GF CSB, Week 2

Caramel Corn is really fun to play with. Once you get a good recipe, or two, in your repertoire, experimenting is easy, with tasty results! Popcorn is a natural for the GF CSB, and this week happens to be the perfect opportunity to share some of my creations with members!

By baking for so many at once, I can warrant making several different flavors, and everyone gets to sample them all!  Flavors are:

~Maple Chile: Organic popcorn, pure organic maple syrup, and a bit of spiciness.

~Vanilla Sea Salt Honey Corn: Organic popcorn, local honey, and vanilla flavored sea salt. With almonds and cashews.

~Classic Caramel Corn: Organic popcorn, completely corn syrup free, rich and buttery (no nuts).

~Chipotle Lime With Pepitas: Organic popcorn, organic lime juice, a hint of chipotle spice, smoked sea salt, and pumpkin seeds (pepitas).

Store leftover caramel corn in airtight containers at room temperature.

GF CSB, Week 1

With the chill of winter still in the air and frost on the morning windows, summer's fresh fruit seems like a fantasy still a long way off. Imagine my surprise when, a few days ago, I saw a facebook post that said that particular day was National Cherry Day! Confused, I had to comment, as others did also, picking up on the fact that JUNE is the month to enjoy cherries locally (even nationally), unless you're celebrating importation of Chilean grown cherries. No thanks.

Every growing season I make sure to store a variety of fruit to make the winter a bit brighter and more bearable. GF CSB members will see a few treats featuring this effort in the coming months, and today is no different. I am pleased to use the gorgeous organic cherries that I received from Belweather Farm last summer in the Valentine Cake each person gets to take home this afternoon!

Each six inch, two layer chocolate cake is filled with cherry creme, a combination of the cherries from Belweather Farm (located in Keno, OR) and Italian meringue buttercream. They are finished by pouring dark chocolate ganache (Lillie Belle Farms) over the top and decorated with naturally colored, handmade marshmallow fondant decors (I even made the marshmallow from scratch for the fondant!).

I suggest enjoying cakes served at room temperature. Store leftovers in the fridge, well wrapped (or in the bakery box), or freeze for up to one month, tightly wrapped in plastic.

Red Velvet Cupcakes!

I feel that Red Velvet Cupcakes need to have their own post. I won't make red velvet cake as most know it, due entirely to the fact that one recipe can have as much as TWO bottles of artificial red food coloring in it. FD&C Red 40 is suspected to cause hyperactivity in children, possibly contributing to ADD and ADHD, is a known carcinogenic (causes cancer), and has a host of other issues as well. It's also very hard to avoid, being in many processed foods that Americans buy on a daily basis.

My own children are often drawn to brightly colored foods (who isn't?!), and I am always trying to find ways to make what is consumed at home fun for all of us, yet still healthy (or healthier).  I have been using natural colors for years now, and have quite a bit of experience with different brands, varieties, etc. unless they are actually baked IN the food. Natural colors chemically react with other ingredients, and while you might start out with a batter that is bright yellow or pink, once it starts to bake it changes to a drab brown or worse.

Several clients have asked me about Red Velvet Cake, and I needed to wait until I had some free time to play with various recipes and ingredient combinations before I could confidently say that I can offer them for special orders. My cousin cornered me at a Christmas Party last month, and finally pushed me over the edge to begin experimenting, after a lengthy discussion on the chemistry involved in naturally colored RVC, among other goodies. I finally took the chance.

Two tries resulted in tasty cupcakes that were deep red on top and bottom, but light brown on the inside. Two other completely different recipes were inedible, although bright red throughout, making my chickens feel very spoiled and happy! I knew I needed to find a happy medium, which finally led to a delicious recipe that is bright red on the top and bottom, and light pink inside.

I am now happy to offer naturally colored Red Velvet Cupcakes for special orders. They are made with the highest quality ingredients, organic red beet powder, and are topped off with a swirl of organic cream cheese icing and a sprinkle of naturally colored red sprinkles (or other color as desired). They can be made Gluten-Free.

Due to the inconsistency in color in the center of the cake, RVC is only offered as cupcakes and mini cupcakes, not layer cakes. Cupcakes will showcase the red color at its best. If you happen to be from the South, and are looking for the traditional fluffy vanilla "gravy" icing like your grandmother made, I happen to offer that as well! Contact me for pricing.

Whole Grain Bread Class

This morning I was up early to finish preparing for the Whole Grain Bread Class that started promptly at 9 AM.  Six ladies joined me to learn how to make quick, nutritious whole wheat sandwich bread in 2 1/2 hours, and also a versatile dough that can be used for pizza, pita, focaccia, and so much more.  The Italian bread dough can help you create a pizza in record time, for a relatively fast dinner, or even faster as flatbread or pita.  We even discussed how to grill it in the summer to avoid heating up the house with your oven!

Everyone gathered around the oven to watch as the pita puffed up into cool (well, HOT) pockets, and then sampled it with local raw honey, homemade pear butter, and olive oil and balsamic.  Slices of warm sandwich bread were served as well.

Once the majority of the bread had been baked and the pizza dough had a chance to finish rising, it was topped and baked as well.  One pizza had all natural pepperoni, mushrooms, olives, organic red pepper, mozzarella, and home-grown, home-canned pizza sauce on it (one half was left vegetarian, sans pepperoni).  The other had homemade basil pesto (that I froze from last summer's harvest), mozzarella, grilled organic chicken breast, artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives, homegrown sundried heirloom tomatoes, and organic green onions.  Both were served with a citrus salad (featuring blood oranges, Cara Cara oranges, organic Navel oranges, and organic grapefruit), green salad (organic spring greens, local dried cranberries, local cheese, spiced pepitas, and vinaigrette), homemade raspberry lemonade, and Tazo Focus iced tea.  It was a delicious, gourmet feast!

