Happy Birthday, jonesing for… !

One year ago today I started my blog and it’s been nothing but fun since.  This whole thing began after encouragement from friends since I enjoyed taking pictures of whatever I was cooking, and liked typing up a few words about it as well. I’ve had so much fun sharing my love of cooking and recipes, and nothing makes me happier than hearing my friends and total strangers have been inspired to cook from recipes I post.

And I have something even bigger to celebrate than my blog’s anniversary. I’m so excited to announce I’ve just accepted a position as the new Test Kitchen Assistant for a national food magazine! I’ll be testing recipes, assisting food styling, grocery shopping, and working in the test kitchen for a living – a.k.a. my dream job! Words cannot express how excited and blessed I feel to be able to do what I love for a living as young as I am. Getting out from behind a desk and back into the kitchen means the world to me, so now it’s really time to celebrate!

So to celebrate, I wanted to bake a cake – a very special cake. In a way, this entire post, blog, and really my career, is dedicated to my oldest sister, DeAnna. She honestly is the biggest reason I pursued cooking – admiring her life as a pastry chef when she was younger and always being enchanted with whatever she was baking or making. This bundt cake is one of the earliest food memories I have of being impressed with food, thinking the black and white drizzle was so fancy, the cake shape so odd, the entire thing just being special. So I wanted to go back to my roots with this one.

Unfortunately neither D nor my mom could find the recipe. They both tore their kitchens apart looking for it to no avail, which seemed almost poetic in a way. I got to just create my own version, which is exactly what I like to do here. So I took a simple chocolate bundt cake recipe and oomphed it up, adding coffee and buttermilk, using a chocolate ganache drizzle instead of melted semi-sweet chips, and I had to stay true to the white chocolate drizzle – even though I’m not a huge fan, you can’t get that stunning white color with anything else, and since the cake isn’t overly sweet, it balances out.

So thank you to my readers, family, and friends for a wonderful year! I can’t wait to see what this next year has in store!

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Black and White Bundt Cake

Makes at least 16 servings (depending on how you slice it).

Based on my sister’s recipe with froufrou flourish from Food & Wine.

Ingredients

• 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped and separated (I really indulged and used Callebaut “Refined” semi-sweet, which is to die for)
• ¾ cup canola oil
• 1¼ cups granulated sugar
• 1 extra-large egg plus 1 egg white
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1¼ teaspoons baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup strongly brewed fresh coffee, cooled (the bolder the better)
• 1 cup reduced fat buttermilk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• ½ tablespoon corn syrup
• ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
• 4 ounces white chocolate (I usually loathe white chocolate but Callebaut’s white is actually nice and mild and not too sweet, so I recommend it)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 365° F. Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan or your microwave, melt 2 ounces of the chopped chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. Pour the chocolate into a medium bowl and let cool until there’s no longer steam rising from it. Whisk in the oil and sugar until smooth, then whisk in the egg and egg white.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture along with ½ cup of the coffee and ½ cup of the buttermilk; whisk until smooth. Add the remaining dry ingredients, coffee and buttermilk and whisk until smooth.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the lower third of the oven for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let the cake cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn it out and let cool completely.
5. While the cake cools, prepare the ganache. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer, but don’t scald it. In a heatproof bowl, combine the remaining 3 ounces of chopped chocolate with the corn syrup and butter. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand until melted, about 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Let the ganache glaze cool until thick but still pourable, about 5 minutes (don’t be afraid to pop it in the fridge for a few minutes if your kitchen is slightly warm).
6. Drizzle the ganache over the cooled cake. Let the cake stand until the glaze is set, at least 30 minutes, before adding the white drizzle.
7. In a double boiler, melt the white chocolate until smooth and glossy. I do not recommend doing this in the microwave because white chocolate burns very easily and doesn’t melt like real chocolate (because it isn’t)! Drizzle over the cake artfully and serve slices with a huge glass of cold milk (and maybe a glass of champagne!).

