Really Good Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

Topping - 
5 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt

Bread - 
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 (15 ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 ounces cream cheese, cut into 12 pieces
1/4 cup buttermilk
4 eggs
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped fine (optional)

Instructions:
For the topping - 
1.  Using fingers, mix all ingredients together in bowl until well combined and topping resembles wet sand.  
2.  Set aside.

For the bread - 
1.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Whisk flour, baking powder, and baking soda together in bowl.
3.  Combine pumpkin puree, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in large saucepan over medium heat.
4.  Stir constantly and cook for 6-8 minutes until reduced to 1 1/2 cups.
5.  Remove pot from heat.
6.  Stir in granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and cream cheese until combined.
7.  Let mixture stand for 5 minutes.
8.  Whisk until no visible pieces of cream cheese remain.
9.  In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and buttermilk.
10.  Add egg mixture to pumpkin mixture and whisk to combine.
11.  Fold flour mixture into pumpkin mixture until combined.
12.  Fold walnuts into batter (optional).
13.  Grease two 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pans.
14.  Evenly pour batter into prepared pans.
15.  Sprinkle topping evenly over top of each loaf.
16.  Bake until skewer inserted in center of loaves comes out clean - about 45 to 50 minutes.  (mine had to cook closer to 60 minutes)
17.  Let breads cool in pans on wire rack for 20 minutes.
18.  Remove breads from pans and let cool for at least 1.5 hours.
19.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Mark's notes - 

1.  Essentially, you will have bowl 1 with the topping mixture.  You will have bowl 2 with the flour mixture.  You will have bowl 3 with the pumpkin puree mixture.  You will have bowl 4 with the egg mixture.  At the end, bowl 4 gets dumped into bowl 3 and whisked.  Then bowl 2 gets folded into bowl 3.  Pour bowl 3 into prepared loaf pans and evenly sprinkle the toppings from bowl 1 over both loaves.

2.  The original instructions said to cook 45-50 minutes.  I had to cook mine closer to 60-65 minutes to cook through.

4.  I did not use any brown sugar.  I substituted all brown sugar with granulated sugar.

5.  I did not use the walnuts.  Abby loves pumpkin pie but does not like nuts, and so I left those out.  Just a personal preference for Abby.

6.  I did not use buttermilk.  I used 1/4 cup yogurt.

7.  I did not use the ground cloves.  I don't like ground cloves and I don't have them in my spice collection, and so I always leave it out.  Just a personal preference of mine.  (Need to add spice rack to my Christmas list - I had one.  I don't know what happened to it unfortunately).

Attempt # 1 - please feel free to smile, laugh, giggle, etc. 

I do not have two 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pans.  I have two 9 x 5 loaf pans. One was in the dishwasher from the zucchini bread.  I decided to pour the entire batter into one 9 x 5 loaf pan.  I was thinking, 'Well, this works for my banana bread.'  Wow.  Big mistake.  Disaster in progress.  I turned on the oven light and saw it rising, rising, rising, and about to spill over.  I pulled it out after 50 minutes, it was not done.  I trimmed off some of the edges so it wouldn't just fall off in the oven.  I put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes.  Still not cooked through.  Another 15 minutes perhaps.  Okay.  Just 15 more then it should be cooked through definitely.  All I managed to do was burn the top, and it never cooked through.  I had to throw it all away and try again, and refer to Mark's Kitchen Rules #2, #3, #5, and almost #8.

Here is a picture of the end result from the failed single loaf:

Attempt #2
The next day, determined to get this right, I went to the grocery store, got another can of pumpkin puree, and tried again.  I followed the instructions.  I used two 9 x 5 loaf pans.  (I need to add two 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pans to my Christmas list).  Anyway, here is a picture of the end result:

Happy baking!



Lam, Lan. (2012, September and October). Really Good Pumpkin Bread.  Cook’s Illustrated, p.24.

Zucchini Bread

Today, I made a Zucchini Bread for the first time.  I used the recipe from Cook's Illustrated Cookbook.

Ingredients:

2 small zucchini

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 tablespoon unsalted butter - melted and cooled

2 large eggs

1/4 cup plain whole-milk or low-fat yogurt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped

Instructions:

1.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Wash and shred 2 small zucchini - use smaller zucchinis as these have smaller and drier seeds.  If using larger zucchini, cut in half and scoop the seeds out, then shred.  Shred zucchinis using the large holes of a box grater.

