Apple Rum Fall Gateau St Honore

Fall is for apple cider and pumpkins and warm spices. So when I set out to make my own interpretation of the classic Gateau St Honore, I decided to go with a seasonal approach and turn it into a celebration of apples.

This is another project post, just as much to document for my own reference what I did to bring together this cake as it is to guide others to make their own. I love to mix and match components and flavors and this cake is a prime example of a long list of ingredients and a palette of flavors harmonizing into a truly satisfying and delightful treat. 

First up is the puff pastry base. You can simply use store bough pastry for guaranteed flakey and crisp results, of course. I reached out for my trusty copy of Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz and made her rough puff, check out this video for a detailed instructional from her on how to do it. 

Next prep item, pastry cream. Again, I used the recipe from the fundamentals section of Dessert person, which I infused with cloves and cinnamon whole spices, sweetened in part with maple syrup, and flavored with a splash of rum. If you don't have the book (why not? I ask), this is a great recipe I've often used as well. After the cream cools (with a cover touching the surface so it doesn't form a film), split it in two and lighten up one half with Italian or Swiss meringue to obtain what is called creme chiboust. Set both in the fridge until ready to use.

I made a batch of salted caramel and let it cool - a flakey salt and deep amber color do wonders in cutting the sweetness and giving more dimension to the caramel. Head over to Sally's blog for an excellent recipe.

Final make-ahead component is the creme chantily that I've fallen in love with recently - a fluffy and not-to-sweet mix of butter, cream cheese and mascarpone cream, this works on just about any cake but is lovely with fresh fruit and spiked desserts. Head over to Sugar Geek's awesome blog for the recipe.

When it's time to bake and bring it all together, roll out the rough puff to a thin sheet, and cut out a circle that will be the base of the St Honore. Then, make the choux - that's the cream puffs around the edges, and a ring around the base. I made a craquelin as well for the puffs (my main reference recipe for craquelin is this one), in which I added some cinnamon to tie in with the fall flavors of the dessert as a whole. In addition to the puffs themselves, pipe a ring of choux dough directly on the rough puff circle as well. Bake together until golden, raised and set then poke the choux to let out steam as it cools. 

Fill the puffs with caramel and creme chiboust, and set aside for final assembly. Claire's croquembouche instructional covers a lot of the steps for these puffs from dough, to filling and assembly with caramel.

Time for a quick product plug (no, they're definitely not paying me) - the apple cider spread from Trader Joe's. They're always at the peak of their game for seasonal products, and this is no exception. Tastes like apple pie met apple cider and partied their way into a jam jar. It packs a fantastic amount of flavor, and the apple pieces are small enough to provide texture but work as a spread.

To prep the fresh apples (I got fresh harvest gala apples, they were aromatic and crisp, perfect to enjoy fresh). I sliced them thinly on a handheld mandolin, then softened them slightly in lemon juice, warm water and maple syrup with a dash of calvados. This also prevents oxidation.

Final assembly goes as follows:

- inject caramel in the choux on the base, as well as the puffs turned upside down ready for filling. 

- pipe reserved pastry cream over the base, smooth into a thin layer

- add apple cider spread across the base in a thin layer, then smooth as well

- dip filled puffs in hot caramel (carefully!) and attach using the caramel along the base in a ring (I followed Prue's directions for caramel here)

- fill space between the puffs halfway up with creme chantilly

- arrange apple slices in a swirl pattern, leaving room for another puff in the center if desired

That's it, you've got yourself a beautiful and delicious Gateaux St Honore!

Notes

• Make this your own! I recommend picking a dominant flavor/theme (in my case, apple), think of a couple of spices that complement it well (maple, cinnamon, cloves here) and consider what forms that component can take to provide some textural variation (fresh apples and cider spread)
• Be very careful with the hot caramel! I got a couple of burns from unexpected drips, the temperature is quite high when the sugar is liquid. Consider you may have to gently rewarm the sugar while you work on assembly if it thickens too much.

Plum and rum cake

This year I discovered for the first time the extent of available plum varietals and hybrids in my area and decided to enjoy them to their fullest. I brought together the freshest, most ripe fruit I could get my hands on, with delicious rum and vanilla to layer into this fun and complex cake that was my birthday present to myself.

