Cream Puff dough

For Relief Society, they asked me to teach "French Baking".  Apparently I'm the resident expert.  My options were limited given that I only had 1 hour (things like croissants take 3 days) and I had no idea how many people would be coming.  It could be anywhere from half a dozen to a couple dozen, which makes things like creme brulee hard to plan for.   So cream puffs it is.  

I'd always wanted to learn how to make cream puffs, so I figured this made for a great opportunity.  If all else fails, I could do Madeleines, but those only take like 30 minutes, and you need a fancy pan, and while very tasty and somewhat obscure, not worthy of a whole hour long class.

Fortunately, I was able to pull it off.

After several (very tasty) failures.  Under cooked cream puffs taste a lot like crepes, and are really fantastic to eat with Nutella. 

I got one recipe down pretty well, but when I had someone taste test them, he said they weren't as flaky as Costco. Which I know that that's no real measuring stick, but he was kinda right. I prefer my filling.  (I can make a killer pastry cream when I want to) but the cream puff itself was a little lacking.  

So I hit the books again and found a better recipe.  Instead of a whole cup of water, this recipe uses half water, half whole milk.  And it upped the butter by 2 tablespoons.  It was definitely superior.

Cream puffs are a magical little creation.   If sweet, they can be filled with pudding, pastry cream, ice-cream, or whatever your heart desires, if savory, they can be filled with chicken salad, or anything similar.  The possibilities are endless.  Their magic lies in the science that creates a giant bubble in the middle of their body, just waiting to be filled. 

Cream Puff Dough

½ cup (125 g) Whole milk

½ cup (125 g) water

1 Stick (4 oz, 115 g) unsalted butter

Tablespoon of Sugar*

Pinch of salt*

1 cup (140 g) all-purpose flour

5 large eggs, at room temperature

 *For savory cream puffs, omit sugar, and increase salt to 1 tsp. 

Position the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven, and heat to 375.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and keep them close at hand.  Fit a large pastry bag with a large start tip and keep this nearby as well.

Bring the milk, water, butter, sugar, and salt to a rapid boil in a heavy bottomed medium pan over high heat.  Add the flour all at once, lower the heat to medium-low and quickly start stirring energetically with a wooden spoon.   The  dough will come together and a light crust will form on the bottom of the pan.  Keep stirring-  with vigor- for another 2 minutes to dry the dough.  The dough should now be very smooth.

Turn the dough into the bowl  of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment .  Add the eggs one by one and beat, beat, beat, until the dough is thick and shiny.  Don’t be concerned if the dough falls apart – by the time the last egg goes in, the dough will come together again.  Once all the eggs have been incorporated, the still warm dough must be used immediately.

Once all the eggs have been added and the mixture is smooth, immediately place the dough into a plastic bag with one corner cut off, or a pastry bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe the dough into golf ball size shapes onto the parchment lined sheet pans.  Space them 2 inches apart from each other.

Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 F  and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and immediately pierce them with a paring knife to release steam.

Unfilled, these will keep air tight in a zip top bag for 3 days, or frozen up to 2 months.

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes

For a church activity I was asked to make cupcakes.  "Something white." she said.  "Like vanilla, or banana."  And then she handed me some fancy cute orange and white polka dotted cupcake liners and I chose to ignore her suggestions.  Cause I'm a rebel. With access to pinterest :)  And I love orange. Vanilla is just so boring, and banana wasn't going to happen. (gross)

And so I made Orange Creamsicle cupcakes, which I may very humbly say were as delicious as they were pretty. (I got lots of compliments)   Here's the original link to the recipe over at Bird on a Cake. 

The cake recipe itself is fairly easy, just a modified box cake recipe. The only real trick was with the frosting, and that was actually easier than it looks.

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes

1 Package white cake mix
1 (4 serving size) package cheescake pudding mix
1 (3 oz package) orange flavored jell-o powder
1 1/4 cups orange juice
4 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.  Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Pour batter into liners, filling each 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes.  Cool completely.

Orange Creamsicle Frosting

1 8 oz package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
6 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp orange extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
orange food coloring

Cream together cream cheese and butter.  Gradually add powdered sugar and then the extracts.  Mix until smooth.  Divide frosting between two bowls.  Add orange food coloring to one bowl and mix well.

To get the two tone look of the cupcakes, fill one disposable pastry bag with white frosting, and the other with orange.

Snip off the tips and drop into a larger disposable pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and coupler.  Twist the end of the bags together and hold firmly between your thumb and first finger, squeeze until frosting comes out.

