Dangerously Delicious

I won't say I was the first person to claim pie could be "the next cupcake," but let's just say I was one of the first :) Similar to cupcakes in individual serveability, ease of portability, nostalgia factor and seemingly endless range of flavor possibilities, pie has all the makings of the next big "it" dessert.  By now this is nothing new, and Rodney Henry, owner of  Dangerously Delicious Pies, was WAY ahead of the curve, opening his first shop in Baltimore roughly 10 years ago.

And these are more than just your run-of-the-mill pies; voted Best Pie in DC for 2011 and featured on such programs as The Food Network's Paula Deen's Best Dishes and Throwdown with Bobby Flay, you know they must be on to something.  The first thing you'll notice about Dangerously Delicious is their rock n' roll attitude; the pie-and-crossbones logo lets you know this isn't your grandma's pie (though just as lovingly handcrafted), next you'll notice the flavors--more than you can shake a rolling pin at. Featuring both sweet and savory pies, Dangerously Delicious offers over 35 varieties of fruit, cream, custard, meat and vegetable pies...and that doesn't even include the quiches!!

So, When I heard that a branch of Dangerously Delicious was coming to D.C., I was excited.  I was more than excited.  I was eagerly waiting for several months of anticipation while the DC opening was slightly delayed and I was out of the country and unable to enjoy pie glory.  Until now.  Luckily for us, Dangerously Delicious has joined the fray of food trucks taking to the streets of downtown DC and I was recently blessed with a day off and unseasonably warm weather to finally try out a slice.

I got there around 1:30pm and the truck had almost been swept clean.  Luckily I got the last slice of apple crumb and was gifted a with a little extra too to finish off the pan.  The pie had plenty of fruit filling and was loaded with crumb topping and I have to say that the pie totally lived up to the hype, but maybe not the price--$6.50 for sweet pie and $7.50 for a savory is a little steep for me, but where else can you get a warm slice of homemade pie to finish of your lunch?  Luckily I don't work downtown or these delicious pies really could be dangerous :) 

If you go:

1339 H St NE

Washington, DC 20009

2839 O'Donnell St

Baltimore, MD 21224

Twitter:

DangerousPiesDC

DCPieTruck

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Luck O' The Irish Cream Cupcakes

St. Patrick's Day: That day when we're all Irish. That day when Irish eyes are smiling. That day when we throw shooters of Bailey's into pints of Guinness and slurp it all down between plates of green eggs and ham and never feel the need to stop and ask, "What is wrong here??"  : )

This time of year, I usually look forward to making Irish Soda Bread but, when compared to boozed-up cupcakes, the soda bread started to sound a little...tame.  These cakes are made with not one but TWO shots of Irish hospitality in the form of  Guinness stout in the chocolate cakes and Irish cream liqueur in the frosting.  Needless to say, you'll want to make sure these don't accidentally get mixed in with Junior's cupcakes on the way to the school St. Patty's party...though you may want to include one for the teacher : )

Cupcakes with Corned Beef cooking in the background--How Irish of me

I know Guinness chocolate cake may sound like an odd combination, but the addition of the stout adds a complex depth to the chocolate flavor and helps make the cakes oh-so-moist.  As for the Irish cream frosting--I'm pretty sure it just doesn't get any better than this.  Pair one of these with a plate of corned beef and cabbage, a shot of Jameson, and I think even St. Patrick would be proud.  

Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes

     from The Culinary Chronicles
1 cup stout beer
1 cup unsalted butter
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½  tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt
2 eggs
⅔ cup sour cream

Irish Cream Frosting
4 to 5 cups powdered sugar
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 to 5 Tbs Irish Cream Liqueur

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake cups with paper liners.

2. Put the butter with the stout beer in a sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Whisk in cocoa powder until smooth. Cool slightly.

3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In a mixer bowl, beat the eggs and the sour cream together. Add the beer/butter/cocoa mixture and beat to combine. Add the flour mixture and beat briefly just to combine. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined, making sure to incorporate little pockets of flour on the bottom so that the batter is of equal consistency everywhere.

4. Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 of the way if you want flatter cupcakes and 3/4 if you want domed. Bake for about 17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely to room temperature.

Prepare the frosting: In a large mixer bowl, whip the butter for several minutes until very light and fluffy. Slowly add about half of the powdered sugar a few spoonfuls at a time until incorporated. Slowly drizzle the Irish Cream and whip until combined. Add the rest of the powdered sugar until your desired consistency has been achieved.