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Most of the components are recipes I brought together from a variety of sources, which I will share here. Later on, I share my quick and easy fruit "jam" recipe which I've used for added plum flavor in this cake and I've also used as base for fruit mousse and souffles in the past. 

Going in the order of the components bottom to top (following the layering in assembling this cake), first thing going in was a brown butter hazelnut sablé - I started with this recipe from Bon Appetit, and used hazelnuts instead of pistachios, cut it in a 6" circle to match the cake size, and omitted the glaze. The scraps were delicious to nibble on, they didn't last long at all.

I then spread a thin layer of pluot quick jam to act as pop of flavor/binder between the crisp base and the cake layer, and added the first cake round. I made the cake using this recipe from Once Upon a Chef, but arranged the plums in neat 6" circles so they would match the cutout for the cake layers.

The cake round got doused in vanilla bean rum simple syrup, followed by a thin layer of vanilla rum German buttercream - essentially Liv for Cake's recipe, with a touch of rum and nutmeg in the custard.

Next, I used another recipe that caught my eye, Sohla's upside down mochi cake adapted with peacotums and vanilla bean. This came out rich and earthy and delicious, but learn from my mistakes - only include this if you are planning to serve the cake the same day. The fridge is not kind on the texture of mochi cake, as delightful as it is fresh out of the oven or saved for a little while at room temperature.

Cake got another round of butter cake, rum syrup and custard buttercream layers, before the delicate and creamy vanilla rum cheesecake - I simply made Matt's recipe directly in a parchment lined ring form pan without any crust, then carefully stacked it on the cake after it was thoroughly chilled.

After topping the cheesecake with a layer of the pluot quick jam, I made German Buttercream swirls and poked them with droppers of vanilla bean rum. Simple and elegant, with a bonus infusion of the aromatic rum for each slice.

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Plum quick jam

Ingredients

• 2 cups of plums, pitted and roughly chopped
• 2-4 tbsp sugar, to taste
• half of a whole cinnamon stick
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp corn starch

Method

1. Put plums, sugar, cinnamon (or other whole spices, to taste) and pinch of salt in a pot with a splash of water and bring to a simmer. 
2. Cook for a couple of minutes until fruit is softened, then remove from heat and blend until smooth with an immersion blender.
3. Add corn starch slurry (corn starch mixed with 1 tbsp water until smooth), whisk well and return to heat.
4. Cook until bubbling for ~1 min and thickened.
5. Remove from heat, let cool, then chill or use right away.

Notes

• You can do this with nearly any fruit to use as a quick jam for layering in a cake or for a base for fruit mousse or souffle. 
• Stone fruit pair nicely with warm spices (cinnamon, cardamom, cloves) as well as vanilla bean. Berries may pair well with herbs or floral flavors (rose, orange blossom).

Peach pecan entremet

Some of my favorite projects are ones where creativity meets technique, and in which I can explore how a flavor pairing can work together in different ways. This peach entremet checks all of these boxes, which is why I wanted to share some of my process and the recipe for each component.

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This year I've really focused on using the freshest and most in season fruit in my baking. Sourced locally, I can not only get them at the peak of ripeness and flavor, but I get the opportunity to visit farms and pick my own, such fun for me and the kids as well! First came strawberries, then cherries, and then it was apricot and peach season. I got a large box of fresh local peaches and got to work, after playing with them in a few different ways this is the creation that emerged.

These are Goldensweet peaches from Frog Hollow farms, they are sweet and juicy freestone peaches, though firm enough to slice neatly. First, I picked out a few of them, halved them and baked them in the oven until the peel pulled off easily, they were soft throughout (but not mushy) and the juices caramelized slightly on the edges - I then pureed them and put the puree in an airtight container in the fridge to use a bit later. 

A few more of the peaches got chopped up (bowl in that first pic above) and I turned them into a fun and quick compote - a small dash of brown sugar just to draw out the juices because the fruit were sweet enough on their own, a splash of bourbon, some cinnamon and a little cornstarch to thicken. I cooked this all together until softened and slightly thickened, then spooned into hemispherical moulds and put in the freezer to set. 

