A Friendly Reminder - With Baked Cookies!

Just another friendly reminder - if you'd like to win a complete yarn kit to make my La Peinture Blanket, check out Crochet! Magazine's Facebook page today, June 18, and tomorrow, June 19 for your chance to enter.

Additionally, as most of you who read my blog regularly know, I'm a tester for America's Test Kitchen. They'll be publishing a gluten-free cookbook next spring, and so they've been sending out gluten-free recipes for testers to run through their paces. I cannot, cannot, cannot say enough good things about these gluten-free sugar cookies:

 

 

I don't have any intolerance to gluten; I'm just an equal opportunity tester and eater. However, my neighbor eats gluten-free, and she loved these cookies too. In fact, she smelled them from the hallway and thought to herself "Well, someone's baking something that smells good that I can't eat." Ha! Pleasantly fooled was she when she received a plate of them. And not only do they taste great, they also whip up super quick-like, so the flavor gratification is just that much faster.

 

If all the recipes are as good as this one, I'd run, not walk, to my local bookstore in the spring and snag a copy of this cookbook.

Baking Ugly

I am a big fan of Christopher Kimball and America's Test Kitchen. While I have had, at various times in the past, subscriptions to several of the other big cooking magazines, it is America's Test Kitchen that I consistently keep going back to, so much so that a good while ago I signed up to be a recipe tester for them.

It must have been at least 18 months between the time I signed up to be a tester and receipt of my first recipe. It was so long, in fact, that I figured I wasn't ever getting a recipe to test. I shrugged it off, and so was all the more amazed when my first recipe found its way to my inbox.

I've received about 6 recipes in the last three months, but due to various other commitments, have not been able to make the recipe and respond to the requisite survey within the required amount of time. I was determined to make the deadline when I received a recent recipe for Berry Trifle. For some reason, I have been fascinated by trifle; I've never made it, it contains dessert elements I like (cake, fresh berries, custard) and it's from America's Test Kitchen. Definitely, on its face, a recipe for success.

I made this yesterday, and I must say it was ultimately a success, but not without some hiccups. Initially, I have no trifle dish (and the squared shape of the traditional trifle dish is rather important when composing the trifle), so what you see below is my next best effort - a rounded mixing bowl. At least it's glass.

Secondly, the recipe called for a rather large baking sheet on which to bake the cake portion of the trifle. All of my baking sheets were off by 3 inches in both directions; I wound up making a smaller cake. Fortunately, since my glass mixing bowl was slightly smaller than the required trifle dish, this turned out just fine.

And then there was the time element. This dish serves a whole troop of people and takes at least 3 hours of continued effort to complete. No breaks, no down time while things are baking. Then, at minimum, another six hours to set up in the refrigerator (a full 24 hours is probably better). I must admit, this was kind of a drawback - I suppose if I was a professional baker, the time commitment would be no problem. Unless it's holiday time (and then long baking sessions are a joy since I bake, cook and otherwise make most of my gifts), I guess I just wasn't into sinking three hours into one dessert on this particular occasion.

Nevertheless, it tastes great, even if it's not the most attractive dessert. I actually decided to show everyone the finished trifle because I think it's important for everyday bakers and cooks to see how things turn out in real life. While the berries garnish on top saves it, I've definitely put together better presentations.

Chalk it up to a baking learning experience. This recipe should be published in a future America's Test Kitchen magazine.

On Some Things Food and British



My humble sugar bowl is full
at the moment, but ...

 Ok. Food and Brits haven't traditionally been found in the same sentence. Yet, I find I am thinking a lot about both lately.

Initially, the food stuff. Food prices in the U.S. do seem to be going up at about the same rate as gasoline prices recently - which means they are through the roof. There was a time not so long ago, in this here land, when you could buy butter and eggs relatively inexpensively. But now, even when on special, butter for instance, is $3.00 a pound. When did that happen? And why? Forget home economics - someone is making a killing on commodities, and it certainly ain't the average Joe and Jane.

So, I'm going to explore just how far my measly bucks will go in May by partaking in Mumma Troll's Challenge 35 -  for one week, feed yourself on the equivalent of a British pound per day (which, according to today's conversion rate, is $1.64). You can read the complete rules at the link I provided above.

This, apparently, is a very timely idea, because there's a worldwide effort to raise awareness of extreme poverty through this very same food challenge hosted by this organization. However, I'm going to stick with the good Mumma Troll (international solidarity and all), and blog about my food experiences for seven days commencing Monday, May 8th. If any of you out there want to join me in Mumma Troll's Challenge 35, definitely let me (and Mumma Troll!) know.


From my 2009 Great American
Bake Sale. All the mini quick-bread
tins sold.

I should say that I care rather passionately about poverty and food issues generally ... and I've committed to hosting my Second Somewhat Annual Great American Bake Sale on Sunday, May 15th, which is about all the food commitments I'd care to make in a week. I'll provide more information on my Great American Bake Sale a little later. I do think it will be a great way to cap my own personal May food-focused awareness week. 

Of course, all of this leads me to having Britian on the brain. Can we get out of the way of all things British? I have been thoroughly enjoying the new Masterpiece Theater's Upstairs Downstairs episodes. How many of you are planning on watching the Royal Wedding live in the wee hours this Friday? Having a slumber party to boot? And, not to leave out my fiber passion, check out this custom dyed laceweight yumminess Fyberspates whipped up in honor of the nuptial events:

 

The packaging was rather wedding-like.

 

They only dyed 1,000 skeins of this royal-blue-with-sparkles amazement. I don't know if there's any of it left, but it's gorgeous and I know exactly what I'm going to make with it. Starting on Friday during that little wedding ceremony happening across the pond. With some early morning nibbles and tea that I spent way too much money on at the grocery store.

It Weighs Eight Pounds

bon appétit’s Desserts, that is.

Yesterday afternoon, Barbara Fairchild, bon appétit’s editor-in-chief, stopped at Grand Central Bakery in Seattle on the Desserts book tour. Those in attendance were treated to several of the tome’s recipes, whipped up by Grand Central’s bakers, prior to the start of the presentation.

After tasting the goodies (I was in cookie heaven – classic chocolate chip (p. 530) and caramel (p. 547), as well as sipping some sparkling wine, Barbara treated the packed

room to everything from her favorite recipe in the book (the pumpkin cheesecake with marshmallow-sour cream topping and gingersnap crust, p. 188-89) to one of her essential baking utensils (a big Sears mixing bowl bought many years ago) to tips on how to break into all aspects of the food industry – since she’s done just about everything during her extensive run with the magazine.

Barbara’s hope for Desserts is that it becomes the go-to baking book for every baker. At a whopping 686 pages (including extensive indices), one cannot imagine needing any other baking reference source.  “The cookbook for all things sweet and wonderful" has tips on how to stock a dessert pantry,

as well as a basic techniques section to get the uninitiated … well … initiated. Jam-packed with gorgeous photos, the recipes are rated on a whisk scale: one whisk is easiest through four whisks - when one should be prepared for a baking extravaganza.

While Barbara graciously signed many, many books, those of us waiting in line started discussing the book, our own baking histories, and the current general state of cooking magazines. Personally, I am a Joy of Cooking gal – I own only five cook books (six now), so Joy is my go-to cooking and baking bible. In fact, once I had an opportunity to sit down with Desserts, I immediately looked

for a recipe I've been making the last few Thanksgivings from Joy. It’s in Desserts, so I expect the baking comparisons to begin.

Stay tuned. And happy baking - all eight pounds worth.