This year’s Bake Off was on Wednesday. Here are a few photos of some of my submissions.
Chocolate Overload Brownies ... won "Best in Chocolate"
Almond Macaroons with Dark Chocolate Ganache
Lemon, White Chocolate Chip & Chia Seed Cookies ... won "Best in Fruit"
Peanut Butter Maple Oat Bites with Dried Cherries ... won "Best in Health"
Fresh Fruit Tart
Be sure to dock the dough well to avoid excess puffing.
I love fresh fruit.
I love dessert.
I love this dessert.
This tart is best with a homemade shortbread crust, but if you’re in a pinch for time, you can use a pre-made pie crust. I like the Trader Joe’s frozen pie crust – it’s more natural than other brands, and I’ve had pretty good luck with it.
Bake the tart crust according to the recipe or directions on the packet.
Have ready to go some finely chopped dark or white chocolate to sprinkle on the crust immediately after removing from the oven. Evenly distribute the chocolate onto the hot crust, wait one to two minutes to allow to melt, then gently smooth to the edges with a knife or spatula. Allow to cool completely.
While the tart shell is baking, prepare the filling. Whisk together about 3/4 cup each of Mascarpone cheese and non-fat plain Greek yogurt, 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey, and the zest of one lemon. Whisk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or two, or up to overnight.
The crust and/or filling can be made a day ahead and kept refrigerated. Keep them separate – don’t fill the shell until right before assembling the tart.
Depending on the type of fruit you want to use, you’ll want to prepare it shortly before assembling and serving the tart. Whole berries, such as blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries should be rinsed and drained well before assembling. Cut fruit should be sliced right before assembling and serving the tart.
To assemble the tart, spoon the filling into the prepared crust and gently spread to the edges of the crust. Top with your choice of fruit, arranged attractively, of course.
If you’re going to prepare the tart ahead of time, especially if you are using cut fruit, you can glaze it to help keep the fruit fresh-looking. When possible, I prefer to assemble the tart just before serving so I don’t glaze the fruit. A really simple way to do it is to heat up some apple jelly a bit to make it “liquidy” and simply brush a little bit of it onto the cut fruit with a pastry brush. Just be sure to glaze very lightly or it can become cloyingly sweet. What I like about this recipe is that it is fairly light and not too sweet.
You can make it even a little lighter by using a low fat cream cheese, but I really prefer the taste of the Mascarpone cheese.
This tart is a wonderful excuse to take a trip to your local Farmers’ Market to pick up some beautiful fresh local fruit – go get inspired! Enjoy!
The Napa Valley Tour de Cure is almost here! I was hoping for better weather this weekend so I could get in one last long ride before the big day, but it was breezy, breezy, breezy here in Davis. I got in a decent ride yesterday, 65.1 miles, but just 16.1 miles today. It never really rained today, but there were a few sprinkles on our ride so we cut it short.
Scenes from Saturday's ride
Scenes from Saturday's ride
Today was about resting up from a crazy busy couple of weeks. An easy ride was just right.
A day in the kitchen was productive and fun. I did a little baking to share. The cloudy weather had me in the mood to bake some bread and what could be better than some healthy, hearty homemade Multigrain Bread? Whole Wheat with Pumpernickel, Millet, & Oat …
Shaped, Proofed, Scored, and Ready to Bake
Just out of the oven ...
Cooled and sliced ...
I love this recipe. It’s based on the Tassajara Bread Book recipe. This was my first bread book and I highly recommend it for any level of baker. The level of detail in the instructions is terrific if you’re just learning how to make bread. For the more advanced baker, the variations provide loads of inspiration.
Dinner was a salad of greens, apple, goat cheese, toasted pecans, proscuitto, & honey mustard dressing (homemade, of course!), with grilled pork loin chops (marinated in a little olive oil, thyme, and rosemary), and roasted yams and potatoes. The pork was beautiful (some of the most perfect grill marks I have ever seen), but the photos did not turn out well.
