4th of July Cherry Pie

Fireworks over the Gateway Arch

What's more American that pie? For some reason, people love pie. I don't really get it. Nothing is less appealing to me than crust, so something sandwiched between two crusts really doesn't do it for me. Additionally, pie crusts are a pain to make (I don't care what your technique is, it's not good enough to make pie crust makin' a desirable activity). The easiest pie crust recipes I have are "pat-in" pie crusts so you don't have to roll them out. Easy enough, but generally horrendously uneven and ugly. Even when you buy a frozen pie crust, it often cracks and is a pain. You can poke it everywhere and it will still puff up. Don't even get me started on the edges cooking too quickly. I'm convinced pie crust does these things just to be irritating and make pie-making an annoying elitist experience.  Regardless, people I care about care about pie. Therefore, it would be wise of me to come to terms with pie making and pie eating. So that's what I'm going to do!

Objective
Make a cherry pie as my "dish to pass" for 4th of July activities. I saw this recipe in Better Homes and Gardens July 2012 issue. They call it "Double Cherry Crunch Pie." This version is very similar, but more accessible for people who don't have well-stocked grocers nearby. The filling has both sweet and tart cherries and the topping is a coconut/almond/oat crumble. *For a lower sugar version, look here.

Materials
1 9-inch or 9.5-inch pie crust

Filling:
1 12-oz bag of frozen sweet cherries
1 14-oz can of tart cherries in water
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbs. cornstarch
pinch salt
strips of lemon peel, from one lemon

Crumble topping:
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
3/4 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup whole wheat flour (or all-purpose for a milder flavor)
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small 1/4-inch cubes

Methods
1. Prepare and bake the crust until lightly golden. If you're using a store bought crust: lay in the pie pan and press into place. Form the edges however it pleases you. Prick the bottom and sides of the crust with a fork. Bake at 450° for 7-10 minutes or until it's lightly golden. If it puffs up while baking, prick the puff with a fork to settle it. Set the crust aside. Then, preheat the oven to 375°.
2. Meanwhile, thaw the frozen sweet cherries in a bowl, reserving the liquid that drains off. Drain the canned tart cherries into a 1 cup (or greater) liquid measuring cup and add the tart cherries to the bowl of sweet cherries. Once the sweet cherries have thawed (can microwave in short intervals to speed up the process), add the juice to the measuring cup with the juice from the can. Add water to 1 cup if necessary.
3. In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add the cherry juice and lemon peel. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until the liquid bubbles and thickens (this should be quick). Stir in the cherries and continue to stir over medium heat for 5 minutes. Pour the mixture into the pre-baked pie crust and set aside.
4. Make the crumble topping by mixing the dry ingredients together, then slowly stirring in the butter cubes (add them slowly so that they don't clump together). Sprinkle on top of the cherry filling.
5. Bake the pie at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Results
This pie isn't much of a looker. However, as I hope you learned many years ago, looks aren't everything. The flavor is good, the filling is thick in consistency but not in depth. The crumble topping is also flavorful and adds nice texture.

Discussion and Future Directions
For pie, this is pretty easy to make. The crust is really the part you have to worry about. If you're not into crumble topping, you could easily make a lattice top and proceed that way. But you've read my feelings on crust--lattice top? Heck no. That's only for really special occasions. 4th of July potluck? Sorry America, you're not lattice-top worthy. Luckily, I love crumble topping on about everything.

If you like almonds, consider adding almond extract to the filling once it's done cooking. Cherry and almond go quite well together, which is probably why this topping has a very nontraditional ingredient: chopped almonds. If you like it on top, there's no reason not to add it to the filling too.

More on the filling--I wouldn't have minded more cherry filling. I might have preferred this as a deep dish cherry pie. There was a lot of crumble topping relative to the filling. However, I think the amount of crumble topping was good. Next time I might add another cup or so of cherries, keeping everything else the same (and that should fit in a normal size pie pan).

Overall, I actually liked this pie! I enjoyed a piece after dinner and we took it along to the bar after fireworks and continued picking at it (the crumble topping is great for picking)! This is a great summer pie, not just for the 4th of July! Give it a try!

