the sweet kitchen

Yes, it' supposed to be my break between sessions of the professional pastry course at Tante Marie's Cooking School.

But I love to teach... and it's so much fun spending three days with home bakers in a class called The Sweet Kitchen.

It doesn't matter that students in this class come from different backgrounds and levels of baking experience--they put on an apron, roll up their sleeves, and dive right in to cupcakes, candies and tarts with huge smiles on their faces!






















The lemon meringue cupcakes were a big hit because what's more fun than making a cupcake, filling it with a sweet-tart lemon curd, piping on billowy meringue... then taking a blow torch to it and watching it turn a golden brown?

Some students loved making sugared flowers for a garnish. Making buttercream and learning simple piping was also on the agenda.

Day two was devoted to candy and confections. There was plenty of truffle making....

and some lovely and delicious blood orange pate a fruit was cut into tiny shapes and rolled in sugar.

I love nut brittles and toffee, so I was happy that several students wanted to try their hand at making it.

They were surprised at how fast it set up!

A few of the students got adventurous and made home-made s'mores-- those yummy graham cracker, chocolate and marshmallow concoctions that you've probably had around a campfire.

They were incredible! The homemade graham crackers were buttery and delicous...then came a layer of rich caramel sauce, then homemade vanilla marshmallows... and the whole thing was dipped in chocolate.

Who needed a campfire?

We really had an enjoyable 3 days together.... and I'm sure there will be alot more days spent in the sweet kitchen for these students!

life after gluten

I am such a fan of the magical properties of wheat flours that I am probably the last person in America to experiment with gluten-free baking. But so many people are asking for gluten-free baked goods that I decided it was my duty to drag my head out of the sand and spend the afternoon in a wheat-free kitchen.

It turns out that the author of one of my favorite pastry blogs, http://www.cannelle-vanille.blogspot.com/ has been trying to get wheat out of her diet, so I turned to her for some recipe inspiration.

Her Chocolate Chip Cookies, made with a gluten-free baking mix instead of wheat flour, were so crispy and delicious that my kids (who didn't realize they were guinea-pigs-for-a-day) said they were the best chocolate chip cookies they'd ever tasted.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

4 oz non-hydrogenated shortening

4 oz brown sugar

2 oz sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

8 oz Gluten Free Baking Mix (such as Bob's Red Mill)

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

5 1/2 oz chocolate chips

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the shortening and sugars until well combined. Add the egg and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients, mixing until well incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Dump dough on a lightly floured surface and shape into a log that is about 3" in diameter. Wrap in parchment or plastic and refrigerate at least an hour.

Cut the log into 1/2" disks and bake at 375F about 12 minutes, until edges are brown but center is slightly soft.

One of the things that really interests me about this "alternative" baking is the history of the flours themselves.

The Lemon-Pistachio Cupcakes here are made with millet flour... a grain that originated in China 5000 years ago. I ground pistachios to a fine meal in a food processor for this recipe, which was like a delicious, moist tea cake.

The Chocolate-Banana Cupcakes were made with teff-- a grain I had never heard of! Turns out it's another ancient grain, a favorite in Ethiopia. I couldn't find teff flour, which the recipe called for, so I ground my own flour in my spice grinder--very easy. The kids gobbled up the chocolate cupcakes, but were lukewarm on the lemon. Both cupcakes were so sweet that a sprinkling of powdered sugar seemed a better option than icing.

Most of these flours are packaged by Bob's Red Mill, an Oregon company that specializes in whole and organic grains. I can find the largest selection at Whole Foods, but many are available at markets like Safeway.

Finally, I made Lemon-Lime Meltaway Cookies with amaranth (from pre-Columbian Aztec days...), sweet rice, sorghum and almond flours. They had a lovely flavor and a slightly sandy texture, which I didn't mind.

I won't be giving up my beloved wheat flours anytime in the near future.... but it was interesting and delicious to take a walk on the gluten-free side!

onward and upward!

The sun was barely coming up when our day started at Tante Marie's Cooking School this morning--it was graduation day for the professional pastry students.

Everyone started trickling in around 7:15am... even with daylight savings time starting a few hours earlier.

Coffee on... laminated doughs pulled from the freezer... looking for the perfect radio station for our mood (Prince?! Not Cat Stevens!!)

Students were focused, intense, happy. They had been working on their final project concepts, recipes and production schedules for weeks. They had been baking for a few days. Now, by 2:00 they had to finish their final projects, decorate their displays... and be ready to greet their families and friends.

Of course there was craziness... a napoleon that summersaulted to the floor... gumpaste flowers that weren't dry... the clock reading 1:30 when there was so much left to do... but what amazing presentations they all did. I want to share a photo album like a proud parent!

Jenn's Half Moon Bay Farmer's Market Pie Stand drew crowds.. it was complete with modelling chocolate bees with almond wings!

Amie's coffee theme included an antique samovar, coffee pots de cremes in espresso cups and B-52 mousses with caramel swizzle sticks!

Amelia's springtime wedding cake had gorgeous flowers.. and each tier had a different syrup and filling.

Sheryl's study of teas included infused panna cotta, caramels, tartlets, cupcakes, poundcake and truffles!

Ellen turned her Washington DC roots into an amazing display of presidental desserts--with cakes and confections from Presidents Washington, Lincoln, Eisenhower (or their wives!)....and the inaugural dessert of President Obama.. a delicious apple charlotte with caramel sauce.

Kathleen's Southern cakes display also reflected her roots and was mouthwatering.... especially the 4 layer coconut cake and the red velvet petit fours!

