buttermilk biscuits

i received my dorie greenspan Baking: From My Home To Yours, the other day and i couldn't wait to break the bindings and get to baking!!^_^ i was checking the mail every day for this thing!! it was actually this book that had the recipe for the tiramisu cake i recently made as a test run for my sister's wedding^_^ in my house other than brown rice we don't really eat too many carbs, minus the multi-grain bread for toast in the morning. i know, i know, hard to believe considering i make so many carbalicious treats on the regular, but, as i have mentioned before we TRY to be healthy eaters, extreme emphasis on TRY!! well, the other day, as i was fixing my usual breakfast of egg whites and toast i discovered we had no bread to make toast:-p but being the resourceful little baker that i am, i jumped up the stairs to my room to grab dorie #2!!^_^ i had some left over buttermilk from a recent cake i had made and i thought "what better than to make some buttermilk biscuits"^_^ 

Buttermilk Biscuits (courtesy of Dorie Greenspan: Baking From My Home To Yours)

Makes about 12 biscuits

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 T. baking powder

1/4 t. baking soda

2 t. sugar

1/2 t. salt (i would cut this down a smidge, my biscuits came out a bit too salty for my tastes)

3/4 stick (6 T.) cold unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces

3/4 cups cold buttermilk

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Get out a sharp 2-inch diameter biscuit cutter (or a knife will do to cut into squares, if doing so roll the dough into a square), and line a baking sheet with parchment or silicone mat. 
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Drop in the butter and, using your fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with the flour mixture. Quickly, working with your fingertips or a pastry blender, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly. You'll have pea-size pieces, pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and pieces the size of everything in between--and that's just right. 
3. Pour the milk over the dry ingredients, grab a fork and toss and gently turn the ingredients until you've got a nice soft dough. Now reach into the bowl with your hands and give the dough a quick gentle kneading--3 to 4 turns should be just enough to bring everything together. 
4. Lightly dust your work surface with flour and turn out the dough. Dust the top of the dough with a little bit of flour and pat the dough out with your hands or with a rolling pin until its about 1/2 an inch high. Don't worry if it isn't completely even--a quick, light touch is more important than accuracy.
5. Use the biscuit cutter(or knife) to cut out as many biscuits as you can. Try to cut the biscuits close to one another so you get the most you can out of the first round. By hand or with a small spatula transfer the biscuits to the baking sheet. Gather together the scraps, working them as little as possible, pat out a 1/2 inch thick disk and cut out as many biscuits as you can. Transfer to the baking sheet. 
6. Bake for 14 to 18 minutes, or until they are puffed and golden brown. EAT ASAP!

 I ate mine right away. they were delicious with some guava jelly and my eggs^_^ mmm, can't wait to eat them tomorrow morning too!!^_^ happy baking people!!

a little taste of spring

the other night as i was gabbing with one of my friends in hawaii about what has been going on in our lives and catching up and seeing as i like to multi-task all the time i was also surfing blogs and websites for recipes that just have that "WOW" factor. as i was perusing through smitten kitchen i stumbled upon this tasty looking piece of carb heaven. i had been looking for a light, kind of tangy, pastry-ish item to try since sunday was the first day of spring. so why not make something that was just as happy and delightful?! plus, its just so darn PRETTY!!!

so i set to work...

INGREDIENTS

Sponge

• 3/4 cup warm water *i used soy milk*
• 2 teaspoons sugar *i used honey*
• 1 tablespoon rapid rise or instant yeast
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Dough

• all of the sponge
• 3/4 cup plain or vanilla yogurt *i was a little shy of 3/4 cup, so i substituted sour cream to make up for the lack of yogurt*
• 1/2 cup ( 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup sugar *i used honey*
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• egg wash for brushing braid
• pearl sugar or sparkling white sugar for sprinkling on braid *i used sugar in the raw*

Cream cheese filling

• 2/3 cup cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• *i added about half a lemon's worth of lemon zest*
• 1/2 cup prepared lemon curd *i had to store buy since i was a little pressed for time*

Sponge

• 6 ounces warm water
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 2 ounces King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Dough

• all of the sponge
• 6 ounces plain or vanilla yogurt
• 4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 3 1/2 ounces sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons Buttery Sweet Dough Flavor OR vanilla
• 21 1/4 ounces King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• egg wash for brushing braid
• pearl sugar or sparkling white sugar for sprinkling on braid

Cream cheese filling

• 5 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 3/4 ounces sugar
• 2 ounces sour cream
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 ounce King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 4 ounces prepared lemon curd

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the sponge ingredients. Stir well to combine, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to proof for 10 to 15 minutes.

