I met Haley through Butch, and I’ve had the pleasure of being friends with her for a few years now. I constantly (yes, constantly, Like once every few weeks) tell my husband that, second to our wedding and him, she is by far the nicest gift he’s ever given me. She is unbelievably thoughtful, sweet as pie, reliable and caring through and through, and anyone who meets her immediately loves her. I feel so very lucky to know her and call her my friend (and blogmate), and for that, Haley, I dedicate this post to you. Thank you for your unending friendship and for sharing your sweet tooth with me. I hope you enjoyed these and they satisfied your craving for all of your favorite things (marzipan, almond butter, and deliciousness).

Haley’s Birthday! Cupcakes (Pear & Marzipan Cupcakes with AlmondButterCream frosting, adapted from Sweetopolita )

Ingredients:

• 1 cup + 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, room temp
• 8 oz. marzipan,
• 3/4 cup   sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped
• 6 large eggs
• 1 1/4  cup all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup diced pear

For the frosting:

Christina Tosi is my constant source of baking inspiration. Her ability to fuse nostalgic tastes with untraditional ingredients to create desserts that are completely brand new is both impressive and admirable. Over Christmas, I attempted her corn cookies to much success. Because after my CT experiment, I had left over corn powder – alot of it. What is corn powder you ask? It’s freeze dried corn that’s been ground into a powder. Weird? Maybe. But the taste is like corn-puffs-cereal-meets-blondiebrownies. And what better way to incorporate the ingredient than in a breakfast treat? 

Theses scones spread more than regular scones, so be careful and watch the cooking time depending on your oven and your cookie pan.

Otherwise, these are golden. Literally.

Tosi-Inspired Corn Scones (adapted from Alton Brown’s scone recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup corn power
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup white corn meal
• 2 tbsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp shortening
• 3/4 cup cream
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp rosemary
• Demerara sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine flours, powders, salt & sugah. Mix!
3. Use your fingers to mix the butter and shortening until its sand-like in texture.
4. Combine cream and beaten egg in additional bowl.
5. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry, and do NOT over mix. It should look just mixed. 
6. Roll out the dough into one-inch high circles.
7. Sprinkle rosemary and sea salt
8. Bake for 15 minutes until lightly brown.
   
9. Eat warm with butter and raspberry preserves.
10. mmmmmmmmmm.
11. 

I was immediately attracted to their corn muffin recipe.  They’re not necessarily a go-to for me; they can be dull or dry.  Creme fraiche elevates these to a new level of moistness and richness.  And, it just so happens that I’ve been experimenting with making homemade creme fraiche.  Surprisingly easily and decadent, I’m not sure why anyone would buy it after learning how to make it at home.

These taste best the day they’re made, but they can be enjoyed all week long (I know from personal experience).  They are also delightful sliced in half and toasted on a griddle with some butter.  Toward the end of the week, I used them in a ridiculous trifle that I can’t wait to replicate–crumbled muffins layered with creme fraiche (or whipped cream) and strawberries.  I’m looking forward to trying this in the summer with grilled peaches and goat cheese ice cream.

Corn Muffins with Orange Zest and Peach Jam Filling

Adapted from Flour by Joanne Chang

• 2 and 3/4 cups of flour
• 1 cup of cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup of packed light brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup milk, room temperature
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup creme fraiche
• 3/4 cup (approximately of jam of your choice)
• Zest from one large orange (approximately 1 tablespoon)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter your muffin tin or use paper liners.

2. Mix together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl until well-mixed.

3.  In another bowl, whisk together butter and sugar until it forms a slurry.

4. In yet another bowl (is someone else doing the dishes?), whisk the eggs until well blended.

5. One at a time, mix the following into the eggs: milk, oil, creme fraiche and butter/sugar mixture.

6. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and fold carefully until just combined.  It will be thick and pasty.

7. Fill each cup about half way.  Add a dollop (about tablespoon) of jam on top.  Add more batter on top (should be to the rim of the paper cup or tin).  Do this for each muffin.

8. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the edges are brown.  Cool on a wire rack.

