Culinary Goods

This cake was fantastic—it gets a 9. This coconut cake recipe is more rich than my other one, and it’s probably a bit better. It’s very moist and soft while also being a tight crumb, which is a strange combo. The coconut flavor comes through really well, and the mango curd was a hit. I debated about doing a lime mousse, but I didn’t have limes, but that might be a fun thing to try as well. This cake recipe came from the book  “Layered” by Tessa Huff, and she calls it Mango Coconut Cream Cake. She had a mango ganache in the middle with white chocolate and mango puree and then coconut cream cheese frosting. I only used her base: Vanilla Coconut Cake 3 1/4 cup cake flour (425 grams) I just put 1/3 cup of cornstarch in a bowl and added flour to get to the 425 grams 1 Tbs. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1 cup coconut milk 1/3 cup milk 1/2 cup butter, room tempt 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted 2 cups sugar I used 1 2/3 cup and it was plenty sweet 2 tsp. coconut extract 6 large e

I have made many types of mousse, including those with raw eggs and gelatin. I like this version WAY WAY better—I give this a 9. I use this as a filling between layers of layer cake, as well as a frosting for the outside. It is delightful. It is light (tasting, anyway), bright, and just beautiful. Here is what I do: Raspberry Mousse 8 oz. Philadelphia brand full-fat cream cheese dash salt 2 tsp. vanilla 1/4 cup powdered sugar 3/4 cup homemade raspberry jam (my jam is 2:1 fruit to sugar ratio, so it’s way more fruit than sugar) 1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cup liquid heavy cream So, the heavy cream is important because it counteracts all the liquid-ish nature of the jam. Also, you could use fruit puree as well, which I’ve done in the past, but I like the jam much, much better.

So, this recipe came from smitten kitchen. I used this as a filling in a coconut layer cake, and it was lovely. It’s tropical tasting and just a really nice contrast. Here is the recipe I used. Mango Curd Adapted from Bon Appetit, June 1998 Makes 1 to 1.5 cups 1 15-ounce ripe mango, peeled, pitted, cut into 1/2-inch pieces I did a bit more than this, probably 1 1/2 mangoes 1/2 cup sugar (might reduce this to 1/3 cup next time, to keep the curd more tart) I did 1/3 cup and it was plenty sweet 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice I would increase this by 1 Tbs. Pinch of salt 4 large egg yolks 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/06/project-wedding-cake-mango-curd/ So, basically, you put the mango, sugar, lime juice, and salt in a blender and pulse. Then you add the eggs and pulse again. You put this through a sieve and then put the bowl over boiling water, stirring occasionally utnil it reaches 170 degrees (about 10 minutes). Th

This was a great tortilla soup, and it's good enough that I probably won't try any other versions. It came from cookingclassy.com and gets a 7.5.  2   (10 oz)  boneless skinless chicken breast 2   tsp   chili powder,   divided 2   tsp   ground cumin,   divided 1   tsp   granulated sugar,   divided I left this out 2  Tbsp  olive oil   divided Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2   small   ears corn, shucked or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn 1  medium   yellow onion,  diced (1 1/2 cups) 2  jalapenos,  seeded and diced 4   cloves   garlic,  minced (1 1/2 Tbsp) 6  cups  chicken broth or stock 1  (14.5 oz)   can fire roasted tomatoes 1   Tbsp  fresh lime juice 1/2   cup   chopped cilantro 1  large   avocado,  diced Shredded Mexican blend cheese, sour cream, tortilla strips or chips   for serving Here's the link:  https://www.cookingclassy.com/grilled-chicken-tortilla-soup/

This is another recipe that came from the Tartine Bakery cookbook, and they really were deluxe and rich. They were a bit crumbly the next day, but were great the day of. Jared and I give them a 7.   8 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped • 1 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons cocoa powder • 2 teaspoons baking powder • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar • 2 large eggs • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 1/3 cup whole milk Here's a link I found to the instructions:  https://wearenotmartha.com/tartines-deluxe-double-chocolate-cookies/

So, this is my favorite dinner roll recipe, and it is the one I always make, so I wanted to blog it here. I actually don’t change the recipe much at all, as you will see. It’s fantastic—these are easily a 9 and the best version I have found. Knotted Dinner Rolls By Peter Reinhart Fine Cooking Issue 113 For the dough 1-1/2 cups whole milk; more as needed I use 2% 1 packet (1/4 oz. or 2-1/4 tsp.) instant or active dry yeast We use instant 1/4 cup vegetable oil; more as needed I use canola 1 oz. (2 Tbs.) unsalted butter 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 lb. 7 oz. (5-1/4 cups) unbleached bread flour; more as needed I usually only use about 5 cups 1-1/4 tsp. table salt or 2 tsp. kosher salt I do half and half 1 large egg https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/knotted-dinner-rolls So, essentially I melt the butter first. I warm the milk in the microwave, and then add the melted butter, the oil, the sugar, and the yeast. You let this sit for about 5 minutes, and you will se

So, these taste like snickerdoodles, and this is the version we use. I never eat them, so I don’t alter the recipe at all, and we found it at melskitchencafe.com. These are flat and chewy, just FYI · 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour · 2 teaspoons cream of tartar · 1 teaspoon baking soda · 1/2 teaspoon salt · 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened · 1/2 cup vegetable shortening · 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar · 2 large eggs For the coating: · 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon · 1/4 cup granulated sugar https://www.melskitchencafe.com/classic-snickerdoodles/

