use real butter

I wanted to post on the first day of spring, but my workout kicked my ass and I nodded off on the couch last night instead - drool and all. I didn’t snore. That’s the dog’s job. She performed to expectation, snoring her little brains out with her furry self stretched on the futon next to me… much like she’s doing this morning.

it’s a full time job

Jeremy was out of town for a meeting in Puerto Rico this week. While most folks who live where there is more winter than summer might be ecstatic to take a trip to a tropical locale, he isn’t one of them. [You honestly think I’d shack up with someone who loves the tropics more than the mountains? Come on!] Some people get bent out of shape when their partner goes out of town, but it doesn’t phase me much unless something shitty happens like a car accident or someone dying. However, I did have an itch to make a dessert, but decided to wait until Jeremy got home because it is one of his favorites.

can you guess? gelatin and milk…

The first time I ever had panna cotta was at The Kitchen in Boulder about two years ago. It was Community Night and we were *stuffed* when this trough of creamy goodness was set on the table in front of us. Yogurt panna cotta with drunken prunes. Never had it before. Never heard of it for that matter. I said I’d take a taste. I had two servings. It is now one of my favorite desserts.

add sugar and cream to the warmed gelatin and milk

Panna cotta means cooked cream in Italian (oh, I love those Italians). It is a versatile and simple dessert. Easy to prepare and elegant to serve up. I’ve had versions ranging from tangy yogurt panna cotta to sinfully creamy cinnamon panna cotta with full cream. This one is half whole milk and half cream - still pretty rich and delightful.

flavored with vanilla

My favorite way to serve panna cotta is in little servings. I’ve made them in molds before and it made me swear a lot. That’s probably just me, but these tiny servings are perfect little pick-me-ups or pre-desserts or even chaser desserts! Jeremy had one for brekkie this morning.

just a shot

Okay, but Jeremy wouldn’t be sold on panna cotta alone. The reason he loves this panna cotta is because I add a little something extra to it. Something that caffiends like him cannae resist.

more gelatin and some water

…and enough espresso powder to fuel your rocket

When the panna cotta sets, I pour a cooled layer of espresso-flavored gelatin on top. Espresso to Jeremy is like chum to sharks. It’s good stuff, I just try not to eat too much of it (Ass Reduction Plan is in full swing).

a tasty way to get hopped up

Espresso Panna Cotta

panna cotta
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 envelope powdered gelatin (1/8 oz)
1 tsp vanilla extract

espresso jello
4 tsp instant espresso powder
1/2 envelope powdered gelatin (1/8 oz)
10 oz water
2 oz brown sugar

Panna cotta: sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup milk in a pan for 3 minutes or until dissolved. Add sugar and remaining milk. Heat over medium flame until sugar and gelatin are dissolved, but take care not to boil. Remove from heat and stir in the cream and the vanilla. Pour into vessels and refrigerate until set (a few hours depending on volume).

Espresso jello: Heat water to a boil. Remove from heat and sprinkle gelatin over the water. Stir until dissolved. Add espresso powder and brown sugar. Stir until dissolved and let cool. Pour over set panna cotta and refrigerate until jello layer is set.

The date sort of snuck up on us. We are both bad about remembering dates, but my MIL called on Friday to say there was something special to look for in the post - something for our anniversary. Our what?! Oh that’s right… We celebrated 11 years of marital dorkiness on Saturday. Marriage was never something either of us really wanted. It was what our mothers kept asking about since we were living in sin for many years. We finally caved in since we realized our car insurance would go down - way down. Bargain! I think we would feel better about marriage if some of our dear friends could marry and enjoy the same rights we do.

We didn’t do anything special, just ran a ton of errands. We discovered that Chinese food on the flats is neither Chinese nor food really… The day was incredibly warm - 70 Effingham degrees? It was a cruel joke as far as I was concerned. March is when the weather flirts with spring then winter then spring then winter. You get those hoochie mama crop top days when you have to shield your eyes from the exposed white limbs of undergraduates on campus, chased down by those gorgeous spring upslope events that dump a ton of powder and send the ski whores rejoicing back on the mountains. Anyway, I promised Jeremy I would make a nice something or other in celebration of our day since this is my good week before the next treatment. He likes chocolate and I had matcha on the brain.

one caffeinated cake

But it had to wait until today because we were finishing up season 2.5 of Battlestar Galactica last night. The cake almost didn’t happen as the pendulum swung from spring back to winter and I had a hard time not heading out for the local hill!

yeah baby!

