SUZIE SWEET TOOTH

Cakes, Treats, and Everything Sweet

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    • Coffee Macarons With Chocolate Ganache

      I realized this week that I have not been drinking as much coffee for some reason. This is very unlike me. It suddenly dawned on me why. The Husband is out of town and he consumes massive amounts of coffee. The coffee is always made. Rarely am I ever brew master. No need. Most mornings he is up way before me and he brings me a cup as he gives me “the look” while I laze in bed.

      There I am, slunched down in bed staring mindlessly into the TV in my jammies psyching myself into getting up. He shoots me the look like, Hey, you gonna get movin soon?

      I am not a morning person. He was warned by yours truly. My Mother even warned him when we were first married. Shortly after our wedding The Husband asked my Mother, “Is there anything I need to know about Susan?” Without even skipping a beat my Mother replied,

      “YES, don’t EVEN try to talk to her in the morning”. That’s right. I don’t speak in full sentences until at least 8:00 Am (that’s on a work day). You are lucky if you get a few grunts out of me. I like to save all my energy for sippin’ coffee. Coffee, silence, and Al Roker. That’s all I need. Okay, maybe a slice of toast. These macs provide a good dose of java nirvana. Almost as good as sleeping in. Zzzzzz. Thank God it is the weekend.

      Coffee Macarons With Chocolate Ganache

      Coffee Macarons With Chocolate Ganache

      200 gms almond flour, sifted

      200 gms confectioners sugar, sifted

      1 single serving size sleeve/packet instant Columbian Coffee (I like Via from Starbucks= about 2 tsp.)

      75 gms egg whites

      200 gms granulated sugar

      50 gms water

      75 gms egg whites (room temp)

      pinch of cream of tartar

      Chocolate ganache:

      6 oz. semisweet chocolate;chopped fine

      5 oz. heavy cream

      Make the ganache: In a medium bowl place the chopped chocolate. Heat the heavy cream on high until small bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit for one minute before stirring to combine thoroughly. Place the ganache in the fridge while you make the cookies.

      Making the Macarons:

      In a large bowl combine the almond flour, confectioners sugar and ground coffee. Add the 75 gms of egg whites and stir to combine. Set aside.

      In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment combine 75 gms of egg whites and the cream of tartar and begin whipping them on medium-high speed.

      At the same time combine the 200 gms of granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan on high heat; bring to 240° without stirring while whipping the egg whites on your mixer simultaneously. You want the cooking sugar syrup to reach 240 degrees at the same time your whites reach stiff peaks. To time this; keep the stand mixer next to the stove so you can peek at the whites while still watching your cooking syrup. If you notice the whites starting to get too stiff before the sugar is done; slow down the mixer to low speed.

      Once the syrup is at 240 degrees, stop/take off the heat and start pouring the syrup down the side of the mixer bowl slowly with the mixer running on slow-medium at the same time; careful not to let the syrup hit the whisk to prevent hard syrup forming. Once all the syrup is in, crank up the mixer and whip the whites until very glossy and stiff.

      Take the whipped meringue and place on top of the almond mixture and start to  fold gently until all of the meringue is incorporated; careful not to deflate the mixture. You are looking for a thick consistency like lava. Fill a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch round tip and pipe the cookies on parchment lined sheet trays; leaving at least an inch space between cookies. Take the trays and rap them hard on the counter to release any air bubbles. Let the trays sit out anywhere from 30-60 minutes; as long as it takes until when you touch the top of the cookies they are dry and no longer tacky to the touch. If you like halfway through the resting phase you can sift some cocoa powder over the tops of the macs for a decorative touch.

      Bake the cookies double panned (placing one empty tray underneath the piped cookies) one tray at a time in a 325° oven for about 16-18 minutes until the cookies are no longer wet on the bottom and appear dry. Sacrifice one if you have to test. Let the cookies cool. Sandwich with chocolate ganache. If you can, store the cookies in the fridge covered loosely for 8 hours or overnight; this helps the cookies become even more chewy as the moisture from the ganache helps the texture of the cookie.

