Tuesday, July 28, 2009

An Uncomplicated Life


Just before I baked these brownies, I was sorting through bills, singing/chattering to myself and the dogs/smiling tensely, living on the edge in the midst of the Semi-Annual Chuckwalla Place Financial FreakOut. The organizer part of me actually enjoys it...alphabetically and chronologically ordered piles of paid/unpaid, itemized statements. The frugal side of me sees it as a challenge..."This is great, we just have to make a budget, identify unnecessary expenses, and pay ourselves a weekly allowance...oh, and while we're at it, gosh, why don't we get the gang together and put on show in the barn! Of course, Mr. Pollyanna UltraBrite is nicely balanced by the emotional me...Oh MY God, No!No!No!/We CAN'T owe THAT much!/We have to STOPSTOPSTOP!!! Thankfully, that aspect of my internal dialogue is tempered quite effectively by modern pharmacology and yet another part of my psyche, and I'm not really sure what to call it, but Minimalist Me will cover it for now.

We do not live extravagantly...yes, we have a nice house and cell phones and cable TV and hair gel, iPods and a battery operated wine bottle opener...but, on the flip side, we very rarely go out to eat, we no longer drink wine, the occasional new shirt is purchased at Target, and I cut Nik's hair myself. But during Financial FreakOut, when Minimalist Me surfaces, I go all Little-House-On-The-Prairie: I try to deny the existence of the 21st century by encouraging Nik to get rid of portable electronics (for most of which there is a monthly charge), I suggest we start eating oatmeal or similar cheap gruels for dinner at least twice a week, I lace up my boots and sign up to work as many extra hours as I will get paid for, and I promote the throwing out of leftovers to a cardinal sin. But I know/I realize that the fiscal change that results is just that, spare change, and is worth much less than the psychological boost that I get from thinking that we are living on the frugal side.

A childhood friend recently contacted me and mused about the naivete we all enjoyed/suffered in junior high school, when we thought life was complicated. I found her comment interesting, because I'm not sure I thought life was complicated at the time, unless angst and acne are thought of as complications, but rather I think I felt I was lost and was patiently waiting to either be found or to find it...and all without a clue as to what was missing. And really, when I step away from the coffee table covered with piles of financial nightmare, I am able to say that I don't think that our life is complicated even now...there are inconveniences, occasional worries, a mess or two to clean up (real and imagined), and, of course, there is the not enough of this/too much of that dichotomy, but those aren't complications...those are part of it. But on a daily basis, it is just us, two people without a great deal of baggage, four dogs for levity and love, a pool to jump in when things get hot, and more than enough air to breathe.



We also have three tortoises...Pepe, Fester and Roy. They eat, they dig holes, they pee and poop, sometimes they get horny, and when it gets too hot or too cold they sleep. They are the Minimalist Trio. Uncomplicated. And they live for a very long time...hmmm.













So I made Turtle Brownies...not because they are uncomplicated (though they aren't terribly tricky either), but to honor our prehistoric three. Fudgy brownies, chocolate-caramel-pecan topping - and I had all the ingredients already, so these brownies did not further contribute to the economic crisis in Critterland. Try them...and relax.

Brownies
Butter............................6 oz
Bittersweet Chocolate.......16 oz
AP Flour........................3/4 cup
Eggs..............................5
Brown Sugar....................2 cups
Salt..............................1/2 tsp
Vanilla Ex.......................1 tsp
Espresso Powder..............1/2 tsp
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Melt butter and chocolate in bowl over simmering water. Set aside to cool.
3. Whip eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla, and espresso powder for 4-5 minutes until thick, pale and forms a ribbon.
4. Gently but quickly fold the chocolate mixture into the eggs.
5. Fold the sifted flour into the batter just until incorporated.
6. Pour into a 9x13 pan, smooth top, bake for 30 minutes, until top/center is set, soft, and slightly cracked.

(I made several major mistakes when trying to make the caramel topping for the Turtle part of the Turtle Brownies. In the end I made a milk chocolate ganache, mixed in toasted pecans, and spread it on the brownies. Not really a true turtle brownie, but delicious all the same. I shall return at a future time to the caramel topping.)



Thursday, July 16, 2009

Cupcakes Shmupcakes















I like to think that I am not slave to the latest trends, but as per usual, how I view myself does not always fare well when held up to the mirror of reality. For example, I have, on more than one occasion, been tempted to get a FauxHawk haircut...tempted but not (yet) convinced. And speaking of hair trends, I admit that in the 80's I did sport a Mullet for several months (no, I do not have a picture handy, and, no, I am not going to search for one either.)

