Wish Upon A Chef

Wednesday is my favorite day of the week for numerous reasons, but mainly because it's the day that the food section is included with the newspaper. Forget world peace and politics ~ I want to read about fruits and vegetables and hot new restaurant openings!

On a recent Wednesday, there was a short press release about Tizzert's, a "custom cakery" that opened back in 1995 here in Charlotte having revamped their website. Even under normal circumstances, I would have been compelled to check out the website but this particular day I found it ironic that I was even reading about Tizzert's in the first place. It was probably about the same time, back in 1995, when Tizzert's first opened that the online version of the Charlotte Observer ran a press release about Tiz Faison and her desire to start a bakery. Along with the article was a recipe for Tizzert's Carrot Pecan Cake. Not having the perfect carrot cake recipe in my repertoire at that time, I printed it from the website and filed it away.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I baked a carrot cake for my co-worker's birthday. Guess which recipe I used? The recipe that had been used so many times before in my own catering business. The one that made a grand entrance for Captain Sturm's 40th birthday. The one and only Tizzert's Carrot Pecan Cake taken from the website some 14 years ago.

Not much of a from-scratch cake baker myself, this recipe bakes up perfectly every single time. It's moist and delicious and the velvety cream cheese icing is nothing but out of this world creamy goodness! Granted, my photo does not do justice to Tizzert's wonderful creation, but this photo was taken on the fly just before I rushed out the door to the office (I had actually forgotten the cake that morning and had to come back home to get it!) And I gave up trying to make my cakes look like something straight out of the Wilton Cake Decorating book. When garnished correctly with finely chopped pecans pressed all around the sides of the 3 layer cake, it is pretty impressive (again, please forgive me for sending this poor cake to slaughter without the proper garnish but it was Monday and I was late and she was lucky that I remembered to bake the thing in the first place.) Oh sure, the cake is loaded with sugar but it can conceivably be considered healthy and good for you since it has vegetables in it, right?

Congratulations on your booming business, Tiz, and great job on your new website.

Tizzert's Carrot Pecan Cake

Cake layers:
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cup oil
4 whole eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups grated fresh carrots
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
FROSTING:
2 8 oz. cream cheese
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
DECORATION:
2 cups pecans, chopped extra fine
1/8 cup half pecan pieces or larger -- (1/8 to 1/4)

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cake pans with parchment & spray lightly with pan spray. Combine oil and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream until light. Add whole eggs and vanilla. Sift together dry ingredients. Add to bowl slowly and blend well until all flour is incorporated.
Add carrots and pecans to mixing bowl and incorporate well. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 25-30 mins. Allow to cool in pan at room temp.

For frosting:
Allow butter and cream cheese to come to room temp. Use an electric mixer with a paddle attachment and add butter to bowl and beat well. Slowly add softened cream cheese to butter mixture in small pieces to decrease any chance of lumps. Scrape down bowl and add powdered sugar slowly, again blending well. Add vanilla last. Scrape bowl and blend 1 minute until smooth. Use frosting at room temp.

To assemble cake:
Use 8" Cake circles to flip cooled cake layers out of pans. Remove parchment. Carefully, trim any excess edges with a serrated knife to level each level. Apply cream cheese frosting evenly to 2 layers only. Place unfrosted layer onto 1 frosted layer and fold last frosted layer on top of these layers (like a hamburger). Chilled filled cake in refrigerator or freezer 30 mins or more (wrap in plastic wrap if longer than 30 mins). Remove chilled, filled cake and set on turntable. Add 1+ cups frosting to top of cake and push to sides, slowly turning turntable as you go around sizes of cake with straight met 8" spatula. Use more frosting as needed. Scrape off excess when nearly finished. Smooth top with edges of off-set spatula, bring icing into the center of cake. Place finely ground pecans into large bowl. Hold cake in your strongest hand on cake circle and slowly touch pecans to sides evenly from top edge to bottom edge. Place completely "crumbed" cake on cake platter or final presentation plate. Using large pastry bag with large star tip, pipe rosettes in even numbers at edge of the top of the cake to represent a slice (12 works nicely). Sprinkle rosettes with half or larger pieces to complete cake. Refrigerate before serving.

Source:
"AroundCarolina.com"

The Charlotte Symphony Pops In The Park series concluded July 3 after a resounding success both in performance and fund raising. The financially strapped orchestra raised nearly $150,000 this season from patrons eager to pay the small suggested donation. In addition to doing my part monetarily, I also contributed to my favorite summertime activity by introducing "newbies" to four of the symphony concerts. I hope they, in turn, will continue to populate the lawn each summer with friends and more friends.

