Summer Vodka Infusions

aaaaaaand we're back! Let's skip all of the oh man it's been so long, I'm so lazy and haven't written. More important things are afoot. 


I'm now in Philadelphia working for Boeing and am subletting from some UPenn students. It's not exactly the most beautiful place, and the kitchen is such a mess that I can't really do a lot of great cooking. However, I can infuse vodka. Now, this infusion is not complete, I just put the jars together. The good thing is it will force me to update the blog at least one more time to report how it all turns out. 

There are so many flavors of vodka out there now, from marshmallow to watermelon, salted caramel to blueberry. I thought I'd try to make a few of my own. It's incredibly simple thus far and took me about 20 minutes. Take some old mason jars and get some fresh and flavorful ingredients. I finally took advantage of the Reading Terminal Market here in Philly and wandered around there picking some fresh fruit and herbs to use. I chose to make 5 varieties: Peach n' Berry, Rosemary, Vanilla, Citrus, and Pear. 

So, grab a bottle of your favorite vodka...

gather some flavorful ingredients...

 And get infusing!

The vanilla bean is easy: I just took one and sliced it lengthwise, turned it inside out and placed it into the jar and filled it with vodka. Basically the same with the rosemary, I just tossed two full rosemary stems into the jar and filled it up.

For the citrus, I placed two slices of grapefruit and two slices of valencia oranges into the jar, and the pear I just sliced red and green pears and arranged them around the edges. 

I used the biggest jar for the peach n' berry, sliced half a peach and 4 strawberries and then tossed in a handful of blueberries and raspberries, leaving them whole. 

They take anywhere from 3-7 days to infuse, so I'm going to leave them in a dark cool place (a box in my air conditioned room, for the next few days and try them intermittently until I like the flavors. For those of you that can really only appreciate instagram-style photos, here's a version a bit more in that genre. 

Hopefully I will report back in a bit with some great success stories and tasty vodka, until then I'm off to Denver for some splatter painting and quality Becca time! 

Irresistable German Chocolate Cake

I was fully aware upon beginning this blog that soon I would get distracted and stop writing. However, its a New Year and I am going to try to get back into the swing of things. It is likely that the same problems will ensue and as homework increases blog posts will decrease, but lets start out a little optimistic.

I discovered this recipe and was initially quite skeptical as I don't really like German Chocolate cake, but this changed my view on everything. If you have New Years Resolutions to be healthy, please stay far far away from the coconut filling because no matter how strong willed you think you are, this will be your demise.
 
The first time making this I covered it with a chocolate ganache, which I always dread working with but made it deliciously rich. The second time I was covering the cake in fondant to decorate so I put a layer of chocolate buttercream over the cake beneath the fondant to hold it all together. Both were supremely tasty and worked out quite well, so try either one depending on what's your favorite, or just what ingredients you have on hand.

The only pictures I have of it are the fully decorated versions (a blackjack cake for an engineering friend and a Jewish book cover for my grandfather) so it is a little difficult to see what the cake actually looks like. Trust me though, it's delicious and worthy of making as a spectacular gift for someone's birthday. 

Enough talk. Cake time:

German Chocolate Cake

4 oz. German Chocolate

1/2 C. water

4 eggs, separated

2 C. flour

1tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 C. butter, softened

1 1/2 C. sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 C. buttermilk

• Microwave chocolate and water in large bowl in 30 s. intervals until melted
• Beat egg whites in small bowl with hand mixer until stiff peaks form, set aside
• Mix flour, baking soda, and salt in another bowl
• Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy - add egg yolks 1 at a time
• Blend in melted chocolate and vanilla extract
• Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beat until well blended
• Fold in egg whites, stir gently until combined
• Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test
• Let cool in pan(s) for 15 minutes then place on wire racks
• Trim cake and layer with coconut pecan frosting, top with chocolate ganache or buttercream

 Coconut Pecan Frosting

4 egg yolks

12 oz. evaporated milk

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 C. sugar

3/4 C. butter or margarine

7 oz. shredded coconut

1 1/2 C. chopped pecans

• Beat egg yolks, evaporated milk and vanilla in large sauce pan
• Add sugar and butter - cook on medium heat for about 12 minutes or until think and golden
• Remove from heat - stir in coconut and nuts
• Try not to eat it all before you put it on the cake

To cover the cake, take your pick between chocolatey options...

