//Labor of Love: Recreating the Pretzel Croissant

Once upon a time there was a bakery in the Brentwood/Santa Monica area called The City Bakery. And this bakery once sold pieces of happiness in the form Pretzel Croissants for $3.75 a pop. Now, these croissants... they were these amazing multi-layered, butter-bursting, sesame-dusted, salty, crispy-caramel-colored puffs of utter ecstasy. People came from far and wide to get these croissants fresh off the cooling racks each morning and throughout the afternoon. I was one of those individuals, and did I travel far to get them.

These croissants were better than any of the ones I had in Paris two years ago, so much so that during my first trip to the bakery, I went back inside and got myself another one. I remember it being really hard not to eat the second croissant right then and there: I finally had to break down and eat some Reese's peanut butter Easter eggs to take my mind off of it. (I lead a difficult life, I'm aware.) The best part about the experience was the fact that if I gave the pastry the slightest pinch, melted butter seeped out from the layers. That's right, the croissant oozed butter! So it wasn't the most heart-healthy thing to eat. But it was a croissant! IT WASN'T MEANT TO BE. Oh, it was so good. So very, very good.

And then one Saturday, City Bakery went bye-bye. Shuttered. No more. It didn't bother me all much because I'd already made up my mind to move away from Los Angeles, but I imagine it left a void in the hearts of each one of the bakery's fervent devotees. A void once filled with the arterial plaque that developed from having ingested too much butter, but a void nonetheless.

There still exists a City Bakery in New York City, and they still serve Pretzel Croissants, and I'm sure they'll gladly UPS you however many croissants $20 gets you. But there might come a time when you wake up and want a Pretzel Croissant before the day is over, and you happen to live on the other side of the country. Should that ever happen to you, I've got just the recipe for you.



Pretzel Croissant
(an adaptation of Martha Stewart's croissant recipe, found in Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook)

2 cups cold milk
2 tbsp honey
1 1/2 lbs (about 4 1/2 cups) bread flour, plus more for dusting
4 oz (scant 1 cup) pastry flour (if you don't have pastry flour, mix equal halves of all-purpose and cake flour)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 oz fresh yeast, crumbled
1 tbsp plus 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 3/4 lbs (5 sticks) unsalted butter, cold
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Enough kosher salt and white sesame seeds to sprinkle over the dough before you place it in the oven

Helps to have:

A pastry scraper
A pizza roller
A ruler
Baking sheets with edges to prevent melted butter from running off while the croissants are baking



For the dough:

Pour the milk and honey into a 1-quart liquid measure cup, and stir to combine. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, stir together 1 lb 6 oz (about 4 1/14 cups) bread flour, pastry flour, sugar, yeast and salt; stir to combine. Add the milk mixture, and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together, about 2-3 minutes.

(Chef's note: Keep in mind that salt kills yeast, so I always add the salt to the bottom of the mixer, and put the yeast on top of the flour. It's also really important that you have a dough hook because other attachments won't mix the ingredients as thoroughly.)

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface; gently knead to form a smooth ball, about 45 seconds. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

For the butter package:

Lay the butter sticks side by side on a piece of plastic wrap, and sprinkle with the remaining 2 oz of bread flour. Pound with a rolling pin until flour is incorporated, and roll into an 8-inch-square. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Remove dough package from the refrigerator; place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to a 16-by-10 inch rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick, with a short side facing you; keep the corners as square as possible. Remove any excess flour with a dry pastry brush. Remove butter package from refrigerator, and place it on top of the dough package. Starting at the far end, fold the top half of the rectangle over the butter package; repeat with the bottom half, there will be some overlapping. Flip the dough over, so the seams are face down. Proceed to roll the dough so that the butter integrates itself into the dough package. You will want to roll it out again to a 16 x 10 inch rectangle. Then fold the dough in third like a letter.

This completes the first of 3 turns. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour.



Repeat rolling and folding as above 2 more times, starting with the flap opening on the right, as if it were a book, and refrigerate at least 1 hour between turns. After the third and final roll, refrigerate one more time, 6 to 8 hours, to overnight.

Later than day/the following morning, turn out chilled dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll out the dough to a 30-by-16 inch rectangle. Using a pizza wheel or pastry cutter, cut the dough in half lengthwise to form two 30-by-8-inch rectangles. Stack one piece of dough on top of the other, lining up edges. Using the pizza wheel, cut dough into triangles, each with a 4-inch base. Cut a 1-inch slit in the center of the base of each triangle. Place triangles in a single layer on a clean work surface.

To shape the croissants, stretch the two lower points of each triangle to enlarge the slit slightly. Fold the inner corners formed by the slit toward the outer sides of the triangle, and press down to seal. Using your fingertips, roll the base of the triangle up and away from you, stretching the dough slightly outward as you roll, the trip should be tucked under the croissant. Put the two ends toward you to form a crescent. Transfer crescents to two parchment-lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm spot until very spongy and doubled in bulk, about 45-60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°, with the racks in the upper and lower thirds. Lightly brush crescents with beaten egg and sprinkle with kosher salt and sesame seeds. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until the croissants are puffed and golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer sheets to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.


The Chef, with the aforementioned Pretzel Croissant, the day before City Bakery closed in April 2009.

//Slicing through the silence

Saturday evening saw me attending a graduation party out in Beaverton, Oregon (about a 15 minute drive west of metropolitan Portland). It was a drizzly evening, so at the last minute an event tent had to be thrown up to protect the fabulous spread of food served at the party.

Despite having visited Portland over a half dozen times prior to the move, I'm still relatively new to the area and don't know that many people. Of the 30-ish guests at Saturday's event, I knew 3 — 10%, which isn't bad by any means, but those aforementioned 3 were my boyfriend, the party's host and her husband. I figured that bringing a cake to the party would serve as a natural ice breaker and ease me into socializing with a large group of strangers. My guess that a cake could act as a conduit for connecting was correct; however, because it was raining, many of the attendees opted to stay inside, which meant they didn't get a chance to slice into the velvety four layer cake that I'd brought! Oh well. But the cake did help me meet a modest amount of new people, so I still consider it a success. (It also meant that I got leftovers. No complaining here.)

Four Layer Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream and Plum-Apricot Filling

For Cake:
8 oz white chocolate, chopped
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 1/4 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
10 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups whole milk

For Buttercream:
1 1/4 lbs white chocolate, chopped
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsps vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

For Assembly:
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 lb apricots, pitted and thinly sliced
1 lb plums, pitted and thinly sliced
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup apricot preserves, melted



For Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Butter two 9-inch parchment paper rounds and place in pans, buttered side up. Stir white chocolate in top of double boiler set over barely simmering water until melted and smooth. Leave white chocolate in pot; turn off heat. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk in 3 additions, blending well after each addition. Add warm white chocolate and beat just until blended.

Divide batter equally between pans, smoothing tops with spatula. Bake cakes until tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 20 minutes (cakes will fall). Run small sharp knife around cake pan sides. Turn cakes out onto cardboard round or tart pan bottom; peel off parchment. Turn cakes right side up onto racks and cool completely.

For Buttercream:
Stir white chocolate in top of double boiler over barely simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove white chocolate from over water. Let stand until cool but not set, about 20 minutes. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in white chocolate and vanilla, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in powdered sugar. Cover and refrigerate until thick enough to spread, about 45 minutes (frosting will be very soft).

For Assembly:
Boil 1/2 cup water and sugar in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cool syrup.

