Raspberry Lemon Grapefruit Soufflé Pudding

  I made this pud on a rain day.

  I zested lemons and beat egg whites while thunder rumbled and rain slapped against the panes.  I prayed that the power would be merciful so I had time to bake this in our electric oven.  And, yes, the power has gone out in the middle of me making something.  I try not to remember that.

  This is my first time making a pud of any kind, and I'm really happy with how it came out!

  And actually, if I'm quite honest, I couldn't stop eating it.  I may or may not have eaten 3/4 of the pan, aaanddd it is true that this really is best on the day it's made sooo... I'll let you figure that one out.  It's addictive, ok?

  Popping in I Capture the Castle and eating plate after plate of this pud (Can you tell I'm just a wee bit obsessed with shortening the word pudding?  It makes me feel posh.) was one of the best ways to spend a rainy afternoon.

  Every spoonful is fruity, fluffy, sweet but tart, and pure bliss.  It's the perfect accompaniment for a rainy day tea, or it's just nice to have sitting on your table throughout the day, waiting for you to walk by and sneak another dip.

Raspberry Lemon Grapefruit Soufflé Pudding

Yield: one 9-inch pan, or six 1-cup ramekins

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar, separated
• 1 tablespoon grapefruit zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 large eggs, separated (3 egg yolks and 3 egg whites)
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh grapefruit juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup frozen raspberries, thawed and mashed
• Scant 3/4 cup buttermilk or whole milk
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions:

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.  Bring a teapot of water to a boil, you'll be using the boiling water to make a water bath (hot water that surrounds the pudding while it bakes, providing temperature protection for the eggs).  Butter six 1-cup ramekins or a 9-inch baking dish (I used a pie plate) and set aside.  Find a larger pan (such as a big casserole dish) that can hold all the ramekins or baking dish.

Place the 3/4 cup of sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and add the grapefruit and lemon zest.  With the back of a spoon, rub the sugar and zest together until fragrant.  Fit the stand mixer with a paddle attachment and beat the butter with the zest-y sugar for 1 minute.  Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating on medium speed until fluffy and slightly lighter in color, about 2 minutes.  Add the flour and salt, and beat until combined.  

Combine the grapefruit juice, lemon juice, and mashed raspberries.  Alternately add the juice mixture and the milk and mix at medium speed until well incorporated, it will be loose and soupy.  Place in a large bowl and set aside.

Clean the mixing bowl very well and dry completely.  Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment.  Add the egg whites and beat on medium-high speed until frothy.  Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form.  Gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

Gently fold the stiff egg whites into the grapefruit mixture in three additions.  You don't want to break down the egg whites, so try to be gentle and retain some of the fluff.  Pour the batter into the prepared ramekins or baking dish.  The batter won't rise much during baking, so you can fill almost to the rim.

Place the ramekins or baking dish in the larger pan.  Open the oven door and place the large pan (holding the ramekins or baking dish) inside the oven, but pull out the rack enough so you can still work with it.  Immediately pour the tea kettle of warm water into the larger baking dish, filling until the water reaches about halfway up the ramekins or baking dish.  

Bake the ramekins for 25-30 minutes, or if using a larger baking dish 35-40 minutes; until the top of the soufflé is just barely browned and a toothpick inserted into the cake portion comes out clean. Be careful not to insert the toothpick into the sauce at the bottom of the dish(es).  Remove from the water bath and cool slightly before serving.  Can be served warm or at room temperature, with some whipped cream, powdered sugar, or fresh fruit- if desired.  Best consumed the day it's made.

Sources: adapted from Joy the Baker's Cookbook and blog post

Coffee Bacon

  This, my friends, is not for the faint of heart.

  First of all, you should know that I'm not a coffee person.  And while this bacon isn't totally coffee-ed up, I could definitely taste it.  It was enough to make me not really like it, but my dad loooooved it.

  You know I'm a fan of candying bacon, and this isn't far from that.  Buuut we're adding in a little coffee marinade to the mix, and it just makes things all sorts of intense.

  Chewy, with a crunch, much bacon-ness, and a hint of spice, this is totally man bacon.  But since Joy the Baker developed this recipe, it's absolutely for the ladies too.  I wouldn't call it an ideal Mother's Day recipe, but right now, it's what I got :)

  Shout out to my mom for being the awesome, classy lady that she is!  I make her this cheesecake every year, because she deserves it.  Happy mom's weekend y'all.  Eat bacon.

Coffee Bacon
Yield: 8-12 slices

Ingredients:

• 8-12 slices uncooked bacon
• 1/4 cup freshly ground coffee
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 4 tablespoons packed brown sugar, divided
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 tablespoon water
• Freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:

Lay cascading bacon slices atop one another so that the fat is on top.  Place bacon on top of a piece of plastic wrap or brown butcher paper.

