brown sugar challah with pomegranate glaze + friday links

September 19, 2014 in links, jewish and israeli food, weekend

it's a two-challah week. that's not weird, right? (actually when you consider the testing and a camera breakdown, it was probably more like a twelve-challah week so ask me if i've gotten sick of challah, i dare you.)

this is my interpretation of a fashionable loaf. it's got drizzlies of pink, swirls of brown, bling blings of sugar, and a well-tanned epidermis. it's fit for a party and its plus one is brisket. and the recipe is over at barneys new york! i'm extremely excited because i used to stroll into barneys all the time on my little walks home to the upper west side. would you believe it that my splurges used to be marc jacobs and denim, not sprinkles and danskware? i certainly wouldn't.

here are some friday links!

you all made crazy shit this week, i made a lot of audible gasps: i mean, cilantro in peanut ice cream, stroopwaffels in whipped cream, furikake on popcorn?! yes. lots and lots of yes.

i guess i spaced out when this single came out last month, but stars' "from the night" is really scrumptious.

every so often i go down the youtube rabbit hole of batsheva dance videos. i found this one this week and it is ripe with perfection.

can i call this a mac + cheese cake?? (and would these kinda be mac + cheese cupcakes??)

and speaking of cake, just look at this hazelnut fig one. it is art.

i've obviously been going though meryl and charlie withdrawal, but check out kaitlin and jean luc!

this week in tahini (i should just set a google alert for it already): tahini pine nut cookies, no-churn tahini ice cream, and mini cakes with tahini frosting.

so many hearts.

the wholesome midwesternness in me doesn't really like describing things as sexy, but when i read this cucumber salad recipe, i couldn't think of any other word.

marzipan body scrub you guys!!!!!!!!!!

there are still a few days to enter my easy gourmet giveaway!

happy weekend everyone!!!!!

-yeh!

p.s. it's come to my attention that some of you are having trouble commenting. oyoyoy! i'm working on having this fixed right now. feel free to bop over to my Facebook page to comment in the meantime!

marzipan challah

September 17, 2014 in jewish and israeli food, holidays and celebrations, recipe

things i've been enjoying lately

offering everyone who comes over a buttercup squash from our garden

using the eggdad's typewriter to make cute little food labels, greeting cards, business cards, secret notes...

the fact that the sun has finally been going down before our (almost) nightly 10pm veep date

picking chamomile flowers from our garden (does anyone have any tips on a) getting the itsy bitsy bugs off of them so i can b) dry them and make tea?)

my tuesday night pottery class! i made a plate yesterday.

dark chocolate and sea salt kind bars

picking the caramel off of the caramel apples that have been sitting on my counter since saturday

making an extra over-the-top eye roll whenever someone tries to correct my pronunciation of "caramel"

getting excited for rosh hashanah!!!!

...you know, i don't even remember what i did for rosh hashanah last year. i feel like i might have been salty about the fact that eggboy would have had to have been on a tractor during one of my favorite holidays. but this year i'm embracing it and planning to pack up a badass brisket picnic (complete with pomegranate brisket tacos) to bring out to the tractor. i've already told him to make sure that he's driving a tractor with a buddy seat so that i don't have to perch on his armrest and get my bum all sore. i'll also be packing up: apples from our apple trees, honey from eggsister's man's bees, and challah, obviously challah. even gluten-free eggboy will eat challah.

about this challah: the combination was bound to happen sometime, judging from my love of all things marzipan and all things challah. breads bakery, in new york, makes a marzipan challah, and i went on a wild goose chase trying to figure out how they do it. pictures of it kept popping up on my instagram and i kept wishing i could go-go-gadget x-ray vision it, but finally i just went for it and made a marzipan frosting to swirl about. the results were sweet and moist* and almondy and doughy and delicious. perfect for the new year.

(shortly thereafter, marian came to the rescue (again) with the intel that breads makes theirs by simply wrapping dough around almond paste and then braiding it. so i tried that and it was also delicious.)

*what is a synonym for moist? i hate subjecting you guys to that word.

marzipan challah

makes two loaves (easily half-able if you just want one)

ingredients

bread

1 1/2 c warm water

2 tb dry yeast

1/2 c + 1 tb sugar

6 c all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting (you might need way more, so i like to have 1-2 more cups on hand)

2 tsp kosher salt

a pinch of cardamom

5 large eggs

2/3 c oil

1 tsp almond extract

filling**

14 oz marzipan, grated or finely chopped

1 stick butter, softened

1/2 c sugar

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

topping (optional)

slivered almonds

pearl sugar

**for a non-dairy or easier option, you can simply omit the butter and sprinkle the marzipan and sugar onto your dough when shaping. it will still be super delish.

clues

In a measuring cup or small bowl, combine the water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let sit for a few minutes until it gets foamy on top.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix together the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, flour, salt, and cardamom. In a separate bowl, whisk together 4 of the eggs, the oil, and the almond extract.

When the yeast has proofed, add it to the dry ingredients, immediately followed by the egg mixture. Mix to combine and knead, either on a floured surface, or with the dough hook for 7-10 minutes, adding more flour as needed, until smooth.

Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

to make the filling, beat together all ingredients. the marzipan will stay a little chunky.

on a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into two equal parts. working with one part at a time (keep the other part covered by the damp towel), roll the dough out into a large rectangle, approximately 10 inches by 14 inches. spread half of the filling evenly onto the dough, leaving a 1-inch perimeter, and then roll it up like a jelly roll (the long way). pinch the edges to seal it shut, and then coil into a spiral shape with the seam facing down. place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with the other half of the dough. let the loaves rise for 30 minutes while you preheat your oven to 375.

whip up the remaining egg with a splash of water and brush it onto the loaves after they've risen. sprinkle with slivered almonds and pearl sugar, if using. bake the loaves for 20 minutes, rotate them and tent them with foil, and then bake for another 20 minutes.

let cool briefly and enjoy!

