The Tale of Making Crepes

It's been a little over 2 months since I last posted and SO much has happened since then. I finally graduated from pastry school AND I got my first, full time job as a Baker at Belterra Park.  Life has been so dandy lately it's not even funny.  Summer is sneaking up on us (except today is 50 degrees and rainy).  Today I felt inspired.  I can't even pinpoint what exactly I was inspired to do, so I did a little bit of everything I enjoy doing.  I was off from work today and I had ZERO plans for today.  I woke up, took a shower, and hit the road with no plans really.  I headed out to Florence and I decided I would like to go to the Antique Mall.  So that's exactly what I did.  I swung by Starbucks out there (drive-thru, holla!), grabbed myself a (SKINNY!) Hazelnut Macchiato and headed to the Antique Mall.  It was seriously perfect. I got there right when they opened, no one was there, and I was able to mosey on down each aisle at my own pace and look at everything.  They also had classic rock playing on the radio which made the trip just that much more enjoyable.  Every time I saw something I liked I jotted down which booth it was in, and then when I finished going throughout the entire mall, I grabbed a basket and went back to reevaluate if I REALLY needed it. Some stuff I REALLY needed :D.  I bought 3 dessert plates to match the 4 I already had, a scalloped milk glass bowl, a retro ice bucket, and a retro "napkin holder".  I don't know if it's really a napkin holder, but we use to have one in our kitchen when I was growing up and it was pink.  I had to buy this green one for old time's sake.  All in all the shopping experience was exactly what I needed on a day like today.  When I came home I started making the crepes.  Now, I have to say, I don't understand why people don't cook dinner every night.  Sure, we all enjoy a meal out at a restaurant every now again, but to us, to my family, that's a treat.  As a family, it's a rarity if we go out to dinner at a restaurant once a year.  I guess we just genuinely enjoy cooking in the kitchen and eating as a family. Call us crazy!!! But seriously, don't you people like to know where your food is coming from??? It took me a little over an hour to make the crepes, caramel sauce, and whipped cream.  That's the same amount of time it would take to go out and order dinner and to eat it. It might take you even a little longer because you MIGHT make conversation with whomever you are with, but then again, you might just sit across the table from them and sign into every social media website there is and not look up from your phone. I made dinner tonight for $5.00/per person....and we ate so well! I made plain crepes with nutella filling, a fresh fruit compote, caramel sauce, honey whipped cream, and toasted hazelnuts.

Ingredients:
For the crepes:
1 1/2 Cups Milk
4 Tablespoons Melted Butter
3 Large Egg Yolks
1 1/2 Cup Flour - sifted
1 tablespoon Vanilla
2 tablespoons Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Salt

For the caramel sauce:
2/3 cup cugar
1/3 cup water
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the fruit compote:
6 oz raspberries
6 oz blackberries
12 oz blueberries
1 pint strawberries

For the whipped cream:
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 heavy whipping cream 

Directions:
For the crepes:
-Mix all dry ingredients together. Set aside. Mix all wet ingredients together. Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients.
-Oil a pan and heat on stove top. When heated, pour 1/4 cup of the batter and swirl around until base of pan is coated. Let it cook until the bottom in light brown.  Flip in pan, and cook the other side.  Slide it out of the pan onto a clean surface. Repeat.
-Once the batter is all gone, spread nutella on one side of the crepe and roll up.

For the caramel sauce:
-Put sugar and water in a small saucepan on medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook until amber color. Remove from heat.
-Stir in heavy cream, vanilla, and salt.  Be careful because the heavy cream will splash.

For the fruit compote:
-Combine all fruit into a medium size pan, over low heat.  I added a splash of water and a couple tablespoons of sugar.  I heated the fruit up just to soften the fruit.

For the whipped cream:
-Whip the cream, honey, and powdered sugar on high until soft peaks form.  Be careful not to over whip. 

For the toasted hazelnuts:
-Place a cup of hazelnuts into a large pan over medium heat and heat until golden brown.

