My First Cream Puff

Is their anything prettier than a cream puff?  I was having a Monday, for sure, and languishing over these little babies for my favorite clients made me happy, happy, happy (clearly I'm in the right profession-I was seriously cranky).

I got the cream puff recipe here.  I especially loved a tip left by a reader who said to leave the puffs in the oven after baking.  Simply turn off the heat, crack open the oven door, and let them sit for awhile so the dry completely, in order to prevent "sagging".  Cream puff dough is kind of like a souffle; it will puff way up but will deflate quickly if it's not completely dry.

The recipe I used suggested filling the shells with pudding.  Eww.  I'm not a pudding fan and will gladly put whipped cream on almost anything.  This is how the whipped dreaminess was created:


1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp granulated sugar

Stir cream, vanilla and sugar together in a large metal bowl.  Put whisk in bowl, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (cold cream, bowl and whisk makes for faster whipping).

Whisk until soft peaks form.

I was super fancy with filling the shells:  cut shells 3/4 of the way (left them whole at the back), put whipped cream in a freezer bag.  Cut the tip with scissors and piped the fluffy clouds into their little bready homes.

I have a feeling my clients will pour some chocolate sauce on top of these (I found some in the fridge).  They also have fresh cherries, which I pitted, chopped, added a tiny bit of sugar to, and left for them to do what they will.  My next baking challenge will be macarons.  I had these for the first time over the weekend, courtesy of Daydreamer Desserts, and they changed my life. 


In other news, I just returned my first blog conference, Camp Blogaway.  It was wonderful and I am completely traumatized.  This has nothing to do with the conference and everything to do with me.  I am overwhelmed and extremely busy comparing my blog with everyone else's blog, and feel like a complete blog, photographer, culinary and social media failure.  I'm ready to become a ultrasound technician now.  Just sayin'.

Frozen Fudge Mousse

I've been making some changes.  I'm letting go of diet soda and bars that are full of weird stuff (soy protein isolate-wha?).

These changes inspire me to get creative with treats.  Mama can't have frosted Luna bars anymore, so what can she have?

It was time to get out the Ninja and start playing with frozen bananas and this concoction...I am not kidding.  This is a revelation.

If you are craving ice cream or fudge or frosting...look no further.


This is richer than you can imagine, and would be amazing with berries or a slice of cake.

Frozen Fudge Mousse

Serves One

2 tbsp coconut flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp almonds
1/8 tsp xanthan gum
1 frozen banana (make sure to peel banana and cut into chunks before freezing)
3 or 4 drops liquid vanilla stevia
1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Total calories     294

Combine flour, powder, almonds and xanthan gum in a blender of food processor.  Blend until almonds are in little, tiny pieces.  Add banana and stevia, process until smooth.  Add milk gradually until you get the desired consistency.

Devour.

Husband's Proper Birthday

 

Jam session at our place.  Ummmm, too loud.  Gonna have to rethink the drum plan.

  

  

Smells like teen face.

 

The spread:  baby back ribs, spiced yam mash, oven baked beans and roasted green beans with leeks.

 

First time cooking ribs, people.  Very easy and very tasty.

  

  

For baked beans, I always start with one can of actual "baked beans" and the rest are plain.  I caramelize a ton of leeks and garlic, add vinegar, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and molasses before adding all the beans.  I put that mess in an oven proof dish, cover and let them bubble away for a couple hours.

  

Wow, can you tell this cake is homemade?  I assembled and frosted this sucker in my mind about 50 times, but it had a mind of it's own.

  

See the 43?  I bought a 4 candle and a 3 candle, but somehow the 4 candle did not make it into my shopping bag, so Austin and I improvised, making the number 4 out of regular birthday candles.

It's the thought that counts.

  

When making a wish, before one blows out the candles one should raise their left foot.

  

The cake.  The cake itself was a bit dry, although it felt moist when I cut it.  Weird.  I used gluten free flour and chocolate soy milk, so I knew it was a bit of a crap shoot.  Flavor was decent.

The frosting was awesome!  I ran out of chocolate mocha buttercream (made with Earth Balance), so at the last moment Austin and I whipped up a batch of peanut butter buttercream (made again with Earth Balance).  SO good!

Here's what to do:

Take 1 cup of Earth Balance, put it in a mixer and whip it for a couple minutes, until light and fluffy.

Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and whip some more.

Add sifted powdered sugar, about 3/4 cup.  You need to sift it because otherwise you get little lumps of powdered sugar in your frosting (which actually isn't terrible, it happened to me and it tasted fine).

Finally, add your flavoring of choice.

For the chocolate mocha, I added 1 cup of melted bittersweet chocolate and 2 Tablespoons of hot espresso.

For the peanut butter, I added 1 cup of melted peanut butter chips.  You could easily sub peanut butter, although it might make a stiffer frosting.

  

I had two pieces because I am a sugar addict.  I am now giving away copious amounts.  Come and get it.

Frozen Chocolate Souffle with Hot Fudge Sauce

Frozen chocolate souffle ingredients.  Love how simple!

