Happy Valentine's Day

I think you could say I may have gone a little overboard. I love romance and sentiment, and so I've cooked up some goodies that you'll love, I think, no matter if you're embracing Valentine's for one, two, or a party with all your peeps. In the spirit of L-O-V-E, I have also updated my banner. It was time, and I hope you will enjoy all the little nooks and crannies in the new display! :-)

If you're still on the hunt for something special for yourself or your sweetie, go for some gorgeous blooms at Graceful Gardens - all the flowers in these images were graciously selected and arranged by the lovely ladies Grace and Francesca, at their floral shop in Brooklyn. Rarefied or classic, they have just what you seek.

Whether or not you have plans to celebrate, there is a lot of pleasure in the confections you're about to see. I will confess I found some good inspiration from recipes I've just discovered in Donna Hay while thinking up what might make for a sweet story. Don't be surprised if you find yourself in full swoon, repeating "be mine, be mine..." after the aching temptation brought on by viewing these treats.

Here's to Love Day...

Raspberry Mascarpone Creme stuffed Double Chocolate Cookies

For the cookies:
3/4 lb good dark chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 oz pastured butter
2 pastured eggs
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/4 tsp baking powder, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract

for the creme:
1 cup mascarpone
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 cup raspberries, chopped

Place two-thirds of the chocolate and all the butter in the top of a double boiler to melt over medium heat. Be sure not to let the water spatter, turning the heat down if necessary. Place eggs, vanilla, and sugar in a large bowl and using a stand or hand mixer, beat until light and creamy - think the color "buff"- about 10 minutes. Stir in all remaining ingredients: the flour and baking powder mixture, the stirred chocolate-butter mixture, and the remaining chopped chocolate. Let stand for 10 minutes, and preheat oven to 350 degrees(F).

Spoon tablespoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 8 minutes or so, until tops are puffed and cracked. Allow to cool completely on trays before making into sandwiches. To make the filling, stir together mascarpone, sugar, and chopped berries. This can be done ahead of time and re-refrigerated. For the sandwiches, spread a nice layer of the mascarpone creme on one cookie, and sandwich with another. The perfect combination of not-too-sweet berry-creaminess, and decadent-airy chocolatey-ness, these will not last long...

Champagne with Spiced Cranberry Sugar Cubes

In a food processor, combine:
1 cup fresh or thawed cranberries
juice from 1/2 an orange
zest from one orange
2 tbsp brandy
1 stick cinnamon

Pulse until all ingredients are well combined. Add a cinnamon stick and seal in a jar, refrigerated, for a day or two for flavors to meld. On the day before you want to use the sugar, place however many sugar cubes you'd like to use in a small dish, and cover completely with the cranberry mixture. Be sure that all sides are covered, ensuring better saturation. After about an hour, check to see color absorption. Do not let sugar cubes sit in the mixture for longer than a couple hours, as they will begin to dissolve... Remove cubes from the dish scooping with a fork and dry on a wire rack. Store in a sealed container after dry.

When you are ready, place the cube (you can use more than one, but I don't like it too sweet) at the bottom of a glass, and pour Champagne, Prosecco, or Cava (all delicious sparkling wines - choose one that is crisp more than sweet) over. The sugar will fizz until it completely dissolves, leaving a sweet-tart cranberry finish to your drinking pleasure!

Sea Salt Ganache Tartlets

 

Makes 6

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 1/3 ounces of good semi- or bitter-sweet dark chocolate, chopped

Large flake salt, like Maldon

Prepare dough for 1/4 portion pâte sucré and roll out to 1/8 inch thick - similar to pâte brisée but with the addition of egg yolks and a bit of heavy cream. Check here for the recipe if you need, and scroll to the galette recipe.... Using a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut rounds and carefully mold into lightly greased tart tins and re-refrigerate. Preheat oven to 350 degrees(F). Line tart shells with parchment and fill with baking weights or rice, and bake for 8 minutes. Remove the paper and weights and bake for another 5 minutes or until golden, and remove from oven, setting aside. Full disclosure ~ once baked, my tart crust overlapped just enough along the edge of the tins that I could not dislodge them without them crumbling. Keep that in mind as you form the edge of your dough.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring cream to a boil and remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until dark, creamy, and glossy. Allow to cool slightly, and pour or spoon into the baked tartlets, and top with sea salt flakes. Can be eaten warm, room temperature, or chilled. Pure seduction.