Blood Orange Pound Cake with Blood Orange Sauce

Well, well, well, look who hasn't posted in quite some time! I promise I've been baking! I have at least 3 other desserts I want to blog about! Life's been crazy. Ok, no it hasn't, but that's my excuse. Life update: I graduate from Pastry School in a month and a half! Ahhhh!!!!! Now THAT is crazy! I've been in school my entire life. And now that I've found something that I enjoy learning every day, I don't want to leave school. I want to keep learning forever, by the best chefs! Dang it! Also, only 22 days until Opening Day!!! Literally cannot wait to go to Reds games this summer and drink a nice cold pop....and by pop I mean Budweiser. But until then, you should try this Blood Orange cake recipe! :)

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 1/4 cup butter

3 eggs

2 1/4 cups of flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup milk

5 teaspoons blood orange zest

2 tablespoons blood orange juice

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

For the sauce:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup blood orange juice

1-2 tablespoon of cornstarch- until thickens

Directions:
For the cake:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan; set aside. 

-In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
-In a small bowl combine milk, orange zest, and 2 tablespoons orange juice. Set bowls aside.

-In a large mixing bowl beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. 
-Add granulated sugar, beating until combined. 
-Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
-Stir in vanilla. 
-Alternately add flour mixture and milk mixture to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. 

-Pour batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly. 
-Bake about 45 minutes  
-Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  

For the sauce:
-Place juice, powdered sugar, and corn starch in a small saucepan and bring to a boil to cook out the corn stach taste.

*Pour warm sauce over cake and enjoy!

Peanut Butter and Nutella Mousse...or something like that.

"And something like that" comes from me not really knowing what to call this concoction. I woke up today knowing I wanted to make something, but I didn't know what. I attempted to make macaroons but something went horribly wrong so I wanted to whip something up really quick in replace of them. I knew I wanted something peanut butter so this is what I got.

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese (1 block)

1 cup of Peanut Butter

1/2 cup of Nutella

1/2 cup of powdered sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla 

4 oz of cool whip

Directions:

-Cream the cream cheese until soft.

-Once soft, cream in the peanut butter and the Nutella.

-Add the powdered sugar and vanilla.

-Fold in the cool whip.

-Pour into parfait glasses.

-Serves 5.

Banana Bread!

It's been quite some time since I've last blogged, but I promise you I have been baking....especially throughout the holidays. Oh boy! I've been busy with work and school. Can you believe it!? I graduate this spring! I feel like I was just blogging yesterday about how I was going to pastry school, and here I am, 2 years later, getting ready to graduate! I am so so so excited! Except I kinda wish I could just be in pastry school forever. I learn so much all the time....also....I don't want to enter the real world and not have summer break. Wah. Such is life. Let's not think about it. Moving on....this banana bread recipe comes from a Jan Koran, the author, and I have to give a shoutout to my cousin, Krissy, for making this banana bread recipe and bringing it to our Grandma one day. I loved the bread so I asked Krissy for the recipe.  I LOVE it!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs - beaten

3 bananas - very ripe (black)

1 1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1/3 cup buttermilk

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan.

-Cream sugar and oil in mixer.

-Beat in eggs and add bananas

-Sift together the dry ingredients 

-Alternately add the dry ingredients with the buttermilk, ending with the buttermilk.

-Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 55 minutes.

Chocolate Fudgey Brownies!

Why have I never blogged a brownie recipe until now? Sinful. This and chocolate chip cookies are like a staple of survival. We're having Sunday Family Dinner tonight and I knew I wanted to bake something for dessert, but I was not about to make myself accepting looking for society, and I knew I had all the ingredients for brownies, so I made these! They are SO stinkin' good. So fudgey and gooey and good. And it's a brownie recipe so it only takes like 7 seconds to make! Dinner, which is roast beef with rainbow carrots and loaded mashed potatoes made by Phillip, is about to be set on the table, so I'm going to hurry up and post the recipe and go be a glutton. Ugh. I wish I didn't know I was being a glutton. Forgive me Lord, I know not what I do. Or do I? ....I'm 100% hungry. Goodbye.

Ingredients:
-1/2 cup butter - room temperature
-1 cup granulated sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-2 eggs
-1/2 cup all purpose flour
-1/2 cup cocoa powder
-1/4 teaspoon baking soda
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-2 cups chocolate chunks

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x9 baking dish.