Supplementary Materials

Triple Nut Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Objective
Make chocolate chip cookies with almonds. One of my favorite ways to get to know people is the either/or game. Pancakes or waffles? Chocolate or vanilla? Day or night? History museum or science museum? Ostrich or emu? Nuts or no nuts? Sunrise or sunset? Cake or cookies? Half windsor or bow tie? For important questions, I ask them to elaborate. That's how I learned that one of my college friend's favorite cookies were his mom's chocolate chip and almond cookies. You can put almonds in cookies? Yes! This has been on my to-do list since 2007.

So why am I finally getting around to making them? Blue Bell's Moo-llenium Crunch ice cream. On a recent trip to Houston, my traitorous self ate Texan ice cream (and I loved it). Their ice cream isn't as rich as many are, which is good. If ice cream is too rich, I feel sick after just a few bites. The flavor was roasted pecans, almonds and walnuts with chocolate and caramel in vanilla ice cream. Three kinds of nuts? We would have been nuts not to try it! Eventually, I'd like to try making my own ice cream mimic, but in the meantime, I can settle for ice cream sandwiches on a hot day!

Materials
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened or melted (I do a combination, mostly melted)
3/4 cup dark brown sugar (light brown sugar would work, but I wanted them more caramely)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 cup whole almonds
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips, chopped into small chunks
1/2 cup chopped rolos (optional)
vanilla ice cream

Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 375°.
2. Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
3. Add vanilla and beat in eggs, one at a time.
4. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt then slowly beat into the batter.
5. Stir in the nuts and chocolate. *At this point, you can bake right away or chill the dough a little before rolling into balls and baking, which will help them be perfect circles. Your choice. But, if you're using Rolos, I recommend chilling the dough first.
6. Drop 1" (or smaller) balls  onto a parchment line baking sheet, greased baking sheet or pre-seasoned baking stone.
7. Bake 10-12 minutes until the edges begin to brown but the center is still doughy. Wait 3-5 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire sheet to cool completely.
8. Dollop vanilla ice cream on a cookie, smush one on top and serve as ice cream sandwiches.

Results
Why haven't  I thought of this before? These are delicious! The cookies are soft, which is important when you're biting through two layers plus ice cream. The combination of nuts works well with the chocolate and the cookies are very chunky.

Discussion and Future Directions
I love chocolate chip cookies. I love chocolate chip cookies with walnuts. I love chocolate chip cookies without chocolate chips (when I was a kid, I didn't like chocolate and would make separate chocolate-free cookies). Turns out, I love chocolate chip cookies with pecans, almonds and walnuts even more. My mom came home, tried a cookie and decided they were the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever made. That could be because I don't live at home anymore and she doesn't get them often, but I think it's because they're really that good!

These are a soft, chewy cookie. If you like them crisp, overbake them and they will have a nice crunch. These are delicious alone, but better with ice cream. Toasting the nuts isn't required, but people with more sensitive palates than me say it's a must. Throw them in the oven at 250° and bake 5-8 minutes (stirring every few minutes) or until the nuts are fragrant. It doesn't add much time. The rolls were my way of adding caramel to the recipe, but using dark brown sugar helps add a caramely flavor. I would probably leave the Rolos out next time just because they are a little messy and force you to scrape the baking sheet clean. Parchment paper would be a great way to make cleanup easy if you do want to use Rolos. I made the first batch of cookies without them and they were equally delicious.

Few things remind me of summer break quite as much as ice cream treats (not to mention the ice cream truck). Ice cream sandwiches were always a favorite. These ice cream sandwiches are homemade and a little more adult. That doesn't mean they aren't as good. In fact, I think they're better!

Supplementary Materials

Red Velvet Cake Woes

Growing up, I remember looking forward to my mom's birthday cake every year. My grandma would come over in the morning to drop off a red velvet cake for her daughter's birthday. The vegetable shortening frosting was incredible. The cake was usually good, too. Truth be told, I've never had a red velvet cake other than my grandma's nor have I had anything else with a take on red velvet (like red velvet brownies or whoppie pies, etc). However, as a health-concious adult, I couldn't bring myself to eat a cake loaded with red food coloring and frosted with vegetable shortening.

So, last summer, I did a little research into red velvet cakes. I wanted to try making one, but without the red food coloring and using a different frosting recipe. I told someone I was going to try making one with beets and they didn't believe that it would work or that anyone made cakes that way. That's not true. A lot of people use either beet juice or pureed beets to make their cakes red. Beets are used for color in a lot of natural foods.