Salad
Roasted Yams & Apples
There may have been a few cookies coming out of the oven yesterday, too, and they’ll all be going to good homes on today.
Dark Chocolate & Cherry
Lemon & White Chocolate
Well, it’s getting to be just light enough outside to grab a quick pre-work ride, so off I go.
Here’s wishing you a delicious day!
True Food Kitchen, Fashion Valley Mall in San Diego
The culinary highlight of my recent trip to San Diego was an exciting restaurant discovery: True Food Kitchen. It was without a doubt the best lunch out I have had in a very, very long time.
I was feeling a little disappointed because some plans had fallen through, so I needed a little retail and culinary therapy. My retail therapy resulted in a very cool pair of shiny black skinny jeans (found on clearance at Macy’s!), so I needed to keep these in mind when choosing my culinary therapy. I wanted a treat, but a reasonably light and healthy one.
Beverages
Cool and refreshing Green Arnie
As I enjoyed my Green Arnie, I relaxed and enjoyed a nice cool breeze on the patio. The setting was lovely and I was quite pleased with the cleanliness and overall atmosphere.
Table centerpiece
Patio seating
Cozy fire pit seating
Fresh herb gardens
There were so many choices on the menu that sounded like exactly what I wanted, but since it was cool outside, a little soup sounded perfect.
Starters ...
Miso Soup
The soup was rich with flavor, but also seemed fairly light. It was so good that I am right now trying to duplicate it at home. Close, but not quite. This will require further experimentation!
When I’m in a new restaurant that serves pizza, one of my tests is to try the most basic pie on the menu. This is the foundation of pizza – if their plain cheese or Pizza Margherita is not good, then it doesn’t matter what toppings you try. Their pizza will not be good. You absolutely have to have the right foundation – the basics: crust, sauce, cheese, fresh herbs.
I am a self-proclaimed pizza snob, but I think for good reason. I started working in pizza restaurants when I was just out of high school. My first was a family-owned restaurant and it was rare for a girl to be allowed to “man” the pizza oven. We girls could do all the prep work, make the subs, and for those of us who so aspired, one day we could run the grill and make the cheese steaks. The pizza men might even let us make the dough. I had mastered the subs. Mastered the grill. I had even mastered the dough. Come on! Let me spin the pies!
One day the “pizza man” called in sick and it was an all-girl crew. I enthusiastically jumped in to take over the oven and proved that a girl can make pizza. The “pizza man” took me under his wing and on occasion invited me to work side-by-side with him so he could teach me his tips and tricks. That’s when my love affair with making pizza really started.
Pizza ...
Pizza Margherita
My Pizza Margherita arrived. The crust was crisp and light. The sauce was rich with fresh tomato flavor. There was just enough cheese and the fresh basil was divine. I had about half of the pizza and saved the rest for later.
My server inquired about dessert. I was not going to have anything, but I love to look at dessert menus. I perused the menu, and politely declined, telling her about my new jeans and how I really should be good. She suggested the Chia Seed Pudding, saying it really wasn’t that bad. Hmm … chia seeds are loaded with all kinds of healthy things like fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants. Hmm … this is a foodie adventure, so I suppose in the spirit of adventure I really should try it.
Chia Seed Pudding with Banana & Coconut
Oh. My. Goodness!
The Chia Seed Pudding was rich and creamy, not too sweet, and the toasted coconut gave it a nice crunch. The creaminess came from coconut milk, so I’m pretty sure it wasn’t as “light” fat and calorie-wise as I wanted to believe, but it was worth it.
I looked up a few chia seed pudding recipes today and have an experimental batch in my refrigerator right now. It will be ready tomorrow. I made it with unsweetened almond milk, low fat lemon yogurt, maple syrup, vanilla, and chia seeds. It thickens overnight in the refrigerator, so we’ll see tomorrow how well it sets up, but an initial taste was quite good!
My server told me that True Food Kitchen will be opening a restaurant in Walnut Creek, California later this year. It will be worth the hour-plus drive to dine there. I am looking forward to dining here again!
The service was awesome – friendly and attentive. The food was fantastic. I look forward to returning.
Here’s a very basic outline of what to expect … I’ll have to do a full post later with recipes and photos. The menu will be along these lines, but I’m going to have to sort of “wing it” a little on some things:
Smoked Wild Salmon with Organic Light Cream Cheese on Rye Toasts
Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Cherry-Port Sauce
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Roasted Yams
Baby Kale Salad with Granny Smith Apples, Candied Pecans, and Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette
Low-Fat & Low-Sugar Orange Curd with Fresh Blackberries
The curd turned out a bit looser than I had hoped, but it will work nicely as a sauce for the big beautiful fresh blackberries I found this week at the store. I don’t think this curd would work well in a tart, though, because it’s not quite thick enough. Perhaps next time I’ll try 1/2 whole eggs and 1/2 egg whites, and I need to play a bit more with the Monk Fruit. I guess I could also use some corn starch, but that seems like cheating, but we’ll see. I think this recipe has promise, but it’s not just right yet.
I also wanted to make meringues to serve with this, but there is just so much going on right now that I did not have time to do so.
I will have limited Internet access over the next few days, so it may be the weekend before I get a chance to post any pictures or follow-up.
Merry Christmas! May your hearts be filled with the joy and warmth of the season, and your bellies be nourished by delicious and wholesome food!
Start your holidays with a super healthy green smoothie!
Baby Kale, Kiwi, Banana, Mango, Oats, Whey Protein
This year’s menu is going to be a little different – a little heart-healthier and lighter – but it will still be festive and delicious!
Pork Tenderloin with a Port-Cherry Sauce
Roasted Yams
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Baby Greens Salad with Organic Apples, Spicy Candied Pecans, & Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
Dessert may be a low-sugar & low-fat orange curd with blackberries. That is, IF my curd sets. I used half sugar & half Monk Fruit. I used one whole egg and replaced the other with egg whites (the ready-to-use kind you get in a carton). The juice of 1 1/2 Cara Cara oranges and one lemon, plus the zest … it tastes OK, we’ll see how it sets when it cools. I’m not 100% sure about the taste of the Monk Fruit yet. I need to play with this a bit more. I tried using 100% Monk Fruit in the last batch of curd I made and it was dreadful. We’ll see how it is with 1/2 sugar & 1/2 Monk Fruit.
If the curd does not set, I’ll have to figure out a way to use it as a sauce for something.
Here’s wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I’ll have limited Internet access, but will do my best to get a few posts in here and there.
Please be SAFE – remember – NO drinking and driving!
P.S. Santa brought me a very cool new helmet! A Rudy Project Technically Cool and super comfy green/blue helmet – it’s like the one that one of the cycling teams wears that every time I see it I say, “I have to find one of those!” And, it will go great with the Ireland jersey Santa brought me last year!
Thanks, Santa! You’re the BEST! I’m looking forward to riding with you again soon!!
Award Winning Irish Apple Cake
I first fell in love with this cake at a St. Patrick’s Day party. I entered entered this cake into a bake-off at work and won the “Best Cake/Bread” category.
This recipe is published with the gracious permission of Elizabeth Jennings. She has adapted this from her grandmother Minnie Jennings’ recipe.
Irish Apple Cake
Adapted from Minnie Jennings (County Mayo, Ireland)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon each: baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg
1 1/2 cups flour
3-4 Granny Smith apples*
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup additional sugar for topping
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Generously butter a 9″ round cake pan.
Mise en place – measure out and assemble all of your ingredients.
In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients (except the remaining 1/4 sugar).
Core, peel, and dice the apples to about 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups) and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla, mix until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix well. Stir in the apples and nuts.
Batter will be very thick and chock-full of apples.
Pour into prepared pan, level out. Sprinkle top with 1/4 cup sugar.