Chocolate Buttermilk Frosting

4 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted

1 C. butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 C. Cocoa powder

5 C. powdered sugar

1/3 C. buttermilk 

• Cream butter and chocolate - add vanilla and cocoa powder
• Add sugar one cup at a time
• Pour buttermilk in small intervals until desired consistency is reached
• Spread generously over cake layers

Or if you're feeling like taking the more traditional German Chocolate route...

Chocolate Ganache 

12 ounces chocolate, chopped into small pieces

1 cup heavy cream

3 T. Kahlua or Baileys

• Bring cream to a simmer in a small sauce pan
• Pour cream over chocolate pieces and stir until melted
• Allow mixture to cool - the longer you let it sit the thicker it will be
• Pour over cake layers and allow to cool in refrigerator until completely set

So when you've let all your New Years Resolutions slide by the wayside, give this recipe a try and just bask in its decadence with some good friends!
 

Candy Corn Cookies!

I know most people, myself included, have already had their Halloween parties and are now looking forward toward Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Especially with all the snow hitting the Northeast, it seems even nature wants to push us into December. However, if you are one of the few and the proud to host their Halloween Party on the 31st or are just looking for more ways to celebrate on your own and hold on to October for as long as possible, I highly recommend making these. 

They are from a basic sugar cookie recipe, so choose your favorite. Mine is listed below and I absolutely love this recipe, it doesn't get better than these. You can also just use two packages of sugar cookie mix if you're in a hurry, but you'll lose out on that homemade flavor.

Basically, make your sugar cookie dough and divide it into three sections. Dye one orange, one yellow, and leave the other white.  

 Roll out the yellow dough into a rectangle on a sheet of wax paper. The thickness will depend on the size cookie you are hoping for. I rolled mine out to about 1/4" and made cookies that were about the size of real candy corn. For larger cookies, leave the dough thicker. 

Set the yellow aside and repeat the same process with the orange dough. It can be difficult to get it exactly the same size as the yellow, but don't worry too much. Flip the orange dough over onto the yellow dough. Be careful about how much flour you use when rolling out the dough. You want to make sure the dough slabs will meld together and if there is too much flour on the top they will stay separate and make your life difficult later on.

Repeat the process for the white dough and you will end up with something that looks like this. As you can see, my layers were not exactly even, but once you slice it up into millions of little candy corn, it's not noticeable.

Refrigerate this slab for an hour or so until it is stiff. Then cut a line of the dough and slice diagonal lines in alternate directions to make the triangle candy corn. If the colors separate when you cut them, lightly squish them back together and place on your cookie sheet. Half the candy corn will be the correct color scheme (yellow on the bottom) and half will have white on the bottom, but they still portray the right idea.

If you want thicker cookies as you move along, you can squish the slab of dough together to make it thicker and slice in the same way as before. I made a bunch of tiny cookies and then decided to have some bigger ones as well.

Bake the cookies according to your recipe. For mine this meant 400F for 6-8 minutes. Remove the cookies and cool them on a wire rack.

A bowl of candy corn - in cookie form!

No Fail Sugar Cookies 

(makes a lot)

1 1/2 cups butter, softened 

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

4 eggs

1 Tsp vanilla

5 cups all purpose flour

2 Tsp baking powder

1 Tsp salt

• Cream butter and sugar, beat in eggs one at a time and add vanilla
• Blend in flour, baking powder, salt
• Chill for 30 min-1hr (for the candy corn I dyed them first, and rolled the slabs before chilling)
• Cut as desired and bake at 400F for 6-8 minutes - until lightly browned on edges

Roasted Pumpkin, Spinach and Gorgonzola Quiche

One of the most important trends I've noticed throughout pumpkin fest is that sweet dishes usually involve lots of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and pumpkin pie spice. Savory dishes however, use sage. This quiche is no exception.

The phyllo dough crust takes a little time but adds a great texture. If you've never worked with it before, you just buy the dough frozen at any grocery store (it's by the Sara Lee frozen pies and Cool Whip).

The quiche turned out a little moist when I served it right out of the oven, but still tasted incredible. However, I might have cooked it a little longer or let it chill to solidify a bit before serving. This was one of those dishes where the leftovers sat on my counter being nibbled at after dinner and was completely gone by the time I went to bed that night. I served it for dinner, but it would also work beautifully for brunch!

