Farmers' Markets, even in the City!

"That is the most perfect bowl of cherries I have ever seen." My apartmentmate's boyfriend was over for dinner, and I had just brought out dessert. I had just made enchiladas for the first time, to moderate success, and we were all stuffed. But the cherries - Michigan cherries from the 61st St. Farmers' Market - were just too delicious to ignore.
I wish I'd gotten a photo of them in their straight-up glory, but instead I was left with a few cherry muffins to photograph instead. These were born on Saturday, when I had to feed my sourdough starter (known in the apartment as the "bread monster" or "my baby"). I'd been reading up on sourdough and found some recipes for the "discard", or the cup of starter you throw away when you feed the rest. The deliciously tangy-smelling cup had been going into the trash, so once I realized I could use it in baked goods, I pulled my baby out of the fridge for a feeding.
Here you see one of the muffins (recipe to follow) in a whimsical teacup meant for muffins/cupcakes. In the background is the loaf of bread I made from the fed starter! The farmers' market cherries, cup of starter, additional flour, an egg, baking soda to react with the acid in the starter, and a teaspoon of almond extract combined to make delicious muffins, with the perfect crumb.
Here's the starter himself, at home in the fridge, to who we owe such delicious baked goods.

Besides baking, I've been working at the Smart Museum this summer, as a business intern as well as a cafe attendant. I'm also the social media intern for DiningOut Chicago magazine. My duties there involve updating the facebook and twitter pages, and writing the monthly/bimonthly newsletters.
We've also been exploring Chicago. A couple weekends ago, I went with my girlfriend to see Loretta Lynn at the Taste of Chicago! The food wasn't impressive, but the free concert was fun.
Loretta Lynn (the famous "Coal Miner's Daughter") only sang a few songs, and no wonder - she was wearing a huge, high-necked, long-sleeved dress in the summer heat! Luckily the songs were swing-dance-able, so we could dance and impress all the people sitting around us. (Or at least that's what I like to think.)

But now that we have no dining hall (glory hallelujah), cooking is a big part of our lives in our little apartment. I've always been a little scared of frying, but Ash approaches it fearlessly. She's inspired me to make samosas, falafel, and these: egg rolls!Sorry for the long time without posting; between the job, internship, and life, there's not much time. But whenever I have a morning off like today, I'll try to put a little something up. :)

And here's the cherry muffin recipe! I made it into a one-bowl method...we don't have a dishwasher!
(side note: why is it that my gorgeous red cherries turned a little blue? No, they aren't sad, it's just a chemical reaction between the cherries and the baking soda.)

Cherry Muffins

1 cup unfed sourdough starter
1/4 cup olive oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup flour (whole wheat or all-purpose)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup halved and pitted cherries

Preheat the oven to 375F. Pour the starter into a bowl, and leave it while you feed the remainder. Add the flour, salt, baking soda, and sugar, and mix. Your goal here is to combine the dry ingredients, but don't fully incorporate the starter. Make a well in the middle and add the oil and the egg. Lightly beat the egg in the well. Add the extracts, and mix everything together. Be careful not to overmix - too much gluten development will make tough, bread-y muffins. Gently fold in the cherries, and scoop into a greased muffin pan. Fill the muffin cups almost all the way up. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until you can't resist the smell of fresh muffins any longer!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! I made a carrot cake for our Easter brunch (which is happening later this afternoon - brunch hours didn't turn out to be the best for most of my friends, but the menu has stayed the same: strawberry apple crisp, cinnamon raisin bagel bread pudding, asparagus, and bunny cake).
For spring break, I went to San Fransisco to visit a couple friends, one from Spain, and one from Deerfield. Here are the famous trolleys - there are actually hills in the Bay Area!!
The Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park was GORGEOUS.
The Ferry Building - it's tower is modelled after La Giralda, a tower in Spain - or so we Spanophiles like to think. :)

7th week, busy as ever!

