yield: enough for 2 dozen cupcakes or 1 (9-inch) layer cake.