Using serrated knife, cut each cake layer horizontally in half. Place 1 layer, cut side up, on 9-inch cardboard cake round or removable bottom of 9-inch tart pan and brush with 2 tablespoons sugar syrup. Spread 6 tablespoons buttercream over cake. Cover buttercream with single layer of sliced apricots. Spread 3 tablespoons buttercream over apricots; top with second cake layer, cut side up. Brush with 2 tablespoons sugar syrup, 6 tablespoons buttercream, plums, and 3 tablespoons buttercream. Top with third cake layer, cut side up. Brush with 2 tablespoons syrup. Spread 6 tablespoons buttercream over cake; cover with apricots. Spread 3 tablespoons buttercream over apricots. Top with fourth layer, cut side down. Spread 1 cup buttercream over top and sides of cake (layer will be thin). Chill 1 hour. Spread remaining buttercream over top and sides of cake. Press chopped walnuts onto sides of cake. Cover top with remaining sliced apricots and plums. Brush sliced fruit with apricot preserves. Chill cake 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and keep chilled. Let stand 3 hours at room temperature before serving.)

//A Canard So Fowl

After making such an awful pun, I really ought to duck and cover. I must be quackers. Do you know how many bills this meal cost to make? ... I'll stop. For now.

This meal is another culinary gem straight out of Olives and Oranges. A perfect main course for a Sunday afternoon lunch with, oh, I dunno... your mother. (Like I did.)

Duck Breast with Mushrooms, Chestnuts, and Pearl Onions

* 2 1-pound boneless duck breasts, with skin
* Fine seat salt and coarsely ground black pepper
* 8 ounces pearl onions or small cipollini
* 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 tbsp unsalted butter
* 8 ounces mushrooms, trimmed, large ones cut in half
* 1/2 cup frozen peeled chestnuts (Melissa brand produce sells a pre-cooked variety)
* 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
* 1/4 cup water
* 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Heat oven to 400°

Score duck skin in a crosshatch pattern with a small sharp knife, and season duck all over with salt and pepper. Place duck, skin side down, in a cast-iron skillet and cook over low heat until fat is rendered and skin is golden and crispy, about 40 minutes. It is crucial that you cook the fowl sloooooowly. Let the juices ooze out of the skin of the breasts; don't rush the process.

While duck is cooking, place onions in a small baking dish, drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast until golden, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven.

When duck skin is golden and fat has rendered, strain and reserve fat. return pan to high heat, return duck breasts to pan, flesh side down, and cook for 3 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer breast to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes.

While duck is resting, return skillet to heat. Add butter and 1 tbsp reserved duck fat over high heat. Add mushrooms and 2 pinches of salt; cook, stirring and coating mushrooms with fat, for 2 minutes. Add chestnuts, stir, and cook for 1 minute more. Add garlic, stir, and cook for 2 minutes more to soften. Add water and roasted onions and simmer until onions are heated through and flavors have blended, about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat, add parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Slice duck. Arrange duck on plates, spoon mushroom mixture over, and serve.

//There must be 50 ways to... make bread pudding

Unfortunately, I only came up with 3 ways before I called it quits for the evening and went to bed. Lay-zee, I am.

Classic Bread Pudding Base (makes enough to fill 4 ramekins)

* 3 eggs
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 4 tablespoons of butter, melted and cooled
* 1 cup cream
* 1/2 cup evaporated milk
* 5 cups bread, pulled or cut into bite-sized pieces (I used King's Hawaiian rolls leftover from when I made sliders.)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Lightly butter 4 ramekins. Place them in a larger baking dish that has enough room to fill with water.

Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar on high speed until thick and lemon colored (about 4-5 minutes) (when beater is raised the batter will fall back into bowl in a slow ribbon). Beat in the vanilla extract and ground cinnamon. Then beat in the melted and cooled butter, cream and evaporated milk.

Place the bread cubes in the ramekins. Carefully pour (or ladle) the prepared custard over the bread cubes until completely covered.

Prepare a water bath. Carefully pour in enough hot water so that the water is halfway up sides of the ramekins. Bake about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the bread pudding from the water bath and cool slightly before serving.

Green Tea Bread Pudding

* 3 teaspoons green tea powder
* 3 tablespoons of orange marmalade
* 1/2 pint of fresh blueberries

Add the green tea and orange marmalade to the egg custard before layering it over the bread cubes. Top with blueberries 30 minutes into the baking process.