Not only did I show up with new people in tow, each week also brought new and exciting picnic fare. Simplicity was the key for each of the concerts so that I could enjoy the day doing other things and not be stuck in the kitchen prepping and cleaning. Rosemary Flatbread with Bleu Cheese, Grapes and Honey from Food and Wine magazine was a delicious combination of sweet and savory and considering that I'm not a huge fan of bleu cheese, that's a pretty bold statement. I'm fully aware that all of these components compliment each other but it would never have occured to me to combine them in this manner. While this was quick and easy to put together, it does require a bit of planning in order to make the dough and let it rise.

If you're in the mood for something a little more substantial, then no doubt this overstuffed
muffuletta sandwich will fill the void. Another simple and delicious snack to pull together but again, forethought is required. The olive tapenade needs to be made at least a day in advance so the flavors can meld and the longer the assembled sandwich sits, the better it tastes ~ perfect for a picnic because it won't get soggy. Tangy and spicy, this hearty sandwich is not for the faint of heart!

Insalata Caprese is probably one of the most elegant things you can prepare for a picnic. Thick sliced heirloom tomatoes layered with fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil all drizzled with first cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. Amore mio! Of course, I do have to admit that I don't keep the dish true to its Neapolitan roots because I also add a dash of balsamic vinegar and some coarsely ground sea salt. It is imperative to use the best of fresh, home grown tomatoes and basil ~ do not refrigerate either of them prior to making the salad or even after assembly or else the flavors will diminish ~ and make sure you choose a very good fresh mozzarella and not the rubbery stuff that is so common in the grocery stores. Mozzarella di Bufala is ideal but sometimes hard to find so a good fresh cow's milk cheese will work just as well. Each and every item in this salad is showcased so it is important to use quality, fresh, and expensive.

My coveted picnic backpack is neatly store away until next summer but in the meantime, I hope you enoy these recipes and enjoy the summer!

Muffuletta Sandwiches

1 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, crushed
1/2 cup drained kalamata olives, crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons drained capers
1 tablespoon chopped celery
1 tablespoon chopped carrot
1/2 cup pepperoncini, drained
1/4 cup marinated cocktail onions
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup canola oil
2 (1 pound) loaves Italian bread
8 ounces thinly sliced Genoa salami
8 ounces thinly sliced cooked ham
8 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese
8 ounces sliced Provolone cheese

To Make Olive Salad: In a medium bowl, combine the green olives, kalamata olives, garlic, capers, celery, carrot, pepperoncini, cocktail onions, celery seed, oregano, basil, black pepper, vinegar, olive oil and canola oil. Mix together and transfer mixture into a glass jar (or other nonreactive container). If needed, pour in more oil to cover. Cover jar or container and refrigerate at least overnight.

To Make Sandwiches: Cut loaves of bread in half horizontally; hollow out some of the excess bread to make room for filling. Spread each piece of bread with equal amounts olive salad, including oil. Layer bottom of each loaf with 1/2 of the salami, ham, mozzarella and Provolone. Replace top on each loaf and cut sandwich into quarters.

Serve immediately, or wrap tightly and refrigerate for a few hours; this will allow for the flavors to mingle and the olive salad to soak into the bread.

Source:
Adapted from allrecipes.com

NOTES : Marinates overnight.

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Rosemary Flatbread with Bleu Cheese, Grapes, and Honey

Ingredients
1 envelope active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups bread flour, plus more for rolling
3/4 cup warm water
2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound red grapes (1 1/2 cups)
Coarse sea salt
3 ounces bleu cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon snipped chives

Directions
In a large bowl, whisk the yeast and sugar with 1/4 cup of the flour. Stir in 1/4 cup of the warm water and let stand until slightly foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the rosemary, fine salt, pepper and the remaining 1 3/4 cups of flour and 1/2 cup of water; stir until a dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a draft-free spot until billowy and doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450°. Place a pizza stone in the bottom of the oven, and preheat for at least 30 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Press and stretch the dough into a 13-inch round, then transfer to a lightly floured pizza peel. Press the grapes into the dough and sprinkle with sea salt.
Slide the flatbread onto the hot stone and bake for about 12 minutes, until the crust is golden and the grapes have begun to release some of their juices. Sprinkle the bleu cheese on top and bake for about 2 minutes longer, until the cheese melts. Slide the flatbread onto a work surface and drizzle with the honey and sprinkle with the chives. Cut into wedges and serve.