For the next component I don't have any good pictures, I do need to plan my recipe development a bit more carefully that's for sure. I made a simple gelee with sparkling rose wine, peach puree, brown sugar and gelatin, and let it set on a quarter sheet pan covered in clingwrap. Note to self, lightly oiled foil may work better here, but it was workable. I let this set in the fridge while I whipped up a basic cremeux, then flavored it with a hearty dose of toasted pecan butter. Pecans made another showing in the cake base - a classic joconde sponge, only made with pecan flour.

Last but not least, the piece de resistance, the peach mousse to bring it all together. I used the oven roasted peach puree, gelatin and whipped cream to make a smooth and airy mousse in which I layered all the other components. I made a trial personal sized entremet (3") first to get a taste and decide, and I really do love how well peaches and pecans come together in all this.

For the finishing touch, I wanted to make a mirror glaze, but didn't want to stick with the classic white chocolate one as it felt like it would be too sweet for the subtle flavors of the entremet. Instead, I made a salted caramel mirror glaze with a touch of peach puree and poured it on the warmer side for a thin finish.

Last but not least, I wanted to talk about the theme I centered this dessert around. The larger sharing size entremet was assembled in a 6" hemispherical pan. I actually included the cremeux both underneath the compote as in the mini, and immediately on top of the sponge, with the rose gelee and a layer of mousse in between. I wanted to set up this gelatin based dessert as a jelly-fish, so I made tentacles out of gelatin, use cake scraps and chocolate candies as the bottom of the sea in a vase, and set up a blue backdrop. Not my tidiest work, but pretty fun, what do you think?

Sometimes less is more, even though I spent an eternity adding golden dragees on the bottom of the entremet for an extra touch, I ended up liking it all more without, but presented here is the most dressy version of this jellyfish before I got enjoyed at the table.

I partnered with a friend with experience in mixology, and she came up with two cocktails that paired with this dessert. The first one, refreshing and light, a little tart - puréed peach, peach bitters, rye, creme de peche, angostura bitters, lemon, and tarragon syrup. The second one, recommended to be served with dessert itself, was a strong drink, simple and sophisticated - rye, Lillet rouge, peach bitters, tarragon syrup, red vermouth. Cheers!

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Peach pecan entremet

~ Peach compote ~

Ingredients

• 2 peaches, chopped in even pieces
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp bourbon
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 pinch of salt

Method

1. Mix peaches and brown sugar in a small pot, let sit for a few minutes to draw out juices.
2. Put pot on medium heat, stir occasionally as you bring it to a simmer.
3. Add cinnamon and salt, mix.
4. Add bourbon (off the heat to avoid flame-up), then cook for a couple of minutes.
5. Make slurry with corn starch, add and stir for 1-2 minutes until thickened.
6. Let cool slightly, then chill in the fridge or put in forms in the freezer for entremet layering.

~ Bubbly gelee ~

For ratios and method, I referenced this recipe, only used 1.5 cups Chandon reserve rose for the bubbly, only 2 tbsp of sugar and 2 tbsp of peach puree along with the 3 tbsp of powdered gelatin.

~ Pecan cremeux ~

Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks
• 40 g granulated sugar
• 200 ml milk
• 200 ml heavy cream
• 160 g white chocolate, chopped
• 2 tbsp pecan butter

Method

1. Beat together yolks and sugar until pale and increased in volume slightly.
2. Combine milk and cream in a pot and bring to a bare simmer.
3. Temper the yolks carefully, pouring in the hot milk a bit at a time while whisking.
4. Return to heat set to medium-low and stir occasionally until thickened (back of spoon test or 180F).
5. Let cool slightly, then add chopped white chocolate and leave for a minute or two until it melts throughout.
6. Incorporate melted chocolate well, use stick blender if needed.
7. Add pecan butter and mix.
8. Transfer to piping bag, secure the end with an elastic and place in fridge until needed.

