Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics

I love this book. Its my new favorite. Everything I have tried is good, great book. You can get the book cheaper at costco.

The Art and Soul of Baking Class at Sur La Table

I have always wanted to take a baking or cooking class at Sur La Table, but never went because you had to pay a for the class. Its not a lot, but not little either, and I thought, I know how to cook or bake, so If I followed a recipe, I can do it. Recently my friend and I looked at the "Art and Soul of Baking " series and decided to try it - We thought that because of the hands on experience it might be worth it. So after taking the class, I think it was totally worth the money and time.

1) The tips and tricks might not be something you can find out on your own.

2) The ingredients they used were outstanding. You also learn about the different ingredients from the instructor.

3)  The recipes are very good.  Sometimes you look for a recipe, and you're not sure if it was a good one until you try it out.  After the class, you will know for sure how it turned out.

We spent 3 hours preparing the following:

Classic French Fruit Tart

I often make mini fruit tarts, and I tend to messup easily on the pastry cream. I finally found the trick!

Warm blueberry crumble tart

This was supposed to be a cranberry tart but cranberries are not in season right now.

Potato, Onion, and Gruyere Galette

Believe it or not , this is one of my favorites from the class! The gruyere and caramelized onions, with the buttery crust tasted like heaven!

Fromage Blanc, Tomato, and Herb Tart

Fromage Blanc is a soft, spreadable goat cheese with texture similar to ricotta cheese. Because it was a mild flavored cheese, it made the tart a very light appetizer.

Lemon Merengue Plyllo Cups

Being a lemon lover, this is my favorite of the class. The lemon was tart the way I liked it, and the sweet merengue combination was perfectly matched with the light crispyness of the phyllo.

Here is what you can expect in the class:

1) All ingredients were nicely organized, and prepared (except onions and potatoes, you had to cut them)

2) One or two people working on one recipe at a time ( We werent able to get hands on experience on all the recepes)

3) The instructor will explain the whole process and you get to watch and ask questions

4) You get to eat and enjoy everything everyone made at the end of the class! ( Of course this was my favorite part!)

Here is a picture of us working on the phyllo. As you can see, there is a plenty of room to work with and practice!



I will try to post some of the recipes later when I get a chance.

Chocolate Banana Nut Bread Mini Loaves

My second try on banana bread I decided to try something different- with chocolates! Chocolates goes well with bananas and nuts :) I used this recipe with yogurt to see if there was a difference with the moisture of the bread and I did find it to be more moist that using baking powder/soda combo.



Ingredients: 

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 Cups of unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 large bananas)
2 eggs
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup of chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place oven rack to middle position. Butter and flour (or spray with a non stick vegetable/flour spray) the bottom and sides of a 4 mini loaf pans.

Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Let cool.

In a large bowl, mash bananas, add eggs, vanilla, melted butter, and yogurt.

In another large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients.

Fold the dry into the wet ingredients, and mix well (but dont over beat).

Fold in most of the walnuts, and chocolate chips. Sprinkle on the top for decoration.

Banana Bread

 

I decided to make a banana bread from the ripe bananas that we had at home. Normally, I wouldn't eat bananas that are ripe (any bananas with dark spots), but I love putting the banana into a bread. I found this recipe from joyofbaking.com.

Ingredients:

1 cup walnuts

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar

1 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 large eggs

1/2 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled

3 ripe large bananas, mashed well (about 1-1/2 cups)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place oven rack to middle position. Butter and flour (or spray with a non stick vegetable/flour spray) the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan. Set aside.

Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Let cool and then chop coarsely.

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nuts. Set aside.

 

In a medium-sized bowl combine the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly fold the wet ingredients (banana mixture) into the dry ingredients just until combined and the batter is thick and chunky. (The important thing is not to over mix the batter. You do not want it smooth. Over mixing the batter will yield tough, rubbery bread.) Scrape batter into prepared pan and place the slices of banana on top of the batter for garnish. Bake until bread is golden brown and a toothpick

inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature. This bread can be frozen.

Makes 1 - 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf.