The Sweet Side of the Sour Cherry

Fresh, sour cherries are a thing of beauty.  They are also a bit of a rarity.  The "season" as it were is so fleeting that when you happen upon them at the farmer's market, you have no choice but to buy them because they won't be there the very next week.

If you are practicing restraint and not planning to make preserves, you content yourself with one quart.  This is just enough cherries to make a pie, or better yet, a crumble.

You will need to use or freeze your cherries within a few days.  Either way, you will need to pit them.  Alternately, you may have a girlfriend who will pit them while you are at work.  Having the latter, it is the method I recommend.

Pre-bake.

Post-bake.

With requisite vanilla bean ice cream.

I cobbled (get it?  cobbled?)  a few recipes together and came up with this:

Sour Cherry Crumble

For Cherries:
4 cups pitted sour cherries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
pinch salt

For Topping:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds

•  Combine all ingredients for cherries and pour into a shallow 2 or 3-quart baking dish.
•  Slice 1 tablespoon of butter onto top of cherries.
• Combine remaining butter, brown sugar, and flour and mix until butter is the size of small peas.  Add oats and almonds and mix to combine.
• Sprinkle topping over cherries and bake at 325 degrees for one hour and fifteen minutes or until top is golden and cherries are bubbly.

Literate Baker notes:  It was still vexingly hot when I made this, so I baked it in my toaster oven.  Not quite as evenly baked as a regular oven, but passable.

Literate Baker confessions:  This, like the blueberry cake, was good for breakfast.

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A Pound of Inspiration

Once again, it's been a while since I've brought you any sweet somethings, nothings, or otherwise.  It's been a time around here--new job, crazy commutes, and moving.  In addition to having really no time to write, I've been thoroughly uninspired to bake.  It's been rather unsettling.

That changed a bit last weekend when we took a lovely stroll to the farmer's market.  That, however, is actually another post.  Which I'll write soon.  Promise.

Yesterday, I feel like the mojo truly returned.  I was taking a break from making curtains to cover some doorless kitchen cabinets, scrolling through my Facebook feed, and there it was--Alton Brown's Blueberry Pound Cake.
 

The curtain.

The cake.

The picture was pretty, the recipe simple, the ingredients on hand.  And, perhaps most importantly, the temperature is well below 90 for the first time in what feels like weeks.

The batter came together quickly and easily.  It really is important to beat the butter and sugar for a long time, them beat it again after adding the eggs.  It allows you to walk that deliciously fine line of rich and light.  

Butter and sugar the pan.

Whip the butter and sugar, and whip it some more.

Flour your berries.

Spread your batter.

Admire your handiwork.

From Mr. Brown's very own website:

Blueberry Pound Cake

Recipe Courtesy Alton Brown, 2013

Yield: 12 servings
This cake is a summer tradition in our house. Coating the pan with butter and sugar gives the cake a thick, crunchy crust.

Software:
8 ounces unsalted butter, softened, plus 1 tablespoon for the pan
15 ounces (2 cups) sugar, plus 3 tablespoons for the pan
15 ounces (3 cups) all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4  large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 dry pint (10 ounces or about 2 cups) fresh blueberries
Strawberries, optional for serving
Whipped cream, optional for serving

Procedure:
Heat oven to 325˚F. Heavily coat a tube bundt pan 1 tablespoon butter and 3 tablespoons sugar

Whisk together 10 ounces (2 cups) all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Cream the remaining butter and sugar together in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. After all 4 eggs are in, add the vanilla extract and beat for 3 minutes until fluffy. Add the flour mixture to butter mixture and combine on low speed. Do not overbeat.

Combine the blueberries with the remaining 5 ounces (1 cup) all-purpose flour in ziptop bag and shake. Fold berry mixture into batter. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until probe thermometer comes out clean and registers 210˚F. Cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes before depanning and cooling completely. Serve with strawberries and whipped cream.

