phi s t y l e

New items up at PrettyMuchNew!

Also, congrats to Lauren for winning the Elizabeth & James ring giveaway!

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Since yellow is one of my wedding colors, I bought a bunch of lemons to play around with possible centerpieces and decor. The end result was a huge bowl of lemons in the kitchen waiting to be used. First thing that came to mind – LEMON BARS.

I LOVE lemon-flavored desserts, though not necessarily lemon-flavored anything else. I’ve made several variations of lemon bars (Martha’s Paula’s, Ina’s, Test Family Kitchen’s, etc) and this one is a pretty good one. I mixed and adapted a couple recipes together and the end result – a 1:1 ratio of crust to lemon, the crust is buttery/oily and just slightly underbaked (YOU KNOW), lemon filling that is more tart than sweet, and is soft, but not too custardy. Just how I like them.

Crust Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), cold and cubed
1/4 cup powered sugar
pinch of salt

Directions for Crust

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare a parchment paper sling in an 8″ square pan by lining the pan with two crisscrossed rectangles of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.
3. Add sugar to butter, then flour in food processor. Pulse until dough forms.
4. Press evenly into 8″ square pan.
5. Bake 18-20 minutes, until very slightly golden.

Filling Ingredients
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest and lemon juice from 2 large lemons

Directions for Filling

1. Beat together eggs, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
2. Stir in zest and lemon juice
3. Pour on top of just-baked crust. You don’t have to wait for it to cool.
4. Put back in oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until set.
5. Let cool, then refrigerate. (I like them cold.)
6. Use the sling to lift out of pan and cut into squares. Sift with powdered sugar right before serving.

New items up at PrettyMuchNew!
Shoes and new sale items!

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Fiance and I have this running joke about figs ever since we just happened to eat several dishes involving figs within a short period of time. Now, whenever we see figs, we say, “Figs: The Next Big Thing.“

Or, “Figs: The New Pork Belly.”
Or, “Figs: The New Slider.”
Or, “Figs: The New Coconut Water.”

So when I saw a recipe for fig cookies in my new David Leibovitz cookbook, I had to try it out.

Turns out, figs are kind of hard to find. Also, turns out I made Fig Newtons. I didn’t realize that this was the direction the recipe was going until halfway through the steps. I was expecting an actual fig cookie, with figs mixed in, as opposed to a fig-filled cookie, so that was a little disappointing. However, the recipe is spot on and it really tastes like a REAL Fig Newton. But better, of course.

The recipe is not online, and I didn’t feel like transcribing the recipe from the cookbook to the computer, as it is quite long, but I did find a variation (I didn’t use almonds/walnuts, just figs) of the recipe that is pretty similar.

Ingredients
2 cups halved dried figs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup honey
zest from half of a lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, soft
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 each whole eggs, at room temperature
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 ounces toasted almonds*
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
*or walnuts, or 1/2 cup flour and omit food processor step.

Directions for Fig Puree

1. Trim off and discard the hard stem from figs.
2. Put figs in a saucepan with sugar and lemon. Fill with water until figs are submerged. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes. Add more water if water boils away.
3. When figs are tender, drain and pass through a food processor. Add vanilla and stir. Let cool.

Directions for Fig Cookie

1. Cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Gradually add eggs and vanilla, beating very well until mixture is uniformly smooth and velvety.
2. If using nuts, combine with flour in workbowl of food processor, fitted with the metal blade. Run until nuts are well ground and mixture is even. Measure total contents to 2 1/2 cups.
3. Combine nut/flour mixture with salt and baking powder and add to egg mixture. Combine thoroughly.
4. Knead a few times and turn out in quarters onto plastic wrap. Form each quarter into a flat rectangle, wrap tightly, and chill at least thirty minutes. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll the first piece of dough out to about 5×9 inches. Spread one quarter of the fig filling evenly in a lengthwise strip down the center of the dough, keeping it piled up a bit in the center. Brush all exposed surfaces of the dough lightly with water.
6. Fold the dough around the filling: fold the long top edge toward you to cover at least half of the filling, then fold the bottom edge up over the rest of the filling, overlapping the top edge a little and completely encasing the filling. Place roll seam side down on a lined baking sheet. Pinch the ends together to completely enclose the filling. Repeat the process with the remaining three pieces of dough, putting two cookie rolls on a baking sheet.
7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the dough is coloured a deep golden brown. Remove the cookie rolls from the oven and cool for at least 15 minutes. Slice.

