Yael's Yummies

Angry Birds Cake

2012-02-08T11:59:00.000+02:00

Just finished this cake for an Angry Birds fan. Chocolate cake with butter cream frosting and 4 little fondant black angry birds for the corners. It was my first time making any kind of 3 D figures - I'm ok with the results but I have a LOT to learn. It's fun though! The facial features were made with royal icing pieces that I made on parchment paper, let dry and then transferred to the cake.

Sambousek

2011-12-29T09:59:00.000+02:00

Sambousek are mini pies filled with either meat, hummus or cheese. The origin is Middle Eastern and there are endless versions of these delicious little hand held pies. The recipes for the dough and fillings vary according to the country or group of people who make them. These are great to make and freeze, then all you have to do is take them out and reheat. I suggest reheating in the oven, but a very quick zap in the micro will do just fine. My husband likes taking one out for a quick ( and filling) breakfast each morning on his way to work.

The recipe I used is for a pastry type dough with a cheese filling. You can play around with the fillings

(I did- I used basically what I had in the house, which was not exactly what the recipe called for, ,but it worked out just fine). I had some leftover filling so I added some chopped olives and made another batch of dough for that. Mushrooms, mashed seasoned potatoes and a meat mixture are also a wonderful option for the filling. This recipe is adapted from the book "The Best of Micky Shemo", a wonderfully talented Israeli pastry chef.

before baking

yum!


after baking

Here's the recipe: adapted from the original
( 25-30 sambousek)

Dough:
500 grams ( 3 1/2 cups +1 tbsp.) flour
200 grams softened butter ( 1 cup)
1/2 tsp. salt
10 grams baking powder
180 ml. (3/4 cup) water
80 ml. ( 1/3 cup) canola oil

Filling:
250 grams feta cheese, finely grated
250 grams no fat soft cream cheese
1 egg+ 1 egg yolk (I just used one egg)
I also added a few gratings of fresh Parmesan cheese

Topping:
1 slightly beaten egg
sesame seeds

How to:

1. Make the filling:

Mix all the ingredients to a smooth texture. Refrigerate.

2. Make the dough:

Using the flat beater in a standing mixer, mix the flour, butter, salt, and baking powder to a crumbly consistency. Add the oil and water and mix until the dough is smooth and uniform.

3. Wrap the dough in nylon wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour (I found it had to be refrigerated for longer to achieve the proper consistency for rolling.)

4. Preheat oven to 170 C ( 340 F)

5. Form and bake:

Divide the dough into 25 -30 balls and cover with a kitchen towel to prevent from drying out. Roll out each ball into a circle about 1/2 cm . thick. Place a heaping teaspoon of filling in the center and fold over in half. Secure the edges by pinching and folding or rolling( sort of a braided look as you can see in the pictures). Mine didn't come out perfect but they held just fine.

Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with egg and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

6. Bake for 20 minutes until browned. (I found they needed more time , but that depends on your oven- just keep an eye on them)

7. Cool thoroughly and store in a tightly closed container ( not in the fridge) only on the day of baking.

They can be frozen for up to a month. To serve, heat for a few minutes in a 170C oven.

Enjoy!

Cookie Chanukiya( menorah)

2011-12-12T07:24:00.000+02:00

I got the idea of making a cookie chanukiya after seeing some 3 dimensional cookie creations on the web. The base is one big rectangle cookie, circle bases for the candles ( one group being higher than the rest , since that candle is called the "shamash" , or helper candle- it is the one you use to light all the other candles each night) and , of course candle cookies. It really didn't come out as I had envisioned it, but for a first try , it isn't that bad. At least I got the feel for it and now I know what I will do differently next time.

Getting back into the swing of cookie decorating , so hope to be posting more soon.

Happy Chanukah and Merry Christmas to all!

Honey Cinnamon Mousse Bavaria

2011-10-09T22:22:00.000+02:00

This was a first try for a fairly involved and interesting tasting dessert. I didn't follow the recipe exactly and I probably should have. The taste was light, not too sweet and a nice change from the typical honey cake for Rosh Hashana. I like to play around with recipes, but I would go back to the original next time.

1st Birthday Cookies

2011-10-09T22:00:00.000+02:00

she loves penguins!

candy for the birthday girl

Ronny

balloons for Ronny

and baby elephants, too

already a year old!


baby animals

Halloween and other stuff

2011-10-09T21:54:00.000+02:00

It's been months since my last post. Good reasons, mind you, but still... trying to get back into the habit of writing. I've made a lot of things in the past few months but have been very bad about taking pictures.Here are a few very recent things.

things that go bump in the night

Boo!

candy corn, mummies and other Halloween stuff

Baby On the Way

2011-05-30T16:56:00.000+03:00

Some cookies for a colleague who is expecting in the fall and taking the next school year off. I did the basic covering in fondant and accented with royal icing, except for the letters on the blocks which were fondant cut outs too. As usual, had lots of fun doing them!

Wishing her all the best!

baby blocks

assortment

onesies

baby bottles

rocking horse

Now that I think about it, I don't know why I label the pictures- I mean duh, you can tell what they are...!

Cakes and Cookies

2011-05-25T19:23:00.000+03:00

I've been busy baking cakes lately. Some for friends' birthdays, some for actual paying orders ( how fun !). A few more to do this weekend- love every minute of it!

Milk Chocolate Malted Milk Ball Cake from Baked!

Devil's Food Whiteout Cake from Baking: From My Home to Yours

by Dorie Greenspan

Super Hero cookies for a birthday party

Sugar Baby

2011-05-08T09:00:00.000+03:00

I've always wanted to explore the world of candy- beyond eating it, that is! I have to admit to being a sugar lover. Tried many times to kick the habit, but it's more powerful than me. I think , though, in recent years , I've at least managed to cut down my sugar intake, but what the heck- only pass this road called life once, and as long as I don't overdo it, I'll enjoy every last bite.

I came across this new book Sugarbaby, by the wonderful Gesine Bullock-Prado. It's not just a "cookbook"- she writes in a way that anyone can understand the workings and magic of sugar even if you've never(like me) dealt with it before ( other than in baking and that's really different). Her writing is humorous and fun to read. I ordered the book and when I received it, just sat down and read the whole thing from cover to cover. I continue to read it and learn more about working with sugar each time. You can check out Gesine's site for the book at http://www.sugarbabycookbook.com/. She has a lots of extra tips and ideas that aren't in the book. She also has another great blog called Confections of a Closet Baker which is definitely worth following!

ANYHOO.... my first go at candy(this is the one I saw pictures of that made me buy the book.) Does anyone remember those bullseye caramel creams? I certainly do! Can't remember the brand name.

These Fleur de Sel Spirals are a vanilla cream fondant wrapped in a fleur de sel caramel. The caramel would be fantastic on it's own , but that touch of salt just takes it to a whole other level! Just like the original but 100x better.

The process was nowhere near as difficult as I had imagined and I was soooo proud of myself! They came out great and I wrapped them individually in squares of waxed paper. Can't wait to try another project from the book. Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day to all Mommies, Grandmas, mommies-to -be etc. ,etc.!!

Some of my recent stuff

2011-04-02T11:01:00.000+03:00

Haven't had the chance to sit down and post lately-some husband hospital issues, but hopefully things will work out soon and health will return to this family.

Just because I haven't posted, doesn't mean I haven't been busy( in between hospital visits, work, and whatever!) Actually, it's the baking and decorating that keeps me sane and gives me the relaxation and pleasure I need.

ballet slipper

ballet tutus and slippers

cake pops for a 2 year birthday

Cheese Mousse Cake

2011-02-21T10:00:00.002+02:00

A few weekends ago, I had a Saturday morning brunch for Hubby's birthday. We were 16 people which meant a fair amount of food to prepare and of course the desserts were my specialty. In the midst of all the preparations, I didn't manage to get any photos of the table set up or the other things I made- I always remember after the last bite has been taken! But just BEFORE the last bite was taken on this cake, I whipped out my camera - so at least it can be seen half eaten!

Also made homemade bagels, which I love, champagne cupcakes with a champagne frosting from the wonderful Sprinkle Bakes and chocolate bread rolls ( which I can never decide if I want them during my meal or after- slathered with cream cheese!) I'll share the recipe for those sometime soon.

Anyhoo, the Cheese Mousse Cake was the finale and it was amazing, if I say so myself! I love anything with a cinnamon crumble top and even though it is called a cheese "mousse" , it is really just a version of a cheesecake.

The crust is the same as the crumble topping, just baked in a ring form in advance.

Crumbs before being baked.

The final result shortly before it disappeared!

If you'd like to give it a try, here's the how-to:

Ingredients ( for a 24 cm. ring)
Base and crumble topping:
250 grams flour
5 grams baking powder
2 grams cinnamon
100 grams demarra sugar
200 grams cold unsalted butter
1 egg

Make the crumble and base:

1. Heat oven to 180 C ( 350 F).

2. In a food processor with the sharp blade, mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar and butter to a crumbly mixture.

3. Add the egg and continue processiing until you get a dough that has large, moist crumbs.

4. Take 2/3 of the dough and roll into a leaf the size of the ring. You can roll it a bit larger and then use the ring to cut the exact size. Place the dough with the ring around it on a baking sheet and pierce holes in it with a fork.

5. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

6. Place the remainder of the crumb dough on a baking sheet and bake together with the base for 15-20 minutes. Cool

Cheese Filling:

300 ml milk

teaspoon vanilla paste

4 egg yolks mixed together with 100 grams sugar

15 grams flour

25 grams cornflour

4 gelatin leaves ( or 16 grams of gelatin powder)

500 grams cream cheese

500 ml. heavy cream

150 grams sugar

Prepare a cream patisserie with all the ingredients except the cheese:

Soak the gelatin in cold water.

Heat the milk to boiling.

Add the cornflour and flour to the egg yolks mixed with the sugar.

Add a small amount of the milk to the egg and stir constantly to even the temperatures, return to pot to thicken.

It's very important to stir it all the time. When you see three or four bubbles, add the softened gelatin and mix to melt.

Pour the mix into a stand mixer bowl and stir to cool slowly.

When cooled , add the cheese and continue mixing until incorporated.

In a separte bowl, whip 500 ml. of heavy cream with 150 grams of sugar until very thick. Fold the whipped cream into the cheese mixture until fully incorporated.

Pour the mix into the ring with the crumb base.

Cover the top with the remaining crumbs and press down firmly.

Place in freezer to set for at least 6 hours.

2-3 hours before serving, place in the refrigerator.

Dust with powdered sugar right before serving. Cut with a sharp knife dipped in hot water.

Sounds a bit complicated, but it's really not- just a few steps and worth the effort!

Valentine's Day Cookies

2011-02-02T18:57:00.000+02:00

Here are some Valentine's day cookies I made just for practice. I'll give them to family and friends. One of these days I'll get myself organized and start to sell them, but until then, I just look for opportunities to bake and decorate!

pink tinted heart meringues

(had so many leftover egg whites and I refuse to throw them away!)

Farm Stand Buttermilk Doughnuts(3 ways)

2011-01-16T17:28:00.003+02:00

It's not Sunday morning where I live , but at least I'm getting this post out before Sunday is over!
So- I finally got the book "Baked Explorations" by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. I have their first book, "Baked: New Frontiers in Baking" which I absolutely love. When I heard about this group "Baked Sunday Mornings" that would be baking from the second book, I knew I had to join in.
These doughnuts are amazing! I was a bit concerned at first, since I am not a fan of frying things. But on the other hand, I am a major fan of doughnuts so I took the plunge! I was pleasantly surprised to find the recipe quite easy and the frying wasn't that bad at all. I thought the doughnuts might come out too greasy, but ..... man oh man are they delicious- not greasy at all and sooooo worth the time and effort ( which , as I said wasn't that bad.). I rolled the doughnut holes in cinnamon sugar and dipped the doughnuts in a white or chocolate glaze, topped with the opposite color sprinkles. You can find the recipe on Baked Sunday Mornings, but believe me, the book is definitely worth adding to your shelf!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-16T18:10:00.000+02:00

My selection of Thanksgiving theme cookies - these are going to a staff Thanksgiving celebration.
Happy Turkey Day! ( a bit early, but no matter!)

Halloween Platter

2010-10-21T17:39:00.000+02:00

A Halloween platter I made for my fellow teachers .

Birthday Cookies

2010-09-26T00:17:00.000+02:00

I haven't done any decorated cookies in quite a while and I'm anxious to get back to it. Every three months at school, we have a birthday celebration for those whose birthday fell in the past three months. Each time a different group of teachers is responsible for the food and can choose any theme they want. This time it's our turn, the elementary teachers, and we decided to throw a real "kids" birthday party( elementary school, get it?!)

I'll be making marshmallow creme-filled cupcakes as well as these simple, but colorful, fun cookies. I actually had the round cookies frozen and was waiting for some opportunity to use them- this was the perfect excuse!

All set up and ready to go

dots and squiggly lines- fun to do!

happy faces- frosting was a bit runny but they're still happy!

Hope the teachers like them!

The joy of my life

2010-09-14T19:39:00.000+02:00

Almost the whole summer has passed without a post. I spent my entire summer with this gorgeous creature above! Who has time for cookies and cakes when that little girl is so delicious to kiss and hug!?
Ronny is 3 months old now , summer is over and school is back in session. How nice for me that my daughter lives so close to school- I can just drop in for my daily "fix" on the way home from work!
Actually, I've been fairly busy lately with some baking in the few "spare" hours I have between schoolwork , Ronny , husband and other children!

A colleague at school wanted a cake to celebrate a niece's entrance into first grade. I have been wanting to make a cupcake cake for a while now and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. The cake is made in the shape of an "alef"- the equivalent of "A" and also "first grade" in Hebrew. There were 30 chocolate cupcakes with a yellow tinted cheese buttercream frosting. The writing is cutout fondant letters. It was a hit at the party (she requested two more(!) for other parties) and I had lots of fun making it.Hopefully there will be more to come.

Happy 4th of July!!

2010-07-01T07:30:00.000+03:00

These are the cookies I made for a large order for a 4th of July party. The customer wanted 50 stars and 50 flags. I usually bag the cookies and tie a ribbon on to close them ,but this time I thought I'd try something different ( especially since the thought of tying 100 bags was not very enticing!). I started looking around for alternatives and found the idea of bag toppers. Just fold them over and either staple or punch holes at the top and run ribbons through to tie. I opted for the easier method. After a lot of web searching, I got to the job of designing on Publisher. It looked fine on the screen, but then I had terrible problems with the printing. Finally transferred it over to Word and it was fine, although the whole process took HOURS! I 'm positive there is an easier way with some program that is already out there and I know I will eventually find it! For now, I am pleased with the results and more important- the customer loved them!!

Happy 4th to all!