Literate Baker notes:   I doubled the vanilla extract and also added a teaspoon of almond extract.  Blueberries love almond.  Lemon zest would be nice, too.  I served it with vanilla bean ice cream because I had it on hand.  Blueberries (as well as cakes and anyone of sound mind) love vanilla bean ice cream.

Literate Baker confessions:  We ate it for breakfast, too.

Here's hoping life has been treating you well.  I'm happy to have the old mixer back in action and happy to be back here.  Mostly, though, I'm happy to...

Keep it sweet.


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Whatchmacallit? Fuggedaboutit!

My best baker gift this Christmas was the Bouchon Bakery cookbook.  You know... Thomas Keller, French Laundry, Bouchon Bakery?  Right.  Swoon.

Seriously.  This book is food porn.  The recipes are intense.  The photos are mesmerizing.  I'm going to have to make croissants from scratch now.  And maracons.  Soon.

This weekend, I wanted to give one of the recipes a whirl, but I did not want to go to the store.  I was seduced by Keller's riff on the rice krispies treat.  We all know how I feel about rice krispies treats.  Well, Keller adds a layer of caramel and then covers them in chocolate.  Whoa.

Wait.  That sounds sort of like... Those could almost be... That's right.  I speak of the Whatchamacallit, one of my favorite candy bars of all time.  All that's missing is a little peanut butter.  I wonder...

Oh yes, I did.  Oh yes, they were.  Oh, you know you want to.  Here's how:

Crispy Bit
2 T butter
4 cups marshmallows
4 cups rice cereal
1/2 cup peanut butter

Caramel (almost identical to Keller's Caramel Jam)
1/2 cup plus 1 T sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 T butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp. salt (fleur de sel if you have it)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Chocolate
8 oz milk chocolate, melted

1. Melt butter, marshmallows, and peanut butter over low heat until melted.  Stir in cereal.  Press into 8x8 pan sprayed with non-stick spray.
2. Spread half of the chocolate over the cereal treats.  Place in refrigerator to set.
3. Meanwhile, cook sugar and corn syrup over medium heat until melted an bubbling.  Swirl pot, but don't stir.  When sugar is a dark caramel color (with the faintest wisps of smoke), remove from heat and add butter, salt, cream, and vanilla.  Return to heat and stir until smooth.  Set aside to cool.
4. Remove cereal treats from fridge and invert onto a piece of parchment paper.  Flip over and return to pan, chocolate side down and with the parchment paper.
5. Pour caramel sauce over top of cereal treats.  Place in refrigerator until just starting to set.  Carefully spread remaining chocolate over the top.  Return to fridge until completely set. 
6. Cut into 1x2-inch pieces.  Store at cool room temperature or in the fridge.

I know these sound complicated, but they're really quite easy.  You don't even have to turn on the oven!  The intensity of the homemade caramel really puts them over the top.  I promise they're worth it.

Keep it sweet.



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The Reflective Baker

Happiest of new years to you, dear readers.  I shall address you as though you still exist.  Well, of course you exist.  Whether you still follow, subscribe to, or stumble upon The Literate Baker on occasion is another question entirely.  I'm an optimistic person, though, so choose to believe I'm not solely writing for myself.

I hope the last few months have been good to you.  Mine were marked by good food and good friends, some career soul searching, and lots and lots of writing (courtesy of a graduate writing course with the legendary Minnie Bruce Pratt).  All in all, I find myself happy and ready to embrace whatever 2013 tosses my way.

Although I'm avoiding resolutions specifically, I am attempting a renewed commitment to writing.  Naturally, that includes this blog.  What I'm still wondering, however, is the form that will take.  I'd given myself some rules with regard to this blog.  Silly, I know, but I wanted to be a professional.  I wanted to have a baking blog, not a personal reflection outlet.

Then, of course, I considered whether I should have multiple blogs.  And then I took a writing class where the point (for me at least) was to find ways of integrating my many, seemingly contradictory, selves.  Right.  Well then.

All I know for sure is that I want--no, need--to write more.  So here I am.  What that means and where we shall go remains to be seen.   I do hope you'll stick around.  I'll do my best to make it worth your while and...