One emotionally trying night later that summer, I was in the mood to eat an entire cake myself, so I gave it a try. I have no idea what recipe I used. At this point, I couldn't even tell you what cookbook it came from. However, as you can see, the cake wasn't red. Did I really use a red velvet recipe? I thought I did, but I have no idea. I'll be honest, I was happily dancing around my apartment in heels to La Roux and drinking wine (I had to practice walking/dancing in my bridesmaid shoes for the following weekend). The cake wasn't my top priority. I believe I used beet juice in some way, but I have no idea how. In spite of the concerns I have about what I actually made, I knew I needed to try again. My cake turned out black. The recipe I used called for a lot more cocoa powder than most red velvet recipes I've seen. So, I'm going to blame the recipe for the color of my cake (regardless of wether or not it was actually for a red velvet cake). I can't imagine this cake could have been a normal red color even with the addition of food coloring because of how dark it is. Whatever I made, it was delicious and improved my mood significantly!

This summer, I decided to try again. What sparked my interest was an article about Cajun and Creole food in St. Louis' Feast Magazine. It included a recipe for red velvet cake with a creole cream cheese frosting (which can be found on their website). I liked the sound of the recipe because the cake was colored with beet puree instead of red food coloring and the batter included butter and cream cheese (cream cheese in the frosting and the cake? Woah!). The frosting recipe called for cream cheese, butter and creole cream cheese. I decided it wasn't worth looking for creole cream cheese in Madison, Wisconsin. We're a long way from New Orleans.

Creole cream cheese is made with milk, buttermilk and rennet.

As little Miss Muffet could tell you from her tuffet, 

coagulation produces curds and whey. 

You get creole cream cheese by straining the curds 

and letting all the liquid drain away. 

The digestive enzymes contained in rennet coagulates the milk (there's a good chance you did this in  biology class in high school when you were learning about digestion). Obviously it wouldn't be a problem finding a major enzyme used in cheese making in Dairyland (after all, it's how they make cheese curds). However, I didn't want to call around looking for it or end up with a ridiculous amount of cheese-making enzymes. Instead, I decided to use sour cream.

I didn't like the flavor of the cake, but the color and presentation were perfect! Also, the frosting was top-notch (recipe follows). It was very light and creamy. It wasn't overly buttery or overly cream cheesy. The sour cream lent a bit of tang without being overpowering, which would make it a great frosting for a sweet cake. My aunt is visiting from Lake Tahoe and requested cinnamon rolls. I plan on using the leftover frosting on the cinnamon rolls (my dad tried to get me to throw it away. Sorry dad, no way. He won't eat sweets, so he can't possibly understand how delicious it was).

Now, it's important to note that while I didn't care for the cake, some of my family members did. Even my cousin who chose not to have a piece the first night because of the beets had a piece a few days later and enjoyed it. To me, the cake was far too acidic and tasted like beets (which to me is very earthy). The beets were pureed with lemon juice. Then I was supposed to add 1 tablespoon of vinegar. I couldn't find the vinegar (the woes of baking in someone else's kitchen), forgot I needed it, and left it out. Vinegar is acetic acid. The lemon juice is a different type of acid (citric acid), but will perform the same acid/base chemistry as acetic acid. I can't imagine that the problem was too little acid, because the whole cake tasted tart and acidic (which tells me there wasn't enough base in the cake to neutralize the acid).

Most red velvet cakes contain buttermilk. This recipe did not use buttermilk. Instead, I imagine the purpose of the cream cheese was to replace the fat of the buttermilk and the lemon juice/vinegar was to replace the acidity of buttermilk (and keep the beets a bright red color). The cake uses baking powder, so the lemon juice/vinegar is unlikely to play a big role in leavening because baking powder contains acid and base (when they react, they release carbon dioxide which creates bubbles in the batter). Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a base, which makes me wonder if the leavening agent should have been baking soda to help neutralize the acid. Cocoa powder can also be acidic unless it's been "dutch-processed" or alkalized to neutralize it.

The moral of the story is that I still haven't found a red velvet cake recipe that's worth making again. After I botched a second "red velvet" cake (the microbiologist in me just looked up the origin of "botched" to make sure it doesn't refer to botulism, it doesn't!), my motivation to make a delicious red velvet cake is as great as ever. Have any of you found the perfect red velvet cake recipe? If so, I'd love to try it!