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In Britain they're called "Jaffa Cakes." In the States they're manufactured by Lu Biscuits and called "Pims." They're essentially sponge cake wafers layered with orange jelly and dipped in dark chocolate. Whatever they're called, I love them. (Because I'm an anglophile, I'll refer to them by their British name. ;) )

Jaffa Cake Bread Pudding

* 4 tablespoons finely minced crystallized ginger
* 12 tablespoons orange marmalade
* 1 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate, melted

Add the crystallized ginger to the mix before you bake the pudding. After it's cooled, use an offset spatula to cover the tops of the individual puddings with a layer of orange marmalade. Drizzle the melted dark or semi-sweet chocolate into the middle and use the same spatula to spread it to the edge. Let the Jaffa Cake bread pudding air-dry until the chocolate hardens. I found that removing the puddings from the ramekins first produces the best results.





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Apple-Plum-Walnut Bread Pudding

* 1-2 medium-sized apples
* 1-2 black plums
* 1/2 cup crushed walnuts
* 3 tablespoons honey

Slice, dice, or use a small cookie cutter to cut out apple and plum pieces. Layer the fruit at the bottom of the ramekins. In a separate bowl combine the crushed walnuts and honey. Using your hands, form small disks with the nut meal and then place them over the pieces of fruit. Proceed to add the bread pudding mixture on top and follow the aforementioned baking instructions.

//A plate of many cookies

Left to right: peanut butter and jelly, s'mores (success!) and snickerdoodle.

The recipe card said that the best cookies are the homestyle, feel good, stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth kind that your mother used to make, and it was right.


Last night I made 7 dozen cookies, which might explain why the cow looks nonplussed.


I think she wants to know how I plan on dunking all those cookies when we're almost out of almond milk. What the heifer does not know is that I've got a list people I want to send mini-care packages to. Net number of cookies leftover for Lindsay = 10. No need to worry about the quantity of almond milk in the house.

Snickerdoodle Cookies

For Cookies
* 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Coating
* 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough.

Shape the dough into 1 inch round balls. In a large shallow bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon. Roll the balls of dough in the cinnamon sugar and place on the prepared pan, spacing about 2 inches apart. Then, using the bottom of a glass, gently flatten each cookie to about 1/2 inch thick. Bake the cookies for about 8 - 10 minutes, or until they are light golden brown around the edges.

S'mores Sandwich Cookies

Follow the Snickerdoodle Cookie instructions, but substitute roughly half of the flour mixture with crushed graham crackers. Make sure you round 1 inch balls, and only add the marshmallows and chocolate chips after the cookies have baked, otherwise you'll end up with with a flattened, gooey, unappetizing mess.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

For Cookies
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
* 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
* 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
* 2 large egg
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For Coating
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar
* 3 tablespoons grape jelly

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda. In another bowl whisk together peanut butter, butter, and brown sugar until smooth and whisk in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture, stirring until blended.

Roll pieces of dough into 1-inch balls and roll in granulated sugar. On a large baking sheet arrange balls 2 inches apart and bake in middle of oven 10 minutes. Working quickly, with the back of a 1/4-teaspoon measuring spoon make an indentation about 1/2 inch in diameter in center of each cookie. Fill each indentation with slightly heaping 1/4 teaspoon jelly and bake cookies 10 minutes more, or until golden. Transfer cookies to racks to cool.




A picture worth a thousand noms. The snickerdoodles in particular are cookies par excellence: perfectly round, not too thick, bite-sized, airy, firm but moist... I could go on.






I need to get these mailed ASAP! There won't be any left to be sent if I keep this bag around.