This very special post goes out to a blogger who very kindly featured Haley & my lil’ labor of love on her own wonderful food blog, Foods for the Soul. In a small token of thanks, we wanted to feature her awesomeness by doing a post on a food combination she did well: chocolate and Balsamic vinegar.

This experiment was a recent favorite at a recent dinner party at the Gage household, and it was luckily pretty successful. Who knew that chocolate and vinegar could be as harmonious as peanut butter and jelly, but done in the right way, once you give this cool combo a whirl, you’ll wonder why you never tried it.

And so I give you…

Baker’s Brownie with Balsamic Frosting and Strawberries

INGREDIENTS:

Brownie (from the back of the Baker’s unsweetened chocolate box):

Frosting:

• 2.5 sticks of buttah (room temp)
• 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 1 tbsp of cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp of kosher salt
• really good balsamic to taste (i think i used about 1/4 cup)

1 package of strawberries (for decoration/deliciousness)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Spray an 8 inch spring-form pan with cooking spray.
3. Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on high 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.
4. Stir in sugar.
5. Blend in eggs and vanilla.
6. Add flour  until just combined and pour into prepared pan.
7. Bake approx 30 min until your toothpick is brownie-batter free!
8. Cool completely.
9. In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until well-blended.
10. Add cream-cheese, cocoa, and salt until (also) well-blended.
11. Slowly add balsamic to taste.
12. Top cooled brownie with frosting and garnish with freshly sliced strawberries.

The Baker’s brownie recipe is classic, but there’s something about the texture that can  make it overly dry if baked even slightly too long. Be wary of that. But otherwise, the mix of chocolate, balsamic, and strawberry is pretty epic, (really mostly the frosting). We hope you did you justice, Foods For The Soul!

In the same vein, I want to pay it forward by recognizing blogs that continue to inspire me.  I want to give a formal shout-out to regulars on this blog: Heidi Swanson and David Lebovitz.  (Read: I often cite their recipes as the muse or basis of my post.  Case-in-point.)

I have also recently fallen in love with the photos and recipes from Desserts for Breakfast.   Makes me want to move back to the Bay area.

Lastly, I have some super talented friends with their own blogs: Balanced-Beings, rosenbklyn, Tara Stiles and Two Sisters, Two Suppers.

And just for fun, here are additional sites that tickle my fancy on a weekly basis: Shelter Co., Modern Hiker and Petit Cabinet de Curiosites.

Who on the world wide web inspires you?  I expect a full report by the end of the week.

Dark Chocolate Sorbet with Berry Balsamic Sauce

Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz and My Baking Addiction.

You can find the recipes here:

• Chocolate Sorbet Recipe
• Berry Balsamic Sauce (note the yummy cheesecake recipe, but scroll to the bottom for the sauce)

Some notes:

• This can be made using vegan chocolate.  Double yum.
• Sorry for the worse than usual photos.  I added homemade creme fraiche and black lava salt to my sundae.  On other nights, I’ve added dried cherries and almonds to give it that Cadbury Fruit and Nut bar taste.
• I love Claudio’s Balsamic Vinegar which you can find online or in the Philadelphia Italian Market.
• I subbed strawberries for blackberries in the recipe, but feel free to go to town.
• I just used the remaining sorbet in a relatively healthy shake–chocolate sorbet, coconut milk, almond butter and banana.  It’s the banana split that won’t split your pants.  HA!  I crack myself up.  Okay, that was pretty lame, but you get the point.

True to form, B & I put a lot of work into making tons of homemade treats to fill our table (B the cocktail version of “dinner” and I the desserts), and one of my favorites on my side was the red velvet popcorn. Funny enough, when one Googles “red velvet popcorn” the majority of recipes are fresh popped popcorn mixed with red velvet crumbs. Um…. weird. I wanted to make a popcorn that all had the delicious flavors  of red velvet cake, but without the cake. And this is just the recipe. Bright red for the season, rich with cocoa flavor, and a crunch that is addictive.

And hey – Valentine’s Day is coming, so if you have a special someone you want to make a red, romantic-y, homemade sweet treat for, it’s a good one to give a go.

