Buttermilk Coffee Cake

I don't know who went grocery shopping last, but we are currently experiencing a buttermilk overload in the Arquiette house. Not that I'm complaining though, because I love me some buttermilk baked goods. They're always so light, fluffy, and have such a unique flavor that I absolutely adore.

So today, buttermilk coffee cake. Tomorrow, buttermilk pancakes. YUM.

This coffee cake is absolutely delicious. I actually like it better than Ina's Sour Cream Coffee Cake and I'm also going as far to say that it's right up there with our family's traditional German coffee cake. It's that good. As mentioned earlier, the buttermilk has it's own special way of making the cake light and fluffy despite oil being used instead of butter (which can sometimes weigh goodies down) but that is not the case in this dessert. And the slight hint of cinnamon, the crumbly topping, and overall scrumptious-ness of the cake is divine. Perfect for breakfast or dessert.

Buttermilk Coffee Cake

For cake & topping

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

Make cake:

Preheat the oven to 350F and butter a spring-form pan (a 9x13 inch pan may also be used).

In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, and cinnamon well and then stir in the oil. Measure out 3/4 cup of the mixture and set aside in a small bowl. Add the chopped walnuts to this mixture, this is now the crumb topping.

Stir the buttermilk, egg, baking powder and baking soda in the large bowl until just combined. Pour the batter in the prepared pan and top with the crumble top. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

NOVA

So here's a few pictures from the past few days I spent in northern Virginia visiting my friends from school. I had never really been up to NOVA before, besides to visit my aunt & uncle, and I was really excited to visit everyone before we head back to school. A few highlights:

1. I tried Thai food for the first time and fell in love, especially with drunken noodles, yum!

2. Our day trip to Georgetown was sunny, 49 degrees and absolutely beautiful. I've always wanted to live in a townhouse up there later on in life and this trip reaffirmed that fact :)

3. Jessica's birthday dinner at Sweet Water Tavern. I got their 'short smoked salmon' which was basically the best one of the best types of salmon I've had thus far. They "cold smoke" it before cooking it, giving it a buttery texture and a sweet smoky flavor finished with a teriyaki marinade. And doughnut rolls served with herb honey butter instead of the usual bread basket, what could be better?

4. I got to ride the grizzley (aka, an ATV) which I haven't done in years, so fun!

2011

For every year that I can remember, new years to me means one thing: pork and sauerkraut.

The tender, garlic and rosemary crusted pork loin surrounded by sweet sauerkraut laden with soft apples, caramelized onions, and the surprise of a caraway seed here and there is a meal so special it would be almost a sin to have it more that once a year. And not to mention mounds of mashed potatoes, hot bread with sweet, creamy butter, and a new addition that I added this year; cranberry pomegranate sauce...but more on that one below.

*The festive table setting, the linens are some of my mom's favorites and were actually hand stitched; they're absolutely beautiful, the picture doesn't do them justice!

Pork and sauerkraut is a German tradition that has been passed down on my mom's side of the family for years (right along with Jewish apple cake, creamed beef on toast, prime rib and Yorkshire pudding, and my favorite German coffee cake...well they're all my favorites to be exact). The delicious dish is said to bring good luck for the new year, which is something we could all use a little bit of once and awhile :)

*The pictures a bit blurry, but here's the Sauerkraut master and I right before New Years Dinner, yum!

This dish is my mom's baby. She makes sure it's perfect every year; just the right amount of rub on the pork, not too many onions and loads of apples in the kraut, and a touch of brown sugar and apple cider to seal the deal. Her sauerkraut is like converting religions, a many sauerkraut haters have left our house on the new year full of the delicious goodness, and they swear by the fact that they have fallen in love with the kraut.

And just like any other holiday, you have to finish off with a tasty dessert. I decided to ring in the new year with one of my absolute favorites: dulce de leche cheesecake. It was a hit the first time I made it in bar form, but since it was a special occasion I upped it to the real deal with the cake. My entire family claims it's better than the one at Cheesecake Factory... I have to agree. Cheesecake is the key to my heart, and my heart opens right up for this favorite.

So HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope it brings everyone food, fun, happiness, and lots of love. xoxo

Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce

Adapted from Bon Appetit

For sauce

3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup Pomegranate juice

zest & juice of 2 lemons

Make sauce:

In a medium sized saucepan combine cranberries, sugar, and pomegranate juice over medium heat. Gently stir the berry mixture until it comes to a boil, then add the zest and juice. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes or until the berries have begun to pop and the syrup has started to become thick. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Serve with toast, as a sandwich spread, or with your favorite chicken/turkey/pork dish!

Thick, chewy cookies: 2 ways

My mom is chocolate-chip-walnut-cookie fiend. She loves them. Every time I come home from school she pretty much doesn't let me go back until I've whipped her up a batch. She leaves a few out, and then wraps the rest individually in saran wrap and places them in the freezer: that way, every night she snatches one out, pops it in the microwave and then devours it with a glass of cold milk. It's pure genius. And I always get to bring a few back with me as well :)

While my sweet tooth and I love any cookie, I have to say that oatmeal raisin might be my new favorite. Unfortunately, I'm the only one in my family who feels this way....well, at least until they tried this batch of cookies.

There's something about soaking the raisins in egg and vanilla that leaves you with perfectly sweetened and plump raisins that make and already amazing cookie exponentially better. That, plus freezing the dough before popping them in the oven ensures a thick, chewy, almost gooey cookie that's perfect both fresh out of the oven or later on that day.

I wrote up this recipe the exact way I made them: half for me, and half for the rest of my family...that is, until they daringly tried the oatmeal raisin and fell in love. I guess that just means I need to make more, always a good thing.

Thick, chewy cookies: 2 ways

For cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1/2 + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups oats (not quick cooking)

1/2 cup golden raisins*

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Make cookies:

Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract: add in the raisins, stir to evenly coat, and set aside.

In the base of a standing mixer, or a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add in 1 egg and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and cream until smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture and mix only until just combined. Stir in the oats, and then transfer half of the dough to a medium sized mixing bowl.

In one of the bowls, stir in the chopped walnuts and chocolate chips. In the other bowl, stir in the raisins (try to separate them as best as you can from the excess egg/vanilla mixture), cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Here, I find it best to wrap the doughs in saran wrap and place them in the freezer for 30 minutes to ensure a super thick and chewy cookie, but if you can't wait that long scoop them out by the tablespoon full and bake them for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 3 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire wrack, or to your belly :)

*Of course you can still use regular raisins, but I prefer golden raisins as they are a tad sweeter.

Pecan Treats

One of my dad's all time favorite desserts is pecan pie, of course in addition to sweet meats, cheesecake, and anything chocolate/peanut butter....now you see where I get my sweet tooth from :) Since we deprived him of one of his tasty treats this holiday season with no pecan pie at Thanksgiving or Christmas, I figured I'd make it up to him with a new recipe I found in one of my favorite presents this year, the Gourmet Cookie Book. Ever since my discontinued favorite cooking magazine announced the publishing of the cookie bible, I wanted it. Badly. There are so many recipes I want to make in there, maybe on will pop out of the oven today, who knows!

But back to the pecan treats, that is the point of this post right? Dad loves them. Mom can't stop eating them. And I, a pecan-hater (sorry all you pecan lovers out there, but I don't know how you do it) actually have had a few myself, so yup- they may have started my conversion to the pecan-likers. The shortbread base is to die for, I mean, who doesn't like short bread? To quote the book "the enormously rich and nutty squares will remind you of a French nut tart, but they require only a fraction of the effort" how easy and delicious is that??

Cloudt's Pecan Treats

From The Gourmet Cookie Book

For Crust

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

2 3/4 cup all purpose flour

For pecan topping

1 1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup half-and-half

3 3/4 cups pecan, chopped

Make crust:

Preheat the oven to 375F and butter a 15x10 inch jelly roll pan. In a large bowl, or the base of a standing mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs until well incorporated and the mixture is still light and fluffy. Gradually add in the flour with the mixer speed on low: when the dough begins to come together try not to over mix it, but transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet and press it evenly over the base of the pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until it is light gold. Remove from oven and allow to cool while you prepare the pecans topping.