3.  Squeeze shredded zucchini between several pieces of paper towels to get rid of extra moisture.

4.  In large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, allspice, and salt.

5.  In medium bowl, whisk sugar, melted butter, eggs, yogurt, and lemon juice together until smooth.

6.  Gently fold shredded zucchini and yogurt mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined - do not over mix.  Repeat - do not over mix.  

7.  Gently fold in pecans.

8.  Grease loaf pan.

9.  Pour batter into loaf pan.  

10.  Bake until golden brown - about 1 hour - rotating half way through.

11.  Let loaf cool for 10 minutes, then let cool on wire rack for 1 hour.

Mark's Notes - 

1.  Before I even started this recipe, I researched on ehow.com on how to shred a zucchini. I didn't know anything about zucchinis such as do you need to peel the skin off like a banana, can you eat the seeds, etc.  Apparently, both are okay to eat, just cooking the seeds in the bread makes it quite bitter.  The skin is where all the healthy nutrients are.

2.  I did not have any allspice in the house and so I just substituted 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg because I like nutmeg and didn't feel like researching the super exact substitute for allspice.

3.  I used the yogurt rather than the whole milk.

4.  My first attempt and the bread collapsed.  I did a little research on this and quick breads will collapse due to over stirring.  That's why I put in the instructions the emphasis on not over stirring.

5.  I forgot to let the butter cool before mixing that in, and that probably contributed to the bread collapsing as well.

6.  My wife, Trish, said it still turned out nummy.  So, that's always good.

7.  I have a couple more zucchinis in the kitchen so I can try another batch fairly soon, and hopefully, it won't collapse.

8.  I honestly believe that Banana Bread is just a little easier in that with bananas all you have to do is mash those up.  Peeling the zucchinis requires a little more effort but still worthwhile.

Hazelnut Chocolate Truffles

From Cook's Illustrated.  Published January 1, 2012.

Ingredients:

Ganache -
2 cups bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt
1 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and softened

Coating -
Dutch-processed cocoa
1 1/2 cups finely chopped hazelnuts

Instructions:
For the Ganache -
1.  Lightly coat 8-inch baking pan with vegetable oil spray.
2.  Make parchment sling - fold 2 long sheets of parchment so that they are as long as the baking pan.  Lay sheets of parchment in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra hanging over edges of pan.  Push parchment into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing flush to pan.
3.  Microwave dark chocolate chips in medium bowl at 50 percent power for 2-3 minutes while stirring occassionlly.  Set aside.
4.  Microwave cream in measuring cup until warm to touch - about 30 seconds.
5.  Stir corn syrup, vanilla, and salt into cream.
6.  Pour mixture over chocolate.
7.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap, set aside for 3 minutes.
8.  Stir with wooden spoon to combine.
9.  Stir in butter one piece at a time, until fully incorporated.
10.  Using a spatula, transfer ganache to prepared pan with the parchment paper and set aside at room temperature for 2 hours.
11.  Cover pan and transfer to refrigerator to chill for 2 hours and up to 2 days.

For the coating -
12.  Sift cocoa through fine mesh strainer into large bowl.
13.  Sift again into a large cake pan and set aside.
14.  Place chopped hazelnuts in another large cake pan and set aside.

Bringing it all together -
15.  Lift ganache from pan by gripping the overhanging parchment.
16.  Cut ganache into 64 1 inch squares - (8 rows by 8 rows).  If ganache cracks while cooking, let sit for 5-10 minutes and continue.
17.  Dust hands with cocoa powder and roll each square into a ball.
18.  Transfer balls to pan with cocoa coating and roll to evenly coat.
19.  Lightly shake truffles over cocoa pan, then roll in hazelnut pan. 
20.  Transfer coated truffles to airtight container and repeat until all ganache rolls are rolled and coated.
21.  Cover container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 1 week.
22.  Let truffles sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Mark's Notes -
I have only made this once.  It turned out a bit dry with the first bite, then the second bite you were into the colder soft chocolate part and the contrast was interesting, but I think I messed up by coating it with too much cocoa powder. I didn't have the hazelnuts either the first time I made this.  I used the alternate listed below.  I'd like to try it with hazelnuts.