Dairy-Lover's Frosting
adapted from Simone Faure's recipe in Feast Magazine
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 oz. sour cream
3 Tbs. heavy whipping cream
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract

Add all the ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip until light and creamy. If the frosting is runny, place it in the fridge to firm up for about 20 minutes before use.

Food Plus Words' Lemon Poppy Seed Cake (Review)

Something got me in the mood for a tart, fruity dessert. Maybe it was the weather. A Memorial Day weekend with temperatures in the 90s was far from refreshing. Perhaps that's why I was craving something tart, like citrus or raspberries. Some friends planned to go raspberry picking Monday morning. I would have joined them and used the raspberries for a raspberry pie, but a special someone was scheduled to show up at my door at 6 am after an overnight bus ride from Chicago. I suspected a nap would be a more appropriate welcome than heading out the door to the pick-your-own raspberry farm. So, instead of raspberry, I opted for lemon.

Objective
Make a lemon poppyseed cake to decorate as a graduation cake.

Review
Lemon was the flavor I was in the mood for, but I thought the addition of poppy seeds would make decorating more fun. The recipe I decided to try was Food Plus Word's Lemon Poppy Seed Layer Cake. I was intrigued by the recipe because the cake was layered with lemon curd mousse and topped with a lemon swiss buttercream, not to mention the reviews stated that the cake was very lemony!

Lemon Poppyseed Cake
Depending on your preferences, this cake might be a huge disappointment. The cake itself is relatively easy to make. It is a bit of a time investment because zesting and juicing lemons quickly becomes tedious. I popped the layers in the oven and all seemed well. However, as soon as the cake was done and cooling, it collapsed. There was lip around the side of the cake as evidence of its fall. In a bit of an overly emotional state, I got a little overwhelmed and wondered if I should even proceed. Having experience with gluten free baking, I was afraid it might end up being a brick. Perhaps it would make a good paperweight. Because I'd already made the lemon curd, I figured I may as well proceed. 

In the end, I really enjoyed the cake. It was dense like a pound cake, which is extremely appropriate for a lemon poppyseed cake. The refreshing flavor of citrus complements the richness of a poundcake very well. The only real concern with the cake was that it was far too acidic for my tastes. The flavor was good, but my stomach couldn't quite tolerate it.

Lemon Curd Mousse
After the incredible clementine curd mousse I made for my Clementine Mousse Cheesecake, I was extremely excited to make lemon curd mousse. Knowing how easy it was to make curd, I spent the time juicing and zesting lemons to make my own. The recipe follows in the Supplementary Materials.

The lemon curd mousse had an entirely different texture from the clementine mousse. The clementine curd mousse was light and airy and made with gelatin as a stabilizer. The lemon curd mousse was denser and creamier (not to mention significantly easier and quicker to make). As a stand alone mousse, this wouldn't be very good. However, it made a great cream filling for this cake.

Lemon Swiss Buttercream
This was my first experience with Swiss buttercream. If you've never had it, it's incredibly rich. It's essentially butter melted into whipped, cooked egg whites and sugar. Swiss buttercream makes a great canvas for decorating because it is heavy and can stiffen up quickly in the fridge. A dense, rich frosting on a dense, rich cake was a little too much. I can't think of what type of cake Swiss buttercream would be appropriate for, but this isn't it. It's just too buttery.

Discussion and Future Directions
I would make this recipe again, but with quite a few changes. In the cake, I would eliminate the lemon juice and use only lemon extract (albeit, increasing the volume). That would reduce the acidity in the final product. The buttermilk is still in the recipe, so there would be mild acidity from the buttermilk instead of the overpowering acidity from the lemons.

The lemon curd mousse filling is delicious. However, for a lighter version of the cake, one could simply use lemon curd (not that lemon curd is particularly light). For a twist, it would be interesting to omit the poppy seeds from the cake and use a raspberry or blackberry jam filling. Or, have two filling layers between the cake layers: one lemon curd and the other jam. If the lemon curd seems like too much work, just use frosting.

As I mentioned before, the Swiss buttercream was a bit too rich for the cake. Instead, I would use a fluffy lemon buttercream. I think I could have had more control over a standard buttercream than I did with the Swiss buttercream. I couldn't really control the sweetness or texture like I could have with standard buttercream. I've seen people use cream cheese frosting, which might also be delicious. But again, I think you would really have to find a light and fluffy cream cheese frosting recipe (I recommend this delicious recipe from Allrecipes.com: Sturdy Whipped Cream Frosting).