Jeremy had a lot of work to do though, so we kept one another company at the kitchen table. I settled on a chocolate chiffon cake with Earl Grey soaking syrup, matcha buttercream frosting and Earl Grey-infused dark chocolate ganache. Deciding is the hardest part. Making is the fun part!

the flavor trio: Earl Grey, dark chocolate, matcha

The chocolate chiffon cake recipe I use isn’t terribly sweet, which I prefer. It is also flavored with hazelnut paste and almond extract, adding an extra dimension to the flavor profile.

folding egg whites into the chocolate base

Last time I made matcha buttercream frosting, the green tea flavor was pretty subtle. So I doubled the amount of matcha powder and I like the more dominant presence. You need something pretty strong to sing along with chocolate.

heavenly matcha swiss meringue buttercream frosting

My experience with Earl Grey anything is that it is always too weak, particularly when paired with chocolate. This time I made an Earl Grey soaking syrup, which tasted strong on its own, but again, disappeared within the chocolate chiffon. However, the addition of Earl Grey to the chocolate ganache helped to bring it out in the cake somewhat. Still need to work on that.

earl grey soaking syrup

I did my standard cake assembly here: four layers of cake, each soaked in syrup and layered with buttercream, then frosted and garnished. I rather love the look of the colors - the hint of green against the dark chocolate layers. It’s perfect for March, no?

brush in the syrup

spread the buttercream

crumb coat

topped with ganache

The crumb of the cake is wonderfully tender and as long as you serve it at room temperature the buttercream is creamy and smooth - quite complimentary. All of it melts in your mouth in a burst of caffeinated elation. The matcha flavor is strong and up front, then an understated Earl Grey emerges, and finally a subtle almond accent to the chocolate. I think I would prefer a stronger chocolate presence, perhaps adding a thin layer of ganache between the buttercream and the cake next time? Always a learning experience.

mission accomplished

Chocolate Matcha Earl Grey Cake

2 9-inch round chocolate chiffon cakes
16 oz. Earl Grey simple syrup
1 batch matcha Swiss meringue buttercream
Earl Grey chocolate ganache for decoration

chocolate chiffon cake
makes 2 9×3 rounds
this recipe originally intended for baking at 5300 ft.

10.5 oz cake flour
3 oz cocoa powder
8.75 oz confectioners sugar
0.5 oz baking powder (omitted at 8500 ft.)
7 oz whole milk
6 oz canola oil
3 eggs (4 eggs if small)
1 tsp almond extract
2 oz praline paste (or hazelnut paste)
13 oz egg whites
9 oz granulated sugar

Oven 375F. Prep pans by buttering bottom and sides. Place parchment in pan and butter the parchment. Sift dry ingredients (except granulated sugar) into a large bowl. Mix all ingredients (except the 13 oz of egg whites and granulated sugar) in the large bowl until combined. Whip whites and granulated sugar to medium peaks. Fold into batter gently. Bake until set, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and remove from pan. Let cool completely on a rack.

simple syrup
1/2 oz Earl Grey loose tea
2 cups water, boiling
12 oz sugar

Steep the tea leaves in the boiled water for 6 minutes. Strain the tea into a pot and add sugar. Over high heat, stir the sugar until dissolved and bring to boil. Remove from heat. Let cool.

matcha swiss meringue buttercream
makes about 1.5 quarts

8 oz egg whites
16 oz sugar
1 lb butter, room temperature
4 tbsp matcha powder (you can reduce this if it’s too strong)

Combine egg whites and sugar in a Kitchenaid mixing bowl. Whisk constantly over a bain marie until 140F is reached. Place on mixer with whisk and whip until stiff. Turn down whip speed to 3rd and whip until cool to the touch (this takes a while - should be cooler than your hand). Change to a paddle and gradually add soft butter by tablespoon pieces. Mix to emulsify. Once desired consistency has been reached, add matcha powder to taste.

earl grey chocolate ganache
1/4 oz Earl Grey loose tea leaves
6 oz heavy cream
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Place chocolate in a medium size bowl. Heat the cream in a pot over medium flame until just simmering. Turn off the heat and stir the tea leaves into the cream. Cover the pot tightly and let steep for an hour. Strain the tea leaves out of the cream (you should have about 4 oz of cream). Return the cream to the pot and reheat to steaming. Remove from heat and pour the cream over the chocolate. Let sit for a minute then stir until blended. Set aside to cool.

