Extra Help

Volunteers Micah, Colin, Eleanor and Elise

We were extra busy today at the Wednesday Community Meal at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. We served 330 hot meals and thankfully had extra help from some hard working young volunteers.

I like the energy and enthusiasm our young volunteers bring to the meal in the summer when they're out of school. And we need the help since June, July and August have always been our busiest months of the year.


It's a pleasure to work with young people who are hard working and happy to help. Thank you!
 

The Quickest Chocolate Cake

I just couldn't resist trying chef Michael Symon's recipe for Chocolate 'Cup' Cake.

I found the recipe in the June 18, 2012 issue of "People" magazine and if it wasn't from great chef Michael Symon, I would think it would be too good to be true — You mix up an easy cake batter, divide it among four coffee mugs and zap them in the microwave for three minutes.

Thank you Michael Symon!

I tested the recipe and it works. The cake is moist, rich and satisfying. This is one handy recipe that I will definitely keep on file.

Here's how you do it:

Put 8 oz. of butter and 8 oz. of chopped dark chocolate in a microwave safe bowl.

Microwave the chocolate and butter for 1 minute on the highest setting. Stir until melted.

In another bowl, combine 3/4 cup sugar, 3/4 cup flour, 4 eggs, 1 teaspoon sea salt and 1 teaspoon orange zest.

Whisk these ingredients together.

Add chocolate mixture.

Mix well.

Divide mixture among four 10 oz. coffee mugs.

Place all the mugs in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes on the highest setting. Let cool 30 seconds after baking.

Garnish with whipped cream and shaved chocolate.

Enjoy!

Mini Berry Tarts

Homemade mini berry tarts are delicious, pretty and totable which makes them the perfect sweet to pack for summer picnics.

The tarts are simple to make. Heating the berries and thickening them with a bit of cornstarch before filling the tarts is the real trick in making these easy because it keeps the berry juice from running all over the place. A subtle pink glaze adds a nice touch.


Mini Berry Tarts
(makes 10 to 12 tarts)

Crust
 2 1/2  cups flour
3/4 cup Crisco
1/2 teaspoon salt
 3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup ice water

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and sugar. Add Crisco and using your fingers, break it into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs with some large pieces remaining.

Add the water, just a few tablespoons at a time until the dough is moist enough to pull together into a ball. Roll dough on a floured board until it's 1/4 inch thick and use a 3-inch square cutter or a knife to cut squares to make an equal number of top and bottom crusts.

The mixture before adding the water.

Add just enough water to form a ball.

Filling
(You'll end up with extra filling but that's okay. Keep it in the fridge and use it instead of store bought jam on pancakes, toast and sandwiches.)


1 16 oz bag mixed berries, frozen
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch of sea salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a saucepan, heat berries, sugar, vanilla and sea salt until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in lemon juice and add to berries, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and cool completely before assembling tarts.

Let the filling cool completely before assembling the tarts.

To assemble:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


Lay bottom crusts on a parchment lined sheet pan. Use your finger to dab a bit of milk or cream around the edges to help seal crust. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of filling into the center of each bottom crust. Top with the top crust and press to seal edge. Use a fork to put indentations around crust and poke holes in top to allow steam to vent.

Bottom crust

The bottom crust with milk around the edges and filling in the center.

This tart is ready to bake!

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Let cool for 10 minutes and drizzle with glaze.

Glaze
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk
The smallest drop of pink food coloring

In a small bowl combine all ingredients and stir until smooth and glossy. Drizzle over warm tarts.

Fresh Strawberry Macarons

As I've worked on perfecting the French macaron, I've discovered that reducing the sweetness of my fillings better compliments the macaron shells.

My original strawberry macaron recipe calls for reduced-sugar strawberry preserves but after experimenting, I've found I should reduce the sugar even more. The solution is to make my own strawberry preserves using fresh berries.

It really doesn't take much time. Just simmer two cups of diced berries in a saucepan with 1/4 cup of sugar. Let it cool and it's ready to be whipped into cream cheese for a light and fresh tasting filling.

I'm making these for my niece Nathalie's high school graduation picnic this weekend. I hope she likes them.

Fresh Strawberry Macarons
180g ground almonds, sifted
270g powdered sugar, sifted
150g egg whites, aged 2 to 4 days in the fridge and then brought to room temperature
100g granulated sugar
Pink food coloring

Line four heavy baking sheets with good quality parchment paper and set aside. Also, set aside two pastry bags for the piping of the macarons.

Sift together your ground almonds with the powdered sugar and set aside.

Whisk the egg whites (at room temperature) to glossy firm peaks adding the granulated sugar gradually in four parts. Add the coloring.

Incorporate the dry ingredients into the beaten egg whites using a large rubber scraper.  Mix well. 
Fold the mixture with the rubber scraper by pulling down the sides and flipping the mixture over. Do this until you have a smooth mixture that falls like a “ribbon” off the scraper.

