Cinnamon-Streusel Coffeecake

I have been reading King Arthur Flour's blog, Bakers' Banter for a couple of years now and I absolutely love it.  The contributors are extremely talented and knowledgeable (getting to bake all day + write about it = dream job!), yet the recipes are very accessible.  They include little tidbits about baking but don't smack you in the face with it - it's like being in the kitchen with a good friend, where you simply pick up new techniques by working with them, plus it's a lot of fun!  Oh, and if you ask a question in the comments section they give great feedback, always a nice touch. 

 

So, when I decided late Sunday afternoon that I wanted to make a coffeecake for Greg to bring to work I went directly to their website and after a quick search, came up with the perfect recipe.  Believe it or not, I have never made a cinnamon coffeecake before yesterday, and this one will be hard to beat.  Greg always has a group meeting on Monday and honestly, who couldn't use a little sweet treat to get the week started right?

 

Cinnamon-Streusel Coffeecake

from King Arthur Flour

Streusel Topping

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt (if you use unsalted butter)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling


1 cup brown sugar, light or dark
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder (did not use since it was just to add color)

Cake

3/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt (1 ¼ teaspoons if you use unsalted butter)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt (I used yogurt)
1 1/4 cups milk (anything from skim to whole, I used skim)
3 3/4 cups flour


Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan.  

Topping - In a medium bowl whisk together the sugar, salt, flour, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter, using a fork to blend until combined. Set the topping aside.  Note: I would be tempted to decrease the amount of topping as mine seemed to make a bit too much and a lot of it fell off when I took it out of the pan.

 

Filling - Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder, if using.  Set it aside.  Note: Next time I might add some chopped pecans to give it an extra crunch.

 

Cake - In a large bowl, beat together the butter, salt, sugars, baking powder, and vanilla until well combined and smooth, then add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream or yogurt and milk until well combined. Don't worry about getting out all the lumps.  Add the flour to the butter mixture alternately with the milk/sour cream mixture, beating gently to combine.

Pour/spread half the batter (a scant 3 cups) into the prepared pan, if you have a kitchen scale half of the batter weighs about 28 ounces.   Then sprinkle the filling evenly over the batter and top with remaining cake batter.  Use a knife to gently swirl filling throughout the cake, as if making a marble cake.  Finally, sprinkle topping over the entire cake.  

Bake the cake until it's a dark golden brown around the edges; medium-golden with no light patches showing on top, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes. When pressed gently in the middle, the cake should spring back.  Note: Mine took around 70 minutes and my topping never got really golden but I'm glad I stopped when I did or else I think my cake would have dried out.  (I'm starting to wonder if my oven is off because most of my baking requires extra time added on at the end...)

 

Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes before cutting and serving. Serve cake right from the pan.  You can also cover the unbaked cake with plastic wrap and pop it in the oven (after removing plastic wrap!) the next day if you want yummy breakfast smells, just add a few more minutes since the cake will start out cold.  Definitely considering this for the holidays!

Other than the fact that this cake is delicious, I also like it because it makes makes 24 servings, which makes it perfect to share with a group.  

 

What is your favorite weekend breakfast treat?  Next on my list are cinnamon rolls, anyone have the perfect recipe? 

       

Dark Chocolate Caramel Truffles with Fleur de Sel

 

I went on a chocolate kick a few weeks ago so be ready for some decadence coming your way.  I have never made truffles before and these little suckers turned out great.  These truffles are made from a fabulous mix of salty caramel blended with bittersweet dark chocolate, enrobed in a crisp, chocolate shell and topped with a sprinkle of fleur de sel.  

 

They are intensely rich and the recipe says it should make about 32 but mine only made about 25 so next time I will try to make them a bit smaller - just a couple of bites is more than enough to satisfy your sweet tooth!  I would love to make these again around the holidays a box them up as hostess gifts.  They are easy enough to knock out a double batch but fancy enough to make the recipient feel extra special.  Just be sure you leave yourself plenty of time because the recipe requires multiple rounds of chilling.

 

Dark Chocolate Caramel Truffles with Fleur de Sel

adapted from Epicurious (I made a couple of changes based on the reviews, original recipe can be found via the link)

Yields around 32

20 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, divided (I only used about 16 ounces, choose a good quality chocolate since this is the main ingredient)

2/3 cup sugar

4 tablespoons water

2/3 cup whipping cream

1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Additional fleur de sel

Place 8 ounces chocolate in metal bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water); stir until chocolate is smooth. I used the microwave to melt my chocolate in 30 second increments and it worked just fine.  Remove chocolate from over water.