Starting at the edge of the cupcake, make a swirl pattern and pipe from the outside to the center.

Butterbeer Cupcakes

These are Nick's very favorite cupcakes, so I made them for his birthday.  I made them last year too, but they weren't so pretty to look at.  But aren't these pretty?!?  I made them myself.  And I'm pretty proud of the way they turned out. 

I found the recipe here on a blog called amybites.com.  She has lots of fun pictures, and if you are a Harry Potter fan, it's worth checking out.  Plus, she has step by step pictures which are pretty helpful.

Butterbeer Cupcakes

Makes 18

For the cupcakes-
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon butter flavoring
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup cream soda

For the ganache-
1 11-oz package butterscotch chips
1 cup heavy cream

For the buttercream frosting-
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup butterscotch ganache
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp butter flavoring
1/8 tsp salt
1 16-oz package powdered sugar
splash of milk or cream (as needed)

For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 and line cupcake pans with paper liners.  Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.  In a large bowl, or using a stand mixer, cream your butter until light and fluffy.  Add your sugars and beat until well-combined.  Beat in your eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Then mix in your vanilla and butter flavoring.

Alternate between adding your buttermilk, cream soda, and dry ingredients in batches until all are well incorporated.  Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full, then bake for 15 to 17 minutes (I had to bake them 16-17 minutes) until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and cake springs back to the touch.  Cool completely on wire racks.

For the butterscotch ganache- In a double boiler, or heat proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water on the stove, combine butterscotch chips and heavy cream and stir until completely combined and smooth.  Cool to room temperature.  Fill a squeeze bottle with the ganache and insert into the center of each cupcake, squeezing until filling begins to overflow. 

For the buttercream frosting- Cream butter in a large bowl until fluffy.  Add in ganache, vanilla, butter flavoring, and salt, and mix until well combined.  Beat in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time.  Add milk or cream by the Tablespoon as needed to reach desired consistency.  Frost cupcakes and top with a drizzle of butterscotch ganache.

Shepherd's Pie

I guess this is technically Cottage Pie, since Shepherd's Pie is traditionally made with lamb, and we prefer good old fashioned ground beef around here, but since most people know this particular kind of dish as Shepherd's Pie, we'll go with that.

This is admittedly still a work in progress.  I looked at several different recipes, add what I liked from theirs, and changed things up a bit to suit my own family.  For instance, my family are big mashed potato eaters.  So the ratio of potatoes to everything else is a bit high.  And many recipes call for green beans, but unless those beans are cooked in bacon fat, I have a hard time getting them to eat them, and frozen peas and corn are just a heck of a lot easier to throw in.  I mentioned that it's still a work in progress and that's cause I haven't gotten the gravy quite right yet.  It's still a little juicy.  I'd like it a little thicker.  The last time I made it, I only used 3 TBS of flour, and I'm sure it would be better with a little more.  Hence the vague (3-5 Tbs) instructions in the recipe.  And the "beef seasoning" is really just a bottle of seasoning by the same name that I found in my pantry.  "Hey this looks good, I'll throw some of this in." I'm guessing that I used about a teaspoon? 

And it makes a lot, but Nick eats a lot, so there you have it.  I'm sure it can be easily halved for those families without teenage boys.

But my family loves this recipe and cheer when I make it.

Shepherd's Pie

5 lbs mashed potatoes
2 lbs ground beef, browned
1 onion, chopped
2 Tbs minced garlic
3-5 Tbs flour
2 cups beef broth
2 Tbs ketchup
1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp beef seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 c frozen peas
1-2 c frozen corn
1 c shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large skillet, brown ground beef, add chopped onions and cook until soft and translucent.  Add garlic and flower, mix until everything is coated.  Add all other ingredients except peas and corn, let simmer for about 5 minutes.  Add peas and corn, then pour mixture into large casserole dish (at least 5 L).  Spoon prepared mashed potatoes over beef mixture, and sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over potatoes.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Corny cornbread muffins

I got this recipe from my good friend Lisa's blog Baking like Betty.  She brought these muffins to a neighborhood party one year, and we just loved them.   (you can click the link and go to her blog for better pictures.)  I've made these several times, and I finally decided it was about time I blogged about it.  Plus, since she has about 5 times as many recipes on her blog, it's a lot easier for me to find a particular recipe on my own blog the next time I make these. 

The recipe calls for self-rising cornmeal and flour, but there are recipes out there on the web to make your own.  One recipe for self rising flour called for 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 1/4 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt.