Similarly, I think that my choice of clothes is fairly steady (monotonous may be another way of looking at it...plaid shirts/jeans), though I once did purchase a really nice pair of cool grey Capri pants. I was sure I looked at least passable in them (despite Nik's protestations anytime I tried to wear them in public), until I saw a tall, athletic black man wearing the same pants...he looked good (very good) in them, I looked goofy...thus the Capri's were quickly donated to Value Village. Yes, I have succumbed to the piercing fad on three occasions...meaning I have willingly agreed (and even paid) to host a year-long infection (twice) followed by a moment of "this is ridiculous" and a quick jewelry extraction.
I have not been tattooed, and don't think that I will...famous last words. Other examples of trends/mob psychology I would like to think that I could resist include: a) ripping my shirt off, donning a goofy hat/wig/costume and running up a hill after Tour de France riders, b) becoming really, really muscular...no fear of that, and c) Rap music. Time will tell.

Certainly these examples are all superficial. Hair grows. Clothes can be changed/donated/burned. Radio stations can be changed. As far as the more important decisions in life, if decisions is even the correct word, I hope that I am trend-free. Some examples of decades-old/unchanging beliefs: bleeding-heart liberal; religion-tolerant/religion-curious - though not a believer in a prayer-listening deity; empirical humanist; fact freak. It is my hope (and belief) that even were I to get that FauxHawk next time I visit Supercuts, these core principles/traits would not change.

I don't mean to imply that all trends are negative or ridiculous. Bell-bottom pants...nothing wrong with them. Facebook, I am a participant and check it daily. Blogging. So it was with an open-mind that I knowingly turned down the acuity on my trend-radar and baked cupcakes for two events recently. Cupcakes are very trendy right now. There are bakeries, cookbooks, blogs, and equipment devoted exclusively to cupcakes. Yes, admittedly, they are cute, easy to serve, and easy to frost...but I think that the "Nick At Night Principle" is also responsible for some of their popularity. You know how that goes, we all had cupcakes when we were kids, and even though they are hard to eat and sometimes kinda dry, they are a part of growing up, so when we see cupcakes we remember and experience an "awww" moment...just like when we watch The Mary Tyler Moore Show or The Munsters. Some trends become legendary (e.g. cupcakes, ABBA), others become kitsch (e.g. pink flamingo lawn ornaments, shag rugs), and others seem to simply fade away (e.g. Beanie Babies, parachute pants).
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Sour Cream..................1/2 cup
Cocoa Powder..............2 Tbl
Baking soda.................1 tsp
Red Food Coloring.........1 Tbl
Boiling Water...............1 cup
Cake Flour...................3 cups
Salt...........................1/2 tsp
Baking Powder..............1 1/2 tsp
Eggs..........................5
Vanilla Ex....................1 1/2 tsp
Butter, softened............6 oz
Dark Brown Sugar...........2 1/2 cups
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Whisk together the sour cream, cocoa, baking soda, food coloring. Gradually add the boiling water, whisking until smooth.
3. Soft together the flour, salt and baking powder.
4. In a small bowl, combine the eggs and vanilla.
5. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs gradually, scraping as needed.
6. Lower the mixer speed and add the flour mixture (in 3 parts) and the liquid mixture (in 2 parts), alternating. Mix until evenly incorporated.
7. Fill papered cupcake tins 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 minutes.


Devil's Food Cupcakes
AP Flour.......................1 3/4 cups
Cornstarch....................4 1/2 Tbl
Baking Powder...............1 tsp
Baking Soda...................1/2 tsp
Cocoa Powder................1 1/4 cups
Salt.............................1 tsp
Butter..........................8 oz
Sugar...........................2 3/4 cups
Eggs............................5
Buttermilk....................1 1/4 cups
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Sift together the dry ingredients.
3. Cream the butter and sugar, adding the sugar slowly once the butter has become creamy.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping as needed.
5. On Low Speed, add the flour mixture (3 parts) and the buttermilk (2 parts), alternating. Scrape the bowl as needed, mixing just until thoroughly combined.
6. Fill papered cupcake tins 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 minutes.


