The Daring Bakers Do X-Mas

This month was Round 3 for me in the Daring Bakers challenge, and it was by far the hardest one yet, involving not one but multiple snafus and do-overs. The Daring Bakers are a group of over 300 food bloggers who prepare the same elaborate recipe each month and post about it on the same day. This month, our recipe was holiday-themed: a beautiful Bûche de Noël, or Yule Log. A Yule Log is a genoise sheet cake rolled up with a buttercream frosting filling into the shape of a log. I baked mine this afternoon in preparation for a little holiday gathering I'm hosting later tonight.


The Yule Log involves three steps. First, you bake a thin sheet genoise cake, whose batter has lots of eggs and is made fluffy by beating air into it. Second, you make a coffee buttercream frosting (potentially the most difficult step - at least for me). Third, after assembling the cake, you make little "mushrooms" out of marzipan to decorate the log.


The cake was easy (dare I say - it was a piece of cake). The hard part was the frosting. This frosting is not the healthiest thing in the world. I'll be straight with you and tell you that it involves three sticks of butter. The first time I attempted to make it, I got a little overzealous with the "softening" of the butter that the recipe calls for. I wasn't thinking, and I didn't realize that if I softened it too much, the frosting would be too liquidy. That first batch had to go down the drain. The second batch I didn't soften the butter at all, and it was solid enough, but it kind of ... curdled. Like, the butter just was kind of lumpy and not incorporating fully into the frosting. Fortunately, I kept beating it until it started to look like normal frosting, and all was well. The marzipan mushrooms were a breeze to make.


To see hundreds of other takes on this Buche de Noel, mosey on over to the Daring Bakers Blog Roll starting today. Some of them probably have the recipe posted, which I'm too lazy to do ;) Happy holidays, everybody!

Luck o' the Irish

I'm pretty psyched for St. Patty's Day on Saturday. I live in Boston, so it's one of the biggest, rowdiest, and funnest (ok, not a word) holidays of the year. Naturally, then, I decided to make my WHB post this week Irish-themed. Since beer with green food coloring doesn't really qualify as an "herb, plant, vegetable, or flower," I settled for a hearty Brown Butter Soda Bread chock full of fresh rosemary.

Soda bread is a popular kind of bread in Ireland and has been since 1840. (Don't you love useless Wikipedia trivia?) I used to think it was called "soda bread" because they put Coke into the dough, but I am a silly person, and not surprisingly, I was wrong. It's called "soda bread" because instead of yeast, baking soda is the leavening agent helping the bread to rise. The baking soda reacts with buttermilk in the dough to form tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide. Fun, and delicious!

A lot of people add raisins or nuts to their soda bread, but my recipe, from the February 2006 issue of Bon Appetit, incorporates fresh rosemary, making it WHB-eligible. Rosemary is one of my very favorite herbs, mostly because of its incredibly fragrant smell. In addition to its yummy scent and flavor, rosemary is actually a stimulant and mild analgesic that can be used to treat headaches and poor circulation. For all you fellow beauty product addicts, it's also believed to revitalize your hair and prevent dandruff if you massage rosemary oil into your scalp. I'm a little skeptical, but it could be worth a try?

Either way, this bread is easy and delish. I'll eat a slice on Saturday morning, toasted, with lots of butter... and of course, a big pint of Guinness.

Brown Butter Soda Bread
Makes 2 loaves

• 1/4 c. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 3-1/2 c. all purpose flour
• 1/2 c. old-fashioned oats
  
• 1 T. sugar
• 1 T. chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. ground black pepper, plus more for topping
• 1-3/4 c. buttermilk
• 1 egg white, beaten to blend

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375F. Stir butter in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until melted and golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir flour, oats, sugar, rosemary, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in large bowl to blend. Pour buttermilk and melted browned butter over flour mixture; stir with fork until flour mixture is moistened. Turn dough out onto floured work surface. Knead gently until dough comes together, about 7 turns. Divide in half. Shape each half into ball; flatten each into 6-inch round. Place rounds on ungreased baking sheet, spacing 5 inches apart. Brush tops with beaten egg white. Sprinkle lightly with ground black pepper. Using small sharp knife, cut 1/2-inch-deep X in top of each dough round. Bake breads until deep golden brown and tested inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool breads on rack at least 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, which I'm hosting this week! Get me your entries by Sunday, 3pm Utah time (5pm for us East Coast-ers). Send them over to me at rhammer AT law DOT harvard DOT edu.

