Strawberry shortcakes

        buttermilk biscuits
+      strawberries
+      whipped cream
+      mint                        
awesome summer dessert

Makes 8-9 cakes

For the biscuits:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup butter, cold, cut into pea-sized pieces
1 1/2 to 2 cups buttermilk, plus additional for brushing

For the confit:

1 quart fresh strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
1-2 tablespoons water
Peel of 1/2 apple

For the whipped cream:

1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

Small bunch of mint

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut in the shortening using a pastry blender or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and add 1 cup buttermilk. Using your hands, quickly fold the dry ingredients into the buttermilk until a sticky dough forms. You may need to add more buttermilk.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Gently fold the dough over itself 3 or 4 times to create layers. Press the dough out to 1 1/2-inches thick and cut with a floured 3-inch biscuit cutter. Lay the biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with buttermilk. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until risen and golden brown.

While the biscuits are cooking, de-stem the strawberries and cut them into quarters. Set aside a few strawberries to use as a garnish for later. Toss the rest of the strawberries in the sugar, water, and apple peel, then place in small pot and cook on simmer for 20-30 minutes.

To make the whipped cream, use an electric mixer to whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla together until desired consistency is reached, 3-4 minutes.

Cut the biscuits in half width-wise, then position one half on a plate. Place a healthy serving of strawberry confit on top, then a dollop of whipped cream, then some fresh strawberries, if desired. Position the other biscuit half on an angle, add a sprig of mint, and serve!

Biscuits adapted from Tyler Florence. Errything else by me!

Sheep and a strawberry pavlova

Today was a good day. After a really nice dinner of sautéed breaded chicken, roasted garlic potatoes, and crispy asparagus, we (we being four people) sat down to dessert. A rather quick dessert. A three minute dessert to be precise. For after the three minute mark, our dessert was gone. Like, totally gone. Like, an entire cake, gone. An entire pavlova in three minutes. What did we do afterwards? Oh, no big deal, just went sheep hunting. As in on a hunt to find sheep. Not hunting FOR sheep. You know what? This would make so much more sense in pictures. Let me show you.

I would like to showcase some artsy sheep photos.

UGG prodigies

hi i'm friendly and photogenic

So you're looking for a recipe, right? A pavlova recipe? You don't want to see more sheep things? Ok here you go :)

Makes one 10-12 inch cake.

For the meringue:

1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 (large) egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping:

1 pint whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch salt
1 1/2 pints fresh strawberries, washed, de-stemmed, and quartered

Preheat the oven to 275°F. Using a pencil, draw the outline of a 10 inch cake pan on parchment paper. Flip the paper over and place on a cookie tray. Set aside. In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup of the sugar and the cornstarch until cornstarch is mixed in.

In a larger bowl, using a mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add in salt and cream of tartar. Beat on high speed until soft peaks form. In small additions, beat in the plain sugar until all mixed, then add the cornstarch/sugar mixture. Last, beat in the vanilla extract and continue to beat until hard peaks form (about the consistency of a soft whipped cream).

Pour the mixture onto the parchment paper and, using the back of a large spoon, push the meringue so it spreads out to the 10 inches you outlined with the cake pan. Using the spoon, create a large well in the center of the meringue. The center should be about 1/2 inch tall and the outside should be about 1 1/2 inches. Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Allow to fully cool.

team pavlova

While the meringue is baking, whip up the topping! Combine all ingredients (minus the strawberries) in a large bowl and whip until a hard whipped-cream consistency is reached. Spread over the meringue once ready and top with strawberries. Voila!

Sheeeeeep.