In a small bowl, combine the coffee, chili powder, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, molasses, and water.  Spread the mixture over the exposed, fatty part of the bacon slices, pressing in with the back of a spoon.  Wrap in the plastic wrap or butcher paper and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Wipe off most of the coffee grounds with a paper towel, but not all.  The majority of the coffee will be on the top of the bacon slices.  Lay the slices in a single layer on the parchment paper and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and freshly cracked pepper.

Bake until browned and crisp, about 14-17 minutes, or until bacon has reached your desired crispiness. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for five minutes before serving.

Sources: adapted from Joy the Baker's Cookbook and blog post

God Bless

  If you've been wondering where I've been, this cake should explain much.  The past couple of weeks have been crazy, and this weekend was the finale.  Or perhaps just the beginning of graduating craziness.

  I made another giant cake yesterday.  A vast improvement since last time, wouldn't you say?  My piping definitely still needs work, but you can't just buy practice.  This chocolate beast was for my Catholic neighbors, and I figured the whole "God Bless" thing would actually be a good theme for this post.

  I had my last ever piano recital today.  Usually I'm a nervous mess around these things, but this time I was remarkably cool.  I sat down with a clear head and gave it my all.  And when I stood up to bow, applause just erupted.  I stood in front of the mic waiting to announce the next piece, but they wouldn't stop clapping.  I guess I could've taken another bow, but I didn't know what to do...except smile gratefully.  I've never seen anything like at at recitals before.

  It was a brilliant way to end five years of study, and it's a moment I'll never forget.

  There have been a lot of such little endings.  Things I've been doing for four years that are just done now.  All gone.  People move on, more things happen, and you live life.  It makes me incredibly sad, but at the same time I can't wait to see what's next.

  Overall, I feel blessed.  And so crazy tired.  I hope to get some recipes up here soon, but know that the kitchen is never a dull place here.  Only this space has been neglected.  I miss it.  I haven't been able to work up motivation for it in a while.  I don't remember the last time I picked up a book either. My brain is in so many other places, and right now all I want to do is sleep and hang out with my closest friends.

  But I'll be back.  There's a part of me that always has to write and create, even when I'm not really feeling it.

  God Bless.

White Chocolate Honey Chamomile Cupcakes

  Macklemore, cupcakes, s'mores bars, How I Met Your Mother, piano, and friends.  That's the past two weeks, in a nutshell.  Between those events are attacks of senioritis, and when they happened I would literally watch 5 episodes of HIMYM in a row.  I don't know how I find that show soothing, but somehow it helped.  Please don't ask how many seasons I watched, I've already grounded myself from it for the time being.

  There have also been frequent bouts of shopping.  I went to Anthropologie for the first time ever a week ago, and oh my lands....dem dishes.  I died.  50 times.  Let me introduce the newest member, a little salt cellar with a matching spoon.  Worth every penny.

  I have been rather occupied, and I've also been trying to be better about the amount of sweets I thrust upon the poor members of my household.  It's sort of been working...

  Anyway, that's why I have another Sundays with Joy post for you.  This time round we're doing Joy's chamomile cakes with honey frosting.  Nooooms!

  Ohh, how to describe these?  It's pretty much like everything that's good about teatime in your mouth all at once.  I'll admit, I was a little skeptical about chamomile-ing a perfectly innocent little cupcake.  And then, after reading Hummingbird High's post, I decided to go a slightly different route than stated within Joy's recipe.

  Apparently, infusing the milk with chamomile rather than just dumping it into the cake batter dry will result in a fluffier, less grainy cupcake.  I can't say this is entirely true, since I haven't actually tried Joy's non-infused-milk method, but I can say that my cupcake was indeed fluffy and lovely.  And I also know that the other members of Sundays with Joy made theirs with equal success, and there were no complaints of graininess.

  That being said, I'm very happy with the way these turned out.  Chamomile-infused, a bit of crunch on the outside edges (I love me a cupcake with some texture), a sweet honey glaze, and all sorts of loveliness.  Make these, love them, and share them with your lady friends!

  Also, today is Sundays with Joy's first anniversary!  I'm so happy to be with this group, and a year really flew by.  We've grown from 25-150 members, and are halfway through Joy's book of 100 recipes.  It's a great place to be if you're a Joy the Baker fan, join in while there's still recipes to make!

  Please note that you'll have to infuse the milk with the chamomile a day in advance, but it's totally worth it. 