Combine sugar and water in small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves, occasionally brushing sides of pan with wet pastry brush. Increase heat; boil until syrup is deep amber color, brushing down sides and swirling pan occasionally, about 4 minutes (mine took longer, just be sure you keep a close eye on it because it will turn fast!). 

 

Add cream (mixture will bubble). Stir over very low heat until caramel is smooth.  

Mix caramel and 1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel into melted chocolate. 

 

Chill until truffle filling is firm, at least 3 hours.

Place cocoa in bowl. Using 1 tablespoon truffle filling for each truffle, roll into balls, then roll in cocoa. Arrange on baking sheet. Cover; chill overnight. 

 

Line 13x9x2-inch baking sheet with foil. Place remaining 12 ounces chocolate (I think I used around 8 and used the microwave again) in medium metal bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water); stir until chocolate is melted and smooth and thermometer inserted into chocolate registers 115°F. Remove bowl from over water. Working quickly, submerge 1 truffle in melted chocolate. Using fork, lift out truffle and tap fork against side of bowl to allow excess coating to drip off. Transfer truffle to prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining truffles. Sprinkle truffles lightly with additional fleur de sel. Let stand until coating sets, at least 1 hour. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill. I kept some of mine in the freezer and they tasted great so if you did choose to do these for the holidays you could probably make a big batch and then freeze until party time.  Bring to room temperature before serving.)

 

 

Perfect as an after dinner treat with a glass of red wine and your honey...

 

Or for breakfast with a mug of steamy coffee when that bowl of cereal just won't cut it!

Hope you are all having a great week.  Please comment with links to your favorite truffle recipes - I have a feeling this could become an addiction!

Boeuf en Croute

Holiday dinners are a time when I like to go out on a branch and give something new a try.  Even if it's a total flop, I know my family will still love me (right, family?).  I've got plenty of time to spend in the kitchen and if I'm lucky an extra set of hands to help get the job done (thanks Greg!).  This year I was randomly watching the Cooking Channel a couple weeks before Easter and caught this episode of French Food at Home.  I instantly thought, "This would be a perfect menu for Easter!" and bookmarked the recipes.  In the end, I decided to stick with the Boeuf en Croute and Green Beans with Hazelnuts and Creme Fraiche.  Greg contributed his famous sea salt and rosemary roasted red potatoes and Mom made her classic Deviled eggs.  I chose Spring Berry Tart for dessert and we called it a meal!  I apologize in advance for the lighting in these pictures but you can't always plan your cooking around the sun:)  Here is the recipe and some pictures that I hope will help you if you ever want to make your own Boeuf en Croute.

Boeuf en Croute
from French Food at Home

Ingredients

1 1/3 pounds beef tenderloin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

3 tablespoons butter
Olive oil, for drizzling

2 shallots, minced

1 pound mushrooms, very finely chopped (We used about 12 ounces)

1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves picked

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup Madeira

2 tablespoons creme fraiche
Handful chopped fresh parsley leaves

2 (1 pound) packages puff pastry or frozen puff pastry, thawed (This part was confusing to me, I ended up using one and a half packages of pastry, but I think if you rolled out two sheets to be a bit thinner they would be able to fit around the beef, also mine turned out a lot more "puffy" than the one pictured with the recipe so rolling it thinner might help with this)

1 egg

1 teaspoon water

Directions

Season the beef with salt, and pepper. Melt a tablespoon of butter with a drizzle of the olive oil in a saute pan until hot, then sear the beef on all sides. Remove from the pan to a board, and let cool completely, then wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

In the same pan as the beef, prepare the mushroom duxelles: Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and fry the shallots until translucent. Add the mushrooms, thyme, and bay leaf, and cook until very tender. Pour over the Madeira, and bring to a boil, and cook until all the liquid has evaporated. Add the creme fraiche and cook down to a very thick paste. Season the mixture with salt, and pepper. Stir through the chopped parsley.

Roll out one block of pastry to a rectangle large enough to fit the meat with a roomy border. Place on a baking sheet.

 

You can see here where I added a portion from another piece of pastry.  In the future, I would roll one piece a bit thinner to make it fit.

Remove the fillet from the refrigerator, and unwrap. Spoon the mushroom mixture into the center of the pastry and set the meat on top. 

Roll out the second sheet to fit over the whole fillet generously. In a small bowl, beat together the egg and 1 teaspoon water. Brush the margins of the bottom pastry with egg wash, then drape the second sheet over, pressing to seal well. Trim the edge to a 1-inch border. Crimp the edges with your fingers. Refrigerate until ready to bake.