White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream Cheese, room temp............24 oz
Butter, room temp.......................3 oz
White Chocolate.........................9 oz
Powdered Sugar..........................Approx 2 cups
1. Melt white chocolate, then let set until at room temp.
2. Beat cream cheese until smooth, add the butter and beat until combined.
3. Add the cooled white chocolate and beat until combined.
4. Add enough powered sugar to achieve the consistency you want.

Decorations: It was Keej's birthday so I piped out a bunch of "K"s in royal icing, covered them with brightly colored nonpariels, let them dry, then put them on the cupcakes at the party. Next time I would make the letters a bit bigger, and a bit taller (two coats of royal icing) so they were more prominent.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Back To Basics


I haven't posted anything for a few weeks - since June 27, in fact. And almost daily, Nik has suffered through the lamenting litany of I should have's, I was going to's, I need to's, and I didn't's. Even having out-of-town guests over the July Fourth weekend didn't stimulate my maternal ("eat...Eat...EAT!")/dramatic ("how about a gigantic strawberry shortcake with sparklers and Roman Candles?")/ or guilty-egocentric ("They come to our house, they are expecting something good to eat.") personality traits sufficient to move me toward the oven. Well, no, that's not quite true...it's not true at all, really. I did make some little Earl Grey-Lemon shortbread cookies - yummy but ugly. Seriously ugly - Cousin James saw them on the baking sheet after they came out of the oven and he thought they were slices of sausage for some type of tasty little appetizer. Nope - just homely greyish butter cookies.
Rule: Cookies shouldn't look like sausage.

But it didn't matter. We ate them anyway.

Then I made bread last week. A couple of hearty multigrain whole wheat loaves and some sourish rustic. Preferment Monday night, mixed them on Tuesday, let them retard in the 'fridge overnight, and baked them on Wednesday. Good plan...faulty execution. I thought I'd be clever and let them do their final rise out in the garage...in the summer...in Arizona - it's the beginning of the monsoon season so it's kinda humid, so really the garage is not greatly different from a fancy, expensive proofbox (heat and humidity is heat and humidity, regardless the source). Warm summer day, day off, good book, swimming pool, iced tea, cold beer, go to the store, make dinner - Oh Crap! The bread is still rising in the garage...or more correctly, the bread is done rising in the garage/the bread cannot rise anymore/the bread has risen to its greatest possible volume and is one vibration away from a mighty deflation/exhalation of CO2...which it did when I everso gingerly placed it in the oven. What a sad sight it was. But yeast are amazing critters, bless their little hearts. They gave it a valiant effort and did manage to rebound and give a meek heartbreaking attempt at ovenspring.

Not pretty bread, but tasty. And we're eating it anyway.

So I was more than pleased to get a call from Chito, asking for a couple of loaves of Pullman Bread. Yeeha...just what I needed to get me back into the baking/blogging frame o' mind...minimal turnaround time, foolproof recipe, and always satisfying to make something so basic/square/good. Thanks Chito! Enjoy.





Pullman Bread/Pain de Mie
(1 loaf)
Water....................................530 grams
Honey.....................................60 grams
Butter (room temp)....................100 grams
Olive Oil..................................26 grams
AP Flour..................................878 grams
Dry Milk...................................60 grams
Instant Yeast..............................10 grams
Salt........................................20 grams
1. Combine water and honey in mixer bowl. Add butter and olive oil.
2. Stir together the dry ingredients then add to mixer bowl.
3. Mix with paddle until incorporated, then mix for additional 5-7 minutes.
4. Preshape into a log, let rest for 10 minutes.
5. Flatten dough into rectangle, shape into log. (This recipe may make a bit too much for some Pullman pans. I cut approx 1 1/2 inches off the end of the log before putting it in the Pullman pan. I use this extra as a Pate Fermente in other doughs.)
6. Butter the Pullman pan (including the top). Place the dough into the pan, and slide the top into place leaving a small opening at the end. Cover the opening with plastic wrap.
7. Preheat the oven to 425.
8. When the dough has risen to approx 1/2 inch from the top of the pan, slide the lid closed and bake 30-35 min. (I usually slide the lid off after 30 minutes and let the top get a little more brown for the final 5 minutes in the oven.)
9. Let cool 5 minutes then invert onto cooling rack.
Variation: I exchange a percentage of the AP Flour for Whole Wheat and/or Rye. You may need to alter (add) the water content, but it doesn't require too much fussing with these additions.