Gelato at Cafe Spiaggia...mmmmm. (photo credit: http://www.rachelleb.com/images/2010/03/cafe_spiaggia_gelato.jpg)

Life is busy - between spending time with friends, homework, class, going downtown, and dancing (swing, salsa, charleston, lindy, and bachata!) there's hardly any time for cooking. But I make it: life has to keep a balance, and even if I'm about to fall over most of the time, I've been managing to keep it all in the air.
This week is Chicago Restaurant Week - prixe fixe menus at some of Chicago's best - and most expensive - restaurants. Today Ash and I went to Cafe Spiaggia, the lunch offshoot of Restaurant Spiaggia, proud owner of a Michelin star. And it certainly deserves it! When I walked in and saw that each table had a pour-bottle of olive oil on it, I knew Spiaggia would be amazing. We also got the best table in the house: a round table for two tucked into an alcove, both chairs looking out through a floor-to-ceiling window with a view of lake. I enjoyed an appetizer trio of imported olives, nuts, and fried Tuscan kale, followed by a salad of mozzarella di bufala with apple mostarda (caramelized dried apples), thyme, and lemon zest. A beautifully arranged plate of bread arrived, and was fantastic paired with the exquisite olive oil on the table. I dove into memories of travelling through Andalucia and eating our weight in olive oil there...and the mozzarella di bufala reminded me of my week in Sicily, the Recuperos, and the scogli. The main plate was cappacelli - fancy ravoli - with butternut squash, sage, and a brown butter sauce. Ash told me, "Amanda, you are radiating happiness." I couldn't stop smiling. I don't think I've eaten such a good meal since being in Italy, actually. And dessert...I got gelato (three small scoops of giuanduja [hazlenut], stracciatella [chocolate chip], and raspberry), Ash had sorbet (blood orange, lemon, and cinnamon), and we shared it all - and I got an espresso as well, in the true Italio-Spanish tradition, which came with a delightful biscotti. The bitter espresso, the tart lemon, the sweet cinnamon, and the smooth giuanduja...perfect. The only thing I can say about Cafe Spiaggia: go. Even without the great deal of restaurant week, it would be more than worth it. Also, I don't think I've ever seen such great service: Ash told me that when I went to the restroom, leaving my cloth napkin on the table, servers came by and refolded it twice.
Here are some photos, since I should now go concentrate my writing skills on a Locke essay due Monday!

the Trader Joe's a train ride away from campus, right in downtown Chicago - my home away from home!

Heart-shaped macarons at a bakery, E-leaven, right next to Trader Joe's. Yes, I bought one; yes, it was delicious.

Hearts lining Michigan Avenue to raise heart health awareness (and for Valentine's Day!)

Trump Tower...Ash and I managed to ride the elevator to the 16th floor where panoramic windows offered a stunning view!

Spiced Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Mousse and Peanut Butter Frosting

I hosted a fancy dinner party soon after getting back to school - the dress code was red and black. Here I am doing a dish or two in my mini kitchen. The menu also tried to keep to the red and black theme: warm beet salad with gorgonzola and candied pecans,red lentil curry, and bowls of chocolate cake drizzled with honey and layered with white chocolate honey mouse, dark chocolate mousse (the Herve This recipe of water and chocolate), and chocolate macarons with white chocolate honey ganache.

The first floor library in Ida Noyes Hall, where Friday night swing dances and my charleston lessons are held.

Remember the Chicago Snowpocalypse of 2011? UChicago cancelled classes two days in a row, for the first time ever. The reason: the city didn't deal well with getting the streets cleared. This is my street 24 hours afterward - it didn't get plowed until a couple days later.

The ice did leave pretty cool modern-art like patterns on my window, though. Yes...it was cold. I only started biking again this week - we hit 50 degrees - and all the snow is now gone.

Buche de Noel!

The highlight of Christmas break!
For Christmas dessert, I made a yule log, aka a buche de noel. Mine was pistachio cake rolled around a chocolate mascarpone filling with a fluffy swiss buttercream and meringue mushrooms! Even though my mother and I don't care that much for meringue kisses, we couldn't stop eating the mushrooms - so the extra 4 dozen or so are not an issue! Recipe will soon be up, but in the meantime, here are some photos!

The mushrooms are simple: meringue piped into circles and trunks, connected with chocolate and dusted with cocoa powder.

The cake, rolled up fresh out of the oven.

The log before frosting - this explains the secret of the knot that sticks out!

