pacman cake and summer weather

Posted on April 23, 2012 by natalie @ wee eats

With record-breaking highs in the triple digits, this year already feels like summer. Let me be the first to say…. I HATE SUMMER! Especially in the desert! It’s too hot, too sunny, too sweaty. I just can’t take it. On Saturday, I actually went into our pool. OUR POOL! ON APRIL 21ST! That’s so unnecessary. I even have a tan line…

Sad.

Well, regardless of my deep hatred of summer (spring and fall, you’re the only ones for me!), with it being so summery outside I just had to bake something to fit this crazy weather. I thought about this summery peach tart, but on my morning trip to the supermarket saw this lovely little pineapple on sale. And after over 3 years of the wonderful BF asking me to pretty please make his favorite dessert, I finally caved.

Ain’t she cute? This picture was taken right after she saw the knife and realized she was going to meet her maker… Don’t look so surprised, Ms. Pineapple, we both knew this day was coming… don’t worry, you are dying for a noble cause: Thomas Keller’s pineapple upside down cake recipe. BF walked into the kitchen and saw my Ad Hoc book out, “Ooh, Thomas Keller? Didn’t realize you were going gourmet for me.” Of course, dear. For you, I pull out all the stops. 🙂

No, those aren’t specks of dirt in there, Thomas Keller’s recipe calls for vanilla bean paste, which contains little flecks of vanilla bean seeds. You can substitute 1:1 for vanilla extract though, no big deal. Even if you don’t use it for this recipe, though, I highly recommend you find yourself some vanilla bean paste… I could eat that stuff straight out of the jar. It’s simply delightful.

Pictures in this post are courtesy of BF’s fancy pants new iPad. He was my honorary photographer, as he was explaining to me how his iPad camera actually has a higher resolution than our DSLR… ha!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

[ Printable Recipe ]

Pan Schmear
·         8 tablespoons (1 stick; 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
·         1 1/2 tablespoons honey
·         1/2 teaspoon dark rum (I used bourbon, it’s all I had)
·         1 cup packed dark brown sugar
·         1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
·         Kosher salt
·         1 Gold (extra sweet) pineapple
Cake
·         1 1/2 cups cake flour
·         2 teaspoons baking powder
·         8 tablespoons (1 stick; 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
·         1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
·         1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
·         2 large eggs
·         1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon milk

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the butter, honey, rum, brown sugar, and vanilla and beat until smooth and well blended. Spread 1/3 cup of the schmear over the bottom of a 9-inch baking pan. Sprinkle lightly with salt. (The remaining schmear can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 1 month; bring to room temperature before using.)

2. Cut the top and bottom from the pineapple and cut away the peel. Cut the pineapple lengthwise into quarters, and cut off the core from each section. Cut each piece into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Beginning at the perimeter of the pan, make an overlapping ring of pineapple slices with the curved side facing out. Make a second ring inside the first one, overlapping the slices in the opposite direction, working toward the center of the pan. Reserve any extra pineapple for another use.

3. Sift the flour and baking powder together; set aside.

4. Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle and mix on low speed to combine, then beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until light and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Mix in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until the first one is incorporated before adding the second and scraping down the sides as necessary. Beat in the milk. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, beating until just combined.
Pour the batter into the pan and spread over the pineapple.

5. Bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the pan for even browning and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until a cake tester or wooden skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling rack for 20 to 30 minutes.

6. Run a knife around the edges of the cake, invert onto a serving platter, and serve warm. (Leftover cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.)

[ Adapted from Ad Hoc at Home, by Thomas Keller ]

happy birthday to me

Posted on March 15, 2012 by natalie @ wee eats

Friday is my birthday… I don’t even want to talk about how old I’m going to be. Being a grown up sucks. Let’s just leave it at that. I had promised myself that I would make my own birthday cake this year. Chocolate and peanut butter, of course. Because what is better than chocolate and peanut butter? (Nothing, that’s what).

I surprised even myself with this one. Very rarely does something that I make really blow me out of the water. I mean, of course it’s good or else I wouldn’t post it, but it’s just silly to think that every single recipe I make is going to be mind-blowingly good.