Matthew discovered his love of all things laminated, and made orange bouchees, caramelized banana danish, and chocolate and caramel croissants.

Kate went for the bite-sized desserts, with petit fours glace, mini cream puffs and cupcakes.

Kara wanted to show a small town boutique bakery. Her display was perfect, with tiny creme caramels, lavender cookies, scones and cupcakes... all presented in unique ways.

Jessica's love of her German mother and grandmother prompted her German Christmas display... complete with a Black Forest Cake, Zuger Kirschtorte, and stollen. There were even German Christmas ornaments!

Siobhan's "tipsy tea party" included a chocolate mousse with port-macerated figs... an olive oil cake with drunken grapes... and s'mores with Lillet marshmallows.

Ashlee's garden party was beautiful in pink, white and yellow... with tiny cupcakes and tarts in gum paste flowers, a lemon mascarpone cake and tiny ice cream cones!

Kat made a black-and-white wedding cake--the layer I fell for was chocolate with coffee buttercream. We joked that she was making her own wedding cake since she's getting married in the fall!

And speaking of weddings... Liz wanted to make her sister's memorable by designing an incredible croquembuche wedding cake filled with assorted berry pastry creams. And did I mention it was sitting on a chocolate gluten-free sphere cake with gum paste sea shells.. garnished with a mini adirondack chair sitting on graham cracker sand?

Whew! What a day! I am so proud of each of you for what you have accomplished in the past six months... may you have many happy days up to your elbows in flour, butter and sugar!

t.g.i.c. (thank god for citrus!)

Is there anything crazier looking than a Buddha's hand citron? It's one of those God's-got-a-sense-of-humor fruits... and it is so delicious candied.

We are all eating so much citrus in my house that a few of us have canker sores. But still, when I came home from the farmer's market this week with the best-ever navel oranges, my son said he'd just eat through the pain because they tasted so good.

We have two kinds of lemons in the yard--Meyer and Eureka, so I juice a bunch of them, stir in some simple syrup, add a splash of sparkling water, and we have wintertime lemonade. Maybe we should set up a stand under an umbrella in the front yard?

Insalata's Restaurant in San Anselmo makes an olive oil citrus cake that is so moist and delicious... and so perfect for after a winter dinner or with a cup of tea.

Orange Almond Olive Oil Cake

2 small oranges
1 lemon

1 cup AP flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

4 eggs, room temp

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup sugar

6 oz toasted almonds,finely chopped in a food processor

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350F. Oil a 10"x3" round cake pan, line with parchment, and oil again.

In a medium saucepan, cover the whole oranges and lemons with water; bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until fruit is tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and cool. Cut the oranges in half, discard seeds and rough chop the whole orange. Cut the lemon in half, remove and discard pulp and rough chop the lemon skin. Process the fruit in a food processor to a fine pulp.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk, combine eggs and sugar; whip until light and fluffy and will hold a ribbon, about 5 minutes. Fold flour mixture into egg mixture. Mix together fruit, nuts and olive oil and fold into batter until well incorporated.

Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing top. Bake until surface is dark golden brown and springs back when touched, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool in pan. Dust with confectioner;s sugar. Delicious served with a dollop of cardamom whipped cream!

the wintertime blues

Just when I think there might be a glimmer of sunshine out there...it starts raining again. I actually did see some brave plum blossoms and a few daffodils this week on one of my foggy day walks, but now we're back to umbrellas, wet feet, and root vegetables. Time for some soup.

I crave vegetable purees. You can make them out of anything in your refrigerator and they are smooth, creamy and completely comforting.

Start by sauteeing your chunked-up vegetables in olive oil in a soup pot or saucepan. I love the sweetness and color of carrots, so I used onions, a little celery, a potato and alot of carrots. I'm also fond of celery root in this soup, butternut squash, turnip, rutabaga... you get the picture.

After the vegetables start to soften a little and smell good, add a nice big splash of white wine and let it reduce for a minute or two. Then cover your vegetables with chicken stock--homemade if you have it, or canned is fine.

Let everything simmer, uncovered, until all the vegetables are very soft. Adjust the seasoning.

To puree the soup, you can use an immersion blender right in the pot, or let the soup cool a bit and puree it in batches in a food processor or blender. You will probably have to add more stock to get it the right consistency. If you want it richer, add a little cream, but it really doesn't even need it.

Aahhhh... beautiful, warm and satisfying.

While I'm in the kitchen, I also peeled and sliced a few apples, tossed them in sugar, dotted them with butter and sprinkled on a handful of dried cranberries. Bake the apples at 350F-375F until they're nice and soft. Eat them on their own warm.... or top them with a little whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

It may be dreary outside, but it's warm and delicious in the kitchen!

busy bakers

My current class of pastry students at Tante Marie's

Cooking School have really been producing some beautiful work in the past few months, and it's time for the world to see some of their creations!

First,the simplicity of the Princess Cake....a great way to learn to handle marzipan for the first time. I always think of baby showers or little girl birthday parties when I see this sweet cake!

From the simple... to the crazy... with the Croquembouche. Students have so much fun assembling these towers of tiny cream puffs and decorating them with spun sugar, Jordan almonds, royal icing and nougatine. They are so over the top!

Everyone really had a chance to show their stuff during the entremet classes. These cakes have layers of genoise, flavored syrups, mousses, fruits and poured glazes, surrounded by decorated biscuit joconde.

And, of course, French macarons... these temperamental little cookies are all the rage. We filled a big glass compote with them for our Christmas party for a beautiful presentation.

Still to come.... wedding cake week! Then this group of students will be on to their final projects and launched into the big, delicious world of pastry in late March.

Great work, everyone!