March Daring Bakers Challenge: Grapefruit Tian

In Texas, though oranges are abundantly available, we prefer our own Ruby Red grapefruits from the Rio Grande Valley. This dessert French dessert has now been revamped Texas style (minus the big hair; although it might have an accent). What inspired my citrus swap was a) the large yellow mesh bag of pink globes recently purchased on my return trip to the Valley and b) the French's historic obsession with all things Texan. While grapefruits are not strictly Texan, nor American for that matter, they represent something to us as a State: Our grapefruits are the biggest!

The French language even has a word for grapefruit: pamplemousse. Though they don't have a word for jalapeno or taco. So of course I don't mean to be inventing the wheel of cheese here.

An excerpt from my American Food History class:

"Tacos benefited from a French infatuation with all things Texan in the late 1980's. The Tex-Mex historian Robb Walsh attributes this fad to Jean-Jacques Beineix's hugely popular film Betty Blue(1986), about a mentally unbalanced woman and her tquila-swigging, chili-con-carne cooking lover, Zorg. When the film premiered, a struggling Tex-Mex restaurant called Le Studio, in the Marais neighborhood of Paris became an overnight success and spawned a dozen imitators. " -Jeffrey M. Pilcher "Eating Mexican in a Global Age"

Now the thoughts of crepes shaped in the infamous "U" filled with chunks of brie and filet de boeuf and herbes de provence instead of chili spices. Doesn't sound too bad, non?

The 2010 March Daring Baker’s challenge was hosted by Jennifer of Chocolate Shavings. She chose Orange Tian as the challenge for this month, a dessert based on a recipe from Alain Ducasse’s Cooking School in Paris.

February Daring Baker Challenge: Tiramisu

BLOG-CHECKING LINES: The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

Here is my more cake-like version of the tiramisu challenge. I guess I should have used the entire pot of coffee instead of drinking it. Oh well.

Foodzie Winner Receives Food

This morning the jolly FedEx man rang my doorbell with four little boxes in hand. I quickly signed for them and dashed up stairs to open the packages with the boyfriend and Eleanor.

This is what I've received thus far:


A sweet shortbread cookie selection from Saralyn's Shortbread in Deluth, Georgia.


Chewy Mexican Chocolate Caramels from Petite Bouchée in LA, California. But these are for Fey so I can't tell you how they taste...yet.


Flavoured Sugars ranging from Curry to Spiced Gold from Didi Davis Artisan Food in Ipswich, Massachusetts.




And Homemade "Oreos" from Elsylee Galetes Artesanals in Miami, Florida. Each cookie she makes is named after a city or place and some are combined into various collections. I purchased a few "New York"s and she sent me a sample of Morton Pumpkinsnaps.

Oh, Happy Day!

Blues Song for Blue Baker

Perhaps this will get me a life time of free BlueBaker cookies...I doubt it though.

A Blues song for Blue Baker (think of me soulfully singing with a guitar on my lap and a fedora on my knee…maybe throw a harmonic in there too

I have the blues before sunrise,
waiting in line for an everything bagel with cream cheese.
I have the blues before sunrise,
adoring the array of baked pastries, oh may I have a Nutty Muddy Water latte, please.
It was a wonderful feeling,
Now babe, a feeling I do despise.

I have to leave, leave you baby,
But I’ll be back before noon.
I have to leave you baby,
I’m coming back for my Quattro Formaggio Wood-fired pizza real, real soon.
I’m gonna pack up and leave you darling
but make sure no one sits in my favourite booth. Ahh…yea…baby.

I have to leave, leave you baby,
But there is still dinner
I’m gonna leave you baby,
perhaps I’ll have a Caesar salad or a soup with bread bowl-owl-owl.
I’m gonna pack up and leave you darling
But you know I don’t wanna go…cause today is rosemary kalamata olive bread day baby, ahhh yea.

Well now goodbye, goodbye baby,
I’ll see when I’m home from college one weekend soon.
Well now goodbye baby,
I still expect there to be no one sitting in my favourite booth, cause you know I’ll kick ‘em out, ahh bluesy baby.
You can go ahead now little darling,
Keep on making those daily breads of yours, shiner bock beer bread and jalapeno cheese too, but for now… I’ll just take my cinnamon roll for the rooooooaaaaad.

