Recipe Snapshot: Blueberry Lemon Trifle

Our air-conditioning died sometime yesterday.  We didn't notice until it got to be about 76 degrees on the main level of our house (we keep it about 70 year round, since our upstairs is usually 5-6 degrees warmer).  I guess we shouldn't be surprised, since we're at the tail end of a record-setting heat wave.  And yet...we are at the tail end of a record-setting heat wave.  Which means it was 100+ yesterday, and 95 today.  By some miracle, it's still below 80 inside the house, and a refreshing 70-something in our basement.  Which, conveniently, is where our home office (and my computer!) is located.  The repair folks will be here tomorrow.  Please cross all of your fingers and toes that it's an easy fix and the house will be cool by the time I return from work.

Now, back to this trifle.  I made this blueberry lemon trifle last weekend when it was less hot.  I was looking for a no-bake dessert, since we're still having troubles with our oven.  While the original recipe involves baking, I substituted store-bought angel food cake for the homemade cookies.  (I think the cookies would have been delicious, so if my oven ever works again, perhaps I'll give that a try!)  It was a snap to pull together, and surprisingly delicious.

So what is a trifle?  It's really just a layered dessert, with layers of cake (or cookies), creamy filling, and fruit.  It's traditionally served in a tall clear glass bowl (usually footed), so that you can admire all the pretty layers.  However, I do not have a trifle dish, so I just made it in a souffle dish.  It may not look as pretty, but it sure tasted beautiful!

In addition to substituting the angel food cake for the cookies, I also made one big trifle rather than the small individual ones in the original recipe.  I also used just 2 cups of yogurt (yes, yogurt!) and a whole jar of lemon curd.  I was shocked at how good the yogurt-lemon curd cream tasted--it didn't taste yogurty at all.

Click for the recipe!

Step-by-Step Recipe: Butterbeer (for Adults)

Friday night, my husband and I stood in line for over an hour just to get seats at a late showing of the final Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part II.  Luckily, I bought tickets online a week in advance, or else I'm not sure we would have gotten in!  It was a great movie, and extra great to enjoy a little glass of butterbeer before heading to the theater!

As promised last week, I spent a fair amount of time in the kitchen this weekend.  The first experiment was to try the popular beverage of witches and wizards: butterbeer.  I found a recipe on one of my favorite food blogs, Ezra Pound Cake.

I'll tell you right now that while I fully believe this is a good buttebeer recipe, I'm not sure I'll make it again.  And since it has about 98398739 calories, that's probably a good thing.  The end result is a creamy, butterscotchy beer beverage.  If I could not make the beer part, I think it would be even better.  But then it's basically homemade butterscotch eggnog.  Because I didn't like the beer part that much, I used very little of it, which is why my glass here looks so pale compared to the one from the original recipe.

But the butterscotch cream is pretty tasty, and you could probably cut it with some cream soda to make a nice, though admittedly less buttery, drink.

Click for pictures and recipe!

Recipe Snapshot: Blueberry Cobbler

Well, it's officially summer, and about that time of year, with blueberries everywhere.  I don't know about you all, but I often forget about blueberries in the colder months (I think it's a defense mechanism), but then in the summer, when they are bountiful, I just cannot get enough.  One of the simplest ways to enjoy them is to bake them into a yummy homemade cobbler.  It's far easier than pie, but just as delicious, in my humblest of opinions.

Forgive me the bad picture--while I did in fact bake a blueberry cobbler last weekend when my father-in-law was in town, I did not take any pictures of it.  The pictured cobbler was made a couple of summers ago, pre-blog.  But you get the idea, right?

So what's the difference between a cobbler and a crisp, or a crumble?  Well, this isn't scientific or well-researched, but a cobbler is most likely to have a cakey or biscuity topping, while crisps are usually topped with nuts and/or oats, and crumbled with, well...crumbles.  I prefer cobblers, personally, because you get both a soft and fluffy topping AND a crisp crust.  Win-win.

Recipe below the cut!