Assemble: Fill a pastry bag and pipe buttercream on top of cooled cupcakes. Garnish with sprinkles or other adornments. Slainte!

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Let Them Eat (King) Cake

Cake may not be the first thing you think of when you hear the words "Mardi Gras." More likely, you have visions of raucous debauchery heralding the last hurrah before 40 days and nights of oh-so-exciting Lenten deprivation. But in addition to beads and booze, King Cake is another (albeit tamer) New Orleans Mardi Gras tradition--harkening back to the Christian three kings tradition--inexpicably immortalized by a coffee cake doused in icing and colored sugar.

To celebrate Mardis Gras of the past, I've made the French style of King Cake that inspired the American version we celebrate with today, as well as a total lazy person's King Cake back when I was afraid of yeast. But this year I decided to go all out for a friend's Mardi Gras-themed dinner party and finally attempt the New Orleans style of cake we all know from this time of year.

When I decided to take the King Cake plunge I knew right away that I wanted to go with a recipe from David Guas--well-known in the DC area for bringing a taste of the Big Easy to Arlington, VA with his new cafe Bayou Bakery, and also for his tome of amazing southern-style New Orleans sweets, DamGoodSweet.  At the party I also finally had a chance to sample Bayou's beignets (behn-yay, or French-style doughnuts) and cupcakes along with a delcious feast of gumbo, étouffée, kale chips, crawfish and muffaletta crostini courtesy of Department of Plate. The beignets and king cake were the perfect ending to our Cajun cuisine and helped "let the good times roll" as they say down south...sans flashing and open containers of liquor, of course. :)

A couple of notes: this cake is made with yeast (you're essentially making a sweet loaf of bread) so leave yourself plenty of time to allow for its two rises.  Also, the icing dries quickly, so be sure to have your colored sugar prepped before you start frosting as you'll want to be able to sprinkle liberally before it hardens.   

Beignets and cupcakes!

David Guas' King Cake

1 (1-1/4-oz.) package dry-active yeast

1/4 cup warm milk (105°F–115°F or warm to the touch)

1 cup plus 6 Tbs. bread flour plus extra for rolling

1 Tbs. honey

3/4 cup cake flour

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

2 Tbs. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp.ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1 tsp. table salt

5 Tbs. unsalted butter,   at room temperature

1 plastic baby figurine (to hide in the cake), optional

For the egg wash:

1 large egg

1 Tbs. milk

For the icing and decoration:

2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 Tbs. light corn syrup

3 Tbs. milk

1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

3 cups granulated sugar

Green food coloring

Gold or yellow food coloring

Purple or red and blue food  coloring

1. Whisk the yeast with the warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer until dissolved. Add the 6 tablespoons of bread flour and the honey and, using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed until fairly smooth (there will still be a few lumps), 30 seconds to 1 minute, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary.

2. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in volume, about 20 minutes.Once the dough has doubled, add 3/4 cup of the remaining bread flour, the cake flour, eggs, egg yolk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and almond extracts, and salt. Mix on low speed until combined, then switch to a dough hook, increase the speed to medium, and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and begin adding 4 Tbs. of the butter 1 Tbs. at a time, mixing well between additions. Continue to knead until the dough forms a slack ball (it will ride the dough hook, be tacky, and not slap the bottom of the bowl, but it should generally come together into a loose mass), 2 to 3 minutes. If the dough doesn’t come together, continue kneading while adding up to 1/4 cup of the reserved bread flour, until it does.

3. Grease a large bowl with 1/2 Tbs. of the remaining butter and transfer the dough to the bowl, turning it over in the bowl to coat with butter. Cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap or damp kitchen towel and place the bowl in a draft-free spot until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

4. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and grease the parchment paper with the remaining butter. Generously flour your work surface using the remaining 1/4 cup of bread flour (if you used the bread flour in the dough, dust your work surface with more bread flour). Turn the dough out onto the work surface and sprinkle the top with some flour. Use your hands to press and flatten it into a rectangle. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 1/4-inch-thick strip that is about 24 inches long by about 6 inches wide. Starting with one of the long sides, roll the dough on top of itself, making a long, thin baguette-shaped length. Pinch the edge to the body of the dough to seal, turn the dough so it lies horizontally on your work surface, and gently roll it on your work surface to even out any bulges and create a somewhat consistent 1-1/2-inch-wide rope. Bring the two ends of the dough together and pinch them into one another to seal. Carefully transfer the dough oval or circle to the prepared sheet pan. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and set in a warm, dry spot to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

5. Heat the oven to 375°F. To make the egg wash, whisk the egg and the milk together in a small bowl. Brush the egg wash over the top and sides of the dough, and bake the king cake until golden and cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Immediately after removing the cake from the oven, make a small slit in the bottom of the cake and insert the baby figurine (if using). Set on a rack to cool completely.

