If you build it, they will come. If you buy nice sheets for your bed, they will come. If you project your desires to the world (in my case, as the form of a perfect boyfriend), he will come. If you visualize your life as you want it, it will manifest itself. All bits of heavy, slightly too new-agey advice that I have sagely and seriously been offered this week. How about my own? Plan and bake the perfect muffin and the Farmer's Market managers will ask me to come. Done and done.
I know one thing, I am tired of trying my hand at internet dating. I am tired of 'meeting' socially awkward men online and then being disappointed in person. My biggest beefs with them are usually superficial too, so shame on me. The last guy I went out with on a first/last date? Super nice. Super effeminate. Super not attracted. I seriously have no one to blame but myself for my perpetual singledom. So I am owning that blame and will make a concerted effort to meet 'real' men (as opposed to the virtual ones). Then at least I know if they have a lisp or look 55 despite claiming to be 35 before we get past hello. I will manifest the introductions just as I will manifest my perfect muffins.
Morning Glory in Paradise Muffins
So tonight, I put on my 'wish necklace' ("Make a wish on this necklace and when it falls off your body in a state of worn and mildewed stinkiness it will come true"... ok, ok, so they necklace is actually beautiful and it's directions said nothing about the mildew & stinkiness...) and set about baking a perfect batch of islandified Morning Glory Muffins. Pineapple. Carrot. Raisins. Apple. Coconut. Macadamia Nuts. Cinnamon and Spice. What's amazing is that this muffin is dairy free and convincingly healthy. It's different enough to turn heads, but comforting enough to be a go-to morning muffin when you're looking for something to crunch on in between the sink-your-teeth-into-heaven deliciousness. Yup, they're that good.
Kabocha (local pumpkin) Cinnamon Rolls with lemony-cream cheese frosting.
Seven hours in the kitchen last night: Four kinds of cookies, two different varieties of muffins, two quick breads, one pound cake, one jar of lilikoi curd, one batch of scones and one pan of cinnamon rolls. One confirmed meltdown on cookies and one near meltdown from me due to monsoon-like rains assaulting and my little house's jalousie (read: non-sealing) windows and the humidity's affect on the goods. One refrigerator and freezer packed so tight that opening it is like opening a hive of angry bees - watch your toes cause something hard and frozen will likely be headed for them. Countless loads of dishes and remarkably only one broken water glass. And simply ridiculous amounts of butter, sugar and flour.
Muffins. It was all about the muffins.
Three hours in the living room this morning: Fifteen of my dearest friends, three french coffee presses filled many times over, twelve sheets filled with pen & paper bakery feedback, numerous casual suggestions, accolades and great conversation.
Well played.
The end result of the R&D breakfast (after a long, recuperating, sugar-coma induced nap)? I'm moving forward. I've got better direction. I'm whittling down bakery names. And I dearly, truly love my friends.
Tart & creamy Lilikoi Curd.
Muffins were the clear winner in the tastings. The lilikoi curd and the cream cheese frosting from the cinnamon rolls were standouts. Looking forward to refining recipies and sharing the results!
Cutting into a huge Pomelo, our island grapefruit.
So it turns out that not everything sour is unpleasant what you add sugar. I'm learning this both inside the kitchen and out. Lemons? Lemon Curd. Boy who dropped me like a hot tamale? Good riddance and good motivation to do better for myself. Grapefruit? Fresca Soda! (that's Grapefruit Soda, peeps....) Boy du jour who I am currently crushing on but who toes the other side of political lines? Making Out a bunch so you never have a chance to talk politics. Limes? Candied Lime Peel. See? Something sweet can come of anything sour!
So, with today's lesson on sweetening the sour in mind, I am currently standing in my kitchen wearing yoga pants (ha! maybe if I dress up and PRETEND I'm going to work out after baking it MIGHT happen. Not likely, but I digress...) getting ready to make some awesome candied citrus peel. I'm going to make the candy with lemon, lime and pomelo (island grapefruit). The lemon will be for topping lemon curd tarts, the grapefruit will be for something undetermined (I have a grapefruit in my kitchen so it's getting candied) and the lime is destined for some island-inspired Lime, Coconut, Mac Nut, White Chocolate Chip, Spiced Oatmeal Cookies. Shoots, Cuz! (translation: Wow. That's really something, friend!)
Back to the Citrus Peel. I'm gonna call on my nemesis/ mentor Martha freakin' Stewart again. That woman has way too many good recipes to ignore. Every time I use her recipes they turn out pretty fantastic, so that sweetens the sour of her too.
Peeling the pith from the limes.
Candied Citrus Peel
recipe modified from Martha Stewart
1/4 Pomelo Grapefruit
5 Limes
2 Lemons
1 1/2 cups sugar
With a sharp paring knife, slice off ends of pomelo, limes, and lemons. Following curve of fruit, cut away outermost peel, leaving most of the white pith on fruit. Slice peel lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips.
Making a mess with pith, juice & peels.
OK Martha- you make this sound easy. It's not. It took me almost 2 hours to do this to all the fruit because it didn't come off easily. Most of my strips are more like chunks... with holes in them.
In a medium pot of boiling water, cook peel until tender, about 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer peel to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet; spread in a single layer to dry slightly, about 15 minutes.
Um, yeah... Martha, how do these sit on the wire rack without falling through? I set mine on paper towels on top of the rack. They didn't get very dry, but I am getting tired after being at this for over 2 hours now.
Drying rind and cocktail juice.
In a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water to a boil over high, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add peel and boil until it turns translucent and syrup thickens, 10-20 minutes.
It starts to look like you're cooking sardines with the bubbling little slices of peel. I cooked them until the sugar syrup had reduced to about 1/3-1/2 its volume.
With slotted spoon, transfer peel to wire rack, separating the pieces as needed.
Then pour the citrusy sugar syrup into a jar and put in the fridge for future use. Hello, cocktails!!
Let peel dry 1 hour. Toss with 1/2 cup sugar to coat.
In retrospect, the recipe might have meant "Make all this great candied rind from all these fruits... separately." Once I removed them from the sugar syrup they're all kind of the same color. I think I can pick out which fruit is which from the shape, and you can taste the difference. But it might be easier to do them separately in the future.
So yum. The sour becomes sweet. These buggas are good. I keep snacking on them...gotta save some for cookies. And yoga? Yeah right.
R&D. Research & Development. Things that go on in my life on a regular basis. But are we talking about my love life or my kitchen? Let's decide, shall we?
This week's Research:
Compiling of my favorite locally-inspired recipes
Cost computing of said recipes
Hopeful (honestly, really, amazingly so) time spent on the phone with the Hawaii State Department of Agriculture
Attending a "Backyard Beekeeping" seminar
Chatting up an old friend/ insurance agent to get a second insurance quote
Finding new kabocha (pumpkin)-inspired recipes to experiment with
And spending too many hours on Match.com pondering why no one new ever signs up and why a 26-year-old (who I had absolutely no business giving my # to, but did purely because a 26-year-old asked for it & it made me feel like I 'still got it') would think its OK to text me at 5:15am... and again at 7am...and again at 8. And when i finally respond at 8 that he'd woke me up, his response is a wink-y face thingy and 'just thinkin bout ya. forgive me?' Thinkin' about me? He's never even met me (let alone talked to me!) Augh. I am too old for this shit.
And then there's the Development:
As evidenced, absolutely no Development in the Love Life side of things
Invitations sent to an upcoming "Bakery R&D Taste Test Breakfast" - this is a major Development!