When I first envisioned this cake, I pictured smooth sides scattered with poppy seeds and a wispy frosting on top with carefully placed candied lemons. However, I ditched that plan in an effort to make it a graduation cake. Overall, I was pleased with how it turned out. I hope the graduate was too!

Supplementary Information

Lemon Curd Recipe
(Original recipe can be found at Joy of Baking)
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice (2-3 lemons)
4 tablespoons butter (softened works best)
Zest of 2-3 lemons (however many you juice)

Whisk the eggs, sugar and lemon juice in a double boiler. Stir constantly until the mixture begins to thicken (this should take around 10 minutes and most recipes say the magic temperature is 160°F. I disagree. In my experience at 160 degrees, it's just beginning to thicken. Judge for yourself). Remove the mixture from heat. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Whisk in the butter, tablespoon by tablespoon. Stir in the lemon zest. Cover with saran wrap (lay it directly on top of the curd to prevent a film from forming and cool. Store in the refrigerator.

Art of Dessert's Chocolate Wasted Cake (Review)

Few things give me as much pleasure as the opportunity to bake for a special occasion. Most recently, I had two friends graduate from Washington University School of Medicine with their MDs. The evening before graduation, I asked one of the graduates (Kristen) to tell me her favorite dessert flavor. Her eyes got big, and without hesitation, she responded "Chocolate." I next asked her what flavor would be her favorite if it was a fruity dessert. "Chocolate. But if it's fruit to go with chocolate, then raspberry." I responded, "So you really like chocolate?" Again, with big eyes, she responded "Yes! I even love chocolate with my chocolate." With that, I knew the only suitable cake to bake for her graduation BBQ was a chocolatey masterpiece I'd had in the back of my mind since I first saw it.

Objective
Make the chocolatey masterpiece found on Art of Dessert called Chocolate Wasted Cake.

Review
I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous about this recipe. I was worried that it was too good to be true. Rianne's pictures of the cake are absolutely beautiful. Could I throw together candy and drizzle chocolate all over it and end up with something presentable? Or, would it look like a 5 year-old decorated it? In spite of my fear, Kristen had made it clear that the only thing that would satisfy her was chocolate, and preferably, chocolate with her chocolate. What choice did I have?

Cake
Before embarking on the Chocolate Wasted Cake journey, I read through the recipe. This is something I rarely do, but decided that with this cake, it would be unwise to start without a game plan. I quickly noted that the wet ingredients in the cake were milk, butter and honey. No eggs? Hmm. This seemed odd. I quickly scrolled down the page to the comments, where I found dichotomous reviews. Of those who actually made the recipe and weren't just commenting on looks, people either loved the cake or hated it. One comment even talked about being an experienced baker of 40 years and throwing this yucky cake in the trash. I decided not to let a few naysayers deter me from making what could be a chocolate lover's dream.

I have to admit, I didn't make the batter. It was sometime around midnight and I felt rushed to get the cake in the oven so I wouldn't be up all night waiting for it to cool. I was fortunate enough to have a lovely assistant who did most of the footwork. I don't actually remember what I was doing while he measured and poured and manned Betty (I think my Kitchen Aid is going to be called Betty. I'm hesitant to commit, because I also kind of like Debbie. I may be biased, but I love names with double letters that end in 'y's, which is probably why Betty has more favor than Debbie. Kitty was also in the running, but I got pooh-poohed because Kitty is apparently a name better suited for a cat).

Anyhow, I had very little trouble making the cake. I divided the batter between three 9-inch cake pans, that I sprayed with oil and floured. I should have let the cake pans cool to the touch before flipping the cakes onto a rack to cool (but let's be real, it was well after 1 a.m. at this point and I surely wasn't going to wait any longer than I had to). Additionally, it might have been worth cutting out circles of parchment paper to line the pans, as that's never a bad idea for easy removal and cleanup.

An important consideration for anyone making this cake, is, do you like cake? For me, the answer is no. This is unfortunate because cakes are fun to decorate and are ideal for events and celebrations (I seek out events that are appropriate for me to bring a themed cake). I think I finally realized that what I dislike about cake is the texture. It's light, airy and spongy. I'm a brownie girl. Dense, moist and fudgy are in my vocabulary. With that in mind, I loved this cake. That tells you that if you like a nice moist, airy cake, then this isn't the recipe for you. Go ahead and make chocolate sponge cake layers and then proceed with this recipe, or use whatever chocolate cake recipe you know you like.