Make pecan topping:

In a large saucepan, melt the brown sugar, butter, honey and half-and-half over moderate heat, whisking continuously until the mixture comes to a boil. Stir in the pecans and remove from heat. Spread the mixture evenly over the base and bake for another 15 minutes (still at 375F) or until the top is a bubbly little heaven. Allow to fully cool on a wire rack before cutting into bars and serving.

Croque Monsieur Mac and Cheese

I've always wanted to try a croque monsieur. Something about the cheesiness along with the bechamel, ham, and French bread has always made my taste buds cheer. This croque monsieur mac and cheese, though, will definitely hold me over until I can travel to France for the real deal.

It's safe to say that this dish should feed six people. BUT the four of us devoured it last night. We were litterally fighting over who got to have the most seconds, and how many chunks of bread we had all had. Yup. It was that good. Between the sweet tanginess of the Gruyere, the creamy bechamel, the salty ham, and the gooey yet crunchy bread topping this dish is to die for. Prepare to fight for some seconds.

Croque Monsieur Mac and Cheese

From Food Network Magazine

For mac and cheese

1/2 pound cellentani (or any other curly noodle)

2 cups milk

2 cups Gruyere cheese, grated

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

2 large eggs

3 slices of white bread, roughly diced

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 onion, diced small

2 cloves of garlic, crushed then minced

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

pinch of red pepper flakes

salt & freshly ground black pepper

1/2 pound deli ham, chopped

Make mac and cheese:

Preheat the oven to 425F and cook pasta according to directions to achieve al dente. Upon draining the pasta, put it back into the pot, add 1/4 cup of milk, and cover. Set aside.

Combine the Gruyere and Parmesan cheese in a bowl. In a medium sized bowl, beat the 2 eggs and 1/4 cup of milk; fold in half of the cheese mixture and the bread. Set aside.

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic, cooking until golden brown. Next, add in the flour, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, and freshly ground pepper and kosher salt. Allow the flour to cook, about 2 minutes. Slowly add in 3/4 cup water, whisking the mixture constantly while adding, followed by the remaining 1 1/2 cups milk. Bring the sauce to a boil, still whisking/stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat and add in the remaining cheese and pasta.

Pour half of the pasta mixture into a greased casserole dish. Top with half of the ham and then the remaining pasta mixture. Then top with the remaining ham and cover the dish with the bread/cheese mixture. Sprinkle some additional Gruyere cheese on top to have an extra cheesy and delicious top. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and bubbly.

White Russian Truffles

Take it away is one of the best deli sandwich shops on the corner in Charlottesville. Their house dressing is to die for, and you can buy a huge bag of bread ends for only 50 cents, what college student wouldn't be in heaven?

A few Saturdays ago when my mom came to pick me to run the 1/2 marathon with my dad, we grabbed some sandwiches from take-it-away for the journey home...and I also snagged a white Russian truffle. Ever since I tried the tasty drink (and convinced people I wanted the Russians to win the Olympics because their drinks are so good) I've deemed that drink my favorite dessert, or really, anytime, drink. I tried to savor every bite as I engulfed the silky smooth center, surrounded by delicately sweet white chocolate. The combination of the two was the perfect balance, the perfect White Russian.

So I decided this Christmas instead of the usual chocolate truffles, I would try to imitate these little bites, of heaven. I succeeded, if I must say so myself.

White Russian Truffles

For trufffles

10 ounces high quality bittersweet chocolate such as Lindt or Ghiradelli, chopped

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon corn syrup

3 tablespoons Kahlua, or other coffee flavored liquor

4 ounces white chocolate

Make truffles:

Place chopped chocolate and butter in a large, microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and continue heating at 15 second intervals (stirring in between) until the chocolate is almost melted. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream and corn syrup over medium heat until simmering. Remove from the heat and pour gently over the melted chocolate. Let the combination sit for 2 minutes, and then gently stir together, working from the center out. Once combined, stir in the Kahlua until everything is evenly incorporated. Cover, and refrigerate for 4 hours or until set.

Using a melon baller or a small spoon, scoop out teaspoon sized portions of the ganache and roll into a ball. Place the truffles on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. After rolling out all of the truffles, place the baking sheet laden with yummies in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour to set before dipping.

When the truffles have set, melt the white chocolate in a small bowl with the same method previously used. Dip the truffles in the white chocolate and place back on the sheet and in the freezer to set.