The finished log! The cocoa-dusted meringue mushrooms, the frosted log with a fork run through it for bark texture, sprinkled with extra ground pistachios for moss and crushed meringue for snow!

Time Flies!

I can't believe it's been almost a month since my last post - but it is snowing outside right now, which reminded me that fall has gone, and winter has arrived.
I've been busy with classes - this upcoming week is final exams! - but I've still made time for exploring Chicago and baking, of course. Last night we celebrated my friend's birthday with macaroni and cheese and a chocolate-caramel-peanut tart.
The other day I made upside-down banana chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting (one in a cute cupcake mold my roommate got as a birthday present - her present from me was a batch of chocolate raspberry cupcakes with raspberry frosting).
For Thanksgiving I went all out for the dorm potluck: cranberry apple pie, mini pecan pies, two casserole pans of vegetarian stuffing, and roasted Brussels sprouts. It ended up being a great holiday; after an entire day of cooking in a friend's dorm (I was having oven issues), my dormmates gathered in our lounge for a delicious and bountiful spread, then watched movies together until 4 a.m.!

I've had some great downtown excursions lately! On Thursday, I went with a friend's dorm to see a show at Second City, Chicago's famous comedy club - it was great fun. And a couple of weeks ago, I visited another of Chicago's famous attractions: the Navy Pier ferris wheel!
It's about 11 stories high, and was my first time ever on a Ferris Wheel. I enjoyed it - it will not be my last! After Navy Pier, we went to a swing dance in a Northernly neighborhood called Andersonville, and made a couple new friends and learned a few new moves. Hopefully I'll be able to go to a couple of dances and practice lindy hop over Christmas break!

Busy!

The capitol at night.

Chili!

We only saw about 20 minutes of the rally because there was a 2 hour line for metro tickets and we had camped overnight in Maryland...

Chocolate gingerbread salted caramel cake for my friend's birthday...

Hello - I apologize for the severe lack of posts! Not only have I been busy exploring Chicago, but I've also been exploring the country; two weekends ago I took a road trip with 6 new friends to Washington, D.C. for the Jon Stewart Rally to Restore Sanity - or rather, we used that as an excuse to spend a weekend together driving across the country! It was a great time and seeing the capital again was really fun.
I've been busy cooking, salsa and swing dancing, and of course with schoolwork - I had an essay (on the co-evolution of orchids and orchid bees) for biology due last week and a test today, a Language and the Human paper (on bilingual education in the United States) due today, and math homework and Alfarabi readings for Classics of Social and Political Thought - so much to do and so little time!

Almost Midterms

A view of downtown Chicago from the 96th floor of the John Hancock Building, where there was a reception for first-years during O-week.

The first quarter is just flying by, and we have just finished "third week". Already I'm getting busy: I had a paper due for Core Biology today. Our topics had to relate to genes, so I chose the genetics of longevity - proving that in order to live to be a centenarian or a supercentenarian (more than 110 years old), one must have the correct genetic makeup. I found a bunch of great evidence, so the essay came together well. A draft of a paper for Language and the Human is due Monday, plus a math test next Friday, and a Classics of Social and Political Thought paper due next week as well - in other words, I should probably start spending a lot more time doing work than I have been!
There are so many legitimate distractions: cooking and hanging out with friends, swing dancing, going downtown - and since photos of these are much more exciting then me doing homework, I've uploaded a few.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Our tiny kitchen - the tiny oven is on the left. The middle door does not stay shut.

Chocolate Pomegranate Mousse Cake
A lot of buildings on campus are neogothic...including the chapel, which is basically a cathedral. Makes me think of Spain often!!

Classes!

I'm still alive, but between College Night at the Museum of Science and Industry, free gelato at Istria, student group information meetings, movies in the dorm lounge, speakers, community service, a trip to Wicker Park, my vibraphone audition, and, finally, classes, I've been really busy! My schedule has shaped up to be full of required core classes: core bio, calculus, Language and the Human (a humanities course), and Classics of Social and Political Thought (beginning with Plato's Republic!). Life in Chicago is so far, so good.

