Tag Archives: baking

Lemon Bars

When I think of Mother’s Day, of course my own mother and grandmothers come to mind. Part of their legacy to me is my passion for cooking. I stood at their side just a little girl as an eager student. When I think of making this recipe for lemon bars, I think of my niece, eager at 6 years old , ready to learn to cook. My niece helped me every step of the way. Ashley squeezed the lemons, made the dough, her tiny fingers pressing the shortbread into the bottom of the pan. I will never forget the look of pride on her face when the lemon bars were done and she served them to the family. Sharing my passion with my young niece was a very special way to celebrate Mother’s Day!

From by the bay wishing you all very special Mother’s Day food memories!

Maryann

Lemon Bars
makes 9 bars or 18 small bites

Crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar, plus more for dusting bars
pinch salt
1 stick unsalted butter softened, plus more for greasing

Filling:
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup fine sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a non stick pan 8 by 8
Make the crust by combining flour, confectioner’s sugar, salt into a bowl. Add butter and mix with your hands to make pea size crumbs. Turn into the greased pan and press the dough down into the bottom of the pan covering it all. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Take out and cool.
While crust is baking make filling by using an electric mixer to combine the eggs, sugar, zest, juice, flour and baking soda. Mix until smooth. Pour filling into baked crust and bake for 35 minutes until filling is set. Take out of the oven let cool and cut into 9 bars. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve.

Banana Foster Pound Cake

I love Banana Foster! This recipe originated at Brennan’s of New Orleans in 1951. It’s a wonderful flambe dessert using bananas, rum, brown sugar , cinnamon, butter and heavy cream . When I saw Giada De Laurentis make her peanut butter and caramel pound cake, I immediately tested it and enjoyed it. I’m not the biggest fan of peanut butter, so I decided to make a version of that recipe into some of my favorite flavors inspired by bananas foster. It was a big smash with my guests, so sharing my version of the recipe with you today!

Banana Foster Pound Cake

Makes one 9″x5″x3″ Loaf

Adapted from Giada De Laurentis – “Peanut Butter Caramel Pound Cake”

Ingredients

20 caramels, such as Kraft soft caramels unwrapped

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons dark rum

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cup light brown sugar

3 eggs room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 mashed ripe bananas

confectioner’s sugar to dust

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9″x5″x3″ loaf pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Spray again. In a small sauce pan add caramels and heavy cream , cook on low heat until melted and smooth stirring frequently. Remove from heat and add the rum and stir. Place aside to cool slightly. In a bowl sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar, until fluffy about 1 minute. With the mixer on low, add the eggs and vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture and combine. Combine the bananas into the batter. Pour half the batter into the loaf pan. Pour 2 tablespoons of the caramel sauce into the batter and swirl with the tip of a knife. Pour the remaining batter on top and add 2 more tablespoons of the caramel sauce. Swirl again with the knife tip. Bake in the oven for approximately 1 hour, until cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan for ten minutes then remove and place on a wire rack removing the parchment paper. Cool for at least an hour. Serve as is or with the remaining caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream.

Orange Cranberry and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love to walk into my pantry and come out with an idea for cooking based on the ingredients sitting on my shelves. Some of my favorite ingredients are never out of stock – along with my staples, so it wasn’t too hard to walk into that pantry one afternoon and come out with the ingredients to make this twist on the chocolate chip cookie. I love dark chocolate so grabbed a bar off the shelf to cut up into small shards of richness. The dried cranberries will add a little sweet with a slightly tart flavor. I still have a few oranges left from the holidays and love mixing chocolate with orange rind. These were a big hit – you’ll love them! Try them this weekend.

From by the bay wishing you the darkest chocolate chip cookies!

Maryann

Orange Cranberry and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 2 1/2 Dozen cookies

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour, plus two tablespoons

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 teaspoon orange juice

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions

Preheat over to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl add the butter, sugars and vanilla. Use an electric mixer and beat ingredients until light and fluffy. Add the egg , orange rind and juice and beat in well. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add to the butter mixture slowly and mix at a low speed. Next add the chopped chocolate and dried cranberries and combine. Drop in rounded teaspoons of dough onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until slightly brown on bottom. Remove and cool on wire racks. Store in air tight containers.