      {Printable Recipe}:

      https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QA_6i8zo6NpIo7k-j0lf8W8HUs7lwSmEsH8UIGvRcJM/edit

    • Happy Chinese New Year 2012 (Dragon Cookies)

      In case you were not aware- it’s the Year of the Dragon. I know, it was cold down under that rock, wasn’t it? Yes, I know you are aware; just a gentle reminder that this year should be anything but dull. The dragon has been unleashed. Buckle your seatbelts, and hold on tight. Now, who said anything about doom and gloom. Rein in your Debbie Downer. I’m just saying it should be an exciting year. We’ve put up with the Rat and the Rabbit, so now it’s time for the Dragon. Oh and I know a lot about the Dragon. I was coached , prepped, warned I should say right from the beginning. The year was 1999. The year I got married. My husband informed me straight on; and it went something like this. We were having a nice leisurely walk around Lake Merced.

      The Husband:  “Honey, we have to have a Dragon”.

      Me: “Huh”?

      The Husband: “We have to have a Dragon baby, it’s very important”

      Me: “What is a Dragon baby”? (and then I learned in the reader’s digest version from my husband all about “Chinese Astrology” and the importance of having a “Dragon”.

      Soon everyone (and by this I mean all my Asian friends) were weighing in on my procreation of planning. “Oh…you have to have a dragon baby”, “Oh, you know, next year is the Year of the Dragon, you gonna have a Dragon baby”? “You GOTTA have a dragon baby”! “DID YOU KNOW NEXT YEAR IS THE DRAGON”? (yep, I knew) and on and on it went. So guess what? we had a dragon baby. Cutest little dragon you ever saw. Biggest joy of my life. He may be small, but feisty; just like a dragon. Smart, cunning, fast; just like a dragon. Determined; just like a dragon. Leader, not a follower; just like a dragon.

      It’s 2012. Don’t be afraid. Embrace the Dragon. Start small; perhaps with a cookie…..

      Dragon Sugar Cookies

      Sugar Cookies

      3 Cups all purpose flour

      1 tsp. baking powder

      1/2 tsp. kosher salt

      1 Cup + 2 Tbsp. sugar

      2 sticks cold unsalted butter

      1 large egg

      1  1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

      1/2 tsp. almond extract

      Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the extracts; mix. Add in the egg and mix. Add the flour mixture a little at a time and mix until just combined; scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is combined well. Try not to overmix the dough. There will be crumbs; take out the dough and knead softly with your hands. Roll out on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes. Place on a Silpat sheet or parchment paper lined cookie sheet and Bake at 350 °  for 12-15 minutes until the edges just barely start to turn light brown. Let cookies cool on sheets placed on a wire rack for 10 mins. Move the cookies to wire rack to cool completely before icing.

      Frost cookies with thin consistency Royal Icing. See recipe below.

      Royal Icing:

      4 Tbsp. meringue powder

      1/2 C warm water

      1 lb. powdered sugar

      1/2 tsp. clear vanilla

      Combine the meringue powder and H2O until foamy. Add the sugar a cup at a time [if the sugar is lumpy; make sure to sift it first] and beat on low until combined. Once all the sugar is combined, turn up the mixer to high and beat for about 5 mins. until the meringue forms stiff peaks. Add cold water one tsp. at a time until the mixture is thinned to consistency of heavy cream. Ice the cookies and let the icing dry until the icing is totally dry. This may take overnight; especially if it is foggy as it is here in San Francisco!! In my neighborhood this means pretty much every day…

      Once the icing is totally dry; cut out the rice paper sheets; found at www.fancyflours.com  and turn over the sheets and brush carefully with light corn syrup. Place the rice paper sheet on the cookie and run your finger over the sheet so it adheres flat. Turn over the cookie and let sit for about 30 minutes. You can pipe a decorative border along the cookies with medium stiff royal icing or decorate the edges with sanding sugar; or leave plain. Sprinkle the edible glitter over the cookies.