Grapefruit - Strawberry Sips

for the strawberry syrup:
1 cup strawberries, cut into wedges
1/4 cup cane sugar
water

for the drink:
Natural grapefruit soda - I used Gus
Wide strips of orange peel - be sure to trim off any bitter white pith
Chilled gin, vodka, tequila, or other spirit, to your liking

Pour enough water in a small saucepan to just cover the berries and sugar, and turn flame to medium-high. Stirring occasionally, bring to boil and then skim off any foam which forms. Skim and stir intermittently, for about 10 minutes, checking for color saturation in the cooking liquid. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Pour liquid through a sieve and mash fruit with the back of a spoon to extract their juices, discarding the pulp. Chill and store for up to one week. Can be added to ice cream as well as beverages...

Mix fruit soda and syrup in a measuring cup to taste. I used 1 tbsp syrup for every 12 ounce soda bottle. Pour into glasses. Thread orange twist onto cocktail stirrers, add spirit and stir to enjoy.

Barely-Done Brownies with Pomegranate Seeds

Makes 6

4 pastured eggs

1 1/3 cup brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 sticks pastured butter, cut into cubes

12 ounces good semi-sweet dark chocolate, chopped

Seeds removed from 1/2 a fresh pomegranate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees(F).  Using a double boiler, melt half the chocolate and all the butter. Be careful that the water doesn't bubble up into the top saucepan as you do so. In a large bowl, thoroughly combine the eggs, sugar, and flour. I used a fork for this, but you could use a mixer if you like. Add the slightly cooled melted chocolate mixture and the remaining portion of chopped chocolate, stirring to combine all. Line a square or small rectangular baking tin with parchment and pour the mixture in. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out almost clean. If you jiggle the tin, the center should move just a little. Cool in the tin, cut into squares, scatter the pomegranate and enjoy the combination of gooey, molten-like chocolate heaven and bright, juicy sweetness of the fruit.

Whatever February 14th means to you, live it to the fullest. You never know when something crazy might happen, so take time to savor this life with those you love! Thank you all for reading with me and for indulging in all the sweet fun. :-)

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Winter Cooking, Chocolate Mousse & Sweet Paul Holiday Edition

Sweet Paul Magazine came out yesterday, and we all agree that it looks fabulous. I had so much fun working on the issue! There is photography by me throughout, including this and that. But the real show-stoppers are my Winter Cooking story, and the Fave Photographers' feature. So cool!!!

Here is another look at the tasty morsels...

I can attest that each and every item is sensationally tasty. Please click here for the recipes and tell us what you think!

When Paul asked me about my signature holiday dish for his favorite photographers story, my mind went racing. I could do the leg of lamb I love so much or different cookies that sing the holiday-tune, but as I thought further, I knew my Kahlúa chocolate mousse had to be it. In an ad torn from the pages of a really old issue of Gourmet, this recipe is what I make to surprise neighbors and colleagues with (and when I don't make it, you can believe I hear about it).

Here's a pairing I fancy that didn't appear in the magazine. The plum garnish is a playful adaptation from the famous "Twas the Night Before Christmas" poem, where it says "...while visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads"... The glistening sugar coating offers a nice crunch, and the flesh makes for a bright and juicy accent in all that chocolatey depth!

A sublime treat to enjoy whenever, and especially nice to share with loved ones. This has been another great adventure. More on the way soon!

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Recent Features

There have been a lot of things recently underway. One of the most exciting is - I have a new website. It has been many, many weeks of editing, retooling, and trouble shooting.... and finally, I have a great new - and vastly improved! - online portfolio. Have a look and leave a comment below if you like. :)

In other news, I've had bits collecting here and there of work I produced in the past month or so. The lovely people at Gotham asked me to shoot a another story, this one about the new Ladurée boutique opening up on Madison Avenue. The little sweets were shipped directly from France, and Asprey lent some of their fine pieces for the shoot. Here is what my editor selected, followed by some outtakes.

 In other news, my editor at The New York Times had me photograph this lovely story, when berries were still in abundance. *Sigh*. Summer really did fly.  As it so happens, I heard from a friend who made the recipe, that it is totally delicious.... ;-)

Here are two more delicious items recently in print. If everything else hasn't gotten your stomach gurgling, these certainly will.