To make the icing:While the cake cools, make the icing. Whisk the confectioners’ sugar, corn syrup, milk, and vanilla together in the bowl of a stand mixer on low speed until smooth and completely incorporated. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel until you are ready to glaze the cake.

To make the colored sugar, measure 1 cup of the sugar into each of 3 resealable quart-size plastic bags. Add 4 drops of green food coloring to one bag, 4 drops of gold or yellow food coloring to another bag, and 4 drops of purple food coloringto the last bag (if you don’t have purple, make it yourself: measure 2 drops of red and 2 drops of blue food coloring onto a spoon and mix with a cake tester or toothpick until combined). Seal each bag and then vigorously shake to combine the sugar and food coloring.Spoon the icing over the cooled cake. Immediately after icing, decorate with the tinted sugar.

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Preview: Pound The Hill

This weekend I was extremely lucky to get an early look at brand new coffee shop Pound the Hill, which has the potential to be the coolest spot to hit Eastern Market since, well, Eastern Market. Simultaneously urban and inviting, Pound sets itself the Herculean task of being a coffee shop/cafe/travel bar/neighborhood-spot-with-international-flare and succeeds on all accounts.


Nestled between hot spots We The Pizza and BaBay, Pound has a prime location on Pennsylvania Avenue and a prime location in DC's coffee market with a unique, niche concept. In addition to serving up your standard coffee shop favorites, Pound also offers a full rotating menu of international specialties. Inspired by their love of travel, the partners crafted a menu reflecting world cuisine and also plan to stock Pound's bookshelves with travel guides so that patrons inspired by the daily fare can plan their next trip. Additionally, Pound also features responsibly grown products like Kickapoo organic, Fair Trade coffee and Tevolution teas--a brand new bottled tea company which donates part of your purchase to charity and allows to you track online where your money goes.

So why should a baking blog be concerned with the newest coffee shop in town? Because their eclectic, international menu isn't limited to fare from around the globe, but they also feature a variety of house-baked goods to pair with your coffee to include scones, cinnamon rolls, cheesecake and yes, rumor has it...there will be cupcakes :) Pound is bringing on a new pastry chef and currently working to perfect a nutella baklava to pair with their nutella latte, so you can bet I will be back to sample all the goodies Pound has on offer...and more nutella lattes, obviously.

Pound The Hill is soft-opening next week with the full menu to be served beginning March 14th. In the meantime they will be giving away 1,000 of their signature Nutella Lattes during the first 10 opening days. Simply be one of the first 100 each day and mention a promotional code from Pound's Facebook or Twitter page to claim yours (believe me, it's as incredible as it sounds). With plans for an outdoor patio and liquor license (and cupcakes!) within the next 6 months Pound is sure to be a lasting gem in DC's coffee scene.

If you go:

Pound

621 Pennsylvania Ave SE

Washington, DC
Metro: Eastern Market (Blue/Orange Line)

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Apple-Ginger Bread Pudding

So this is what happens when I have a little bit of leftover ginger root from attempting to cook an actual dinner. Or rather, this is what happens when I have A LOT of leftover ginger because I attempted to cook an actual dinner before realizing that the recipe didn't actually call for ginger...at all. Oops.
But it all worked out in the end because now I can bring you this fabulous bread pudding.  I am a bread pudding convert, but I know that it can still be a little boring if not done well; bread, eggs...there's not really much to it, but that also makes this dessert an excellent blank canvas for myriad ways of jazzing it up.

This recipe is adapted from my go-to cookbook, Better Homes and Gardens, and could also be made with dried pears and crystallized ginger, but my grocery store didn't carry those (my grocery store is also often out of spinach, shredded lettuce, ground beef and doesn't carry arugula at all, so I shouldn't be surprised).  Best of all, this recipe is low-fat and would pair excellently with a caramel sauce or some other spiced cream sauce to complement the ginger (cardamom, maybe?)   The original recipe calls for French bread, but I had a loaf of honey-wheat leftover from my first foray into breadmaking, so feel free to mix it up.  Using brioche or challah would probably taste amazing...but probably not so low-fat.

