Tao Of Craft

Wood Cupcake Stand

My quest to master the High Altitude Cupcake has brought me to the

Cupcake Stand.

You can not have great cupcakes without a beautiful way to display them....

I went out onto our property with my husband's chiansaw and made a

Wood Round Cupcake Stand.

 

These are HIgh Altitude Chocolate Cupcakes with my favorite

Whipped Chocolate Ganance Recipe

Whipped Ganache 

Makes 4 Cups

1 Pound Chocolate Chips

2 1/2 Cups Heavy Cream

 

1. Chop chocolate finely using a serrated knife, and place in a bowl
2. Bring cream to a boil over medium high heat; pour directly over the chopped chocolate. 
3. Allow it to sit for about 10 minutes. Use a spatula to gently stir until the cream and chocolate are completely combined.
4. Chill ganache in the fridge until it is cool to the touch
5. Whisk until it just barley begins to hold shape and is slightly lighter in color. DO NOT over whip, or the mixture will become grainy The ganache will keep thickening after you stop whisking.
6. Put icing into a piping bag and beautify your cupcake!

 

Cherry Tomato, Mozzarella, and Zucchini Galette

 

Another Food post...

Its spring break around here and considering we went to Mexico for February break we are home bound for the March break.

This means lots of crafting and cooking~ No, its not the beach but we are having a blast!

I wanted to make this recipe for an upcoming baby shower that I am hosting so I thought that I should test it out before the party. It is easy and really really delicious! 

It is from Martha's new Pies and Tarts Cookbook  

 

Ingredients

 

For The Crust

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon coarse salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 large egg yolk, plus 1 large egg yolk for egg wash

1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

1 tablespoon heavy cream, for egg wash

 

 For The Filling

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick half-moons

1 1/2 pounds cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 ounces bocconcini (fresh mozzarella balls) or fresh mozzarella (1-inch pieces)

3 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

 

Directions

1. Make the crust: Pulse flour, cheese, salt, and butter in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1 egg yolk; pulse to combine. Drizzle in 1/4 cup ice water, and pulse until dough just comes together. (If dough is still crumbly, add up to 1/4 cup more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.) Form dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
2. Make the filling: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add shallot; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add zucchini; cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden and liquid has been released, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
3. Halve one-third of the tomatoes. Stir halved and whole tomatoes, both cheeses, basil, and flour into shallot-zucchini mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 13-inch round, about 1/4 inch thick. Make seven 3-inch-long cuts around edge of dough, evenly spaced. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Drizzle shell with remaining tablespoon oil. Transfer filling to shell. Fold in flaps of dough, slightly overlapping. Refrigerate until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk cream and remaining egg yolk in a small bowl, and brush over crust. Bake pie on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 70 to 80 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.

* Photo by Martha Stewart

High Altitude Cupcake Quest ~

Over the years I have mastered many aspects of baking... cakes, pies, and breads.

But I have yet to conquer the elusive CUPCAKE!

I know, I know, it seems like the tiniest of baked goods should be a breeze. However, when I have attempted them in the past they have turned out dry, sunken, and bland! 

So, today I begin my quest to master the CUPCAKE!

Step one is to realize that cupcakes and high elevation are just not friends! I live at around 6500 feet in elevation...I have found cake recipes that work well here without adjustment. However I think that the cupcake is just more finicky. I am going to experiment with recipes until I find and or create ones that will achieve perfect cupcakes!

Last night I found a recipe for a High Altitude Chocolate Cake... Annie over at Our Happy Medium adjusted the recipe to bake in high altitude.

 

High Altitude Chocolate Cupcakes with 

Strawberry and Cream Frosting

They came out of the oven perfectly! They are not sunken or over flowing! Hurray! As promised, this recipe was sooo easy and turned out perfectly. It made moist, dense, yet light and fluffy cakes.

 

Chocolate Cupcakes: Adjusted for High Altitude Baking

Makes 12 - *adjustments made  for high altitude

350 Degrees 

*Bake for 15-16 minutes 


1/2 Stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
6 tablespoons of  Cocoa powder
1 cup of Sugar minus 1 TBL
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour 
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon of canola oil 
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of buttermilk, room temperature
1 large egg, lightly beaten also room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup of hot brewed coffee 

1. Heat oven at 350 degrees and line cupcake tins with paper liners and set aside

2. Have two bowls ready, one for the dry ingredients and the other for the wet ingredients.

3. First bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. After sifted in bowl, mix well with a whisk to fully incorporate all the ingredients. 

4. Second bowl, combine the slightly beaten egg, buttermilk, butter, canola or veg oil and vanilla slightly mix with whisk. 

5. Using a hand-held mixer slowly incorporate second bowl of wet mix into the first bowl with the dry ingredients. Beat for 3 minutes at medium speed ensuring you scrape bowl at least once. 