Transfer the mixture into the two piping bags. Use rubber bands to close the piping bags. Clip the tip of the bags, one at a time, and pipe small quarter sized rounds, leaving 1-inch of space between each because they spread as they set.

Leave to set for about 30 minutes or until the top has formed a crust and is not sticky to the touch.
While they are setting, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. A convection oven is preferable. 

Macarons waiting to be baked. After baking, the color of the macarons will become lighter so be sure to use enough coloring.

Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for about 12 minutes or until the cookie is firm, matte and doesn't wobble when touched.
Leave on the baking tray until cool then lift them all off the parchment carefully. You may need to use a thin knife to help lift them off.

Sort into pairs and fill with Fresh Strawberry Filling.

Macarons after baking. Notice the lighter color.

Fresh Strawberry Filling
2 cups diced strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla

Diced fresh strawberries.

Strawberries after being simmered the a bit of sugar. Yum!

In a saucepan, combine strawberries and sugar. Cook over medium high heat until it comes to a boil. Reduce the temperature and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes or until the mixture is thick and the strawberries begin to fall apart. Use a fork to break up the strawberries even more.

Transfer to another bowl and let cool completely. You can refrigerate the berries to speed up the process.

In stand mixer, whip the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the strawberries and vanilla and whip again until fully incorporated. You may need to chill the filling to firm it up before piping between the macarons.

Use a piping bag to fill the macarons.

Cake Frosting Tips

Frosting a cake can be frustrating so here are some tips to make it a more pleasant experience. And the recipe for my favorite frosting - Chocolate Buttercream.

1. Cool your cake completely before even attempting to frost it. The colder the cake, the better the icing will adhere. Plus, watching your frosting slip and melt on a too warm cake can induce tears.
2. Use a serrated knife to even out a cake if necessary. You can't hide an uneven cake with icing. Start out with a even cake and you'll end up with an even cake.
3. Crumb coat your cake and then chill it before doing a final icing. A crumb coat is just a quick thin layer of icing to hold the crumbs in place. It's an extra step but well worth it.
4. Invest in a revolving cake decorating stand. Being able to turn your cake as you decorate makes a world of difference.
   
5. Invest in a long thin spatula for spreading the frosting.
   
6. Invest in a heavy offset spatula for lifting the cake layers.
7. Make a frosting that's light and easy to spread. My recipe for Chocolate Buttercream is ideal.

My revolving cake decorating stand is nothing fancy. It's just plastic but it makes decorating so much easier.

A heavy offset spatula is a must for lifting cake layers.

A thin spatula for spreading the frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream
3 large egg whites
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of fine sea salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder, dissolved in 1 teaspoon hot water, cooled

1/2 cup dark chocolate pieces, melted and cooled

Place the whites in a clean mixing bowl. Whisk in sugar and cream of tartar.

Place bowl over a double boiler on medium heat, stir frequently until the mixture is very hot (120 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit).

Move to mixer and whip whites on high for 2 to 3 minutes; turn down to medium low until cool (use the bowl as your guide).

In a separate bowl with a wooden spoon, stir butter to soften.

With mixer on medium/high speed, add the butter one tablespoon at a time, adding the next tablespoon just as the previous one is blended in. Once all the butter incorporated, add in vanilla, salt, coffee and chocolate whip on high speed until fluffy.

More And More Guests

We served 258 meals today at the Wednesday Community Meal at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.

Last year that number would have seemed unexpectedly high, but not anymore — It's just an average Wednesday.


Our Wednesday lunch total for the month May of this year was 1366 compared to 877 last year.  We are obviously meeting a need that is growing.

What I've noticed this year is a much wider range of guests. We primarily serve the homeless but we also serve the people who live in the low-income housing in the neighborhood and the working poor, just trying to make ends meet. We are even seeing more and more families with young children.

Thanks must be given to our generous donors like Good Sam Hospital, Trader Joe's, Starbucks, Phil's Meat Market, Pizza Schmizza, Baker & Spice, Grand Central Bakery, The Oregon Food Bank and parishioners of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.

It's because of these generous companies and individuals that we don't have to turn anyone away. We can feed everyone who comes to our door.

Strawberry Sugar Cookies

 I like how my strawberry sugar cookies turned out and I like the fact that only two royal icing colors were needed to make them. A sprinkle of nonpareils to mimic strawberry seeds finishes the look.

Here's how to make them:

A strawberry cookie ready to be decorated.

Use green icing to pipe leaves.

Use a square tip brush to draw a line through each leaf to add dimension.

These cookies are ready for the red icing.

Outline the strawberry with red icing.

Flood the cookie and use a skewer to move the icing and fill in the gaps.

The cookie is ready for a sprinkle on nonpareils.

My daughter Eleanor sprinkling nonpareils on the cookies.

They look great. After the icing dries, they'll be ready to package and give away.