A couple of notes: I think this is the first time I've ever actually had "day-old bread" on hand when a recipe called for it. Rather than wait, you can always just dry your bread cubes by placing them on a baking sheet and toasting them at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Apple-Ginger Bread Pudding
4 beaten eggs
2 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbs vanilla
1 tsp finely shredded orange peel (optional)
1 Tbs finely grated fresh ginger
4 cups dry French bread cubes
1/3 cup snipped dried apples
1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg and/or cardamom (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, orange peel, ginger and spices (if using).  In an ungreased 2-quart square baking dish toss together bread cubes and dried fruit; pour egg mixture evenly over bread mixture.  Press mixture lightly with the back of a large spoon.

2.  Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes or until puffed and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool slightly.

Nutrition per serving: 191 calories, 4g total fat (2g saturated fat), 111mg cholesterol, 180mg sodium, 30g carbs, 1g fiber, 7g protein.

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Madeleines

To hump or not to hump, that is the question.  I'm talking about the hump in your madeleines, of course.

Like the macaron, the madeleine is another iconic French sweet and, also like the macaron, everyone and their maman claims to have the most correct recipe and method for turning out a perfect little dessert.  Madeleines are essentially individual butter cakes baked in a distinctive shell-shaped mold and, as cakes tend to do, these little guys like to rise--hence the hump debate.  Some contend that a madeleine is not really a madeleine at all if it does not rise such that a distinctive hump forms on the non-scalloped side of the cake.  Others maintain that the hump is unsophisticated, and that REAL French would never eat a humped madeleine.

Me?  I like the hump.  I think it makes them distinctive, and also makes them seem a bit larger, so you're probably less likely to gobble down 5 at a time. Hopefully.  I wasn't so lucky. Anyways, I tried to find a madeleine recipe from a pastry class I took in Paris awhile back but it seems to be lost, so I can't tell you where that chef stood with regards to the hump.  But I did find an excellent recipe from David Leibovitz (French enough to count :) ) and you can read more of his take on the hump here.  Essentially, he claims that it boils down to the use of baking powder, so feel free to omit it in this recipe if you'd like. 

In the immortal words of Fergie, "My hump, my hump, my hump."

You will need a madeleine pan for this recipe.  The tart pan and madeleine pan I brought back from Paris with me are definitely some of my prized possessions.  Although I'm sure it's possible to order all of these things online straight from La Belle France these days, I just felt special knowing my purchases from E. Dehillerin were wrapped up nicely in brown paper and tucked into my suitcase for the trip back to the States.  Amazon offers several and I would absolutely recommend a non-stick variety so you don't end up flinging madeleines across the kitchen as you try to unmold them like some people. Not me.  That would never happen to me.

A couple of notes: If you do use baking powder, you may only want to fill your molds 1/2-full or less rather than the recommended 3/4 unless you want mondo madeleines.  If I made these again I would probably add honey or vanilla to balance the lemon flavor--let me know how it goes if you try this! I prefer my madeleines au naturel, but David's recipe adds a lemon glaze which I've included below in case you want to give it a whirl.

Lemon-Glazed Madeleines
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup (130g) granulated sugar
rounded 1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup (175g) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (optional)
zest of one small lemon
9 tablespoons (120g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature, plus additional melted butter for preparing the molds

Glaze
3/4 cup (150g) powdered sugar
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons water

1. Brush the indentations of a madeleine mold with melted butter. Dust with flour, tap off any excess, and place in the fridge or freezer.

2. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, whip the eggs, granulated sugar, and salt for 5 minutes until frothy and thickened.

3. Spoon the flour and baking powder, if using, into a sifter or mesh strainer and use a spatula to fold in the flour as you sift it over the batter. (Rest the bowl on a damp towel to help steady it for you.)

4. Add the lemon zest to the cooled butter, then dribble the butter into the batter, a few spoonfuls at a time, while simultaneously folding to incorporate the butter. Fold just until all the butter is incorporated.

5. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (Batter can be chilled for up to 12 hours.)

6. To bake the madeleines, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

7. Plop enough batter in the center of each indentation with enough batter which you think will fill it by 3/4′s (you’ll have to eyeball it, but it’s not brain-surgery so don’t worry if you’re not exact.) Do not spread it.

8. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until the cakes just feel set. While the cakes are baking, make a glaze in a small mixing bowl by stirring together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and water until smooth.