UChicago

I'm in Chicago!! Move-in starts tomorrow. :-)

Bread Pudding Tiramisu

Fall calls for warming, spiced desserts, like this tiramisu bread pudding. The bread pudding itself is soaked with coffee, chocolate, and rum, then sliced and topped with a thick rum mascarpone cream. I better to able to find some cooking alcohol in college, because this dish will definitely be made again. It isn't overly sweet, which is nice - the bittersweet elements of chocolate and coffee really shine.

Tiramisu Bread Pudding

6 oz egg or milk bread, such as challah, brioche, or Portuguese rolls
1 cup whole milk (I ended up using soymilk and it turned out wonderfully. However, these are definitely not vegan!)
5/8 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup very strong brewed coffee, cold
3 Tbsp rum
2 smallish eggs
2 yolks (remember those macarons? and all the yolks left over?)
1/4 cup sugar
3 oz bittersweet chocolate

1. Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and place in an 8x8 pan. If your bread isn't already stale, bake for 10 minutes at 350ºF.
2. Meanwhile, bring milk and cream just to a boil. Have water boil on another burner, but turn it off once it boils - this will be for the "bain marie", the water bath.
3. While the milk and cream are on the stove, whisk the eggs, yolks, coffee, rum, and sugar.
4. Slowly whisk scalded milk into the egg mixture, drizzling in about 1/4 of it first while whisking - you don't want the eggs to cook! Continue whisking while drizzling in the remainder. Add chocolate and whisk until melted.
5. Pour over bread in the 8x8 pan and let soak for 30 minutes, pushing bread down with the back of a spoon as necessary.
6. Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Put the baking pan with the bread pudding into a large roasting pan lined with paper towels. Place in the oven and then pour water into the large pan to halfway up the 8x8 pan. Bake 35 to 45 minutes, until puffed and an inserted knife comes out clean.
7. Let cool while you prepare the:

Mascarpone Cream

2 Tbsp rum
3 yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
8 oz mascarpone
3/8 cup heavy cream

1. Whip heavy cream. Set aside.
2. In a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (don't let the bowl touch the water), beat yolks at a low speed with an electric hand mixer until combined.
3. Add sugar and salt and beat at medium high until pale yellow and foamy. Add rum and continue beating.
4. Remove from heat and beat in mascarpone until well combined.
5. Fold into whip cream and chill.

If feeling ambicious, you can slice the bread pudding (once cool) and layer the whole thing into a more traditional looking tiramisu. But if you are impatient, it is just as good with a slightly warm piece of bread pudding with a generous dollop of cream on top...and a sprinkling of cinnamon or cocoa powder for the finishing touch.

Red Cabbage Tarts with Balsamic Apple Compote

After seeing the photo on Tastespotting, as often happens, I decided that I just had to make these tartlettes. The head of cabbage begging to be used in the fridge encouraged the decision and I headed to the kitchen. The dough was a dream to work with - I'll definitely use it for any tart or pie in the future. At first bite, the tarts were a bit dry alone...but with too little balsamic vinegar left to make enough reduction, balsamic-glazed apples did the trick, packing another great fall flavor into these already wonderful savory galettes.

Red Cabbage Tarts

Tart dough:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp thyme
1/2 lb butter
1/2 cup ice water

Tart filling:
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup water
1 red onion
1/2 small head of red cabbage, cored
2 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp thyme
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp cumin

1. For the dough, combine flour, salt, and thyme in electric stand mixer. Add butter and beat to a crumb or sand texture. Add water, combine until dough comes together, and transfer to saran wrap. Chill in fridge.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat. Slice onion and cook until soft. Add sliced cabbage along with the water. Add the remaining ingredients and cover.
3. Cook covered for 10 minutes. Uncover and cook until the liquid is gone, adding more water if the cabbage is still crunchy.
4. Remove the dough from fridge. Divide into 9-12 parts and roll into 6-inch circles. Transfer to lightly greased baking sheet. Place a large spoonful of filling in center and fold edges up.
5. Bake at 350ºF for 30 to 35 minutes.

