Christmas Key Lime Pie

Christmas Key Lime Pie

December 2007

There are two important after-dinner desserts in our family. The first is Jesus' birthday cake, shared after church. We are under the distinct impression that the baby Jesus prefers carrot cake, so that is our choice too. The second is a Christmas day key lime pie.

Luke is grandma's kitchen helper and an expert lime-squeezer, while Ben prefers to construct a sturdy graham cracker crust.


Once it is complete, each of the boys gets to decorate half with whipped cream. Ben takes a more artistic approach, creating little tree-like formations around the edge.

Luke aims more for volume and perfection. Together, it makes for a well-balanced and delicious pie.

But the most fun is enjoying it together!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!!!

2007 Pie Recipe:

1/2 cup key lime juice (about 10 limes)

4 eggs

1 can sweetened condensed milk

grahm cracker crust

whipped cream

Mix all four egg yolks but only three of the egg whites. Add the lime juice and let it sit about five minutes (the citrus "cooks" the eggs a bit). Stir in the sweetened condensed milk and pour the custard into the grahm cracker curst. Technically you can chill it at this point, but I usually stick it in a 350 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes just to cook the eggs through.

Chill for about four hours in the fridge. Serve with whipped cream.

Snowflake Cupcakes

Snowflake Cupcakes

December 2007

I love snowflakes. They are my favorite thing about winter and as far as I am concerned there is no reason to have cold weather without snow. It's just a waste of coldness. But I digress..

Since Jason's birthday is on 12/25 I wanted to steer clear of the red and green, thus creating the perfect window for these cupcakes. Why blue snowflakes instead of white? Because they are pretty and the pure white icing looks like a little snowdrift with a big flake floating down to join in. Plus Erica reminded me that water is blue- like in the ocean, and I like the idea that snow is a little bit of ocean coming right to me for Christmas. Let's go with that.



How do you make these treats?

• Cake: White wedding cake batter with extra cinnamon and vanilla for a holiday kick.
• Filling: None
• Icing: Pure white vanilla butter cream with flecks of Tahitian vanilla bean
• Decorations: Blue "chocolate" candy
  

To make the snowflakes simply melt little blue chocolate disks over a double boiler, fill a piping bag and pipe snowflake shapes onto parchment (or a silicon sheet) placed on a baking sheet. Make sure that the lines are thick enough to provide stability to the design, and make more than you need because there will be casualties.

Tip: Place the baking sheet in the freezer while you are melting the chocolate. When the warm chocolate hits the cold metal it will set more rapidly and reduce spreading.

After you finish piping place it back in the freezer to set. Afterward you can pop them off and set them atop the frosted cakes.

Don't forget, no two snowflakes are alike:

Baby, it's cold outside!

Christmas Treats

Christmas Treats: Rumballs and Chocolate Pretzels

December 2007

The return of winter is also the return of rumballs! Cookies are festive, and pretty, and nice, but I'll take a rumball any day. Chocolate, cookies, walnuts, and coconut rum, all wrapped up in sparkly sugar... yes, please.

Since rb's are a tad "strong" (I apparently mix my treats like I mix my drinks) they pair well with chocolate covered pretzels.

Recipe:
Brilliantly simple to make, these are assembled by placing a Hershey kiss on top of a pretzel, letting it get "smooshy" for 2-3 minutes in a 350 degree oven, and then squishing down the points with a festive m&m. The kiss holds just enough chocolate to fill in all of the nooks and crannies.

This year m&m got extra creative with their flavor combinations: cherry cordial, mint truffle, special dark, hot chocolate truffle, etc. The traditional mint kiss was the real winner, but after some careful experimentation I endorse traditional chocolate and mint truffle (after a zap in the freezer).

This batch was expertly constructed by Erin using special dark and mint truffle kisses with dark chocolate m&m's. Aren't her co-workers lucky?



Then the pretzels and rumballs get bagged up in cello with extra m&ms (which need to vacate my home a.s.a.p.) and are ready for gifting to hostesses, co-workers, and others to whom you wish holiday cheer.

Happy Holidays!

Gingerbread Christmas Cookies

Gingerbread Christmas Cookies

December 2007

At NCC this advent Pastor Mark has been focused on JOY. Specifically Matthew 2:10 where the wise men see the start and "they rejoiced with exceeding great joy."

In keeping with the message series I am trying to do something each week that reconnects the traditions of Christmas to the worship of God and a deeper connection with people. Last week's joy came in the form of cookies. Lots and lots of cookies.

On Wednesday I baked and decorated with the NCL Fellows in preparation for our Christmas party which celebrates our year together with the mentors, board members, alumni, friends, and family. Thursday night brought more cookie madness because Annie, Erica, and I hosted a little cookie decoration gathering. "Crazy flying sprinkles" all around. But the end result was that friends celebrated together, people got tasty treats to enjoy, and we had a heck of a good time using our creative gifts, singing carols, and spritzing each other with icing. Ooops.

Here are a few pictures of the finished product. We even managed to make a few cookies that said "Joy".

I realize that blue is not a traditional Christmas color. But I like it!

The cookies themselves are gingerbread and orange shortbread. I had never thought to decorate shortbread but I hope to never have a Christmas without Annie's butter-less orange zest and chocolate chip shortbread cookies. While I had planned to use this gingerbread recipe, I went with the slice and bake because of sheer volume.

As a Christmas treat, Erica and her co-workers even made some red, white and blue tree and "liberty bell" cookies for a friend who just got his US residency. Sweet!

Merry Christmas!

Some Favorite Cake Books

Some Favorite Cake Books

December 2007

With the arrival of the holidays I wanted to share a few of my favorite cake books that I go to over and over. You can get them on Amazon, or even the library! A great gift idea if you are starting to bake or know someone who is.

• The Whimsical Bakehouse by Kaye Hansen & Liv Hansen
  Whimsical indeed! Modern designs with recipes, tips and creative chocolate art. I like how the book is organized into projects, yet still gives you the creativity to adapt the methods for mix ‘n match. (Oh, and the buttercreams are AMAZING!) They also have a Christmas Cookie book that is really fun.
  
  
• Wedding Cakes You Can Make by Dede Wilson
  I LOVE this book. I read it everyday while I was making the wedding cake and it quickly became my go-to reference. Great step by step descriptions for cake making methods, flavor combinations, assembly and finishing touches. It’s like having a mentor in the kitchen guiding you along.
  



• The Perfect Wedding Cake by Kate Manchester
  Great photos from popular cake artists (Sylvia Weinstock, Ron Ben-Israel, Collette Peters, the whole gang). The focus is divided between brides/prospective buyers and bakers, but she does include basic recipes from the Cake Bible and tons of photos. A good overview.

Happy reading!

p.s.- The Washington Post had a "cookie clinic" today worth reading. BAKING: This Is Where Things Really Heat Up.

Lingerie Cake 2

Lingerie Cake 2

December 2007

This lingerie cake is so much fun! This one celebrated a wedding shower with a cranberry theme. I wasn't sure what color to use for accents, so I went "Jackie O" and matched it to the room where it was being served. ("Did you know?" fact of the day: Jackie Kennedy's advance team noted the color of the rooms she and the President would be photographed in so that her clothes would match appropriately and not clash.)

Cake Details:

• Cake: Triple layer (tall cake) in chocolate
• Filling: Raspberry preserves and vanilla buttercream
• Icing: Vanilla buttercream
• Decorations: Fondant, sugarpaste flower accents, and tinted buttercream
• New toys used: Ruffle tip 401
  

Since it was a triple layer cake I had a little more room on the side to add a pair of panties and complete the ensemble.

Congratulations Kathleen!