 

First, I whipped most of the cream into soft peaks, which I forgot to photograph, because I'm a spaz.

Next, I melted the rest of the cream and the chocolate.

 

Thick.

 

This is the eggs, egg yolks and sugar, which I whipped over a pot of simmering water. 

This cooks the eggs, making a sort of pudding.

 

I folded the melted chocolate into the egg and sugar mixture,

then I folded in the whipped cream.

 

The finished product goes into a bowl I prepared with foil to hold the mixture in.

Well, that was the plan, but I ran out of mixture before I ran out of bowl. 

So, this souffle looks more like a mousse.  Also, I tasted it and it's VERY chocolately and not very sweet.  I'm going to suggest to my clients that they top it with sweetened whipped cream before they add the hot fudge (which I made extra sweet to contrast). 

I'm not a chocolate girl, so I'm a bad judge.  I hope it's good!

 

Hot fudge sauce ingredients.  Again, v simple.

 

Scalding the milk, which means bringing almost to a boil, but not quite.

Add scalding milk to the cocoa, sugar, flour and salt mixture, again over a pot of simmering water.

Whisked until it thickened by about 30%.

 

I removed from the heat, added butter and vanilla and put into some Tupperware

so it will be good to go tomorrow.

Frozen Chocolate Souffle

2 cups heavy or whipping cream, divided
1 Tablespoon vanilla
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
2 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar

Cut a piece of aluminum foil long enough to go around a 6-cup souffle dish with a little overlap.
Fold it in half the long way and wrap it around the dish to form a collar that extends about 4 inches above the rim. Tape or tie foil in place.

Set the prepared dish in the freezer while preparing the dessert. Whip 1 1/2 cups of the cream until it holds a soft peak. Refrigerate.

Bring the remaining 1/2 cup of cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk the cream, then the vanilla, into the chocolate. Set aside to cool.

Whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar together in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a small pan of simmering water and whisk constantly until the eggs are hot,
increased in volume and thickened (this takes only 2 or 3 minutes). Use an electric mixer to whip until cooled to room temperature, another 2 or 3 minutes.

Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, then fold in the whipped cream. Pour into prepared dish and place in freezer.
Cover with plastic wrap after the outside has frozen, about 2 hours after it is placed in the freezer.

To serve, unwrap the dessert and remove the collar. Wipe the outside of the dish clean with a damp cloth if necessary
and use 2 spoons to serve pieces of the frozen souffle -- don't try to cut it into wedges. Serves 12 to 16.

Hot Fudge Sauce

1 cup sugar

1 cup cocoa

2 tablespoons flour

pinch of salt

1 cup boiling water or scalding milk

1 tablespoon of butter

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Combine sugar, cocoa, salt, and flour in a bowl or pot over a double boiler.
Bring water or milk to a boil. Gradually add hot liquid to sugar mixture.
Stir constantly until mixture thickens.

Once it has reached the desired thickness, remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

Serve this concoction with whipped cream, maybe some chopped peanuts, strawberries, caramel sauce...go bananas!

I'm Back And I'm Eating Brownies For Dinner

I brought these brownies all the way from Michigan. From Zingerman's (of course). They were supposed to be a gift. Oh, well.

I have been back for a few days and it's been weirdly wonderful and difficult at the same time. I forgot how fabulous my husband is and am enjoying him thoroughly (wonderful). Work is drying up at the moment (weird). I started to panic about the latter, until said wonderful husband and some other supporters reminded me of all the ideas I have that I want to pursue and NOW have the time for. Oh, yeah!

So I sincerely hope you will start witnessing me as a baking whirling dervish; whipping up decadent and healthy treats we can all feel good about ravishing.

Back to the food.



My dinner last night: cucumber, broccoli, mixed nuts, 3/4 pecan blondie, 1/4 "magic" brownie (with delicious yet mysterious filling-oh, just found out on their site-Dulce de Leche), and cantaloupe.

Yes, the brownie for dinner is a bit of an emotional choice. What can I say? I just came back from visiting family for 2 weeks in my hometown, both of which I spend much of my time being painfully homesick for. I came back to a city I do not enjoy for the most part, and have felt that way all 9 years I have lived here. I also understand that I would not have the incredible husband I have or the incredible job opportunities I have anywhere else. I acknowledge this and I'm grateful. And I still hate this bloody city. So there.



Husbands dinner: turkey sausage pasta bake with a ton of veggies. Then he had a brownie, too.

Thursday workout: Squeeze Stronger DVD with Tracy Effinger

My Dinner: Guess Who's Enjoying Her Sugar?

As you may or may not know, I had abstained from refined sugar for about 4 years and had struggled with bingeing on sugar for years before that. Thanks to culinary school (and a brave husband who went before me), I began eating sugar again and I feel like a gleeful little kid.

While I am definitely eating more sugary things and the balance of some of my meals is questionable, I am not overeating the sugar nor do I have any desire to. The idea that I can have ice cream in the freezer and peanut butter cereal in the cupboard without devouring them immediately is a miracle.