Could you say "No" to this face? I think not. I'm not made of stone, people. A few weeks ago I was asked by my friend Mary to help plan the party of the year for this handsome little man. It's a major milestone turning 2 years old, is it not? No longer a baby nursing a bottle and almost a man just as soon as you let go of the pacifier and can fully grasp the concept that food goes in your mouth and not on the floor (I believe I've dated a few who were just barely out of this stage themselves.)

I must have been absent the day they handed out the wanton need to have children because I've never had the desire myself ~ partly because I never really felt like I was old enough yet and mainly because I've never met the right person. But this cutie pie makes me feel all tingly in my nether regions. I'm thinking Mary should just turn him over to me one night when he's cranky and experiencing one of those "terrible two" moments and it will be enough to make me celibate for the rest of my life. But while the euphoria lasted, I decided this little prince needed a cake to remember for his big day.

This sinfully rich, decadent chocolate ganache cake is from one of my all-time favorite chefs, Ina Garten. The book Barefoot Contessa Parties! was given to me years ago and page 88 is one of the many dog eared pages. The cake is typical Ina style ~ overly impressive in appearance and unbelievably easy to make with very few ingredients.

The recipe as written makes only 1 layer which is enough to put anyone into a sugar coma but that just wouldn't do for the birthday boy. Mary and I decided to turn it into a 3 layer cake with raspberry mousse sandwiched between the layers, dripping with rich chocolate ganache and garnished with fresh raspberries. Oh Lordy! I wish I'd taken a picture of the other older children camped out in a complete circle around the cake just waiting for it to be sliced. I don't think they ever took their eyes off of the tower of fudgy chocolate.

Happy birthday John Wyatt and I wish you many, many more!

Chocolate Ganache Cake
by Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa

1/4 lb butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 (16 ounce) can Hershey chocolate syrup
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour

For the ganache:
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Butter and flour an 8 inch round cake pan (see note ), then line the bottom with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Mix in the syrup and vanilla. Add the flour and mix until JUST combined (overbeating with make the cake too tough).

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until just set in the middle. Don't overbake! Let cool thoroughly in the pan.

For the ganache, cook the heavy cream, chocolate chips, and coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Place the cake upside down on a wire rack and pour the glaze evenly over the top, making sure to cover the entire cake and sides. You can tilt the rack to smooth the glaze. Do not refrigerate.

Just a few side notes....the recipe indicates that you should use an 8" round cake pan but I have my doubts that it wouldn't overflow. We used 9" and they worked perfectly. Also, the cakes freeze well. Cool completely and wrap really well in plastic wrap. Pull out of the freezer a few hours before final assembly and let thaw.

This 4th of July holiday I was one of the multitudes of people headed to Myrtle Beach, SC for some fun in the sun. Despite being one of the main attractions of the SC coast, there is just no easy way to get to Myrtle Beach no matter which direction you are traveling from. Seeing long stretches of nothingness with a spot of destitute here and there was nothing new for me ~ it reminded me of where I’d been for the past 6 years and how far I’d traveled to be where I ultimately wanted to be. It gave me plenty of time to reflect on the past 9 months of my new life and how unbelievably stress free, carefree and happy I’ve become. It also gave me time to catch up on inspiration for some of my writing that I’ve been neglecting. The ideas starting flowing as the miles ticked by…

You may never take cooking advice or recipes tips from me, but if you can take just one thing away from your time here with me, please let it be this….when you find yourself on this same journey toward the sand and surf, PLEASE obey the speed limit through those little non-coastal towns. If you’re not careful, you won’t even realize that in a blink of an eye the 60mph limit suddenly dropped to 45mph and in another blink down again to 35mph. Nope, you won’t even know until you find yourself sitting on the side of the road surrounded by flashing blue lights and handing over $250 of your beach spending money to whatever municipal that the man in the uniform represents. And don’t feel bad when it happens to you because it happens to almost all travelers through the area ~ even the speed conscience Captain Sturm got a ticket once and although I was asleep in the passenger seat when it happened, somehow it was my fault.

The Grand Strand hasn’t changed much in my nearly 7 year absence. The landscape is more dotted with high rise condos, hotels, and beach houses but what I love most about Myrtle Beach is even though there is a certain level of classiness about the place, there is also a good dash of cheesiness mixed in. Tacky t-shirt and souvenir shops line the south end of Ocean Avenue where airbrushing is still all the rage. You can get a henna tattoo, hermit crabs, a belly button piercing and a newspaper thin beach towel for $1.99. The cheesiness works and it’s there for those who have not yet grown to appreciate the finer things in life. It’s for those who will develop an innate fear of throwing up on amusement park rides. It provides an atmosphere conducive to passing out from too much...uh...heat exhaustion. Yeah, heat exhaustion. Uh huh. And many a naïve young girl will sell her soul during a game of putt-putt to an Italian man during a weekend rendezvous.


