HCB: Financier Style Vanilla Pound Cake

in , , , ,

If you asked me what my preference for cake is, I would right off the bat tell you that it will be those that are rich, dense and full of fat goodness, meaning they pack a gazillion calories, because they tend to be rich in butter, eggs, sugar and flour.

It’s no wonder that when it really comes down to it, I usually prefer the simple cakes.  I admired the fancy cakes with all the cool ingredients and decorations and fillings.  But, deep inside, I tend to run for those simple, easy cakes.

For the last couple of weeks, I been craving a pound cake. So when I read that this week’s choice for the Heavenly Bakers was the Vanilla Bean Pound Cake, I was ecstatic.

This lasted until Sunday, when I actually took a look and really READ the full recipe and realized that it was NOT going to be a pound cake. 

Tsk, Tsk, Rose, you had me fooled.

Read More

GCC: Menu 11 - Gruyere Tart

in , , , , , , ,

This past weekend the Gutsy Cook menu included this tart, a Carrot and Orange soup and Arugula Salad with Parmesan.

As you can see, I played lazy and only did the tart.  But, after reading Raymond’s take on the soup, I think I may have to back track and cook up some carrots!

The whole menu was totally on the fence up until Sunday. I had spent Friday and Saturday baking up about 7 dozens of cookies for my first cookie exchange party (recipes and post coming) so, my kitchen and I were taking a break from eachother.  But, on Sunday as I was whipping up my brunch menu, and felt something was lacking, so I took a look and decided to include this tart in the list of things to serve.  I came together pretty quickly.

Read More

ABC: Maple-Pecan Medjool Date Rugelach

in , , , , , ,

The first time I came across Rugelach was at the Epicure Market, a local gourmet market, that has been a staple in Miami Beach for over 65 years.  These crescent pastries are a traditional Jewish food which is eaten any time of the year, but are really popular and traditional during the Hanukkah holiday. Epicure (as the local refer to it), which catered to the large Jewish population in Miami Beach, made sure to have a whole case dedicated to these pastries.  It was the mecca of Rugelach. I can not remember how many types there were but the combination of filling were numerous - raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, chocolate, marzipan, poppy seed, dry fruits even preserves.  I don’t think there was any type of combination that Epicure had not tried.

My favorites were the ones filled with chocolate and marzipan.  When I lived in Miami Beach, I would make sure to get there early on Saturday to fill a bakery box with this sweet treat and then spend the whole weekend munching away at the treat.

Read More