~ Pecan joconde ~

Ingredients

• 185 g pecans or pecan flour
• 185 g powdered sugar
• 5 eggs, separated yolks
• 50 g all purpose flour
• 25 g granulated sugar
• 45 g butter, melted

Method

1. Preheat oven at 350F. Prepare a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. If using whole pecans, grind up until fine in a food processor.
3. Beat together powdered sugar, egg yolks and ground pecans in stand mixer until light and fluffy.
4. Add flour and mix until just combined.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites to soft peaks.
6. Gradually add granulated sugar while whisking on high speed until fully incorporated and the meringue has achieved stiff peaks.
7. Carefully fold meringue in pecan mixture, trying to keep as much air into the meringue as possible.
8. Drizzle in the melted butter while folding until incorporated.
9. Gently pour batter in prepared pan and level using a large offset spatula.
10. Bake 8-10 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean close to the center of the pan.
11. Invert on cooling rack, remove parchment and let cool.

~ Peach mousse ~

Ingredients

• 150 g granulated sugar
• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup peach puree
• 4 sheets of gelatin, soaked in cold water (or 4 tsp gelatin powder)
• 1.5 cups heavy cream

Method

1. First, make an Italian meringue: start by heating up sugar with a splash of water until melted.
2. Put egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer.
3. When the temperature of the syrup reaches 240F, turn on the stand mixer on medium.
4. When the syrup reaches 250F, remove from heat. Make sure the egg whites are already frothy, and start pouring the syrup down the side of the bowl while mixer is still going.
5. Continue to whisk on high until meringue is glossy and it holds stiff peaks.
6. Warm up peach puree slightly in the microwave or in a small pot and add gelatin to melt.
7. Let puree cool slightly, but not set (80-85F), then carefully fold into Italian meringue.
8. Whip the heavy cream until light but still a bit runny, just below soft peak stage.
9. Fold cream into peach mousse and use immediately before it starts setting.

~ Caramel mirror glaze ~

I followed this tried and true recipe for the mirror glaze, blooming the gelatin in half water, half peach puree to tie in the flavors.

Assembly

I'm including the instructions for a straightforward, ring mould cake, the hemispherical cake or a silicone form require assembly upside down.

• Line ring mould with acetate or cling wrap to prevent sticking.
• Cut a circle of joconde to fit the ring mould, then place at the bottom of the prepared ring.
• Pipe a disc of cremeux on the joconde, leaving 0.5"-1" of space to the edges.
• Cut a disc of gelee the same width as the cremeux and place on top.
• Pipe or spoon peach mousse to cover the cremeux and gelee, making sure it fills all the spaces around the edges of the ring.
• Place frozen peach compote in the middle, then spoon/pipe more peach mousse until the compote is well covered by at least 0.5"-1" of mousse.
• Set in the freezer a couple of hours or overnight to set well.
• Bring mirror glaze to desired temperature for pouring (85F or just slightly warmer).
• Unmould cake, place on top of a rack or stable cup/ramekin smaller than the cake placed inside a baking pan to catch the excess glaze.
• Carefully but swiftly pour mirror glaze on top, making sure the sides are well covered. Alternately, you can pour the mirror glaze before unmoulding for a naked sides look.
• Let cake thaw at room temperature for an hour or in the fridge for a few hours, serve chilled.

Savory muffins egg surprise

You can call it a savory muffin, you can call it a vegetarian scotch egg, or even portable breakfast, but these easy to make treats are as delicious as they are pretty. Read on for the recipe on how to make them and what variations I've tried so far.

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One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it comes together quickly, in only one bowl. I grate the zucchini on the coarse side of the box grater so it doesn't turn to mush, then squeeze it thoroughly. The carrot goes on the fine side and doesn't need squeezing out quite as much - I used white carrot in this batch as you can see below:

The recipe makes 12 regular muffins, or 8 egg surprise muffins (portable breakfast). I like it make it half and half, that way everyone can get their favorite version - 4 egg filled and 6 regular muffins.

The nutritional yeast gives the batter a cheesy flavor, you can sub in 1/4 cup of finely grated cheese instead if you prefer. I do love the cheese sprinkled on top for both flavor and texture.