Frosting
The following morning, I stayed home from work to finish the cake for the graduation BBQ that night. My lovely assistant quickly got to work on the frosting. Two words: Incredibly Delicious (um, in reference to the frosting). As he was licking off his fingers, the guy who doesn't like chocolate admitted that the frosting was delicious. It was light and very creamy. I used Ghirardelli cocoa powder and was quite pleased with the result. I plan to use this frosting again for other instances when I want chocolate frosting that isn't thick and fudgy buttercream.

Assembly
This was another "Abby-style" recipe. I had intended to drizzle the cake layers with amaretto, but blatantly forgot. Instead I slathered frosting between the layers and frosted the top and sides. We discussed the possibility of lifting up the layers and trying to add the liquor, but decided against it. It was already messy enough with cake crumbs mixed in with the frosting in the center, I didn't want crumbs all over the outside too. However, the wonderful part about frosting this cake is that it doesn't have to look pretty because it's going to be covered anyway!

That's when the real fun began! I started by mixing  bag of Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips (they are larger than semi-sweet) and a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips. At first I was trying to put them on piece by piece, but quickly discovered the quickest way was to pat a handful of chocolate chips onto the side. The not-so-wonderful part about decorating this cake is unwrapping all of the candy (and again, my lovely assistant gets a huge thank you for doing the legwork). We used Whoppers, Kit Kat bars, Twix and Hershey's Milk Chocolate Kisses. We arranged the candy on top, trying to fit as much as possible. I ended up slathering the bottom of the Kisses with frosting to stick them to the top of other candies.

Finally, I used a fork to drizzle the top with a criss-cross pattern of melted chocolate, then poured the rest of the melted chocolate along the edge so that it would drip down the sides. I poured the chocolate from the measuring cup I used to melt it, but it might have been a better idea to pipe it onto the edge from the corner of a plastic bag. The drizzle down the sides was the only part I was disappointed with (the spout from my measuring cup was too wide). We put the cake in the fridge so that the chocolate could harden, and I headed to lab for the day.

Discussion and Future Directions
While my version didn't look quite as beautiful as Rianne's on Art of Dessert, it was definitely presentable. Everyone who saw it quickly gave it a "Wow!" It was a challenging cake to cut, but a long knife did the trick. Everyone who tried the cake complimented it. It seemed like people were hesitant to try it, but once they did, they enjoyed it (more than they thought they would). My favorite bites were those with cake, frosting and Twix. I liked it all, but next time, I'd add more Twix to the top and leave off the Kit Kat bars (they got a little soggy--maybe because we split them in half and it was a little humid outside). The combination of chocolate and caramel was incredible. You could use whatever candies you like best, I certainly picked my favorite!

One of the final steps of cooking is storage. I stored the leftover cake in the cake caddy in the fridge overnight. The next day, I caught my lovely assistant (a proclaimed chocolate and cake hater) munching on the leftovers. He hadn't tried the cake at the party and was surprised by how delicious it was. He said that it reminded him of brownies instead of cake. I agree, which, along with the ridiculous candy coating, puts this cake at the top of my list of decadent cakes (plus it's a lot of fun to make and decorate)!

Supplementary Materials

Photo by Nathan Kung

Mexican Cornmeal Cookies

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Today, I've been in the kitchen cooking food for a Cinco de Mayo party while reflecting on my study abroad experience in Guanajuato. Not trying to be cliche (but I'll do it anyway), the summer I spent in Mexico was one of the best summers of my life. As anyone who has studied abroad knows, it's hard to explain why. It was my first time moving away and doing my own thing. It was also something that my friends and family didn't think I was capable of doing. The night before I left, my best friend wouldn't say goodbye because she anticipated seeing me back in Wisconsin in no more than two weeks. I was determined to prove them all wrong and be independent, and that's exactly what I did!