Bake until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Don’t overcook or it will become dry. Depending on your oven and type of pan, the cake could take anywhere from 45 min- 1 hr 15 min. Just keep checking with a toothpick and take out when it comes out just about clean. It may take a couple of times to make it before you get a sense of when to take it out.
Serve warm or at room temperature, with creme anglaise, whipped cream, or ice cream. Great for coffeecake in the morning as well.
Even moister and more flavorful the next day. Just keep wrapped tight. No need to refrigerate.
*Don’t skimp on the apples, the more apple, the moister the cake, and don’t substitute a sweeter apple.
Sadly, I don’t have a good picture of the cake. I guess this just means I’ll have to bake another soon. Sounds like a plan for New Year’s Eve!
Remembering this St. Patrick's Day party makes me smile!
I have been officially chided by a colleague at work for not posting these past few weeks. (You know who you are, MV, and thank you for getting me blogging again.) Life has been handing me a few challenges recently, so I have been doing a bit of juggling and have certainly dropped the proverbial blogging ball.
I am now officially on vacation, so I will do my best to post just as much as I possibly can!
Lots and lots of cookies have passed through my kitchen of late. I’m working on some new recipes – some healthy, some not so healthy, but hopefully you will find all of them delicious. Here are a few of the recipes I’ll be posting soon:
Peanut Butter Kisses
Snickerdoodles
Peppermint Mocha Cookies
White Chocolate Cranberry & Lemon Cookies
Apple Coffee Cake Muffins (whole grain, low sugar, and low fat)
Chewy Ginger Cookies
Spiced Nuts
Greens, Apples, Pecans with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
Herbed Goat Cheese
Caesar Salad (if I can talk someone into being a guest blogger)
Oh, and I am very excited to say that I did get permission to publish the Irish Apple Cake recipe, so look for that. Trust me – you will want to add this to your list of recipes for special occasions!
I am also hoping for nice weather and to get some good cycling in over the break. The weather forecast looks promising! MUST get some training rides in and SOON!!!
Are you looking for a year end tax deduction? Consider donating to my 2014 Tour de Cure ride! Click here to donate.
We had a bake off at work today. I sampled almost everything – except for anything with pumpkin. I am sad to say that I missed the chocolate cream puffs; they won the “Best Overall” category! Here are a few pictures of the entries. I think I got pictures of almost everything that was entered. I promise – there were some healthy entries – not just pure decadence.
Here are a few of my colleagues’ amazing entries … this was a tough competition!
Best in Show! Chocolate Cream Puffs.
This was buttery and moist.
I heard that this was fantastic - moist and delicious!
You know that TJs cookie butter? Here it is - made into fudge! It was sweet and festive!
I also got the baking bug this week and made a few entries …
... speaking of decadent ... Turtle Brownies
Classic Spicy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Need I say more?
For Turtle Brownies, the secret is more in the technique than in the recipe. Make your favorite batch of brownies. While the brownies are baking, make your favorite caramel sauce (or use a good quality store bought caramel sauce – don’t skimp on this – invest in a good caramel sauce!), coarsely chop about 3/4 cup pecans, and measure out about 3/4 cup good quality dark chocolate chips. Make sure everything is ready to go the minute the brownies come out of the oven. Pour about 3/4 cup of the hot caramel sauce over the hot brownies, carefully spread out from the center to about 1/4-inch from the sides. Sprinkle the pecans over the caramel, then sprinkle the chocolate chips over the pecans. Allow to cool completely before cutting. I usually make these a day ahead and allow them to cool at least overnight. Do not cover them until they are completely cooled and the chocolate chips have set. You can make these completely from scratch, or you can use your favorite mix and pre-made caramel sauce. It’s up to you!
Irish Apple Cake ...
I’ll have to ask permission to post the Irish Apple Cake recipe. It was given to me by a young Irish woman I met a few years ago. It is adapted from her Grandmother Minnie’s family recipe. I was pleased my cake came out perfectly because I had not made this recipe in a few years. I suspect one will show up at another holiday event before the end of this year.