More detail coming soon :) 

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Savory muffins (egg surprise)

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup finely grated carrots
• 3/4 cup coarsely grated zucchini, squeezed
• 1 cup quick oats
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• handful of grated cheese
• Optional: 4 or 8 eggs, see notes

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin pan with paper liners or parchment.
2. If you want to make the scotch egg/egg surprise version, boil the eggs until whites are set and middle is very creamy, see notes. Cool completely.
3. In a large mixing bowl, add eggs and whisk for 15 seconds. Add applesauce, coconut milk, nutritional yeast, baking powder, baking soda, salt and whisk well to combine.
4. Add carrots and zucchini and stir a few times.
5. Add oats and whole wheat flour; gently mix until combined. Do not over mix.
6. For plain muffins, distribute batter evenly among 12 cupcake liners. For egg surprise muffins, scoop a spoonful of batter into each of 8 liners. Place egg on top, press slightly, then spoon enough batter on top to just cover the egg on all sides. I like to make half and half (4 egg muffins, 6 plain from one batch.
7. Sprinkle cheese on top, to taste. A sharp cheese like cheddar, fontina or parmesan works well.
8. Bake in the preheated oven 24-26 minutes until golden and set. Add 3-5 min if you prefer your egg yolk to be cooked through
9. Enjoy warm, or cover and store in fridge, then reheat slightly before serving.

Notes

• To cook the eggs for including in the recipe, follow these simple steps: bring water to a boil. Gently lower the eggs in the water, and set a 5'30" timer. When timer is up, immediately cool eggs in either running cold water or a bowl of ice water. Let cool then peel carefully as they're very soft inside.
• I love a runny yolk, but it's best served warm from the oven. To keep a runny yolk, chill the eggs in the fridge before peeling and encasing in the muffin batter to bake. For a semi-set yolk, cool to room temperature after boiling and use directly. For a well cooked egg, leave in the oven a few exta minutes.
• You can use whole milk and/or regular all purpose flour in the recipe.
• Cheese is optional, but adds a delicious flavor and great melty crust on top. It also tends to prevent the muffin batter from splitting over the egg, which causes uneven cooking

Mititei (Romanian Sausage Links)

 What hot dogs are to American food, mititei (literal translation "little ones") are to Romanians, in more ways than one. They're a staple of the grill as spring warms into summer, they're key to social gatherings for leisure, sports or vacation, and the top tier product is all beef*. 

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Before anyone comes after me for the heresy of claiming all beef mititei, I will note that popular recipes include a combination of beef, pork and/or mutton, and I'm here to tell you that even lighter protein can feature too - I've tried with half ground chicken or turkey, though you have to be extra careful to hydrate them well enough and not overcook to lose moisture. However, key ingredients to a good batch are garlic - plentiful and fresh - bone broth and baking soda. I am not entirely sure whether the baking soda is more important for binding the mix together or for texture/slight airiness, but I do know that you can't call something mici/mititei without it.

I adapted my home recipe from the gold standard for mititei in Romania, those served at the historical and legendary Carul cu Bere. The step by step pictures I included in this post were done with a mix of 1lb ground beef and 1lb ground chicken - as I mentioned before, recommendation for optimal results is all beef, 85% lean, which is what I will include in my recipe writeup below.

For optimal flavor, start the mix the day before you plan to eat it, and some prep-ahead can be helpful in streamlining the process. To that end, day 1 (T-2 days before mititei party) plan on making your bone broth. If you use store bought go for the real deal (should be gelatinous when cold) and skip ahead to day 2. I used beef bones in a 4qt pot and simmered them on low heat for 3-4 hours. The longer the better, but make sure the heat is quite low so you don't lose too much to steam. Once done, let the broth cool to room temperature then set in the fridge to chill completely. Skim the fat layer off the top to get a beautifully thick bone broth ready for use.

Onto day 2 (T-1 days before mititei extravaganza) - measure and ready your spices. As with most Romanian food, these are not spicy but rather well seasoned and aromatic. The all star lineup: black pepper, thyme, allspice, coriander, cumin and anise powder. For this step you'll also need a head of garlic, baking soda and lemon juice.

Add the 2lbs of meat in a large bowl, sprinkle the baking soda and pour lemon juice on top, then mix thoroughly. Next, incorporate all the powdered spices and 1/4 cup of cool bone broth, then knead into the meat. I find that a wooden spoon works well for this step, but don't be afraid to get your hands dirty on this one, as long as you take proper precautions in handling raw meat (wash hands with soap and warm water before touching anything else for next steps). 

