Food & Cooking – Page 10

September 26, 2019December 16, 2019

Whipped Cream Plus

Heavy cream whipped to a fluffy mound might be one of the best accompaniments to any baked good.

Now take that and add natural essence and freeze dried fruit and it gets even better.

I grew up spooning heavy cream over fresh berries and even chocolate cake, so a bowl of whipped cream isn’t something new. That said, adding flavors other than vanilla is.

Our first experiment into flavored whipped cream started with chocolate. We added King Arthur Triple Chocolate Cocoa Blend with a dab of chocolate extract. Wow!

Puffed up with success, we moved on to raspberry whipped cream. Heavy cream whipped with freeze dried raspberry powder, raspberry essential oils and a touch of red food powder proved to be delicious. We were hooked.

From there we mixed up mango, then lemon, and of course traditional vanilla. Our plan…to use these creams as toppings with fresh fruit, and paired with slices of almond cake and hand-molded shortbread tarts. More on that on our upcoming Pumpkin Tea post.

Print Recipe

Basic Whipped Cream and Added Flavors

Ingredients

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 TB powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Whipped Cream - Use Basic Whip Cream recipe

1 TB cocoa powder King Arthur Triple Cocoa Blend
1/2 tsp chocolate extract substitute chocolate extract for vanilla extract

Raspberry Whipped Cream - Use Basic Whip Cream recipe

1 TB powdered freeze dried raspberries
1/2 tsp raspberry extract substitute raspberry extract for vanilla extract

Mango Whipped Cream - Use Basic Whip Cream recipe

1 TB powdered freeze dried mango
1/2 tsp mango extract substitute mango extract for vanilla extract

Lemon Whipped Cream - Use Basic Whip Cream recipe

1 TB lemon juice powder King Arthur Lemon Juice Powder
1/2 tsp lemon extract substitute lemon extract for vanilla extract

Instructions

Start with cold heavy cream. The colder the cream, the easier and more successful it will whip. You can even chill the mixing bowl in the refrigerator before you start.
Whip the heavy cream, sugar and extract together on medium-high speed. This should only take a few a couple of minutes. Whip until it has a billowy, smooth texture.
NOTE: To add different flavors, beat cream until soft peaks form. Then add extracts and/or other flavorings. Beat until stiff peaks form.

September 19, 2019December 16, 2019

A Fall Tea Party

Today we flavored, colored and whipped half a dozen different types of heavy cream, dumped a dozen macarons that were an odd blue color and made buttercream that was way too sweet.

For the past few weeks our kitchen has remained in a constant state of disarray. We are in the process of settling a menu for our Pumpkin Tea. Every fall we host an english tea party, a tradition that goes back to when our dining room couldn’t really seat all the people waiting to sip tea and butter scones.

I’m really not sure who christened it Pumpkin Tea, but this party recently started back up again. Usually mid to late September our house hosts a party generating a few dozen different baked goods and tables of goodies.

The crux of the event from our prospective is being able to try a lot of different baking techniques and recipes without eating too many calories. Of course too many calories is a relative term, but with Pumpkin Tea we get to play with a wide range of methods and flavors.

This year we are doing more traditional english tea party fare.

Think … finger sandwiches, tea cakes and tarts. There is also an almond cake with a variety of flavored creams and fresh berries as toppings.

One year we made four different cakes to find the right flavor and texture.

This year we went through several batches of macarons, realizing how hard it is to get those cookies consistently right.

Tea cake with Fiori di Sicilia extract (vanilla, orange and floral notes)

Over the course of a month the menu expands, contracts and shifts as the testing points out items that may be tasty but require too much work. It also presents bakes that never seem to work out.

However, in the end we have a party spread and lots of good tastes … and we hope a good time is had by all.

September 12, 2019December 16, 2019

Just a couple of cookies, please

You know, there are times what’s needed is …

a cookie hot from the oven!

Rarely does this occur when you actually have time to make a batch.

The other issue? Once made, cookies, in our house at least, rarely last more than a day.

We’ve discovered a system that allows small amounts of cookies, oven fresh, anytime and eliminates a cookie jar full of temptation.

For fifteen bucks or less you can get two Casabella freezer cookie trays, enough for a batch. Order online at either Amazon or King Arthur Flour. Each tray holds 15 tablespoon sized scoops of your favorite dough (chocolate chip, right). Easy seal lids protect cookie nuggets from the taste of last month’s frozen burrito’s. The scoops pop out easily. We found that cooking time is maybe a minute or two longer than the original recipe. It may be a bit too easy, but very convenient.

September 5, 2019December 16, 2019

A basic scone recipe

Simple is good when it comes to getting scones on the table. This recipe can be brought together quickly in the food processor and it is pretty easy to add dried fruit and/or nuts at the end.

Print Recipe

Folkestone Inn Scones

Nice basic scone recipe

Course: Breakfast

Ingredients

2 cups All purpose (AP) flour
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
5½ Tablespoons butter chilled and cut into cubes
1 egg
1 yolk
⅓ cup milk more if needed

glaze

1 egg white
¼ cup sugar use as needed for frosting

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to food processor and combine. Add cubes of butter to mixture and mix until the flour resembles a coarse crumb.
In separate bowl combine egg, yolk and 1/3 cup milk.
Add egg mixture to the food processor bowl and run until a ball forms. You can add more milk to soften the dough.
Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead gently. Form into a ball.
Roll out to 1/2 inch thick circle and cut into wedges about 2 inches wide. Place 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheet.
In a small bowl beat egg white until frothy and then brush over the top of dough wedges and sprinkle lightly with sugar.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until the tops are golden brown. Cool on wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

August 22, 2019December 16, 2019

A Picnic Lunch

Now you have all those salad recipes, here is what we do with them … we go for a picnic. No, really.

For starters, pick up some deli cups (and lids) at a restaurant supply store. We use two sizes 16 and 32 ounces, which is basically two or four servings.

The clear plastic cups chill quickly, don’t break, but still allow you to see what’s inside. And when empty they are are very stackable. They aren’t dishwasher safe, but they do wash easily. We’ve gotten numerous re-use out of an initial purchase.