9. Remove from the oven and tilt the madeleines out onto a cooling rack. The moment they’re cool enough to handle, dip each cake in the glaze, turning them over to make sure both sides are coated and scrape off any excess with a dull knife. After dipping, rest each one back on the cooking rack, scalloped side up, until the cakes are cool and the glaze has firmed up.

Storage: Glazed madeleines are best left uncovered, or not tightly-wrapped; they’re best eaten the day they’re made. They can be kept in a container for up to three days after baking, if necessary. I don’t recommend freezing them since the glaze will melt.

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The Y-Word

Inspired by my recent trip to Beehive Bread Co., I began to think that it might be time to finally attempt to overcome my fear of yeast.  That's right, I call myself a baker (albeit amateurish at best) and yet I have never made bread from scratch. Moreover, I have never actually made ANYTHING that involves yeast. No pizza dough.  No cinnamon rolls. No pretzels.  Pretty much, whenever I scan a recipe, if I happen to see yeast in the ingredients I immediately move along.

I decided to use a recipe from my Baking At Home tome from the Culinary Institute of America--because those people must know what they're doing, right? Honestly, I think their excellent recipe and tutorial were the only things that salvaged my loaves because they came out just this side of passable.  Ultimately, I don't think the yeast got incorporated well enough, it didn't rise enough (or more likely, I got impatient and didn't let it rise enough), my oven temp was too high (per usual) so the crust was over-baked (why didn't I just tent the pans with foil??) BUT it tasted amazing! And that's what really matters, right?  At least, that's what I told myself when eating my lunchtime turkey sandwiches on tiny slices of bread for the next three days. : )

This is another example of trying to run before I could walk; the recipe included an extra, optional step called "autolyse" that professional bakers supposedly "swear by" for a deeper flavor.  Obviously, because I have SO much experience baking bread, I thought it would be a fabulous idea to try this out.  Let's just say that when you're already going out of your comfort zone to face your paralyzing fear of all things yeasted, then maybe attempting the extra, optional steps with scary names like "autolyse" may not be the best idea. 
 

I'll be honest, this was very time-consuming.  But otherwise it was not labor or ingredient intensive, and doesn't really require any artistic skill.  If you think you'd like to take the bread plunge, I would definitely recommend this recipe because it doesn't involve any fancy bigas or sponges (don't worry if there are alarms going off in your head right now, we can discuss these things later), and it can be made in one day.  Yes, there are breads that actually take more than one day to make.  At the very least, maybe like me you'll finally be able to break out that dough hook for the first time. 

Dough hook. Arrrrrr.

Honey-Wheat Sandwich Loaves
4 Cups Bread Flour plus extra as needed
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
2-1/2 tsp Active Dry Yeast
2 Cups Whole or Low Fat Milk, Boiled and Cooled at Room Temperature
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil plus extra for greasing
1/3 Cup Honey
2 tsp Salt
Cooking Spray for greasing
Egg Wash (1 large egg whisked with 2 tbsp cold milk or water) or milk for brushing

1. Combine the flours and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the milk, oil, honey and salt and mix on low speed until the dough forms a shaggy but even moistened dough, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough feels satiny and elastic, about 5 minutes.
 
2. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size, about 1 hour.
 
3. Fold the dough over on itself, pressing gently to release the gas. Turn it out onto a floured work surface and cut into 2 equal pieces. Round each piece into a smooth ball, pulling the outer layer taut and pinching together the excess dough at the base of the ball. Place the dough seam sides down on a lightly floured work surface. Cover the dough and let rest until relaxed, about 20 minutes.
 
4. Coat two 9 inch loaf pans lightly with cooking spray. Stretch each dough ball into an 8x12 inch rectangle. Fold each short end of the rectangle toward the center of the dough to keep the sides straight and the corners square. Fold a long edge into the corner and use the heel of your hand to seal the edge to the dough. Fold the dough in half length wise and use your fingertips to seal the 2 edges together; keep the seam straight. The dough should be about 10 inches long. Roll the dough into an even cylinder 12 inches long. Push the ends of the cylinder toward the center until it is 10 inches long and place seam side down into the loaf pans. Brush with egg or milk wash. I used a milk wash. Use an egg wash for a shiny crust.
 
5. Let the dough to rise in a warm place, uncovered, until the pans are three quarters full and the dough springs back slowly to the touch, 1 hour. Meanwhile preheat you oven to 400º degrees.
 
6. Bake until the loaves have a rich golden brown crust and the sides of the bread retain their structure when pressed, 40-50 minutes. Remove the bread from the pans immediately and let cool completely on wire racks before slicing and serving.

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