 I am on to shooting glorious stories made for campfires and cabins... look for news of this soon! Happy fall everyone. ;-)

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Sweets & Spring

A week ago I attended a fun and funky little gathering in Greenpoint, Brooklyn penned as a welcome fest for spring, called the Sweets Swap. Boy, was it ever. :)

Jen and Sarah, the hostesses, encouraged everyone to wear their most divine spring brights while munching on the sugary treats that each participant created, to complement the sentiments of joy and frolicking. Rather than contribute something edible, Jen suggested I bring my camera to show everyone just how much fun a sweet swap can be. Between sips of homemade fresh fruit punch and impromptu games she periodically announced (blindfolded stick-the-candle-in-the-cupcake, anyone?), the space was filled with mounting laughter and the banter of interesting characters.

Not to end anticlimactically, there was even a pinata to whack! Sadly, I had to leave as they strung it up, in the rich sun of the waning day - it was that rich kind of sun that you actually feel warmed by (could it really be spring??).

I can attest, it was a sweetly unique way to spend a Sunday. Thanks again, Jen!

"Funfetti" cookies

My favorites - and they were vegan! chocolate chips + chopped nuts

This Dr. Seuss-looking dessert was tasty: meringue, blueberry mousse, and lemon zest!

Pretty Lisa, editor at BUST, decked in flowers and dots

Erin, at left, creates beautiful illustrations. She made sweet-inspired cards for everyone to take home!

Sweet bunny, lighting the way

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Be Mine

I love a good sweet as much as anyone and in fact probably more. I go out of my way to plan for sweets day-to-day and perfection looks like this: rich french press (or other comparable) coffee around 4pm, accompanied by a chocolatey pastry (homemade and amazing, of course). I travel with a bar of dark chocolate regularly, and like to be able to break off a little chunk when the mood strikes. So it is, and I embrace it.

Which brings me to today - Valentine's Day! I'm not all that big into celebrating these over-hyped special days but as noted earlier, I go out of my way for sweets. I thought to combine some stored-away inspirations with an excuse to make and share these confections, bringing divine treats to you and yours on this auspicious day.

Never having made a creme brulee-style dessert, I thought why not? Time to take the plunge! I'd had a recipefrom Gourmet Traveller tucked away and got straight to work.

The recipe calls for sheep's yogurt, but I mistakenly remembered goat's instead. No worries, it all turned out fabulously...
Serves 4
7 yolks from free-range eggs
65 grams caster sugar, and extra for brulee sprinkle
100 ml full cream milk (get it at the farmers' market!)
335 ml goat's milk yogurt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Combine the yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until well combined. (I loved seeing how intensely saturated my yolks from the market were) Pour milk into a saucepan and bring to boil. Slowly pour the milk over the egg mixture, whisking like crazy to prevent it from curdling. Once fully integrated, add the yogurt and whisk well (your curdling troubles are now behind you!) Pass the mixture through a fine-meshed sieve and pour into 4 ramekins or other oven-suitable China - I prayed that my pretties wouldn't shatter while baking and all turned out well. Do some research in advance to make sure your China will hold up to the heat. Place them into a roasting tin and pour enough hot water (I had a saucepan on the burner once I combined the yogurt into the mix, so that it would be ready here) to come halfway up the sides of the dishes. Don't worry if you have varying sizes like I did - use the median size to gauge the water.  
Note: it is a wise choice to place the roasting pan into the oven before pouring the hot water - simply too many risky liquids to spill this way or that - better safe than sorry! Pull the oven rack out a bit, place the pan down, and use a pour-spouted saucepan or heatproof pitcher to transfer the water over. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast..........
Bake for about 20 minutes, until the custard sets around the sides and still wobbles a bit in the middle. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and the ramekins or China from the pan. The residual heat will continue to cook them, finishing them off quite nicely. Allow them to cool for a half hour and then chill for a couple hours - I did overnight.
Just before serving, sprinkle sugar over the top of the custards - enough to cover the surface - and caramelize with a blowtorch or in the broiler.

I also made some cookies to go with and they make for a winning combination. Somehow I came across The Local Spoon Blog in my web journeying and found this recipe for rosemary shortbread cookies. Her urgings to just make 'em had me convinced, and I thought pairing them with the custards would be fun. They are deee-lish. Way too easy to eat one-after-the-other-after-the-other. Which means great for sharing with friends! Make them. Make them now.