    • Salted Caramel Brownies “Baked Sweet and Salty Brownie”

      There is a famous bakery in New York called “Baked”. How can you not love a place called that? Direct, to the point and it tells you in one word all you need to know. Period. One of these days I have to visit that darned bakery. They are known for their “sweet and salty brownie” which is basically a fudgy brownie [yep, I love fudgy] with a middle layer of gooey salted caramel [yep, I love gooey salted caramel].

      I will get in line for anything with salted caramel. I might even consider give a pint of blood for salted caramel. Okay, maybe I have to rethink that.

      The boys of Baked, [Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito] have two cookbooks out and the one titled Baked Explorations includes this brownie recipe on page 93. Yes, I went ripping to page 93 for some good food porn of that brownie. I was disappointed though, no food porn. I mean, you can’t get sexier than a ooey gooey carameley brownie. What were they thinking??

      That would have been a serious money shot. The food network actually featured this brownie on “The best thing I ever ate”. Ever since that show I have been meaning to try this recipe.

      With an endorsement like that, how could you not be tempted.

      I was tempted.

      The show had a slow motion close up of the brownie as it’s being pulled apart with the gooey caramel oozing out. There is nothing like slow motion food porn. You had me at salted caramel. So I decided I would just have to create my own food porn….And here it is.

      SHAZAM!

      Salted Caramel Brownies

      Make the salted caramel:

      1 Cup sugar

      2 Tbsp. light corn syrup

      1/2 heavy cream

      1 tsp. fleur de sel (or kosher salt would work)

      1/4 Cup sour cream

      In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and corn syrup with 1/4 cup water, stirring them together carefully. Cook over high heat until it is dark amber color; about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and slowly add the cream (careful it will bubble and sputter), then add the salt. Whisk in the sour cream. Set aside to cool.

      For the brownie:

      1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

      1 tsp. salt

      2 Tbsp. dark unsweetened cocoa (like Valrhona) [this is not the time to go cheap baby]

      11 oz. quality dark chocolate (60-72 %), coarsely chopped

      1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes

      1 1/2 Cups sugar

      1/2 Cup firmly packed light brown sugar

      5 lg. eggs, at room temp

      2 tsp. vanilla

      1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13 pan with a parchment sling and spray with non-stick baking spray.

      2. In a medium blowl, whisk together the flour, salt and cocoa powder.

      3. Place the chocolate and butter in the bowl of a double boiler set over a pan of simmering water, and stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are melted and combined. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water of the double boiler and add both sugars. Whisk until combined and remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be at room temperature.

      4. Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add vanilla and stir. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage, or your brownies will be cakey.

      5. Sprinkle the flour  mixture over the chocolate. Using a spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until there is just a trace amount of flour mixture visible.

      Assembly in pan:

      Pour half the brownie mixture into the pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Drizzle about 3/4 Cup caramel over the brownie in a zigzag pattern, taking care not so the caramel does not come in contact with the edges of the pan or it will burn. Use an offset spatula to spread the caramel evenly across the brownie layer. In heaping spoonfuls, scoop the rest of the brownie batter over the caramel layer. Smooth the brownie batter gently to cover the caramel layer.

      Bake the brownies for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the fleur de sel and coarse sugar.

      Cool completely before cutting.

      *Directions disclaimer: Okay, I did not follow the baking directions in the cookbook. I tried making these brownies the first time and all the caramel melted into the brownie which quite frankly ticked me off and I did not like, so the second time around I chose a different method. I admit; the caramel layer was a little runny, so next time I’ll have to play around with this a bit, but here is what I did. [By the way, have you ever had one of those moments where you feel someone gives you a recipe but they are not really straight forward about the secret to the method of a recipe?]

      I’m just sayin…

      Anyway, here is what I did.