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: cake, chocolate, dessert, favorite, high altitude, indulge

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My last few baking adventures have definitely not been swimsuit-season minded, to say the least. Chocolate cake and lemon bars and snickerdoodles… butter was definitely a theme these past few weeks. Thankfully since my gym is within walking distance of my apartment it hasn’t become an issue… yet. But there’s nothing wrong with nipping things in the bud and making a healthy(er) sweet treat once in awhile.

When I found this recipe I thought “Banana and chocolate… low fat? Sign me up!” yet I was still dubious. So many things claim to be delicious and satisfying yet healthy, and mostly fail. Especially baked sweets. Even as I ate the batter thinking “Wow, this is good…’ I still doubted the outcome. But good God almighty was I proven wrong with these muffins. They’re not only some of the tastiest muffins I’ve ever tried period, they really do only have 165 calories a muffin! I refused to believe it until I did the math myself because they are just. that. good.

The moistness is out of control with the bananas, the sweetness level is just right but not overpowering, and by cleverly using mini morsels and sprinkling them over only the top of the muffins, you get that delicious bit of chocolate, without adding the extra calories. No stand mixer required, too! They really are almost too good to be true…

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Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Makes 12 muffins.

I’ve adjusted for altitude here in my version, so feel free to use the original below.

Based on the recipe from RecipeGirl.

Ingredients

• 1¼ cups mashed ripe banana
• 2/3 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons nonfat yogurt
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• ¾ cup whole grain oat flour (if you can’t find oat flour or it’s expensive, just grind up some oats until they’re fine like flour)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup mini chocolate chips

Directions

1.) Preheat oven to 375 °F with rack set in center of oven. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper cups and then spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

2.) In a large mixing bowl, mix together the bananas, honey, yogurt, applesauce, egg whites, and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wheat flour, oat flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet, being sure to not overstir.

3.) Pour batter into muffin cups evenly and then sprinkle the ¼ cup of mini chocolate chips over all 12 muffins (not ¼ cup per muffin!). Bake 12-16 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes on a cooling rack and then remove the muffins from the pan to cool completely.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: baking, chocolate, healthy rethink, high altitude, sweet

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Now this is the way to get back to chewing food.

I remember standing in the kitchen of the Lincoln Cafe in 2007 during a lull in dinner service and chatting with Andy the sous chef about recipes we had tried recently. “Have you made ‘the no-knead bread‘ yet?” he asked me. I hadn’t. Andy swore up and down it was the best bread he had ever made, and went on and on about the quality of the crust, the ease of it, the just plain awesome taste. Two weeks later I made the bread and agreed with everything he said.

Flash forward three years and the no-knead bread is legendary. I’ve seen dozens of variations and made my own, but not since moving to Boulder over a year ago. Although I’ve gotten much better about tackling my high-altitude baking fear in the past few months, the no-knead is something I’ve been silly to ignore, since its namesake is the ease of the dough. After a few trials, I finally found the right mix of ingredients, time, and rising. Although this bread is more time consuming than most, it’s probably the best beginning loaf to do since it lacks the intimidating kneading and produces quite possibly the tastiest (and most versatile) bread ever.

My loaves are always a bit flatter than I like due to the fact that the only Dutch oven I have is very large (and has a wide cooking surface). The smaller your cooking vessel is, the tighter/higher your loaf would be, which I hope to do soon by getting a smaller Dutch oven or other baking receptacle which can handle the high heat.

—

No-Knead Bread (for high altitude)

The original (infamous) recipe is here at the New York Times. My high-altitude version is very similar, actually. Just a bit more water, bit less flour, and way more salt (because salt acts a yeast retardant, you want to slow down the rising as much as possible, especially since yeast speeds up greatly at high altitude).

Also, finding 100% cotton dishtowels can be trickier than you think. My solution was to cut up an old 100% cotton t-shirt which was clean, soft, and ready to be recycled anyway. I’ve also seen variations where cooks have used parchment paper and things turn out well, which I plan to try next time.

