So Long Winter Fruit Salad

Mar 10, 2013 By Love & Flour in Other 1 Comment Tags: chocolate, dried fruit, winter

Now that what I wanted since November (spring!) is almost here, I feel the need to post one last “winter” recipe. I think you guys are really going to love me for this one too. And by that I mean you are going to be annoyed as all get out. I know this because I was there, feeling annoyed by such robust instructions like “handfuls” and “a little.”

And that was when there were measurements at all. Add to that ingredients like torrone (Italian nougat candy) and amaretti (crisp almond cookies), and you might just wonder if I went off on a field trip to Italy. I have not.

Despite these characteristics, I came out on the other side a believer. This recipe is from Dolci: Italy’s Sweets by Francine Segan. The New York Daily News has a nice article about the process she went through to create the book, along with a few additional recipes, available here.

I opted to make my own candied orange peel at home. I simply candied the peel from the same orange I used for the juice by bringing 1 cup of water and 1 1/4 to 2 cups of sugar to a boil, and then allowing the peel to simmer for about 30-40 minutes until soft and sweet. You can also make candied lemon slices in the same pot as the orange peel.

When it all comes together, the chewy, sweet fruit is the perfect complement to the rich chocolate and salty nuts. I was concerned about how soft the orange juice and amaretto would make the cookies, but the biscotti turned only soft, not soggy. Truly, I surprised myself by how much I liked this dessert.

As for winter, where I live, the season officially ends in just over one week on March 19. As much as I like to pick on winter, it seems like just yesterday it arrived. I rang in the first day of winter and the darkest day of the year by going to a candlelight yoga class. Just a few days later, I went home for what turned out to be pretty much the best Christmas yet. 2013 has been fairly status quo so far – full of work, recipes and the occasional antics – but I am certain good surprises are in store. (Actually, I am not sure about that last part at all, but here is to hoping!)

Not quite ready to let go of winter? Winter pesto or winter jambalaya are waiting. Enjoy!

So Long Winter Fruit Salad

Author: Dolci: Italy’s Sweets by Francine Segan

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

2 handfuls assorted dried fruit, chopped (apricots and craisins)
2 handfuls assorted nuts,chopped (walnuts and almonds)
1 handful torrone or candy bars (I used two Peanut bars by Justin’s)
1 handful dark chocolate, chopped
1 handful milk chocolate, chopped
10 amaretti, coarsely chopped (I used 5 biscotti)
“a little” (1 tablespoon) candied orange peel, minced
(1/2 cup) orange juice
(2 tablespoons) amaretto or limoncello, optional
whipped cream or Mascarpone cheese for garnish, optional

Instructions

Combined the dried fruit, nuts, torrone, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, amaretti and candied orange peel. (This should keep in a well-sealed container placed in a cool, dry place for up to three months).
One hour before serving, add the orange juice and liquor if using to moisten the fruit mixture.
Top with whipped cream or Mascarpone cheese to serve.

Notes

The specific ingredients and – when not listed in the original recipe -the measurements I used are noted in parentheses. My handfuls were approximately ⅓ of a cup.

Vacation Cookies

Jun 27, 2012 By Love & Flour in Cookies 2 Comments Tags: dried fruit, oats

In Chole’s Kitchen, Chef Chole calls these cookies Yoga Cookies because they are her “favorite after-yoga snack.” I renamed my version Vacation Cookies because I made them before I went on vacation. The cookies could have also been named I Need to Bake Cookies but I Don’t Have Time to Go to the Grocery Store but I Have Most Everything in This Recipe on Hand. But that title would have been much to long.

I liked the many add-ins found in these cookies: oats, coconut, raisins, walnuts, and chocolate chips. I did not have nuts on hand, so I substituted an extra 1/2 cup of chocolate chips in their place. If raisins or coconut are not your favorite things, you could substitute other add-ins in a similar manner, but I must tell you the coconut’s flavor is completely lost within the other ingredients.