      I poured half the brownie mix into the pan and baked at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. I then let the brownies cool for 20 minutes and I poured in cold caramel. I then ever so carefully poured the rest of the batter on top of the caramel, jacked up the temperature on the oven to 350 degrees and baked for 20 minutes. I would say the caramel was slightly runny than what I wanted, so maybe next time I would not keep the caramel cold but at room temp. Play around with it and see what works for you. I would rather have my caramel a little runny than not gooey at all. I have another theory also; I would keep the caramel cold but next time I would cut back on the cream in the caramel recipe maybe by half. Don’t let this recipe discourage you though, they are really delicious.

      For the assembly:

      1 1/2 tsp. fleur de sel

      1 tsp. coarse sugar (like them sprinkled with just the salt as I feel they are sweet enough)

      {Printable Recipe}:

      https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jYbSqdRc12vz5VzzM-_jR_HvvrKoze4gxNoO_o08VBI/edit

       

      Please check out my friend Lisa’s blog who is hosting a cookie sharing this week at:

      http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com/2012/01/sweets-for-saturday-53.html

      to find some other fun and inspiring recipes!

      Happy Baking!

      Suzie

       

       

    • Cold Buster Juice Blend

      I woke up this morning feeling like !@#%$ (crap) and decided I needed to hit my body with something extremely healthy (I know-imagine that) in an attempt to ward off whatever gremlin is trying to invade my body. There’s something going around at work and I’ve already been hit with it once about a month ago and it took me down real hard. This time around I decided IT IS WAR and I am not rolling over to any virus that thinks it can play dodge ball in my body.

       

      Out came the Vitamix.

      Out came the citrus

      Out came the emergent C powder

      Out came my take no prisoner attitude. (I had to reach way deep in the cupboard for that one).

      Yeah, Take that you little gremlin!!

      I quickly came up with this concoction and I like to call it my “Cold Remedy” (I’m thinking positive here and I am bound and determined to fight it!) Stay with me!!

      I lined up my artillery and started assembling my plan of war:

      Vitamix- √ check. Everybody file into the Vitamix..

      1 ruby red grapefruit sectioned and squeezed √ (check)

      2 Cara Cara oranges squeezed including as much pulp as possible √ (check)

      1 Valencia orange squeezed including as much pulp as possible √ (check)

      1 big carrot rinsed/scrubbed clean, cut into chunks √ (check)

      1  inch piece of ginger (peeled) and sliced √ (check)

      2 Tablespoons honey √ (check)

      1 packet of Emergent-C powder (tangerine flavor) √ (check)

      And finally 2 handfulls of ice into the blender of war √ (check)

      Everybody in the blender? CHECK. LID ON. POWER ON. HUAH!

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

      Whew, that was exhausting….

      I’m happy to report I think it actually worked. I feel pretty darn good. Frisky even, Totally energized. Ready to take on the world! Oh- I chased that bad boy with 600 mg. of Motrin.

      This maybe all in my head and I may look like the death again tomorrow but for right now, calling it good. Hope you try this mad drink the next time you need a little energy boost or you need to clean out the cobwebs a little.

      Bottoms up! Might I add it was pretty tasty too.

      To your health,

      Suzie

    • Rose-Hibiscus Tea Cakes (petite fours)

      I was in Macy’s the other day and I just HAD to buy this tea cake pan; basically a petite four pan. It was so darn cute. Yep, it’s a Martha pan.  I like that Martha includes a recipe with her stuff. The pan has different shapes; heart, mini bundt and a few different flower shapes.  Her recipe that comes with the pan is for a basic vanilla tea cake; which sounds pretty fine in its own right; I just wasn’t feelin’ vanilla the day it came to baking. I decided to create a rose flavored petite four. I love rose flavored treats. Years ago I had a patient who gave me a box of rose turkish delight.  The sugar that was leftover in the bottom of that box was so intoxicating; every now and then I would just remove the lid to have a good smell. I held onto that rose infused sugar for the longest time and used it in everything until it was all gone. I guess you could call this a little girly girl kind of cake. Perfect for a little tea party. When you bite into the cakes you can see the tiny flecks of rose and hibiscus. For rose tea or rose-hibiscus tea look in Russian or Middle Eastern markets or look on-line for rose hip tea. I’m pretty sure Lupicia has a rose hip tea also. www.lupicia.com

      Rose-Hibiscus Petite Fours

      1 rose hibiscus tea bag (or rose hip tea)

      2 tsp. boiling water

      2 tsp sugar+ 1/2 Cup Sugar

      1 tsp. rose water

      6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

      3 Lg. eggs

      1/4 tsp. salt

      1/2 tsp. vanilla

      3/4 Cup cake flour measured, then sifted

      Sugar glaze (recipe below)*

      1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat pan with nonstick spray. Melt butter and set aside to cool.