For about 50 cookies

2 cups flour - I used a combination of all-purpose, whole wheat, and flax meal 

1/4 rice flour - though like Steph, I used regular flour

1 tablespoon good sea salt

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary

3/4 cup sugar 

2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces (try to find pastured butter: humane + delicious!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, and then add the cut butter. Note: I was running low on regular sugar and so used a combination of turbinado/confectioners'/caster sugars - perhaps not a good idea as far as purists go, but this recipe did not seem to suffer. Use two knives or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment to incorporate the butter into the mixture until there are no chunks. I am in the unfortunate former category and it did take a while to slice and mash the butter bits until all was combined, but there was a certain satisfaction in that success. :) Then using your hands, work the dough until it comes into a ball - your body heat will warm the butter much more quickly now. If it seems to be troublesome, you may wet your hands with water to further bring the dough to shape. Roll the dough into a log - refrigerate for 10 minutes or so if it becomes messy at this point, to re-chill the butter - and cut into 1/4 inch disks. Bake for about 10 minutes on ungreased cookie sheets, or until the edges and bottoms are golden. Totally yummy, and great all on their own.

As if the above wasn't enough (!), I thought to use a recent Martha Stewart snippet and make "cupcakes" out of melted dark chocolate, painted into paper foils and filled with piped mascarpone. Yes, I am crazy. I apparently don't think anything of trying TWO complex dessert recipes which I have never made, make them, and also photograph them. It was a mostly wonderful experience, with a little humility thrown in for good measure.

Serves 6
6 cupcake foils
a fair hunk of dark semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, shaved for melting

for the filling:
1 cup mascarpone
a good scoop of creme fraiche
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

Melting the chocolate went fine, and so did painting the cupcake foils - I like Callebaut bittersweet dark chocolate. Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate - it doesn't need to be runny, only a soft melt so that you can work it, brushing the chocolate onto the paper surface. The best procedure is to paint one foil and refrigerate it as you move on to the next (following in kind), and return to the first once each of the whole set has a layer painted. I went through the lot 3 times to ensure the edges wouldn't be too thin and risk cracking. Once all have 3 layers of chocolate for even coverage, refrigerate for a little while as you make the filling. When they are cold sturdy, peel the paper foil away and Voila! you will have very pretty chocolate shapes to put the delicious filling into....

For the mascarpone frosting, combine the mixture in a bowl and stir well to combine. I don't prefer it very sweet; I like the tangy presence of the creme fraiche to cut the sweetness of the confectioners' sugar. See what you like and modify as needed. With a pastry knife press the mixture firmly into a pastry bag (with whichever tip you plan to use) to remove any air bubbles. Here came the humbling part. I didn't have a large enough tip to achieve the effect I wanted, along with the the complication of the thicker texture of the mascarpone mix. Heavier like a cream cheese, it doesn't pipe as easily as say, a buttercream would. Oh well.  I understand this now for next time. Thank goodness it tasted as delicious. Twist and squeeze the bag with one hand and direct your movement with the other, swirling the frosting into form as you like. Once again, your body temperature will warm the bag's contents, so alternate chilling it occasionally to maintain the preferred consistency. Once you have those chocolate beauties filled with the creamy mixture, top with a little praline sprinkle - I used toasted pepitas - for texture and even more flavor. Wow. These are unusually delicious- not cloying in any way, and outrageously cute to boot! I hope you feel your saliva working, and that you'll want to try these amazing desserts out.
Make it sweet and have a ball. Happy Valentine's Day!

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Merry Christmas!

I don't usually know when to stop filling my plate - the metaphorical one for starters. So with Christmas literally around the corner, I wanted to share with you all some of my recent forays into baking.

These were made as gifts for my larger circle of loved ones: a couple sweet treats, and on top of that a personal project: my first mustard.

Having read into the matter it sounded pretty simple. And, as a real mustard lover it seemed like next thing to try out. For the moment, I can only hope it turns out as a smashing success. It is essential to wait a few days for the mustard's true character to reveal itself. But, to create something and not be able to taste it before offering it as a gift felt like a risky move for sure. At least the recipients are kind (and honest) people... :)

The first is my mom's standby recipe, her famous - and 8 years in the making, mine too - raspberry diamonds. This version was made with black currant preserves, along with the raspberry:

Raspberry Diamonds
2 cups coarsely chopped almonds
4 cups pastry flour (I used whole wheat)
1 lb unsalted butter, cut into cubes (helpful to bring faster to room temp)
2/3 cup sugar
1 jar raspberry - or your favorite - preserves
4 large eggs
2 cups light brown sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
6 tbsp flour
1 tsp baking powder