To assemble the cake: Trim the dome tops off of the cakes. Cut four even layers of cake. Place a base piece down on serving plate. Using a pastry brush, apply soaking syrup to the cake layer (I apply twice - the chiffon can hold a lot of liquid). Spread a layer of buttercream on the layer. Set second layer of cake on the buttercream. Repeat soaking syrup and buttercream layers. Before setting the fourth cake layer (should be a base piece, inverted), soak the cut side of the layer with soaking syrup then place it cut-side down on the buttercream. Crumb coat the assemblage, then apply final buttercream frosting to sides and top of cake. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large tip with the ganache. Pipe decorations onto the cake. Serve at room temperature. Serves 12-16.

Happy Chinese New Year to everyone! Gong Xi Fa Tsai! Jing Nian Quai Le!

It is the year of the Rat and in case you didn’t know, it’s Peabody’s year. Last year was the year of the Pig, which was my year. Since I made it through more or less in one piece, I’m going to assume that I was working the good juju. Peabody tells me she’s sharing the good juju with me into this year. I love that girl. In turn, let’s just say good juju all around for everyone! I sincerely wish each of you everything your heart desires in the new year - health, happiness, luck, fortune - all of it and more. xxoo

I began my morning quite early because I was behind schedule on making dumplings. Well, let me explain why. I spent yesterday telemark skiing with a bunch of awesome tele babes on the mountain. I felt well enough to tele all day with my D70 in tow too.

a bluebird day

janet does the balloon drill

my group: the advanced tele babes

our kickass instructor

At lunch, I discovered that my hair was starting to fall out. So after the program, I hauled my butt down to Boulder and had my head professionally shaved. [The nurse advised against doing at home since cuts and infections are potentially dangerous due to low blood count and compromised immune system.] People had told me how traumatic it was to lose their hair in clumps over a period of 2-3 days, so I promised myself I wouldn’t allow it to be drawn out. I’ve never been a girly girl who cared about being feminine or pretty or whatever - as long as I can kick ass, I’m good to go. But I will admit that it was a little disconcerting. I never realized how thick my hair is - brrrr! By the time I got home it was 6 pm and time to make the big hot pot soup and then I was pooooped.

So that’s my lame excuse for why I was behind schedule on dumplings, but the skiing was totally worth it. Jeremy and I had some sweet pastries for breakfast since he’s not a fan of Chinese sweets and I didn’t feel like making any. I cranked out several dumplings and cooked them up and stuffed a few into him before he left for work.

traditions: mandarin oranges, dumplings, rui tsai and a hong bao (red envelope)

I also hung the Chinese character fu (luck) upside down on our front door. The literal translation is that luck is upside down - dao, but in Chinese the word for upside down sounds like the word for arrives, so it means “luck arrives”.

a pic from last year because I don’t feel like shooting the current one right now

I can’t help but do a few of the traditional things for the Chinese New Year as it is the biggest holiday of my Chinese culture. Halloween is my favorite holiday, but Chinese New Year is the most important holiday to me. The Lunar New Year represents family to me more than any other time and we are to remember and honor our ancestors too. It is also when I miss my sister most because she used to call me every Chinese New Year’s Eve to ask what foods she should prepare so little Ben will grow up with our family’s Chinese traditions. She isn’t my ancestor, but I remember and honor her all the same because I loved her so very much. Jeremy was so kind as to clean The Entire House last night as we aren’t supposed to clean the house for the next 2 weeks starting on New Year’s Day - something about sweeping out the luck. Anyway, we’re both thrilled about that directive!