Peanut Butter Creme- Filled Devil's Food Cupcakes

2010-06-27T07:29:00.001+03:00

I haven't baked in a long time, except of course for sugar cookies to decorate, but for some reason, that's different. The cookies are so easy to make and they are , for me, a means to the enjoyment of the decorating part.

I tend to bake less in the summer for obvious reasons- hot, sticky,less desire to eat baked goods ( thank goodness for that ), but every once in a while, I sit down and leaf through my cookbooks and huge three-ring notebooks with recipes I have accumulated and vow to make someday. Last night I got the urge and just went with it. After finding a recipe which I had all the ingredients for, I jumped right in, at 10 o'clock at night.(I'm on vacation- I can sleep in!)
The combination of chocolate and peanut butter is one of my favorites and this recipe by Bobby Flay is one I have had on my list for a long time. I used the recipe as is , except for the gananche frosting. I had some chocolate buttercream frosting on hand so of course I used that instead. I piped it on using a medium sized flower tip.

They are as delicious as I had expected them to be, so I sent them with my daughter when she went back to the army this morning. Otherwise I would have finished off the whole bunch and the two new pairs of pants I bought would not have liked that at all!

Amazing Giveaways!

2010-06-25T09:29:00.000+03:00

If you like decorating cookies or even just looking at them, then you have to visit Glory's blog "Glorious Treats. She does some of the most amazing work I 've ever seen and her blog is lots of fun to read. This week she is having three ( yes 3!!) incredible giveaways for cookie cutters from three of the best cookie cutter sources there are.

The first is from Foose Cookie Cutters, the second is from Copper Gifts and last but certainly not least is from a truly amazing site called Ecrandal. Even if you are not into decorating cookies yourself, it's lots of fun just to see the interesting shapes they make.

These amazing designs are from Ecrandal.

These are from CooperGifts.

These fun ones are from Foose.

So take a jump over to Glorious Treats - feast your eyes and join in the fun! Who knows? Maybe you'll even win!

She's here!

2010-06-18T07:35:00.003+03:00

She's finally arrived!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010 2:32 a.m.

Baby girl ( no name yet!)

8lbs. 1oz.

and just the most gorgeous thing ever created ( that's the "grandma " in me talking- did you expect something else!?)

I'm participating in Tidymom's I'm Lovin' It Fridays - Have a look!

Practicing baby cookies

2010-06-15T09:24:00.000+03:00

We are still waiting ( somewhat impatiently!) for my eldest daughter to give birth. To help pass the time I am baking and decorating baby theme cookies. She will probably have a party when the baby is about a month old and I am planning on setting up a dessert table for the event. These are just practice ( they've already been eaten!) Hopefully, next time I post there will be some exciting news!

onsies

bottles

rattles

bibs

duckies

Flowers for a Friend

2010-06-15T09:00:00.000+03:00

A friend of mine had some surgery last week and I thought I would brighten her day with a flower bouquet- one she can enjoy looking at AND eat at the same time!

More Summer Fun

2010-06-08T23:04:00.000+03:00

Here are a few more cookies I made for friends at school to wish them a happy summer vacation.

I am still working hard on perfecting the icing- not sure if I like the corn syrup glaze , royal icing, a combination of both, or maybe someting I haven't even tried yet. Well, now's my chance to experiment! I have all summer to work on it!

sunglasses

sailboats( just in case you couldn't figure that out!)

wrapped candy

( I 've seen these on other blogs and just love them- didn't have a cookie cutter so I found a picture and made a template.)

Cookies for Summer

2010-06-01T21:00:00.004+03:00

~~Yeah!~~ Boo hoo! One more week of school. Actually, I love my work, but teaching has such a high rate of burnout and anyone who thinks teachers have an easy job should come try it for a ~~week~~ day. As much as I enjoy being with my students, I find that by the end of the school year, I really need the summer to "recharge" my batteries. Teaching the little ones (K-2) is like being on stage all day long! I really am just a frustrated actress!

I made these summer time cookies for my colleagues at school to wish everyone a Happy Summer! My plans for the summer include working more on cookies during the break and perfecting some of my skills. And of course, the most important thing- my eldest daughter is giving birth to her first child ( my first grandchild and my Mom and Dad's first great- grandchild!!). We are on pins and needles now. Her due date is June 16th so I suppose it could be any day now- just waiting for that phone call! Anyways, I will have something exciting to keep me occupied this summer!

So , what are you doing this summer? I'd love to hear !

coconut trees

beach balls and sandy feet

bite of watermelon, anyone?

sea shells by the seashore

sunny smiles

flip floppin' along

Making Bread

2010-05-23T08:08:00.045+03:00

I love making and decorating cookies, but second to that is making bread. When I first starting experimenting with bread, I bought a bread maker. After a while I decided to try it the old fashioned way. What a difference! For me, the kneading by hand is almost primal.The mixing of those simple ingredients together to form a loaf of bread, is theraputic. Watching it rise ( well , I don't actually sit there watching it- at least for the whole time!), shaping it, and baking in the oven as the house fills with an unrivaled smell, is an amazing feeling. ( Little things excite me!)

I love to experiment with new kinds of bread. One thing I still haven't attempted is a sour dough starter. Another two weeks and school is out so that is on my to do list for the summer vacation. This time I made two kinds of bread- a "health " bread with spelt flour and flax seeds. Delicious- those are the rounds loaves above.

The whole grain bread recipe made 4 loaves(!) so I stuck them in the freezer. Took one out yesterday , warmed it in the oven for a bit, and it was just like fresh baked.

Whole Grain Bread ( for 4 loaves- you could halve it if you don't want so much bread)
* note: If you choose to include the cracked wheat in the recipe, it needs to soak in water overnight. I didn't happen to have any at the time, so did not use it, but have done so in the past and it adds a great crunch to the bread.

650 grams bread flour
200 grams whole wheat flour
220 grams spelt flour
20 grams gluten
35 grams dry yeast
40 grams sugar
750 ml. water
70 ml. olive oil
20 grams salt
3 grams fresh ground pepper
100 grams flax seeds
100 grams roasted sunflower seeds
100 grams cracked wheat, soaked in water overnight

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add all the dry ingredients.
Slowly add the wet ingredients and knead for about 10 minutes or until the dough separates from the sides of the bowl.
Transfer to a work surface and knead the dough by hand until smooth.
Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size.
Divide the dough into 4 pieces and form each one into an oval shape. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover and let rise again until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 230 C, lightly flour the top of the loaves and, using a sharp knife or razor, make diagonal slashes across the top.
Bake 30 minutes, until the loaves brown and when the bottom is tapped, it sounds hollow.
Cool on a rack. Be sure it is completely cool before slicing. (I can never wait that long!)

Flax Seed and Spelt Flour Bread( makes 2 round loaves)

250 grams sifted bread flour
180 grams spelt flour
100 grams whole wheat flour
10 grams gluten
15 grams dry yeast
30 grams sugar
10 grams salt
350 ml. warmish water
30 grams of wheat bran
50 grams flax seeds

In the bowl of a standing mixer, add all ingredients except for the water
Mix thoroughly and slowly add the water while the mixer is running. Knead about 10 minutes until you get a soft and very flexible dough.
Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size.
Divide the dough in two and form each one into a round loaf. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and let rise again until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 230 C, lightly flour the tops of the loaves and makes slashes with a scissors or sharp knife.
Bake 15 minutes then reduce the temperature to 200C for another 20 minutes until the bread browns.
Cool on a cooling rack before slicing.

P.S. Gave my bread machine away to someone who wanted a more "instant" bread method. At least it went to good use!

An added note (5/28/10) this post is participating in "I'm Lovin It " party at TidyMom- jump over and take a look at everyone's entries. http://www.tidymom.net/2010/05/im-lovin-it-cleaning-bathroom.html

Pretty Cookies

2010-05-10T22:40:00.003+03:00

Decorating cookies really does relax me. I spent Sunday morning home, all by my lonesome ( I love that "me" time) and decorated cookies. I try to have some in the freezer all the time, so whenever I get the urge to decorate, they're always there.

These are for no special occasion- just going to give them away to whoever I happen across. That's fun just in itself!

Chocolate Chip Bread Rolls

2010-04-28T18:33:00.000+03:00

Chocolate Chip Bread Rolls

I recently received a small recipe booklet from a local yeast company. I must say, most of the recipes look really good and it was just a matter of which one to start with. Bread is one of my favorite foods and I'm a chocolate freak so the combination of the two of them together sounded like a winner. Hard to decide if they are a roll or a glorified muffin, but whatever, they're darn good!

Easy to make, delicious ( and addicting!) to eat; I highly recommend giving them a try.

Chocolate Chip Bread Rolls

makes 20 rolls

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups self- raising flour ( 500 g.) ( I didn't have any so I made my own)

8 grams active dry yeast

50 grams butter

1 cup milk ( 250 ml)

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup brown sugar ( 50 g.)

1/2 package chocolate chips ( 150 g.)

How to:

Place all ingredients except the milk and butter in the bowl of a standing mixer. Mix together thoroughly using the kneading hook, and slowly add in the milk. Add butter and knead for 4 minutes on high speed until the dough is soft and flexible.

On slow speed, add the chocolate chips until blended in thoroughly. Form a large ball of dough and place in a bowl. ( I just used the same one.) Sprinkle lightly with flour and cover. Let rest for 30 minutes.

Form small balls of dough ( about 50 g. each). Place on two parchment covered baking sheets. Make two diagonal slices on top of each ball with a sharp knife or blade. Cover and let rise for 40 minutes.

Brush with a beaten egg and bake 15 - 20 minutes in a 200C ( 190 F) preheated oven.

10 Things

2010-04-13T15:45:00.000+03:00

This is a list of ten things about me that no one,or at least, very few people, know about me. I was driving to work this morning and this thought came to me about something to write (don't worry, I was still paying attention to the road!) Just one of those things I felt like doing- no great reasons, just because. So here they are, not in any particular order of importance:

1. I was the star of my highschool musical performance - we did "Funny Girl" and I played Fanny Brice.

2. I originally majored in Drama in college, thinking I was going to be the next Barbra Streisand ( yeah, right- that faded rather quickly!)

3. I love to drive in the car by myself, put on my favorite music full blast and sing my heart out (and I don't care who's looking either!).

4. I'm a closet eater-I mean I don't really eat in the closet-I just eat ( more than I should) when no one is home or no one is watching.

5. I hate folding clothes.

6. I feel guilty about many mistakes I think I made with my children.

7. Believe this one or not- I have a very difficult time spending money on myself. Not sure why- just do.Can't remember the last time I bought myself a new piece of clothing.

8. This has to do with the previous one- I HATE clothes shopping! Hate trying things on, nothing looks good on me anyways.

9. I was an exchange student (AFS) in high school- went to the Philippines and loved each and every minute.

10. Without my glasses or contacts , I am considered legally blind. See fine with them, but without- can't go from the bed to the bathroom!

So there you go- some not so earth -shattering tidbits about me.

Here's a picture of a few little animal cookies I did. If you didn't guess from some of my previous posts- cookie decorating is one of my favorite pasttimes.

Have a good one!

Join the Party!

2010-04-10T11:46:00.001+03:00

I am joining in on this Ultimate Blog Party for the first time. I'm not exactly sure if I am doing what I am supposed to be doing , but I'm giving it a try. If this is your first time visiting my blog "Welcome"!

A little bit about me:

My name is Yael , originally from Syracuse, N.Y. and have lived in Israel for the past 30 years. I have three grown daughters, have always loved to bake but only in the last few years taken it on as my true passion.

I teach elementary school and as much as I enjoy my profession, would love to take a new direction in my life, with baking and cookie decorating as my avenue. But the bills still have to get paid, so for now, I leave it as my free time activity and look for any opportunity and occasion to bake for someone!

Last year I took a professional pastry chef course and had the time of my life, learned an amazing amount and realized that this is really what I want to do. How to do it is another story and I'm working on that all the time.

I'm looking forward to visiting other blogs participating in this party. Would love to read any comments , short or otherwise, just to let me know you've been visiting. Have a look around - anxious to meet some new friends!

Lime- Basil Macarons

2010-04-02T16:25:00.000+03:00

I love the way these cookies look. The variety of possibilities for color and taste is amazing to me. I 've read endless blogs and articles about the secrets of making them and although once in the past I tried, I decided that Passover was the perfect time to give it another go seeing as they contain no flour. In our house, it is a tradition to bring each other a little gift for the holiday and this year my daughter gave me a beautiful cookbook "Ottolenghi" by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. It is a book I would not necessarily have pulled off the bookshelf on my own, but boy am I glad she did! Wonderful recipes, beautiful pictures and great explanations. After spending the whole holiday leafing through the book ( over and over again!), I knew I had to try something. Being restricted by what I had in the house at that moment , I went for the macarons. They have three choices- salted nut and caramel, chocolate and lime/basil. I thought the lime/basil sounded different and interesting so I gave it a try. I followed the directions to the tee, and I think for a beginner, they came out quite well. A cute little foot formed on them and the insides were soft and chewy while the outside was just crunchy enough without falling apart when you bite into it. I loved seeing the bits of basil throughout the cookie itself and the filling as well. The combination of the lime and basil is unexpected but quite delicious. Reactions here were positive.

Lime- Basil Macarons from Ottolenghi, The Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

about 20 macarons

110 grams powdered sugar

60 grams ground almonds

2 egg whites ( 60 grams)

40 grams sugar

5 basil leaves, finely chopped

lime zest from 1 lime

Basil Lime Filling

100 grams butter at room temperature

45 grams powdered sugar

juice and zest from 1 lime

5 basil leaves, finely chopped

Make the filling :

Cream the butter and powdered sugar together ( the recipe says to do it with a rubber spatula, but I did it in the mixer) until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the lime juice, zest and basil leaves and mix together until all are well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a cool place but not the refrigerator.

Make the macarons:

Heat oven to 170C. Sift powdered sugar and ground almonds.

Place egg whites and sugar in mixing bowl and whip on high speed until the whites become thick and full of air- stable but not dry.

Fold a third of the meringue mix into the sifted almonds and sugar until fully incorporated.

Add the rest of the meringue mix and fold until the mix is smooth and shiny.

Fill a disposable piping bag with the meringue mix and pipe small, equal-sized ( I draw circles in advance and then turn the parchment paper over.) circles onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Tap the entire baking sheet on the counter to even off the circles and let them sit in the open air for anywhere from 15 -30 minutes.

Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven for 12 minutes- depending on your even, you may need more or less time. The macarons are finished when they separate easily from the parchment paper without sticking. Be careful not to overbake them.

Fill a disposable piping bag with the filling and squeeze a small amount on one cookie. Sandwich with another cookie. Leave at room temperature to set for about 2 hours. They can also be refrigerated for a shorter amount of time, but they should be removed in ample amount of time to serve them at room temperature.