A Very Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everybody! I hope y'all are stuffed full of yummy food and have gotten everything you wished for. I'm very happy (flat-screen HD tv!!!) and also very full. Christmas dinner was delicious, and in my opinion, waayyy better than Thanksgiving dinner this year. My mom and I decided we were going to make the same main course we made last year (because it was just so darn good): Roast Duck with Lavender and Honey. Amazing!! We also did a repeat of last year's best side dish, Herbes de Provence Red Potato Wedges. We tried out a new side dish with Baby Carrots with Tarragon. Last but not least, I made an absolutely beautiful dessert, a Frozen Grand Marnier Torte with Dark Chocolate Crust and Spiced Cranberries. Ho ho ho!


This duck is the best thing I think I've ever made. I'm a huge fan of duck in the first place, so I'm probably somewhat biased, but the flavors and aromas are so delightful. Not to mention the fact that this is actually easy. I'm sure I'll be making it again next year...

Roast Duck with Lavender and Honey

• 4 tsp. fresh, or 2 tsp. dried, lavender blossoms
  
• 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
• 1 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns
• 4 Tbsp. lavender honey or orange flower honey
• 5-to-6-pound duck

Preheat oven to 350°F. Finely grind 2 teaspoons fresh or 1 teaspoon dried lavender blossoms, thyme, sea salt and peppercorns in spice grinder or with mortar and pestle. Remove fat deposits and giblets from duck cavity. Trim excess skin and fat from neck area. Rinse inside and out; pat dry. Cutting through skin and fat (but not flesh) of duck breasts, score in crisscross pattern. Rub inside and outside of duck with herb mixture. Place duck, breast up, on rack in roasting pan. Roast 2 hours. Remove from oven. Increase oven temperature to 375°F. Transfer duck to plate. Pour pan juices into 4-cup glass measuring cup; spoon off fat. Return juices and 1 tablespoon fat to pan. Return duck to pan. Brush with 2 tablespoons honey. Roast duck 20 minutes, basting once with pan juices. Brush with 2 tablespoons honey; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried lavender. Roast duck until deep golden and thermometer inserted into innermost part of thigh registers 180°F., about 5 minutes longer.


Baby Carrots with Tarragon

• 4 bunches (8-oz each) baby carrots, peeled & trimmed
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 Tbsp. minced fresh tarragon or 3 tsp. dried
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. honey

Combine carrots, 1/4 cup water, 1 1/2 tablespoons tarragon, butter, vinegar and honey in heavy large skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover and simmer until carrots are almost tender, about 12 minutes. Uncover; cook until carrots are tender and liquid is reduced to glaze, about 6 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to platter. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 tablespoons tarragon.


Herbes de Provence Red Potato Wedges

• 2 pounds red potatoes, washed
• 3 Tbsp. EVOO or enough to coat
• 2 Tbsp. herbes de provence or dried parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, combined
• 1 Tbsp. grill seasoning (such as McCormick Montreal Seasoning) or 1 tsp. each salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450F. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Cut potatoes into wedges and drop onto cookie sheet. Coat potatoes n oil. Season with dried spices and grill seasoning. Roast, turning once, 25 minutes.


Frozen Grand Marnier Torte with Dark Chocolate Crust and Spiced Cranberries
(courtesy of Bon Appetit)

This frozen dessert worked out great for us this year since we had a Florida-style, 80-degree Christmas (complete with thunderstorms and a tornado watch). My mom said this was her favorite dessert I've ever made. Not sure I would go that far (I'm not a fan of tart things as much as she is), but it sure was yummy.

Crust:

• about 9-oz. of chocolate biscotti
• 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 7 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

• 8 large egg yolks
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 2 c. chilled heavy whipping cream
• 5 Tbsp. Grand Marnier
• 3 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1 Tbsp. grated orange peel

Topping:

• 1/2 c. ruby Port
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. honey
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 5 c. fresh cranberries

For crust: Finely grind biscotti, chips, and sugar in food processor. Add melted butter; blend until wet crumbs form. Set aside 1/2 cup crumb mixture. Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom and 2 inches up sides of 9–inch–diameter springform pan with 2 3/4–inch–high sides.

For filling: Whisk first 3 ingredients in medium metal bowl. Set over saucepan of simmering water and whisk vigorously until candy thermometer registers 175°F, about 8 minutes. Remove bowl from over water. Add spices. Using mixer, beat until thick and cool, about 5 minutes. Using electric mixer, beat whipping cream, sour cream, Grand Marnier, orange juice concentrate, and grated orange peel in large bowl until peaks form. Add egg yolk mixture and fold together. Pour 2/3 of filling into crust. Sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup crumb mixture. Gently spoon remaining filling over. Cover; freeze overnight or up to 3 days.

