Hazelnut Brown Butter Cake

So the past few months have found me adjusting to a new baby and moving to a new part of the country. Needless to say my cooking has been very sparse. I'm finally settled in a place and am slowly getting my kitchen stocked back up. Now to find uninterrupted blocks of time in which to cook. Okay, maybe in a decade?

I had some hazelnuts from Trader Joe's in Cincinnati (how I miss you TJ!) waiting to be used up, and turned to Smitten Kitchen for some inspiration. Hazelnuts and chocolate are such a good combination, and this cake was delicious. I only regret it made such a small cake as it was gone in no time.

Hazelnut Brown Butter Cake
slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen

5 ounces (about one heaping cup) hazelnuts, blanched to remove dark skins
1/2 pound unsalted butter
1/2 vanilla bean
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
5 extra-large egg whites
3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 °F.

Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet, and toast 12 to 15 minutes, until they’re golden brown and smell nutty. Wrap the warm nuts in a dish towel. Let steam for five minutes and then vigorously rub them together to remove the skins.

Cut out a circle of parchment paper to fit in the bottom of a 10-inch round cake pan. Brush the pan with a little melted butter and line the bottom with the paper.

Place 1/2 pound butter in a medium saucepan. Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise down the center, using a paring knife to scrape the seeds and pulp onto the butter. To make sure not to lose any of the seeds, run your vanilla-coated knife through the butter. Add the vanilla pod to the pan, and cook the butter until the butter browns and smells nutty (about 6 to 8 minutes). It helps to frequently scrape the solids off the bottom of the pan in the last couple minutes to ensure even browning. Set aside to cool. Remove the vanilla pod and discard.

Grind the hazelnuts with the confectioners’ sugar in a food processor until they’re finely ground. Add the flour and pulse to combine. Transfer to a large bowl.

Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add the granulated sugar and mix on high speed 4 to 5 minutes, until the mixture forms very stiff peaks. When you turn the whisk upside down, the peaks should hold. Transfer the whites to a large mixing bowl.

Alternate folding the dry ingredients and the brown butter into the egg whites, a third at a time. Remember to scrap the bottom of the brown butter pan with a rubber spatula to get all the little brown bits.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and bake for 35-40 minutes. Cool on a rack 30 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan, and invert the cake onto a plate. Peel off the paper, and turn the cake back over onto a serving platter. Sprinkle it with powdered sugar or cover with ganache.

Ganache

4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips or finely-chopped chocolate
1/4 cup heavy cream

Melt the chocolate and heavy cream in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over the top of the cake.

English Muffins

As you may have guessed, baby girl has arrived! My husband and I adore her and are so glad to have her in our family. My friend did a photo shoot which turned out so cute! See more of her work here.

While my mom was here helping out, she made lots of yummy food. She made English muffins one morning, which is something I've wanted to try for a long time. My sister-in-law is the one that discovered this recipe. I can't wait to try out this recipe myself.

English Muffins
from Alton Brown

1/2 cup non-fat powdered milk
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup hot water
2 1/4 tsp. dry yeast
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup warm water
2 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl combine milk, sugar, butter, and 1/4 tsp of the salt with the hot water. In liquid measuring cup, proof yeast in warm water with 1/8 tsp of sugar. When foamy, add proofed yeast to the bowl along with with the flour. Mix well with a wooden spoon, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 40-60 minutes.

Add remaining 3/4 tsp salt. Mix well.

These muffins are cooked on the stove (try a cast iron skillet) or on a griddle at 350. The key to not burning them is low heat. When the pan is hot arrange canning jar rings in the pan (don’t over crowd them) spray with cooking spray and use a cookie scoop to fill them up, but not too full as they will rise a bit as they cook. Cover with lid and cook for 5 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and let cool a few minutes. To open, split them with your fingers or a fork.

Muffins That Taste Like Doughnuts

I've seen this recipe for muffins that taste like doughnuts on several blogs, always with a glowing recommendation. I finally decided to try them, and, wouldn't you know it, they do resemble doughnuts. My husband even ate one and said, "These are really good. They taste like doughnuts." No kidding.

I think the secret to the flavor connection is the nutmeg in the batter which I'm fairly certain is common in cake doughnuts.

Muffins That Taste Like Doughnuts
adapted from lemanada on Tasty Kitchen

1 3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. oil
3/4 c. white sugar
1 whole egg
3/4 c. milk

Topping:
1/4 c. butter
1/3 c. white sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Combine oil, sugar, egg and milk. Add dry ingredients and stir only to combine. Spoon into well-greased muffin tins (silicone pans work well).

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a bowl. Combine the white sugar with the cinnamon in another bowl.

Shake muffins out while still hot. Dip muffins in butter, then into the sugar/cinnamon mix. Let cool.

Blue Cheese Dressing

Bottled salad dressings have not been seen in my fridge for several years now. My tastes have adjusted, and if I have bottled dressing now, it tastes bad. Too sweet, too salty, too something. Homemade dressings usually take just a few minutes to mix together. They usually store well in the fridge for a week or so, at a minimum.

I've made this blue cheese dressing several times now to go with buffalo wings and celery. It is amazing, really.

Blue Cheese Dressing
from Our Best Bites

1 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. crumbled blue cheese
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. minced garlic (1-2 cloves)
A couple tablespoons of milk or buttermilk (optional)

Combine ingredients. If you’d like, thin to desired consistency with milk or buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

All-Purpose Cleaner

Here's another cleaner I love. I use it anywhere in the kitchen and bathroom. Borax is found in the laundry aisle, and for liquid soap, try castile soap, like in this tub cleaner. I don't use any essential oil because my castile soap is peppermint-infused already.

The bottle pictured below is a 32-ounce bottle, so I double the recipe.

All-Purpose Cleaner
from Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan

2 Tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. borax
1/4 c. liquid soap (castile soap)
10-15 drops essential oil, optional

Mix vinegar and borax in a 16-oz bottle. Fill the bottle with very hot water, leaving room for the liquid soap. Shake until the borax is dissolved. Add the liquid soap. Can add 10 to 15 drops of essential oil if desired.

Tub Cleaner

A friend of mine introduced me to homemade cleaners a few years back. For some reason, it has taken me this long time to really try and convert to solely using homemade, natural, toxic-free cleaning products, but I'm almost there. Mixing up a batch of this bath scrub takes 2 minutes - that's easier than any of the other recipes I have posted. One of the best things is that I like this tub cleaner better than any other commercial product I have tried.

Have you heard of castile soap? It's liquid, all-natural soap (extra virgin coconut, olive, jojoba and hemp oils) that works wonders. Really, it's very powerful. Dr. Bronner's is the brand I've found, available at Trader Joe's. It may seem a little pricey, but it's so potent that a little goes a long way. Also, I recommend buying a big bottle of vinegar and a large box of baking soda. The more you buy, the cheaper the unit cost.

I'm convinced that most commercial cleaning products out there are simply a marketing scheme. Before Soft Scrub, how did anyone clean their tubs? That's what they want you to think, but a few generations ago they used common household products to clean. Where did that knowledge go?

Tub Cleaner
from Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan

1 2/3 c. baking soda
1/2 c. liquid castile soap
2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. white vinegar

Mix baking soda with liquid soap in a bowl. Add water. Mix with a fork until smooth. Stir in vinegar. Scoop the paste into a pint-size glass jar. Add warm water if it dries out before you use it all, and stir before use if needed.

Spring Rolls with Tofu and Mushrooms

Another find from my kitchen cleanout is a package of spring roll wrappers. On 101 Cookbooks, there was recent post for Wintery Spring Rolls. I love spring rolls, but am not quite creative enough to come up with my own fillings. Of course anything created by Heidi Swanson is always bursting with flavor, and this recipe was no exception. The ginger onion paste is genius, and the brown sugar mushrooms were a highlight.

Spring Rolls with Tofu and Mushrooms
slightly adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Ginger Onion Paste:
2 spring onions, finely sliced
2 red spring onions, finely sliced (or equiv. red onion / shallots)
3 tablespoons grated, peeled ginger
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

Brown Sugar Tofu and Mushrooms:
12 ounces extra firm tofu
3 medium cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
4 teaspoons natural cane sugar (or brown sugar)
2 tablespoons sunflower oil

8 ounces mushrooms, brushed clean, sliced 1/4-inch thick

For spring roll assembly:
Ginger Onion Paste (above)
Brown Sugar Tofu and Mushrooms (above)
crisp, crunchy lettuce (baby gems / romaine)
1 small bunch fresh cilantro or other herbs, well washed / dried
about 1 dozen rice paper wrappers

Make the ginger onion paste: Place the onions and ginger in a mortar and pestle. Sprinkle with the salt, and pound until the onions are quite bruised, but not paste-like. Heat the oil in a small saucepan until hot (hot enough that you could saute something in it). Add the onion mixture to the oil, remove from heat, and transfer to a jar to cool. Drain off any extra oil and reserve for another use.

Make the tofu and mushrooms: Cut the tofu into six equal slabs and arrange in a single layer on a rimmed plate. Place the garlic in a mortar and pestle, sprinkle with the salt and sugar, and pound into a paste. Work the oil in, a bit at a time, until the ingredients are completely combined. Use your hands to slather and gently coat each piece of tofu, be quite thorough. Set aside, and leave the bowl dirty.

Cook the tofu in a single layer in a large skillet over medium-high heat until deeply golden on each side. Remove from the pan, and when cool enough to handle, slice into pencil-thick pieces, and salt to taste.

In the meantime, toss the mushrooms gently (but well), in the residual marinade left in the tofu bowl. Once the tofu is done, you can use the same tofu skillet to cook the mushrooms. Use high heat, and cook until the mushrooms release their water and take on a nice, dark color. Transfer to a bowl or platter, and season appropriately.

Assemble the spring rolls: In bowl of hot water, dip each rice paper wrapper for just 3 seconds. Resist over-soaking, even if the paper is a bit stiff it will continue to absorb water as you assemble the wrap. Place on a flat work surface and fold in half. Keep all ingredients crowded into 1/3 of the available surface of the wrapper at this point, not too close to the straight-edge of the semi-circle.

Put down a generous smear of ginger onion paste. Then a lettuce leaf, tofu, a few mushrooms, cilantro. Then, tuck and roll. This method creates an open-sided roll, but you can also make burrito-style rolls.

Makes about a dozen rolls.