Each participant was provided with a packet of recipes and tips for success in baking their own breads, and the discussion revolved around ingredients, and the history of wheat.  A raffle was held at the end, and two people were sent home with loaves of bread. 

If you are interested in being part of one of these great classes, contact me right away!  The Classes! link at the top of the site has dates and information on upcoming sessions.  The bread class was full, and the others should fill quickly as well!

Dec. 29, Week 12

This is the last CSB pick-up for 2011! Stay tuned for information on a Spring session. I will update the site when we finalize schedules and plans.

The Boston Cream Pie is a well known quintessential American treat. It's the official dessert of Massachusetts, having been invented By a French chef at Boston's Parker House Hotel, and has become a favorite for many. It's not really a pie, rather a vanilla sponge cake that's been split and filled with handmade vanilla custard, then a smooth chocolate ganache poured over the top.

Usually when I make the filling for this "pie", it's a light yellow color, but like all things seasonal, the color of the eggs yolks will determine the outcome of the custard. Our chickens have drastically slowed down production, and I was unable (!) to locate local eggs when I went supply shopping a few days ago. So, I found organic free-range eggs, which are a decent substitute, but the yolks just don't compare to the bright orange of pastured hens. The filling still tastes fabulous, though! The chocolate that makes up the ganache is from Lille Belle Farms in Central Point, OR, and is organic, fair trade. It's the best I've found! Yum.

Please keep your cake in the refrigerator. The custard will ooze out if it gets too warm, and could pose a safety risk if left out for hours on end (remember, it's mostly milk and eggs). You can freeze it for a treat later on, if desired. Simply place the unwrapped cake in the freezer until solid, wrap well with plastic, and keep frozen up to one month. To defrost, unwrap and place in the bakery box (in the fridge) for an hour or so.

The easiest, least messy way to cut a Boston Cream Pie is to run a sharp knife under hot water, wipe it dry, and cut the cake, repeating as necessary. This way the chocolate won't stick, crumbs won't get mixed into the ganache, and the custard won't squeeze out all over the place. You'll have nice clean cuts and a pretty presentation. Enjoy!

Dec. 21, Week 11

I have had an incredible amount of work to do to get ready for today's pick up! Two whole days of prep and baking, and I'm taking a break from the kitchen to write this post. A tremendous mess awaits my return.

I have SO much fun making Christmas cookies, and even without the CSB I would be baking this time of year. Still, baking for so many special orders and CSB members, I can make many more varieties than I would dream of doing just for family and friends.

CSB members each get to take home a generous assortment of all kinds of cookies:

~Almendrados
~Almond Horns
~Spritz
~Gingerbread Men
~Sugar Cookie Cutouts with Whiskey Buttercream
~Chocolate Thumbprints
~Coconut Pyramids
~Maple Cinnamon Rings
~Black & White Striped Cookies
~Black & White Pinwheels
~Pistachio Moon Melts
~Pecan Sandies
~Spritz Wreaths with Icing
~Meringue Stars
~Neapolitan Cookies
~Chocolate Mint Marshmallow Clouds

See what I mean?! TONS of cookies! I have so much fun making them, though. For storage, most can be frozen (don't ever freeze meringues). Otherwise, keep the cookies in an airtight container. I suggest enjoying the sugar cookies and neapolitan cookies first, and, if you must, saving the others for later.

Happy Holidays, and a very Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Gingerbread Men, Coconut Pyramids, Neapolitan Cookies,
Meringue Stars

Black & White Striped Cookies, B & W Pinwheels, Spritz,
Spritz Wreaths, Chocolate Thumbprints, Almond Horns

Maple Cinnamon Rings, Chocolate Mint Marshmallow Clouds,
Sugar Cookies (naturally colored frosting), Pecan Sandies,
Pistachio Moon Melts

Dec. 14, Week 10

Ah, caramels! Every year my husband stands and stirs the rich, buttery candy until it turns amber in color and is just the right temperature to pour into a huge pan. Then we let it set up for two days before cutting it and checking to see if it was made to our standards! Luckily, we have had few variations thought the years, although the weather can make a difference in the final chewiness. This batch turned out perfectly.

This week each CSB member gets to take home a sample box of assorted caramel-themed goodies. Included are:

~Smoked Sea Salt Caramels: These have become an annual tradition for us, after I received some smoked sea salt one year from my sister and wondered what to do with it (now I use it in all sorts of things). Chewy caramel covered in organic dark chocolate from Lille Belle Farms in Central Point, OR, with a touch of smoked sea salt on top.

~Pecan Clusters: Pecan halves with caramel and dark chocolate, topped with a sprinkle of Oregon sea salt.

~Butter Caramels: A generous rectangle of chewy caramel wrapped in wax paper.

~Caramel-Wrapped Marshmallows: Our handmade chewy caramel wrapped around freshly made vanilla marshmallow.

Also included are a few treats that have the caramel baked into them:

~Caramel-Rum Squares: A crumb-topped bar cookie that has strong notes of rum enhancing the caramel filling. This treat happens to be 100% whole grain!

~Choco-Caramel Crinkles: My own original recipe, starting with a fudgy chocolate cookie dough that's wrapped around caramel, rolled in powdered sugar and baked. The result is a chewy, delicious treat with a soft caramel center and crinkly appearance. A seasonal favorite of my family's!

Store all of these treats at room temperature. Do NOT refrigerate them, or the caramel will be very difficult to chew. Enjoy!