Gugelhupf Grief

I've been experimenting with recipes for gugelhupf since finding a pan that was perfect for it in a charity shop for $1.  I wasn't thrilled with the first one I tried, as it contained obscene amounts of eggs and butter (about six months' WWII rations' worth) and yet it came out dry.  I didn't bother taking photos, since I had found a recipe that seemed more proportional.  So I tried it today, assured that this one would be a success.

Seemed to be going OK...

Sure, it cooked in only about half the time the recipe stated, but it smelled great and looked right...

And then, although I'd greased the pan well, disaster struck!  Half of it refused to relinquish the pan, and had to be pried out against its will with a spoon.  Bastard cake.

And........ 

...please avert your eyes if the sight of massacred cakes disturbs you...

...the finished product!  TA-DA!

Ah well, thankfully we don't stand on ceremony in this house, and it actually tasted wonderful.  I am a bit deflated on the gugelhupf project for the moment, though, it must be said. Bastard cake.  Did I say that already?

Wait...

"...did they just try to tell me 'same' is a colour?"

from Homestar Runner (at 00:42)

Welsh Rarebit

Welsh Rarebit

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup beer – I use porter, but you can use anything dark and flavourful

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1-1/2 cup extra sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat.  Add flour and whisk together until combined.  Cook over low heat about one minute, until a nutty brown colour.  Pour in milk and beer, whisking constantly, and cook for an additional minute or until it starts to thicken.  Add mustard, paprika, and cayenne and whisk.  Add cheese and whisk slowly, cooking for a couple of minutes or until smooth, melted, and very hot.  Serve immediately over toast.

I never met a cheese sauce I didn't like.

Slightly adapted from here.

Chocolate Mint Bundt Cake

Yesterday I bought a bundt pan at a charity shop for $1.50 - I'd never made a bundt cake, and I figured this would give me incentive without investing too much in case it turned out to be an utter failure.  I tried my first one today - simples!  I think I may have to try more.

Chocolate Mint Bundt Cake

Cake:
2 ounces Nestle dark chocolate and mint baking chips
3/4 cup applesauce, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 cups flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup strong-brewed coffee, cooled
1 cup buttermilk

Ganache:
5 ounces Nestle dark chocolate and mint baking chips
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 tablespoon corn syrup
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Preheat oven to 350F.  Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Using a double boiler, melt 2 ounces of chocolate, stirring constantly.  Scrape the chocolate into a large bowl and let cool slightly.  Whisk in the applesauce and sugar, and then the egg.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.  Add half of the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture with 1/2 cup coffee and 1/2 cup buttermilk.  Whisk the batter together, then add the remaining dry, coffee and buttermilk and whisk until smooth.  Spoon batter into the prepared Bundt pan and smooth out.

Place pan in the oven (never put a Bundt pan on a tray - air needs to circulate through the hole in the center of the pan).  Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 45 minutes.  Be careful not to overbake.

Let the cake cool on a rack for 10 minutes and then invert it on the rack until fully cooled.

Ganache: Place 5 ounces of chocolate, the corn syrup, peppermint extract, and butter in a small bowl.  Heat the heavy cream until it just begins to boil in a small saucepan, or about 30 seconds in the microwave.  Pour cream over chocolate mix. Let stand for a few minutes then whisk until totally melted and smooth.  Let the ganache set for about 10 minutes (may need to refrigerate for that).  Drip over the cake in small spoonfuls so it doesn't all run off.  Let sit for 30 minutes before cutting.

 

Adapted just a slight bit from here.  If you like more mint flavour you could also add extract to the batter - I just like it a bit subtler.

Rhubarb Crumble

Rhubarb Crumble

2 pounds rhubarb, washed and chopped into 1/2" pieces
(you can also throw in a few cut-up strawberries if you have them, as I did)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons triple sec or other orange liqueur (substitute orange juice if you prefer)
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Thickener - I use King Arthur's pie filling enhancer according to the amounts they specify

4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375F.  In a large bowl, mix together the rhubarb through the thickener.  Spread evenly in a large casserole dish.

In a smaller bowl, combine the butter through the brown sugar using a pastry cutter or fingertips until mixture is crumbly.  Sprinkle evenly atop rhubarb mixture.

Bake for 35 minutes on middle rack of oven, then turn on broil to help brown the top, about another 5-10 minutes.  Watch carefully (and don't move it up to a higher rack or it will burn).  Cool slightly before dishing up; best served with custard!

Cheese Plus... and They Mean It!

Cheese Plus in San Francisco celebrated its 7th anniversary yesterday, and I just happened to visit - what luck!  I love this place - they have, I think, the widest selection of cheesy goodness in the city.  For their anniversary they had a selection of artisanal foods from around Northern California - cheeses, crackers, pancakes, salami, biscotti - I practically had a full meal from the variety of samples, which they weren't stingy with.  The caramelised onion crackers (one of my favourite flavours for just about anything) made at a little start-up bakery in Sacramento were the BEST!

While in the city I also visited Molinari's Deli, which has such on old-fashioned feel about the shop.  It's always jam-packed with people waiting for sandwiches, but it's fun to wedge yourself in and look around, anyway.

And finally, lunch at The Stinking Rose (smell-o-vision isn't working, sorry).

This was me by the end of the day: