TOO bad sainthood is not generally conferred on bakers, for there is one who is a possible candidate for canonization. She fulfills most of the requirements: (1) She’s dead. (2) She demonstrated heroic virtue. (3) Cults have been formed around her work. (4) Her invention is considered by many to be a miracle. The woman: Ruth Graves Wakefield. Her contribution to the world: the chocolate chip cookie.
05.07.09
Recipes from the Potluck: Blueberry Delight
Gazette File Photo
The newsroom had a potluck lunch on Cinco de Mayo, organized by Molly Rossiter, and the food was so very good. I’ve obtained some of the recipes and as I get more, I’ll share them. Unfortunately, I don’t have photographs of the *actual* food — it was all off the table before I could get my camera out.
According to Steve Buttry, who submitted the Blueberry Delight recipe, his mom made this with pie filling, but he swaped that out for fresh berries. It was quite the hit.
Blueberry Delight
For the Crust:
3 egg whites
2 cups sugar
½ cup pecan pieces
10 saltine crackers crushed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vinegar
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat egg whites until stiff, then gradually beat in sugar and fold in remaining ingredients. Spread in greased 9×13 pan and bake 20 minutes. Allow to cool.
Cream:
½ cup powdered sugar
½ cup milk
1 package Dream Whip
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
Beat together milk, sugar, vanilla and Dream Whip. Slowly add cream cheese in blobs and beat until smooth. Spread over crust, chill until firm. Spread fresh blueberries (other berries also work) over top.
07.10.08
The secret step to really great cookies
image from Dazed81 on flickr
There’s a great story on NYTimes.com about one of my all-time favorite foods: chocolate chip cookies.
Perfection? Hint: It’s Warm and Has a Secret
The article goes on to say that there was one crucial step left out of the version of Wakefield’s recipe that’s printed on chocolate chip bags: letting the dough chill overnight. Doing this results in richer flavor and more even browning. Plus, a NY Times test showed that chilling the dough was likely to give the cookies the perfect texture — crunchy outside and soft, chewy inside.
Other tips from the article on baking the perfect cookie: Make sure all your ingredients are room temperature, use the best quality ingredients you can find, don’t overmix, and be sure to include the salt.
Click here to read more. And click here for the newspaper’s new “archetypal cookie recipe.” I think it’s time to bake up a batch of cookies.
05.01.08
Free stuff for Mom!
TCBY sent along a press release this week to let me (and you) know how much they love moms: All TCBY locations are giving away free cups and cones to Moms on Mother’s Day. As far as I know, their only local store is in Lindale Mall in Cedar Rapids.
Any other food give-aways for Mother’s Day that you’ve heard about?
03.25.08
A sweet send off: Two cupcake recipes
I decided to send my oven off on a sweet note by spending Sunday morning experimenting with cupcake recipes I found on other food blogs.
First, Billy’s Vanilla, Vanilla Cupcakes from “The Cupcake Queen” at 52 Cupcakes, because I. Love. Vanilla.
Second, a slightly modified version of Bailey’s Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes from Baking Bites, because Bailey’s is a favorite in my family (My parents unknowingly gifted each other identical bottles for Christmas one year.) and Easter did fall awfully close to St. Patrick’s Day, which I hadn’t really properly celebrated yet. I used Andes Crème de Menthe Baking Chips instead of mini chocolate chips because that’s what was in my pantry. And I topped the cupcakes with a vanilla buttercream, because I’d already made a big bowl of it for the vanilla cupcakes.
The vanilla cupcakes were dense and rich and very vanilla-y. The Bailey’s cupcakes were a big hit with my family, but I’m not sure if I like mint flavor in my cake. Maybe I should have another cupcake to help me decide…