This recipe, though… Mind = Blown.

It was so good that I even froze a piece to save for my actual birthday on Friday. It was so good I didn’t want to send it to work with the Boyfriend. I just wanted to keep it at home all to myself. The cake was so incredibly moist, the peanut butter frosting was perfect in flavor and texture, and yeah I technically “messed up” the ganache layer (aesthetically speaking), but flavor wise… my god. So good.
It was totally worth the extra trip to Sur La Table for a third cake pan. So worthy of being the first cake to be displayed on my brand new cake stand (which, by the way, was a steal at Homegoods). It was so good that I think I found my new go-to chocolate cake recipe.

On top of all of that… it’s so easy to make the cake layer that you don’t even need a mixer. Yep, you read that right, NO MIXER REQUIRED.

I don’t know if that piece in the freezer will make it to my birthday……. I mean, just look at that thing. I’m drooling just thinking about it.

Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

[ Printable Recipe ]

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup neutral vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare three 8-inch cake pans with butter and parchment

2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the oil and sour cream and whisk to blend. Gradually beat in the water. Once the water is incorporated, add the vinegar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and continue to beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure there are no flour bombs lurking in there. Divide the batter evenly among the 3 prepared cake pans.

3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. I was able to fit all three on one rack in the middle of my oven. If you can’t, just put two on the bottom 1/3 and one on the top 1/3 and rotate about 20 minutes into baking… but be careful or they might fall!

4. Let cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, carefully peel off the paper liners, and let cool completely. The cakes are very soft – chill the cooled cakes in the freezer for 30 minutes (or overnight if you don’t want to do it all in one day) before continuing.

5. To frost the cake, place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or large serving plate. Spread 2/3 cups of the peanut butter frosting evenly over the top. Repeat with the next layer. Place the last layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.

Smitten Kitchen Recommends:

1: Making a crumb coat of frosting–a thin layer that binds the dark crumbs to the cake so they don’t show up in the final outer frosting layer–is a great idea for this cake, or any with a dark cake and lighter-colored frosting. Once you “mask” your cake, let it chill for 15 to 30 minutes until firm, then use the remainder of the frosting to create a smooth final coating.

2: Once the cake is fully frosted, it helps to chill it again and let it firm up. The cooler and more set the peanut butter frosting is, the better drip effect you’ll get from the Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze.)

6. To decorate with the Chocolate–Peanut Butter Glaze, put the cake plate on a large baking sheet to catch any drips. Simply pour the glaze over the top of the cake, and using an offset spatula, spread it evenly over the top just to the edges so that it runs down the sides of the cake in long drips. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to allow the glaze and frosting to set completely. Remove about 1 hour before serving.

This is where I failed – my glaze did not want to drip in a pretty fashion, so I just went for it and used it to cover the entire cake. Honestly, I can’t imagine not having the chocolate ganache all over the cake. I think it was a good move, but if you want it to look fancier, go ahead and try the drippy method.

Peanut Butter Frosting
Makes about 5 cups

10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature* (I used 8, because I only had one package of cream cheese and I wasn’t going to run to the store again)
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter

1. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Continue to beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Add the peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended. Taste it…. you know, for quality control

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup half-and-half

1. In the top of a double boiler or in a bowl set over simmering water, combine the chocolate, peanut butter, and corn syrup. Cook, whisking often, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

2. Remove from the heat and whisk in the half-and-half, beating until smooth. Use while still warm.

Once the cake is fully frosted, it helps to chill it again and let it firm up. The cooler and more set the peanut butter frosting is, the better drip effect you’ll get from the Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze.)

To decorate with the Chocolate–Peanut Butter Glaze, put the cake plate on a large baking sheet to catch any drips. Simply pour the glaze over the top of the cake, and using an offset spatula, spread it evenly over the top just to the edges so that it runs down the sides of the cake in long drips. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to allow the glaze and frosting to set completely. Remove about 1 hour before serving.

[ adapted from Smitten Kitchen ]

snack attack – avocado fries + onion rings

Posted on March 8, 2012 by natalie @ wee eats

I never fry at home… like, never.