Right! So all of this Chinese tradition is great, but I know what makes my guy happy and one of those things would be chocolate. To be honest, chocolate makes me happy too - not eating it, but working with it.

hot cream and chopped chocolate

I still had leftover crust dough from that Daring Baker’s Lemon Meringue Pie Challenge and wanted to use it up. Jeremy seemed to enjoy the crust and I figured some little chocolaty somethings would be nice.

adding espresso

Do you ever get a cookbook and then forget about it and then rediscover it and feel like a kid on Christmas Day? It’s like that 20 dollar bill that you find in some random pocket months later… Well, Sherry Yard’s The Secrets of Baking caught my eye this afternoon and her recipe for Deep, Dark Chocolate Tart matched up with what I had in mind sans the crust (I’ll bet it would be awesome with her chocolate short dough). So I snarfed the ganache filling and made a half batch.

pouring the ganache

I baked the little crusts and had to press the top mold down pretty hard because this dough has a tendency to rise. I definitely prefer short dough to this and will use it next time. When the crusts cooled, I filled them to the brim with the soft ganache and then let them set up in the refrigerator for an hour.

piping whipped cream

Whipped cream is such a pleasant and easy topping to work with. I also love how it contrasts with a deep, velvety, rich chocolate both in color and texture. I added a bit of sugar, vanilla, and a little almond extract because I like how almond and coffee and chocolate play off one another. Just for a little spice, I sprinkled the tartelettes with some ground nutmeg.

a little something sweet

Jeremy was quite delighted to open the refrigerator this evening and see a plateful of these cuties. But they weren’t all for him, as I requested that he take some over to our neighbors (and good friends) to wish them a happy new year. I think sharing is one of the things I love about baking.

2-inch rounds of happiness

Dark Chocolate Tartelettes
ganache from Sherry Yard’s Deep Dark Chocolate Tart (The Secrets of Baking)

note: I highly recommend using a short dough instead of the crust recipe I list here. A short dough is flakier, crispier, thinner, and sweeter than the crust from the Lemon Meringue Pie recipe. Plus, it will behave better (no shrinkage) especially if you are using petits fours molds or tart pans. Just be sure to stack a second mold on top even if using short dough. Also, I only made a half batch of the ganache, but I’m listing the ingredients for the full recipe.

crust:
¾ cup cold butter; cut into ½-inch (1.2 cm) pieces
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ tsp salt
⅓ cup ice water

ganache:
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tbsp brewed coffee or espresso

whipped cream:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract

For the crust: Make sure all ingredients are as cold as possible. Using a food processor or pastry cutter and a large bowl, combine the butter, flour, sugar and salt. Process or cut in until the mixture resembles coarse meal and begins to clump together. Sprinkle with water, let rest 30 seconds and then either process very briefly or cut in with about 15 strokes of the pastry cutter, just until the dough begins to stick together and come away from the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and press together to form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 20 minutes. Allow the dough to warm slightly to room temperature if it is too hard to roll. On a lightly floured board (or countertop) roll the disk to a thickness of ⅛ inch (.3 cm). Cut a circle about 2 inches (5 cm) larger than the pie plate and transfer the pastry into the plate by folding it in half or by rolling it onto the rolling pin. Turn the pastry under, leaving an edge that hangs over the plate about ½ inch (1.2 cm). Flute decoratively. Chill for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the crust with foil and fill with metal pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool completely before filling. If using petits fours molds or small tart pans, I prefer to roll the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap to less than 1/8 inch and pressing it gently into the mold. Stack a second mold on top and press down. Leave the second mold in place. Bake for 20 minutes, remove the top molds, and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and gently pry the crust out from the mold and let cool on a rack.

For the ganache: Finely chop the chocolate and place in a medium heatproof bowl along with the butter. Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Immediately pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for a minute. Use a rubber spatula to gently stir the contents until completely blended (don’t stir all crazy-like though, because you will introduce air bubbles which will make your tart look diseased). Add the coffee and stir until well incorporated. Pour the ganache into the tart shell(s) and place in refrigerator to set for an hour.

For the whipped cream: Place ingredients in a bowl and whip on medium speed until frothy. Increase speed and whip on high until stiff peaks form (or soft peaks, if you prefer the floppy effect). Garnish tart(s) with dollops or pipe using a pastry bag.