the daughter, the baker

I feel compelled to blog about The Daughter's cookie.

To begin, for the past month, she has wanted to make a maple cookie. For reasons initially unbeknownst to me, I was reluctant to let her get started on the recipe, but she persisted in asking, and today she finally baked the cookie.  I was busy teaching piano and walked in only once- in time to see her dropping the very wet dough onto a crowded sheet. Being the hands-off mom that I am ‹cough› and trying very hard not to micromanage her, I said nothing. As you probably surmised, the sheets ended up looking like a bunch of multiplying cells...

I ♥ Costco

Well, I should say I ♥ Costco conditionally, like when I can get in and out of there in ten minutes.  The Husband, on the other hand, is always ready for a Costco run.  We love the savings on contact lenses, quality meats, La Brea Bakery breads, pecans, butter, and ... BANANAS.

We never seem to finish the huge bunch of bananas from there and they ALWAYS end up looking like this-

which means, It's Time to Make the Muffins.

The recipe I've fallen in love with is The Barefoot Contessa's Banana Crunch Muffins.  Montclair Diva's Daughter put it succinctly-"This is everything that a muffin should be."  I believe that she was referring to the combination of banana, butter, coconut, and nut mixed into a moist, flavorful cake.

I find it a bit odd that the act of mashing bananas always bring back 35 year-old memories of my mom doing that for The Baby Brother.  I think I was intrigued that you could pulverize something with a fork. I changed Ina's recipe slightly in the amount of sugar and butter (less of both) and in the procedure of mixing wet into dry.  The recipe below is my adaptation. 

I love that this becomes

this in the amount of time it takes me to drive the school carpool.

Banana Crunch Muffins
adapted from the barefoot contessa cookbook by Ina Garten

3 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 extra-large eggs, room temperature
3/4 c. whole milk
2 t. pure vanilla extract
1 c. mashed ripe bananas (2 bananas)
1 c. medium-diced ripe bananas (1 banana)
1 c. small-diced walnuts
1 c. granola
1 c. sweetened shredded coconut
Dried banana chips, granola, or shredded coconut (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350º F.

Line 18 large muffin cups with paper liners.  Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. In a separate medium bowl, mix together the butter, eggs, milk, mashed bananas and vanilla. With the mixer on the lowest speed, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stir until they are just blended.  Gently fold in the diced bananas, walnuts, granola and coconut.  Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each one to the top.  Top each muffin with dried banana chips, granola, or coconut, if desired.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

{sms} strawberry rhubarb cobbler pie

Well this is certainly a first, having a cobbler in a pie.  I'm such a stickler for semantics, so I'm thinking, "Doesn't a cobbler necessitate NO BOTTOM CRUST?"  Looking into the definition clarifies it a bit: "a deep-dish fruit pie with a rich biscuit crust, usually only on top" (Random House Dictionary); "a deep-dish fruit pie with a thick top crust" (American Heritage Dictionary); "A baked, deep-dish fruit dessert topped with a thick biscuit crust sprinkled with sugar" (The Food Lover's Companion)  The running themes are deep-dish and thick top.  I have to enlarge my personal vision of a cobbler and give it a bottom. I've also never baked with rhubarb before so I'm quite excited to see how it turns out.

I belatedly remembered that I don't have a 2-inch dough cutter (I made biscuits once, like maybe 15 years ago?  And probably used a makeshift upside down tumbler.)  I used a cookie cutter with pretty fluted edges, but which only allowed for a depth of 1/2-inch.  Oh well, no thick top.

The pie filling came together very easily, even more so with the help of a sous chef, aka The Daughter.  She cut the strawberries.

The Family was over (three brothers, SIL, and father) so I could get some honest feedback about the cobbler pie. Brother #3 managed, in-between bites, to mumble a few times, "This is REALLY good." Brother #1, having declared earlier in the day that he loved SR Pies, gave it two thumbs up.  The Husband decided this was on his shortlist of Top Dessert.

The SIL gave me constructive feedback.  The pie filling was a bit sweet (next time I'll cut out 1/4 cup sugar) and my biscuits were dry. The fact that they started on the dry side (did you see how crumbly my dough was??) and thinner (have you ever made a 1/2-inch biscuit?) was a handicap.

I also had serious issues with the filling bubbling over and in between the crust and the pie plate.  Anyone have a solution how to solve it so that the pie can be cut properly?  That was a definite mess.  Regardless, I need to get myself a proper dough cutter and learn to make proper biscuits now, because I will definitely be making this winner of a recipe again.

Many thanks to Tracey at tracey's culinary adventures for choosing this recipe, and check out the other Cobbler Makers at Sweet Melissa Sundays.

national jelly bean day

Everyone knows it's Earth Day today.  Did you know that it is also National Jelly Bean Day?  Jelly Beans are one of The Children's favorite candy.

If you are ever in Northern California, make sure to plan a trip to the Jelly Belly Factory.  We have been twice and highly recommend the tour.  You see the beans actually being made and smell in the air the sugary scent of the flavor of the day.  There are some wonderful jelly bean portraits of famous people on display, like Princess Di and Ronald Reagan (Patron President of the Jelly Bean.) The highlight of the trip undoubtedly is the Jelly Belly Tasting Bar.  You can check out any of the jelly beans (three at a time).  Seemingly, there is no limit to how many times you line up for more flavors, so cozy on up and sample away!

midafternoon pick me up

The French Student came for a piano lesson today.  I so admire this particular student, as she started not only piano lessons in her mid-60's, but also Mandarin Chinese lessons.  (In case you're wondering, I only teach piano and can only speak Chinglish.)  Knowing my penchant for All Things Valrhona, she brought along a special treat for me. 

I don't know if you've ever bitten into a piece of bittersweet chocolate, only to spit it out a few seconds later.  We're talking artisanal here- small batch, handmade chocolate- you know, bean to eight dollar bar.  I've experienced this far more than I care to remember.  The bar is all bitter and no sweet. You then run to find a piece of mint gum or listerine to cover the acrid aftertaste... well, you won't have to with this gem.  I introduce to you Valrhona Le Noir Amer, 71% Cacao, Dark Bittersweet Chocolate.

I took a bite, just a nibble, and wanted to hide away in a closet to savor every morsel.  I tried to ignore The Kid who asked what I was eating.  I said it was adult food. Only grown-ups could appreciate a deep, rich chocolate with lush fruit overtones. (Everyone, however, would enjoy the clean finish with nary a bitter sensation.)  Okay, I did let him have half of a half of a square.  Reluctantly.  I'm hiding the rest.

(If you're interested in reading up on Basic Chocolate Tasting 101, visit The Nibble.  This foodie magazine lists and reviews many chocolate bars and additionally has a wealth of information on gourmet and specialty foods.)