Recipe Snapshot: Lavender Cupcakes

It's officially spring.  My car is covered in icky yellow pollen, the azalears are blooming, there is asparagus everywhere I turn, and I finally broke out my flipflops a few days ago to give my toes a taste of freedom.  With the arrival of spring comes a variety of holidays and special occasions.  The Royal Wedding was today, Mother's Day is just around the corner, and graduation and weddings are on nearly everyone's calendars.  In my mind, special occasions mean special food!  So when my work had a bake sale with a Royal Wedding theme, I just had to try something a little special: lavender cupcakes.

I may have mentioned in a previous post that I love the taste of lavender.  Yes, the taste.  I love the smell, too, as evidenced by the lavender sachets in some of my drawers and the soap in my shower, but the flavor is really special if done right.  Because many people have never eaten anything with lavender flavor, some will find it peculiar or even perfumey, but if you don't go overboard with it, it adds a lightly floral je ne sais quoi to these that is just perfect for spring.  If I had a bridal shower to go to, I would totally make these!  So if you've got a mom who loves cupcakes, a grad who loves lavender, or a girlie baby/bridal shower coming up, take note!

Recipe and notes below the cut!

Recipe Snapshot: Best Ever Chocolate Layer Cake

Every year for his birthday, I offer to make my husband whatever cake he'd like.  Usually he flips through my recipes for inspiration, but this year, he searched online and told me he'd like me to make Ina Garten's chocolate layer cake. Every recipe of Ina's that I've tried has been delicious and pretty straightforward to follow, so I agreed. And wow, am I glad I did.  This is officially the best chocolate layer cake I've ever had.  And definitely the best cake I've ever made! My husband and his family (who shared the cake with us) loved the cake--even our two-and-a-half year-old nephew.

What makes this cake so special is the coffee.  If you're not a lover of coffee-flavored things, never fear.  For the most part, the coffee just amplifies the chocolate flavor.  It's a bit more noticeable in the frosting, but you can't even identify it in the cake itself.  The cake is light but firm, and not overly sweet.  The frosting was rich and smooth and totally delicious.  If there's a special occasion coming up and you need a great dessert, I totally suggest you try this cake.

Recipe below the cut!

Recipe Snapshot: Dark Chocolate Mocha Brownies

In my house growing up, I don't remember my mom ever baking brownies.  My mom was far more likely to bake some fancy exotic sounding cookie.  Or homemade apple fritters.  Or a triple chocolate cheesecake.  So until recently, I didn't know one could bake brownies from scratch--I'd only ever made them from a boxed mix. Sometime last year I volunteered to make brownies for a baby shower at work--and decided to look for a recipe online.  I was so pleasantly surprised after I tried them--while from scratch brownies take more prep work than boxed brownies, they bake in less time.  And these were delicious.  I tweaked the recipe to suit my tastes, and I've been making them this way ever since, to delicious and well-received results.

My husband's birthday is tomorrow, so we celebrated this weekend.  We went to dinner with friends on Saturday, and my husband asked to have brownies and games at home after.  Blessedly, there are only a few leftover, as we don't really need the temptation!  The secret to these (other than the butter) is the little bit of instant coffee.  If you add just a little, the brownies don't taste like coffee, just really chocolatey.  But my husband likes coffee and chocolate together, so I added a little more than normal.  Result: yum!

Recipe below the cut!

Recipe Snapshots: Christmas Cookies

Because work and life have been very busy this December, I haven't had the opportunity yet to back any Christmas cookies.  This pains me.  But it will be remedied soon, when my husband and I head to Kentucky to visit my mom and step-dad for Christmas.  My mom and I plan to get our bake on!  Seeing that many of you may wish to do some baking this weekend, here are some of the recipes I used last year, most of which are likely to be repeated this year!

Peanut Butter Kisses:  We all remember these from childhood, right?  Well, I had to make them myself, and they were easy and delicious.  The recipe made about 93847587583 cookies, though, so keep that in mind.  I also made a slight upgrade to the basic recipe: I used the dark chocolate kisses.  Yum!

