Simple Drop Biscuits

These biscuits are great for beginners to make because they don't require any kneading!  Don't worry, you will still have fluffy biscuits as if you had kneaded your dough. These biscuits have a crunchy exterior with a moist and fluffy interior. The flavor is rich and buttery, a little sweet, with a slight tang. Everyone will love these simple yet delicious biscuits. Also, I'm going on vacation and I will not be posting anything new until August 14 or August 16+.  This recipe makes 12 biscuits.
Ingredients:
2 Cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 Cup whole or low-fat buttermilk. Chill the buttermilk in the freezer for 15-18 minutes before using. Substitution: stir in white vinegar or lemon juice with the milk and let thick for 10 minutes before chilling it. The flavor won't be near as good if you don't use real buttermilk.
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus extra for brushing

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 475 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, stir the chilled buttermilk and melted butter together until the butter forms small clumps. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just incorporated and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
3. Using a greased 1/4-cup measure, scoop out and drop mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until the tops are golden brown and crisp, 12-14 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
4. Brush the baked biscuits with extra melted butter, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

From: The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

Bruschetta

Bruschetta (properly pronounced bru-sketta) is an Italian appetizer. A really good friend of mine taught me how to make bruschetta and I thought that this is a great recipe to share for summer.  Bruschetta is a simple yet, flavorful dish that is wonderful.   Bruschetta combines a tomato's flavor with the sweet and pungent basil and a slight onion taste. Make sure your hands are really clean, because you will be touching the tomatoes a lot. I'm not sure how many this serves.
Ingredients:
1 pint of grape or cherry tomatoes. You can also use 5 medium/large Roma tomatoes. Scoop out the seeds and dice the tomato into small pieces.
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2/3-3/4 of a small yellow or white onion, diced finely
1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
1/3-1/2 cup (packed) sweet basil leaves, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, crushed slightly (optional). Crush a few minutes before serving.
Goat cheese, softened
Italian or French bread sliced at least 1/2 inch slices or more. Unless the width of your bread is small, you should cut each slice in half for the perfect bite-sized pieces.

1. Cut each grape or cherry tomato with a serrated knife lengthwise and then slice each half into three pieces, cutting crosswise. Put the diced tomatoes in a colander and salt them. Evenly toss the salt and tomatoes with your hands. Let the tomatoes rest for 10 minutes. This draws out the water in the tomatoes and increases the tomatoes' flavor.
2. After the 10 minutes have passed, firmly squeeze the tomatoes to remove even more water. Double line paper towels and place the squeezed tomatoes in the center. Wrap the paper towels up like a burrito and gently press the tomatoes in the "burrito".  
3. In a medium bowl, add in all of the ingredients except the garlic, goat cheese, and bread. Gently mixed everything until well combined. Taste the mixture and see if you need more salt, olive oil, or white balsamic vinegar. Refrigerate this mixture in a shallow container 1-2 hours, or longer. Do not skip the refrigeration process. Keep the mixture in the refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. Putting together the Bruschetta: Broil your bread in the oven for about 1 minute or until toasted. Lightly rub each toasted piece of bread with garlic, then apply a thin layer of goat cheese and put as much or as little of the tomato mixture on top. Serve immediately.

Peppermint Pattie Cake

I apologize for not posting yesterday. I didn't have time to finish writing this post and I am very sorry about it. This cake is very decadent and it can be a little overwhelming with its richness. The cake reminds me of a cross between a brownie and a soufflé. The cake is quite moist and dense (in a good way). The mint syrup balances out the richness but not too much. The ganache adds a smooth and creamy touch to this cake.  Make sure that you plan this cake ahead of time because it takes awhile to make, but is worth it.
For mint syrup: Make the night before
2 Cups packed fresh mint leaves
1 1/4 granulated sugar
3/4 water

1. Rinse your mint leaves and set aside.  In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.
2. Fill a small bowl with ice and water and put it near the stove. Fill another saucepan about half-way with water and bring to a boil. Put the mint leaves in the water and blanch until they are just wilted, about 10 seconds. IMMEDIATLY strain the mint leaves and plunge the leaves in that bowl of ice water. This preserves the color. Strain the leaves one more time, then blot with a paper towel. 
3. Using either a food processor, blender, or immersion blender, combine the mint leaves  and half of the syrup. Blend the mixture, stopping several times to scrape down the sides of your bowl. Add the remaining syrup and blend for 2 more minutes.
4. Transfer the syrup to a clean storage container and allow to sit overnight at room temperature. Strain the mixture after 24 hours through a fine mesh strainer and discard the solid parts. You can store the syrup in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Make sure to shake before using.

For the Ganache (make in the morning):

8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped finely. You can also use semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chip

1 Cup heavy cream or heavy whipping cream

1. Heat the cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to just under a boil. Add the chocolate, and let set for 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and pour the mixture in a medium bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and spreadable. 

For the Cake:

14 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, or use the chip form

2 sticks (1 Cup) unsalted butter

1/4 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons heavy cream or heavy whipping cream

6 Large eggs, separated

1 Cup granulated sugar

1 Cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or 1/4 teaspoon table salt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

6 ounces small peppermint pattie candies, such as York or Pearson's Mint Patties. Dust a sharp knife with flour and cut each candy into fourths. Redust the blade as you go. Set aside. You can make this cake without the peppermint patties.

1. Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch spring-form pan and spray the pan with nonstick vegetable spray.
2. In a medium heavy bottomed saucepan melt the butter with the cream on low heat. Stir in the chocolate and continue stirring until the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside.
3. Beat the egg yolks on medium-high speed using either an electric stand mixture (use the whisk attachment), or an electric hand mixture, gradually adding the sugar. Continue beating until the mixture is light yellow and very thick. Slow the mixer down and add the melted chocolate, and beat until just blended.
4. Whisk the flour and salt together in a separate bowl; set aside. Replace the whisk attachment with the paddle or continue using the beaters. Add the flour to the egg mixture in thirds, beating after each addition until blended. Add the vanilla extract and beat until just blended. The mixture will be thick.
5. In a clean mixing bowl, (using clean beaters), beat the egg whites until medium soft peaks form on medium speed. Fold about a third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Fold the remaining egg whites into the chocolate mixture, and then fold the peppermint patties into the batter.
6. Pour the batter into the spring-form pan and smooth the top. Put the pan in the middle of the oven for 45-50 minutes. When you insert a toothpick in the middle of the cake, it comes out moist and sticky, but not too wet.
7. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the sides of the spring-form pan and cool the cake on a cake rack. When completely cooled, invert onto a serving plate and remove the parchment paper. Frost the cake with the ganache. When you are ready to serve the cake drizzle it with the mint syrup. Serve it with fudge sauce, whipped cream or ice cream if desired. 

/From: All Cakes Considered by Melissa Gray

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Baking Tips and Information

Baking is a lot of fun, but I find that it can be challenging. I've made a lot of mistakes (I still do) and you might have too, so I thought these tips may help you. I'm not going to post next week, because it's going to be an inconvenient time for me, but I will post on July 17. Best wishes to all.

• Flour: There are several different kinds of wheat flour that are each produced for specific uses. 

1. All-Purpose Flour: the most commonly used flour. Certain brands have a higher wheat protein which can be a good or bad thing. King Arthur's flour isn't the best for most desserts but can work great with yeast breads. When using all-purpose flour use either Gold Medal or Pillsbury.
2. Cake Flour: contains a low wheat protein, thus producing a delicate crumb to cakes. I recently started using cake flour and now I will only use cake flour. Sadly, cake flour comes in small boxes and are more expensive than regular flour. However you can make your own. For 1 cup of cake flour use 3/4 cup all-purpose flour+2 tablespoons+ 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Stir the mixture in a bowl, then sift 5 times. Don't skip the sifting process or the cake flour won't work. If a recipe tells you to avoid homemade cake flour containing cornstarch, please buy the real stuff.
3. Bread Flour: bread flour has high wheat proteins that allows yeast breads to have a chewier texture. King Arthur's flour could make a decent substitute instead of bread flour. Personally, I haven't used bread flour but I would like to.

• Eggs: Size matters in baking. Occasionally, cookbooks and baking books don't tell us what size to use. (Irritating isn't it?) Too much or too little liquid can be our enemy. My best bet is if a recipe doesn't include the egg size, use large eggs. Avoid small, medium, or jumbo sized eggs unless noted in your recipe. Always bring any liquids to room temperature.

• Butter: Don't try to substitute butter for anything else, unless noted. The results will never be the same. 

1. The perfect temperature for room temperature butter is about 65 degrees F. Room temperature butter should still be a little cold, easy to press, but not greasy. If you bend room temperature butter it should still be solid enough to not break. I'm not a huge fan of using the microwave for bringing butter to room temperature. Instead leave it on the counter top for about 45-60 minutes, or if you're in a hurry, cut the butter into 6 pieces and let sit for about 25-35 minutes.
2. Use unsalted butter because salty desserts are not always wanted. 

• Milk: I recommend using either 2%, 1%, or whole milk. Skim or fat-free milk can dry out cakes and other baked goods.  
• Oils: The best oils to use are either canola, corn, or vegetable oil. Avoid using olive oil because it can have a strong flavor, unless noted.
• How to measure your dry and liquid ingredients: 

1. Liquid ingredients: Use a glass measuring cup or plastic cup. Not the kind that are sold in a set of 4.
2. Dry ingredients: Use dry measuring cups that normally come in a 4-piece set. There are several ways to measure dry ingredients. Different methods can alter the outcome of your baked goods. A good baking book should tell you which method they like to use.
3. The spoon-and-sweep method: putting spoonfuls of flour into the measuring cup and sweeping the excess flour off with the back of a table knife.
4. The dip-and-sweep method: dipping the measuring cup into your dry ingredient, letting it overfill some, and sweeping the top off with the back of a table knife.
5. The weigh method: Weighing your flour according to the recipe's amount. 

Why is this important? From what I have learned over the years, and you may know too, every cookbook prefers to use some methods over others. For example, a low-fat baking book would prefer the dip-and-scope method, because less flour is put into the measuring cup. An average baking book would use the dip- and-sweep. So which one method should be used? Preferably, an electric scale would be the best to use for weighing out your ingredients. You should get accurate measurements when using this method. However, quite a few baking books do not provide the exact measurements. When in doubt, use the dip-and-sweep method for average baking books, and spoon-and-sweep for low-fat baking books.