Fudge pie

Hello, all! While Boston has been experiencing some pritty whacky weather this season, I've had the good fortune of going to California for a couple days. It's been a blast and a half soaking up the sun, being with friends, and doing lots of outdoorsy stuff. Meanwhile, I made this pie back in BeanTown right before I left so I could share it with you all. I am obsessed with this pie for two main reasons: 1) it's chocolate; 2) it's chocolate. Like, actually who doesn't want a chocolate pie. Come, now. It's soooo chocolate-y and decadent, but like other pies out there it's not so insanely rich that you keel over after one slice (i.e. cut a biiig piece and enjoy it). The whipped cream on top is a nice balance to the dark chocolaty center, and the crust provides nice textural contrast. This is definitely one of my most prized reciPIES, so if you're even thinking twice about making it, you should get off your computer right now and go do it.


Makes 1 9-inch pie

For the crust:

one store-bought pie crust (Pillsbury, anyone?)

For the filling:

6 ounces good semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (chocolate chips will work just fine, too)
1/4 teaspoon instant coffee powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the whipped cream:

1 pint heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Begin by blind-baking the pie crust. Blind baking is important in making any pie because it involves baking the crust initially on its own, allowing for the final produt to have a crispier bottom crust, not gooey and still uncooked like those aaaamateur pies). To blind bake, grease a glass pie plate and set down the bottom pie crust. Starting from the middle and working your way out, pat down the crust so it lies flat on the plate. Using your fingertips, ruffle the edges to make it look pretty. Use a fork to make 7-10 indentations in the bottom of the crust (this allows air to escape from the crust and prevents bubbles from forming). Now grease the inside of the crust and line it with a piece of aluminum foil. Next, pour in dried rice or beans to line the aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes (your crust won't be fully cooked, per se, but it will make a world of a difference. Trust me!).

Reduce oven temperature to 325º F. In a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate, coffee powder, and butter.

Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs, salt, and ½ cup of the sugar until fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Fold a third of the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remainder.

Pour the combined mixture into the crust and bake until puffed and beginning to crack, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool for 1 hour, then chill.

Beat the cream, extract, and sugar until soft peaks form. Spread over the pie and sprinkle with the shaved chocolate.

Recipe adapted from Real Simple.

Holiday yule log

My family has been making this cake for years around the holidays. It's probably the most festive cake I've ever eaten, let alone seen. What's great about it is, even though it looks heavy, both the cake and the filling are very light and airy, making this a great recipe for the days proceeding holiday munching! Enjoy.

For the log:

1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
2/3 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons water

For the filling:

1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

For the frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a jelly-roll pan, then line it with parchment paper and grease again. Set aside. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks and 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar until creamy. Add the vanilla and water and mix well.

In a separate bowl, with CLEAN beaters, beat the egg whites until fluffy. Add the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form.

Add the flour mixture to the egg yolk mixture in batches, folding in between. Then, very carefully fold in the egg whites until blended. Pour the batter onto the jelly-roll pan and spread evenly to the edges. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean when inserted into the cake. Be careful not to overbake this cake!

While the cake is baking, lay a clean dish towel on a flat surface and dust it with the 1/4 cup of confectioner's sugar. When the cake is done, loosen the edges of the cake and quickly turn it over onto the towel. Remove the parchment paper. To keep the cake from setting into a flat shape, roll up the cake in the towel starting on the long ends and place on cooling rack until cooled.

For the filling, beat the heavy cream, vanilla, and confectioner's sugar together until a thick whipped cream forms. When the cake is cooled, carefully unroll it and spread the whipped filling evenly over one side of the cake (the side that curls inwards), spreading to the edges. Roll the cake up again to form a log, this time without the towel!

For the frosting, beat the butter, confectioner's sugar, cream, and melted chocolate until well-blended, adding more cream if necessary to thin the consistency. Using a serrated knife, carefully cut through the cake on an angle to form the second log piece. Attach to the main log using frosting. Cut off the remaining angled piece from the main log and do what you like with it (snack, anyone?). Frost the entire rolled cake with the frosting, using a fork to create shallow bark-like grooves.

At this point I went outside into the frigid cold and found a holly bush, where I hastily picked out holly leaves to decorate with. Then I went to a pine tree. Then I ran back inside and finished my decorations in the warm kitchen. Jolly!

Recipe from the December/January 1995 issue of Parenting.