You can push the garlic through a garlic press or mince with a knife. My quick shortcut for this step was blending the garlic into 1/4 cup of bone broth with an immersion blender, then adding it to the meat all together. If you mince the garlic separately, then add it to the bowl along with 1/4 cup of bone broth (1/2 cup so far) and mix well. You're looking for a soft but not too loose consistency at this stage, so you may need to add a touch more broth or hold some back, use your best judgement. Cover tightly and set in fridge overnight.

Day 3 - party day! In the morning, get meat mix out of the fridge and check for consistency - if it's very stiff you can add another 1/4-1/3 cup of bone broth to loosen up, season with salt and add another half a head - one whole head of garlic minced and knead in well. Press into a 9"x13" pan covered in foil, then cover tightly and set back in the fridge for the rest of the day.

About 20 minutes before cooking, pull the meat from the fridge, and fire up the grill. If you don't have a grill available or the weather is not cooperating (as was my case), then a cast iron pan or grill will produce pretty good results. It's time to shape the sausage links - the classic is a bit shorter and thicker than a hot dog, but any oblong shape will do. My favorite hack is to use a spatula to scoop them out of the pan directly into prism-like shapes directly into the pan - less cleanup and some nostalgic reminder of store bought prepped mititei for quick cookouts in my childhood (I don't think my parents ever took on the arduous process of making their own mix, but it was readily available in deli markets).

Cook on all sides until they're nice and brown on the outside and cooked through, but do not overcook! Nothing sadder than a burnt mititel after all that hard work. They should have a slight crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside.

Now let's talk accoutrements. The two must-haves for mititei are toothpicks as utensils (as seen above, two of them per link make a perfect makeshift fork) and mustard as dip. A sharp mustard is preferred, even better if it has some horseradish flavor as well. Next most important is a nice starch/carb side - either fries or bread buns are great. For the meal pictured above, I made both - sourdough dinner rolls and fresh cut fries because why not. While I have certainly eaten my fair share of meat and potato meals in Romania, I decided to also include another staple of summer cookouts in this spread - the tomato cucumber salad. I included thinly sliced red onion, though in the early summer scallions are a great addition as well, and dressed it simply with a touch of olive oil and apple cider vinegar.

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Mititei

Ingredients

• 2lbs ground beef
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp ground thyme
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1 1/2 tsp coriander 
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp anise powder
• 2 heads of garlic
• 2 tsp salt
• soup bones (beef or pork)

Method

1. Day 1 - make bone broth by simmering bones with water on low heat for 3+ hours. Cool completely and chill in the fridge. Remove fat layer from the top and cover to save for the next day.
2. Day 2 -  Mince first head of garlic with a garlic press.
3. Measure out all the dry/powdered spices.
4. Put meat to a large bowl, then add baking soda and lemon juice and mix thoroughly.
5. Add spices, garlic and 1/4 cup bone broth and knead into the meat. 
6. Add another 1/4 cup bone broth gradually while continuing to mix, until a soft but not quite loose mix is achieved - it should mostly keep its shaped if scooped onto a plate.
7. Cover and place in fridge overnight.
8. Day 3, morning - take out bowl with mixture and check for consistency. If it's too stiff, add up to 1/4 cup of bone broth more and mix well.
9. Season with 2 tsp salt and add half - whole head of garlic more (to taste) and mix thoroughly. 
10. Press into foil lined 9"x13" pan, cover and put back into the fridge until ready to cook.
11. Shape into sausage-like rolls and grill on all sides, turning only after one side is well browned to allow for proper maillard reaction and avoid breaking up the mititei as they cook.
12. Cook thoroughly but do not overcook so you don't lose moisture and flavor.
13. Serve hot with mustard and bread or fries. Best enjoyed with a cold beer :)

Notes

• In the United States, thyme isn't exactly like the thyme in Romania, haven't established if it's a different related plant or just a regional difference. I sometimes use ground savory in place of some of the thyme in this recipe because it's a similar flavor but adds complexity.
• I use two whole heads of garlic in total, but if you're not as obsessed with garlic as I am or if your stomach is sensitive to it, you can cut it in half or even a quarter and still get a good amount of flavor.
• In this iteration, I actually used half beef and half ground chicken. I've made these with ground turkey as well, but beware that if the overall mix becomes too lean, you lose out on texture and moisture in the final product. 
• Dijon or dusseldorf mustard are my preferred pairing for mititei, but if you can get your hands on some authentic Eastern European horseradish mustard, go for it!