*this is what your sponge will look like after 15 min.*

In the bowl of your stand mixer combine the sponge, yogurt, butter, eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Add 4 1/2 cups of flour and mix with the paddle attachment until the dough is a rough, shaggy mass. Switch to the dough hook and knead on speed 2 until a soft, smooth dough forms, about 5 to 6 minutes, adding more flour if needed to achieve the correct consistency.

If working by hand or stand mixer, place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 6 to 90 minutes, until quite puffy and nearly doubled.*i usually warm up my oven to ~170 degrees and let my doughs rise in there, since our house is always like an icicle*

While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Combine all the filling ingredients (except the lemon curd) in a small bowl, mixing until smooth and lump-free. Reserve the filling and lemon curd until ready to fill the braids.

Gently deflate the dough and divide it in half. Cover half with plastic wrap and set it aside as you roll out the first piece into a 10" x 15" rectangle. Rolling on parchment paper makes moving the bread to the baking sheet much, much easier. *if you didn't roll on parchment move the rolled out dough to a piece of parchment BEFORE you put the cream cheese filling on, this will keep you from having the difficult task of doing it while its already braided, which i learned the hard way:-/* Lightly press two lines down the dough lengthwise, to divide it into 3 equal sections. Spread half the cream cheese filling down the center section, and top with half the lemon curd, leaving 1" free on all sides of the filling.

To form the mock braid, cut 1" crosswise strips down the length of the outside sections, making sure you have the same number of strips down each side *they recommend using a bench scraper to cut the strips, but sadly that is one tool i have yet to get, so i just used my handy pizza cutter, worked just as well^_^*. Beginning on the left, lift the top dough strip and gently bring it across the filling diagonally. Repeat on the other side with the top dough strip, so that the two strips crisscross each other. Continue down the entire braid, alternating strips to form the loaf

Repeat the rolling, filling, and braiding steps for the second piece of dough, using the remaining cream cheese filling and lemon curd. Set both loaves aside, lightly covered, to rise for 45 to 50 minutes, or until quite puffy

*i wanted to try this with cherries since i had an extra can of cherry pie filling in my pantry from my cream cheese tarts. i didn't add any lemon curd, but i am sure if you want to try it it would turn out just as delicious!*

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the loaves with egg wash (one lightly beaten egg, 2 teaspoons water and a pinch of salt), and sprinkle with coarse sparkling sugar, if desired. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown *i put both loaves in on the top two thirds of my oven, cooked both for about 15 minutes then moved the one on the top to the bottom and the bottom too the top*. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Yield: 2 loaves.

*dig in^_^*

these turned out too yummy for words, the tang of the cherry mixed with the sweet dough of the bread and the creamy cheese filling. mmm, and the slight hints of the lemon zest just POP out at you to say hello!! not heavy or overbearing, but delightfully perfect carb HEAVEN!! i hope you enjoy this recipe as much as i do!!^_^

Sea of Bees 'Wizbot'

mother know's best...

one fine, ok it wasn't that fine, it was rainy and cold. but, it felt like a fine morning since i was going to eat MOTHER'S!!! my girlfriend and i decided to get some brunch from one of my favorite french toast spots. i had gone to mother's bistro & bar before sadly i had forgotten my camera. in a way it was a good thing though because it gave me the opportunity to focus all my energy on my FRENCH TOAST!!

i think the reason why i love mother's so much isn't just because of the mouth watering options on the menu but also because of the atmosphere and all the little details. like this coffee mug, a friendly reminder: call your mother...

the interior of the brunch area is painted in a warm color of cream contrasted with bold greens and warm yellows. the beautiful chandeliers hanging from the ceiling give a warm glow on days where the weather is not ideal, and trust me, in the northwest we have a lot of those^_~ the huge windows offer an opportunity for its customers to see the hustle and bustle of the busy portland streets as they sit in plush pillowed benches and chairs. it really is like being at mom's. 

now on to the good stuff!! the FOOD! like i said i LOVE french toast!! but, mother's blew me away with their simple addition of cornflakes. yes, CRUNCHY french toast^_^ the flavor of the rich eggy challah bread mixed with the crunch of the cornflakes, slight hint of cinnamon with a smear of whipped butter and all the syrup you can handle...if that doesn't make your mouth water i don't know what will!!!!! of course i had to order a side of honey-cured bacon because i love me some bacon!!

so happy to eat!! and the cute mug!!

my friend ordered the greek fritata: an open omelet with spinach, garlic, sweet sun-dried tomatoes, paired with the tangy feta cheese and salty kalamata olives, makes you want to say "OPA!" 