Red Velvet Cake Popcorn with White Chocolate Drizzle (adapted from Cravings Of A Lunatic)

Ingredients:

• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup light corn syrup
• ½ stick butter
• 4 tablespoons cocoa
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 10 cups popcorn
• Red food coloring (about 1 tbsp, but add based on the color you want)
• 1/2 cup of white chocolate, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Pop your popcorn ahead of time (fresh is best!)
3. In a large saucepan combine the sugar, corn syrup, butter, cocoa, vanilla, salt, and cook over medium heat until well combined and a bit bubbly. Remove from heat. Add the food coloring and whisk until well combined.
4. Allow to cool for 10 minutes to close to room temperature (room temp on a hot July day that is) so the popcorn doesn’t shrink when you pour.
5. Pour over popcorn and mix thoroughly until evenly coated.
6. Pour the popcorn on the parchment lined cookie sheet.
7. Place in oven for 30 to 60 minutes – the goal is to remove the moisture to create crunchy popcorn clusters. Turn it over with a spatula  every 15 minutes or so.
8. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
9. Once cool, melt white chocolate and drizzle over the top with a fork.
10. Let cool, break apart, and go to TOWN.

I did get to make a few holiday treats this year: cardamom palmiers and caramel-date ice cream.  We even revived the skillet chocolate chip cookie.

But, what’s an airplane-friendly, healthy treat that tastes like Christmas and will get us through a 20+ hour flight to Nairobi?  Popcorn of course!  This is so easy and salty-sweet delicious.  The molasses makes this less cloying than normal caramel corn recipes.

Gingerbread Caramel Popcorn

Adapted from It’s Just Laine.  

• About 16 cups of popped popcorn (about 2/3 cups unpopped kernels).  I used this stove-top method to cook the popcorn.
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 stick of butter
• 1/3 cup of 100% maple syrup
• 1/4 cup of molasses
• 1 1/2 teaspoon of ginger
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon of cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• Sea Salt (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Sprinkle popcorn with salt while still warm.  Divide popcorn onto the two baking sheets so that there’s a fairly even layer on both pans.

2. Add brown sugar, butter, maple syrup, molasses, spices and salt.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Boil without stirring for five minutes.

3. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla.  Note: it will foam.  Quickly ladle over popcorn and mix well.  If desired, give the popcorn a very light sprinkling of salt.

4. Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes.  Remove pans from oven and stir well, mixing and turning the popcorn with a spatula.  Return pans to the oven and rotate their position.

5. Bake for 5 more minutes and stir again.  Return pans to the oven, rotating placement once again.  Close the oven door, turn off the oven, and allow the popcorn to rest for 20 minutes or for as long as overnight.  I really enjoyed them right out of the oven, slightly cooled and tossed with almonds.  They make your house smell like Christmas.  Store in giant ziplock bag.

“…will do.”

Not dry, not dry, not dry. Scones are typically fairly dry, which is why they can be lathered with jam/preserves/clotted cream (if you so dare) until your heart is content. I mean, the ratio of crumb to condiment is 50/50, and I’m ok with that. Actually, I like that. But not this time. These had to be great not only with homemade Smuckers but could also stand on their own.

And I did it. Hooray! The trick? Do not over mix, do not over mix, DO NOT over mix. You should look at this dough and say to yourself “I do not trust Britt in the slightest – there is no way that these will actually hold together let alone will bake up to be gloriously delicious scones”. Be the underachiever, channel your inner lazy baker, and DO NOT over mix. And you will be rewarded with warm, buttery, NOT DRY scones for breakfast.

Herbacious Scones
Yields 6-8 scones

• 2.5 cups flour
• .5 cups almond meal
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
• 2 tablespoons chopped thyme
• 2 tablespoons chopped sage
• 4 oz/ 1stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 1/4 cup cold heavy cream, plus 2 tablespoons
• 1 1/2 tablespoons demerrara sugar

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, herbs, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
3. Add the butter and mix until the butter is the size of peas (this won’t take very long so watch it).
4. Add 1 1/4 cups of the heavy cream and mix until the just combined (less than 15 seconds – really!).
5. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and rpat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Cut out circles, cutting as closely together as possible.
6. Gather the scraps, pat and press the pieces back together and cut out the remaining dough.
7. Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet about 1-inch apart.
8. Brush the tops with the remaining cream and sprinkle with the sugar.
9. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until lightly golden brown.
10. Remove to a baking rack and let cool slightly.