But not me ~ I’m down on the classy north end of town because I've finally outgrown the lures of the south end of the Strand. This trip, I could be found enjoying some great seafood at Sara J’s located at 314 Atlantic Ave, Murrells Inlet, SC. It was a tough decision, but finally I decided on the crabcakes and was rewarded with 3 huge cakes served with a side of orange marmalade. They had more of a crispy deep fried appearance instead of the typical bread crumb exterior and there was very little filler, instead they were chock full of flaky sweet crab. An excellent choice indeed!

Murrells Inlet is also home to Spuds Waterfront Dining where I found myself on the 4th of July feasting on grilled shrimp and scallops before the big fireworks extravaganza. Both were cooked to perfection and the outdoor patio provided an excellent view of the 4th of July boat parade.











As a true Southern girl, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that both meals were served with the deep fried delicacies known as hushpuppies. Dipped in honey butter, they're the perfect appetizer for any meal served by the ocean or otherwise.

My sabbatical ended with a fabulous fireworks display at the Surfside Beach pier that continued through the evening along the beach. It was the end to the perfect weekend that served the purpose of rejuvenating and inspiring my soul.

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

Prior to starting any previous DB project, I spend alot of time organizing my shopping lists & ingredients, researching the subject, and reading posts by other DB'ers to see their outcomes and experiences during the process. I'm always well prepared to begin the project and to achieve the best possible outcome. I took one look at this month's challenge and decided that I could do it with my eyes closed. And one hand tied behind my back. There was really no need to spend all that extra time preparing...this one would be a cinch!

Maybe I should have closed my eyes and tied my hands back. It couldn't have been any worse than what I wound up with as a final result.

The individual components came together with ease and presented no real challenge ~ my crust looked tender and crumbly all nestled into my tart pan. The luxurious frangipane completely engulfed a layer of strawberry lavender jam and all I had to do was wait out the baking time and my not-so-much of a challenge would be done. I figured I'd use that time to catch up on some gossip, so I dialed my best girlfriend on the phone.

But the proof is in the pudding...err...tart or whatever the heck this thing was starting to overflow its pan and smoke up my oven, that the easiest things aren't always as they appear. And that you should never distract yourself during a Daring Bakers project. My luxurious frangipane was overflowing like a volcano and turning into charcoal briquettes. My kitchen was filling with smoke and soon the detector would alert everyone that the girl who calls herself a caterer needed to put her gossiping on hold and call the fire department {should I mention here that this was the second time in a week that I've smoked the place up??} But have no worries...slide a baking sheet underneath to catch the burning goo and the gossip monger never misses a beat.

The timer announced that my easy peasy pudding/tart/whatever thing was ready to be unveiled and I must say it looked mighty pretty ~ I was so proud of myself at this point and still incessantly chatting away.

Some time later, after I'd gleaned all the juicy, dirty details about who said what to who I came back to the kitchen to admire my Bakewell Tart. Anticipating the taste of the crunchy almonds and silky lavender infused jam combined with a flaky shortbread crust, I slid my knife through the perfectly browned top {trying to ignore the burnt crusty stuff on the sides of the pan} and was met with a gushing pile of goo spewing forth from the innards of this now I'm cursing thing. Had I done my research, I would have known that the frangipane does turn a lovely golden brown, almost to the point of looking like what I feared was burnt, but a piece of foil over the top would have allowed it to continue baking until it was completely set. Also, had I not been yakking away about trivial stuff, I would have been smart enough to stick a toothpick in the thing and figure that out for myself.

Fearing my tart/pudding/total waste of time was a loss, I tossed it in the fridge to be dealt with, photographed, and cataloged here as a failure. But much to my surprise, after spending the night in those frigid confines, it wasn't that bad at all! The tart eventually set up and even though I knew it was a little underdone, I don't think anyone else would have known it. Although I would prefer this for breakfast more so than for a dessert course, it tasted great and will possibly make it into my files as a "try it again because you screwed it up the first time" project.

Thanks again to Jasmine and Annemarie for a wonderful challenge! Click the links above to head over to their blogs for the recipe and then spend a day or two reading about all the other creative concoctions from the Daring Bakers blogroll.