we also split a fruit cup, just to be a little healthy^_~

overall, i want that french toast again and i can't wait to revisit mother's^_^

Hinamatsuri: Girl's Day

in the japanese culture the peach blossom is also a representation of Girl's Day. 

about two weeks ago was "Hinamatsuri" also known as Girl's Day or the Doll Festival in the japanese culture. it is a day to celebrate and pray for growth and happiness in the life of the girl or girls in your family. i for one, love this holiday! a day solely in celebration of girls?! there need to be more days like this, and no, contrary to some male beliefs, valentine's day doesn't count:-p well, in light of the celebration i decided to do something i VERY rarely do...cook regular food. i know, i know, i never really make regular food, or cook for that matter, but since i had the day off i felt compelled to do something a little special for my family.

i know this doesn't really fit with the theme of japan, but i felt like making something a little different so i pulled out my "dorie" (my dorie greenspan: around my french table book) and i picked out a recipe for spicy thai chicken noodle soup. i have never made thai anything in my entire life so the idea of making this soup was a good test to see how good of a cook i am. let's just say that i have a lot more learning to do...

i found the star anise, coriander, cilantro, and white peppercorn so visually pleasing before i put them in their little bundle... 

cute little cheese cloth bundle about to take a bath in the broth...

plop^_^

so the one thing i learned about using rice noodles: cook to an al dente consistency and then leave on the side! cover with the hot broth and chicken in the bowls you are serving with. the noodles will cook a little longer in the broth and become tender...i kinda overcooked mine>_<

broth is almost ready!!

i wanted to set up the table nicely since my family and i never really get to have dinner together. it was a nice little touch for girl's day^_^

the end result!!^_^ does it resemble the picture?! kinda?!

i hope so!!

and i had to go to selwood to pick up my favorite dessert: vietnamese wedding cake!! so yummy paired with a few colorful macarons!! the perfect end to my "attempt" at regular food^_^

up next: chicken couscous...yeah, we will see how this goes...

the great cake challenge continued...

as i had previously mentioned last year in november i have a GREAT CAKE CHALLENGE on my hands. my older sister, corie, is getting married to her long time boyfriend, andrew in september of this year. she has "lovingly" asked me to make all of her dessert table, which consists of seven different types of cakes and two types of cookies...so far:-p i agreed to this "challenge" of sorts, for one because I have never made a wedding cake and i live for the challenge, and two because, well, amidst all the teasing and nick names(ie. corie nori and lisa pizza, still valid even to this day), i love my sister and i would bake her cake even if she hadn't asked me^_~. well, as i have been searching the web looking for different recipes, since her list has drastically ventured off the original plan, before it was more of a random hodgepodge of cakes, now we have decided to go with a theme focused on the fruits available in hawaii. well, minus this one...i know my sister has ALWAYS and i mean ALWAYS loved tiramisu, so when i stumbled upon this lovely recipe on smitten kitchen i couldn't wait to try it out!!

the lovely vanilla cakes! the recipe called for two 9 in. rounds, but my 8 in. ones worked just fine and i had no excess batter to put in my mini tester pan...

doused with with espresso syrup and waiting for the...

MASCARPONE FROSTING...i will admit it, i kept "taste testing" (which basically means devouring whole spoonfuls) this frosting to make sure it tasted just right^_^

the bittersweet chocolate that almost gave me a hand cramp...i micro planed two bars of ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate to place between the heavenly layers of cake and in the end i had excess, maybe i will stick with just one bar next time...totally worth the hand cramp...

the second layer was brushed on both sides with the espresso syrup. i love the taste of the coffee contrasted with the sweet mascarpone frosting...mmmm

the final step: mixing the last of the mascarpone frosting with some of the espresso, and trust me i put A LOT of espresso. i loooove the taste of coffee, and yes, i couldn't stop myself from "taste testing" that too...all in all it came out beautifully and i sent a picture to corie. she can't wait to taste it in april when she visits^_^

other items on the dessert table include "double sexual chocolate cookies" courtesy of my friend jordan. when i was talking with corie on the phone i was baking these and she liked the name so much she wanted them on her dessert table as well, chocolate as an aphrodisiac^_~...

this beauty was courtesy of martha, a banana foster's type cake equally yummy and will match well once i swap out the regular bananas for apple bananas...

macarons, i'm thinking of taking these in the direction of maybe a passion fruit flavor. i love passion fruits and guava...both delicious!

finally the classic red velvet...everyone has to have this at their wedding...cake form coming soon!!

also on my to do list: mango curd vanilla cake and cheesecake with guava swirl...we will see how this all goes:-p happy baking!!^_^