I always loved Mexican food. However, until I went to Mexico, I had no idea what Mexican food was. I was shocked to learn that tacos aren't ground beef with a packet of seasoning stirred in on flour tortillas with cheddar cheese and chunky salsa out of a jar (kidding). Tacos were something you made yourself during every meal, from whatever meat and toppings were available, salsa and fresh corn tortillas. I also learned that freshly made corn tortillas are delicious. I came to love chipotle salsa (my host family's maid, Lupe, made the most incredible chipotle salsa, but regrettably, I do not have the recipe). I loved saturdays because we would get Pollo Feliz for lunch because our host mom was at church. Pollo Feliz consisted of a spicy rotisserie chicken with a large stack of corn tortillas and an assortment of salsas. Yum.  On Sunday, when our host dad would be home from where he worked as a mining engineer, we would have barbacoa. Whenever there was a reason to celebrate, we would go get ice cream. The best ice cream (second to the kind you would buy in a tub at the OXXO) was from Dunkin' Donuts, which we frequented regularly.

For two weeks at the end of July, our host family was in Michigan visiting their son. While they were gone, their former maid stayed with us and cooked for us. She was determined to feed us authentic Mexican food and was happy to teach us to make things whenever we were interested. I was on a gluten-free diet at the time, so I missed out on the Mexican pastries and many of the desserts. Our "substitute" host mom told me about a recipe she had for cookies, that didn't use flour. I didn't try them while I was in Mexico, but did when I returned. They aren't your average cookie, but they are tasty in their own right.

Galletas de Maíz Recipe

1 cup harina de maiz (finely ground corn flour)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablepsoons caramel sauce

2 eggs

pinch salt

Mix all ingredients together. The mixture will be thick but viscous. Pour by the teaspoon onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Leave at least an inch (if not two) between cookies. Bake at 375 degrees until golden. Move to a wire rack to cool

Willow Bird Baking's Clementine Mousse Cheesecake (Review)

Oh, hello! Forgive me for my month-long disappearance. That doesn't mean I haven't been baking! Instead it means I've been too busy having fun and haven't found the time to sit down (at my new macbook!!) to write. I made this cheesecake for a "Match Day" party for some friends of mine in medical school, which was over a month ago. I can't figure out where the time has gone, but I have some delicious recipes to share from the past month. This post is going to be a little different than others because I'm writing it as a review instead of a recipe. Julie's recipe is perfect as written, so instead of writing about how I'd improve the recipe, I'm writing about my experience making it, with the hope of inspiring you to give it a try!


Objective
Make the picturesque Clementine Mousse Cheesecake from Willow Bird Baking. With a crust of golden Oreos and a layer of cheesecake topped with clementine mousse, I feel in love with Julie's picture of the cheesecake long before I printed the recipe with the intention of making it. Every time I passed the clementines in the produce section, I salivated thinking about this cheesecake. The first opportunity I had to take "a dish to pass," I knew this was "the one."

In case you haven't been to the grocery store lately, it's still clementine season. It always seemed odd that the "season" for a citrus fruit would be winter. Sort of like how I always thought it was weird that my Christmas stocking at grandma's house always contained a tangerine (with nuts and a toothbrush). The Christmas tradition is supposed to stem from citrus being a rare treat in the wintertime. Citrus fruit in the winter is also a great way to prevent scurvy (most animals can synthesize their own Vitamin C, but humans can't--and we think we're so great). Preventing scurvy is a great way to rationalize making (and eating) more cheesecake!

Review
Clementines are extra sweet and juicy. Their flavor is a little different than oranges. Their thin skin makes them ideal for candied clementines because they are easy to chew. However, their thin skin makes them a little difficult to zest and juice because they are flimsy. They are less acidic than many other citrus fruits. A fruit with lower acidity is important because acid curdles dairy products. If you don't believe me, here's what my Clementine Curd looked like before heating:

Crust
The crust for this cheesecake is made of golden Oreos. I have a slight addiction to golden chocolate Oreos, so naturally I was excited to make a golden Oreo crust. I had trouble making the crust tall enough. It would have been best to line the entire 9" springform pan with crust (meaning the crust should be as tall as the sides of the pan). I should have been more prudent while making the crust, but I was lazy and patted it in, so it wasn't nearly tall enough. One warning for the health conscious, the mystery substance that seeps out of the pan while baking is a little alarming. You might not ever eat Oreos again if you start wondering what they mystery substance is doing to your arteries when you eat Oreos. For that reason, I think I would make a graham cracker crust next time. I also recommend lining the drip pan with foil for easy cleanup.