If you don't like nuts or hazelnuts then don't use those.  Instead mix in 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar in with the cocoa powder and sift.  Then roll the ganache in that cocoa/sugar mix for the coating.

....I also have absolutely no idea how to actually pronounce the word 'ganache'.  I'll look it up in the dictionary.

Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup Almond Butter
1/3 or 1/2 cup honey (your choice - slightly sweeter with 1/2 cup)
1 egg
1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon Flaxseed Meal (optional)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
2/3 cup unsweetened coconut

Instructions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2.  Oil baking sheets or line with parchment paper
3.  Stir together first 8 ingredients.  Mix well.  Make sure honey is fully incorporated.
4.  Add dark chocolate chips and coconut
5.  Scoop onto cookie sheets  - about 2 tablespoons for one cookie.
6.  Bake 10-13 minutes until lightly browned.

This will make about 20 cookies.

Mark's notes -
I did not use the flaxseed meal
I could not find unsweetened coconuts and so I used sweetened coconuts.
I learned that these flour free/sugar free/gluten free type of cookies can burn very quickly on you.  As soon as the cookies start turning a light brown, they are done.

Trish gave me this recipe to bake a batch before leaving on a weekend trip.  Everyone seemed to like them (although I did come close to baking these too long).  I also baked some blueberry banana bread for this trip as can be seen in the posted picture at the top.

This recipe is from the unrefined kitchen -

http://www.unrefinedkitchen.com/2011/08/10/almond-butter-dark-chocolate-chip-cookies/

French Toast Casserole

This recipe is from Disney Family Fun magazine -December/January 2012

Ingredients:
Challah, Brioche, or other firm white bread
1/4 to 1/2 cup packed brown sugar - see Mark's Notes
1 teaspoon cinnamon
8 large eggs
1 3/4 cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions:
1.  Grease 13x9 glass baking dish
2.  Slice bread into 12 (1 inch thick) slices, then cut each slice into 1 inch cubes
3.  In a small bowl combine brown sugar and cinnamon
4.  Arrange half the bread in a single layer in the prepared baking dish
5.  Sprinkle half the sugar mix evenly over the top.
6.  Add a second layer with the remaining bread.
7.  Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the top.
8.  In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs.  Add the milk and vanilla extract.  Whisk until well blended.
9.  Starting from the sides of the dish and working toward the center, pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread.  With a spatula, gently press down on the bread to coat it with the egg mixture.  Cover the dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate over night or at least 4 hours.
10.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake the casserole covered for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking until the casserole turns a light golden brown - about 30 minutes more.

Mark's Notes - 
I've never made this with brown sugar.  I always use white sugar.  1/2 cup white sugar makes it almost too sweet.  Try 1/4 cup white sugar.

The original recipe includes pecans or walnuts.  I never use these. If you would like to include these, then use 1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts and mix it in with step 3.

Mark's Story -
This is a personal favorite of mine to make when we have guests over.  You can make it the night before and just bake it in the oven the next morning.



I have provided the link to the original recipe from Disney Family Fun -

http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/french-toast-casserole-1030014/

Cooking Music

My Cooking Playlist:

Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffet
Scenes from an Italian Restaurant by Billy Joel
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from the Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky
Be Our Guest from Disney's Beauty and the Beast
Shortnin' Bread by Brent Lewis (really fun song for the kids)
Lollipop by The Chordettes
The Banana Boat Song by Harry Belafonte
Sugar and Spice by The Searchers
Hot Dog!... by They Might Be Giants - The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Boat Drinks by Jimmy Buffet
Hot Potato by The Wiggles
Memphis Soul Stew by King Curtis and the Kingpins
If I Knew You were coming I'd have baked you a cake by Georgia Gibbs
I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts by Freddy Martin
Sugar Sugar by The Archies
Margaritaville by Pickin O'n Series - Pickin' on Jimmy Buffet
Bang Bang by David Sanborn
Ice Cream by Sarah McLachlan
Strawberry Avalanche by Owl City
Georgia Peaches by Lauren Alaina
Yes, We Have No Bananas by Louis Prima
That's Amore by Dean Martin
Le Festin from Ratatouille
Ratatouille from Ratatouille
Souped Up from Ratatouille
Welcome to Gusteau's from Ratatouille
Banana Mango by Joe Satriani
Banana Mango 2 by Joe Satriani
"C" is for Cookie by Cookie Monster
Cheeseburgers in Paradise by Jimmy Buffet
Colette Shows Him Le Ropes from Ratatouille
End Creditouille from Ratatouille
Another Irish Drinking Song by The Minions
Cherry, Cherry by Neil Diamond
Coconut by Harry Nilsson
Potato Head Blues by Louis Armstrong
Sweetest Thing by U2
The Charlie Brown Suite:  Peppermint Patty by Vince Guaraldi
Everybody Eats When They Come To My House by Cab Calloway
Tossed Salad and Scrambled Eggs - Theme Song to Frasier