Easy Almond Croissants

Being in the fashion industry over all these years, I had the privilege to spent time in the greatest cities in the world – and the center of that fashion world is Paris. It is one of the most beautiful and extraordinary cities and of course for anyone who loves food- it’s perfection. I would love to wake up early in the morning and stroll the quiet streets and meander to one of the many exquisite patisseries – filled with all kinds of confections. One of my favorite breakfast treats would be a croissant along with my cafe au lait. So on a cold blustery morning here by the bay when I reminisce about the streets in Paris and the warm patisseries, I decided to create a little bit of Paris by the bay by making a quick and easy almond croissant. All it takes is a package of puff pastry, some frangipane – which is an easy to prepare smooth almond cream that fills the croissant with more richness and texture and few blanched almond slices. You can transform any ordinary morning into a dreamy romantic one. The aroma alone will intoxicate you!

From by the bay wishing you the most romantic food memories!

Maryann

Easy Almond Croissants

Makes 16

Ingredients

1 package 17.3 ounces ready rolled butter puff pastry

1 recipe frangipane ( recipe follows)

1 egg

1 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons blanched sliced almonds

confectioner’s sugar to top

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. You will have 2 sheets of puff pastry, take the first sheet and roll out. Divide into 4 squares. Cut each square on the diagonal and to make 8 triangle pieces.

Spread on teaspoon of the frangipane on each triangle. Then starting from the widest end of the triangle roll to the point of the triangle. You will have a long croissant , seal the dough and shape into a crescent and place on a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. In a small bowl add the egg and water and whisk. Brush each croissant with the egg wash and top with a few almond slices. Repeat with second sheet of puff pastry. Place croissants into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and serve.

Frangipane

Ingredients

1/2 cup ground almond meal

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

3 tablespoons unsalted softened butter

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoons flour

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth and creamy.

Cranberry Pecan Tassies

Cranberry Pecan Tassies

makes 24 cups

Crust:

1 3oz. package cream cheese, softened

½ cup (1 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup flour

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Filling:

1 egg, lightly beaten

¾ cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon orange zest

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/3 cup fresh cranberries

1/3 cup pecans, chopped

Directions

Make the crust by blending cream cheese, butter and flour in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. To make filling mix together using a spoon beat together egg, sugar , vanilla, zest and cinnamon. Add melted butter to the mixture slowly, stirring constantly. Stir in the cranberries and pecans. Preheat oven to 350F. Divide the dough for crust into 24 small balls, approximately the size of an acorn. Place each ball into a small muffin tin and press down to line bottom and side of the tin. Spoon filling into each cup. Make sure that there is cranberries in each cup. Be sure not to over fill the cups. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove pans from oven and cool on a rack for 20 minutes. Carefully, remove tassies from the pan using a knife or small spatula. Will last one week in an air tight container or four weeks in the freezer.

Very Cherry Chocolate Cake

When Neil Diamond released his Cherry Cherry Christmas song, I embraced that message with my cooking. I enhanced a recipe I had kept over the years from Bon Appetit Magazine. The recipe is for a dense Chocolate cake topped with a rich chocolate ganache, which I often included during my holiday entertaining. This cake, though really became special for that Cherry Cherry Christmas, by amping up the cherry flavors by using dried cherries and kirsch along with a little excessive decorating over the chocolate ganache. I think the desserts served at the end of your Christmas meal , should look spectacular and feel like magic. I have an arsenal of edible decorations I collect during the year to give that magic factor to my desserts. One of my favorites is edible glitter in multi colors. It’s so much fun to sprinkle this on top of your desserts. Why not try this terrific cake and create your own dessert magic this Christmas!
From by the bay …………..
Just a very merry, cherry cherry Christmas.And if all of those who love you gather near,you’ll have a very merry, cherry cherry, holly holy,rock and rolly Christmas this year
Read more: NEIL DIAMOND – CHERRY CHERRY CHRISTMAS LYRICS http://www.metrolyrics.com/cherry-cherry-christmas-lyrics-neil-diamond.html#ixzz1guZA1SYr
Copied from MetroLyrics.com

This recipe is adapted from a recipe by Rich Rodgers , originally printed in Bon Appetit Magazine Dec 2003.

Very Cherry Chocolate Cake

Serves 8-10

Cake

1 cup dried cherries

1/3 cup Kirsch ( cherry liquor)

1 cup ( sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

12 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 ½ cup sugar

6 eggs, room temperature

2/3 cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

Glaze

1 cup heavy cream

10 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

¼ cup Kirsch

Decoration

Edible glitter

Edible sugar flowers

Silver dragees

Directions for cake

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour a 9 inch spring form pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a piece of parchment paper. In a small sauce pan add the dried cherries and kirsch. Bring to a low simmer for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool. Drain the cherries and keep the liquor and cherries both in bowls separate to be used later. In another sauce pan melt the butter and then remove from heat. Add the chocolate pieces and let sit one minute. Whisk the chocolate until melted and smooth. Whisk in the sugar and then the eggs one at a time. Whisk in the reserved liquor. Add the flour and salt and whisk again until blended. Stir in the dried cherries and then pour into the spring form pan. Place in the oven onto the center rack and bake for 1 hour. Use tester to make sure the center of the cake is done. Tester should come out moist but with no batter attached. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack. ( Can be made one day ahead and kept covered at room temperature.)

Directions for glaze

Place cream in medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Whisk until chocolate is melted and smooth. Add Kirsch and whisk again until smooth. Allow glaze to cool and thicken for about two hours in saucepan stirring occasionally. At this point the glaze should be thick yet pourable. While glaze is thickening, turn cake out onto the wire rack and remove the bottom of the spring form pan as well as the parchment paper. Place cake with rack into a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. When glaze is ready, pour half of the glaze onto the cake and use a spatula to smooth over the top and the sides of the cake. Place into the freezer to set for about ten minutes. Remove from freezer and pour the remaining glaze over the cake and smooth evenly again with the spatula. Place again in the freezer for another 15 minutes . Remove from freezer and decorate with edible sugar and sugar flowers. Keep in the refrigerator until 1 hour before serving. Cut into wedges and serve.

Butter Cookie Recipe

It’s Christmas time and who doesn’t love to have a platter of cookies at the ready? Whether you are preparing for guests or just trimming the tree alone – it’s nice to have cookies around the house. This is really the only time of year that I would have containers of different types of cookies around the house. It’s one of my favorite excesses at Christmas. A great cookie to try is this french butter cookie. It’s easy to make and I like having a recipe that doesn’t require a lot of work to add to my cookie assortment. This is my version of a cookie I ate in Paris that was topped with a little pillow of chocolate ganache. It was bliss. I also, make some of these topped with jam, since my sister Nancy is not a big chocolate lover. I suggest doing half of the recipe with jam and the other half with the ganache. Even if you don’t consider yourself a baker, this is an easy recipe to try. Enjoy!

From by the bay wishing you the sweetest memories of cookies and Christmas!

Maryann

Butter Cookie Recipe

Makes 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 large egg

2 cups all – purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

extra granulated sugar to roll dough

jam to fill cookies

Directions:

In a large bowl add the butter, sugar and vanilla. Use an electric mixer and beat ingredients until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat in well. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the butter mixture slowly and mix at a low speed. Once blended turn out into a sheet of plastic wrap , flatten and wrap. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Place extra granulated sugar onto a plate. Roll dough into acorn size balls and then roll in the sugar. Place each ball onto an ungreased cookie sheets. Use your finger to flatten each ball. Take your thumb and make a small well in the center of the flatten dough. If you are making jam filled cookies, take a small spoon and fill well with about 1/2 teaspoon of your favorite jam. I like to use apricot, raspberry or red currant jam. If you plan to fill with chocolate ganache ( recipe below) bake as is. Bake cookies for about 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. Store in air tight containers.

Chocolate Ganache

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients:

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Directions:

Combine all ingredients into a saucepan and place on medium heat, stirring until the chocolate melts and everything is well combined. Pour into a bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator until you can spoon and shape into small pillow of chocolate to place on top of plain french butter cookies and serve. Don’t stack this cookie on your tray.

Spritz Cookies

Definition: Spritz Cookies are make with a cookie press. A cookie press allows the baker to shape dough into uniform shapes quickly. Cookie presses come in a variety of shapes but this is especially wonderful for Christmas entertaining. Cookies can be made into wreaths, trees, stars etc. These butter cookies are really a holiday staple.

My fondest Christmas cooking memory is making cookies with my mother. When I was a little girl, our Christmas tradition was making these wonderful little spritz butter cookies and decorating them. We made them only at Christmas and we would enjoy them through out the holidays. An equally wonderful memory was when my mother handed over to me the official role of baking these cookies for the holidays along with her cookie press. She came over to my house and taught me exactly what to do. I was not so great at making the shapes when we first started so don’t get discouraged when you first attempt these little cookies. If you don’t like how they look just grab up that dough and throw it back into the cookie press and try again. I had to do that a few times before I finally got the hang of it. I was under close supervision by my mother when she taught me how to make these cookies. The way I knew that I had succeeded in my baking was at the end of the afternoon, mom said to me, why don’t I leave the cookie press here with you now. You’ll love these cookies and will want to make it part of your Christmas traditions!

Come back for more Christmas food ideas!

From by the bay wishing you the warmest Christmas food memories!