Ingredients

• 3¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 teaspoons fine salt (not coarse or Kosher)
• ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast (not rapid rise)
• 1¾ cups warm water
• 2 cotton dish towels (not terry cloth)

Directions

1.) Combine flour, salt, yeast and water in a large glass mixing bowl. Stir together until you have a shaggy mass of dough, and cover very tightly with plastic wrap. Let sit at least 12 hours, preferably 18, at warm room temperature (around 70º). I like to wrap the bowl in a flannel sheet or blanket and stick it on top of the fridge, or just pop the bowl in the microwave with the door shut.

2.) Once ready (the whole thing will have risen a bit and be dotted with bubbles), turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold over onto itself a few times, adding more flour if needed to have it come together. Cover loosely with some plastic wrap and let it rest for 10 minutes.

3.) After the dough has rested, dust your hands with a bit of flour and shape the dough into a ball, tucking the edges underneath. Dredge the towels in flour and shake off the excess. Lay one of the towels on a large baking sheet. Place the dough on top. Sprinkle with some flour, and then lay the other flour-coated towel on top of the dough. Let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

4.) About a half hour before the dough should be done rising, put a 6-8 quart heavy pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) with a tight-fitting lid in the oven on the middle rack. Preheat the oven to 450º F (with the pot in the oven). Once preheated, check the dough and move onto the next step if ready. The dough should be pretty resilient at this stage – it won’t just completely deflate if you poke it, but spring back slightly.

5.) Very carefully remove the EXTREMELY hot pot from the oven. Remove the lid and set aside. Dump the dough into the hot pot and cover with lid. Bake 30 minutes, covered, then remove the lid for the last 15-30 minutes until golden brown and done. A good way to check for doneness is to use a probe thermometer inserted directly into the center of the loaf. A done loaf will read 190º-200º F.

6.) Let cool COMPLETELY on a wire rack. Don’t you dare slice it before it’s completely cooled! I know it’s tempting, but the texture is a thousand times better if you let bread cool completely before slicing. You can always reheat it after it’s been sliced (and add some salted butter, oh yeah) and get the same effect, but with better texture.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: baking, bread, high altitude

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Blood oranges are in season right now, and I can’t resist the sweet, ruby-red fruit. It’s reminiscent of a large clementine (in flavor) or tangello – slightly less acidic than a normal orange with a sweeter edge to it. I assisted my food stylist friend Jackie last weekend and volunteered to make a nice breakfast pastry to bring in, so I figured some scones would fit the bill.

And oh me oh my, these are honestly the best scones I have ever had. They aren’t the dense, hard scones you find in your local chain coffee shop. Fragrant and light with the taste of blood oranges plus moist and airy from the use of buttermilk and plumped currants, they really are perfection. Be sure to use sparkling or raw sugar to get that good crunchy crust on top – it makes them extra extra divine.

Currants, pre-plump.

Just a spoonful (or three) of sugar…

Zest.

Ready to be baked.

Golden brown.

Scones, my dear.

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Blood Orange Scones

Based verrrry loosely on the recipe from C & H Sugar, but ADJUSTED FOR ALTITUDE

Ever since I started using homemade baking powder inspired by Edna Lewis, I have fallen in love with it. Everything tastes cleaner (not metallic at all) and it doesn’t require buying special non-aluminum baking powder. All you have to do is mix 2 to 1 ratio of cream of tartar to baking soda. Some people add cornstarch but I find it’s unnecessary. If you do use store-bought baking powder, use non-aluminum. Scones are delicate things with few ingredients, so you want them to taste as clean as possible.

Makes about 9 scones.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1½ tsp homemade baking powder (read above)
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• ½ cup dried currants (sub with dried cranberries or raisins if you can’t find currants)
• 1 blood orange, zested and juiced (half the juice set aside)
• ½ cup (8 tablespoons) cold butter, cut into cubes
• 1 extra-large egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
• Sparkling sugar

Directions

1.) Preheat oven to 420° F with the oven rack set in the center of the oven. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2.) Put the currants in a small bowl and then pour enough boiling water over them to cover. Let sit (and plump up) for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

3.) In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and sugar. Add the butter, and using either a pastry cutter or your hands, quickly work the butter into the dry ingredients until you have pea-sized balls. Add the currants and toss to coat.

