Food Lush

Baking Bucket List: Bûche de Noël

by Maura

Years and years ago (circa 2008), I didn't cook. If it didn't involve butter, flour, and sugar, I didn't make it. I baked and that was it. Ironically, I was 10lbs thinner, but that is neither here nor there. I was so into baking that I was even part of a group called the Daring Bakers. Each month, I would participate in a baking challenge with hundreds of other bakers. I made eclairs, opera cakes, Julia Child's French bread, apple strudel, and lemon meringue pie, among other recipes. You can see some of them on my now-defunct blog, MauraLessa (fka AnonymousNY).

(Image credit: bonappetit.com)

The one challenge I regret I did not tackle was the Bûche de Noël. A traditional French dessert served around Christmas, the Bûche de Noël is an impressive accomplishment. Also known as a Yule Log, the Bûche de Noël is a vanilla genoise cake with chocolate butter cream icing, rolled into a log. The outside of the cake is frosted with chocolate icing and decorated to look like a tree log. Many other types of cakes and fillings can be used, but genoise and chocolate butter cream is traditional. 

(image credit: epicurious.com)

There are very few things I have an interest in baking these days; as I get older, I prefer savory over sweet. However, I will one day make a Yule Log for Christmas.

Have you ever made a Bûche de Noël? Do you have any desserts on your baking bucket list?

'Tis The Season For All Things Peppermint

By Jessica

Even though Texas hasn't gotten the memo that it's December (yesterday I was sweating in shorts and a tank top while putting up my Christmas tree) it officially is and that means that all manner of peppermint items have hit the stores. As a peppermint fan? This makes me happy, happy, happy.*

I've already purchased, consumed and driven others to purchase many boxes of these:

Junior Mints Peppermint Crunch which are 5 for $5 at Target. To find them, you need to head to the Christmas aisles and look at the back where the stocking stuffers are, they aren't with the regular candy, FYI.

My next favorite candy are peppermint tootsie pops but this year I found these:

 

Candy Cane Pop Drops for the same 5 for $5 sale at Target and snatched up a box to try. 

Even though I love Angie's Kettle Corn and buy the huge bags at Costco whenever they have them, the Holidrizzle White Chocolatier Peppermint Kettle Corn made me skeptical but...

...not enough to keep me from buying it and scarfing down a bag regardless of it's ridiculously tiny quantity. It was good, I definitely wanted more.

Finally, my most favorite ice cream, that I will totally suffer sinus issues for:

Graeter's Peppermint Ice Cream

Of course there's always peppermint bark and everyone that has a TJ's talks about their most beloved Candy Cane Joe Joe's (which I will finally get my hand's on this year, oh yes, I will) but the above are some of my favorites. Tell me about yours, I'm always on the hunt for a new "must have"!

*Duck Dynasty. Yes.

(Photos from: Candyblog.net, Angies, Graeters)

Fall Centerpieces

by Elsha

I don’t know about you, but I love to have a nice centerpiece on my table. I’m especially drawn to fall centerpieces. I don’t know if it’s the colors, or just that I love the season, or what, but I’m a fan. Here are some that I made for our table just for fun.

You can’t go wrong with apples for fall. Plus, you can eat your centerpiece.

Doesn’t everything look cuter in a basket? This one is way too small for our dining room table, so it's really just kitchen decor.

I just wanted to capture the colors of the leaves. These are actual leaves, so I don’t know how long they’ll last, but I’ll enjoy them while they do!

Do you do centerpieces or am I alone in my love? 

The Perfect Apple Pie

by Elsha

I love homemade apple pie. Served warm with vanilla ice cream; it may be the perfect fall dessert. Apple pie was the first pie I learned how to make, and I haven't found a better recipe. Here’s how you make it:

You’ll need a two crust pie crust. I make mine using this recipe. 

6-8 Granny smith apples, peeled and sliced (about 6 cups). Make sure your slices aren’t too thick or they won’t cook all the way and you’ll end up with crunchy pie.