Candied Peanuts and More

2010-03-27T19:11:00.000+03:00

Again, I have not met my own promises and more than a month has gone by since my last post.Excuses- moving, heavy work load, etc., etc., etc. So, that's it for promises to myself! Whenever I get to it, I get to it- maybe I'll be more diligent without the "promises" hanging over my shoulder.

Passover is a few days away and I have been busy shopping and preparing, even though this year we will be a small intimate group for the Seder. Just my husband and the three girls and they have all told me not to go overboard with food. Yeah- right- a Jewish mother not going overboard with food? Or any mother for that matter?! I spend a lot of time looking for new and innovative recipes, but when push comes to shove, I know my girls are waiting for the traditional food I always make. So the matzo balls are made and frozen, chicken soup goes in the pot and on the stove tomorrow, as well as the chopped liver and charoset ( a mixture of chopped apples, walnuts, cinnamon, and wine, resembling clay- a reminder of the mortar the Israelites, as slaves in Egypt, used to build the buildings). The only thing a bit different this year is the meat. I bought a veal shoulder roast and now I have to figure out what to do with it. I've been searching around for an appealing (and easy) recipe, but have yet to come up with something interesting. If anyone out there has any suggestions, PLEASE send them along my way!

In the meantime, as usual, I concentrate on dessert. What can I do- my sweet tooth and my love for baking always get the upper hand. So far I made a jelly roll (unfilled and frozen until Monday morning), yummy tasting cookies from Smitten Kitchen, which were very easy and fun to make, the famous chocolate caramel matza crunch that I have made for years and never knew it came from Marcy Goldman at Better Baking, and some candied peanuts from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz. I also used his adapted recipe for the matza crunch, but added some Heath Bar bits on top which I had laying around, begging to be used.

Candied Peanuts- so easy and addictive!

Chocolate Caramel Matza Crunch

Happy Spring, Easter and Passover to all!

Dessert Table

2010-02-13T12:14:00.000+02:00

I've been very busy this past week, preparing for my first "real" order of desserts. An aquaintance is having a progressive Valentine's dinner with 18 guests- drinks and appetizers at one person's house, dinner at another house and finally, dessert and dancing at the third house. I was asked to do all the desserts! This is a real opportunity for me since all the guests are foreign embassy diplomats and if I do this right, it could generate some not so bad business!

The hostess wanted all bite-sized desserts, lots of chocolate( of course, for Valentine's Day) and whatever else I chose. So here is what I chose- there are 7 different desserts with enough for 2-3 portions per person.

mini pecan cups

mini red velvet cakes with cinnamon buttercream frosting

( frosting tastes amazing!) From Baked!

meringue cups filled with a white chocolate-mint ganache

meringue kisses sandwiched with chocolate ganache

(these were spur of the moment made with the left over meringue)

cheesecake topped brownies( to die for)

white chocolate panacotta, strawberry base and cinammon streusal topping

tri-color cakes/cookies with chocolate glaze

flavored with almond paste, layered with apricot jam and amaretto

what could be bad?

this recipe is from "baked"- highly recommended!

chocolate-orange liquer truffles and raspberry truffles

Everything is ready to go- just have to load it all into the car and deliver! Even though it was a lot of work, I planned it well and didn't really feel the pressure. Besides, I loved every moment of it- wish I could trash the day job and bake all the time!

Wish me luck- hope they like everything!

Long time, No Write ( and no pics )

2010-01-24T07:56:00.001+02:00

It's been a very long time since I 've posted anything. Reasons range from laziness (I am a notorious procrastinator) to more valid excuses like visiting family in the U.S.( I know, that 's not really an excuse- they have a computer too!) , and having to find a new apartment to rent, which is almost an impossible task in this country. It has been a very stressful time for me, and we still haven't found anything, but at least our present landlord has given us a reprieve until August. Phew! Now I can get back to my normal ( well ,sort of) life.

Baking has been sporadic; cooking even less. While in the States I bought a few cookbooks I've been wanting- Baked by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito and The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz. Could have bought tons more, but that weight restriction on overseas flights will kill ya! I made the Root Beer Bundt Cake from "Baked" and it was delicious. Easy to make and the root beer flavor was not as strong as I had expected. I also made "The Baked Brownie", which is one of their signature items. Fudgy, moist and really just all around yummy ( amazing with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side!) .

I'll be posting more as I make my way through the book.

As far as pictures go, my little point and shoot camera is on it's last clicks- looking around for something to replace it without spending a fortune- any suggestions would be welcome!

I did bake some heart-shaped sugar cookies for Valentine's Day and they are waiting patiently to be decorated.

I also managed to make some cupcakes for a friend's birthday. Got the decorating idea from Martha Stewart. It was fun to do and everyone loved the flavor- vanilla cupcakes with a lime buttercream frosting and cut out fondant letters on top.

Good to be back!

Favorite Holiday recipe

2009-12-06T08:01:00.003+02:00

Brown Eyed Baker, whose blog I follow diligently (definitely check it out, if you haven't already) is having a fantastic giveaway for the holidays. The prize is a Kitchen Aid mixer which would be a great gift for my Mom. She asks that we blog about our favorite holiday recipe- now that's not too hard is it? Well, actually, the only thing hard about it is deciding which recipe to choose. One favorite? Now that's a tough one for me, but I do believe that my favorite thing to do at the holidays is decorate cookies, so that's the recipe I'll go with. I've posted this recipe before, but I will post it here again with pictures of the cookies I just finished last night. It's simple, straight-forward and is a great activity to do with kids. I make these cookies for little gifts for Hanukah and they are always a big hit.

I've tried umpteen roll out cookie recipes, and finally decided on the one that works best for me. This one is from the book Cookie Craft by Valerie Peterson and Janice Fryer.

I have added the measures in weight as well since I bake by weight , instead of volume.
Rolled Sugar Cookies
Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour (420 g)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup ( 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (200 g)
1 cup sugar (200 g)
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla or 1 tsp. vanilla plus zest of 1 lemon ( I have also tried orange zest and other extracts for a variety of flavors)

1. Whisk the flour and salt in a bowl and put aside.
2. In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla ( or any extract you are using) and the zest , if you are using and mix until well blended.
3. On low speed, add the flour mixture until the two are blended, but do not overwork the dough.
4. Divide the dough into 2-3 sections . At this point I like to roll each piece out between two sheets of parchment paper and then chill. It saves a step and makes life easier.
5. Preheat oven to 350 F ( 180C).
6. Use cookie cutters to make the desired shapes and bake in middle rack 12-16 minutes or just until the edges start becoming a golden color.
7. Cool the cookies on a rack before icing or decorating.
I use both royal icing and fondant for my decorations- it just depends on my mood and what effect I want on the cookies. On these cookies I used a combination of both.

Antonia74 Royal Icing ( the best recipe for royal icing I have found)

Ingredients
•6 oz (3/4 cup) of warm water
5 Tablespoons meringue powder
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 kilogram (2.25 lbs.) powdered icing sugar

Instructions

1. In mixer bowl, pour in the warm water and the meringue powder. Mix it with a whisk by hand until it is frothy and thickened…about 30 seconds.
2.Add the cream of tartar and mix for 30 seconds more.
3.Pour in all the icing sugar at once and place the bowl on the mixer.
4.Using the paddle attachment on the LOWEST speed, mix slowly for a full 10 minutes. Icing will get thick and creamy.
5.Cover the bowl with a dampened tea-towel to prevent crusting and drying.
6.Tint with food colourings or thin the icing with small amounts of warm water to reach the desired consistency.

Happy Holidays to all!!

Weekend get away

2009-11-30T07:12:00.000+02:00

I want to wish everyone who celebrated-a Happy Belated Thanksgiving. Being out of the U.S. and in a country that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, I tend to let the date slip. Really sort of ridiculous , since all my friends and family live in the States and I need to wish them a happy holiday as well. But, the 27th is our anniversary and we have made a tradition of going away for the weekend each year at this time, so I was really out of touch with Thanksgiving this year.

We took a trip up to the northern part of Israel for a beautiful weekend at a lodge in a forest setting. Unbelieveable weather, walking and bike riding, great food ( too much- but what am I going to do- diet on a vacation weekend?!) all made for a really perfect get away.

me at breakfast- after a meal like this one, there was no need to eat for the rest of the day!

hubby in front of the fireplace in the lobby- that was nice!

a view of the entrance to a nearby town

On another note, we just got notice that we have to move out of our apartment by the end of December so we are in a rush looking for another place to live. Bummer! Probably won't be much baking or cooking in the next few weeks, but I will try to get a few things in whenever possible.

Lovely week to all!

Choco-Co-Chunks

2009-11-24T19:07:00.008+02:00

A few years ago I bought a cookbook called Mrs. Field's Best Ever Cookie Book! It was one of those books I bought on a whim as I was browsing through Barnes and Noble. (Whenever I come to visit the U.S. I let my family know that on one day, they can drop me off in the morning at B &N and pick me up at the end of the day!)

The book proceeded to make it's way to the shelf and sort of got forgotten. I pulled it off the shelf a few days ago, looking for something to make with macadamia nuts. Yes, those treasured, expensive, delicious tasting little nuts. When I think of macadamia nuts, I think of Brazil or Hawaii. Lo and behold, I discovered that a friend of ours here in Israel who lives around the corner from us, has a macadamia tree in his yard! I never knew that and I go there to visit all the time. Where have I been?

Of course, I offered to make cookies or something or anything with macadamias if he would let me take some. Hey, no problem! Take as many as you want. Whoopee! Now the only problem with macadamias is that the shell is unbelieveably hard and they are very difficult to crack open. This friend of ours actually has a device that is used specially for macadamias. I've seen everything now. I actually tried it with a regular everyday nutcracker ( all the while with Hubby in the background yelling - "you're going to break the nutcracker!") and lo and behold, I did break the nutcracker- just snapped in half!

Can you believe this thing? Looks like some kind of torture device!

In any case, we got the macadamias cracked ( after they had been roasted in the shell). So back to this cookbook. I found a yummy looking recipe for cookies using white chocolate, coconut and macadamia nuts. How bad could that be?

Definitely an easy, yet elegant tasting little cookie. Great to freeze and pull out when you need them. I'm crazy enough to eat them frozen- is that weird?

Great holiday cookie! Here's the recipe- enjoy!

Choc-Co-Chunk Cookies ( from Mrs. Fields Best Ever Cookie Book)

2 1/4 cups all purpoe flour ( 315 g)

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 sticks ( 3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened (180 g.)

1 cup (packed) brown sugar ( 240 g.)

2 large eggs

2 tsps. vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups shredded coconut

12 ounces white chocolate, cut in to chunks

1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts

Yield : about 3 dozen

Preheat oven to 300 F (150 C)
In a small bowl, combine flour and baking soda
In a medium bowl , cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time and the vanilla. Beat in flour mixture but do not overmix.
Stir in white chocolate chunks, coconut and nuts.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoons ( I used a small ice cream scooper)2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet ( I used a silicone mat).
Bake for 18-20 minutes. transfer to rack to cool.

Cake Slice

2009-11-21T07:59:00.000+02:00

It's Cake Slice time again. This month we made a Burnt Sugar cake from the book Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott. I really didn't know what to expect since I have never heard of a cake like this before and couldn't imagine how burnt sugar might be in a cake and frosting.

As it turns out, the burnt sugar was no problem to make and the cake itself turned out fine. My problems came with the frosting. It called for a cream cheese frosting with the burnt sugar added. I followed the recipe exactly, but the frosting came out so runny, I had to keep adding powdered sugar. I finally decided to put it in the fridge to try and solidify it a bit. Worked to some extent but not how I would have like it.

I brought it to school for a colleague's birthday, and though moany commented that it was super sweet, they seemed to enjoy it. Personally, I wouldn't repeat this one. Too many other great cakes out there!

Bon Appetit Blog Envy Bake-Off

2009-11-20T21:55:00.000+02:00

I write this blog to keep a record of the things I bake and sometimes to just express myself to open space. I don't think more than , maybe 8 or 10 people have ever even read my blog but I'm ok with that. In any case , I decided to enter the Bon Appetit holiday baking contest just for the fun of it. I entered this great and easy recipe for the most delicious brownies ever. They were one of the many wonderful recipes I learned during the pastry chef course I took at the begining of the year.

So, if you happen to stumble onto this blog and like what you see, I'd love it if you leave a comment here and there and give me a vote over here.

Happy weekend!

Flower and butterfly cookies

2009-11-17T08:14:00.000+02:00

Since my daughters know I love decorating cookies so much, they don't hesitate to ask me to make gifts for friends. I love doing it and it gives me the opportunity to practice. My youngest daughter is finishing a course in the army and she wanted to have a small something to give to her classmates.

"Mom, could you make some cookies for me to give to the girls?

"Sure, no problem - flowers and butterflies ok? "

"Of course, that would be great!"

So here are some pictures of my weekend project. ( I am still not close to becoming an even amateur photographer). Like I said, it's my therapy, my outlet. The only halfway creative thing I do.

Gotta get started on those Hanukah and Christmas cookies!

To Do List # 2 Homemade Pop Tarts

2009-11-15T17:08:00.000+02:00

I told you I was going to do it. Once a week, attack my "to do" list of "things I want to make but instead just add to the list".

My daughters love pop tarts. And even though they are grown women now, they still love pop tarts. We can't get pop tarts here. So a while ago I started looking for a recipe for homemade pop tarts. Of course I immediately came across Chez Pim's recipe and it went onto the list.

Now, the other day I decided it was time to clean and straighten out my freezer. Amazing what you find hidden behind this and that! I found a nicely wrapped package of pie dough that was left over from something. I had even been conscientious enough to date it, so I knew it was still good. (sometimes I actually do things in an organized manner!) Perfect opportunity to make the poptarts. It was so super easy- especially since the dough was made. Some I filled with raspberry jan and others with cinnamon sugar. I topped them with a confectioner's sugar and milk glaze ( the girls always liked the frosted poptarts) and wonder of wonders, they came out fantastic! One of the girls said it so well- once you taste the homemade, you wonder how you ever could have liked the store-bought.

Soup on Sunday

2009-11-08T18:11:00.003+02:00

Soup is winter food. It doesn't have to be, but that's what I associate it with. I love soup.

But here, the winter refuses to show it's face. Last week we had 5 days of winter- wonderful rain (we so desperately need the water here), cold "cuddle up on the couch with a blanket" weather and finally, soup! I made lentil soup which got devoured within a day and then quickly made a Middle eastern red kubbeh soup ( I will post about that in more detail soon). That got inhaled over the weekend.

So now it's Sunday (our weekend here is basically just half of Friday and Saturday- what a bummer!)and no soup. Mind you, no winter either. The rain made a showing and then decided to move on. Yesterday was 90 F, and the forecast is the same for the rest of the week! Ugh! I am so tired of the hot weather!