Toast almond in 375 degree oven about five minutes or until golden; remove and set aside to cool.
Using a food processor with dough blade, mix pastry flour, butter, and sugar together until a smooth ball is formed. I usually remove the ball and kneed the last bits together to make it uniform. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of a 12 x 18 x 2 inch baking pan (also called a half sheet cake pan) and prick all over with a fork. Bake at 350 degress for about 15 minutes or until the dough becomes golden. Remove it from the oven and set aside to cool slightly, lower temperature to 325 degrees. 
In a large bowl, beat eggs and brown sugar until very light, about eight minutes. Beat in almond extract. Fold in reserved toasted almonds, coconut, flour, and bakig powder, blending well.
Spread raspberry preserves evenly with a butter knife over the complete surface of baked dough - don't forget the corners. :)
Spread mixture over entire raspberry-coated surface. Bake until top is golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool before cutting. Using a very sharp knife and gentle sawing motions, cut into strips about 2 inches wide. Angle-cut each length into diamonds. This recipe makes about 50 cookies.

A new cookie recipe from Saveur:

 

Flat & Crisp Chocolate Cookies
I didn't find these chewy as in the original recipe, so I've renamed the title. If you figure out how to make them chewy, please let me know!
2 cups flour (again, I used whole wheat)
1 scant tbsp kosher salt (I used sea salt, as I like the presence of salty-sweet dynamic and the texture of those wonderful crystals)
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 1/4 cups sugar
16 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
12 oz finely shaved bittersweet chocolate
8 oz finely ground walnuts

Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl; set aside. In a bowl, beat sugars and butter with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, 1 or 2 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time and then add vanilla. Add reserved flour mixture, chocolate, and nuts; mix until just combined and chill.

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Divide dough into 1 tablespoon portions. Roll into balls and transfer to parchment paper-lined baking sheets, spaced 3 inches apart. (I chilled them again after making the balls so that the next step would occur without issue) Flatten. (bringing you aside to have a little talk) It just says "flatten" in the recipe, and I was dumbfounded. There is no description of the "how", and it's in these seemingly simple steps that I usually get tied up: I didn't want my dough to stick to whatever I was using to flatten, plus I wanted the dough evenly flat for baking. So I  decided (thank you, light bulb moment) to place another sheet of parchment on top and use an old enameled mug to do the job. Anything completely flat will work, so long as it isn't big enough to get in the way of the baking sheet edge, other dough balls, etc.
Bake until set, about 9 minutes The original recipe calls for 15, but I found that too long for the cookies to have any chances ending up as "chewy". I shortened the time to 9 minutes and they still did not end up chewy. I also made a batch that was less flattened, and no, they didn't turn out particularly chewy either. Though, each of them had a light, and crisp texture that went absolutely perfectly with coffee or tea. Delicate and subtle, with a pleasing saltiness at the very end of each bite. A definite delight....

Last but not least, here is the Apple Brandy Mustard, from Wrightfood:

FYI, dark mustard seed is much hotter than yellow seed. Use with caution... Most recipes call for soaking the seeds in the vinegar-water solution for 24 hours before making. This softens the seeds, making them easier to grind. I quadrupled Matt's recipe, as I was making enough for gifts (and enough for me to test it and see the results!)

1/2 cup mustard seeds - mostly yellow, with about 1 tablespoon of dark thrown in
1/2 cup vinegar of choice - I used apple cider
1/4 to 1/2 cup water
1/8 cup apple brandy
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 tsp turmeric, for color
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme

Put the brandy in a small flameproof container. Light liquor with match so that it catches fire. Let it burn for some moments to burn off some of the alcohol.  I let it burn for about a minute.
Put the mustard seed, vinegar, water, honey and turmeric in a blender, and pulse a number of times.  Scoop the mixture down from the sides between bursts. If the mustard is too thick for your taste, add a little more vinegar and water. Blend until smooth but still with some texture.
Pour in a tablespoon of the brandy, pulse, and taste. See how you like it and try to forecast... the tricky part! If you taste the brandy, leave it there or add more if you like.
This mustard improves a lot (read: mellow’s out) once left in the fridge to age for a few days. I will keep you posted on how this version ended up. :D

 

Whatever it is that you celebrate, I hope that you have a delicious experience, shared with loved ones. And I'll see you all in the New Year, wooo-hoOOo!!!

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