So here's the scoop: I'm throwing a breakfast get-together, cleverly labeled the "Bakery R&D Breakfast". I've invited a lot of friends and have promised them plenty of baked goodies in exchange for their honest feedback and opinions on both the baked goods and business names. Providing that the feedback on the muffins/tarts/cookies/breads/sweet rolls is predominately positive, I'm hoping to also enlist these friends to be the Shay's Bakery (official Bakery name tbd) PR Army. I'm hoping that these dear people will help pave a way for me to get into the Farmer's Markets by talking, tweeting, posting, sharing and whatever else people do these days to pass on good words. And I hope these friends will stay by my side, eating my baked yummies as things begin to(hopefully) grow.
So- you gonna be on Oahu in 2 weeks? If so, you should come to the Bakery R&D Breakfast! October 15th. In Palolo. Help me decide on a Bakery Name. Eat lots of food. Drink coffee (or mimosas) and be around some wonderful, amazingly supportive people called my friends. I'd love to have you!
Sitting home on a Friday night, watching Billy Elliot again for the first time in years (it just never gets old. It seems more viscerally moving every time I see it), computing recipe costs and eating a bowl of ice cream. And talking on the phone with a cute boy... but only after the movie was over and I'd dried my happy tears. (ps- Can I mention how much I MISS seeing live ballet. I would just die to see an inspired production of the male Swan Lake. Chills just thinking about it).
So its my kind of a Friday night. The roommate is out and I have the house to myself. The rain smells sweet like wet grass and asphalt as it leaks it's big, fat, heavy drops onto the tin roof of the church next door. It's making percussive music as it falls. Tchaikovsky is playing on Spotify. All is more than well.
I'm happy to say a very productive week just wrapped. I met with a business counsellor. I priced out ingredients at Costco and the local food co-op. I realize that I need to find a better wholesale option than Costco. I got a quote on insurance. I researched available business names. I consulted with my mom about her experience running her own business. I bought new makeup and set dates with two men. And I dreamed that my little Farmers Market Bake Shop evolved into a coffee shop cafe in blossoming Palolo (my neighborhood), complete with al fresco dining and a glossy light wood interior. And I dreamed, on top of that dream, that I managed to make myself into this generation's Martha Steward. Baking, Sewing, Gardening, Home Improvement Projects and more... Better Homes & Gardens will be pounding down my door for an interview. So now I am trying to snap back to reality. Tugging on my own reins. I need to START SLOW. Which is so funny to remind myself that because a week ago I was terrified of even thinking of renting kitchen space. It's all feeling very doable right now, and it's thrilling.
I'm thinking a Baking Breakfast for friends is in store. I need feedback on recipes. I need feedback on proposed business names. And I need to figure out exactly how many muffins/ cookies/ slices of pound cake are in these recipes anyway. So stay tuned. Your tummy may be invited to breakfast at the house very soon!
Two challenges today. Well, maybe three if you count being on time as one of them. That's already an epic fail.
I visited the new farmers market this morning and am forever changed. Never again will I wade through the crowds at the more well-known "KCC" market. The new market was large enough to have plenty of selection, busy enough to run into friends, yet slow enough to be able to chat with vendors and enjoy the morning. Feeling inspired, I chatted up the Market Manager, telling her about my yummy Mango Bread, Banana Bread & Avocado Pound Cake and my desire to have a booth selling my goods. Though she said 'Mmmmm, sounds delicious', she immediately followed that by 'but we already have two bakers here.' She suggested bringing by a sample of my goods next week and she'd think about it. Now, I am totally jumping the gun but even chatting with her yet. I am no where near ready to go. But maybe I need to stop being so damn methodical and get a fire lit under my ass. So, inspired like I was going to bake all my best recipes in the same week (what was I thinking?) along with designing packaging and apparently becoming Superbakerwoman, I came home with 20 ripe Lilikoi, 4 long and thin mangoes and 3 huge avocados.
So challenge #1- impress Market Manager in very near future with scrumptious samples. Which will also require packaging/ stickers/ logos designed. And a business name. Crap. I've got a lot to do.
Holy Sweet Potato, Batman!