Cheesecake
I can't describe the cheesecake layer because I was so overwhelmingly in love with the mousse. A fair warning: when it comes out of the oven, you will wonder where your mousse is going to go. However, as it cools, the cake will fall, leaving the perfect amount of space for the mousse. This does mean the cheesecake itself is a bit dense. I baked the cheesecake at 325 degrees instead of 350 as written in the recipe. The lightest, fluffiest cheesecake recipe I've ever made bakes about 90 minutes at 300 degrees. It takes longer, but if you have the time, it's worth it.

Clementine Curd
The clementine curd almost discouraged me from making the entire dessert. By no means is it hard to make, but I never liked lemon curd, so I figured I wouldn't like clementine curd. Quite the opposite. If given the chance, I would eat this by the spoonful. I froze the leftovers but haven't decided how I want to eat it. I'm thinking about stirring it into greek yogurt or using it as a spread for pound cake. The juicing and zesting takes some patience. I used the tiny little Cuties clementines that come in the red mesh bags. To save time, buy the larger clementines that come in wood boxes. The only tricky part about making the curd is knowing when it's thick enough. Go with your gut. Stop when you think it's spreadable.

Clementine Mousse
Gelatin, what's that? This was my first time trying to dissolve gelatin. First, I tried gelatin and water in a small saucepan over flame. I quickly discovered this was not the way to dissolve gelatin because it quickly started to boil. Gelatin is made up of the protein collagen, so if you boil it, it denatures the protein and your dish won't set (it's like egg--once you cook it, there's no going back). Other than dissolving the gelatin, the only tricky step is whipping the cream to stiff peaks. Practice makes perfect. I prefer using a handheld mixer over a stand mixer for whipping cream because it whips more slowly and because I can easily test it to see how stiff the peaks are as I whip.

Candied Clementine
I anticipated this being the easiest step, so I started it last. Boiling them is easy, drying them should be easy. I had trouble getting them to dry. I baked them on a cooling rack at 250 degrees for an hour and they were still dripping. I left them on the counter overnight then stuck them back in the oven (off but with the pilot light lit) and headed to the lab for the day. When I got home they were still a little sticky, but I needed to take the cheesecake to a party in 15 minutes, so I just threw them on top. I never even got to the step where you dredge them in sugar (which is my way of saying I forgot, oops). My friends devoured the candied clementine even though they were Abby-style (incorrectly prepared). No harm, no foul.

Discussion and future directions
This cheesecake is heavenly. The light, fluffy clementine mousse with its sweet citrus flavor is spectacular. It was a refreshing end to a good-ole Wisconsin (albeit in Missouri) cookout: beer brats, baked beans and some form of mayonnaise-laden salad (in this case, broccoli salad). It's rich, so I suggest making it when you have plenty of people to help eat it. If you have leftovers, tightly wrap individual slices and freeze them. I took the leftovers to my family back in Wisconsin when I visited over spring break. When I got back to St. Louis, I got a text message from my brother telling me how good the cheesecake was (a text message from my brother is rare, so that's how I know it was good). I didn't think I could top the SoNo Baking Company Raspberry Pistachio Cheesecake I made for my birthday, but I did.

The most important consideration with this recipe is time management. The candied clementine and clementine curd can be made a few days ahead of time. I would make them both ahead of time. If you make them the same day, you'll be done with the clementines and only have to clean up a juicy, orange mess once. The cheesecake needs to be made the day before to give it sufficient time to cool, plus, more time is always better for full development of the flavor of cheesecake. The mousse could be made early the same day, but I suggest making it the night before. Read through the full recipe and plan your time efficiently (two steps I always skip and always regret skipping).

I headed to the grocery store at 5:30 pm on Thursday, with the intention of serving the cake at 4:30 on Friday afternoon. When the cheesecake was cooling, I headed to the gym. Luckily I got sucked into I Know What You Did Last Summer and stayed on the treadmill for over an hour, and then did an hour of abs and stretching. Even so, the cheesecake was still cooling when I got home. I whipped up the mousse and started the candied clementines. I finally put the cheesecake in the fridge at 1:45 am and left the candied clementines on the counter overnight. I can't tell you how many times I thought "This better be the most amazing cheesecake in the world for all the work required." Turns out, it was amazing and absolutely worth the extra effort. Plan your time wisely and it will probably taste even better!

Supplementary Materials