Corny Cornbread Muffins

1 c. self-rising cornmeal
1 c. self-rising flour
1/2 c sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 c vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 c sour cream
1 c cream-style corn

Pre-heat oven to 400. Line muffin tins.  (Recipe makes about 18) Whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, and sour cream.  Slowly mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients.  Don't over mix.  Gently stir in creamed corn just until blended.  Spoon into lined muffin tins.  Bake for 15 minutes.  They are done when inserted toothpick comes out clean.

John's vanilla pudding bread

While I was taking a nap one Sunday, John found this recipe online and decided to make it.  I'm not sure where he found it, and the paper copy of the recipe I have doesn't even have a title to look up, so I can't credit the source, which I always like to do.  However, I learned at a cooking class that you can't copyright a recipe.  Interesting.  I think my food blog activity had fallen off the charts because I was afraid someone, somewhere was going to come after me.  It is true that a couple of the recipes on here are all mine, but for the most part, this is just a collection of my favorite recipes that I get from different places.  Family, friends, the Internet, books... just stuff I find and want to keep in one central location, but because of the public nature of blogs, I was feeling uneasy, despite the fact that my blogs aren't exactly what you'd call "high traffic" chances of people seeing something and getting upset are pretty slim.  Anyway, then I found out you can't copyright a recipe.  Basically the fact that two different people can follow the exact same recipe to the letter, and still achieve different results, makes it difficult to copyright.  Add that to the fact that all you have to do is change up the recipe just a little bit: add a little extra vanilla, a little less salt, omit something, add something, and the recipe is now yours.

Of course, any pictures I add are always my own, I never use someone else's, those can definitely be copyrighted and are the property of the photographer, but anyways, my point is, I'm feeling a little less anxiety over this whole food blog.  Now I just have to branch out and make new stuff that's worth blogging about- there's been plenty of recipes that aren't worth writing down.

Anyway, John found a bread recipe online.  After a few trials and errors, I think he's getting it down. The recipe is pretty vague and confusing, with no directions on how to mix the ingredients together, so John just throws them all together and mixes it up. I am sure Alton Brown might have something to say about the proper mixing method, but the kids love it (even the not-so-successful attempts) and devour both loaves pretty quickly, so in the end that's all that matters.  (Of course in the off chance that someone else reads this and has any input, I'd love to hear it.)

John's Vanilla Pudding Bread

4 1/2 cups self rising flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 1/2 cups sugar
12 oz instant vanilla pudding
2 cups oil
1 1/2 cups milk
8 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups nuts (chopped)

Preheat oven to 325.  Grease 2 loaf pans. Mix one teaspoon cinnamon and two teaspoons of sugar (for each loaf pan) and set aside.  Coat bottom and sides of pan with sugar mixture, and reserve remaining sugar mixture for top of bread batter. Fill each pan about 1/2 full with batter mixture above. Sprinkle top with remaining mix of cinnamon and sugar (split between the two pans).  Bake at 325 for about 50 minutes or until brown.

Peach cobbler

John got it in his mind awhile back that he wanted peach cobbler, so he did what he does, and got online and looked for a recipe that looked easy, yet tasty.  He found one that was rated pretty highly by others and thought he'd give it a try.  He printed up the recipe, made a shopping list, and went to the store.

Long story short, he wasn't exactly sure how many peaches are in one cup, (the recipe called for three cups) and they were on sale apparently, so he bought 33.   We ate a few, threw out a couple, and made a few batches of cobbler.  I even upped the amount of peaches.  I added more like 4 or 5 cups. I pretty much maxed out what the dish could hold without making a mess in my oven.  I also added some orange extract that I ran across in my pantry, and I thought it was a nice addition, but it would be fine without it too. It's been a few months since I made this, and am working from memory, so I can't remember if I only added 1/4 tsp, or more. So I am going to conservatively say 1/4 teaspoon, and if I ever decide more is better, I will amend that here.

The recipe was super easy and tasty, and we ended up making this recipe several times that week.  (plus we had lots of peaches to use up)

Fresh Peach Cobbler

3-4 cups sliced fresh peaches
1 cup white sugar
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp orange extract.
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbs white sugar
1 Tbs baking powder'
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
2 Tablespoons white sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Lightly grease an 8x8 inch square baking dish.  Place sliced peaches in prepared baking dish.  Mix together 1 cup sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and extracts.  Spoon sugar mixture over peaches and place in oven while preparing shortcake. (heating peaches first helps prevent dough from getting soggy)

In a large bowl, combine flour, 1 Tbs sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add milk and egg; stir just until flour is moistened. Spread over hot peaches. Sprinkle top with remaining sugar. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes,or until top is golden brown.