//Sweet Lady Marmalade

Milk-Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with Marmalade Chocolate Cream

Cookies
* 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
* 1/2 cup light brown sugar
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 6 ounces milk chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
* 1 tbsp vanilla extract
* 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling
* 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
* 1/2 cup dark chocolate cocoa mix (Godiva, again)
* 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
* 2 cups powdered sugar
* 1/4-1/2 cup orange marmalade

Preheat the oven to 350° degrees. Line 2-4 baking sheets (depending on their size – you'll likely need 4) with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat the butter with the two sugars until smooth. Add the melted milk chocolate and vanilla and continue to beat until it reaches a smooth consistency. In a separate smaller bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Combine the wet and dry ingredients together until just barely incorporated. Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to a scant 1/4 inch thickness and then promptly refrigerate until firm, about 15-20 minutes.

Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, stamp out as many cookies as you can get, and then carefully transfer them to the baking sheets. Reroll the scraps between the same two sheets and refrigerate again for another 15 minutes. Repeat the process until all the dough has been used or you're sufficiently tired from the repetition, whichever comes first.

Bake the cookies in the lower and middle thirds of the oven for 10 minutes, until dry, but not burnt brown; make sure you shift the pans halfway through the baking. Transfer them to a rack or cutting board 5 minutes after pulling them from the oven, and let them cool complete.

To make the filling you'll want to beat the butter with the dark chocolate cocoa mix for about 3 minutes. Add the marmalade, vanilla and powdered sugar and beat at low speed until combined. Use an offset spatula or ersatz pastry ziploc bag to spread or pipe the filling over half of the cookies. Press the remaining cookies over the filled ones and serve.




Oh, the painting? Tis by me... and it was a hell of a lot easier to make that than it was to make sure the cookie dough circles came off the parchment paper without getting smushed.




All wrapped up and ready to be delivered!

//You down with OPP?

The inspiration for this little concentration of edible sunshine came from the masters at Ottolenghi, one of my favorite pâtisseries and gourmet food shops in London. I deviated from the recipe, somewhat: I added a D'Anjou pear to the mix and used a dairy-free butter substitute. I know, I know. Not using butter in a cake is sacrlicious for some, but one of the recipients of this cake can't eat dairy. The recipe below lists how much butter one ought to use, though.

Orange Pear Polenta Cake

Caramel Orange Layer
* 1/2 cup superfine granulated sugar¹
* 2 tbsp water
* 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into bits
* 2 navel oranges
* 1 pear

Cake
* 1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
* 1 cup superfine granulated sugar
* 3 large eggs
* 2 tsp orange-flower water²
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 2 cups ground almonds
* 2/3 cup quick-cooking polenta

Glaze
* 1/4 cup orange marmalade
* 1 tsbp water

Make sure your rack is in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°³. Take out a 9-inch round cake pan, butter it, and line the bottom with a thin layer of parchment paper.

Bring 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tbsp water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Once that happens, brush down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush that's been soaked in cool water. Continue to let the caramel to boil, without stirring, swirling the pan every 3 minutes, until the color turns an even dark amber. Remove from heat, add the bits of butter, swirl until well incorporated, and then immediately pour the sauce into the cake pan, careful to tilt the pan to evenly coat it.

Grate the zest from the navel oranges and reserve it for the cake batter. Cut the remaining peel, pith and seeds from the fruit and arrange 1/4 inch segments in a single layer on the bottom of the cake pan. Cut the pear into thin slices and fan them in the middle of the bottom of the pan.

Beat the butter with the 1 cup remaining sugar until just combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir together the orange zest and orange-flower water, then add it to the butter-sugar-egg mixture.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer set at low speed, mix the ground almonds, polenta, and flour into the wet ingredients until just combined.

Spread the batter evenly over the oranges and pears (preferably with an offset spatula). Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean... about 1 - 1 1/4 hours. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a cake stand or plate, and discard the parchment.

To make the marmalade glaze, heat the jam and the 1 tbsp water in a small saucepan until melted. Strain through a sieve⁴ into a small cup. Brush the top of the cake with the glaze.