Never ever.

Ever.

Of course, I see all kinds of recipes for fried treats that I would love to make, but I never dare make them. The danger of opening up my home to frying food ts too great. Making a batch of donuts then leads to eating a batch of donuts, then I know nothing will compare to the home made ones and I will have to make more of them, then eat more of them, then….. other things will start being fried. Everything really. Everything will start to be fried.

It’s a slippery slope there, a dangerous one, and I try to stay away from that slope at all costs.

Well, my friends, Pinterest struck again with these gosh darned avocado fries. I was so intrigued by the whole concept…. avocado FRIES??? Overcome by a recent addiction to avocado, I couldn’t resist. The image in my head of biting into a crunchy, salty exterior surrounding a warm, creamy avocado was just too much to bare. They must be mine.

So I broke my cardinal kitchen rule: thou shalt not fry.

And, while I was at it, why not throw some onion rings in there too? I always have about a thousand onions in my fridge. And I had extra buttermilk to use up anyway. I’m already breaking my rule anyway…. See? 5 minutes in and I’m already sliding down that slope… and it all started with an innocent little avocado…

Well, both were delicious. And I felt extra guilty after eating them, even though Boyfriend wandered into the kitchen at some point to help consume them… he had to run to the store in the middle of it and… I don’t know what happened. I blacked out and they were gone…

Yeah…. too bad I can never make these again. Never ever. Ever. Make these again. But you… You should definitely make them. Even if you never fry, maybe especially if you never fry. They’re dangerously good.

Avocado Fries Recipe Adapted from Sunset Magazine

Canola oil for frying
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp kosher salt (or other seasoning blend of your choice)
2 large eggs, beaten to blend
1 1/4 cups panko
2 firm-ripe medium avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced into 1/2-in. wedges
Grated parmesan (or other seasoning blend) for serving (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 200°. In a large saucepan, heat 1 1/2 in. oil until it registers 375° on a deep-fry thermometer. (I had to switch pans after realizing my original pan was not big enough to use my spider with) Line a baking sheet with foil, if you have a baking rack, place that on top of the baking sheet which will allow the hot air to flow around the rings while they’re in the oven.

2. Meanwhile, mix flour with 1/2 tsp. salt in a shallow plate. Put eggs and panko in separate shallow plates. (I like to use paper plates so I can just throw them away afterwards. Wasteful, I know.)

3. Slice avocado and sprinkle the avocado slices with the remaining ½ tsp salt. (Maybe a little more, be generous with it). Dip each slice in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg, then panko to coat. Set aside while you finish the rest.

3. Fry a quarter of avocado slices at a time until deep golden, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer slices to a plate lined with paper towels. Keep warm in oven while cooking remaining avocados. Sprinkle with salt and a little grated parmesan (or other seasoning), if desired. I did some with southwestern seasoning and others just plain salt…. Both were delicious.

Panko Onion Rings

1 sweet onion, cut into medium slices, rings separated
1 cup buttermilk
¼ cup flour
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
2 large eggs, beaten to blend
1 – 1 ½ cups Panko bread crumbs
Canola Oil, for frying

Marinate onion slices in buttermilk 30 minutes to 1 hour. Line a baking sheet with foil, if you have a baking rack, place that on top of the baking sheet which will allow the hot air to flow around the rings while they’re in the oven.
Preheat oven to 200°. In a large saucepan, heat 1 ½ inch of oil to 375° on a deep-fry thermometer.
Coat slices in flour, then egg, then panko. Refill panko as needed. Set aside coated rings while you coat the rest.
When ready, fry onion rings a few slices at a time, making sure to not let the oil temperature drop too low. Place fried onion rings on the rack and keep warm in the oven.
Sprinkle with final salt (or other seasoning) and serve warm (preferably with some ranch to dip them in)

samoa cookie bars

Posted on February 9, 2014 by natalie @ wee eats

Saturday morning a strange thing happened – someone knocked on the door.

This might not seem that strange to you, however, we live in a pretty quiet area and we know approximately zero people so we basically never get visitors. Like, ever.