Rainbow Pasta Project

Welcome to the story of the rainbow pasta project. I haven't tuned a recipe of my own at this point, but I will link to the recipes I've referenced with notes on what challenges I encountered and the cutting / shaping process overall.

You eat with your eyes first, and while it's always true that beautiful presentation enhances a meal, for the kids it's a crucial element for enjoyment. I love having them engage with the making of food and appreciate the beauty in colors and flavors, so I welcome ideas they offer for the kitchen. This rainbow food phase started when the little one got her hands on the Unicorn Food book (non-affiliate link), which she likes to browse like a restaurant menu. One of the ideas in the book that I kept putting off was the rainbow farfalle, not just because pasta from scratch is a more involved undertaking, but because I knew I didn't want to use any food dyes so each of the 6 colors would need individual attention. In the end, I used 4 different recipes and made slight variations to suit my color needs, and I absolutely love how they turned out.

 First up, my all time favorite for quick home made pasta - the basic pasta dough recipe from Anne Burrell (find it here). The olive oil makes it silky and supple, and the eggs add just enough elasticity to make it fairly easy to work with, but not heavy like yolk-forward egg pasta doughs. I made two half batches, with one including beetroot powder for the red color and one with turmeric powder and a pinch of crushed saffron for the yellow colored dough. The fridge rest time is important in allowing the flour to properly hydrate and the dough to relax enough to roll out easily.

Next, I took on the purple and orange doughs - Japanese purple sweet potatoes and regular (orange) sweet potato baked whole in the oven until creamy were used. I found that the purple sweet potatoes had much lower water content and felt starchier in general, so while they needed a dash extra liquid from the recipe directions, the other ones needed quite a bit extra flour - next time I'll first squeeze them in a towel to remove some of that extra moisture first. I used this recipe as a starting point, and aimed for similar consistency to the basic egg pasta doughs from earlier in adjusting the liquid/flour amounts on the fly.

The blue dough was my only vegan dough (recipe) - since I used butterfly pea flowers infused in water (and reduced to concentrate the color) for the hue I wanted, I didn't need the additional liquid of the eggs. It took a bit more kneading to get the texture right on this one, the the protein from the eggs wasn't there to bind it as easily. It still turned out great in the end, and rolled just as well as the other colors.

Last but certainly not least, spinach was the star of the green pasta - I used an old copy of Saveur magazine that I saved in my recipe binder for the dough recipe (link). I chopped the spinach by hand, and while blending it may have resulted in more uniform color, I love the speckled look of the little spinach pieces give the dough. They do make rolling a bit more unwieldy, but it worked well enough. 

I played the shaping of the farfalle by ear/eye, but it's a pretty manually intensive process. I worked with one color at a time while the others continued to rest in the fridge, so they wouldn't dry out. I used the pasta roller attachment of my Kitchen Aid to make long sheets - starting with a few rolls and folds at the #1 setting to get the dough more supple and ready to roll thinner, then passing it through each number one by one until it felt thin enough to cut and shape - I stopped at #5 though #4 would have probably worked as well. Next, I used the wavy blade of my pie dough roller to cut each sheet (the width of the roller) in 3 long and equal strips, then I cut them across with the straight blade in 1" strips. Each ~2.5" by 1" rectangle got pinched in the middle to form that classic farfalle shape (farfalla means butterfly in Italian).

In the end, I only used about half of each color (so 1/4 recipe of each of the recipes I followed) to make farfalle, and decided I would try something else both for variation and ease for the rest. The amount of farfalle that I shaped was enough for 2 meals for our family of four. I rolled out the remaining dough to #5 thickness and passed it through the spaghetti cutter attachment. I used a good amount of flour to keep the strands separated, then put them on parchment in little nests and froze them to keep fresh for a later meal - the spaghetti was also enough for 2 good sized dinners, unsurprisingly.