But soup is staying on the menu regardless. It's November and I come from ( originally ) Upstate New York,and November is winter. I'll just pretend I'm there,ok? So here we are on Sunday, no soup and I go to my trusty soup book to look for this week's choice. I think after the fairly heavy soups of last week I 'll go with a country vegetable soup. Simple, delicious, healthy.

Country Vegetable Soup- serves 6

50 grams butter

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped fine

1 carrot, grated

1 small celery root, cut into squares

1 red pepper, cut into squares

1 tomato, peeled and cut ( I don't bother peeling it)

1 parsely root, coarsely grated

1 cup frozen peas

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 zucchini, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons flour

salt, pepper

8-9 cups broth or water

1 cup of chopped parsley

For serving:

120 grams grated parmesean cheese

2 tablespoons soft butter

6 slices of baguette, cut diagonally

Melt butter and olive oil in a large pot. Add all the vegetables, coverand cook 10 minutes.
Add the flour and stir for a minute. Season with salt and pepper and add the broth or water. Bring to a boil and cover. Reduce heat to low and cook 1 hour.
Add the parsley and remove from heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning
To serve: Heat oven using top heat( broiler). Mix parmesean cheese and butter, spread on the baguette slices and toast until browned. Serve on top of the soup or on the side.

                Happy Winter! Wherever you are!

Energy Bars

2009-11-06T14:11:00.000+02:00

At the beginning of this year I took a pastry chef course. I was in seventh heaven. For four months, every Monday afternoon, the class of 20 gathered and listened to a lecture/ demonstration about the day's topic. Then we went to work completing the assignment of recipes- most of the time finishing between 12 and 1 in the morning! It was exhausting but thrilling and I loved every minute of it. I learned an incredible amount and accumulated a good number of recipes that I continue to use.

One of the recipes from the cookie lesson ( we learned different techniques of mixing, forming cookies etc.) was these energy bars. They are delicious (and rich!) "as is", straight from the recipe. But what I liked about it was the opportunity to substitute pretty much to your own tastes and if you follow the basic format, they come out fantastic, no matter what you put in them. I will give some suggestions as to possible substitutions but use your imagination and personal tastes! Here's to boosting your energy level- if these don't do it, nothing will!

Energy Bars

( we used a square 20x20 disposable aluminum foil pan- it works great- less clean up and just so easy!)

100 grams( 1/2 cup) butter

90 grams glucose (available at specialty stores for baking supplies)

70 grams peanut butter ( you can use tehina paste, almond butter, cashew butter etc. etc.)

1/2 tsp. vanilla bean paste ( or 1 tsp. vanilla extract if you don't have)

15 grams flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

120 grams oats, lightly toasted

90 grams brown sugar

25 grams coconut flakes

25 grams sesame seeds , lightly toasted

45 grams hazelnuts( you can substitute any nut you like or eliminate if you choose)

40 grams raisins (or any dried fruit you like or omit if you don't like)

25 grams sugared orange peel , chopped (again, here you can play with it as you wish)

Preheat oven to 170 C ( 320 F)
Place glucose ( make sure you wet your hands well to handle the glucose or else it will stick - to your hands and anything else it touches!! not fun!) and butter in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add peanut butter. Mix until smooth.
In a large bowl , mix all other ingredients and form a well in the middle. Add the butter mix and stir well to coat all the ingredients.
Pour into pan ( you don't have to grease it, there is enough fat in the mixture. Believe me, it comes right out of the pan with no problem) and press down.
Bake 20 minutes ( when it starts bubbling, it's done)
Cool and cut into whatever size squares or bars you like. Store in a closed container.

Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies

2009-10-31T09:19:00.001+02:00

I have a "to do" list - meaning things I want to cook or bake- a mile long and in a million different places. I decided it was time to get myself organized and try to tackle the mission. First, I went through all the recipes I 've saved from the web. Deleted what may have looked interesting at the moment but on second thought , didn't really appeal to me. Then I organized what was left, into categories (this organization is too much for me!). Okay, one area taken care of. Next, I went to the notebook I keep with all the printed out recipes I have collected overtime- from friends, magazines, newspapers and the web.Threw out what again, sounded fantastic when I took them, but on reconsideration, realized it was something I either wouldn't probably like, was too complicated or had ingredients I couldn't get here in Israel. That was a nice sized pile in itself. I get carried away sometimes!

So now, I have a still long "to do" list, but it seems a bit more approachable. Now comes the committment part. I am making a pact with myself ( can you do that?) that I will tackle at least one recipe a week from the "to do" list. Hopefully post about it too- now that's another story alltogether.

This recipe has been on my "to do" list for ages. No particular reason I'm starting my quest to go through the list with this one, just had a chocolate thing at the moment and these looked irresistable.

I found it in Hebrew on a local food site. The picture of the cookies was so enticing, not to mention the sound of the ingredients. What could be bad about chocolate and hazelnut?

I made the cookies as per the recipe but I think next time I would make some changes, even though the end result was absolutely amazing. All who tasted said they were heavenly.

My main problem was that the dough was very soft to work with, even after being in the refrigerator all night long. I found I had to re-refrigerate it afer each rolling because it just got too soft to work with. I definitely suggest trying these cookies - I will write my suggestions for changes in parentheses. If anyone out there comes up with other alterations, feel free to comment.

Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies (original recipe said it makes 30 cookies- I got about half that !)

80 grams butter, cut into small cubes , slightly softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup (55 grams) sugar ( it called for fine sugar- I used regular cause that's all I had- might try powdered sugar next time)

1 egg

1/2 cup (50 grams) hazelnuts, ground fine ( I grind them in a small coffee/spice grinder and add a small amount of flour to prevent it from turning into a paste)

3/4 cup (110 grams) flour (I think I would add a bit more next time,maybe it will make the dough a little less soft)

1/4cup (25 grams) cocoa powder

Filling:

100 grams bittersweet chocolate,melted

50 grams butter

1/2 cup (110 grams) Nutella

1. Cream butter and sugar in a mixer with paddle attachment until creamy.

2. Add egg and vanilla and mix until uniform.

3. Add the ground hazelnuts and mix.

4. Sift flour and cocoa powder together.

5.Mix into the wet mixture slowly until combined.

6.Wrap in plastic wrap or baggie and refrigerate at least 1-2 hours ( maybe even in the freezer to harden it more- will also try that next time)

7. Preheat oven to 180 C ( 350 F). Roll out dough between two sheets of parchment paper (not too thin) and cut into circles using a round, fluted cookie cutter(doesn't have to be fluted, just plain round is fine- looks pretty though!) ( I happened to have a set with one solid and a matching one with a center hole)

8. Bake on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone mats for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven, cool on baking sheet for five minutes then remove to further cool on a cooling rack.

9. For the filling: Melt chocolate over a bain marie.Turn off heat and add the butter and nutella. Stir to form a thick, shiny cream.

10. Spread a generous amount of cream on the flat side of one cookie with an offset spatula and top with another. (The original recipe says to put the cream in a pastry bag and pipe it on with a star tip. I didn't bother since there weren't enough cookies in my opinion to take the time to do that.) Press slightly to adhere . You can sift a small amount of cocoa powder on top if you like. I didn't.

Can be stored in a tightly closed box up to three days.The cookies can also be frozen without the cream for 2-3 months.

The Cake Slice- Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake

2009-10-20T18:13:00.000+02:00

This is my first post with the "The Cake Slice" group. The group chose a Cinnamon Pecan Coffee cake from "Southern Cakes" by Nancie McDermott. I have yet to buy the book, but on my next visit to the U.S. in December, it is definitely on my list. I enjoyed making this cake because I felt it was easy to use substitutions. Since I didn't have all the exact ingredients, I decided to use what I had in the house, rather than go out and buy special stuff. The result was delicious- warm, room temperature or warmed up the next day in the microwave. A perfect choice to go with a nice hot cup of coffee, morning or afternoon- or for that matter, any time of day! Looking forward to next month's choice!

Here's the recipe and the little changes I made.

Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake

( Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott)

Makes a 13 x 9 inch sheet cake ( I used two smaller pans as you can see in the picture)

For the Cake

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs

For the Cinnamon Raisin Filling
1½ cups light brown sugar (I used dark brown since that was what was in the house- it was fine!)
3 tbsp all purpose flour
3 tbsp cinnamon
1½ cups raisins ( no raisin lovers in this house!)
1½ cups coarsely chopped pecans ( I had a mixture of nuts left over from this and that - chopped them all together and it turned out super!)
¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, melted

Method

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 9 inch pan.

To make the filling, combine the light brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a bowl and stir with a fork to mix everything well. Combine the raisins and pecans in another bowl and toss to mix them. Place the cinnamon mixture, nut mixture and melted butter by the baking pan to use later.

To make the cake batter, combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Stir the vanilla into the milk. In a large bowl combine the butter and sugar and beat with a mixer on high speed until pale yellow and evenly mixed, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl to ensure a good mix. Add the eggs and beat for another 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl now and then, until the mixture is smooth and light.

Use a large spoon or spatula to add about a third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir only until the flour disappears. Add a third of the milk and mix in. Repeat twice more until all the flour and milk mixtures have been incorporated. Stir just enough to keep the batter smooth.

Spread half the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half the cinnamon mixture over the batter followed by half the melted butter. Scatter half the raisins and nuts over the top. Spread the remaining batter carefully over the filling, using a spatula to smooth the batter all the way to the edges of the pan. Top with the leftover cinnamon, butter and nut mixture, covering the cake evenly.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the cake is golden brown, fragrant and beginning to pull away from the edges of the pan. Place the pan on a wire rack and allow to cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before serving in squares right from the pan. The cake is delicious hot, warm or at room temperature.

Warm couscous salad with stir-fried veggies

2009-10-18T21:02:00.001+02:00

My real passion is baking, but my family has to eat sometime too. I mean eat real food, not just sugar. Since my daughter has been having stomach problems as well as a variety of food allergies, I am always on the lookout for healthy dishes that are tasty, nutritious and easy to make. I'm willing to fuss and go complicated with baking, but cooking for me needs to be straight forward and fairly quick.

I found this recipe in an Israeli cookbook I recently purchased called "The Healthy Kitchen". I 've made a few things from the book and so far it has all been delicious.

This salad can be eaten warm or room temperature- if it has been in the fridge I recommend it be warmed up before eating. It's colorful, tasty and satisfying- you can play arond with the vegetables if you don't have exactly what it calls for in the recipe- that's what I did. Here is Israel you can buy packages of instant couscous. Just add boiling water and stick it on the stove or in the microwave, and you have super yummy couscous. I don't know if it is available in the U.S.,but I imagine it can be found in either the foreign foods section of a large supermarket or in a specialty grocery store.

Couscous Salad with Stir-fried Veggies ( 6-8 servings)

1/4 cup olive oil
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes

1 coarsely chopped onion

1 eggplant cut into small cubes

2 peppers cut into small cubes

( I added a can of garbazo beans too- it really added a nice texture to the dish)

1 package of regular or whole wheat couscous (350 grams)

1/3 cup of chopped parsley

Dressing
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare the vegetables: Heat a large saute pan or wok on medium heat. Add oil and sweet potato- saute 5 minutes while stirring, unitl lightly browned. Add onion, eggplant, pepper and garbanzo beans and stir fry another 5-7 minutes , until soft.

2. For the dressing: Add the oil, lemon juice and balsamic vinegar to the vegetables. Salt and pepper- mix. Cover and cook 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave covered.

3. Prepare the couscous according to package directions without any spices,salt or pepper. Be sure to flake the couscous with a fork to separate the kernels.

4. Add the veggie mix ( including all the juices) and parsley; mix, correct the seasoning.

Alternative cooking option:

Instead of stir frying the veggies, roast them all together in the oven. Organize the vegetables on an oven tray lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle a bit of olive oil and seasonings over and roast for 20 minutes at 400 F.

Just playing around

2009-10-17T10:03:00.000+02:00

I hate to waste. When I bake, I scrape the bowl clean of any dough or batter so well it hardly needs cleaning!(Don't worry, I really do wash them!) The waste thing also goes for leftover components of a recipe. When I made that coconut cake last week , there was a lot of leftover filling and frosting. I knew that if I just refrigerated them , waiting for an opportunity to use the stuff, it would spoil. So I had to come up with something to make good use of both things. I love anything with a chocolate-coconut combination ( Bounty Bars!!) so I whipped up a batch of simple chocolate cupcakes. I put a spoonful of the batter in the muffin cup, then a scant teaspoon of the coconut filling , finally covering it with another large spoonful of batter. They baked up so beautifully! Frosted with the leftover frosting, they were a big hit with the lucky third grade class I taught the next day!!

Now, after all that, I STILL had filling leftover. Among my endless pile of recipes "to make", I found one for homemade peanut butter cups. OK- so why not just make them with coconut instead? Like a homemade Bounty bar! They are fast, easy ( no tempering) and didn't last two minutes on the table in

the teacher's room. Now the coconut filling is finally gone! Here's the how to:

Chocolate-Coconut Cups

(adapted from Joyofbaking.com)

Line 36 mini muffins tins with paper liners (it may yield even more than that)

Chocolate part:

9 oz. (225 grams) semi sweet chcolate, coarsely chopped ( I used bitter chocolate)

9 oz.( 225 grams) milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon ( 10 grams) butter ( the original recipe calls for shortening, but I can't get it here so I used butter and it worked just fine)

Coconut Filling

Melt the chcocolates and butter in a bowl over a pot of simmering water.

Drop a teaspoonful of chocolate into the muffin cups. Place a scant teaspoon of the coconut filling over it then top with another teaspoon of chocolate. Refrigerate until set. Store in a closed container in the fridge- if they last that long! Enjoy!

Inspiration

2009-10-15T19:08:00.001+02:00

Have you ever gone to see a movie by your lonesome? Yesterday was my first time and I actually loved it! I took myself to see "Julie and Julia"- I didn't want to bring any family members for fear they would be bored out of their minds and give me dirty looks for dragging them along. Their loss!! It was so good! I enjoyed every minute of it and was just amazed ( as usual) at Meryl Streep. She is the best- no matter what role she plays. To say the least, the movie inspired me. I was not aware of Julia Child's life story and she really was a unique person. I can see how Julie became so connected to her.

Of course, I came home started cooking and baking immediately!! This is a coconut cake that I made for my daughter's birthday ( OMG, I have a 28 year old daughter!!). It is a combination and adaptation of numerous recipes I have found for coconut cake and it seems to be the best combination for us!

Coconut Layer Cake ( adapted and concocted from various sources)

Makes 1 3-layer 9-inch cake, but I made it with just two layers and it was fine

Cake:

1 cup ( 200 grams) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups ( 400 grams) sugar

4 large eggs, at room temp.