-yeh!

raspberry pistachio mini pavlovas + a giveaway

September 15, 2014 in farm, fall, recipe

haaaaappy monday, everybody!!

how were all of your weekends? mine was as relaxing as can be, right down to the socks with birkenstocks that i wore outside not once but twice (!!!) for warmth (low was in the 30s!), comfort, and to imitate my style icons the olsen twins. i did all the fall things: hosted an apple picking party, made caramel apples, made chicken with apples, made a (sadly flopped) honey cake with apples... and then wrapped things up by watching miss america at the town pizza parlor and it was magnificent.

today a thing called beet harvest pre-haul starts! it's basically the amuse-bouche of beet harvest: you get all of your equipment ready, start picking from your fields, and take in a sampling of beets to the plant so you're ready to get your harvest on come october first. there is a big truck filled with beets in our yard right now! i am tempted to yoink one and do recipe experiments but i'm afraid to climb up onto the truck. actually mostly i'm afraid to go outside right now because of the cold.

ok now let me tell you about these pavlovas. first, the person behind these pavlovas, who is also one of my favorite bloggers ever, stephanie! i feel like she doesn't need an introduction because if you read my blog then you've seen the zillion times i've linked to her blog and if you've seen her blog even just once you know she is the tops. she is also the tops in real life, we were each other's dates to the saveur awards when our men couldn't make it, and if we lived in the same town, i could see some major kimmy gibbler/d.j. tanner action happening. her joyful and fun personality oozes from her work the way the hollandaise oozes from this grilled cheese. i've made so many of her recipes and they are all delicious while managing to be shockingly simple... which is why it is about time that her book comes out! i can't sing enough praise about it. it's inspiring, it's approachable, it's creative, it's flavorful, it's nothing you don't want, it's fit for pretty much anyone. i see these pictures and think, shit, i cannot make that. and then i read the recipes and i'm like, wait a second, i think i can. i think i can. i think i can. and so pictured here is the first ever pavlova i ever did make. and despite me planning on having people over to help us finish them, eggboy and i demolished them and didn't even look back.

they're fluffy, airy little creatures with a perfect amount of sweetness, sourness from the raspberries, and savoriness from the pistachios. they also look cute, like a cartoon version of a dessert. but they're real! and real good.

raspberry pistachio mini pavlovas

from stephanie le's book, easy gourmet

makes 14 mini pavlovas

ingredient

2 large egg whites

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 c sugar

1 tsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp white wine vinegar

1/4 c pistachios, roughly chopped

1/2 c whipping cream, whipped into soft peaks

1 c raspberries

chopped pistachios, to serve

clues

preheat oven to 350ºf.

with an electric mixer, whip the egg whites with the salt until peaks start to form. add the sugar in a slow stream. continue to whip until the eggs are shiny and stiff. sprinkle in the cornstarch, vanilla, vinegar, and pistachios. gently fold to combine.

scoop the meringue into equal mounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet. place in the oven and immediately turn down to 300ºf and bake for 25 minutes. turn the oven off and leave in for another 25 minutes and then remove from the oven. cool completely.

to serve, top with softly whipped cream, raspberries, and an extra sprinkle of chopped pistachios.

note: if you want super-green pistachios, blanch them in boiling water for 10-15 seconds. strain, then rub with a clean towel to remove their skins. if the skins are still clinging, keep the pistachios in cold water as you rub.

annnnd.... i'm giving away a copy of easy gourmet! to enter this giveaway, leave a comment with the best dessert you've ever had! this giveaway is open to u.s. residents only.

update 9/22: this giveaway is now closed and the winner has been notified. thanks so much everyone!

-yeh!!

farm supper + friday links + a giveaway winner

September 12, 2014 in links, midwest

last weekend i made challah, hummus, and israeli salad for 130 people at the oldest farm in the red river valley. it was so much fun! i toughed out the bugs, used tomatoes and cukes from the garden across the road, and didn't even get too sheepish when i had to go in front of everyone and take a bow (curtsy?) for my hummus. the rest of the menu featured delicious goodies made by chefs from some of my favorite fargo restaurants. working alongside them to prep and plate all of our dishes was one of the coolest things ever. it felt good plating things that were going to be eaten immediately by real live strangers and not just scraped into a tupperware container to be picked at later by eggboy, like most of my blog recipes. maybe one day i'll have my own 130-person supper at our farm. every course would be cake.

friday links!!

my soundtrack this week has been the new karen o album. her voice always reminds me of the fall because of that time i listened to the where the wild things are soundtrack over and over and over and that was during the fall.

i would like a handful of these salt and vinegar roasted chickpeas please.

fried pork + salad = you have broken even with healthiness, you have nothing to worry about, it's math.

eggboy wanted you to know that the three paragraphs i have written here on avocado toast detail exactly how i make my toast on an almost-daily basis. i didn't b.s. you at all, scout's honor.

three things that speak for themselves: coconut macaroon filled peaches, spiked pistachio cupcake milkshakes, and tim tam slam macarons. i mean...?!?!!!

there is a serious amount of beauty happening up in here.

our friends up in winterfell made a new yummy thing!

i want drawing skills like demetria.

and the winner of last week's giveaway is...ms. melissa king! step right up, sista!

happy weekend everyone!!!

does anyone have anything fun planned?? i'll be having an apple picking party and then rooting hard for miss illinois in miss america this weekend!

-yeh!!!