I cut off about 2 inches of pastry on the long sides.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Brush the whole surface of the pastry with egg wash and make two slits in the top with a knife to allow steam to escape. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F, and continue to bake 20 minutes, depending on how well you like your meat done. Remove from the oven and let stand about 10 minutes before serving in slices.

Here is the link for the green bean recipe.  They were very flavorful and a great accompaniment to the beef.

Hope you enjoy these recipes!

What is the fanciest meal you've ever made?  Was it for a special event or just for fun?

Spring Berry Tart

Another holiday weekend has come and gone, but we had a great time.  My parents were able to come to town, we explored the city, rode out a horrible tornado, planted flowers and herbs (parsley, rosemary and cilantro, yay!) between storms, and most of all, ate...a lot.  

 

 Over the next few days I will be sharing our Easter dinner and dessert, plus a restaurant review from our fabulous dinner at Five Bistro.  My favorite thing to do is visit with my family while I work in the kitchen.  There's nothing like it!  I spent a lot of time on Easter Sunday prepping in the kitchen and while our schedule planned for dinner at 6:30, I think it was closer to 8:00 by the time we ate.  Luckily, everyone forgave me after they took the first bite of their meal.  Although we saved dessert for last, I'm starting this series with the star of the show, Spring Berry Tart!

This tart starts with a sweet shortbread crust that melts in your mouth.  It is filled with smooth vanilla pastry cream and topped with a crown of fresh berries.  What's not to like?  Once again, this recipe comes from my current favorite cookbook from Dorie Greenspan, Baking: From My Home to Yours.  It is seriously one of my all-time favorite desserts, try it today!

 

Spring Berry Tart

from Baking: From My Home to Yours


About 1 1/2 cups Pastry Cream, cooled or chilled (Recipe Below)
1 9" tart shell made with Sweet Tart Dough (Recipes Below)
Fresh raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, or strawberries, or an assortment of berries
1/3 cup red currant jelly mixed with 1 tsp of water, for glazing (I used strawberry and it tasted great)

Smooth the pastry cream by giving it a couple of strong turns with a whisk. Spoon enough pastry cream into the tart crust to come almost to the rim, then even the surface with a rubber spatula. Carefully lay the berries on the cream, arranging them in any pattern that you like.  I used blueberries, raspberries and sliced strawberries.

Bring the jelly and the water to a boil in a microwave oven or on the stovetop. Working with a pastry brush or a pastry feather, dab each berry with a spot of jelly. Or, if you like, you can glaze the entire surface of the tart, including the bit of pastry cream that peeks through the berries.

 

Sweet Tart Dough

 
Makes 1 9" Crust

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick plus 1 TBSP (9 TBSP) very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk

Put the flour, confectioners sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in - you should have some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas. Stir the yolk, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in long pulses - about 10 seconds each- until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change- heads up. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing.

 Don't worry if the dough seems crumbly.  Once it is pressed into the pan it will be fine.

Butter a 9" fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. (If you don't have a tart pan a pie pan would probably work too)  Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan.  Don't be too heavy-handed - press the crust in so that the edges of the pieces cling to one another, but not so hard that the crust loses its crumbly texture. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.

Preheat the oven to 375. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. (Since you froze the crust, you can bake it without weights.) Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon.

Bake for another 8 minutes or so, or until it is firm and golden brown. Transfer the tart pan to a rack and cool the crust to room temperature before filling.   

Pastry Cream

Makes about 2 cups
Storing: The pastry cream can be kept tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

2 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 TBSP unsalted butter, cut into bits at room temperature

Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.

Meanwhile, in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan, whisk the yolks together with the sugar and cornstarch until thick and well blended. Still whisking, drizzle in about 1/4 cup of the hot milk- this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won't curdle. (It helps if you have an extra set of hands for this part since you need to whisk and pour at the same time)  Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the milk. Put the pan over medium heat and, whisking vigorously, constantly and thoroughly (making sure to get into the edges of the pot), bring the mixture to a boil. Keep at a boil, still whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.

Whisk in the vanilla extract. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until they are fully incorporated and the pastry cream is smooth and silky. Scrape the cream into a bowl. You can press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the cream to create an airtight seal and refrigerate the pastry cream until cold, or, if you want to cool it quickly - as I always do- put the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water, and stir the pastry cream occasionally until it is thoroughly chilled, about 20 minutes.
  

 

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend.  What was the best thing you ate over the holiday?