I candied some navel orange slices in the leftover marmalade orange peel threads, 2 tbsp of sugar, and 1/4 cup water.





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¹ You can make superfine sugar at home by putting regular granulated sugar in a food processor, blender, or chopper and pressing "pulse" for about 20 seconds.
² Orange-flower water is available at most gourmet and Middle Eastern markets. The A. Monteux brand I own came from Bristol Farms.
³ I initially turned up the dial to 375°, and then down to 350° just to make sure there weren't any cool pockets in the oven.
⁴ No sieve? No problem. Just pop open your mesh tea strainer and pour the marmalade glaze through it. That's what I did.

//Muffin Day

"You know what eating this dessert is like? It's like... taking that initial first bite of food after several days or weeks of starvation. It's at that moment you remember all that's wonderful about a meal and that you're thankful for being given it."

That statement came mere moments after my fork tines had delivered the first nibble of Oba's carrot cake tres leches to my mouth, but before the tip of my tongue had started to slowly scavenge the corners of my lips for any runaway bits. Well aware that I still had at least 20 more bites before the dessert was demolished, I was suitably impressed enough that I wanted to savor all that I could. It was more akin to the traditional Indian variation of the dessert in texture and taste — less flour, full of fine carrot threads, and moist from the three milks — than what Betty Crocker tries to pass off as cake. Sitting in its own pool of cold spiced syrup, crumbled nuts and minced carrots, and topped with (I think) whipped creme fraiche, Oba's take was as aesthetically pleasing as it was wipe-the-bowl-clean-with-your-finger scrumptious. This isn't the first time I've given them a crumb-encrusted sticky thumbs up, though. Their warm banana-cream cheese malassadas also come highly recommended by me (as well as practically everyone who works there: "Everything on the dessert menu is awesome... but the malassadas? I dream about those," one of servers once told me.)

It's not usual for me to dream about food, but I do have a tendency to do a post-nom analysis, wherein my mind will try to reconstruct how a particular dish was possibly made — from the ingredients down to the temperature it was cooked at. The work of Oba's pastry chef was commendable enough that evening that I stayed awake in bed until 1:00 trying to unravel the taste combinations present in the carrot cake. I did this not because I wanted to recreate the dish; rather, I wanted to see if I could use his ideas as a springboard for a future creation of my own. As such, I decided that this week's muffin ought to be an homage to the person who always manages to create such superlative desserts.

Pear Tres Leches Muffins with Saffron

* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup granulated raw cane sugar
* 1/4 cup light brown sugar
* 1 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
* 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
* 2 ripe large pears
* A good pinch of saffron
* 2 tbsp water
* 1 tsp of cinnamon
* 1 tsp of cardamon
* 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Butter or spray a 12 - 1/2 cup muffin pan.

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cardamon. Set aside. Cut pears. Put the pinch of saffron in the 2 tbsp of water and let it sit for about 5 minutes. In a separate bowl whisk together the three milks and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

In a medium-sized bowl combine the sliced pears, eggs, melted butter, and saffron. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined and 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 muffins.) Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins.

Bake about 20 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Halfway through the baking process, take a few fans of pear slices and add them to the top of the muffins. Place on a wire rack to cool for five minutes and then remove muffins from pan. When the muffins have mostly cooled, dunk them in the tres leches at least twice, with each dip spaced ten minutes apart. Refrigerate until you're ready to serve them.

//A new take on an old favorite

For someone whose childhood spanned the late 80s-mid 90s — the height of the Rice Krispies Craze, — nothing evokes memories of elementary school better than those treats. The little sticky-sweet morsels of happiness were a staple at every holiday class party, so much so that my 2nd grade teacher once sent us home with a note before our Halloween party asking if parents could bring other goodies instead. (Despite her best efforts, each child still went home with four squares... and that was after we'd done all but gnawed the legs off the table that supported our class' sugar buffet of diabetic-inducing proportions.)