Erin, my lovely friend in San Francisco, seemed to always be making these fantastic breads.  Cheese bread, olive bread, cinnamon buns and more.  She made it look easy to just show up at brunch with a warm loaf of bread.  I wanted these magical powers.

Turns out that her magic could be learned in a book.  While there’s something to be said for Tartine’s 26-page bread recipe, who has time to read that (let alone, try to recreate some of the world’s best bread)?  Enter Erin’s real life solution: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  Its minimalist approach will probably make purists dry heave.  That’s fine.  More bread for me.

This recipe makes three to four small loaves.  You can premix, and let it sit in your fridge for up to two weeks.  In fact, I think the bread tastes best after it’s had a chance to develop some nice sourdough notes after about a week.

With this particular loaf, I mixed in dry herbs.  I love the French thyme and Bohemian Forest Rub from Savory Spice Shop in Costa Mesa, CA.  But, the beauty of this bread is that you can do so many things with the dough.  Cook it in a skillet with butter for naan flat breads.  Roll some olive oil and caramelized onions into the loaf.  Flatten, stuff with sauce and cheese, and make a calzone.  I can keep going, but then again, I’m not Tartine.

I want to give a shout out to my pizza stone, without which, none of this would’ve been possible.

Whole Wheat Herb Bread

Makes four 1-pound loaves.  You can double or half this recipe.  Adapted from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day.

• 3 cups of lukewarm water
• 2 packets of active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt
• 2 cups of whole wheat flour
• 4 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• about 3 tablespoons of dried herbs

1. Mix the yeast, water and salt in a bowl.  Note: you can mix the dough by hand, in a mixer or in a food processor.  Make sure that you have the proper dough attachments.

2. Mix in the dry ingredients without kneading.  Yes, you read that correctly.  No kneading necessary.  Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature for two hours (until it rises and collapses).

3. Dough can be used immediately or stored in the fridge for two weeks.  When storing, make sure the container is not airtight.

4. On baking day, cut off a 1-pound or grapefruit size hunk of dough.  Place on a floured surface.  I like to work right on the pizza peel.  Flatten into a round circle.

5. Sprinkle the dough with dried herbs (about 1 1/2 tablespoons).  Loosely roll the doll so that there is an herb swirl in the center of the loaf (like you’re rolling a stromboli).

6. Put the seam on the bottom.  You can either re-shape into a round ball or leave it as is.  Allow it to rest for about 40 minutes at room temperature or on the warm stove top.  Cover loosely with a wet paper towel or plastic wrap.

7. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place an empty roasting pan on the lower rack.  Your pizza stone should be on the upper rack.  Allow the oven to preheat completely.

8. Before putting the bread in the oven, sprinkle the top of the bread with the remaining herbs.  Slash the top in a couple of places with a knife.

9. Slide the dough off the peel and onto your pizza stone (or baking pan).  Pour a cup of water into the roasting plan and quickly close the door to trap the steam.

10. Bake for about 30-40 minutes until deeply brown and firm.  Cool completely on a rack before slicing.

BONUS: Recipe for olive-almond-sage tapenade.  In a mini food processor, pulse the following ingredients: pitted, good quality olives, almonds, olive oil, lots of fresh herbs (sage) and lemon juice to taste.  Feel free to add garlic as well or grated cheese.  Stores well in the fridge for up to a week.

On our honeymoon, Butch and I consumed our weight in french baked goods. I’m not kidding. I earned every last honeymoon gained pound from pistachio chocolate rolls, nutella and banana crepes, and the incredibly illusive almond croissant. We had one almond croissant in Nice that was life-changing (with respect to pastry, that is). The inner almond-y goo seeped out onto our fingers like sweet, sweet honey as we ate, flakes of puff pastry all of our faces and shirts. It was magic, and I knew that it was the first pastry I’d have to try to replicate when we got back.