This was amazing. I would probably say this is close to a 9, and it’s a wonderful way to use up leftovers from pot roast, which we don’t make a lot, but is always good when we do. I think we got a chuck roast, but it shredded with a fork and was a lovely meal. I know there are a lot of variations on this meal, but this was a new one for us. My mom used to make this with hamburger, canned green beans, and mashed potatoes, and although everyone else would probably say it sounds gross, I LOVED it as a kid. We ate it with ketchup and it’s actually one of the first meals I remember eating. I have updated it a bit, but I will always remember the original. Anyway . . . Shepherd’s Pie In 1-2 Tbs. of butter, saute half an onion, a stick of celery, and a few handfuls of chopped carrots. Add salt. After these saute for a few minutes, I added 4-5 large mushrooms cut into tiny bits. To this I added some red wine and boiled it down to cook off the alcohol. Then, I added the leftover gravy,

So, I made this recipe up, and I would totally make this again. It’s fun, light, and a great summer meal. Here are the ingredients: Romaine Lettuce Thinly sliced red onion Avocado Grape tomatoes Roasted asparagus Shrimp Mango Salad Dressing (I blogged this just a minute ago) So, for the roasted asparagus, I did some complicated thing with lemon and garlic and put it in the oven and next time I’ll put this on the stove with olive oil and salt. Just as good. Next time I might add cucumber as well. For the shrimp, I sauteed it in butter with oregano, chili powder, chipotle chili powder, garlic, smoked paprika, kosher salt, and onion powder (I just shook the spice on until they were coated). I drained the liquid of the defrosted shrimp first so that it wasn’t soggy, and I let it cook until the oil was gone and they were dry. They were awesome.

I got the idea for this from the cookbook “Baked”, and I was disappointed. It called for a Vanilla Wafer crust, and I did Golden Oreos (this was not the problem). The pastry cream recipe was not as good as mine, and the peanut butter mousse on top was also not as good as mine. It’s disappointing when I could have just used my own recipes and come up with something even better. This gets a 7.

So, this was a good non-dairy dressing, and I would make it again. I put what I did below since I made it up and then my future changes 1 mango 1/4 cup olive oil Mine needed a bit more liquid because it was so thick 2 T. vinegar I think red wine would be a good option 1 small clove garlic 1 tsp., kosher salt 1/8sp. chipotle chili powder I would double this and maybe add some chili powder 1/4 cup lime juice 1 T. cilantro 2 T. onion 1 tsp. dijon mustard You put it in a blender and blend it.

So I ordered the Tartine bakery cookbook and am so excited to try out all the recipes. I made these today and thought they were fabulous. They tasted almost caramely, and we loved them. I actually might like them more than our standard cowboy cookies(!). They get a 7.5 or 8, and I'll definitely make them again. 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/4" to 1/2" pieces I used Nestle bittersweet chocolate chips 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature I used 1 1/2 sticks of butter and 4 TBS canola oil 1 3/4 cups sugar I used 1 1/4 C. 4 teaspoons Blackstrap or other dark molasses 2 large eggs 2 tablespoons milk 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped While this recipe did come from my cookbook, I found a link for it online with the directions:  http://www.ouichefnetwork.com/2014/06/ch

So it's misleading to call it a shortcake, as it has a texture much closer to a scone or biscotti, which meant that it was dry and crunchy. I personally prefer strawberry shortcake with white cake, but it was a nice change. My dad sprinkled nutmeg over it, which actually gave it a really awesome added flavor. This gets a 6, and the recipe came from foodnetworkca.com. I will probably never make it again since it was not my favorite. Shortcakes 2 cup all-purpose flour ¼ cup sugar 1 Tbsp baking powder 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest ½ tsp baking soda ¼ tsp salt ¼ cup cool unsalted butter, cut into pieces ⅔ cup buttermilk 1 egg, whisked with 2 Tbsp water for brushing Filling 1 cup whipping cream 2 Tbsp sugar ½ tsp vanilla extract 2 cup sliced fresh strawberries icing sugar, for dusting Here's the link: http://www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/bake-with-anna-olson/recipe/classic-farmhouse-strawberry-shortcake/12678/

The picture I took of this looked like vomit, so I deleted it. Anyway, this is a recipe that Jared and I discovered about 12 years ago and have made it a few times throughout the years. We both love it, and it has wonderful flavor. It comes from Fine Cooking and gets a 9. We serve it over mashed potatoes. 1 3-lb. boneless beef chuck roast 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil 2 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces   Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 8 oz. shallots (8 to 10 medium), thinly sliced (about 2 cups) 2 Tbs. brandy, such as Cognac  2 Tbs. tomato paste 2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (2 to 3 tsp.) 2 tsp. herbes de Provence 2 cups hearty red wine, such as Côtes de Provence or Côtes du Rhône I add 1/2 cup more 1 14.5-oz. can whole, peeled tomatoes 4 strips orange zest (2-1/2 inches long, removed with a vegetable peeler) 1 lb. slender carrots, peeled and cut into 3/4- to 1-inch chunks (about 2 cups) 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsl