Daring Bakers November....It's a Piece of Cake

It's Daring Bakers posting day again and I'm sorry to say, I have no pictures to post today. I did complete the challenge and I did take pictures but I moved this week and my computer is still in pieces...with my pictures in it. I will come back when everything is hooked up and post pictures but just text will have to do for now.

This month's challenge was actually one of my favorite and one of the few where nearly every bit was eaten. It was Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting. Definitely not diet friendly, it tasted like a heart attack on a plate but OH SO GOOD. I made it for my grandmother's birthday and while it wasn't a pretty cake in the decorated sense, it sure made up for it in flavor.

The hostess for this month was Dolores from Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity and the recipe is by Shuna Fish Lydon from Bay Area Bites.

A Local Eats Blogging Event

I haven't really been cooking or baking much since the baby came so I haven't participated in any blogging events for a while. I've barely had time to participate in the Daring Baker's challenge! I was browsing through www.ismyblogburning.com a few days ago and one specific even caught my eye, Local Eats Blogging Adventure hosted by the lovely Joelen of Joelen's Culinary Adventures. I had been thinking about making something very local to this area for a while but hadn't gotten around to it and this was the perfect opportunity.

What is it? You ask, well, let's see...What is named after something that grows mostly south of Miami-Dade County? It's not seafood, it's not an entree of any sort. It's tart but sweet.....it is Key Lime Pie! I learned a lot about the history of Key Lime Pie while doing research for this event. It's surprising how little we know about local dishes on the whole. We eat them regularly without giving it much thought because you know, they've always been there and that's that.




Originally, Key Lime Pie was not cooked at all. The acidity of the limes cooked and set the eggs thus setting the filling. Nowadays, because of health concerns, nearly all recipes call for a short baking period which sets the filling even more than just the lime juice. On July 1st 2006 Key Lime Pie was made the official Florida state pie. Who would have thunk it???


Luscious Key Lime Pie


for the crust:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

for the filling

5 eggs, separated
1 14oz-can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup FRESH Key Lime juice (a one pound bag)
3 tbsp sugar

Combine the crust ingredients. Press into an 8 inch deep tart pan with removable bottom. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes; cool.

With an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks until they are thick and pale colored. Slowly beat in the condensed milk and blend well. Add the Key lime juice and mix until smooth. Pour into the baked pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes or until the filling is firm.

In a clean bowl, whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the meringue forms stiff peaks. Pile the meringue on top of the hot filling and spread all the way to the edges to make sure it doesn't shrink. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the meringue is light golden brown. Cool to room temperature and chill before serving.

Serves 6 to 8



Purists seem to think that it isn't real Key Lime Pie unless a pastry crust is used but I much prefer to eat, if not to make, the cookie crust. Not only is it tastier, but it doesn't get soggy. They pie is tart, no question about it, but it's creamy and well, it's almost gone and I only made it yesterday.

Thanks to my genius husband I didn't spend half an hour squeezing tiny limes with my hands. He came up with the ingenious idea to use get this.....a garlic press! It worked like a charm! Alton would be so proud because our garlic press is no longer a unitasker!

Check Out My Buns!

Late last night, as I was getting ready to go to bed it occurred to me to get some dough for hamburger buns started and let it proof overnight in the fridge. I went straight to Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's apprentice knowing it would not disappoint. I found a recipe and got to mixing. Thank heavens for Kitchenaid!

This morning it was just a matter of shaping, proofing again and baking so the buns were ready for lunch! I made half hamburger buns and half hot dog buns but the recipe can be made into dinner rolls or loaves too.

I would post the recipe but the recipes in this book are SO long, then there's the shaping instructions, variations, etc. That said, this recipe is not difficult, just long. If you are really interested, you should at least check out the book at your local library. It is a GREAT book for any bread baker enthusiast or even those who want to start baking their own bread. It's not just recipes, he also explains why things are done the way they. This information is invaluable when you want to experiment with your own recipes.

Ladies and gentlemen....my buns....no, not THOSE buns...the flour ones ;)





They are soft and tender and just perfect. They were a huge hit. My mom said "WOW, they look and taste like they came from a bakery!" I'm pretty sure that was a compliment! LOL

Cookware Heaven

A few months ago I created the fantasy wishlist you see on the right hand column of this blog. As the name implies, it's all fantasy and most likely unattainable. I have been lucky to have gotten one of the items on it as a birthday present, the All-Clad Waffle Maker. I don't really expect to ever get any of the other stuff but yesterday I got the next best thing to one of them.

Ladies and gents, I am the PROUD owner of a 15 piece set of All-Clad Copper Core cookware! Can you see me doing cartwheels????? It's not quite the 25 piece set I have on the wishlist but I am NOT complaining! We went into Williams Sonoma and after much deliberation, we went ahead and slapped it on a card. I nearly puked at the thought of spending so much money on cookware but they ARE a lifetime investment and lucky for my kiddo, he won't have anyone else to fight for it! Along with my Le Creuset pieces, they make a pretty nice cookware inheritance!

The set includes the following:

1o inch frying pan:


12 inch frying pan:


2qt and 4qt covered saucepans:


3qt and 6qt covered sautee pans:


5 1/2 qt Dutch oven:


and a 7qt stockpot with pasta insert. I couldn't find a picture of the Copper Core one so here's one of the normal Stainless Steel one:


As a gift from All Clad (or is it Williams Sonoma?) got a Cast Aluminum 5.5 Qt. Round Oven with stainless steel lid, and two All-Clad branded, red cotton oven mitts at the store. We also got a boucher for another gift, a Cast Aluminum Au Gratin pan. Total retail value of the gifts? $300. Here are two small pictures:



There still are some individual pieces I'd like to buy at some point but really, I hit the motherload!

My English pudding Achilles Heel

Before I moved to the UK I was under the impression that British food was anything but exciting. I mean, lets face it, England isn't exactly known around for the fabulous cuisine. What can really be said about a country whose national dish (of sorts) is not even their own but an import from a former colony? As it turns out, lots! Sure, it is no French cuisine but it is not always boring or bland. I'm talking about staples like Cottage Pie, roast beef, Yorkshire Puddings, etc but especially about my all time British favorite....Sticky Toffee Pudding.

For those who have not experienced this dessert, I'm sorry but I cannot describe in such a way as to do it proper justice. You just have to have it. I've had my fair share (OK, more than my fair share) of it and I still don't get tired of it. We were just in the UK visiting family and my first order of business was to get my hands on some. We are now back and I decided it was about time I tried making it at home so that I no longer had to wait for a trip to the UK to indulge.




I searched high and low trying to find a recipe that was easy but authentic. It also required that it didn't contain chopped dates because my husband and I preferred no dates. In the end I adapted a recipe by James Martin and even though it did include dates, they were pureed and they made the cake incredibly moist.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

75g unsalted butter, softened
175g dark brown sugar
200g all purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp golden syrup
2 tbsp black treacle
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
200g pitted dried dates
1 tbsp baking soda

for the sauce:
100g brown sugar
100g butter
200ml heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Melt 25g of the butter and butter a 12 whole muffin pan.

In a mixer, blend the remaining butter and sugar together. Slowly add the golden syrup, black treacle, eggs and vanilla extract to the mixture and continue mixing. Turn the mixer down to low and add the flour and baking powder. Once all the ingredients are combined, turn off the mixer.

Place the dates in a saucepan with 300ml of water and bring to the boil. Puree the water and date mixture and add the baking soda. While it's still hot, quickly add the mixture to the egg mix. Once the mix is combined, divide it evenly between the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center of one cake comes out clean.

Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Once the cakes are cool, remove them from the pan.

To make the sauce, melt the butter and sugar together in a small pan, add the cream and bring to the boil. Simmer for a few minutes until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.

To serve, reheat the sponge in a microwave or heat for 5 minutes in a 350°F oven. Place on a plate with lots of the sauce on the top.

Serves 12




For American standards, these desserts are small but do not let their small size fool you, they are RICH! I had a hard time finishing one and that's virtually unheard of for me. While some people like it with ice cream, I prefer mine unspoiled by foreign substances :P

Golden syrup and black treacle are not readily available in the US but can be found. If you have a Whole Foods near you, they carry golden syrup and possibly treacle but I'm not sure. If you don't then mail order is probably your best bet. The British Depot carries both and although we are lucky enough to be only about 40 minutes away from one of the branches, they do ship. Their website is http://www.bestdeal.org/british_store/

I hope that I have helped change the bad image British cuisine has, even if just a little. Sure, there are some rather disgusting things on their menu (Piccalilli anyone???) but it isn't all bad and not every dessert have such unappetizing names as spotted dick!