Jacques of all Trades

Mmm, strawberry shortcake!

Recipe from Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, via epicurious.

Ingredients: 

• 2 1-pound baskets strawberries, hulled, halved (or quartered if very large; about 7 cups)

• 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar

• 2 tablespoons raspberry preserves

• 1 cup chilled whipping cream

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Buttermilk Biscuits

• Powdered sugar

Instructions:

Combine strawberries, 1/2 cup sugar and raspberry preserves in large bowl; toss to coat. Let stand until syrup forms, tossing occasionally, about 1 hour.

Beat chilled whipping cream, vanilla extract and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar in another large bowl until stiff peaks form. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover separately and chill.)

Cut Buttermilk Biscuits in half. Place each biscuit bottom in shallow bowl. Top each generously with strawberries and whipped cream. Cover fruit and cream with biscuit tops. Dust biscuits with powdered sugar and serve.

(And finished off the whipped cream with a sprinkling of cinnamon and cayenne).  

Celebrating two peachy DC babies—Hugo and Maeve—with a DC-themed peach pie!  (Baked by Liz, of course, with peaches that we picked this summer and that Joyce canned for us).

Liz made cherry pie for Pi Day dessert!

(let’s hope she doesn’t have anything planned for the Ides of March!)

lickypickystickyfree:

The difference some icing and sprinkles make…

I have often wondered where the distinctions are made between muffin and cupcake, or apple dumplings (like the delicious ones I ate at Lancaster’s Neptune Diner yesterday) and apple pie, in terms of what is acceptable for breakfast and what is not.  

And while icing and other toppings might be one hypothesis, the cinnamon bun and Belgian waffle would beg to differ.

(via lickypickystickyme)

Liz’s dessert at Chez l’Epicier in Old Town Montreal, which I think was hazelnut-praline and chocolate mille-feuille, caramel with salt butter glaze and another on with lemon.  

I don’t even know what all of those words mean, but like my chocolate club sandwich, it was delicious.  

Georgetown’s Dolcezza Gelato, an excellent end to a holiday weekend.

I went for mango habanero lime and tahitian vanilla bean, while Liz got Thai coconut milk and meyer lemon vodka.

DC will get sweeter as a Georgetown favorite, the Argentine gelato shop Dolcezza, will be opening a new outpost in Dupont Circle this month!  

Living only 4 blocks away from the original, we can vouch for both the deliciousness and the creativity, as in addition to typical flavors, we’ve had some of our best experiences come from unusual flavor combinations like Blueberry Lemon Thyme, succulent fruits like blackberries or white peaches, and unexpected herbs, including basil, cilantro and fresh mint.

“The 800-square foot space, located directly in front of the Dupont Metro stop, will feature a communal table, window seating, patio seating, and an antique wood coffee bar first used in a Buenos Aires cafe, circa 1940s.”

(via Dolcezza to Open a Dupont Circle Location on April 15 - Young & Hungry - Washington City Paper; h/t elyssak)

Joyce’s Caramel Corn Recipe

Looking to make some last minute Christmas gifts for family and friends? This recipe from my mother-in-law has become a go to for us (Liz made seven batches on Tuesday night when we set up “Santa’s Kitchen Workshop”).

This also works for an easy—yet impressive everyday treat. Bring it to parties and it’s an instant hit!

Recipe 5 c popped popcorn 1 stick unsalted butter 1 cup peanuts (optional) 1 c brown sugar 1/3 c light corn syrup Pinch of salt 1 scant tsp baking soda

1. Pop popcorn and spread with peanuts on a rimmed baking sheet.

2. Combine butter, corn syrup, and salt in saucepan. Stir over medium heat, then bring to a boil. When mixture reaches a boil, let it boil for 5 minutes WITHOUT STIRRING.

3. Remove from heat an stir in a scant teaspoon of baking soda. Stir/whisk until foaming.

4. Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and peanuts, and mix with a spoon. Bake at 275 for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

5. Place on wax paper to cool. (Optional, drizzle with melted chocolate, we use milk chocolate “bark,” because it cools and hardens quickly).

Back to recipes!  Very Good Chocolate Cake

Regular readers have probably noticed that since the early fall, there’s been a decline in my frequency of recipe posting.  This has been due in part to my slacking off on the blog front, and in part to the fact that when Liz is teaching in Williamsburg 2-3 nights a week during the week, I often creep into bachelor mode, eating either leftovers, or making a sandwich or the ever-popular “pasta with red sauce.”