What can I say? I take my cravings seriously. If you have never had a cinnamon roll fresh from the oven with a dollop of cold cream cheese icing, THEN YOU HAVE NOT LIVED. I had to mentally talk myself out of eating 2 in one sitting.

One time I was at my parents’ house and I opened the freezer to find several frozen Cinnabon cinnamon rolls. I pulled one out and asked my mom what they were for. She replied that she occasionally buys them in bulk and freezes them so she can have one whenever she wants.

So proud, so proud.

Filling
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 cup raisins

Dough
3/4 cup buttermilk, warm
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant or rapid-rise yeast

Icing
1.5 packages cream cheese, softened
5 tablespoons buttermilk or milk
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar


Recipe

1. Whisk the 3/4 cup warm buttermilk, 6 tablespoons of the melted butter, and eggs together.
2. In a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix 4 cups of the flour, the sugar, yeast, and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and mix until the dough comes together, about 1 minute.
3. Increase the speed to medium-low and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If, after 5 minutes, more flour is needed, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough clears the side of the bowl but sticks to the bottom.
4. Turn the dough out onto a clean counter and knead by hand to form a smooth, round ball, about 1 minute. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
5. Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt together in a small bowl. Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured counter and press it into a 12 by 16 inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter over the dough and sprinkle the brown sugar mixture and raisins over, leaving a 3/4 inch border along the top edge.
6. Roll the dough into a tight cylinder and pinch the seam closed. Gently stretch the cylinder until it is 18 inches long and has an even diameter. Slice into 12 evenly sized rolls. Arrange the rolls cut-side down in a greased 9 by 13 inch metal baking dish. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until the rolls have nearly doubled in size and are pressed against one another, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
7. Preheat the oven to 350°. Bake the until the rolls are golden and puffed, 20 to 25 minutes. Flip the rolls out onto a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes.
8. Whisk the cream cheese and buttermilk (or milk) together until thick and smooth. Sift the confectioners’ sugar over the mixture and whisk until smooth. Flip the rolls upright and drizzle the glaze over them.




And in non-food-related news, new things up at PMN!

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mmm poundcake. i admit, the only poundcake i’ve ever had was store-bought Sara Lee. *ashamed* this will be my first attempt at home-made poundcake.

i actually love eating it cold and with a glass of milk. i like dipping it in the milk until it’s soggy and then smushing it in my mouth.

another delicious way to eat it is to toast it in the oven for a couple minutes until the outside is slightly and crispy. serve it with a scoop of vanilla icecream and some fresh berries. yum!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract (optional)
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature

Method

1. Preheat an oven to 325°F. Lightly grease an 8 1⁄2-by-4 1⁄2-inch loaf pan, preferably glass, and dust with flour.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt until blended.
   
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla and almond extract on medium to medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until just blended.
   
4. Sprinkle half of the flour mixture over the egg mixture and stir until both are just incorporated.
   
5. Stir in the sour cream, then sprinkle with the remaining flour mixture and stir until evenly distributed.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap gently on the counter to even out and settle the ingredients. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 70 minutes, or longer if using a metal pan. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes.
7. Run a thin knife around the inside of the pan, invert the cake onto the rack and lift off the pan. Let cool.

Other delicious variations to try!

• Omit the almond extract and stirring in 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest, 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice and 1 Tbs. poppy seeds
• If you like almonds, add the optional almond extract and sprinkle sliced almonds on top before baking.
  
• Top the slices with fresh fruit