1 1/2 cups (210 grams) self-rising flour

1 1/4 cups (175 grams) regular flour

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Filling:

3/4 cup milk ( I used a combination of milk and coconut milk- it adds great flavor)

1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar

5 oz. ( 150 grams) sweetened, shredded coconut

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Frosting:

3 egg whites ( about 120 grams )

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup cold water

1 1/2 cup ( 100 grams ) sugar

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Garnish: toasted, shredded coconut

For soaking the cake: few teaspoons of pina colada mix and rum mixed together

Preheat oven to 350F ( 180 C) Grease and lightly flour 2 or 3 9 in. pans. Line bottoms with parchment paper rounds and lightly grease and flour.

Cake:

Cream butter until soft and smooth. Add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each. Sift the flours together and alternately with the milk and vanilla, adding the flours last. Divide batter into cake pans and bake for 20- 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 -15 min. Remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

Filling:

Whisk the milk and sugar in a medium saucepan until completely combined. Stir constantly about 5 minutes until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and add the coconut and vanilla extract. Cover and cool.

When the cake is cooled, poke holes in the bottom layer with a toothpick or fork and gently pour 1/2 the rum-pina colade mix over the cake and let it soak in. I used a small ladle. Spread the filling ( or half of it if you are making a 3 layer cake) and then place the second layer on top and gently pour the rest of the rum mix to soak. The cake should be all ready to ice as soon as the frosting is ready.

Frosting:

Combine egg whites and vanilla inthe bowl of electric mixer and set aside. In a saucepan, combine water , sugar and cream of tartar. When the mix starts to bubble at the edges stir to be sure all the sugar is completely dissolved. Let it come to a rolling boil ( 2-3 minutes) and remove immediately from the heat.

Begin beating the egg whites and vanilla with whisk attachment until foamy. Slowly pour in the sugar syrup, in a steady, slow stream and continue beating on med- high until stiff peaks form but the frosting is still creamy. Frost top and sides of cake.

Toast shredded coconut in a dry pan or in the oven . Watch carefully because it happens really fast! Coat the cake with the toasted coconut.

Cookies for Rosh Hashana

2009-10-06T16:17:00.001+02:00

A little late but with good thoughts and wishes for a New Year.

Here are some of the cookies I made for the Jewish New Year.

pomegranates

apples

shofar

honey jars

A Princess Birthday

2009-09-26T07:55:00.002+03:00

I actually got my first real order for decorated cookies and a birthday cake! A little girl turning 6 wanted a princess birthday party. She had seen my cookies before and decided she wanted princess dresses for the girls and swords for the boys. She also wanted a cake covered in pink ( what else!?) fondant. I haven't had too much experience with fondant, but it was something I thought I could do. Turned out to be no major problem, except for one. In all my enthusiasm and making sure it was finished on time and with perfection, I forgot to take a picture of it! Cute, huh? I'm trying to find out if they took a pic at the party before they cut it and if so, I will post it at another time. I was very pleased with the result of the cookies and so was the little girl. Funny thing happened at the party- her Dad told me that some of the boys wanted the dresses and some of the girls wanted swords! Good for them- no gender issue there! It all worked out in the end and everyone got what they wanted. Hope this is the first of many more orders to come- I really enjoyed the process!

Committment

2009-09-25T12:32:00.001+03:00

OK- this is it! I'm tired of being a procrastinator. I just joined the "The Cake Slice" group and I am committed to posting once a week ( remember those words!) and being diligent about taking pictures of things I bake. Actually, today I am writing about something I made a few weeks ago, and has nothing to do with baking. I like to cook but I do it because people need to eat around this house. If I could just serve sweets all the time, I'd be happy! One thing I have found I do like is pickling veggies. The taste of homemade is so much better than the store-bought stuff and without all the preservatives and unpronounceable ingredients.

Someone brought me a kilo of freshly picked radishes from a farm in the Southern part of Israel and I knew that we were not going to eat a kilo's worth of them- no matter how delicious and fresh they were! So, start my never-ending interent search for something to do with radishes- something easy that is! The idea of pickling them seemed interesting and appetizing. After viewing a number of recipes I came up with a concoction of my own, taken from a variety of sources. It's quick, easy to do and how yummy! Great to add to a sandwich, salad or just munch away for a snack!

Pickled Radishes

1-2 lbs. red radishes

2 small garlic cloves

1/2 raw red beet ( can be cooked if you happen to have it around like I did) optional

4 TB. dark brown sugar

4 tsp. kosher salt ( pickling salt or sea salt is fine too)

1 cup white vinegar ( I happened to have apple vinegar hanging around and that was fine too)

1-2 cups water

Wash the radishes, trimthe ends and cut in medium size slices. Peel garlic and cut in half. Pack the radishes and garlic into a canning jar with the red beet if using- it really enhances the look with a bright pink color.

Put the remaining ingredients into a small pot and boil. Pur the hot mix over the radishes and close the jar. Let cool , then refrigerate for 4 hours or longer before serving. Keeps for weeks in the fridge , if they last that long!

Not so Easy

2009-08-23T09:13:00.000+03:00

I haven't posted for a month now and not because I've been away or anything. I've been working on starting up a small home-based baking business, but I must say, it's not as easy as it may seem- in theory at least. I spent most of the summer baking and trying out recipes to see what works well, tastes good and is marketable. I decided to start on a very (very) small basis and, other than pass out the business cards I had made, I have done no formal advertising. With school back in session ( I teach Hebrew at the elementary school level) I thought that bringing some of my products to school would be a good boost. It would also let me know if I could manage working full time and bake on a larger scale at the same time. Like the title of this post says -"not so easy"! Sitting in the teacher's room trying to sell my stuff was too demeaning- just not my style. So for now, I will just be taking orders from those who know my work and like the results. This is a learning and soul-searching experience for me - baking is my passion and it is the thing I enjoy doing the most- I feel the best when I am doing it- so where does it fit in my life? Do I concentrate on the decorated cookies and cakes, or branch out into regular baked goods as well ( which is what I've been doing for the past few weeks)? Do I just let it remain as a passion and not try to earn money with it? I don't know at the moment, but I am on the journey to find out.

And.. in the meantime, I can' t post without telling you about at least one of the things I made recently. Unfortunately , I don't have a picture of it since I was so busy baking, I neglected to take photos of all my work- bright huh?!

This is a recipe for what we call in my family, "pecan cups". It is a recipe from a dear family friend, that has become a real tradition in our house. The recipe is written on a tattered index card, taped into an old recipe notebook of mine. For some reason, those are the recipes that seem to taste the best! I covered it with plastic wrap to preserve it since I can't bear to throw it away and rewrite it on a clean, new card.

I'm sure there are many versions of it around- this is mine. Enjoy!

Pecan Cups

1 stick butter ( 100 g.)
1 3 oz. package cream cheese ( 75 g.)
1 cup flour (140 g.)

Blend together in food processor and chill for 30-60 min.
In the meantime, make the filling. Preheat oven to 325 F ( 170 C.)
3/4 cup brown sugar (200 g.)
1 heaping tsp. butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix the filling ingredients together until smooth.
Form small ( approx. 1 in.) balls of dough and place in a mini- muffin pan. Using your fingers, press dough on bottom and sides of each cup.
Break up some pecans and place a few on the bottom of each dough cup, fill each with a scant teaspoon ( it puffs up ) of filling and then top with more pecans.
Bake for 20-25 mins. unitl lightly browned.
Cool on rack for 10 minutes then remove from pan. I serve them in mini cupcake papers.

All Done!

2009-07-22T13:52:00.010+03:00

Our group

That's it! I finished the pastry chef course ( I even passed the test I was dreading!) and what an ending it was. We spent the last two lessons preparing for the "finale" - an evening with our invited guests tasting our goods.

The evening was a true success - food, atmosphere and a major cooperative work effort on the part of all the class participants. We worked sooooo hard- I am now convinced that working in a pastry shop, being on your feet for amazingly long hours, is not for me. When I finally got home after midnight, I could barely walk and I was out of commission for most of the following day! I'll stick with the small time home-based business for now.

The evening began with roaming waiters ( us!) serving small cups of cold basil zucchini soup with cheese sticks. It was a very hot night and the event was outdoors so the cold soup was a welcome. A buffet table was then manned by more waiters (us again!) serving salads, a variety of breads, quiches and savory bites ( all prepared by us , of course!)

pissaladiere (puff pastry with carmelized onions, anchovies and black olives

Then came the "piece de resistance"- dessert. What a selection there was. Chocolate-nougat mousse, toffee- nut tarts, chocolate-pear tarts, dulche de leche mousse, cheesecake mousse with a cinnamon crumble ( yum!) coffee-pecan cookies, basil-almond lemon cookies ( very interesting), vanilla creme cookies, vanilla-chocolate- coffee cookies, citrus cake, chocolate-poppy seed cake, white chocolate penacotta with passion fruit and a streusel topping, meringue cups with a lemon-mint ganache filling...... should I go on?!

mini chocolate fondant cake and in the background,toffee-nut tart

Krantz Cakes- (plaited yeast cakes with a chocolate/halva filling)

I managed to get a only few pictures in between the serving and preparing and washing up. Feast your eyes!

basil-almond lemon cookies

All in all, it was a wonderful learning experience and I made some great friends along the way! Onward to the advanced course!

Business Card

2009-07-17T18:07:00.003+03:00

Here's the card I forgot to put on the previous post!

Cookies for Sale!

2009-07-17T18:00:00.005+03:00

Some examples of my latest work and the business card I had made.

Tahini Cookies

2009-07-05T11:27:00.010+03:00

It's hot outside and I don't do well in the heat. Then why am I living in such a hot climate, you may ask? Good question and a long story ( but that's for another time)- but I can tell you that this global warming thing is real- summers are definitely much hotter than they used to be. Either that or my memory is starting to fade.

Air conditioning- I couldn't survive without it, spoiled thing that I am. So when it's unbearably hot and sticky outside, inside is where you'll find me- ironically enough- baking! Yeah, I know; the heat of the oven , etc. etc. Doesn't matter. As long as I'm working in the A/C, I 'm fine. So my project for today was tahini cookies . I am testing out all kinds of cookies recipes as I'm hoping to get my stuff together and start selling a bit when the school year starts again. Business cards are in the working and I'm am busy getting a solid list of tried and true recipes together. At least I'm trying to be organized- that's a step in the right direction!

These cookies are easy, easy, easy , delicious and melt-in-your mouth. If you've never tried anything with tahini paste before, then I highly recommend giving it a chance. Beyond the typical tehina sauce, it can be used in baking with super results.

Tahini Cookies (adapted from "Cookies" by Benny Saida) 50 cookies

Ingredients:

3 cups ( 420 g.) flour, sifted

1 tblsp. baking powder ( 10 grams )

1 cup ( 200 g) sugar

1 cup tahini paste

1 cup ( 200 g.) butter, softened

50 almond halves for decoration

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. ( 180 C)

2. Place all ingredients in bowl of mixer and blend until a uniform dough is formed.

3. Form 50 balls of dough ( I weighed each one at about 20 g. so they would be uniform) and place on a parchment or silicone lined bakin sheet.

4. Lightly flatten each ball and push in an almond half on top.

5. Bake 15-20 minutes until just beginning to turn golden. Cool thoroughly on wire rack and store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Week

2009-07-02T22:56:00.009+03:00

Had some trouble posting this but I think it's all straightened out now. Anyways, as I was trying to say before, the pastry chef course I have been taking is coming down to the finish line. Next Monday we have our final test( gulp!). This past week was the first of two lesson about chocolate. We learned about the origins of chocolate, how it is made, what makes a fine chocolate and how to work with it in baking. Next week comes the candy part. The 4 recipes we made were all quite simple, but very rich and delicious, as well as impressive on the plate. (Not to mention impressive on the waistline!)

Coconut Chocolate-Orange Treat

three layers of a coconut macaroon type with chocolate-orange ganache in between-

total decadence!

Three Chocolate Cookies-

a chocolate cookie with bitter, milk and white chocolate chip pieces

(at home I exchanged the white chocolate chips for peanut butter chips- both were amazing!)

Cremeux chocolate tart-

a delicious base with chocolate, carmelized nuts, butter and a bit of flour (wow!),

a crispy middle and cremeux in between! Hard to describe the incredible flavor.

Coffee-Chocolate Brownies with a cheese and white chocolate topping- just the best!

Recipe for these brownies ( which can also be marbelized instead of having the cheese on top)

For a small square pan( I used an aluminum 25cm x 18 cm)

Brownie mix:

80 g. dark chocolate

80 g. butter

1 tsp. instant coffee diluted in 1 Tblsp. hot water

100 g. brown sugar

60 g. white sugar

2 eggs

60 g. white flour

pinch of salt

20 g. chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 170 C (325 F)

Butter the pan well.

Melt the chocolate, butter and coffee in a double boiler ( bain marie) . Mix until smooth. In a separate bowl, mix eggs and sugar well and then add to the chocolate mix which has been removed from the heat source. Continue to mix until smooth. Add the flour, walnuts and salt and lightly mix.

Pour into pan and bake 17 minutes.

In the meantime prepare the cheese topping:

30 ml. heavy cream

75 g. white chocolate

100 grams cream cheese (here in Israel I use a soft white cheese that is 9% fat) If you use Philadelphia, be sure it is softened to room temperature.

25 g/ sugar

1 egg

20 g. flour

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Melt the heavy cream and white chocolate in a double boiler. In a separate bowl mix the cheese, sugar , egg and vanilla. Mix in the chocolate mix. Add the flour and mix well until smooth with no lumps.

As soon as the brownies are finished baking for 17 minutes, take them out and carefully pour the cheese mix on top ( start from the sides and let in fill in towards the middle) and return to the oven for another 15 minutes to set. The top should not brown. Cool completely and cut in to small squares (they are very rich!) I dusted some with cocoa and some with confectioner's sugar and set them on a plate in a checkerboard fashion. Use your imagination!

Gingersnap search

2009-06-20T09:00:00.012+03:00

I'm searching for the perfect gingersnap cookie. You know-just like the ones you buy in the supermarket that come in the old-fashioned paper bags. It needs to have just the right snap, a lot of ginger and that extra "bite" that sets it apart from all the others. Of course there are a multitude of gingersnap recipes out there. So, I have set my sights on wading through them all, comparing ingredients and trying out the ones that appear to be "the right one".

This is my first try. I don't even know where I got the recipe- found it in my collection of recipes but with no indication of its origin. Somewhere on the net- so my apologies if someone recognizes the recipe and I haven't given credit to them.

The dough was simple to make. I needed a small touch of flour to roll them into logs ( how do you get a perfectly round log?) Froze them a bit ( they can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days as well) then sliced and baked. I now see that I sliced the first batch too thick and they didn't come out crunchy or "snappy" enough. Taste was good but not enough bite in it for me. Next time I think I would add more ginger( for sure) and even a bit more pepper. The second batch was sliced a lot thinner and I gave them a little extra time in the oven . That definitely solved the "snappy" issue.