Now for the lighter items …
Lemon Raspberry Tartlets - Low Fat
Classic Meringues - Fat Free
These meringues were also to be filled with the lemon curd and/or raspberry jam. I made my Low Fat Lemon Curd recipe, making it also low sugar by using C&H 1/2 & 1/2 ,which is half cane sugar and half stevia. I am just discovering this product, and look forward to playing with some more recipes. The raspberry jam was also low sugar. The meringues were not as pretty as I would have liked, but that’s because I used a zip-top back instead of a pastry bag with a nice tip for piping. I just didn’t do a very good job of piping this time. They weren’t the prettiest I’ve made, but the meringue itself was very good.
I have been looking for some lighter alternatives to traditional holiday baking treats. I love meringues, but they’re so sugary. I was quite happy to find this recipe on MyFoodAdvisor – affiliated with the American Diabetes Association.
As you can see, mine turned out a bit darker, but I that that was because the oven did not maintain a consistent temperature. For both the cinnamon and vanilla meringues I used the same base recipe. I just omitted the cinnamon for the vanilla meringues. The cinnamon meringues would be great with coffee or tea. The vanilla meringues we served with the lemon curd and/or jam. They’re good on their own, too!
Spicy-sweet and as light as air. These won the "Best in Health" category!
Crispy vanilla meringues waiting to be filled with cool, tart-refreshing low sugar lemon curd.
Now it’s time to work off the bake! Hopefully the weather will cooperate this weekend for a good training ride or two. The 2014 Napa Valley Tour de Cure will be here before you know it! For information on how you can register for the American Diabetes Napa Valley Tour de Cure 2014, please see here! Join me in Napa, California on Sunday, May 4, 2014 – take the ride of your life! If you want to help support my ride, please click here and make a donation. Every bit helps.
I have also been hearing about another sugar alternative – Monk Fruit. I’ve ordered some Monk Fruit In The Raw. I’ve read that this natural sweetener tastes more like sugar than stevia does, so I am looking forward to trying it. Keep an eye out for some new, lighter recipes for healthier holidays.
I’m looking for some lighter recipes these year, so I’m playing around with meringues. These are based on a recipe by Emeril Legasse’s “Forgotten Kisses.” His recipe reminded me of a childhood favorite that a neighborhood mom used to make; she called them “Forgotten Cookies” because she left them in the oven overnight. As I recall, she left them in a 200-degree oven, but my memory may not be serving me correctly. The technique I used was based on this article from Fine Cooking.
Here’s my version:
2 extra large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2/3 cup super fine sugar*
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Very, very close to stiff peaks.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Separate the eggs while cold and set the yolks aside and refrigerate for another use. Set the whites in your mixing bowl – make sure the bowl is very, very clean because even a tiny amount of fat will prevent the whites from properly whipping up. To ensure that you achieve the best volume, allow the egg whites to come to room temperature. Using your whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy, then add the cream of tartar. Whip to blend, then add the sugar about 3 tablespoons at a time. When you’ve added about half the sugar, add the peppermint extract. Whip to combine, then add the remaining sugar in several additions. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes glossy and forms stiff peaks.
Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
Ready to scoop.
Scoop onto a parchment lined baking sheet, using either two spoons or a small portioning scoop. Depending on the size of your scoop, this can make up to 48 small cookies.
Place in the preheated even and turn the temperature off.
Place baking sheets in the oven and turn the oven off. Leave them undisturbed for at least two hours, or overnight. I found that after two hours they were quite lovely, but the inside was not quite dry yet, so I’ll be leaving mine in the oven overnight.
These are very sweet. I want to find a way to make them a bit less sugary, so you’ll probably be seeing a few more versions here until I get them just the way I want them.
After two hours ... the center was still a little moist.
* You don’t need to spend extra for “super fine” sugar – simply pulse regular granulated sugar in a food processor for a few seconds.
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