Roasted Pumpkin and Gorgonzola Quiche

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups onion, sliced thinly into half-moons
water as needed
2 cups pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
12 sheets phyllo dough, thawed as directed on package
1/4 cup olive oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed
3 ounces gorgonzola or other blue cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon sage, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon basil
1/2 tablespoon thyme
1/2 tablespoon pepper

• Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat
• Add the onions and saute until the onions are tender, about 10-15 minutes
• Reduce the heat to just a bit below medium, add 1/4 cup water, cover and cook until the onions turn a deep golden brown, about 15 minutes until they are soft and golden (Add a bit more water if it starts to get to dry)
• Meanwhile, toss the pumpkin with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Roast the pumpkin (see here for more in depth instructions on cooking pumpkin)
• Unroll the phyllo pastry - be very patient when thawing this, if it is still frozen, it will crack and break into small pieces which is wholly unhelpful
• Brush a sheet of phyllo pastry with the olive oil and place it in the bottom of spring-form pan with the ends hanging over the side of the pan and repeat with the remaining sheets placing them on top
• Mix the onions, pumpkin, eggs, milk, mushrooms, spinach, gorgonzola and sage and pour it into the crust.
• Bake in a preheated 375F oven until golden brown and set in the center, about 35-45 minutes.
• Allow to cool in spring form for 5-10 minutes then remove from springform and serve

Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

 Pumpkinfest rolls on. . . only a few days left of October to make all the pumpkin recipes I've found!

A very easy and absurdly tasty breakfast. These only take a few minutes to whip up and are sure to please whether they're made for a lazy weekend morning or a special weekday treat. 

Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 oz semi sweet chocolate baking square, chopped into chunks
1 cup 1% milk
2 Tbsp apple sauce 
2 egg whites
1 whole egg
1 tsp vanilla

• Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl
• Blend milk, egg, canned pumpkin in a bowl and beat until smooth
• Combine wet ingredients with the dry and mix until there are no more dry spots - Don't over-mix.

• Heat a skillet (use cooking spray/butter if necessary for your pan) and pour batter to make 6-8 inch pancakes
• When bubbles start to form and edges firm up, flip pancake and cook on med-low heat until cooked through
• Heat oven to 150F and put cooked pancakes on pan in oven to keep first batch warm while you finish making the rest
• Top with maple syrup and serve warm with a glass of milk

 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Frosting

                         

Sunday mornings are just about the only time I will put forth significant effort into breakfast. Last Sunday I was determined to have pumpkin cinnamon rolls (too good to be true, I know). I almost wimped out and used my usual cinnamon roll recipe that does not require yeast because I couldn't fathom waiting 2 hours to have them. My roommate convinced me to just go for it, and we had cinnamon rolls as the perfect Sunday lunch. The maple cream cheese frosting is unbelievable; I highly recommend serving the rolls with an extra bowl of it on the side for extraneous dipping.

I know they take time, but please just invite some friends over and make them, they are too good and welcome fall in such a beautiful way.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting 

Roll Dough:
1/4 cup warm water (not hot, about 110 degrees)
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1/3 cup milk
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup pumpkin puree, either fresh or canned
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 cups (approximately) All-Purpose Flour
1 1 /4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Filling:
4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon each of allspice and ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves

Cream Cheese Frosting: 

8 ounces cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 C maple syrup

Rolls: 

• Stir yeast into water in a large bowl and stir to combine. Let rest for 5-10 minutes. If yeast is not foamy, scrap the mixture and use a fresher yeast packet (there is nothing worse than doing all this work only to have the yeast not work)
• Stir in the milk, eggs, pumpkin, butter, 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour, brown sugar, salt, and spices.  Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.
• Slowly add the rest of the flour (all purpose), a bit at a time, until the dough is stiff enough to knead. 
• Begin with 1 1/2 cups of flour and increase if necessary
• Knead, adding flour as necessary, until you have a smooth, elastic dough (I used my kitchenaid mixer with the dough hook to do this because it made my life that much easier)
• Place the dough into a greased bowl - Turn the dough in the bowl to coat the entire ball of dough with oil
• Cover with plastic wrap and rise until doubled, approximately 45 minutes
• Combine the white sugar, brown sugar, and spices in a another bowl, set aside
•  Transfer the risen dough to a lightly greased work surface, and pat or roll it into a 16" x 12" rectangle
• Melt butter and brush over dough; sprinkle with the sugar mixture
• Roll the dough into a log the long way
• Take a piece of dental floss and slide under  the log about 2 inches from the end of the log
• Bring the ends of the floss up while placing two fingers on top of the log to stabilize the roll (This gives a very clean cut to make the rolls. Slice the entire log and place roll into a greased 9"x13" pan
• Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Bake in a preheated 375°F oven - Bake the rolls till they're brown around the edges and beginning to turn golden brown across the center, about 20-30 minutes

