White Chocolate Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake

I finally get to share this cake! I've been saving it for a good day but I just can't wait any longer. So I'm just going to share it because it's a Monday. Happy Monday everybody!

It's one of my best cakes yet, and the first one since I started this blog. Last year for Christmas, I received this cookbook, All Cakes Considered, just in time for my stepfather's birthday on New Year's Eve. The first recipe I made there was the Red Velvet Cake. This year, I decided to make the whipped cream cake for his birthday gathering because I've always wanted to decorate a cake with white chocolate flakes. It was light, creamy and not too sweet. The best part was that everybody was at our apartment to enjoy it with us. 

There are some things to be improved on. Perhaps it was a little dry because the cream had been whipped too much. The second layer has some coffee, but it's not as good as the plain layer.

White Chocolate Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake

Adapted from All Cakes Considered

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

2 cup whipping cream, separated

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tbsp strawberry jam

4 oz white chocolate shavings

About 15 strawberries

Line and grease two 8-inch round cake pans. Mix flour, salt, and baking powder together. Set eggs out in a medium bowl until they're at room temperature. Whisk until light and lemon-colored. Whisk 1 cup of whipping cream in a large bowl when soft peaks form. Mix in the eggs and vanilla and whisk until light as foam. Mix in the sugar. Sift in flour mixture in three batches and fold in. Pour mixture into cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Remove cakes from pans and let cool. Whisk the remaining cup of cream until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form. Spread the jam on the bottom layer. Then spread half of the cream evenly. Add the top layer and spread the remaining icing on the top and the sides. Decorate with strawberries on the side. 

Top with white chocolate shavings. I was using a cheese grater to shave my white chocolate. Then my talented sister arrived and showed me how to make chocolate curls using a vegetable peeler. Technique really is everything.

Refrigerate immediately! It can be served right away or after half--even a whole--day in the fridge. I think it tastes even better 24 hours later. Here's to many more birthdays for me to practice cake decorating!

Pita Bread, Pita Chips, and Feta Squares

Last weekend we had a few friends over, and boy did we have a fantastic time. Our guests brought home-brewed beer, great wine, and sparkling conversation. We made dinner. It's gonna take me a couple days to recount it. 

For appetizer, pita chips and hummus are always delicious and easy to make at home! I got both recipes from The Kitchen Bible. To make the hummus, process chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, salt, and paprika in a food processor until smooth. Voilà!

The pita bread is just as easy as the Naan. Mix together olive oil, water, yeast, salt, sugar, and flour. Knead for 5 minutes, and rise for an hour. Roll out 8 pitas and place them on 2 baking sheets. Proof for 20 minutes.

Bake for 10 minutes. 10 minutes!

I saved half as bread for those who prefer soft pita. And toasted the rest at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Drizzle with some love...I mean...EVOO

This is the first time I made these feta squares. They are tasty, especially as afternoon snacks with tea. But this recipe could be improved; it's a little dry as dinner appetizer. Next time I might add the cheese on top instead. It's got butter, olive oil, milk, flour, and feta. Topped with cayenne pepper and poppy seeds. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

In addition to food pictures, I must show you my blogging companion.

Rupert has something to say: "Stay tuned for main course and dessert!"

Bread of the Week: Naan

Whenever I'm uninspired to bake new bread, I always go back to this recipe for Naan from The Kitchen Bible. It never fails me. The combination of butter, yogurt, and seasoning makes it soft and fragrant. I substituted in Greek yogurt and garlic flakes, because that's what we had. And because this is a short work week, we don't need a loaf of bread for sandwiches. This fits our bread needs for the week perfectly.  The best part, it only takes 6 minutes to bake!

Garlic Naan
Adapted from The Kitchen Bible

3/4 cup tepid water
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
4 tbsp butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
3 - 3 1/4 cups bread flour
1 1/4 tsp instant yeast
2 tsp garlic flakes

Make sure the butter, yogurt, and water are lukewarm, and combine. Mix in the salt and sugar. Then add 1/2 cup of the flour and the yeast. Mix well.

Add 2 more cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Mix until the dough comes together into a ball. Turn it onto a bed of flour and knead for five minutes or until it passes the windowpane test. I didn't think it would because the dough is so soft, but it did. Add more flour if needed.

Knead in the garlic flakes for a minute. Then form it into a boule. Put it in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic. Let it rise for an hour or until doubled. I think it takes a pretty warm room to double it in an hour. It took me an hour and a half.

Shift the oven racks to the top third and middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it onto the counter. Cut into four pieces. Form four small boules. Then roll them out into ovals. Place on two baking sheets. Bake for a mere 6 minutes. 

Now is the time to introduce my bread warmer! We got this at our church's fair trade event two or three weeks ago. I finally get to use it. It kept our bread warm for dinner!

