Thursday, September 16, 2010

More than a recipe

Once upon a time the only source for recipes was mothers, friends and a few legendary cookbooks. In today’s world if you need a recipe for classic spaghetti sauce you don’t need a secret family recipe because millions of food bloggers are sharing their own. Even with all of these sources, it’s funny to think we cook less today than we did in the past. We all face the problem of recipe overload and I recently began to wonder if it’s an inevitable result of the times.


I tear out, bookmark and copy recipes just about every day. I know if I don’t make the recipe within a week it’s going to get stashed away and replaced by a new recipe that catches my eye. When it comes down to it, I will always have more recipes than I can handle.

In its basic form a recipe is a formula of measurements, directions and ingredients. What sets it apart from any other formula is the passion, history and joy a recipe brings to life. When we find a new recipe, it’s more than just a meal. It can represent a child’s first birthday, a memorable first date or just the perfect combination of flavors. This is the true joy that comes from finding recipes on food blogs, magazines and old family recipes. They bring us into the kitchen of cooks all over the country. While it may be overwhelming at times, I believe the recipes you are meant to cook will always find a way to your kitchen. I know this because of a simple recipe for yellow cake that found its way to me several years ago.

I don’t recall the exact details of how I found Ina Garten’s recipe for Birthday Cake with Hot Pink Icing, but let’s face it anything with hot pink is going to catch a girl’s eye. However, I do recall I was making it for my mom’s birthday and I knew the slight addition of lemon in the recipe would be perfect. It was one of those moments when you don’t feel the need to keep searching, or second- guess, you just go with it. I may have picked a different color for the icing (sorry hot pink), but my mom loved the cake more than any cake I could have found at a bakery. To this date I have cherished this recipe and while I may try new yellow cake recipes here and there, this recipe is what I always return to.


There may not be a solution to recipe overload and I am fine with that. I know in the end the search is just part of the process to find the best.


Yellow Cake
Source: Adapted from Ina Garten

Ingredients:
18 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
1 lemon, zested
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup corn starch
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ cups fresh strawberries, diced ( optional, if in season)

Frosting:
3 sticks unsalted butter
3 lbs. powdered sugar
9 Tbsp. milk
3 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour two 9 inch cake pans. Set aside. Cream the butter and sugar, until fluffy.

Add eggs, 2 at a time, then add the sour cream, vanilla and lemon zest. Mix well.
Combine the flour, cornstarch, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to the batter.

If you are adding fresh strawberries, fold them into the batter at this point.

Pour into prepared cake pans.

Bake for 30 -40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool the cakes and frost.

For frosting:
Cream butter on high speed. Gradually add in powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and food coloring if you wish. Mix until creamy and light.

Note:
This recipe works great for cupcakes or 1 layer cakes. Just cut the recipe in half and the frosting in half. Cupcakes will bake quicker so check the oven at 25 minutes.



Friday, September 10, 2010

Fall Comfort

As fun and relaxing as summer is, nothing can hold back my excitement for fall. Cozy sweaters and a chill to the air fills me with a sense of comfort that no other season can compete with. However, fall does not truly start- at least in my world- until that first taste of the best fall flavors. Cinnamon, butternut squash, honey crisp apples and sweet potatoes all top my list, but nothing ever reaches the place pumpkin has in my heart. For awhile I thought I was alone in my excessive love for pumpkin at the start of fall, whether it was a cookie, bread, cake or entrée. Yet , this season when I saw how much excitement was being built for the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks and the joy of other food bloggers to start baking with pumpkin, I knew I was not alone. Pumpkin is a universal favorite and while it used to be synonymous with Thanksgiving pie, today the possibilities for pumpkin are truly endless.

I know this build- up may have you thinking a pumpkin recipe is about to follow, but you’re going to have wait a little longer. However, you can check out my pumpkin cookie recipe from last season. I can’t wait to experiment with all new pumpkin recipes, and share my classic favorites with you. I am already starting to plan for this, and can’t wait for my favorite part of trying all the recipes.

Last year the food blogger Streaming Gourmet did a cool idea called “31 Days of Pumpkin” where she posted a different pumpkin recipe every day during the month of October. Some may love 31 days of chocolate, but for me a month of pumpkin recipes is music to my ears. I bookmarked a few of her ideas and plan to go back to them in my experimentation process.

I would love to do my own 31 days of pumpkin, but I want to start with a goal I know I can accomplish. So I am going to keep it simple, and am very happy to announce October 1- 7 as Pumpkin Week here on Beyond the Meal, 7 days and 7 different recipes.

I take pumpkin very seriously, so you can be sure I will be only post recipes that have been tried, loved and enjoyed. However, I have never been one to have the patience to wait, so you can expect a few sneak peek pumpkin recipes as Pumpkin Week approaches.

Since pumpkin is getting a whole week, it’s only fair to give other fall flavors time in the spotlight.

First up is a spin on the traditional snickerdoodle cookie, with Snickerdoodle Blondies from Recipe Girl. The warm cozy flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg run through every bite making it the perfect treat to pair with an afternoon coffee on a chilly fall day. You would also make a lot of fans, if you brought this with to a tailgate, but that's just a suggestion.



When you need a side dish who doesn’t turn to the sweet potato during the fall months. There are plenty of recipes out there, from mashed, sautéed and fried. However, one of my favorite versions is sweet and simple and only requires three extra ingredients that you always have on hand. Are you intrigued? You will be after one bite.



Get cozy because it’s going to be a comforting fall here at Beyond the Meal.



Snickerdoodle Blondies
From: Recipe Girl

Ingredients:

2 2/3 cup all- purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. salt
2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 cup cinnamon chips (optional)

Topping:

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9X 13 pan with cooking spray.

Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cream of tartar and salt; set aside.
In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat brown sugar and butter together until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, add vanilla. Beat mixture until smooth. The batter will be thick. Mix in cinnamon chips, if you desire.
Pour into prepared pan. Spray cooking spray onto hands and press down until batter is even. Sprinkle with topping.

Bake for 25- 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by whisking together heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.

After bars are cooled drizzle on the glaze in any decorative deign you please. Let set for five minutes.

Slice into bars and serve.



Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:

1 lb. sweet potatoes
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice sweet potatoes lengthwise into ½ in strips. Place on a cookie sheet covered in tin foil. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Using your hands spread the olive oil, salt and pepper onto all of the sweet potatoes. Make sure they are evenly coated. Bake for 30- 35 minutes.