Keep it sweet.


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The Apple Crisps Again

Weird weather made the apple harvest in New York paltry this year.   Undeterred, I went apple picking anyway.  Although the specimens were small and scarce, they were pretty. 

They were also more than sufficient for apple crispage.  Yes, I said crispage.

Fine-looking crispage.

 I start with the Apple Crisp recipe from Epicurious:

Topping
1 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Filling
4 pounds pippin or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced
1 1/2 cups golden or brown raisins
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 9 x 13 1/2-inch glass baking dish.

For Topping:  Mix old-fashioned oats, brown sugar, all purpose flour, ground cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Add unsalted butter and rub into mixture until coarse crumbs form. Mix in chopped walnuts.


For Filling:  Combine sliced apples, raisins, sugar, fresh lemon juice, flour and ground cinnamon in large bowl. Mix well to blend. Transfer apple-raisin filling to prepared dish. Spread topping over. Bake until topping is golden brown, about 55 minutes. Serve crisp warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Literate Baker notes:  As much as I love nuts and raisins, I make this recipe without.  I know--weird.  Also, I used a combination of my pickin's: Northern Spy, Empire, and Fuji. 

Put this out for the squirrels. 

Say what you will about apple pie, apple cake, apple streudel--they are nothing compared to this crisp.  It's insanely good and the most delightful fall way to...


Keep it sweet.



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Judging a Bake-Off

This weekend, I got to be a judge at a local bake-off.  The Great Tully Bake-Off is part of the Tully Fall Festival and helps to raise money for a local food pantry.  It was very cool to be asked.  Oh, and if you click on the website, I might just be classified as a local celebrity.  A bit of an overstatement, sure, but still!  I felt very fancy-pants indeed. 

I had my very own spot, complete with judging cards and a thank you gift:

I got to sample cookies made by kids:

And pies and cakes by adults:

 

It was lots of fun, but not easy!  How do you compare pumpkin cheesecake to coconut cream?  And even with only a bite or two of each, I ended up in a serious sugar coma.  It was a good cause, though, and I had good company in my fellow judges, YNN news reporter Brad Vivacqua and Chris Weiler, owner of Encore Video.

Big props to Linda Milea (cake decorating goddess in her own right) for organizing such a great event!  Hopefully, the sale of all the entries after judging will allow the food pantry to expand both its space and the number of people it serves.  A great cause and a feel-good way to...

Keep it sweet.

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Why Are Rice Krispies Treats So Good?

No, really.  They are so good.  Eat the whole pan good.  Almost instant gratification good.  Make a whole batch for less than five bucks good.  I don't even miss the chocolate good.  (Although M&Ms in them are also crazy good.)  They are so good that I'm going to write a post about them.

I don't make "crisp rice squares" very often.  For one, because they aren't overwhelmingly sweet or rich, I think I probably could eat a whole pan.  For another, as someone who enjoys baking, it feels sort of like cheating.  When I do, and I bring them somewhere, people--without fail--go nuts.  Go figure.

According to the official Kellogg's Rice Krispies website, here's how you make them:

3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows
- OR -
4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® cereal

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
2. Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.
3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.

Literate Baker Notes:  I use 4T of butter instead of 3.  I needn't explain why.  I also put a little non-stick spray in the pot with the marshmallows, in the bowl with the cereal, and on my hands to spread them out.  Doing so makes the process and the dishes much easier.

In addition to their taste and texture awesomeness, RKTs are fairly light and remarkably sculptable.  That makes them the perfect product for 3D elements on cakes.  If you're a professional cake maker or addicted to cake shows on TV, you probably already know this.  I imagine many of you are not either of those things.  But maybe you want to be.  Or maybe you just want an excuse to make/play with Rice Krispies Treats. 

I'm making a sneaker (a Nike Air Jordan, to be specific) as the topper for a groom's cake this weekend.  Other options...

Your favorite mascot.

A monkey head.

Wings and drumsticks.  (Really.)

Of course, maybe your just want to eat them.  I know I do.

Keep it sweet.




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