3/4 to 1 cup sugar 

2 Tbsp flour

1 tsp cinnamon

dash of nutmeg

2 Tbsp butter

Stir the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg into the apple slices. It will seem dry at first, but as you stir the juice from the apples will dissolve the sugar. Pour the mixture into the bottom crust in your pie pan. Add a few dabs of butter to the top of the mixture before placing the top crust. Put on your top crust and pinch the edges together. (Or watch an instructional video on how to make pretty crust edges and do that.) Cut a couple of vents in your top crust for steam to escape. Sprinkle it with sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes. 

Also, here’s a tip: make an extra batch (or several) and freeze it! Then the next time you want pie you just have to thaw some filling. Throw in a refrigerated pie crust and fresh pie is ready with little work and less clean up. How awesome is that?

Roasted pumpkin seeds

by Elsha

On Monday we took the kids to the pumpkin patch, because what is October without some pumpkins? After some serious deliberation they chose a couple of nice ones, which currently reside on our porch. See?

Anyway, it occured to me that if we're carving pumpkins, there will be pumpkin seeds to roast! It's been a LONG time since I had roasted pumpkin seeds, probably because the last time I carved a pumpkin was in high school. I’m definitely excited to make some this year though! I have a weakness for salty snacks and these crisp little bites fit the bill. I’ll be using this recipe from The Pioneer Woman, because I’m pretty sure the last recipe I had was written on a napkin. And that was 11 years ago. Not likely that it’s still in my recipe stash.

Will you be roasting any pumpkin seeds this year? What's your favorite pumpkin see recipe?

Apples recipes

by Elsha

It's fall. The mornings are chilly, the leaves are changing color, and our apples are ripe. We have three apple trees, two granny smith and one fuji (I think). Three trees means a LOT of apples. Obviously we'll eat some of them fresh, and we'll make some apple desserts (pies, crisp, tarts) but this year I wanted to try some new things. I went looking for some non-dessert apple recipes and here are the ones I definitely want to make.

(photo from The Pioneer Woman)

This apple, pecan, and blue cheese salad by The Pioneer Woman. I eat a salad most days for lunch, so I'm always looking for ways to change it up.

These apple and cheddar scones by Smitten Kitchen. I think these would be excellent with a good broccoli cheddar soup. 

How about some apple muffins by The Girl Who Ate Everything? Alright, this one leans a little more to the dessert-y side of things, but I've never made apple muffins and these sound delicious.

It might take a little convincing to get my family to try this recipe for shredded brussels sprouts and apples by 101 Cookbooks, but I think it needs to happen.

And I'm pretty much drooling on my keyboard over this recipe for crispy turnovers with apple, bacon, and caramelized onion by The Kitchn. Puff pastry! With apples! And bacon! And optional gouda! I definitely want them with gouda.

Do you have a favorite apple recipe I should try?

Boiled Cider Syrup

By Erica H.

I couldn't agree more with Nora's assessment that it is CIDER SEASON (though I would probably leave the qualifier off of "fairly obsessed"), and therefore time for all the cidery deliciousness to be mine. If you're anything like me, you'll cozy up with a big mug of that mulled cider and think: this is a flavor that should be in everything I eat. Good news! I have discovered a way to make our dreams come true.

Last Christmas I received a bottle of boiled cider syrup from my mother, who was inspired by the Apple Cider Cream Pie I had made at Thanksgiving. I believe this was an effort to encourage me to revisit said delicious pie by giving me a shortcut on one of the steps. (The cider-boiling one, specifically.) This will likely be an effective strategy!

But it will also leave me with quite a bit of leftover syrup. I'm certainly not at a loss applications--I mean, what wouldn't taste good with condensed apple cider all over it? Pancakes, toast, ice cream, oatmeal, lasagna. The obvious things. But I did glance around the internet just in case I was missing anything.