One could just listen to the entire soundtrack from Ratatouille.  I just added a few of my favorites to the playlist.

I also have a classical music playlist that I listen to as well.  There is a lot of Handel, Beethoven, Mozart, Vivaldi, George Gershwin, Saint-Saens, Bach, and many many others in that playlist.  When we sit down to eat and this music is still playing, Abby will say she feels like she is in a fancy restaurant.

I once had a rule where whoever was doing the cooking got to pick the music.  I put on Shania Twain.  Abby was running around with her hands over her ears, Miriam was sitting at the piano playing it as loudly as she could, even Trish put on some headphones while playing on her computer.  So, now I listen to either the classical music playlist or my cooking playlist. 

Berry Fool

Pazmino, David. “Berry Fool”
America’s Test Kitchen Best Ever Recipes

Ingredients –
2 quarts strawberries (about 2 pounds) – washed, dried, and hulled.
1 pint raspberries (or blueberries or blackberries)
½ cup; plus 4 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup sour cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
4 Carr’s Whole Wheat Crackers, finely crushed (about ¼ cup)
6 sprig fresh mint, for serving (optional)

1.
Process 1 quart of the strawberries, ½ pint raspberries, and ½ cup sugar in a food processor until the mixture is completely smooth (about 1 minute).

Strain the berry puree through a fine mesh strainer into a 4 cup liquid measuring cup - there will be about 2 ½ cups berry puree left over.

Transfer ½ cup of the berry puree to a small cup and sprinkle the gelatin over the top; stir until the gelatin is incorporated and let stand at least 5 minutes.

Heat the remaining 2 cups of the berry puree in a small saucepan until it begins to bubble (about 4 to 6 minutes).

Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the gelatin mixture to a medium bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.

2.
Meanwhile, chop the remaining 1 quart strawberries into rough ¼ inch pieces.
Toss the strawberries, remaining ½ pint raspberries, and 2 tablespoons of the sugar together in a medium bowl. Set aside for 1 hour.

3.
Place the heavy cream, sour cream, vanilla, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in the chilled bowl of a stand mixer. Beat at low speed until bubbles form, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and continue beating until the beaters leave a trail, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to high; continue beating until the mixture has nearly doubled in volume and holds stiff peaks, about 30 seconds. Transfer 1/3 cup of the whipped cream mixture to a small bowl and set aside.

4.
Remove the thickened berry puree from the refrigerator and whisk until smooth. With the mixer running at medium speed, slowly add two-thirds of the puree to the whipped cream mixture; mix until incorporated, about 15 seconds.
Using a spatula, fold in the remaining thickened puree leaving streaks of puree.

5.
Transfer the uncooked berries to a fine mesh strainer; shake gently to remove any excess juice. Divide two-thirds of the berries evenly among 6 tall parfait or sundae glasses. Divide the creamy berry mixture evenly among the glasses, followed by the remaining uncooked berries. Top each glass with the reserved plain whipped cream texture. Sprinkle with the crushed crackers and garnish with the mint sprigs, if using.

Serve immediately.


Mark’s notes:
I only make this once a year around the 4th of July - this is my red, white, and blue dessert.  For me, it is quite involved and quite messy.

When I first made this, I was not able to serve it immediately.  I spent all morning making this, then I got to the end and read the 'Serve immediately' part.  I placed it in the freezer and left it there until after dinner. I took the glasses out 45 minutes before I served them and just let them thaw at room temperature.

Most people that I have made this for actually prefer the dessert to be frozen first rather than served right when it is ready.
Here is the link to America's Test Kitchen recipe for this.  There is also a video by America's Test Kitchen on how to make this.

http://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/detail.php?docid=13078&Extcode=N1NSPFA00