Once home I threw around some ideas for what to make for the "Locally Made" potluck I was supposed to be at over an hour ago (quick aside- I'm typing while the pie is baking... so this technically isn't adding to the tardiness). Mango Bread is out because the Mangoes I bought are too green. Avocado Pound Cake has the same problem. The Lilikois are destined for Curd, so no sense cutting them open yet. I have a half gone jar of Lemon Curd in the fridge, but not enough to make something for a crowd. And I have an ENORMOUS Sweet Potato that is waiting to be used for something...
So challenge #2- Make something delicious and local with what is currently in the kitchen- so "Sweet Potato Something" it will be.
And the underlying challenge #3. Do yard work, bake something yummy, clean house & then proceed to run all over town retracing my morning market jaunt looking for lost cell phone and still be on time to potluck. FAIL. What I actually did was run all over town looking for cell phone to no avail, plant some seeds, clean a bit and take a long nap. And now I am almost 1 1/2 hours late for said potluck with 45 minutes left on the pie's timer. EPIC fail.
So what can I be successful at today? Baking Sweet Potato Pie!
Making the monster manageable size. Then I forgot to keep taking pictures. My bad.
So taking on the Sweet Potato Monster, I eyeballed that bowling ball-sized tuber and estimated it was about 4-5 cups of mashed goodness. Enough to make two pies. One for the potluck, and one for a going away party tomorrow.
I washed it off, sliced it into manageable chunks and peeled it with a peeler. Then I cooked down the chunks. If I had planned ahead I would have boiled them on the stove. But I didn't, so I covered them with water and put them in the microwave for about five 8-minute sessions. Once they slid tenderly off the knife I kept poking them with, I drained them and let them cool.
Now most sweet potato recipes tell you never to put them in a mixer because they get gummy. I have to agree, but timing was not on my side. Nor could I find my potato masher. So mixer it was. I didn't overmix. There are still a few soft lumps in the potato mash. I think that's ok. But that is entirely your call. I mixed it together and licked the spatula more than I should. I really won't be too hungry at this potluck tonight after my Sweet Potato Pie pre-dinner batter-licking feast. But my verdict? Totally worth it.
So here's the official unofficial recipe: Backyard Sweet Potato Pie Modified from Joy the Baker's "Dad's Perfect Sweet Potato Pie"
2 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes. I used a local white fleshed variety.
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk, divided.
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
Measure 2 cups of the mash and put in a medium sized pot with the packed brown sugar, all of the spices, salt, the 1/2 stick butter, and 1/2 can of evaporated milk. Cook on low for about 5 minutes, whipping with a wire whisk until butter and brown sugar are melted down and mixture is well blended, smooth and starts to smell delicious. Remove from heat and let cool. In a medium sized bowl, beat the three eggs with a fork. Add the rest of the can of evaporated milk, granulated sugar and vanilla to the eggs and continue beating until creamy. Pour the cooled sweet potato mixture from pot into a large bowl. Stir in the egg mixture. Blend thoroughly.
Pour the yumminess into 9" or 10" pie crust (choose 9" and you'll be licking the spatula a lot with the extra).
Bake 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Then lower the temp to 325 degrees for 45 minutes or so, until it plumps around the edges and doesn't jiggle much when you tap it. Let it cool before serving (well, let it cool a little...)
I'm currently inspired by babies (not always... only sometimes... honestly, rarely... sort of... Christ).
So my niece Morgan Brynn came into the world at 6 pounds, 15 ounces yesterday, and I couldn't be a prouder auntie! Yesterday I also received an email from a pregnant friend who is currently enjoying 3 weeks abroad in Italy with her baby bump just beginning to show. I then found out a favorite little inchworm, 2-month-old Hope, is coming into town with her mama Susan on Sunday. And tomorrow I am hosting a good friend's baby shower at the house- 10 women crammed into my living room making small talk about babies (or lack thereof) and playing awkward games involving faux poopy diapers, giant diaper pins and charading through guessing games about who's getting knocked up next. Luckily I am only responsible for opening my doors and baking cupcakes. Cupcakes I can handle. And buying a gift. Shit, I forgot to buy a gift.