4.) In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, zest, about 3 tablespoons of the orange juice, vanilla, and egg. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just barely moist.

5.) Scoop 1/3-cup sized dollops at least 2 inches apart onto baking sheets (I fit 6 onto a baking sheet). Top with sprinkling sugar or raw sugar and bake 12-14 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm with orange marmalade or clotted cream and tea.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: breakfast, fruit, high altitude, pastry, sweet

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It’s time for a little sentimentality via desserts, but not in the traditional sense.

Both my sister and a good friend of mine are heading to England in the next few weeks (on totally separate trips) so while I have been so excited for each respective person and sharing my favorite things from when I studied abroad there, it’s also made me incredibly jealous and heartsick for my own adventures across the pond. I’ve been musing about my favorite paintings, cathedrals, plays we saw, people we met, and of course, pubs we visited. I tried Guinness for the first time at a pub in Bath while I was there, and although I didn’t love it at the time (I had yet to grow my dark beer legs at age 20), it’s still one of the strongest sense memories from my gastronomic catalog of England.

The Eagle & Child: the pub that C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien frequented in Oxford.

So all week I’ve been craving stout, which I now adore. And after hearing my boss made chocolate stout and vanilla ice cream floats on New Year’s Eve, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head.

After perusing some chocolate-beer cupcakes, I came up with these. Rich and dark chocolate stout cupcakes with sweet and tangy Bailey’s-spiked cream cheese icing. I mean, if you’re making boozy cake, you might as well make the frosting just as naughty, no? The beer adds the most delicious malty flavor to the cake, and the Bailey’s gives the cream cheese frosting that extra little zing to make it special. Since I’m in the microbrew capital of the universe, finding chocolate stout was easy as pie, but it may be a bit tricky for others. Feel free to use Guinness or any stout of your choice.

Of course you buy the bomber. That way the cook (you) gets to drink the rest!

Fizzy liquid ingredients. The smell of chocolate stout with vanilla and milk is to die for.

Dry ingredients.

Filled.

Naughty frosting ingredients!

Just a small amount needed.

Sprinkle in.

Cupcakes for grown-ups.

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Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Baileys-Spiked Cream Cheese Icing

Makes 36 cupcakes.

I’ve adjusted for altitude quite a bit here, so if you’d like to see the original sea-level recipe for the cupcakes, check it out here on CHOW. You can still use my recipe for frosting, of course.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• 1 (12-ounce) bottle chocolate stout (I am in love with Fort Collins Brewery’s Special Edition Double Chocolate Stout right now), or stout of your choice
• ¾ cup milk
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 TBL pure vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• ¾ cup sour cream
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa, plus more for garnish (I prefer Green & Black organic unsweetened cocoa powder right now)
• 1¾ cups sugar
• 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda

For the frosting:

• 1 8-ounce package Philadelphia cream cheese, at room temperature
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 TBL Baileys liqueur (buy one of those little airplane bottles if you don’t keep it around)
• 8 ounces (½ pound) powdered sugar

Directions

For the cupcakes:

1.) Preheat oven to 365° F with rack in lower third of oven. Line 2 cupcake pans with paper sleeves and then spray sleeves with non-stick spray. Set aside.

2.) In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the stout, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. With the mixer running on low, beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the sour cream.

3.) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in three parts, with the mixer running on low. Mix until just combined.

4.) Add about 1/3 cup batter per cupcake tin. Bake 20-25 minutes, until risen and set in the middle, but still soft and tender. Let cool 5 minutes in tin before removing and letting cool completely on wire racks.

For the frosting:

1.) Rinse out the bowl for the stand mixer and reattach the paddle attachment. Beat the cream cheese in a bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the heavy cream and Baileys. Slowly add the powdered sugar until completely incorporated and smooth.

2.) Top each cupcake with a heap of frosting and spread evenly. Enjoy with even more chocolate stout.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: chocolate, cupcakes, dessert, frosting, high altitude, indulge

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