Last but not least, I wanted to play around with pasta lamination as inspired by a pasta aficionado I admire on Instragram (account link). I probably took it a bit too far putting all 6 colors together, but if you look closely you can still see each individual color, which is so cool! I hand cut these and shaped them into cavatelli as I learned from Chef Keller's Masterclass. The dark colors and disproportionately tiny plate make them look a bit funny in the one picture I captured, but they were delicious and perfectly al dente :)

Overall, this was a pretty involved multi-day project, but the glimmer in the kids' eyes when seeing the colorful pasta was worth it. I really enjoyed how each of the colors had a distinctive flavor as well, and I still have some spaghetti in the freezer for a future meal awaiting me. Pictured above, turkey Lebanese meatballs with roasted mushrooms and a light cream sauce. Below simply buttered farfalle with a dose of fresh garlic served with a quick salad and oven roasted chicken and veggies.

Grandma's Walnut Cake Bars

At grandma's house, every special occasion, every out-of-town guest visit, was marked by her pulling out her hand grinder the night before, grinding walnuts and making her delicious cake bars. 

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With only a few ingredients, every flavor is allowed to shine and it's such a delight you can never just have one bite. I am grateful I got this recipe passed on by my grandma a few years ago and I started making it around the holidays every year. It ages well too, so if you don't finish it all in the first day like I usually do, as it dries it becomes a wonderful accompaniment to coffee or hot tea.

The list of ingredients really is very simple - eggs, butter, sugar flour and nuts, with vanilla and chocolate flavors lovely bonus light touches on top. It also scales up and down pretty easily, so feel free to make it a bit thinner (in my mis-en-place above I made a 3/4 recipe in the same pan for a thinner bar, for example) or in a smaller/larger pan.

The first, and really important step is to ensure all ingredients are at room temperature before beginning. The sugar and butter need to whip together until light and fluffy and that's really not possible without a very creamy butter to start. Next go in the nuts and flour - I usually cheat and use nut flours (see notes), but for a bit more texture go ahead and grind up your own. As you can see above, at this step your mixture will be quite thick, but here come the egg whites to the rescue! Whip the whites just until you get stiff peaks. A touch of cream of tartar helps the whites along, but you want to make sure you don't go too far and let them break up or they'll deflate as you incorporate them into the batter. 

Start with one third (I call this the sacrificial fraction), and mix thoroughly to help lighten up the buttery nutty base. Then add the remaining thirds one at a time, folding gently but only just until incorporated to get a thick but creamy and fluffy batter. Spread this evenly in a pan prepared with lightly oiled parchment paper (or butter+flour coated) and bake halfway in a preheated oven. You're looking for the cake to be just set but still have a shine in the middle (undercooked) at this stage.

While the cake is doing its first stage of baking, prepare the delicious topping that really sets these bars apart - whip the egg yolks with sugar until very pale and light. They should triple in volume and fall in soft ribbons from the beaters when lifted from the bowl. My easy cleanup secret here is that I just reuse the beaters from the whites as trace amounts of white won't compromise the yolks (unlike whites, which will not whip if there is any yolk in them, beware!). My grandma used to flavor these with a Romanian kitchen staple - vanilla sugar. I don't find this in stores in the US very often, so I just use a dash of vanilla extract or the seeds from half of a vanilla pod if I'm feeling fancy.

Hot tip: Don't throw away the vanilla pod left over after you scrape out the seeds! You can put it in a mason jar with granulated sugar and shake it now and then, and voila! You have vanilla sugar in your pantry which you can use in this recipe next time or in any other baking application to add a touch of vanilla flavor.

Carefully pull out the partially baked cake from the oven and pour the fluffy yolks over the top, making sure to spread them edge to edge. Return to the oven until set and barely starting to change color to a golden brown.

Finally, the signature look of this cake comes from the way my grandma always decorated it - grated chocolate over the top as soon as it comes out of the oven. The warm cake melts the chocolate flecks beautifully so they adhere to the cake and meld with the rich yolk topping. Let this cool completely (if you can resist it for that long), then cut in small bite sized shapes and serve. I try to only remove as many pieces as I want to serve at one time so the rest stay moist and fresh, but a batch of this goes pretty quickly at our house :)

Enjoy with hot coffee, herbal tea or just on its own.