6. Finally, add the hot/boiling coffee and beat for 1 more minute to combine, BATTER WILL BE THIN. 

7. Fill cupcake paper liners half-way and bake until a knife comes out clean. 

8. Cool cakes in pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Frost as desired and enjoy!  

Strawberries and Cream Frosting  ~  

 from Sophistimom

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
6 ounces seedless strawberry jam
1 cup heavy cream

1.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter for about a minute.  Add in 1 cup of the confectioner’s sugar and the vanilla.  Beat until smooth.
 

2.  Transfer mixture to a small bowl and add in jam.  Whisk until smooth and all large lumps are gone.
 

3.  Clean out mixer bowl and with the whisk attachment, beat the cream on high until stiff peaks form.  With the mixer on low, add in 1 tablespoon of confectioner’s sugar and whisk until just combined.
 

4.  Fold the two mixtures together until smooth, being careful not to deflate the whipped cream.

5.  Place frosting in a large pastry bag fitted with a large star tip

 

My first attempt was a success!

My quest will take me next to the Lemon Cupcake...Stayed tuned!

 

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies!!! Alton Brown ~Thin

This is officially the BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe that I have ever tried... If you like your CCC's crisp but slightly chewy and thin.... these are for YOU!

The key to the recipe is the temperature of the ingredients AND the size of the cookie... Apparently the bigger the cookie the better the texture...  

Without any further ado, I give to you, my dear friends....

 

Alton Brown's Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe ~ The Thin

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
2 ounces milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Hardware:

Ice cream scooper (#20 disher, to be exact)
Parchment paper
Baking sheets
Mixer

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Combine the egg, milk, and vanilla and bring to room temperature in another bowl. Cream the butter in the mixer's work bowl, starting on low speed to soften the butter. Add the sugars. Increase the speed, and cream the mixture until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed and add the egg mixture slowly. Increase the speed and mix until well combined. Slowly add the flour mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for more even browning.

Remove the cookies from the pans immediately. Once cooled, store in an airtight container.

How To Can Peaches....

My friend Tessa came over yesterday and taught me how to can peaches! I have been wanting to do this for a few years  but I always seem to miss the season! This year was a big success! Thanks Tessa!

  

 

  

 

How to Can Peaches

Supplies:

2 big pots 
Mason Jars
Lids and rings
Strainer
Jar Lifter
Kitchen towels
Peaches 

* The amount of jars that you will get depends on the size of the peaches. We canned 3 cases of peaches and got 29 Quart jars

1. Prepare Jars and Lids

Boil the jars in a big pot of water for about 15 minutes. Take jars out and line them on a kitchen counter lined with a towel. 

2. Prepare Peaches

Put a strainer into a pot of boiling water on the stove. Add some of the peaches (make sure that the peaches are covered with water) let peaches sit in the water for 1 minute. Submerge the peaches into a sink full of cold water.... The skins will now slip off of the peaches. Take the skins off of all of the peaches, remove the pits and cut the peaches in halves or quarters.

3. Pack Jars

Add the peaches to the jars. Fill the jars to the top leaving about 1/2 inch for the water.

4. Add Water 

Slowly add boiling water to the jars to cover the peaches. Use a chopstick or  table knife to press the peaches to one side of the jar to create a space for the water to trickle down and to move out any pockets of air that may be in the jars. The water should reach the base of the jar neck, about ½ inch from the top. Next, with a damp kitchen towel, wipe the lips of the jars to remove any stickiness. Put lids on the jars and screw on the rings.

5. Process Peaches

Process the jars in a hot water bath. Tessa suggests keeping the peaches in the water for about 15-20 minutes for quart jars and 10-15 for pint jars.  Also, after it comes to a good boil, she lowers the heat so the boiling is less furious.

6. Cool, Label and Store

Remove the canned jarfuls to a kitchen counter lined with a towel. Don’t touch the lids while the jars are cooling.

The next day, remove the rings, wash the jars with soapy water, and label them. If any jars don’t seal (I canned 15  jars and only 1 did not seal), store them in the fridge and use the fruit within a couple weeks.

 

Best Ever Lemon Bar Recipe

 
We are loving all things lemon around here... but really, who doesn't? 

We have been experimenting with a few different Lemon Bar recipes and have deemed this recipe from The Hill Country Chef to be the BEST!

Ingredients

Shortbread crust

1 cup unsalted butter, cold (2 sticks)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 lemon, zested

Lemon filling

4 extra-large eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 large lemons)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 lemon, zested

Confectioners' sugar

Cooking Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Make the crust: Cut the butter into 1/2-inch pieces. In a food processor or using a hand-held pastry cutter, process all the shortbread ingredients until the mixture begins to form small pea-shaped lumps. Sprinkle the dough into a rectangular 13x9x2-inch baking pan. (The bars can also be made in a square 8- or 9-inch baking pan -- they will be thicker and take about 15 more minutes to bake.) Using your fingers or a metal spatula, press the dough firmly and evenly onto the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan to form a 1/2-inch layer of shortbread. Prick all over with a fork. Bake the shortbread in the middle of the oven until golden, about 25 minutes. Remove it to a cooling rack. (Cover with foil to keep warm if necessary.) While the crust is baking, make the filling: In a large metal bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together until well combined and a light yellow color. Stir in the lemon juice, flour, and zest. When the shortbread crust is ready and still hot, pour the lemon mixture evenly over it. Lower the oven temperature to 300°F. When it has reached the lower temperature, bake the bars in the middle of the oven until set, about 30 minutes. The top should be light brown and look a little bubbly and crusty. Let the bars cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack, then cut them into 3-inch squares with a nonserrated knife. Lightly sift confectioners' sugar over the cool bars before serving. If making these the night before a party, refrigerate them and reapply the confectioners' sugar just before serving. The sugar is absorbed as the lemon bars sit.