Here's the recipe to try if you like, and if anyone out there has a gingersnap cookie recipe to add to my collection, I'll be happy to give it a try. Happy snapping!

Gingersnap Cookies

makes 40-50 cookies

2 cups (280g) flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsps. cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

11 TBLSP. (150 g) butter, salted or unsalted , at room temp.

2/3 cup (130 g) sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup (80 g) mild-flavored molasses ( sometimes called light molasses)

1 large egg, room temp.

1. Stir together dry ingredients

2. In bowl of electric mixer, beat butter just until solft and fluffy. Add sugar and continue to beat until smooth, stopping the mixer to scrape down any butter clinging to the sides of the bowl.

3. Stir in vanilla, molasses and egg.

4. Mix in dry ingredients gradually until dough is smooth.

5. Divide dough into two equal protions and roll each on a lightly -floured surface until about 2 inches (5 cm) around.

6. Wrap eachin plastic wrap and roll lightly to smooth them out. Refrigerate or freeze until firm.

7. Preheat oven to 350 (180) and line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.

8. Slice cookie dough into 1/4 inch ( scant 1 cm) rounds witha sharp knife.

9. Place on baking sheet about 5 cm apart( they spread slightly). Bake 10-14 minutes until deep golden brown. Bake on lower end of range for softer cokies and higher end for snappier ones( depending on your oven)

10. Cool on baking sheet or two minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

Storage: the dough can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Once baked, store in an airtight container for a few days.

Bialys

2009-06-14T14:45:00.007+03:00

I have been dying to try these for some time now. Growing up, I remember Sunday mornings with fresh bagels and bialys from "Snowflake Bakery" in Syracuse , N.Y. Bialys, for those who hae never heard of them, are similar to bagels , but different( that makes sense, huh?). Bialys originated in Bialystok, Poland, and when the European Jews emmigrated to the U.S., they brought their recipes along, one being for bialys. From what I have read, there used to be dozens of bialy bakeries in New York- today, only a few remain. They can still be found in selected bakeries in Florida as well ( I'm sure in other parts of the country too, but that's what I'm familiar with). The bialys I remember were crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle, not too thick and of course had the yummy center filling of onions, poppyseeds and garlic.

The recipe I used is from smittenkitchen who always has the best recipes and stories to go with them! The original recipe is from The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum ( which I have yet to acquire, but that will come too!)

I followed the recipe exactly and although the process is time consuming (more waiting than anything), they turned out really great. The recipe makes only 6 bialys, so next time I will try doubling the recipe. ( 6 bialys in my house is like a drop in the bucket) Now, slice in half, add a bit of Philadelphia cream cheese or just let some fresh butter melt all over the bialy- heaven!!

Birthday Cookies

2009-05-31T18:35:00.007+03:00

Some people draw, some paint , some sculpt- I decorate cookies. That's about the extent of my artistic capabilities, although I suppose I shouldn't sell myself short. The possibilities are endless and I have seen things that other people have done that are true masterpieces. I just took a look at some pictures of the first cookies I decorated and can proudly say I have definitely improved. Still need lots of practice, but I'm getting the hang of it. The secret is getting the right consistency of the royal icing for the purpose you need- flooding, writing, detailed work- and that can be very tricky. Anyways, here are some cookies I finished today for a first birthday party. Kinda cute if I say so myself!

Mozart Cake

2009-05-10T15:09:00.012+03:00

This is the cake I made for my friend's birthday. For this one you've got to take a momentary break from any diet you may be on. It is so rich, that a small piece will do the trick, but even if I say so myself, it is amazingly delicious. The combination of the meringue base and layer, with chocolate creme and then layered with a white chocolate and dark chocolate mousse in between- well what can I say.......

The cake is not hard to make, but does take a long preparation time. Baking the meringue bases, making the mousse , chilling, putting together all the pieces and freezing, but boy is it worth the effort. Recipe follows- it's from a collection of best recipes from a popular Israeli food magazine called "Al HaShulchan" ( On the Table). They call it "Mozart Cake"
Mozart Cake
Ingredients for a 26cm. springform pan

Meringue
4 egg whites

1/2 cup sugar ( 100 gr.)

3/4 +1 tablespoon ( 100 gr.) powdered sugar

3/4 cup ( 70 gr.) ground hazelnuts
3/4 cup ( 70 gr.) ground almonds

Mousses
750 ml. sweet whipping cream

225 grams bitter chocolate, chopped

225 grams white chocolate, chopped

Chocolate Creme

100 grams bitter chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon whipping cream

50 grams butter

Topping

1/2 (120 ml.) whipping cream

150 grams bitter chocolate, chopped

1 1/3 cups (150 grams) hazelnuts or walnuts chopped or sugared hazelnuts, broken into small pieces

Prepare the meringue:

1. Whip egg whites in mixer until just foamy. Slowly add sugar and continue whipping until soft, stable peaks are reached.

2. Fold in the powdered sugar, hazelnuts and almonds.

3. Using the base of a 25 cm. pan, outline the circle of the pan on two separate pieces of parchment paper. Turn the papers over ( so the pencil side is down) and place on a baking sheet.

4. Using a spatula or piping bag, fill in circles of the meringue using the pencils marks as the outer border.

Bake at 110 C. (225F) for 2 hours until the meringue hardens.

Prepare the mousses

1. Heat the whipping cream until just before boiling.

2. Prepare one bowl with the dark chocolate and one bowl with the white chocolate. Pour half of the hot cream over the dark chocolate and the other half over the white chocolate. Mix until smooth cream is formed for each and chill inthe refrigerator at least 4 hours.

Prepare the chocolate cream

1. In a pan, melt all the ingredients for the chocolate cream, mix and cool.

Putting it all together:

1. Place one meringue base in the springform pan and spread the chocolate cream over the top.

2. In a stand mixer, whip the chilled white chocolate mousse. If it hardened too much in the fridge, let it soften for a few minutes at room temperature before whipping.

Spread the white mousses over the cream. Place the second meringue base on top of the white mousse. and press firmly down.
3. Whip the dark chocolate mousse and spread evenly over the top meringue layer.Freeze for ay least 24 hours.
After the freeze:

1. Heat the last bit of whipping cream to almost boiling.

2. Pour the cream over the dark chocolate and stir untilthe chocolate melts.

3. Pour the topping over the frozen cake evenly. Return to the freezer for about 10 minutes, until the topping hardens. At this point you can cover the cake with plastic wrap and leave in the freezer for a few days.

4. To serve, remove from freezer and deforst for 3-4 hours in the fridge. Release the cake from the pan using a hot, wet kitchen towel wrapped around the pan to help it slip out easily.

5. Press the chopped nuts onto the sides of the cake.

6. Cut the cake with a smooth edged knife dipped in boiling water to help cut it smoothly.

After all that work, you want the slice to look great on the plate, not a messy bunch of goop!

Enjoy!

Mother's Day Cookies

2009-05-10T08:49:00.013+03:00

Today we are celebrating my friend Bonnie's birthday and since it is also Mother's Day ( in the U.S., not here in Israel , but no matter!) I decided to make a cake and cookies for all the girls on Mom's day. They were so fun to decorate and the possibilities are endless. The cookies are a delicious sugar cookie recipe I use and I play around with adding other flavors such as grated lemon or orange peel, even adding a few drops of different liqueurs to flavor as well. Royal icing added the final touches on top.

Very girlie cookies- a shoe, dress and purse.

For the base on each cookie I colored fondant and on some I rolled different textures on the surface.

Attaching the ribbons to the purses for the handles was a bit tricky.

I made the mistake of waiting until the fondant was dry.

I should have stuck the ribbon under the sugar paste when it was still soft.

Live and learn!

Bagged and ready to go!

Wishing Moms everywhere a Happy Mother's Day !

Early Senility

2009-05-04T13:12:00.005+03:00

Nothing to joke about , really, but I sometimes question where my head is. I made a huge batch of sugar cookies in the shape of a flag with the intention of decorating them for Israeli Independence Day. I was so proud of myself. I made them in advance and put them securely away in a box to decorate as the day came closer. Yeah- put them away so well that I totally forgot about them! Among my mountains of "stuff" in the kitchen( I try to be organized, really I do!) I found the box of cookies, waiting to be dressed. Of course, Independence Day had passed three days before! Not one to waste- better late than never- so I proceeded to decorate and here are the results. Next time I'll leave those kinds of projects in full view!

Bagels #1

2009-05-03T06:53:00.015+03:00

I love bread. I could eat it for every meal and every course of every meal. Even instead of dessert- and that's something! Doesn't do much for my waistline, but that's a whole other issue.

Not only do I love eating bread but I love making it. It's relaxing, satisfying and the smell that fills the house while it's baking is indescribable. I've baked lots of different breads before but have never tried bagels. Bagels, as far as I 'm concerned, need to have a crispish type crust and a chewy, flavorful bread on the inside. After reading Pioneer Woman's post of the bagel-making experience she had with Smitten Kitchen ( wish I had been there), I decided it was time to give it a try. This is attempt # 1 using Peter Reinhardt's recipe recommended by Smitten Kitchen.

The Sponge

The dough

the bagels go into the fridge to rest overnight

Boiling the bagels

Covered in sesame seeds ( yum!)

Final Product

Verdict: Not difficult to make. I'm not sure my sponge rose to the extent it was supposed to. They didn't come out smooth and shiny like a bakery bagel ( or the one's in Smitten Kitchen's pictures!), but I am determined to keep trying and will re-do this recipe again as well as try some others. In any case they were delicious and the crust was crunchy while the inside was chewy. I had fun going through the process ( not a difficult one at all, just takes time- mostly waiting time) and that's important too. By the way, all the bagels were "inhaled" within a very short period of time and the general reaction was "more!"

Chag Atzmaut Sameach! Happy Independence Day!

2009-04-28T06:44:00.006+03:00

I've been a bad girl. Haven't posted in quite a while, but there are a few excuses-ok- no excuses. Once a week- that's my goal now- post once a week. I really enjoy doing it. It's just that I get lazy and , I must say, somewhat intimidated. I regularly read other people's blogs (cooking and baking in particular) and there are so many that do such an amazing job. I never considered writing to be one of my strong points but I suppose one does not have to be a Hemingway to write a blog. Photography is also something new to me, in terms of taking food photos at least. I am awed by some of the photos on the various blogs. Ok, on to the subject of this post.

Tomorrow is Yom Ha Atzmaut -Independence Day in Israel. 61 years- such a young country and so much history. Couldn't resist the opportunity to bake a cake with the Israeli flag- simple orange cake with Magnolia Bakery recipe for buttercream. Cookies are in the process of being decorated. Another day or two and you'll see them here.

Chag Sameach- Happy Holiday!

Lesson 1

2009-03-29T08:06:00.009+03:00

Last Monday I had the first lesson of the pastry chef course I have so long been waiting for. I loved every minute of it, even though we started at 4 p.m. and finished at 1a.m.! The first few hours were lecture and I took 9 pages of notes(!) - there's going to be a test at the end so I'd better pay attention! Then we spent the rest of the evening practicing what we had learned. We broke into groups of 4 and I must say it takes a bit of getting used to working in a kitchen with 3 other bakers. I am so used to my own way of doing things and so is everybody else! Good lesson in cooperation.

This week the topic was basic mixed cakes. These cakes are based on one of two kinds of fat- oil or butter. The difference will be in the final result. Butter will produce a tighter, more pound cake- type quality and oil will give you a lighter, airier, but less melt-in -your -mouth taste. When using butter, it must be at room temperature, not melted, just soft to the touch. Usually it is creamed with the sugar first- a process called "cremage", to produce an emulsion.

Cakes made with oil have a more liquid batter and do not need to be creamed, just mixed. There are lots of other things we learned about the qualities of leavening and the characteristics of baking powder and baking soda ( a real chemistry lesson!), when each is used and what reaction takes place, but let's leave that for another time ( or not). More important are the pics of what we made and a few of the recipes for anyone interested.

First, we have Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins- great combination!

Recipe for Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins

makes about 10-12 muffins depending on the size of your muffin pans

220 grams flour
120 grams sugar
3 grams baking powder
3 grams baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs ( room temperature)
200 ml. milk
70 grams yogurt
100 grams melted butter
20 grams corn syrup
2 well-ripened bananas cut in cubes and lightly mashed ( still leave some chunks in there)
150 grams chocolate chips

Streusel Topping

50 grams flour
50 grams cold butter
50 grams brown sugar
dash of cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 180 C. ( 350 F)

2. Prepare the streusel topping- In a food processor, process all ingredients to a large crumb stage. Chill .

3. In a large mixing bowl combine all the dry ingredients for the muffins- flour, baking soda and powder,salt and chocolate chips.

4. Melt butter and corn syrup together in a small pot.

5. In a separate bowl combine eggs with sugar and mix until well combined. Add milk, yogurt and the butter-corn syrup mix.

6. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the liquid ingredients. Mix only until combined.

7. Add the mashed bananas and lightly mix in.

8. Pour mixture into muffins tins. Bake 10 minutes, then remove and sprinkle streusel topping on top. Return to oven for another 8-10 minutes until a toothpick comes out with damp crumbs- not dry.

Genoise cake

Carrot Cake( lower ) and Marble Pound Cake

Lemoncella Pound Cake

Basic Pound Cake

English cake or kugelhof or ring pan ,greased and floured

preheat oven to 180 C( 350F)

200 grams butter at room temperature

200 grams sugar

200 grams eggs (3-4)

200 grams self-rising flour

200 grams buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla

Upgrades

Marble cake- 150 grams bitter chocolate

Halva and Honey cake- 3 tablespoons tehina paste , same amount of honey and 30 grams chocolate chips

Lemoncella cake- 80 ml. lemon juice ( reduce the quantity of buttermilk accordingly), zest of 2 lemons + syrup for moistening the cake ( 100 ml. water, juice of one lemon , 60 grams sugar, 1-2 tablespoons lemoncella liqueur)

1. Cream butter and sugar for 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time and mix for an additional 3 minutes.

2. Add alternately the buttermilk and the flour- beginning and ending with the flour. Continue mixing just until the mix is all incorporated then a quick 5 sec pulse on high.

3. At this pint you can add any of the ingredients for the upgrades.

4. Pour into greased and floured pan ( either English cake, kugelhoff , ring) and bake at 180C ( 350F) for 40 minutes.

5. When the cake is ready, take out of oven and rest in pan for 10 minutes. Turn over and cool on a rack.

Procrastination

2009-03-20T21:52:00.009+02:00

Procrastination is my middle name. I learned this word at a very young age and understood that no matter what I did, I always seemed to put things off until tomorrow, the last minute (when it came to homework or projects I had to do for school!) or just pushed them "sometime in the future". It's not a great quality to have ,but there are aspects of procrastination that work for me- I do my best work under pressure, I become highly motivated when the deadline approaches and that "ahhhhhh" of satisfaction is so sweet when I finally complete my task.