And when we do, we follow a strict protocol involvng things like muting the TV and waiting for the person to leave. This time, however, our front door was wide open and we were sitting in the living room (which is where the front door leads into) so I wasn’t confident that the whole “muting the TV” thing would work.

Unless we could also convince them that we were statues…

FH told me to “handle it” so I got up to assess the situation and there she was – standing no more than three feet tall, quite possibly the smallest Girl Scout I had ever seen. Normally I am a firm believer of the “stranger danger” motto, but she was pretty small so I was pretty sure I could take her if things went south.

She mumbled something shyly about cookies and I assumed that in this case “handle it” meant to find any cash I had on hand and throw it at her in exchange for cookies, so I yelled for FH to get his wallet. If FH’s “handle it” meant for me to tell her to go away he was sadly mistaken, because who can say no to a little girl? No one. Well maybe this guy could, but I don’t have any Knuckle Blasters so that’s not even an option.

Even if I could say “no” to a small child, I definitely couldn’t say no to cookies, especially since for the other 11 months out of the year I listen to FH go on and on about how much he loves samoas and how delicious they are. So I quickly purchased a box of Samoas from her and ran back inside, closing the door behind us to prevent any future incidents.

FH hurried into the kitchen and ripped into them, took a bite, and… groaned?

It wasn’t the usual “these are so good” sound that you might hear when you eat your favorite cookie. It was a more whiny tone filled with dismay and dissatisfaction.

I asked him what was wrong, hoping for something cool like finding a finger or a dead bug or something like you hear about in those news stories. But, no. Nothing so exciting.

His “problem” was that just last week I made these samoa bars for him and apparently the flavor was still fresh in his mind and now he real samoa cookies, the ones that inspired the very bars that I made because he loved the cookies so much, are now “ruined” for him.

Ruined.

His word, not mine.

I will admit that these bars are bit more “grown up” than their ancestors. Rather than just being a vessel to carry the caramel, this cookie layer is thicker than that of the original samoa with a bit more crunch and a more intense vanilla flavor. Meanwhile, the caramel layer is a bit more complex with a hint of saltiness, and the dark chocolate gives the perfect bit of bitter-sweet to compliment the sweet caramel and cookie.

Oh yes, and don’t let me forget the ground unicorns and cocaine, but those ingredients are optional.

So at the risk of ruining the legendary Girl Scout cookies for someone you love…

And at the risk of putting thousands of young girls out of business…

Give these bars a try.

Ground unicorns and cocaine optional.

samoa bars

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: One 9-by-13 pan

Ingredients

For the cookie layer

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk

For the caramel layer

3.5 cups shredded coconut
2 11-oz packages caramel bits
3 Tablespoons whole milk or cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the chocolate drizzle

6 oz dark chocolate (I used the Ghiradelli melting wafers)

Instructions

For the cookies:

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla extract and milk. Add flour and mix on low until just incorporated. It will be on the dry side.
Pour out onto parchment paper and form into general rectangle shape. Roll close to 9 x 13” and transfer into 9 x 13 baking pan. Press into bottom of pan until it reaches the edges, leaving a slight lip on the edges.
Poke holes in shortbread with a fork and bake at 350F for about 20 minutes, until lightly golden on top. Cool completely in pan before topping.

For the coconut/caramel layer:

Toast the coconut by placing on a parchment-lined baking sheet and baking at 300F for about 15 minutes, stirring often to avoid burning. Coconut is done when it is a golden-brown color. Set aside to cool.
Melt the caramel bits with the milk and salt per package directions, until smooth. Once metled, stir in the vanilla extract and the coconut.
Pour onto the cookie layer, spreading into an even layer with a spatula and pressing down with your hands.

For the chocolate layer:

Melt chocolate at 50% power in the microwave starting for 1 minute, then continuing in 30 second intervals, stirring in between. Drizzle over coconut layer and allow to cool completely. Once hardened, cut the cookies into bars and store at room temperature in an airtight container.

https://wee-eats.com/2014/02/09/samoa-cookie-bars/

[ shorbread adapted from here]

Easy Weeknight Dinner

Posted on March 15, 2011 by natalie @ wee eats

You know those days when there’s nothing you want more than to just sit on the couch under a blanket in your PJs? Who cares if it’s only 4 or 5:00? You just want to get home and RELAX- Those days used to mean a frozen dinner or carryout were the only options.