      2. Empty tea bag into a small saucer. {If tea particles are large mince with a knife until fine}. Mix the tea with the boiling water, 2 tsp. sugar and rose water. Let sit while you prepare the rest of the batter.

      3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs, 1/2 cup sugar and salt on medium speed until the mixture is thick and pale in color; about 8 minutes. Add the tea mixture and stir to combine. Fold the flour by hand with a large rubber spatula a little at a time until all combined. Remove about a cup of the batter and mix with the melted butter; fold this back into the main batter gently until all combined. Add some a few drops of red food coloring if you like [totally optional].

      4. Spoon the mixture into the pan until the batter is just below the rim. While the cakes bake prepare the glaze> {Combine 1 1/2 Cups confectioners sugar, 1/4 cup milk until smooth; add a couple  drops optional red food coloring}.

      Bake cakes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 11-12 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pan and while they are still warm spoon the glaze over the cakes. Let cool and serve.

      {Printable Recipe}:

      https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eE07GLWkmcyCu15V690x7yZF0TcRtgO1seJhNR6wVWU/edit

    • Blackberry Syrah Sorbet

      I am so lucky to live near wine country that all year long we can get some amazing affordable wines. Supermarkets buy up wine in surplus and always have sales on wine. They have to move the wine and get rid of it for new wines coming in. Because of this fast pace vino frenzy The Husband and I like to try new wines from time to time. It’s almost a game; okay, I admit- it is a game.  How low in price can you go and still get a really good bottle of wine. Sometimes it’s really fun, and sometimes… not so much. Every now and then you get a dud. The wine is still drinkable but the flavor is not so stellar. Rather than throw it out we usually make sangria with it as the sugar, brandy, and the juice pull in the flavor and you don’t even notice the bad wine. The other day I was playing the wine game and I got a dud. I decided to marry my syrah with some berries and voila~ a nice sorbet. The sorbet would pair really nicely with a dark chocolate crisp cookie.

      Blackberry Syrah Sorbet

      2 Cups dark red wine (syrah, cabernet, zinfandel)

      6 cups fresh or frozen Black Raspberries/Blackberries*

      (If using frozen; let the berries thaw and use all of the reserved juice as well)

      1/2 of a lemon; juiced

      1 Cup sugar + 1 Cup water to make “simple syrup”

      1. Combine the sugar and water in a glass measuring cup and microwave on high until the sugar dissolves; about 50 seconds. Place the simple syrup in the fridge until it is cooled.

      2. In a 2-3 quart saucepan bring the wine to a simmer over medium heat until it is reduced to half and you have about 1 cup; this will take about 10-12 minutes. Be careful to heat it gently; you don’t want to boil it; only simmer. Let cool and refridgerate until cold.

      3. In a food processor place the fresh or thawed berries along with all the juices, with the lemon juice and puree until smooth. If you happen to have a Vitamix; hey all the better. [I love my Vitamix!]. Strain the puree through a fine mesh strainer to remove all the seeds. Discard the seeds.

      4. In a large bowl, whisk the berry puree, simple syrup and wine. Pour the mixture into your ice cream machine container and spin/churn according to your brand model’s instructions. Stop the machine when it is evident it is not churning any longer. Transer the sorbet to a large airtight container [I personally love Lock-N-Lock for this] and freeze for about 2 hours until it is firm enough to serve.

      {Printable Recipe}:

      https://docs.google.com/document/d/1axwkVPlEcYphegH27AQUtvQjhPbFtUqA1egkJxaExrk/edit