This all leads to the point of my posting new posts. Its not that I don't like to do it, or even that I have a deadline, cause I don't. Just that I need get that "umph" or sudden urge to do it NOW!

Anyhoo, I love learning new things, especially, of course when it comes to baking. I took an evening course this week on "Boutique Cookies". It was an entire evening ( 5-10p.m.) of learning and making beautiful, sort of fancy type cookies. I had a great time, got some delicious recipes and ideas- here are some pics of the evening's work.

Pistachio, Orange, Vanilla Cookies- so pretty !

Rolling the "Chocolate-Nougat Filled Cigars"

Ready for Presentation

"Diamond Cookies" - coffee version

The rolled out dough base for "Dried Fruit and Toffee Fingers"

Spreading the topping ( these are simply unbelievable!)

Piping the bases for "Passion Fruit Macarons"

It's all in the presentation!

The course is run by a local chef and pastry chef by the name of Oren Giron. He is a great teacher, nice person and has so much knowledge to pass on. He offers a professional pastry chef's course, which I have been dying to enroll in, but was a bit afraid to make the commitment ( 13 weeks, although it is only once a week but from 5-midnight and possibly beyond if needed). There goes that procrastination sneaking in again. For some reason , the conditions were right last Monday night so I went ahead and took the leap- I start this Monday and hope to pass on some of the things I learn as well as recipes and pics. Keep posted for coming episodes!

Baby Cookies

2009-03-16T15:10:00.013+02:00

A Baby Bouquet of Cookies

I love decorating cookies. I don't have any artistic talents like drawing, painting or sculpting. Decorating cookies is my version of being an artist. Most of my ideas are variations on pictures I've seen on the Internet( there is an amazing world of cookie decorating out there) and slowly but surely I am developing my own style.

I shown my wares at work and people are now making requests for gift bouquets for baby showers, birthdays etc. It's fun to do and a little extra money on the side to buy more supplies.
This time I was asked for a bouquet of cookies for a newborn baby girl. Ah, how I love pink!

Just out of the oven

my kitchen is a disaster area when I decorate!

I really should be more organized and neat- but what would be the fun in that?!

bottles, rattles and onesies

baby buggies and balloons

the bouquet

I made 10 cookies- 2 baby buggies, 2 balloons, 2 rattles, 2 bottles and 2 onesies. ( I love decorating those!)

I have tried umpteen roll out cookie recipes, and finally decided on the one that works best for me. This one is from the book Cookie Craft by Valerie Peterson and Janice Fryer.

I have added the measures in weight as well since I bake by weight , instead of volume.
Rolled Sugar Cookies
Cookie Craft
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour (420 g)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup ( 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (200 g)
1 cup sugar (200 g)
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla or 1 tsp. vanilla plus zest of 1 lemon ( I have also tried orange zest and other extracts for a variety of flavors)

1. Whisk the flour and salt in a bowl and put aside.
2. In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla ( or any extract you are using) and the zest , if you are using and mix until well blended.
3. On low speed, add the flour mixture until the two are blended, but do not overwork the dough.
4. Divide the dough into 2-3 sections . At this point I like to roll each piece out between two sheets of parchment paper and then chill. It saves a step and makes life easier.
5. Preheat oven to 350 F ( 180C).
6. Use cookie cutters to make the desired shapes and bake in middle rack 12-16 minutes or just until the edges start becoming a golden color.
7. Cool the cookies on a rack before icing or decorating.
I use both royal icing and fondant for my decorations- it just depends on my mood and what effect I want on the cookies. On these cookies I used a combination of both.

Until the next bouquet..........

Hamantashen

2009-03-09T11:51:00.004+02:00

Tomorrow is the Jewish holiday of Purim. "Pur" in Hebrew, means "lots" or "lottery". The holiday celebrates the bravery of Queen Esther and how she saved the Jewish people from the evil Haman (an advisor to the king) in Persia in the city of Shushan. He decided to do away with the Jews and drew "lots" to decide which day would be their doomsday. Queen Esther found out about his plan and basically ratted on him to the king(who up until that time didn't even know she was Jewish). Long, complicated story, but in short, she saved the day. The date that was originally chosen for the Jews to be destrpyed , now became a day of celebration. It is a joyful, fun holiday , especially for children, who dress in costumes and parade around the city . The story of Queen Esther is read in synagogues throughout the world. It is a tradition that every time the name of Haman is mentioned, children and adults alike, shake noisemakers in the air, yell and shout, so as to drown out his evil name.

What is left of the evil Haman today is actually something very sweet and yummy. In Yiddish they are called "hamentashen" and in Hebrew , "ozney Haman" ( which is sort of strange since the translation for that is Haman's ears(!)and the three cornered cookies resemble his hat!)

So today, I made ozney haman with my 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. I made the dough at home and brought it to school since the class wasn't long enough to make and chill the dough.

I brought in rolling pins and round cookie cutters and had stations around the room so that everyone would be occupied while the others were making their cookies. Fillings were varied and ranged from strawberry and raspberry jam, to halva or date filling. The kids had a great time and the dough was delicious. I got the recipe from Carine Goren, an Israeli pastry chef, and it really is a winner. Below is the recipe I printed out for my students to take home and try with their families. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did today in class! Happy Purim- Hag Purim Sameach!

Ozney Haman for Purim

( Carine Goren)
Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F)
Ingredients:

200 grams cold butter cut into cubes
2 cups (300 grams) flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1/4- 1/3 cup of milk
Filling:
Prepared poppy seed filling, chocolate spread, jam, date spread or any other filling you like.

How to make them:

1. In a food processor, mix all ingredients except milk until it becomes crumb-like.
2. Slowly add a bit of milk and mix until the dough forms a ball. If the mixture seems dry, add a bit more milk but be careful not to add too much. You don’t want wet dough.
3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
4. Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and cut circles with a glass or cookie cutter.
5. Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle and pinch closed to form a triangle.
6. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake at 180 C. (350 F) for 12-15 minutes. The edges should be a golden color but the cookies should not turn brown.
7. Cool and ENJOY!

On My Own

2009-03-09T11:36:00.004+02:00

Sometimes it's hard to keep up with the pace of all the things in our lives. I thought I was keeping up , more or less, with the recipes for the weekly "Tuesdays With Dorie" group, but apparently, not keeping up enough. I love baking so much, but I don't want to be pressured into making things that don't appeal to me or make them on a specific day of the week. The idea is great to have a baking club, but if missing a week or two disqualifies me, I guess this particular club isn't for me. I am officially out of Tuesday's With Dorie, but unofficially, I am still baking along with them, when it suits me and when the recipe appeals to me. I commend those who initiated the group and are able to keep up with the pace. I am there in spirit and baking some of the recipes along with you all and will also report on my own findings.
Now that I am more familiar with this blogging thing, it is time I branch out more on my own. If nothing else, it is a place for me to record my thoughts , feelings and baking adventures.
More to come soon.......

TWD Caramel Crunch Bars- Candy or Cookie?

2009-02-23T17:20:00.004+02:00

I love these kinds of bars- or are they cookies- or are they candy? Probably a combination of all three. One thing I do know is that they are sooo yummy! I had to get them out of the house beofre I ate the whole batch, so I decided to take them to my students and let them be the judges. Now, just to bring them in for no reason and let them eat away; well I suppose I could have done that, but I thought it would be better to put it under the guise of a "prize" for a Quiz Bowl type of activity. They were given a group of questions, divided into groups and told that the first group to finish with the most correct answers would get the prize. OK, so I knew in advance that everyone was going to get them , but I didn't let them on to my plan.

Towards the end of class when everyone finished, I announced that not one team had won, but all of them. (Did they really think I was capable of handing out goodies to one and not the others?!) I explained to the class that I am a member of an online baking club and from now on they will be my "taste testers". ( Yeah, they were real upset about that news!) Great way to get my baking done and not leave it in the house, since my waistline is definitely suffering the consequences of my efforts.

The verdict was happily very clear this time. It was an overwhelming thumbs up! They just about finished the whole box ( I think they were all just a bit shy about being the one to take the last one or two!)

As far as the actual making of the bars, the base was very easy and Dorie's description of the bubbling in the oven was perfect. I found that pressing the dough down in the pan was a bit sticky and messy but nothing major that couldn't be dealt with. I don't get Heath Bar Bits or even Heath Bars themselves ( this country doesn't know what it is missing!!), so I had been looking for an alternative. Luckily I found some Heath Bars in a specialty store that brings a lot of imported foods, so I just crushed two candy bars and sprinkled them over the top. Worked super!!

Devil's Food White Out Cake

2009-02-17T17:09:00.005+02:00

I opted out of last week's recipe, Floating Islands- just not my thing and even though I am willing to try anything, in these times, preparing food that I know I have no customers for would be wasteful. I did enjoy reading other peoples comments on the recipe and seeing pics of the results. Maybe sometime the opportunity will arise for me to try this recipe.

On to this week's choice. I actually made this a few weeks ago for my husbands birthday ( I even remembered to take pictures of it- that's my weak area, the picture taking). I found the cake to be quite easy to make ,but I was a bit disappointed (with myself) at the appearance of the final product. I know I could have done it better and next time I will leave the top center portion of the cake white and just make a ring around the outer edge in chocolate crumbs. The cake itself was chocolatey and moist and the frosting was sooo yummy! I had two cakes that evening- also made a cheesecake with a tropical twist ( mango nectar inside) and a passionfruit topping. That way I could satisfy both the die hard chocolate lovers and the cheesecake/fruit lovers. Personally, I can handle both with absolutely no problem ( or maybe that IS my problem!). Both cakes were a success- definitely do agains.

World Peace Cookies -TWD

2009-02-03T20:11:00.007+02:00

I"m not sure these cookies would bring world peace, but they sure could put a smile on a lot of faces. These were easy to make and I didn't have the trouble of them breaking up when I cut them, as a few people had commented on Tuesdays with Dorie. The cookies have a deep chocolate taste and the fleur de sel ( I used organic grey sea salt and it was just fine) really brings out that extra zing of a chocolate flavor. I had planned on bringing these to work, but they never quite made it until the next day! Now, I am trying ( I emphasize "trying") to diet ( yeah , right- when I so love to bake , it's like mission impossible!), and I have been pretty good at just taking a small taste of the things I make lately. BUT- these- these cookies were addictive- so rich and a great texture- I'm not only a taste eater but a texture eater too. Does that make any sense? Oh well, if I am going to binge, it might as well be with something good like World Peace cookies rather than just any old junk! Definitely a "tabbed for return " recipe. Enjoy!

Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread

2009-01-27T18:04:00.009+02:00

Wow! I can't believe it- I am actually posting this on Tuesday, just like I am supposed to! Can't say it will happen again, but once is better than nothing. In any case, the recipe for this week on TWD was a Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread, chosen by Heather of Sherry Trifle . Great choice Heather! Easy to make once you get all the ingredients gathered up. The smell as it was baking was lucious. I made it first thing in the morning before going off to work and when I came home I frosted it. Tomorrow I will be going to visit my daughter in the army, so of course, the gingerbread is coming with me! We are all fond lovers of anything ginger so I'm sure this will be a hit.

Valentine's Day is approaching, as well as my husband's b-day on the 7th. I'm going to cheat a bit and move around some of this month's choices, since the Devil's Food White Out Cake is just too perfect for his birthday.
I've also been busy starting to bake and decorate cookies for Valentine's Day. How can you pass that holiday without a yummy heart-shaped and decorated sugar cookie?! Pictures of the cookies to follow.

Alfajores

2009-01-17T10:10:00.011+02:00

I have been buying these amazing South American "dulche de leche" cookies for years. I finally decided it was time to try them myself. After much searching and tasting (!) I found the recipe that is the taste of the real thing. I started baking these cookies for my daughter to take back to the army with her and it has now become a weekly request from all the girls in her unit. I am thrilled to be able to make their days sweeter as they go through basic training and I just enjoy making them!
The dough can be a bit crumbly, but just persevere. The cookie gets its creamy texture from the large amount of cornflour in the dough and that is what also make it drier in the working stages. I promise-if you persevere, it all works out and the results are heavenly. These cookies have been called "day after" cookies by some, since they need to sit overnight to come to their true texture and flavor. They store wonderfully for a week in a covered container( if they last that long!). I have suggested these cookies for the February Cookie Carnival - keep posted to that site if indeed they are the choice. In any case, I highly recommend trying them- they will surely become a favorite.

Alfajores
adapted from a recipe by Carin Goren
Ingredients for the cookie
200 grams soft unsalted butter
200 grams powdered sugar
3 egg yolks
1/2 package instant vanilla pudding ( 40 grams)
200 grams cornflour
200 grams all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Filling-Dulce de leche ( easier to buy it, though it's not hard to make it on your own)
Coating- flaked coconut

Cream butter and confectioer's sugar in mixer with the paddle attachment until it is smooth and airy. Add the yolks and mix in until incorporated. Sift all remaing ingredients together and and to the mix. MIx only unitl combined. Gather the dough together and form a ball, then pat into a large flat oval shape. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
Heat oven to 350 F. ( 170 C).
Roll dough to a thickness of about 1/2 cm. They should be fairly thick- they puff up in the oven , then shrink a bit after. Cut out circles af approx. 5 cm in diameter. A small to medium size round cookie cutter will do the trick. Transfer the cookies to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes, unitl the cookies just begin a slightly golden color. Do not overbake them. THey need to be light colored on top. Let rest for a few minutes on the baking tray , then transfer them to racks to cool completely.
Spread a teaspoon or so of dulche de leche on the flat side of one cookie ( you can be generous- they should be loaded with the cream, so it queezes out the sides). Cover with another cookie- flat side in to form a sandwich. I like to use a spreading knife to smooth the oozing cream around the edges, then roll the cookies in coconut flakes. They look great and taste even better!

I won!

2009-01-11T07:01:00.011+02:00

How exciting! I won the December Cookie Carnival contest! Just the recognition was a joy and I enjoy decorating cookies so much, it's nice to be noticed.

While I'm on the subject, here are a few random pics of cookies I've decorated in the past.

little bear

basketballs

baby shower basket

duckies

I've missed a few weeks baking on Tuesdays with Dorie. I sometimes find it hard to post on Tuesdays , but I promise I will get back into the swing of things. Actually I did make last week's French Pear Tart. It was very rich but very yummie. Easy to make and lovely to serve. The recipe can be found on pages 368-369 in Dorie's book "Baking". Next week's choice is again something I will bow out of- "Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins". I love to try new things, even when I'm not sure anyone will like them, but this - I know no one in my immediate vicinity will even be interested in.
Until next time.....