Another plus to these cookies is their lack of white sugar. The sweetness of the agave (or maple) syrup, raisins, and chocolate satisfied my sweet tooth just fine. And if one bakes with whole-wheat pastry flour in place of the white flour, these cookies would make a fairly decent snack. A downside was the cookie dough was fairly difficult to pull together, but I just sort of smashed it down as best I could, and for the most part the cookies held together.

I try so many baked goods I sometimes loose my baseline of what tastes good and what tastes not-so-good. I am proud to report these cookies passed the Mom Test. My mom, the best cookie baker in the world (she shares that title with many other mom’s out there, I’m sure), said the cookies were “really good.” And if that wasn’t enough, she asked for the recipe. Enjoy!

Vacation Cookies

Author: Chole’s Kitchen by Chloe Coscarelli

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 16-18

Ingredients

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup canola or similar oil
½ cup agave syrup
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1½ cups rolled oats
½ cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
½ cup raisins (I used golden)
½ cup chocolate chips
½ cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

Whisk together the flour, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
In a separate bowl, stir together the oil, syrup, and vanilla.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
Fold in the oats, coconut, raisins, walnuts, and chocolate chips.
Scoop 1½ to 2 tablespoons of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, then gently flatten the dough with the palm of your hand.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes until the edges of the cookies are golden.

Notes

The original recipe indicated 1½ cups whole-wheat pastry flour can also be used in place of all-purpose flour. The recipe also indicated maple syrup could be used in place of agave syrup. I opted to omit the walnuts indicated above, and instead used ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and ½ cup milk chocolate chips.

A Perfect Monday: Books & A Lane Cake

Apr 16, 2012 By Love & Flour in Cakes 8 Comments Tags: booze, coconut, dried fruit

I love to read. Far and away, reading is my number one hobby. If for some odd reason I were to become independently wealthy, all I would do is sit around and read. I’d curl up on the couch and read all night. I’d swing in a hammock on the beach and read all day. I’d read on the plane while I traveled from my couch to the beach. If my nephew asks me for girl advice someday, I will say to him, “Wyatt, you should Date a Girl Who Reads.”

Though I’ve always been a reader, I wouldn’t say I’m well read. I’ve never read any of the great Russian authors, (Tolstoy, Chekhov), and I honestly can’t think of any literary greats who I should be reading (Milton?). So why books? And why today?

At 3 p.m. EST today, the 2012 winners of the Pulitzer Prizes will be announced. I have a deal with myself to read every book that has ever won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Prior to 3 p.m. today, I’ve read 35 of the 53 prize-winners. And when I get through the list, I’ll take on another category. I have a lot of reading to do.

My two favorite books are “Gone With The Wind” (the movie does not do the book justice) and “Lonesome Dove.” Rounding out my top five would be “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay”, “Middlesex”, and “The Grapes of Wrath”. A few of my favorite authors include Jeffrey Eugenides, Wally Lamb, and John Updike. And though they’re not all that literary, anytime Emily Giffin releases a new book or Charlaine Harris writes a Sookie Stackhouse tale, I’m all over them.

As a kid, my summer routine was to ride my bike from my Grandma and Grandpa’s house to the library in the morning, then swim at our town’s pool in the afternoon. For a few years, I spent my mornings helping kids learn to hone their reading skills at the summer reading program in “the little red schoolhouse” before trekking over to the library. Those were the days.

And in those days I loved “Bridge to Terebithia,” “A Wrinkle in Time,” and anything Judy Blume wrote. I’d also be remiss not to mention I’m pretty sure I’ve read every Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley Twins, and Babysitter’s Club book in existence. Does that enhance or utterly destroy my cool image?

Since the Pulitzer winners are on my reading bucket list, and a Lane Cake was on my cake bucket list, it seemed fitting I should post a Lane Cake on Pulitzer Day. Lane Cake is referenced in Harper Lee’s 1961 Pulitzer winner “To Kill A Mockingbird.” Scout says, “Miss Maudie baked a Lane Cake so loaded with shinny it made me tight.” When I read that sentence for the first time, I didn’t know what “tight” meant. The first thing that went through my mind was, “Tight? Did it give the poor girl the runs?” Turns out tight is a slang term for drunk. (I warned you I’m not well read.) And in case you didn’t know, shinny references the liquor in the cake.