More recipes (and pictures!) below the cut!

Step-by-Step Recipe: Best Ever Apple Pie

First things first--time for a confession.  I made a pie yesterday.  An apple one.  But I did not make pie crust.  Yes, yes, I know *how* to make pie crust.  I just...didn't feel like it.  And I'd never used the ready-made stuff before, so I wanted to see how good it was (and just how easy).  And let me tell you...I can see why people don't bother to make their own crust.  :)  The Pillsbury stuff tasted good and was the easiest thing to use ever.

Okay, now that that's over...I *did* make the filling, which I think is more complicated than the crust.  Have you ever had apple pie where the apples weren't soft enough? (Ick.)  Where they were still sour tasting and not saucy enough?  (Gross.)  Well, if you make this filling, you will not experience that.  This smelled like...heaven.  And it tasted pretty great, too.  So if, like me, you've been scared or nervous to make an apple pie...fear not!  Try this recipe (and consider cheating with a storebought pie crust if you must), and you'll feel like a pro!

Step-by-Step Recipe: Apple Cake

I don't think I had ever had an apple cake until last fall.  My sister- and brother-in-law had gone apple picking and were kind enough to share a half dozen or so of their pickings.  Being terrified of making a pie, and not being a fan of apple crisps (too healthy), I decided to try one.  My expectations were low...but wow.  Zack and I devoured the cake ourselves within a couple of days.  And then I made it again and actually shared it with other people!

I found this recipe online at AllRecipes.com.  If you click that link, I have no idea what makes this cake "German."  I just know it's delicious!  I made a few alterations based on reviews from other bakers, and I think they're delish!

Recipe Snapshots: Apples (Part I)

For these first couple of apple recipes, I didn't do the full step-by-step thing.  Since the galette was a first-time recipe, I was too focused to take pictures.  And then I forgot for the second recipe.  But here are some pictures of the finished products and the recipes!

First I made an apple galette, which is basically a cheater's pie--it's pie crust filled with fruit filling and then folded in on itself, no pie dish needed.  It's rustic and a little bit less effort than a pie.  I had seen this recipe on one of the food blogs I follow, and decided to give it a try.

All in all, this was an okay recipe.  The filling needed a little bit more "sauce," because the apples on top were a little dry.  I altered the recipe a bit--I made my own pie crust from a fool-proof recipe I found, and then added some nutmeg to the filling and increased the amount of apples in the filling (maybe why it was dry?).  I would make this again, for sure, since it was pretty simple to throw together, even making my own pie crust!  I like how rustic it looked.  But I'll be trying a regular ol' apple pie sometime soon, to show off my crust-crimping skills (or lack thereof).

I also made roasted pork tenderloin with apple-cherry chutney, which was fabulous.  I like savory recipes that incorporate apples, and this was also very easy.  The recipe is from Southern Living magazine, though I found it online.

I've made this recipe before, and it's delicious.  I served it with brussels sprouts and a wild rice blend.  I made a few tweaks--I halved the amount of chili sauce in the chutney (I used sriracha sauce, and 2 tablespoons of that would have made it inedible for us), and added more apples, as well as a touch of cinnamon.  I also used a shallot instead of onion, but that's just because I had more shallots on hand.

Recipes below the cut.

Step-by-Step Recipe: Apple Muffins with Cinnamon Topping

It is technically fall, but the record high temperatures here yesterday sure didn't feel like it.  It hit 98 down at National Airport.  It was my day off, so I stayed inside.  And then turned my oven on and baked some muffins.

In the summer I had a large bunch of rhubarb to deal with from my grandpa's garden, which is when I found this recipe.  Because I wanted to make something I knew would be good, I took this recipe and subbed apples for the rhubarb.  Success!  I can already think of a dozen ways to make them better, but this was a pretty good start.

Restaurant Experience: Jaleo (and Red Velvet)

I almost feel like it's cheating to write about Jaleo, since I've eaten there at least a dozen times.  But that just proves how yummy it is, right?