No pudding , no cheesecake

2008-12-28T08:45:00.004+02:00

Puddings are not my thing- and besides, I have no one at home to even taste it ( the butterscotch pudding for Tuesdays with Dorie), and hence, my skipping a week's entry. As far as this week's recipe for cheesecake, we shall see. In our house, cheesecake is more of a warm weather dessert, especially around the Jewish holiday of Shavuot where cheese is the main ingredient in all dishes. That holiday doesn't happen until the beginning of summer, so I might just wait with that and substitute something else.

All said, that doesn't mean I haven't been busy cooking and baking! I attended a wonderful class this past week on breads and soups- how fun!! We made five different kinds of bread and 4 soups. I , of course, came home and had to try things out right away so I decided to go for two breads- one an antipasti bread and the other- lemon rolls( very interesting taste). I also made tomato soup with rice and nana( mint leaves)- yum yum!!

Unfortunately, everyone dove into the food before I had a chance to take a photo of it all- sorry about that- next time! But the recipes are here if you care to try- definitely worth it!

Antipasti Bread(makes 2 loaves)

Ingredients

1/2 kilo bread flour

15 grams dry yeast

360 ml. body temperature water( not too warm not too cold)

handful of fresh basil leaves chopped

30 grams sugar

10 grams salt

50 grams parmesean cheese, grated ( can be fresh or Kraft)

1 zucchini, 1 eggplant, 1 red pepper, lightly grilled

1. Put all ingredients except veggies into mixing bowl . Mix thoroughly and knead into a smooth dough, at least 10 minutes in a stand mixer using the dough hook

2. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size.

3. Pre heat oven to 200 degrees C. ( about 190 F.)

4. Divide the dough into 2 and roll each half out into a rectangle. Don 't knead the dough too uch or it will become elastic and difficult to work with.

5. Lay pieces of the grilled veggies on the rectangle and tightly roll in to an oval shape. Place on parchment covered baking sheet, cover with palstic wrap and let rise again until doubled.

6. For a crispy crust, roll in a bit of cornmeal before the second rise.

7. Dust the surfae with flour and make diagonal cuts with a sharp knife or blade. Bake at 230 C. for 15 min. then lower temperature to 200 C.

8. Cool on a rack before cutting.

Back with more later!!

Buttery Jam Cookies

2008-12-16T20:28:00.007+02:00

This week's recipe for Tuesdays With Dorie was a Buttery Jam cookie. The recipe called for apricot jam, but also mentioned that any other flavor of a thicker jam would be fine. I am an absolute addict of anything raspberry and I "just happened" to have some raspberry jam in the fridge(!) so I used that in the recipe. Hard to see in the pictures, but it gave the dough a very light pink tone and they came out really delicious! I am definitely going to try these again with other jam flavors. The cookie is soft, but not too soft and full of flavor . They were very easy to make and I threw them together in just a few minutes. That , for me, is a definite advantage!

Holiday time is just around the corner and I am off on vacation for two weeks beginning this Friday( yeah !!!!) I'm a teacher and this is a very needed break- the burn-out is a major factor in this profession. Here in Israel, we are getting ready for Hanukah and the kiosks and bakeries are filled with sufganiyot ( jelly-filled donuts). These days you can find them filled with everything from jelly, to chocolate to dulce de leche. All are yummy good- though they need to be eaten fresh- nothing worse than getting a cold, stale sufganiya!! I used to make them at home, but it requires deep frying and to be honest, the bakeries do so well, I can't be bothered with the deep frying. One noted point- there are enough calories in one sufganiya to cover an entire day's menu!! Happy Holidays to all!

Decorated cookies

2008-12-12T20:37:00.003+02:00

These are the decorated versions of the sugar cookies. I had so much fun doing them. Between the two batches , chocolate and vanilla, I got over sixty medium sized cookies and another forty tiny sized.

Santa Claus is coming to town!

I packaged them in small cellophane bags. Tomorrow night , they will be handed out at our staff holiday party. Happy Holidays to all!

Grandma's All Occasion Sugar Cookies

2008-12-10T18:38:00.009+02:00

This was a fun week for me ( other than the fact that I have been struggling with this post for over an hour now ). I so love decorating cookies and this was the perfect opportunity for me. I am always looking for excuses to decorate and make cookie bouquets and treats.

First I tried the recipe in the book "Baking:From My House to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan. The cookies came out tasty enough but I wasn't too thrilled with the texture. Too soft for me- I like a crunchier sugar cookie- just my personal preference. I have dozens of sugar cookie recipes as I continue to search for the ultimate recipe that suits me. As I continued to look , I came across two more of Dorie's recipes, one for chocolate roll-out cookies and one for vanilla both on Epicurious.com.

I really enjoyed working with the dough and the cookies are delicious. Then the real fun part came ( actually I am still in the middle of the whole project, but I took some pics of the first ones to be finished)- the decorating. I use a combination of my own ideas and pictures from books and online. The trick is getting the frosting just right. This time I used both rolled fondant and a glace icing from a recipe by Toba Garrett. This is the recipe she uses on most of her amazing creations in her book Creative Cookies.

Glace Icing by Toba Garrett

1 lb. (454 gr.) confectioners' sugar

3/8 c. (90 ml.) milk

3/8 c (4.5 oz. or 126 gr.) light corn syrup

Flavor options: 1 tsp. concentrated extract, 1 Tbsp. alcohol or liquer, or 2-3 drops concentrated candy oil
In a mixing bowl, thoroughly mix the sugar and the milk first. The icing should be very soft and have a heavy-cream texture before you add the corn syrup. Add the corn syrup and mix just until combined. Divide the icing into several bowls. Flavor if you if you want. Add gel food coloring as desired to each bowl. Make sure you cover the bowls with plastic wrap to keep the icing from drying out.You can add more confectioners sugar as need to make the icing thicker.

Lots more baking has been going on in this house since my daughter is coming home from the army for the weekend and I want to spoil her with all kinds of goodies. Made some of her favorites like Half-Moon cookies ( or black and white, depending on where you come from) and alfajores.

That's about it for now! Back to cookie decorating!

The Finished Product

2008-12-07T08:41:00.006+02:00

Here it is- very easy and very yummy. We now have kumquat jam/marmalade for a while to come. Hubby tried mixing it in with yogurt and granola- said it was delish! Personally, I just like it on a crispy piece of toast.

I have sooooo many recipes that I want to try but I find I am now spending more time on the computer than in the kitchen baking. So... I have made a pact with myself-I'm going to work on all the recipes I have already before I go to the hundreds of others I find online. I will post what is worth posting and throw away the others. We'll see if the theory and reality become one!

Kumquats and other stuff

2008-12-06T09:31:00.009+02:00

mmmmm... the smell of kumquats cooking on the stove getting ready to make jam. my husband and i were out walking last night and came across a kumquat tree just dripping with fruit. we stuffed our pockets ( i love the smell it leaves on my hands) and came home to look for a good recipe for kumquat jam. interesting note- in hebrew they are called "tapuz seenee" which means chinese oranges. i love to eat them just as they are but the smell of them cooking is so amazing as it filters through the house. The recipe I found which is simple and straightforward is from

www.recipezaar.com/Kumquat-Marmalade-271451. Right now I am in the second stage, which is after letting them sit all night in water and finished boiling them until tender. They are now cooling and I will wait until tonite to do the final stage although the recipe says the next day. I think the entire day will be enough.

in the meantime , we are off to cycle to the beach for a lovely saturday morning
brunch. the winter simply doesn't want to appear here in israel. more to come..........

TWD Linzer Sables

2008-11-28T22:17:00.009+02:00

I went cookie crazy today! My daughter came home after her first week in the Israeli army and I decided to totally go all out with baking and cooking. I used the opportunity to make this coming week's TWD recipe for Linzer Sables. I have made these cookies before but the dough was quite different- more of a butter cookie. They were easy enough to make and came out quite good, although I think I and the othermembers of the household prefer the dough without the ground nuts. That's just a personal preference. I filled them with raspberry jam which is one of my favorite things i the world ,so anytime I have a chance to use it in a recipe or just eat it- is fine with me!
I also made a batch of chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal cookies which have been a favortie around this house since the girls were young. I added a few peanut butter chips as well- couldn't hurt huh?
I spent the whole day making a big dinner so she could have some good home-cooked food after a week living in a tent with 16 other girls ( with a hole in the roof of the tent I might add- and it rained too!!) Dinner went like this: salad, homemade chopped liver, a yummy, thick pea soup, roasted chicken with whole garlic cloves and a sauce made with maple syrup(mmmmm!), zucchini with chunked tomates and a wonderful risotto I tried for the first time. It turned out so good and I can tell it will become a favorite around here. I took the recipe from Recipe Zaar for a classic risotto.
Dessert was a plateful of all the cookies and a quick pumpkin cheesecake I threw together ( at the request of my eldest daughter) using the last bit of pumpkin I had. ( canned pumpkin is a real rarity here in Israel, so when I find it I buy a few cans to have around but boy is it expensive!!!) The cake went home with her since it is a disaster for me to have those things around the house.
Now, I will never receive a prize for being a quiet , demure person, or one who holds her thoughts to herself. It usually gets me in a bit of trouble but as the years pass, I am learning to think before I speak and keep certain thoughts to myself. In this case I may be saying something that many people don't agree with, but I have to say it anyway. I waited for the book " Baking, from my house to yours" for a long time, since it came from overseas. After reading the blogs of people who participate in Tuesdays with Dorie, I was very anxious to begin. I have now baked a month's worth of recipes and I am very disappointed. None of the recipes have been anything to speak of; some things didn't turn out as they were supposed to and others- well, I just hope that maybe it was the specific recipes that were chosen and I have better ones to look forward to.
In any case - I just keep on baking, and chalk it up to a learning experience.

TWD Twofer Pie

2008-11-23T08:29:00.003+02:00

I go to all this effort to bake and come out with wonderful results. That's very nice- but then I always seem to forget to take a picture of it! The thought comes right after everyone has dug into the cake, pie or whatever. I suppose I could take a picture half eaten as well- at least people could see that it is being consumed!

In any case, the pumkin-pecan pie chosen for this week's TWD recipe was lovely to look at and even better to taste. I must say, I was becoming a bit skeptical about the recipes in the book, since the last few I've made were quite unimpressive- even nasty tasting.

The crust that Dorie uses did not work at all for me. I prefer using all butter. I went ahead and tried her recipe with a combination of shortening and butter and it just didn't work for me. I had to throw it out! Ouch! It was probably a mistake of some sort that I made and not the recipe , but I went back to my old standard that has worked so well for me over and over again. The recipe comes from Marcy Goldman's Better Baking site- http://www.betterbaking.com/viewRecipe.php?recipe_id=1193

The filling was delicious. I took the pie to a staff Thanksgiving dinner last nite and it was the first to go. I will definitely make this again!

This week my youngest daughter will be entering the Israeli Army. My baby is flying from the nest! The house will seem strange with just the two of us here. On the bright side- more time for baking and another group of tasters for my baked goods. I am looking forward to sending her back each week with a box of yummies. Until next time...........

TWD Arborio Rice Pudding

2008-11-17T07:06:00.003+02:00

I love the fall. The weather is finally cooling down and the night air is crisp. This is the time of year I sleep the best.
I have never tasted rice pudding before. Yes, it may sound unbelievable, but true. My mom never made it and I never really had the craving to try it. So this weeks recipe from Dorie's book was a perfect opportunity. After some searching I found the right kind of rice and began the task- a really easy process but for some reason, it just didn't turn out the way it ws supposed to. All went well until I put it in the fridge and waited and waited and waited. It barely thickened and the next day was still a bit soupy. I probably would add less milk next time- but there will not be a next time. Just not my " cup of rice" if you know what I mean. Maybe puddings in general are not my favorite thing- I'll take a rich cake, cookie or cupcake anytime! The taste and texture were strange for me and the rest of my family. Very , very sweet - and let me tell you- I love sweet, but this was sort of sickening. Chalk this one up to experience!
Wherever you are in the world- enjoy the season, be it fall , summer or spring!

TWD-Kugelhopf

2008-11-10T21:50:00.006+02:00

Lot's of work for a fairly dull tasting cake. I used dried cranberries since I had no raisins in the house. It was a good substitution- probably any dried fruit would be good. I think if I were to make it again I might make a few changes. My husband ( the main taste tester in the house!) said it was good. He suggested adding some sort of syrup over it other than butter . Maybe a sugar syrup or even maple might be interesting.

I wasn't sure I would get to this recipe but I was determined to try. I am glad I made the effort since I look at every recipe as an experiment. I can say the experiment was successful- whether I use it again or not is a different story.

Next week's recipe is for a rice pudding which, believe it or not, I have never tasted in my life. I have never seen the arborio rice here in Israel but after reading up on it a bit, I may try and substitute sushi rice. Looking forward to the pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. Just in time for the staff party!

First TWD recipe November 4, 2008

2008-11-06T14:25:00.007+02:00

I don't know if I have been officially added to the TWD group but I went ahead and made the recipe for last week anyways. I decided that in the beginning, at least, I will follow the recipes to the word and see how they turn out and then alter or adapt them for my use according to the results. Since I live in Israel, some of my ingredients may be a bit different or unavailable and I may need to do some substitutions. Of course I will always note this when reporting on the recipe. The rugelach were easy to make and turned out really yummie. I made half of the batch with nuts and half without ( for those few in my family who shy away from nuts). Both were delicious- took extras to work and they were gone before I had a chance to put the dish down. I can always be sure of an enthusiastic , but truthful, group of tasters at work! They will certainly let me know what was good, what wasn't - needed more of this or that, less of this or that! Ok- on to the kugelhof!

Back to routine

2008-11-02T17:46:00.003+02:00

Daughter's wedding is over! Out-of-town ( country!) guests are now gone and I am finally getting back to a somewhat regular routine. I've done so much baking and cooking inthe last few weeks for this wedding, I thought I would be ready to take a break. Now that I have received a copy of the book , "Baking- From My House to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan, ( I had my Mom bring it to me from the States) I am ready to jump in again and try some new things.
The wedding cookies were a big hit and I am so glad I made the effort to do them. Of course, as things go with me, I forgot to take even one picture of the over 150 decorated cookies I made! Unbelieveable! Oh, well.... that just gives me another reason to make more.

Wedding cookies

2008-08-24T10:28:00.007+03:00

These are just a few of the practice cookies I've done in preparation for my daughter's wedding. After having tried a few, I've decided to make cookie favors for each guest in the shape of a

wedding cake. All white with their initials in the middle.

August 23, 2008

2008-08-23T22:45:00.000+03:00

Well, here goes. This is my first attempt at blogging. Let's hope I'm doing everything right.
Looking forward to connecting with others who love to bake and decorate cakes and cookies like I do. I have this dream of leaving my present job and spending all my time baking and creating yummy things . Maybe someday it will happen. In the meantime, I will continue to bake in my spare time, hone my skills and enjoy writing my thoughts and ideas here.