For topping: Whisk Port and cornstarch in large skillet to blend. Add sugar, honey, and spices. Bring mixture to boil over high heat, stirring often. Add cranberries; cook until mixture boils and cranberries begin to pop but still hold shape, about 5 minutes. Chill topping at least 6 hours or overnight.

Release pan sides from torte. Transfer torte to platter. Spoon topping over filling.

Gifts from the Baking Elf

As mentioned, I've been hard at work baking gift boxes of goodies for my friends here at law school. I believe that some of the best gifts are ones that disappear - whether they're tickets to a show, an IOU for a night on the town, or best of all, food.

In the gift boxes, I decided on two sweet things and one savory. You have to have a little balance, right? I ended up going with Dark Chocolate Candy-Cane Truffles, Caramel Nut Shortbread, and Salami, Feta, & Gorgonzola Biscuits. Everything turned out great, but the truffles are the clear winner (in my opinion).

Pictures of the finished goods, with recipes/notes...

Dark Chocolate Candy-Cane Truffles

I stole the basic truffle recipe from the December Bon Appetit. It's a little time consuming, but actually very easy, and the results are very much worthwhile. You can roll the finished truffles in anything you want (nuts, sprinkles, coconut...) but I went with crushed-up candy canes in the spirit of the holidays. Here are some notes on truffle-making technique. The recipe makes about two dozen.

• 1 1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
• 7 oz + 2 oz + 7 oz high-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped (total: four 16-oz bars, I used Ghirardelli)
• 4 candy canes, crushed into small pieces
  

Bring cream to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat; cool to lukewarm, 10 minutes. Meanwhile, stir 7 ounces chocolate in metal bowl over saucepan of simmering water until smooth. Remove from heat. Add 2 ounces chocolate; stir until smooth. Stir in cream. Chill truffle base until firm enough to roll, about 3 hours. Line rimmed baking sheet with waxed paper. Roll 2 teaspoons truffle base between fingertips into ball. Transfer to prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining truffle base. Chill until firm, about 1 hour. Line another rimmed baking sheet with waxed paper. Stir chocolate in metal bowl over saucepan of simmering water just until melted. Remove from heat. Cool slightly. Scoop some of warm (not hot) melted chocolate into palm of hand. Place 1 chilled truffle in hand and roll in palm to coat. Roll in crushed candy canes. Transfer to prepared sheet. Drizzle leftover chocolate on top if desired. Chill until outer coating is solid.

Caramel Nut Shortbread

I stole this recipe from one of my favorite food blogs, Weekly Dish. I'm not going to reproduce the recipe because you can find it right here. I will say that I don't have a food processor, and that made my shortbread crust less than perfect, but overall these taste pretty good. I think they're a bit too sweet, but I guess that's just how caramel is. Oh, also, I forgot to add the heavy cream to the caramel sauce, so even though it wasn't really a disaster, make sure you remember to do that if you try to make these!

Salami, Feta, & Gorgonzola Biscuits

Last but not least, my delightful, flaky little biscuits. Mm, mm good. I saw Giada de Laurentiis making these biscuits on her show Everyday Italian. I don't get cable at home, but I do love to watch Food Network while I'm working out (masochistic, I know...) and while I was on the treadmill I saw lovely Giada making these biscuits (originally just salami & gorgonzola) as part of gift baskets she was making for the holidays. That's actually what made me want to do gift boxes in the first place. These turned out so great! I'm not a huge fan of gorgonzola, so I cut the amount and added in some feta, which I think was probably a good idea. Your call, though. Also, like I mentioned, I don't have a food processor (don't worry, it's on my Christmas list) but I just mixed up the dough by hand with a fork with great success. The recipe makes about 40 little biscuits.

• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 6 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 3/4 c. buttermilk
• 1/4 c. finely diced salami
• 1 Tbsp. crumbled gorgonzola
• 2 Tbsp. crumbled feta

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a food processor combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pulse 2 to 3 times until mixed. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer the biscuit mixture to a medium bowl. Add the buttermilk, salami, gorgonzola, and feta. Stir until the mixture forms a ball. Turn the mixture out onto a floured surface. Roll to 1/2-inch thick. Using a 1-inch diameter cookie cutter, cut out the biscuits and place them on 2 baking sheets. Bake until golden, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Top Secret Baking

Despite my lack of postings recently, I have not been on hiatus from the kitchen. Au contraire, I've been doing some top-secret baking. I decided to make some goodies for my law school friends as a little holiday present. But, I don't want to spoil the surprise by posting pictures/recipes before giving them away. Consequently you can expect a lengthy posting toward the end of the week with the results of my somewhat experimental gift-making.

On a side note, I'm still surviving off of last week's chicken chowder and pound cake. I love leftovers.