Adapted from Leroy Carr
For the complete adoration for my local bakery called Blue Baker in College Station, Texas.

Look for the full story and the wonderful world of Foodzie on their blog.
They claimed me a winner for this little diddy and my smokin' mug. Hello carrot cake caramels!

The Remains of a Sunny Day

Its cheesecake month again, yet the skies aren't filled with dainty songbirds and the park benches aren't packed with teenage couples whispering into each others hair so I'm reluctant to whip out my cream cheese. The clouds have been hanging so low, bellies full of fresh rain, and the winds have been so bitter, probably pissed about years of warm Texas winters. My newly planted lavender shrinks back in its clay pot wrapping in on itself and dreaming of the good old days back in Provence. My moccasins and the chill are the only dependable constant these past few weeks.

Saturday, a bit of sunshine peers over the windowsill. Birds from every corner of the earth seem to grace the single tree in my front yard. Droves of people, dogs and babies a plenty, shove past one another through the front doors of houses that have been shut up for ages. I think I heard the feint clap of a long forgotten flip flop down the sidewalk. It was a splendid day indeed. So I broke out my cream cheese and the sunniest thing I could find in my cupboard: oranges.


Orange and Ginger Cheesecake

1 3/4 cup ginger cookie bits
1 cup sugar
3 packages cream cheese
4 eggs
1/2 stick UNSALTED butter melted
juice of half an orange
zest of one orange
2 tablespoons ground ginger (or even fresh ginger all mashed up)

1. Combine cookie bits and butter and press into pan. Let chill in freezer for at least half hour.
2. Combine all other ingredients. I find its best to whip the sugar and cream cheese a bit first.
3. Pour into pan. Tap lightly on counter to release any oxygen bubbles at the bottom.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45mins-1hr. Place a baking pan of water on the second rack to help keep the oven humid. When the top of the cheese cake begins to crack a bit and browns ever so slightly it is done. Jiggle it a bit and if it springs back to formation then hoorah, you've cheesecake!
5. Let cool for a few hours, or not at all. I hate it when people say you can't eat hot cheesecake. Its divine hot.

Daring Bakers January: Nanaimo Bars

The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca.

Au jour d'hui, tout en francais! Ma meilleure amie, elle s'appelle Elli, est Canadienne. De plus, aujourdhui est son anniversaire! Elle a 20 ans! J'aime les points d'exclamation! Et, pour elle, j'ai fait ses petits gouts.

J'ai fait deux types: une du citron et la vanille; l'autre de la framboise et du chocolat. Les deux bars utilisent l'homemade biscuit de farine complet (graham) epice avec la plante d'Asie (cardamom) et du sucre turbinado.

C'est pas tres dificile, mais ils sont tres riches, ainsi que on faut partager avec tes meilleurs amis canadiens aussi!

ca suffit du francais? oui...

toasting les coconuts

So, yes I still have yet to determine the phonetic pronunciation of this no-bake Canadian treat but I don't care so much as all I think about when it comes to Canada is Elli and half naked Mounties. Not together, bien sur. Les Mounties sont pour moi.

There is a sweet little bit about Nanaimo Bars on Cakespy, who has much more to say on the matter than I do.

The Nanaimo carnage...

Spiced Apple Cake

With new kitchen tools at my disposal and an empty sad looking cake platter beckoning me from the pantry I could only do one thing. Bake. While this sounds epic, it wasn't really. Just wanted to blow up your expectations there a bit. So here you are. No frills, no exclamation points, just apples, the rest of my bottle of cinnamon and loads of butter.


I sliced an apple wafer thin and dehydrated them ever so slowly in the oven to make apple chips for the top of the cake. I know am in the mood to do this to every fruit in my cupboard...it might not be a good thing. We will see.


What's more, my lovely kitten Eleanor has decided to become a chef. Yes, she told me so and has gone so far as to clean the contents of the kitchen sink to show her dedication ( even if it was with her tongue). She for some reason loves to watch you cook, clean or prepare anything in the kitchen. She helps you sprinkle flour leaving kitty paw prints on the black range. She is my taste tester for boiled noodles, although she doesn't understand the meaning of al dente quite yet. She likes all fruits and vegetables including strawberries, cucumbers and the dregs of the salad bowl. Although I've also caught her nibbling on the ends of sticks of butter...that must be her weakness.