Last Days of Passover

 

 Another eight days of matzoh is coming to an end. Although some feel that this holiday  is very limiting as far as baking goes, I actually look upon it as a challenge. I enjoy making cakes and sweets that are good enough not to be identified as "Passover versions". They need to be good enough to make and eat all year long. A  flour less chocolate cake (recipe and pics to come at another time) that is more like fudge than cake, and these Passover Coconut Macaroon Twix Bars from Kitchen Tested. These were a big hit, absolutely delicious and can be adapted for all year round.

One of my most reliable sources for amazing recipes is Smitten Kitchen. I don't think I've ever had a failure with anything of Deb's. This chocolate-hazelnut macaroon torte is a perfect example. Deb does not like using matzoh meal in any of her creations, so this has a multiple layer of large macaroons using ground hazelnuts (I didn't have enough hazelnuts so I used some ground almonds as well- worked just fine). I tasted some crumbs of the layers and it's just yummy! Mine didn't come out quite as pretty as hers, but I am happy with the result.

 

 Off for a month long trip to the U.S. with probably not much baking if any.  Happy Spring!

Malted Milk Sandwich Cookies

These cookies almost didn't make it to the blog. I thought I was being so efficient, making them in advance, being ready to photograph and post on time. They went over so big that I sent whatever was leftover from Friday night dinner, home with my daughter. Suddenly realizing I hadn't photographed even one cookie, I quickly called her and asked if any were left. Yes! Save a few , I asked, and I'll come over tomorrow morning to take a few shots before they disappear into my granddaughter's stomach!

And so it was. These cookies really were delicious, easy to make and have a beautiful warm, deep flavor. The recipe calls for a vanilla filling, which I'm sure is perfect with it, and I will try it next time. This time, I took a short cut and used some the leftover butter cream from a previous recipe, that I had frozen. I defrosted the butter cream and re-whipped to fluff it back up -worked just wonderfully. It's definitely worth freezing frosting if you have leftover- you never know when it may come in handy.

 You can find the recipe here- give them a try!

Honey Banana Poppy Seed Bread(?) Loaf(?) Cake(?)

Saturday morning, March 2nd- an amazingly gorgeous day! The sun is shining, not a cloud in the sky. Warm enough to walk outside with short sleeves, but still with that pleasant coolness in the air. A perfect day for what ever you want to do! I just returned from a long walk feeling energized and refreshed.Unfortunately, I didn't take my camera with me to show you how beautiful a day it is but you can probably imagine. Every time I get lazy about taking my walk ( I try to comply at least 3 times a week), I need to think about how good I feel after. It is definitely worth it.

  

This week , Baked Sunday Mornings is making this lovely, refreshing honey banana poppy seed loaf. As usual, I changed the pan it was baked it. Instead of making a loaf, I used this mini bundt pan that has been sitting in the cupboard, crying out to be used more often. The recipe is ridiculously easy and for those of you who either don't have a mixer or hate taking it out, this one is for you. All done by hand, comes together in a few minutes and poof! , you have something to serve guests or munch on by yourself! I had some leftover mixture and made a few muffins as well. Sprinkled with a little powdered sugar, they are are a perfect individual portion for afternoon tea, breakfast, midnight snack.........whenever!

You can get the recipe here.

Hope your Saturday is as lovely as mine!    

Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Budino

Budino- never heard the word before. Looked it up ( even though it said what it was  in Baked Explorations) and it is basically the Italian word for pudding or custard.

Surprisingly easy to make, the rich, velvety texture bears no resemblance whatsoever to store bought stuff. 

It really is a few moments in heaven as the rich, but not too sweet custard slides down your throat, and you get the slight hint of the bourbon /vanilla from the white pudding ( love seeing those specks of vanilla!) and the creamy softness of the milk chocolate.

You can eat it with or without the whipped cream- just looks pretty I think.

Grab the recipe here and enjoy!

Speculaas (better known as Biscoff cookies)

Today, I am the rogue baker. According to the recipe schedule for Baked Sunday Mornings, I should be making these. Alas, no one home to eat them, besides the fact that I am missing so many of the ingredients and was nowhere near the mood to go out and get them (like when else will I use a bottle of whiskey?!)

Since I joined this group of bakers after they had completed many of the recipes in the book Baked Explorations, I decided to go back and make one of recipes I've had my eye on for a while (one they'd already done). 

This cookie, called speculaas or speculoos depending on where you look, has it's origins in Holland or Belgium and is a type of shortbread flavored with warm, delicious spices. I first encountered  them years ago when flying and remember them being served as a snack after take off. They are made by the Biscoff Company, come individually wrapped, ( although now you can get them in a bulk type package- easier to eat the whole pack!!!) and as far as I'm concerned , one of the best tasting cookies I've ever had. The newest rage is this spread they've come out with- undoubtedly the most incredible, addicting, amazing thing in this world. The possibilities for using it are endless ( I'll have a few recipes coming up in future posts), but frankly, I'm happy licking it off the spoon while hiding in my closet so no one can see me devouring half a jar.

OK, back to the cookies. These are the "Baked" version of speculaas. They say it was the closest they could come to the original and I agree. Mine turned out a bit crispier than the original, but crispy is fine with me. There was a bit stronger presence of ginger, whereas the original seemed to have more of a stronger cinnamon taste. Doesn't really matter, because they are scrumptious. Great with a cup of coffee, tea or a nice cold glass of milk. Yum! Dipping them in the milk and having the milk taste like the cookies in the end! Trust me, try it.