Made in Bangladesh

My top ones were browned before 6 minutes were up. If they're not browned after 6 minutes, turn the oven to boil and brown the tops for 30 seconds.

And what better to go with Naan than some curry? The Quick Lamb Curry, also from The Kitchen Bible, did not disappoint. It only took 10 minutes to prep and 10 minutes to cook. While the lamb chop is roasting in the oven, wash and puree the vegetables. The pureed vegetable as a curry base is new to me. I really like it.

Add the curry powder to the vegetable puree. Then add the lamb pieces, coconut milk, tomatoes, and cook for 6 minutes. And voilà.

Serve warm with white rice and Naan. Delicious!

Personal Chicken Pot Pies

It's about time I made Bill's favorite meal - chicken pot pie! You probably know by now how much I love my Kitchen Bible, but the chicken pot pie recipe just didn't work out for me. After some trial and error, I finally figured out how to make a good chicken pot pie. It's even a little bit healthier compared to the store bought version, according to Bill.

The first time I made chicken pot pie, I didn't know whether to cook the filling on the stove or in the oven. The recipe did not specifically say simmer until thickened, so I assumed the oven will finish the job. It came out very watery. Now I know better. When my crust is chilling, I make the filling and thicken it on the stove. Then it only takes 20 minutes to bake the crust and the pot pies are ready to eat! This time I decided to make personal pot pies because Bill was skeptical that these soup bowls will ever get used. I showed him! This recipe makes four personal pot pies or one 9 inch pie.

Basic Puff Pastry
2 cups all-purpose flour
12 tbsp unsalted butter
4 tbsp ice water
A squeeze of lemon juice

Chicken Pot Pie Filling
2 tbsp butter
1 cup chicken cut into pieces
1 medium onion
2 celery stalks1 large carrot
1 large parsnip
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 tbsp flour
salt & pepper

Puff pastry may seem intimidating the first time, but it really just take some prep work ahead of time. First, chill the butter in the freezer. I can't remember where I read this, but it's a really useful tip. Any time you start thinking about making a pie, put the butter in the freezer. It makes the butter easier to cut into the flour. When you are ready to make the crust, cut the butter in pieces and mix in with the flour.

Making Paula Deen proud

Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter until well-mixed with some larger pieces of butter.

Add a squeeze of lemon juice and ice water, one table spoon at a time into the flour. Mix it with a fork until well hydrated. Pack the mixture into a ball and cover it with plastic wrap. Put it in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. This is when you can start making the filling.

I like The Kitchen Bible's mix of traditional veggies (celery, carrots, peas) and parsnip. Next time I will try adding the green beans from my in-laws' garden. Pot pie is a great way to incorporate vegetables into a meal!

Stir veggies on medium heat with butter (or oil) until tender. Then add the stock and heavy cream. Simmer for 20 minutes. Sprinkle and stir in the flour one tablespoon at a time to thicken. Don't forget to season it with salt and pepper! I always forget.

After washing, chopping, and mixing the filling, your 30 minutes are probably up. Dust the surface and rolling pin. Roll the dough out into a 8x10 rectangle, then fold it in thirds onto itself.

I made a couple more folds so I could skip another chilling cycle after this one. Also, instead of chilling in the refrigerator, I put it in the freezer for five minutes, just to save a little bit of time.

Spoon filling into oven-safe bowls. Roll out the dough into a square and cut four pieces. Cover each bowl with pastry.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. They are very hot. Be sure to cool for ten minutes before serving!

This one fell in

You can bake all four or save half of the filling and pie dough in the fridge up to three days for an easy lunch or dinner.

Impromptu Pizza

This pizza recipe is really easy. I woke up this morning thinking, it'd be nice to have some pizza but can we fit it into our schedule today? Then I was encouraged by the ingredient list for the pizza dough--only five ingredients! I can make it before church! I mixed all the ingredients together, kneaded the dough in our stand mixer, and let it rise while we were at church. When we got back, the fun began!

Basic Pizza Dough from The Kitchen Bible
modified with what I had on hand
3 2/3 cups bread flour
4 1/2 tsp dry active yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups tepid water
2 tbsp olive oil

Combine flour, yeast and salt. Mix until combined. Add water and oil and mix until a ball forms. Knead for 6 minutes with dough hook, while adding more flour until the bottom stops sticking to the bowl. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover with plastic. Let it rise until doubled. This is a soft and sticky dough. You will need to dust it and your hands with flour when handling it.

Once we got back, I punched down the dough and divided them into two boules. My pizza tossing still needs work, but I managed to stretched to dough out without rolling or breaking the dough.

The sauce is also simple. But I found the pizzas came out too saucy. Next time I will save half of the sauce.