Though Wikipedia says that Rice Krispies Treats have been around since 1939, they rose to super popularity during my childhood, as that's when Kellogg's introduced pre-made individual squares. The manufactured kind are sufficient if you're in dire need of a quick Krispies fix, but overall I find them to be unpalatable, so I don't eat the treats unless I make them. The variation I whipped a few mornings ago used the standard Kellogg's ratio of cereal to marshmallows and butter. However, I took some creative liberties and incorporated three different cereals into the mix because doing so made them sturdier for coffee dunking.

Three Flavors Rice Krispies Squares

* 2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
* 2 cups Cinnamon Toast crack Crunch
* 2 cups Cookie Crisps
* 10 ounces of large marshmallows (preferably homemade)
* 3 tbsp of butter

In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Add the various cereals and stir until well coated. Using a buttered spatula or wax paper, evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with either butter or cooking spray (I used butter). Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares.


I used a 9 x 9 Pyrex pan because I wanted extra thick squares

//Coaxing spring into arriving

Butterfly Cupcakes with Honeydew Melon Filling and Matcha Green Tea Frosting

Vanilla Cupcakes:

* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (1 1/2 sticks)
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 4 large eggs
* 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* 1 1/4 cups milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In another mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated and scraping down sides of bowl, beat in vanilla.

Add flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape the sides and bottom of bowl to assure the batter is thoroughly mixed. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling papers about 2/3 full. Bake on the center rack of the oven until tops spring back to touch, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Honeydew Melon Filling:

* 1 cup of honeydew melon, diced
* 1/4 water
* 1/4 sugar
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Mix the water and the diced honeydew in a small saucepan and cook on medium for 4 minutes. Combine the sugar and the cornstarch in a separate bowl, and then whisk into the honeydew mixture. Stir liberally for about 5 minutes until the filling has thickened; remove from stove top and then cool.

Matcha Green Tea Frosting:

* 10 tablespoons of butter, softened
* 1 cup powdered sugar
* 1 tablespoon matcha green tea powder (available at places like Whole Foods)

In a large bowl, beat the butter and powdered sugar until it reaches a frosting-like consistency. Add the matcha green tea, a tablespoon at a time (be sure to scrape down the bowl multiple times so that the powder is fully incorporated). Ideally, you should make this 5 minutes before you plan to frost the cupcakes. If you're making it in advance, cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature about 30 minutes before you intend to use it (give it a good stir, too).

Additional items: Pretzel rods and twists, jelly beans, and blue food coloring.
Equipment needed: Two 12 cup muffin pans, an offset spatula, one plastic ziploc bag for piping frosting, one melon baller, and an electric mixer.

How to assemble: Wait until the cupcakes have completely cooled, and then proceed to use the mellon baller to scoop out some of their middles. Spoon in the filling. Using the offset spatula, frost the cupcakes. Adding the butterfly-esque parts is easy as pie; use the visuals I've provided as a guide.







Key Lime Pie Filled Cupcakes with a White Chocolate Glaze

Key Lime Pie Filling:

Note: You can use store-bought pie filling. The best one by far is Dr. Oetker; however, Jell-O is an acceptable substitution as well.

* 4 large or extra large egg yolks
* 1 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
* 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
* 1/2 cup fresh key lime juice (approximately 12 Key limes)
* 2 teaspoons grated lime peel, green portion only

Use an electric mixer and beat the egg yolks until they are thick and turn to a light yellow, don't over mix. Turn the mixer off and add the sweetened condensed milk. Turn speed to low and mix in half of the lime juice. Once the juice is incorporated add the other half of the juice and the zest, continue to mix until blended (just a few seconds). Transfer to a medium saucepan and cook until bubbles bring to form. Remove from the heat, allow to sit for 5 minutes, then stir and place in the refrigerator. You will have A LOT of filling, so be prepared to use the leftovers to make a pie or tart... or just eat it straight from the pan.

White Chocolate Glaze:

* 5 ounces white chocolate, melted
* Optional: Sprinkles

Melt the white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for 45 seconds. Pull the bowl out and stir it until all the chips have melted.