some got a little who-villesque, always good to have some character in the kitchen!

Frosting 

• Beat cream cheese, lemon juice and vanilla extract until smooth
• Slowly add powdered sugar and beat well
• Pour in maple syrup - add more powdered sugar if necessary to thicken texture 
• Generously cover the warm rolls in maple frosting and serve immediately 

Pumpkin Risotto

Though posts have been sparse lately, the exciting new creations in my kitchen have been unceasing. It seems I either have time to make the food or to write about it, rarely both. .  . But I'm going to try to be much better and post lots more of the recipes I have been sharing with my new roommate.

Currently, we are in the middle of what I have deemed Pumpkinfest. It all began when I brought home some pumpkin ale a few weeks ago and my roommate requested that we have pumpkin every day in October. I accepted the challenge and we have been quite diligent. When most people think of eating pumpkin, they think of pies or breads, but I have been exploring the many different dishes that can be enhanced with pumpkin. By keeping it varied with pumpkin themed dinners, breakfasts, desserts, and drinks, we have had an incredible October and embraced all that fall has to offer.

This was my first risotto ever and it was one of the more time consuming pumpkin dishes, but was probably my favorite pumpkin entree for the month. The pumpkin and wine go beautifully together; this is definitely worth the time and effort.

Pumpkin Risotto

3/4 cup risotto rice
1 small glass white wine (I used a white zinfandel)
1 medium white onion, chopped
1/2 C Crimini mushrooms, sliced
4-5 C Vegetable stock
2 C Pumpkin flesh
4tbsp Butter
1 small pumpkin slightly larger than a grapefruit for serving
Pumpkin seeds for garnish
1/4 C Parmesan cheese

Cook the pumpkin:
For pumpkin flesh, I recommend using a real pumpkin and not the canned puree. It is not as daunting as it seems and can be cooked in the microwave easily. You can use more complex methods if you prefer, but I am not that patient.

• Take a small pumpkin and slice it into chunks. Place the chunks into a shallow dish filled with water. 
• Microwave for 6-8 minutes. Using a fork, turn the pieces over so the other side of the pumpkin is submerged in water. Continue this process until the pumpkin is nice and squishy when you press into it with your finger. 
• Cut the peel off the pumpkin and mash the pieces into a puree with a fork or potato masher.

• Season pumpkin seeds with salt and pepper and toast in oven or toaster oven for 25 minutes at 400F 

 



Make the risotto:

• Saute the onion in a large stock pot with 1 tbsp butter, don't let them burn
• Add the risotto rice and mix well so that all the rice is coated in butter
• Pour the wine and stir the rice thoroughly to blend (I used a wooden spoon with a square end which made it easy to reach every edge of the pot)

• 

 

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• Continue to stir occasionally as the wine evaporates
• Add one cup of stock at a time, allowing rice to become almost dry between additions - be sure to stir constantly so rice does not burn
• After about ten minutes, add the pumpkin puree followed by the mushrooms
• Continue to cook as before with another laddleful of stock, making sure the risotto never sticks
• At this point, begin tasting your risotto every few minutes to see when it has reached the right texture
• When it seems about three minutes from a perfect al dente bite, remove the pot from the heat and let it rest for 1 minute covered. If you don't do this the butter will break down due to the high heat
• Cut the remaining 3tbsp butter in small teaspoon-sized chunks 
• Add the butter to the pot and vigorously mix in to incorporate the butter before it all melts
• Grate the Parmesan cheese and blend into the rice
• Place into pumpkin to serve and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and additional Parmesan cheese 

recipe adapted from FX Cuisine 

Serve with the remaining wine and enjoy!