One thing I loved about this cookie is how easy it is to make. No mixer required!  You can find the recipe here.

Chocolate Ginger Molasses Cookie

Ginger snap cookies have always been one of my favorites. Here, the combination of chocolate and ginger is a pleasant variation. They have that spicy nip of the ginger with the not overwhelming influence of the chocolate. The cookies actually come out looking more chocolatey than they really are. The consistency of the cookie is just right, not too soft and not too crunchy.

They are a great base for decorated cookies , which I so love to do. I used the opportunity to do some Valentine shapes and a few simple designs with the icing. While I enjoy the process of the decorating, I prefer to eat them plain.

 These are easy to make and you can cut them in  any shape to suit your purpose.
Here's the link for the recipe.

Jerusalem Culinary Tour #3 Old City

Directly outside Jaffa Gate- what a welcome in to the Old City! A "must" to begin the journey inside the walled city!

The main street inside Jaffa Gate, this is the "tourist" market, where you can find typical souvenirs and religious items for Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

In Hebrew "Termos" , in English, lupini beans ( don't worry if you've never heard of them before, I certainly hadn't!) Mainly found in Mediterranean countries, they a legume with a thick skin. They are sold here, cooked, salted and served in little bags for an "eating as you walk" type of thing. From my research I found they are native to Italy and their consumption most likely started with the Romans and eventually became a staple of the Mediterranean diet.

warm fava beans, also eaten by the bag while touring through the Old City

The temptations are endless!

One of the many sweets you can find in numerous shops

"Burma"- a roll of kadayif filled with pistachios and soaked in sugar/rose water syrup

"atayef"- a pancake type of dough, rolled over a filling of walnuts and cinnamon, then fried

"basbousa"-semolina cake drenched in a syrup of sugar and rose water

a variety of cookies

This was, unfortunately, the last in the series of culinary tours. I enjoyed every minute and learned so much. Now, it's time for me to branch out on my own and visit other marketplaces in Israel, each with it's own flavors, scents and interesting stories!

Jerusalem Culinary Tour # 2 - Mahane Yehuda

One of the many crowded streets in the market

Some of the most fascinating places to visit in Israel are the marketplaces, the "shuk". Every town and city has its own shuk, some are open every day , some just on certain days of the week. You can usually find a myriad of items for sale, from foods and spices, to kitchenware and gadgets, automobile paraphernalia, toys- really almost anything you are looking for.
Of all the markets I've been to, I think Mahane Yehuda, the main market in Jerusalem, is at the top of my favorites list. Although I had visited there many times before, this tour pointed out the rich history and almost storybook- like tales of the past.  It is truly a feeling of walking through live history. Although the market has been updated in many ways, such as a roof covering to protect from the weather, the essence of the streets and alleyways has remained the same. I could imagine the same scenes; different times, different dress, but still the enchanting atmosphere filled with the enticing smells of exotic spices, rich colored fruits and vegetables so fresh, they still have the soil of the earth on them, hot baked pitot and breads, trays of mouthwatering pastries and candies of all shapes and sorts imaginable- in short, a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds!

freshly baked challot for Shabbat

pita dough waiting to be formed into balls

a tabune for making pita and the balls of dough ready to be baked

rolling the dough and flattening it out

almost ready to bake

placing the dough onto the hot tabune walls

an endless array of spices

laundry day

amazing wall art on Agrippas Street- I purposely photographed it with the real street on the side so you could see the contrast

more wall art- so alive!

The day was too short to take in all that the market has to offer, so I know I will be back with a more educated view, an appreciation of the people and traditions and a very large bag to carry all the goodies I intend to buy!

For more detailed information on the shuk, click here http://www.machne.co.il/en/

Baked Sunday Mornings- Sunday Night Cake

Okay, so we post on Sunday mornings and this is called a Sunday Night Cake. It was actually made on Saturday morning so I'll call it a Saturday Morning Cake! It is so easy, peasy and so delicious that you can really make it 1-2-3 in the morning and have it for breakfast if you want.

This is the kind of recipe I love- easy to put together and very adaptable to a few little changes here and there to make it your "own". It calls for sour cream- didn't happen to have any, but did have a container of buttermilk that needed to be used. I substituted the same amount and I'm sure you could use yogurt as well.

I played around with the pan too, using these adorable little mini loaf pans I found. I have a problem going into stores that sell paper goods- I can't walk out empty-handed! Better have them on hand than have to look for something at the last minute. These are great for gift giving or if you just want a little cake and not have leftovers.
The original recipe calls for a chocolate frosting. I'm sure it would be great, but I preferred without and just a dusting of powdered sugar. The frosting sounds delicious and for another occasion, I would give it a try.

This cake has delicious cinnamon undertones- not overwhelming at all. Next time I will play around with the spices and see what interesting tastes I can come up with.

Even if you don't consider yourself a baker, I highly recommend trying this recipe. It's great to freeze and pull out at a moment's notice, and most important, easy and really yummy. I had a hard time stopping at just one piece!

You can find the recipe here.

Bridal Shower Cookies

 

I haven't done any cookie decorating in quite a long time. I love to do it, but just don't have the opportunities to make them. No one to give them to, no special occasions, and I hate to see them go to waste. Now, after making this last batch for a friend of my daughter's, I realize that I need to do more- and for one good reason- it makes me feel good. It's really the only creative thing I can do (and it's not really creative since  my designs are just copies of the amazing things I see other people do- I have no imagination whatsoever!). Anyways, I am going to try and do more in the near future- just because.