How to assemble:

Use the mellon baller directions typed above. When it comes time to glaze the cupcakes, simply turn them upside down and dip them in the hot white chocolate. Transfer to a plate or cookie sheet so the white chocolate may harden.

//Here comes the sun

It rained pretty much nonstop from Thursday afternoon until early this morning; as usual, the Valley got the worst of it. The torrential downpour going on in the San Fernando Valley caused a lot of the streets to flood, which in turn caused accidents, which then led to increased amounts of traffic and frustration. The freeways proved to be no better — limited visibility from the heavy precipitation and back splash coming off each car's tires. Don't get me wrong; I like the rain. What I don't like is feeling as though I'm taking my life in my hands the moment I get on the 101 Freeway.

Additionally, I had a long day at work on Thursday . Not bad, just long. Though the day's dreariness hadn't left me dispirited, it hadn't helped mitigate the multiple project bumps that had vexed me, either. I knew I it was going to be one of those Stay At Home kind of evenings the moment I set foot outside the office, so I planned accordingly (read: I performed a mental inventory of what I had stocked in my pantry, and tried to remember if I had a book available that hadn't already been read or reread to death.)

At home I pulled a Joanne Fluke novel from one of my bookshelves, a package of white candy melting wafers from the back cupboard, and prepped the kitchen for some experimenting. I reasoned that whatever I made, it ought to involve warm colors and be cheery... sunny, even, so as to compensate for the atramental skies and dismal day.



Zucchini Curry Bread with Red Peppers and Mozzarella
(A variation of Closet Cooking's Zucchini Bread with Roasted Red Peppers and Feta.)

* 3 large zucchini (2 grated, 1 thinly sliced using a mandoline)
* 1 red peppers (chopped)
* 3 tablespoons curry powder
* 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
* 1 teaspoon oregano
* 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 eggs
* 1 cup all purpose flour
* 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:
Mix the zucchini, red pepper, curry, mozzarella, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and eggs in a large bowl. Mix the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and oregano in a bowl. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Pour the batter into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until a toothpick pushed into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Note: Momentarily pull the loaf pan out of the over at 30 minutes into the baking process so that you may arrange the zucchini slices on top of the bread.)



"Pinkies"

* 1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, melted
* 1 cup white chocolate, melted
* 3 cups sugar
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 5 eggs
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* Red food coloring

Heat oven to 350°F.(325°F. for glass baking dish) and melt the butter and the white chocolate together in the microwave. Grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Stir together butter-white chocolate mixture, sugar and vanilla in large bowl. Add eggs; beat until well blended. After the wet ingredients have been combined, add as many drops of red food coloring as you like. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt; blend well. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool completely in pan on wire rack; cut into squares.

(I have it on good authority from my good friend Michael Shapiro that the Pinkies I made were well-received.)



Good Morning Muffins (a no-brainer... name aside, they even look like mini-suns!)

* 2 cups flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
* 1/4 cup brown sugar
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 carrots, shredded
* 1/2 cup coconut, shredded
* 3/4 cup crushed pineapple (reserve juice)
* 3 bananas, sliced
* 1 teaspoon nutmeg
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* The aforementioned pineapple juice
* 1/2 cup icing sugar
* 3 tablespoons sugar

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl; in a separate bowl, add the carrots, pineapple, coconut and bananas together. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl, then beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. Gently fold all of the ingredients together, careful not to overmix the batter. Spoon the mixture in to a greased muffin pan and bake in 375F oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. While that's going on, mix the pineapple juice with the icing sugar and pour over the muffins. Sprinkle the muffins with the sugar. Broil the muffins until the sugar on top bubbles, about 2 minutes. Be careful and watch them to make sure that they do not burn.


The best part about Muffin Day? The delivery that follows. Uncertain about the weather, I dressed the Muffins in raincoats. (The top one went to Mom.)










(Update: It's raining again.)