 

The New York Times Chocolate Cookie Recipe

 

YES... it is true, these cookies are as AMAZING as they are said to be! 

I am not even a huge fan of Chocolate Chip Cookies 

(I know.. that is just wrong) 

But these are chocolaty, salty, crunchy, AND chewy! 

I decided to try them because of the unique ingredients... Using the cake flour and bread flour together intrigued my baker's mind. 

Now I just need to forget about these, as there are not enough hours in the day that I can get into the gym!

* I did cheat a bit and used Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips instead of the Torres disks.

NEW YORK TIMES

July 9, 2008

RECIPE

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Jacques Torres

Time: 45 minutes (for 1 6-cookie batch), plus at least 24 hours’ chilling

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons

(8 1/2 ounces) cake flour

1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (see note)

Sea salt.

1. Sift flours, baking soda, powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set a baking side.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

Note: Disks are sold at Jacques Torres Chocolate; Valrhona fèves, oval-shaped chocolate pieces, are at Whole Foods.

Cornstarch and Baking Soda STARS!

A traditional favorite in my family (my mom's famous recipe) are these 

baking soda/cornstarch star ornaments!

 

We bundle them together and give them as gifts, we hang them on our tree,

and use them as gift ornaments! 

Last year I gave each teacher at our school a bundle of them with a note that read,

"Thank you for being a brilliant star in Nadira's life" 

 

Cornstarch and Baking Soda Ornament Recipe

2 Cups Baking Soda

1 Cup Cornstarch

1 1/4 Cup Cold Water

Mix cornstarch and baking soda together, add water. Cook over medium heat,stirring constantly, until it becomes the constancy of mashed potatoes. Turn into a bowl cover with a damp cloth and let cool a bit. Knead dough untill it is soft and smooth. roll out the dough and cut into stars. 

Let them dry a bit on a flat surface and then poke a hole in the top of the star with a pin. 

I like to flip them half way through the drying process so that they dry flat and evenly.

The possibilities are truly endless!

Have Fun!

Peppermint Bark Recipe

We have found a new favorite holiday treat... Peppermint Bark!

 

This stuff is seriously addictive!

Peppermint Bark Recipe

• 24 ounces white chocolate chips
• 24 ounces milk chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 20 candy canes

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Pour the milk chocolate chips onto the pan and spread them around. Bake for a couple of minutes until they look a bit melted. Then take the pan from the oven and spread the chocolate around with a spatula. Put the pan in the refrigerator to cool and harden for about 30 minutes.
3. Next open the candy canes, place them on a cookie sheet under a clean dishtowel and crush them with a hammer (this part is fun for kids). Sort the larger candy cane pieces from the candy cane dust.
4. Melt the white chocolate chips in a double boiler (I used a smaller pan in a bigger pan), stirring constantly. Add the peppermint extract and stir in the candy cane dust which will color your chocolate a light shade of pink. Let it cool a bit, then pour it over the top of your milk chocolate layer.
5. Sprinkle with candy cane pieces and press them down gently so that they stick.
6. Refrigerate for several hours, shake off the excess candy pieces, then break the bark into chunks. Best kept refrigerated.

This recipe makes one cookie sheet of the Peppermint Bark.

No Knead Bread

 

Yes, its the New York Times No Knead Bread recipe... Its been round and round the blogging world but, it took me a while to actually make it.... 

now that i have, I am hooked! I am baking this bread every week! 

I used the revised recipe from Not Martha! The changes from the original recipe are in brackets.

No-Knead Bread

Appeared in the article The Secret of Great Bread: Let Time Do the Work by Mark Bittman in the November 8th, 2006 New York Times

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery

Time: About 1 1/2 hours plus 14 to 20 hours  rising

- 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting [I used bread, also suggested is substituting 1 cup whole wheat flour*.]

- 1/4 teaspoon instant [aka Rapid Rise, QuickRise, Instant Active Dry, Perfect Rise, or Bread Machine Yeast] yeast

- 1 1/4 [1 3/4] teaspoons salt

- Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 [1 1/2] cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees. [I put it on top of my fridge.]

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal [rice flour was suggested as it won't get gummy**]; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart [about a 4-quart pot is preferred] heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 [10 or 15] minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1 1/2-pound loaf.