White Chocolate Honey Chamomile Cupcakes

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients for the cupcakes:

• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons dried chamomile flowers (from tea bags)
• 1 cup flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 egg, at room temperature

Ingredients for the frosting:

• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 tablespoon  honey
• 6 tablespoons heavy cream
• Pinch of salt
• White chocolate chips or shavings, for garnish

Directions:

Put the 1/2 cup buttermilk and 3 tablespoons dried chamomile flowers in a liquid measuring cup and stir to combine.  Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight. Bring to room temperature before using.  

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line a cupcake pan with liners.  Pour the buttermilk mixture through a fine mesh sieve strainer set over a bowl and use a rubber spatula to squeeze out every drop of buttermilk from the chamomile.  Discard the chamomile left in the strainer.    

Place the flour, sugar baking powder, salt, and butter in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Beat on low speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined.  With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour in the chamomile-infused buttermilk.  Beat until well blended.  Add the egg and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Divide the batter between the cupcake liners, filling each half full (There isn't much batter to go round, and I discovered after trying 2/3 full that it really likes to rise.  Don't be me.).  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, whisk together the powdered sugar, honey, cream, and salt in a medium bowl.  Whisk until smooth.  Use a butter knife or an offset spatula to generously spread the frosting/glaze atop each cooled cupcake.  Garnish with white chocolate immediately after frosting, before the glaze gets too hard.  Cakes will last in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Sources: adapted from Hummingbird High and Joy the Baker's Cookbook and blog post

Greek Drop Biscuits

  Welp, I've jinxed my Mondays.  I admit to having a crappy Monday once, and now, all of a sudden, they suck for no apparent reason.

  Blehhhhhhhhh.

  No happiness, zero energy, and motivation drops off the face of the earth.

  With that mood in mind, would one really want to go about and knead things?  Make a big, flour-y, butter-y mess on one's kitchen table just to have a few biscuits?  Is it too much work to line baking sheets with parchment?

  Well, today...yeah, yeah it is.

  This is where these miraculous things called drop biscuits come in.  No cutting, no shaping, no kneading.  Just a spoon and a hot skillet in the oven.

  And, to make things seem all fancified, I'm calling them Greek.  Because feta+kalamata olives+olive oil+oregano=Greek.  Duh.

  I was a little apprehensive when I stuck these in the oven.  Joy's original recipe was all goat cheese, honey, and whole wheat.  And seeing as I'm just not a fan of those things (albeit the honey), major adaptations were in order.

  Goat cheese got me thinking feta, and feta got me thinking about Greek salad.  Which is amazing and should be consumed by everyone every day.  Somehow this stemmed into incorporating some of the main components of said salad into biscuits.  Cut down the salt, bring out the all-purpose flour, chop some olives, throw in a little oregano...

  Yes, I was nervous with all these changes, but you know what?  It worked!  Booyah.

  Now, if I'd had an actual mound of cucumbers and tomatoes lying around, I'd definitely be whipping up a Greek salad and piling it onto biscuits halves.  That sounds really weird, but I'm pretty sure it'd be amazing.

  But, in lieu of that, hummus is always a good idea.

  Really though, these guys don't even need all that fuss.  They're good just as they are.  Soft, fluffy, a hint of chew on their olive oil-browned bottom, perfectly subtle aroma of oregano, and studded with chunks of salty olives and feta.

  30-Minute Greek Drop Biscuits.  What now, Monday?

Greek Drop Biscuits
Yield: 4-6 biscuits

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
• 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup cold buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, for greasing the pan

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Place a cast-iron skillet (Preferably a 10-inch, but at least a 6-inch one will do.  If all else fails, use a cake pan.) in the oven as it preheats.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and oregano.  With a fork, gently toss in the kalamata olives.  Add the cold butter and feta cheese and quickly incorporate into the flour mixture with your fingers, do this until the butter and cheese chunks are roughly the size of small pebbles and oat flakes.  Make a well in the center of the mixture.  Pour the buttermilk into the well and use the fork to stir together.  Stir until all the flour is moistened and no dry bits remain.  Set aside.

Remove the hot skillet from the oven and add the olive oil, swirling the pan about so the bottom is coated.  Spoon the batter into the pan by the 1/4 cupful, leaving about an inch of room between biscuits.  They will bake up touching one another, that's fine.  If you can't fit all your batter in at once, place it in the fridge while the biscuits bake.

Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until the tops are very lightly golden, appear dry, and are slightly firm.  Remove from the oven and let rest in the pan for 5 minutes.  Repeat with remaining batter as needed.

Best served immediately, but will keep for up to 3 days, well-wrapped, at room temperature.

Sources: inspired by Joy the Baker's Cookbook