So... showers. Why the heck do I always seem to be buying gifts for people having awkwardly traditional events that I do not qualify for? Bridal Showers. Baby Showers. Bachlorette Parties. Graduations. You don't really have a Shower for a Graduation, but you get a party and you still need to buy people crap. Weddings. Bar Mitzvahs. The list goes on.
I love my friends and love giving gifts, but lately I feel like I am continually checking someone's registry and plunking down a credit card for cute items I wish I had in my own house, but I am too broke to buy for myself. I want a Shower. I want cute Anthropology bowls and plates. I want a new set of La Creuset baking dishes and a soft Cashmere blanket. Much like Carrie Bradford registering for a pair of Manolos in that old Sex & The City episode (Season 6, Episode 8.3. I had to look that up, but obviously that episode resonated with me), I want an excuse for people to shower me with gifts that doesn't require reciprocation. I want. I want. I want. Greedly little bugger, aren't I?
So how can I make these cupcakes into something like a bit of a gift to me? First off, I can throw out any concept of 'healthy' out the window. I will abandon any inkling of 'diet' and thoroughly indulge. Second, I will bake extras and bring them to the picnic and concert I'm heading to tomorrow night. A little indulgent baking to share with any available good-looking men is never a bad idea. And Third, I am going to make all tomorrow's Shower attendees remember how damn good the cupcakes were so that eventually (hopefully, God-willingly) they will shower me with all the cute and non-essential crap that keeps stacking up on my "Dear Toothfairy/ Santa/ Sugar Daddy/ Important Grantor of all Shower-Requiring Events Deity" list when such a time comes. One would hope.
Until then, Cupcakes. Inspired by my Limon Curd session last week and this ode to the little muchkins and munchkins-to-be, I've decided to pair something sweet and pink (Strawberries & Cream Cheese) with something tart and acerbic (Limon Curd) and wrap it together with something traditional and delicious (Vanilla, Sugar and Butter). That about sums up my feelings toward this whole baby business. As much as I gripe about buying gifts and bemoan being single, I love my girlfriends and their little monsters more than anything in the world.
Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes- makes 2 dozen cupcakes adapted from Sprinklers Strawberry Cupcakes by Candace Nelson
1/2 cup thick Strawberry Jam
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
2 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 large egg, room temperature
4 large egg whites, room temperature
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry jam; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.
With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.
Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely before filling and frosting.
Once cool, take a sharp knife (a steak knife works well) and hollow out a chunk of cake (about the size of an extra large grape). Be sure to leave the bottom and sides of the cupcake untouched.
Hollowed out cupcakes get the parfait treatment.
Smoothing out the Limon/ Lemon curd filling.
Strawberry Jam smear atop the Curd.
Fill each hole with a mini parfait layering a tiny drop of strawberry jam, a small spoonful with Limon (or Lemon) curd and topping with another drop of jam. See recipe for Limon/ Lemon Curd in the previous blog entry "Preserving fruit. And my bruised ego."
Frost with a tiny dollop of yummy strawberry cream cheese frosting with a hint of lemon (recipe below). They guys don't really even need the frosting, but it looks pretty! Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and a scant sprinkle of fresh lemon zest.
Strawberry Cream Cheese with Lemon frosting 1 teaspoon Strawberry Jam Tiny squeeze of fresh lemon juice (maybe 1/2 teaspoon) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 2 oz (1/4 brick) cream cheese 1 cups Powdered Sugar 2 oz (1/4 stick) unsalted butter Beat in electric mixer until light and dreamy.
Tonight's Listening Inspiration:
Mumford & Sons Sigh No More
Ingrid Michaelson Girls and Boys