Balsamic Apple Compote

1 apple per tart
1 tsp butter
1/2 tsp thyme per apple
2 tsp balsamic vinegar per apple
1/2 tsp sugar per apple
1/2 cup water

1. Melt butter over medium heat. Add thinly sliced apple and thyme. Cook for a few minutes.
2. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer apples for 10 minutes, turning once, until liquid is gone and apples are soft but still hold their shape.
3. Spoon apples over hot tart and enjoy!

i heart macarons

Almondy times chocolatey plus Baileys ganache equals the best macarons I have ever made.
Okay, they are the first macarons I've ever made. "Conquering" the quintessential cute French sandwich cookie has been on my list of things to do in life for a while, and I finally had a day and a morning of leisure. So along with some delicious red cabbage tarts (post coming soon!) I decided to try macarons.
The macaron has three essential parts: the shiny meringue-y shell, the rough "feet", and the filling. To achieve the "shell", a traditional macaron recipe calls for resting on the cookie tray for 30 minutes. A traditional recipe also calls for aged egg whites, and I didn't think that far ahead, so my recipe didn't specify the wait - but I let them sit out for a little while anyhow. And since I got the shiny smooth tops, I don't think it hurt. The feet don't appear until after a bit of baking; the cookie raises up its top and peeks out from underneath. I was overjoyed when I peered into the oven and saw them! My filling was a bit thin (too much cream) but made up for it in its deliciousness...I like to take these babies apart and add some more ganache right before consumption.
One problem I had was a dearth of parchment paper...so I sprayed some oil onto the pans and crossed my fingers. The first tray was very grounded - those little feet just did not want to come off the cookie sheet! However I got to the second tray faster and only cracked a couple. And cracks are simply an aesthetic flaw...they still taste great.
I used a scale to weigh out the ingredients, just to be on the safe (and French) side.

Macarons

120 grams egg whites, divided
35 grams sugar
150 grams ground almonds
150 grams powdered sugar
150 grams sugar
50 grams water

1. Preheat the oven to 320ºF. Process the almond meal and the powdered sugar together in a food processor.
2. Whip 60 grams of the egg whites to soft peaks in a standing mixer. Add 35 grams sugar.
3. Bring the sugar and the water just to a boil.
4. Make sure the egg whites are still at soft peaks. (If not, whip them a bit more.) Slowly drizzle in the sugar syrup while the mixer is running at a medium-high speed. Beat until a white shiny meringue forms, about 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Add the other 60 grams of egg whites to the sugar and almond mixture and fold this gently but thoroughly into the meringue.
6. Pipe (using a large circle tip) into 2 to 3 cm circles on parchment or silpat lined cookie sheets and let rest 15 minutes.
7. Bake at 320ºF for 15 to 25 minutes. (I only needed fifteen.)

Baileys Ganache

50 ml heavy cream (a couple tablespoons)
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
40 ml Baileys (about the size of a "nip" bottle)

1. Heat the heavy cream until just about to boil - but don't let it boil.
2. Remove from heat and add white chocolate chips, stirring to melt.
3. Stir in Baileys. Chill until thick.

Now just take two cookies, spoon a dollop of the ganache onto one, press the other on top, and try not to eat them as quickly as you make them.

Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes

Pumpkin pie in cupcake form. Warmly spiced and topped with a sweet and cinnamony rum frosting.
My first grade teacher made cupcakes into "cupcake sandwiches" but taking off the bottom and putting it on top, with the icing in the middle. I thought it was an ingenius idea...
...and I still do. A surefire way to get frosting in every bite and not all over your face.

Pumpkin Cupcakes and Spiced Rum Frosting

1 cup pumpkin puree (ours was from a fresh cooked pumpkin but canned would also work)
1/3 cup oil
generous 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup soymilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice blend (or cloves, nutmeg, and ginger)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners or grease.
2. Combine the wet ingredients.
3. Add the dry ingredients, mixing gently to combine, and fold in chocolate chips.
4. Fill muffin cups 1/2 to 3/4 full and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Let cool completely and then frost with...

Spiced Rum Frosting

1/2 cup butter
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tbsp spiced rum (such as Captain Morgan's)
1 tsp cinnamon
soymilk as needed

1. Mix all ingredients together until a firm frosting consistency, adding more confectioner's sugar or soymilk as needed to thicken or thin the frosting.
2. Spoon into a decorating bag and pipe all over the cupcakes!