Two things to note for this project:

1. These are a LABOR OF LOVE. I made puff pastry from scratch (I didnt realize thats what I was doing until about half the way through by the way) which you can do or not do, but I wanted to be true to our Provencal experience so I cut no corners. Take the time and do the recipe in full over a lazy Saturday afternoon so you have fresh  Sunday morning breakfast.

2. It was SO worth it. It really, truly was. Was it like the one we had in Nice? Eh, sort of. But it was a homemade almond croissant from scratch and for that it was all the more special.

“L.O.L.” Almond Croissants (adapted from Poh’s Kitchen)

Ingredients:

• 500g plain flour
•  1 tsp dry yeast
• 1 tbs lukewarm whole milk
• 325ml cold water
• 25g unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 250g unsalted butter, softened

Egg Wash

• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk beaten with 2 tbs milk

Creème Patissiere (Yields about 1 cup)

• 200ml whole milk
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthways and seeds scraped
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup granulated
• 2 tbs plain flour, sifted
• 20g unsalted butter, diced

Creème d’amande (Yields about 3 cups)

• 150g unsalted butter, softened and diced
• 1 1/4 cups powdered
• 1 1/2 cups almond meal
• 2 tbs cornflour
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp  amaretto liqueur
• 1 cup creème patissiere

Syrup

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• flaked almonds, to decorate
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

1. Place the flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast and milk, stirring to dissolve. Wait a few minutes, then  add the water and melted butter and combine the ingredients gently with your fingertips. Add the salt and sugar and keep mixing with your fingers until the dough becomes very sticky. (You may need to add a little more water if the dough is not sticky enough.)
2. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough with the palm of your hand, rolling it away from your body, for eight to ten minutes. Do not add any flour during the kneading. Place the dough in a bowl, cover the top with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 7 hours. It will double in size in the fridge.
3. Roll the dough into a rectangle that’s about 1/2 inch thin. Spread half the softened butter over the center third of the sheet. Fold the top third of the dough over the center buttered section. Spread the remaining butter over the folded section, then fold the bottom third over the top.
4. Turn the dough 90 degrees so that the folded seams are at the sides. Roll the pastry again to form a large rectangular sheet and fold it in three. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
5. Repeat the process of folding and refrigerating another 3x.
6. Heat the oven to 425F and line a baking tray with baking paper.
7. Roll the dough 1/4 inch thick rectangle.Trim the edges, then cut into 12 triangles. Starting from the widest end, roll the triangles up and shape into a crescent.
8. Space the croissants out on the baking tray and leave them to rise by about one-third in a draft-free, warm room (65+ degrees ideal) for about an hour.
9. When the croissant have risen brush them with the egg wash and bake for ten minutes, or until golden. Do not open the oven door during cooking time. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
10. Make the creème patissiere. Combine the milk and vanilla bean and seeds in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture is fluffy and pale, forming thick ribbons when drizzled from the whisk. Add the flour and mix well. Stir the hot milk into the egg mixture and mix well again. Using a fine sieve, strain the cream mixture back into the saucepan, discarding the vanilla bean and any lumps. Cook on low heat for three to five minutes until the mixture thickens, whisking continuously to prevent the mixture sticking to the pan. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl, add the butter, combine well, set aside to cool. Cover the surface of the cream with a layer of plastic wrap to avoid a skin forming.
11. To make the creme d’amande, beat the butter, icing sugar, almond meal and cornflour in an electric mixer on medium speed until pale and creamy. Add the egg yolks one by one, mixing well each time.
12. Add the liqueur and the creme patissiere, mix well with a wooden spoon to combine. Set aside until required.
13. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two large baking trays and line with baking paper.
14. To make the syrup, place the water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil.
15. Cut the croissants with a serrated knife and brush generously with the syrup. Spread some cremè d’amande on one half of each of the croissants, put the other half on top and spread on more creme d’amande. Sprinkle the flaked almonds on top.
16. Place the croissants on the prepared trays. Lay a sheet of baking paper on top of the croissants, then place an extra tray on top to flatten (almond croissants always cook between two trays.) Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until crisp an golden.
17. Remove the trays, let the croissants cool down completely, then dust with the icing sugar.

These are a winner, my friends. Kick off the holidays right and try these out.