Maryann

Spritz Sugar Cookies

5 dozen cookies

1 lb unsalted butter

1 ½ cup fine sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

5 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

Optional: sprinkles, colored sugar, candied cherries, chocolate to decorate

Requires : cookie press or spritz

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F. In a bowl add dry ingredients, flour, baking powder and salt. Mix and keep to the side. Using an electric mixer, beat together butter until fluffy. Add sugar gradually and beat well. Add eggs one at a time until well combined. Add vanilla until blended. Add dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well until the dough is smooth. Using a spoon put dough into cookie press. Press shaped cookies onto an non stick baking sheet. You can decorate the cookies with colored sugar or sprinkles or candied cherries depending on the shape. Bake in oven for 7 minutes. If using two trays, after 3 minutes rotate baking sheets on oven rack and then bake another 4 minutes until the bottoms of the cookies start to brown. Store cookies in an air tight container.

Holiday decorating

Wreaths: decorate before baking with candied cherry pieces and green sugar.

Trees : with multicolor chocolate sprinkles.

Stars: pressed into a long log and cut into 2 inch pieces. Dip the ends in melted chocolate and then dip into sprinkles

Cranberry and Pecan Biscotti

Cranberry and Pecan Biscotti

24 cookies

½ cup unsalted butter

1 tablespoon shortening (Crisco)

3 eggs

1 cup fine granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup dried cranberries

½ cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using an electric mixer , beat together butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Add sugar and mix well. Add eggs one at a time and mix. Add vanilla and cinnamon until well blended. Add the flour , baking powder and salt. Mix well until the dough is smooth. Using a spoon, mix in the cranberries and pecans. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide into two. Shape each half of the dough into a log approximately 2 inch high x 12 inches long. Place the logs on to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes on a baking rack. Place on a cutting board and using a serrated knife slice each log on the diagonal into 12 pieces approximately 1 inch thick. Place the pieces back on to the baking sheet and bake 5-8 minutes, turn the slices to the other side and bake another 5-8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Store cookies in an air tight container.

Star Spangled Desserts

Article first published as Star-Spangled Desserts on Technorati.

I love holidays! The 4th of July is no exception. I enjoy creating wonderful memories with my friends and family gathered together by the bay for a special celebration! We gather in early evening , sitting out of doors sharing a meal focused on food made on the grill. When dusk arrives, we have dessert and watch fireworks from the deck over the bay, as each town adds some spectacular colors to the sky. The desserts need to be as special as the firework displays in the sky. Here are a few of my favorite star spangled desserts to try for your own celebration.

From by the bay wishing you the happiest 4th of July food memories!

Maryann

Red and Blue Berry Firework Crisp

Serves 4 to 6

Topping

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup crushed store bought oatmeal cookies

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Filling

4 cups mixed berries – raspberries and blueberries

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1/2 teaspoon raspberry liquor

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place all ingredients for topping in a bowl and mix well. In a a shallow baking dish add the berries , cornstarch, sugar and liquor. Mix well. Cover the berries with topping. Place dish on a baking

sheet in to the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Serve at room temperature as is or serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Red Velvet Cheesecake
Crust:
2 cups chocolate wafers
4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Filling
20 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs plus 3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons melted chocolate
1 tablespoon red food coloring
1 tablespoon vanilla

Topping
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon fine sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon red food coloring

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F. Take a 9 inch spring form pan and line with aluminum foil wrapping the outside twice. It’s important to keep water out when cooking with bain marie. To make crust use food processor to finely grind the wafers, then add sugar and melted butter and process until moist. Take out and place in bottom of spring form pan. Press down with fingertips to cover the bottom of pan. Bake the crust until set about 12 minutes. Cool crust.

To make the filling : Using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese and sugar. Make sure to scrape down the mixture with a spatula from the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs and continue to beat. Next add the vanilla until all is well blended. Take a bow and add 1/3 of the batter. To the batter add the melted chocolate and food coloring.

Pour the chocolate cheese mixture onto the cooled crust in the spring form pan. Next pour on top the remaining batter. Place the pan into a roasting pan add hot water to the roasting pan until it’s half the height of the spring form pan. Place in oven and bake for 50 minutes. In themeantime, make sour cream topping by combining the sour cream, sugar and vanilla. After the cheesecake has baked for 50 minutes remove from oven and spread the sour cream topping evenly across the top. Place back into the oven for another 10 minutes,. At this point the cheesecake should be set. Take out of the oven. Remove carefully from the bath. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cover with foil and place in refrigerator over night to set.

entertaining by the bay

casual cooking and living

Tag Archives: baking

Lemon Bars

Banana Foster Pound Cake

Easy Almond Croissants

Cranberry Pecan Tassies

Very Cherry Chocolate Cake

Butter Cookie Recipe

Star Spangled Desserts