That said, it’s time to pick up the recipe train again (“Toot! Toot!”) with this delicious chocolate cake that Liz concocted for Becky’s 30th Birthday Party (which also involved duckpin bowling in Baltimore)!

We are generally huge fans of the Chocolate Guinness Cake, but as we’re not afraid to branch out, this “Very Good Chocolate Cake” was a new adventure. Like the Guinness Cake, it came to us via Kim O’Donnel, formerly of the Washington Post, and now writing for True/Slant out of Seattle.

Here’s the recipe — the applesauce and sour cream make it both dense and delicious!

Very Good Chocolate Cake
Adapted from The Gift of Southern Cooking by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock

Cake
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup hot (not boiling) water
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup sour cream (alternatively, use plain yogurt)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting
Note: This makes more than enough frosting than is necessary, plus it’s so rich that you don’t even need a coating inbetween cake layers. I have halved the amounts below in the past, approximating amount for sugar.

1 cup heavy cream
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into several pieces
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup hot water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325. Butter, flour and line two 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper.

Sift together sugar, flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl. In another bowl, pour hot water over chocolate, allowing it to melt completely. In a third bowl, whisk eggs and applesauce, then add sour cream, vanilla and chocolate mixture. Fold wet mixture into dry, by thirds, incorporating after each addition. Divide batter evenly between the cake pans.

Bake 30-40 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Transfer cake pans to racks and allow to rest for five minutes before turning out of pans. To unmold, run a flat-edged knife between cake and sides of pans. Turn pans facedown onto rack and carefully lift. Allow cakes to completely cool before peeling off parchment and frosting.

Frosting: Heat cream, butter, sugar and salt in a saucepan until butter is melted. Add chocolate, cooking over very low heat, until just melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and blend in water and vanilla. Transfer frosting to a bowl to cool, stirring only occasionally, until it is spreadable — about an hour. Do not refrigerate.

Assembling cake: When frosting is ready, put one cake layer on cake plate and frost from center, thoroughly covering surface. Top with second layer and frost the top and sides. Allow cake to sit two hours before slicing.

Check out more of our favorite dessert recipes here.

And more of our favorite recipes (overall) here.

Fresh and Easy Apple Crisp

After apple-picking in VA on Sunday, Liz and I had been charged with bring dessert to a dinner party.  In addition to bringing the always-a-hit Guinness Chocolate Cake, we wanted to make something to make use of the Staymans, Nittanies, and other deliciousness we had picked up at the orchard.

This quick and easy recipe, adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything, proved to be just the ticket!

Ingredients

• 8-10 apples (about 6 cups), either thinly sliced or roughly chopped.
• 2-3 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• generous pinches of nutmeg, cloves

For Topping

• 1/2 cup oats (not instant)
• 1/2 cup flour (we used white whole wheat, but any will do)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (plus more, if using tart apples)
• 1/2 cup butter, cold, chopped into small pieces.

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Grease a baking dish (13x9 or 12x8) with butter
3. Combine apples with lemon juice, brown sugar and spices.  Place into baking dish.
4. Combine topping ingredients in a food processor, pulsing a few times until mixed but not uniform.  Layer over the top of apples, making sure all apples are covered.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, check, and continue baking until top begins to brown.

(photo of me at Stribling Orchard, via barrett.twenty.six)

Apple Pie with Cheddar Cheese crust. (recipe from Gourmet Magazine)

This recipe came from the ante-penultimate* issue of Gourmet — September 2009.  I have a personal crush on apple pie with cheddar slices, so I was really excited about this concept. Basically, it’s an apple pie, with about 1/2 lb of grated sharp cheddar mixed into the crust.

The result was very tasty, but the cheddar taste was not overwhelming (we used far less than the recommended amount).  I would say this was one of the better apple pies I’ve ever had, except that Liz’s usual recipe is dynamite, and this came in just below that standard.  Someday, I hope to share that recipe, but for now, it’s a family secret!

Still, if you’re a cheese-freak like me, this recipe is certainly worth a try.

(* I love the word antepenultimate, and I feel it is something that doesn’t get used enough.  I guess this is some, quite small, consolation for the shutdown of Gourmet Magazine).

Check out other recipe posts here.

Stove-top s’mores. A fun solution for dessert last night, after our first attempt (culinary blowtorch s’mores) was a little too intense!

On the other hand, I don’t recommend the fat-free, gluten-free marshmallows from Whole Foods, but you go to war with the marshmallows you have, right?

Another creation of the Guinness Cake, and more happy people, this time at an office party