In its interesting article on the history and usage of boiled syrup, the Washington Post notes that in the past, boiled syrup was used in a similar way that honey is now--to sweeten things like baked beans and fruitcake, for example. This syrup = honey idea made me determined to add a dollop to my next cup of Apple Cider Tea, thereby creating MEGACIDER tea. (Or I could, you know, use it to bind my mincemeat. Whatever.) If it's easier for you to come by large quantities of cider, there is a recipe to make your own syrup, along with a suggestion that you use it to sweeten mashed sweet potatoes, glaze roasted vegetables, or add an interesting note to a vinaigrette.

Who are we kidding, though? The rest of that bottle is going right into Apple Cider Caramels.

Two Great Beers for Fall

by Elissa

Fall is a great season for beer-drinking: there's playoff baseball, the start of the football season, and the cooler temperatures put me in the mood for more substantial drinks. Here are a couple of beers that I think are a perfect fit for this time of year.

(photo from brooklynbrewery.com)

First is the Pennant Ale from Brooklyn Brewery. I don't think I've ever had a Brooklyn beer that I didn't enjoy, but this one might be my favorite. They describe it as a "honey-colored pale ale with a brisk malt palate and finely balanced hop character." It's not too dark, has plenty of flavor, and is the perfect thing to drink while cheering on the Washington Nationals (we are huge fans and can't wait to watch them in the playoffs).

(photo from dogfish.com)

Next is the Punkin Ale from Dogfish Head Brewery. I love pumpkin beer, but in my experience there is a lot of bad pumpkin beer out there. This one is just right, with a clean pumpkin flavor and spicy finish, but without being too sweet. Watch out though, at 7% alcohol this is stronger than your average beer. Because Dogfish Head comes from Delaware it's easy to find in DC, but as the brewery has grown so has their distribution, and I think it's pretty widely available across the country.

Do you have a favorite fall beer I should try out?

Summer's Last Gasp: Ratatouille

By Erica H.

It's fall! It's fall! And believe me, no one is ever happier about this development than I am. Of course, the weather around here consistently refuses to acknowledge the plain and simple fact of seasonal progress. Look at the calendar, sun! You are being inappropriate.

Fortunately, I have come up with one thin yet delicious silver lining to the sun's glaring obtuseness, and that is: ratatouille ingredients are currently plentiful and cheap.

I've been using Francis Lam's recipe for a couple of years now, and it is truly one of my favorite applications of tomatoes (specifically, giant piles of tomatoes). It is certainly the best thing that ever happened to eggplant. It takes all afternoon to cook down, but that's part of the appeal--it may still be hot outside, but I'm more than ready to tenderly minister to a simmering pot for hours at a time. And just look at the mushy vegetable delight that emerges!

Of course, I'm still in Meat Prison until the end of this month, so I've been dishing out my ratatouille alongside scrambled eggs and sausage, but the ideal combination involves a sliced baguette, some soft cheese, and a bottle of red.

A perfect, light vegetarian meal. Of course, if (for whatever reason) you do not want to spend the better part of the day at the stove, this ratatouille pizza will certainly do in a pinch.

Any last-bit-of-summer bounty you're currently enjoying?

Not so pretty produce

by Elsha

We didn't put much in our garden this year. We planted zucchini, broccoli, tomatoes, and green peppers. Fortunately, all the plants thrived and we've had lots of fresh produce. However, all these homegrown vegetables have reminded me of something: produce isn't always picture perfect.

Our green peppers are funny shapes and often come with sun burned spots. Our tomatoes almost all have cracks from the heat. The broccoli is scraggly, and even some of the zucchini are weird (like the one that ran into the edge of the garden box as it grew.) The stuff that comes out of our garden rarely looks like something you'd get at a store.

The good news is, funny looking produce is still delicious. Plus, there is something very satisfying about cooking with freshly picked vegetables, despite imperfections. That said, when I shop for produce at a store, I always go for the pretty stuff. Why is that? A perfectly shaped pepper doesn't taste any better.

Do you judge produce by the look too or am I just being weird?