My dinner: roasted green beans with some grated parm, 1 cup low fat coffee ice cream, 1/2 cup granola, 1/2 cup peanut butter Puffins, a peanut butter Larabar and a lemon zest Luna bar. Yum yum yum.

What Fourth Of July Looked Like

Okay. So I thought husband and Austin were doing a triathlon on the 4th. Like a family triathlon or something (yes, I'm fit but I'm not into swimming or biking en masse) and I would be the cheerleader.

Not so. They were practicing for Austin's triathlon that's happening in two weeks. Husband thought he would feel more confident if they practiced transitioning from the pool to the bike to the road...sweet and thoughtful husband. Here they are, getting ready to ride after swimming (swimming did not happen as the pool was closed for the 4th even though dude on phone insisted they would be open when husband called earlier in the week-oh, bother).






After practice, the boys were ready to refuel and Denny's was on the brain. I have not eaten at Denny's in many moons and haven't eaten pancakes since I was a teenager, but in my continued eating revolution, I ordered two. And ate them. All. I made my own "slam": egg whites, turkey bacon, chicken sausage and 2 buttermilk pancakes. I took off (most of) the butter and used sugar free syrup. They were pretty good, but next time I'm going to indulge in pancakes I think I will go somewhere else. They were kind of tough. I ate my eggs and sausage but not all of the bacon.

Then I looked up the calorie count online and was pleasantly surprised. Not bad! About 800 calories all told. My thought? You really can eat whatever you want, just pay attention to how much and if you have a big, indulgent meal, then make the rest of the day lighter. No biggie.



Husband and Austin got the same dish; the french toast slam. I tried a bite of Austin's french toast. Oh my God in heaven was it good. I think they fry the egg dipped bread. Delish!



After spending the first part of the day in Thousand Oaks, we went to our dear friend (and most loyal blog reader) Rachel's house for a barbecue. It was lovely as always. I have lots of party anxiety (what to say, what to do, what to eat, when can I leave...) but I always know I will feel relaxed and comfortable at a Rachel party. I didn't photograph my food because I was too tired (no excuse, I know) but I had salad, steamed asparagus, a really good turkey burger and a chicken hot dog with no buns. And some baked beans with pineapple. I also made my "raw truffles", which seemed to go over well.

When we got home, I had the watermelon above while we watched The Fashion Show. The outfit we liked the best lost. I guess we can kiss that career in fashion goodbye.

Pancake Experiment On Father's Day

Been reading about all these alternative pancakes that looked awesome on all the various blogs I adore and cannot stop reading (see "blogs I dig" on the right side of the page). I decided to try one out on husband for his Father's Day breakfast in bed.

I kind of made it up as I went along:

1/4 cup gluten-free baking mix
1 heaping Tablespoon rice protein powder
Scant 1/4 cup rice milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 teaspoon honey
dash of cinnamon

Whisked all together, it was a very thin consistency, almost like crepe batter.

I added 1 Tablespoon chopped raw pecans and poured into a small frying pan that had 1 teaspoon Earth Balance melted in it.

Once I poured the batter in, I added 6 fat blueberries and about 10 slices of banana. Once I saw bubbles form, I flipped the pancake.


So far, so good. It smelled gorgeous.



Topped with Earth Balance spread and pure maple syrup.

The verdict: husband said the flavor was great; it was a bit dry and grainy. I think the grainy part came from the protein powder. Maybe if I blended the mixture first? Anyone have experience with this?

Sunday workout (about to commence): Jillian Michael's Shred Level I and II

Culinary School: Dessert

Krista rocking the pavlovas. She had to miss the tasting to take her 3 year old to a party. I'm so sorry, lady. Your pavlovas were heaven!



Chocolate pudding. Better than I ever thought pudding could be.



Tiramisu.



Creme brulee. This was amazing, too. This is either Bobbie or Elvia torching the sugar. Brave, brave Bobbie or Elvia!



The lemon tart. My lovahh! I'm a lemon freak, I've decided. I really did not want to stop eating this.

Culinary School: Desserts (What I Ate)

1 HEAVENLY pavlova with a spoonful of caramel ice cream, whipped cream and 3 berries. Shut. The. Front. Door. I felt like I was at Alice In Wonderland's tea party (minus the evil Queen of Hearts). Sugar is good.



1 spoonful chocolate pudding and 1 smear of tiramisu. I thought I didn't like puddingy things because I was raised with Jello pudding. Real pudding is freaking good! I'll make you some! The tiramisu was not a slam dunk for me because I'm not a coffee fan and the sponge cake was soaked in espresso. It was still delicious, but I was strong and didn't eat it all.



I tiny slice of chocolate gateau (very, very dense chocolate cake) and 1 tinyish slice of lemon tart. Lemon tart was my favorite dessert of the day (barely beating the pavlova concoction). I had one more tiny slice. The sweet crust made it, which was just a bit salty. Oh, my. Sugar is good. I forgot how good it was. I just hope I can respect it!

Tuesday workout: 3 mile run