This cake recipe, from “Booze Cakes: Confections Spiked with Spirits, Wine, and Beer“, calls for bourbon in the cake, filling, and frosting. If I had made this Lane Cake a few weeks ago, it could have easily been my entry for the Cooking Hard Stuff challenge. It takes a lot of ingredients (10 eggs!), equipment (three cake pans, two mixing bowls, one candy thermometer), and time. I was pretty beat by the time I had it all put together, but I then again, it didn’t get to be on my cake bucket list because it was easy.

The full recipe is below but here are the high points. Be prepared to use both a hand mixer and a stand mixer as the cake batter needs to be mixed and the egg whites need to be beaten to stiff peaks to fold into the cake batter. I had a lot of filling left over. I wrote the ingredients below as they appear in the cookbook, but unless you plan to cut your three cake layers into halves for a six layer cake, I would recommend halving the ingredients for the filling. Avoid the urge to place too much filling on the cake layers or you will end up with a drippy mess that will be difficult to frost. Lastly, I found my Wilton Cake Lifter to be invaluable throughout the process of assembling and moving this cake.

If you would like to know what I have read or am currently reading, feel free to send me a friend request on Goodreads. If you are in need of some recipe inspiration, I also keep a Love & Flour Goodreads profile where I list all the cookbooks I peruse. Enjoy!

Updated to note: For the first time since 1977, no Pulitzer Prize was awarded for Fiction! I am so disappointed, yet I also find the irony of this post and no award hilarious. I am taking solace in the fact that I have read one of the nominated books, Swamplandia!, and that I have plenty of cake to eat.

Lane Cake

Author: Booze Cakes by Krystina Castella and Terry Lee Stone

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

For the Cake
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup milk
10 egg whites
For the Filling
¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter
1¾ cups granulated sugar
⅓ teaspoon salt
10 egg yolks
2 cups pecans, toasted and chopped
1 cup golden raisins, chopped
1½ cups assorted dried fruits, chopped
½ cup candied cherries
1½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted
1 cup bourbon
⅓ cup orange juice
For the Frosting
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
¼ teaspoon salt
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup bourbon
¼ cup half-and-half

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
Add in the bourbon and the vanilla extract and continue to beat.
Add part of the flour mixture, then some of the milk, to the mixing bowl. Continue to add the flour and milk in alternating additions, ending with the flour to prevent curdling.
In another mixing bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks.
Gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter.
Pour the batter into three, greased and floured 8-inch cake pans.
Baked at 325 degrees F for approximately 30 minutes or until the cakes are golden and a knife inserted into them comes out clean.
Set the cakes aside to cool.
While the cakes bake and cool, prepare the filling. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Remove from heat and whisk in the sugar, salt, and egg yolks.
Return to medium heat and stir constantly until a candy thermometer inserted into the mixture reads 180 degrees F.
Remove the heat again and stir in the pecans, dried and candied fruits, coconut, bourbon and orange juice.
Set the filling aside to cool.
While the filling and cakes cool, prepare the frosting.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and salt until creamy.
Add the confectioners’ sugar and bourbon in alternating additions until fully incorporated.
Slowly add the half-and-half and continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy.
Refrigerate the frosting until ready to use.
When the cake and filling are cool, assemble the cake by placing one cake on a plate.
Pipe a ring of icing along the edge of the cake to act as a dam for the filling.
Spread filling to the dam, then place a second cake on top of the filling.
Repeat piping and filling on the second cake, then place the remaining cake on the top of the filling.
If possible, allow to sit overnight to allow the flavors of the filling to meld into the cake.
Use a spatula to spread the frosting over the top then down the sides of the cake.
Rejoice you are finally finished and enjoy a piece of cake.

Notes

I used currants and figs for my assorted dried fruits.