For those not fortunate enough to have been there (you need to visit me, because I will take you there!), Jaleo is the Spanish tapas (small plate) restaurant of famed chef José Andrés.  (Chef Andrés also owns Cafe Atlantico--and mini-bar, Zaytinya, and Oyamel, all located in Washington, DC.)  There are three Jaleo locations in the DC area, but the best is the one in DC proper, in the Penn Quarter neighborhood (which happens to be close to my office!).  The Crystal City location is really beautiful and the food is still quite good, but I have a soft spot for the DC location.  Which is where my husband took me for dinner last night.  It was a special treat for a weeknight, especially since he works out in the suburbs and had to drive all the way downtown to go there.

Clearly I was very excited to go there.  But as it was not planned in advance, I only had my iPhone camera available.  And while the camera is surprisingly good, the lack of flash means it does poorly in low light.  Sorry!  I hope you'll forgive the poor quality photos.

Step-by-Step Recipe: Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake

So I bake too.  Less often, of course, as I have fewer opportunities to bake than cook, but I find it therapeutic in an entirely different way.  This past week was a good friend of mine's birthday.  As long as I have known her, I've always known that she loves lemon cake.  So when I saw this recipe on Pinch My Salt, I knew I had to make it for her!  (It also gave me an excuse to use my bundt pan, which I am truly in love with.  It was a wedding gift.)

The recipe was a big hit--the birthday girl may or may not have had a third piece--I would never embarrass her by saying that she did.  Ha!  My husband has declared it superior to his favorite TastyKake, which I think is a compliment.  I enjoyed it--the lemon flavor in the cake is mild; it's much more potent in the glaze, which is why it's very important.

DC Treat: Cacao by Jacques Poulain

My work team's summer intern (a foodie after my own heart) informed me last week that a new bakery had opened in Cleveland Park, one of the nicer neighborhoods in Washington, DC.  She told me that they had nearly authentic chocolate croissants (pain au chocolat), which certainly piqued my interest.  If you've ever had real croissants, chocolate or otherwise, in France, you know that there are very few bakeries Stateside that even come close to replicating that deliciousness.  I'm sure it's the butter and the flour that makes the difference.  But this is why I have insisted on having at least one (if not two) croissants every day when I'm in France.  This might sound like a disaster for the waistline, but seriously, the last two trips I've either lost a couple pounds or just maintained, despite all the ridiculous eating.  (Ice cream and croissants every day?  Wine with lunch and dinner?)  Now you know why I love France so much.  Ha!

In all seriousness, the huge faux-croissants you find at your local grocery store or Costco-type place just aren't even worth it once you've had the real deal.  So having a reliable source tell me I could find almost-real croissants just a few miles from home?  I immediately emailed my husband and asked if he was up for an adventure on Saturday morning.  And so our visit to Cacao by Jacques Poulain was determined.

Yesterday morning we got dressed and headed into DC (taking care to avoid the crowds of visiting Tea Party folks in town for the Glenn Beck rally).  We found parking on Connecticut Avenue, right across from Cacao, which is next door to Indique, for those familiar with the area.  Such good parking seemed like a good omen.

Cacao is more of a chocolatier than a true bakery.  The cases were filled with all kinds of decadent French treats.  But we were on a mission and headed straight for the croissants.  We got the traditional butter croissant, a chocolate croissant, and an almond croissant.  All three were delicious.  And had so much butter in them that the two extras we bought for some friends soaked through the little paper bag in no time.  Let me be clear: this is a good thing.  Verdict: the next time I get a craving for a taste of France on a Saturday morning?  We'll be headed back to Cacao.

But the real surprise of the morning?  The French macarons.  There was a case full of them, and apparently Cacao is known for theirs.  To be clear, a French macaron is nothing like the coconut macaroons you find in the U.S.  A French macaron is a sandwich cookie made entirely of eggs, sugar, and almond flour.  Delicious.  The filling may be jam, buttercream, or chocolate ganache.  They are delicious.  We saw them all over France, particularly in Paris.  They come in a wide variety of colors and flavors.  And did I mention they're delicious?