Imagine, now, that you could have a delicious home-cooked meal for dinner on those days… without all the time and effort of laboring over the stove. Amazing, right? This dinner allows you (after a little bit of prep) to change straight into your pajamas and sit on the sofa relaxing while you let dinner cook itself. You just need a couple ingredients, a nice, hot oven, and patience.

Patience to not rip open the oven door when your mouth starts watering from the smell of garlicky roasting chicken. Patience to not start eating everything within reach because the smell makes you so hungry you don’t think you can take any longer. Patience to let the chicken rest to redistribute its juices (that’s the hardest part for me) and cool to a palatable temperature.

I had had originally planned to make mashed potatoes, but it would have interfered with my sitting-around time, so I opted to roast them alongside my chicken instead. Much easier. If you choose to roast a veggie, any vegetable you would use with a regular roast chicken you could use with this. Think “root veggies”- potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, parsnips, etc… You could use broccoli, cauliflower, or other faster-cooking veggies as well. Just add them later in the cooking process.

roasted red skin potatoes

This almost always yields enough leftover chicken to use the next day in another dish. You could always roast additional as well, though, to ensure extra chicken for another dish. (Cook the meat for two dinner in one night, all while sitting on the couch? That’s what I’m talkin’ about…) You can chop or shred the chicken for tacos, pasta, salad, or any other dish that calls for chicken.

how tasty does that look? seriously!?

You’d be amazed how much flavor you get from roasting the breast with bone/skin attached! And while this preparation will yield a skin that is crispy and delicious, you may remove to save yourself the added fat and calories. DO NOT, however, substitute boneless/skinless chicken breast. Don’t even think about it. Bad idea.

Roast Chicken Breast & Root Vegetables

Printer-Friendly

2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (mine were just under a pound each)
2 large potatoes
½ tsp each: garlic powder, onion powder
1 tsp each: minced fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, and kosher salt
Pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Remove chicken from refrigerator while the oven is preheating to bring it up to room temperature. Mix together the spices, herbs, salt, and pepper in a separate small dish. Wash & dry the potatoes. I have a handy scrubber that does all the hard work for me!

2. Chop potatoes into even wedges and put into a bowl. Drizzle with a little oil (1 – 2 tsp should do) and sprinkle with about 1/3 of the spice mixture.

3. Place chicken breasts on a sheet pan. Drizzle olive oil (again, 1 – 2 tsp) over the chicken breasts and sprinkle with half of the remaining herb mixture.

4. This is the gross part- Rub half of the spices into the top and bottom of the chicken breasts (I use gloves if I have them- I’m weird like that). Using your fingers, separate the skin from the breast meat. Sprinkle the other half of the spices under the skin of the breasts and rub it in using your fingers.

5. Sprinkle the potatoes (or vegetable of your choosing) around the chicken. Sprinkle one last bit of salt and pepper over everything and place it in the oven. Go sit down and relax, you’ve had a hard day.

6. After about 30 min take the sheet pan out of the oven & brush some of the chicken juices onto the chicken breasts. Flip the potatoes to brown the other sides. Try to do this quickly—it’s better to take it out of the oven to do so that you don’t lose a lot of heat having the oven door open while you fiddle around with the potatoes. If you’re not so worried about your potatoes browning on all sides, you can just brush the juices onto the chicken skin, or skip this part altogether.

7. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your chicken breasts. Once the chicken has been cooking a total of about 50-60 minutes, it should be done. If you have a meat thermometer, check that the chicken has reached around 160F. If you don’t, just make sure the skin is browned and the juices run clear. Tent the chicken and let it rest for about 10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute. Serve with potatoes.

Tips:

*If you ever don’t have one of the seasonings (rosemary, thyme, garlic, etc), using just salt and pepper will still make a fine dinner option!

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