-Beat together the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a stand mixer bowl. Add the eggs one at a
time, mixing well between each addition.

-Stir together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix in the baking soda.

-Mix in the chocolate chunks with a wooden spoon or spatula.

-Once the batter forms (it will be thick), scrape it into the prepared dish and spread evenly.

-Bake for 25 minutes, until brownies begin to pull away from the side of the pan.

Pumpkin & Maple Bread w/ Streusel Topping!

I didn't have the slightest clue it has almost been 4 months since my last post! Yikes! Where does time go? Life is silly sometimes (Ok, most of the time....ok, ALL the time).  I have a lot of questions that are sometime left unanswered. Like what is cured ham being cured from? And why do ducks float? Why ducks, though? Why not pigs or raccoons or a polar bear? Wouldn't it be so cute to see a pig float on water? I'll answer that for you, yes, it would be adorable. I also wonder what it would be like to be a rabbit, but I could go on for days talking about that. You may be wondering why I'm talking about the life of animals, and I'll just tell you I have no idea why I think these things. I always think everyone thinks these things, but I'm just the one who makes it public. Haha. Anyways, today is a beautiful Fall day, and I decided to make this (Grandma says it's "sheer delight!"):

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled
1/4 cup pecans, chopped



Directions:

-Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
-Butter a 9 inch loaf pan- set aside
-Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl.
-In a larger bowl mix the pumpkin puree, sugar, maple syrup, egg and oil. Add the dry ingredients and blend until it's just combined.
-In a small bowl whisk together the flour, sugar and pumpkin pie spice then cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives until it resembles pea sized chunks. Toss it with the chopped pecans.
-Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top with a spatula. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top.
-Bake it for 30 – 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let it cool in the pan for about 5 – 10 minutes before lifting it out to cool completely on a wire rack.

-Enjoy!

Tiramisu!

As I sit here and contemplate about just how great life is, there's only one thing, maybe two things, I could complain about.  Before I complain, I would like to just say how great it feels to have 3 days off from work in a row! Woo! And the weather is great! Double-woo!  Now....about buying a new phone. Holy. Cow. My poor phone went ca-puts this evening at approximately 6:32 pm. It was a sad day.  I watched my phone go from 100% battery, to its' last breath...0% battery. And that was that.  So what did I get to do? I got to take my dad to the phone store.  And Phillip.  My boys!!.....Have you ever been inside a phone store? It's like willingly stepping inside hell for 3o minutes.  Literally. Ok, not literally, but ONLY because there wasn't flames....that I know of.  But oh my gosh....can't a gal just buy a darn phone? Shoot. I don't want a data plan. I don't want to pay insurance. I don't want to spin around 10 times and do a magic trick. I just want to go inside and purchase a phone. But no. It doesn't work like that. What I want would consist of me buying a phone, buy a data plan, cancel that data plan, and pay $100 in cancellation fees. Like, holy cow....no.  I'll find a way to just buy a phone. Some day. Some day. Also, some day I dream of a better world when chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned. That is all. Here is my tiramisu recipe.

Ingredients:

-6 egg yolks
-3 tablespoons sugar
-1 pound mascarpone cheese
-1 1/2 cups strong espresso, cooled
-2 teaspoons dark rum
-24 packaged ladyfingers
-1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate shavings, for garnish

Directions:

-In a large bowl, using an electric mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. Add mascarpone cheese and beat until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon of espresso and mix until thoroughly combined.

-In a small dish, add remaining espresso and rum. Dip each ladyfinger into espresso for only 5 seconds. Letting the ladyfingers soak too long will cause them to fall apart. Place the soaked ladyfinger on the bottom of a 13 by 9 inch baking dish, breaking them in half if necessary in order to fit the bottom.

-Spread evenly 1/2 of the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers. Arrange another layer of soaked ladyfingers and top with remaining mascarpone mixture.

-Cover tiramisu with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 8 hours.

-Before serving, sprinkle with chocolate shavings.

**I used a trifle bowl for this tiramisu that is pictured, just layer the same way...use your brain.**