Simple Pizza Sauce
15oz tomato suace
3 oz tomato paste
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
dash of onion powder
dash of garlic flakes
dash of ground pepper

Mix ingredients in a medium size saucepan on medium heat. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

Olives are only allowed on half of the pizza

Top the pizzas with your favorite ingredients! We made a Hawaiian one with ham, pineapple, black olives, and shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 18-20 minutes at 400 degrees until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden brown.

The second pizza we topped with spinach, mushrooms, fresh mozzarella, and crumbled feta.

Bill says, "Mmm, cheesy goodness."

We love having pizzas for lunch or dinner! They're fun and tasty. With some preparation, we had two pizzas within an hour. Plenty of leftovers for the coming week. Needless to say I have pizza recipe books on my wishlist. Pizza stone has also been recommended to us. Perhaps I will need to get one.

How do you like to top your pizzas?

Chicken for Dinner

First of all, happy birthday to my sister! We live in different states, so I can't help her celebrate today, but I'm thinking of her. I'm really looking forward to seeing her in December. We sent our well-wishes and a present via snailmail--a buffalo tallow soap from Yellowstone we obtained during our roadtrip this year. Don't worry, she already received it so I'm not spoiling the surprise.

Wild buffalo in Yellowstone National Park

We had a friend over tonight for dinner before joining him to a Bible study. I wasn't sure what he likes, but chicken sounded like a safe choice. I made Chicken Cacciatore from The Kitchen Bible, modified with what I had on hand and farmer's market cherry tomatoes.This recipe stood out from the other chicken recipes because it is served with polenta, which adds some variety to my usual rice or pasta or potatoes. The best part, it takes less than an hour to make!

Chicken Cacciatore with polenta, asparagus, and a slice of pumpkin

Chicken Cacciatore
makes 4 servings

4 chicken legs
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, sliced
3/4 dry white wine
15 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 chicken bouillon added to 1 cup of boiling water
7 oz white mushrooms, sliced
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried rosemary, chopped
1 tsp rubbed sage
2 tbsp canned black olives, drained

Season chicken with salt and pepper, and cook chicken with 1 tbsp olive oil until browned in a large casserole over medium-high heat, about 4 minutes. Remember to turn your chicken! Transfer to a plate. Pour the fat out of the pan.

Stir the onion and garlic in the remaining olive oil over medium-low heat, until softened. Stir in the wine and boil for 1 minute, while scraping up the bottom of the pan. Stir in the three-quarters of the tomatoes, stock from chicken bouillon, three-quarters of the mushrooms, celery, tomato paste, rosemary, and sage, and bring to a simmer.

Return chicken to pan and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the olives and the rest of the tomatoes and mushrooms and simmer for 10 more minutes with the lid off. Serve with polenta to soak up the juices.

FYI, I'm not that strict about the amount of ingredients when it comes to cooking. I used worry about exactly how big is a medium onion or how much salt to sprinkle. I don't anymore. These measurements just serve as a guide.

'Tis Pumpkin Season!

The luncheon this weekend was a great success. The pumpkin cheesecake was a hit and the pumpkin gorgonzola tart was "good enough to sell"! Too bad in all the frenzy, I forgot to take pictures. So I will include a picture of the pumpkin from which we took a chunk out for the tart...the "front"side is still carvable though!

I also got two sugar pumpkins. Making a pie or cheesecake from a sugar pumpkin is terribly easy. I'm glad I decided to try it. The flavor is amazing. As this was my first time making a cheesecake, I had some leftover filling, perfect for mini-cheesecakes in the middle of the week. I will have to remember to take pictures when I make those.

The pumpkin gorgonzola tart was a modified version of Squash and Gorgonzola Tart from The Kitchen Bible.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
8 tbsp cold butter, diced
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp iced water, as needed
1 lb pumpkin, peeled and seeds removed
olive oil, as needed
14 oz baby spinach
2 large eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/8 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp rubbed sage
4 oz Gorgonzola, crumbled

Cut butter in flour and salt mixture until it resembles corn meal. Add water until all the flour is moistened and form it into a thick disk. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Roll it out for a 8 inch tart pan (I used a pie pan). Chill for 30 more minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with baking beans or rice. Bake about 15 minutes. Lift off the parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes more.

Slice the pumpkin into thick slices and spread on a baking sheet. Toss with 1 tbsp oil. Bake for 30 minutes, or until tender. Cook the spinach and 2 tbsp olive oil in covered saucepan for about 4 minutes, until wilted. Drain and let cool. Whisk the eggs, egg yolk, cream, Parmesan, and nutmeg together and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle salt and sage on pumpkin slices. Squeeze the spinach dry. Spread it in the pastry shell, and top with the pumpkin and Gorgonzola. Pour in the custard. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the custard is set. Cover with foil if top is too brown. Let cool for 10 minutes. Serve hot.

I can't wait to have our friends over for lunch again!