Bon Voyage

Good morning lovely ones.

I'm off bright and early to the land of milk and honey.

But never fear because I'll be writing as often as possible with new favorite food finds, and most importantly that last healthy Valentine's treat.

It does not disappoint.

xo
L

view

Berry Crumble, A Story of Redemption

Good morning blogosphere and a happy Friday to you all.

After a dose of much needed beauty sleep, I'm ready to redeem myself from my strawberry shortcake sized failure.

As I mentioned yesterday, when all else fails, go with what you know.

I know crumbles.

I know that if I take the perfect amount of flour, sugar, butter and berries, I can create a bubbly crunchy masterpiece.

Sometimes I even get a little wild and throw in some cinnamon too.

I know. What a rebel.

I think that oftentimes, in an effort to match the richness of a chocolate sweet, people fudge up (pun intended) a treat of the non-chocolate variety.

This is unnecessary.

Allow your non-chocolate dessert to become what it is meant to be. 

Don't be a conformer.

Conformers are boring.

Non-chocolate desserts don't have to be.

My crumble was born to be a bubbly, slightly sweet and tart hug of a treat.

It's so sophisticated in its simplicity. Kind of like Jennifer Aniston's hair. It looks au natural and thrown together, but you know it takes a serious expert to look so "girl next door".

Think of my crumble as your "dessert next door".

I think we've had enough metaphors for the day, don't you?

Just make my crumble.

Very Berry Crumble
Servings: 2

Ingredients for Berries

3 ounces fresh blueberries
3 ounces fresh blackberries
1/4 cup frozen cranberries
Zest of 1 clementine (or about 1 teaspoon orange zest)
Zest of 1/2 a lemon
Juice from 1/2 a clementine (or about 1 teaspoon orange juice)
Juice from 1/4 a lemon
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon sugar
dash of salt
1/2 tablespoon flour

Ingredients for Crumble

5 1/2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash of salt
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup oats
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

To Do

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place berries in a medium sized bowl

Add in zest, juice, cinnamon, sugar, salt and flour and stir gently to combine. (from the Ingredients for Berries list). Be sweet to your berries. They're sensitive.

In a separate, small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon, salt, flour, oats, and sugars. (from the Ingredients for Crumble list).

Add in diced butter and combine until little marble/pearl/pea sized balls appear. You may do this with a mixer with a paddle attachment, a food processor on pulse, a pastry cutter (my preferred method), or your finger tips.

If using your fingertips, take care not to smush it all together. Your goal is to combine it without overworking it or heating the butter too much.

Split berry mixture between two ramekins, filling just up to the top without overflowing. You may also do this in a casserole dish but it will be less romantic and you may ruin Valentine's Day. kidding.

Put ramekins on lined baking sheet.

With a large spoon or your hands, completely cover the berries with the crumble mixture. Put on way more than you think it needs.

The berry crumble will need approximately 30-35 minutes. It will bubble, and may overflow. The crumble on top of the berries will begin to turn golden.

Once the berry crumble is finished, let it cook on a wire rack or even on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before serving.

This is really quite simple, if the crumble is still bubbling, it will most likely burn your mouth. That would be wretched. Don't do it.

OPTIONAL: You will still have some of the crumble mixture left over.

Line another baking sheet and spread the leftover crumble on the bottom.

The leftover crumble you put on the baking sheet will only need approximately 10-15 minutes. Keep your eye on it.

It will most likely need to be stirred around with a wooden spoon or spatula a couple of times to avoid burning.

Take the leftover crumble out of the oven and let it cool for the remainder of the berry crumble's bake time. It will harden and you can crumble it on top of the berry crumble as you go for additional crunch. Or save it for later to put in your ice cream. Or you can toss it in the trash, but just remember, there are starving children in Africa.

Ingredient Options:

If you do not have any of the above berries, this is not an issue. Substitute in your favorite whether it is strawberries, huckleberries or raspberries.

You may also substitute in diced pear or apple for the cranberries.

If you're not a cinnamon fan, you may substitute in cocoa powder, nutmeg, or even pumpkin pie spice.

Adding a tablespoon or two of dried fruit or chopped nuts is also delicious.

Vogueing:

I have not forgotten my prerequisites - there is red in there.

Jazzed up berries.

crumblies pre-pea/pearl/marble-sizing

a berry berry good time

If you pile it really high (as you should), some pieces will most likely ooze over the side. I have two comments regarding this - 1. sometimes, imperfection is beauty. This is one of those times. 2. line your baking sheet with parchment paper

Berry crumble...just hangin'

A word of caution: you'll note the crumble is still cooling on the pan. You'll also note a certain someone (namely, my mother) getting a nice big hunk of a bite. Because she birthed me, I'm going to spare her the mortification of photographic proof of the "I burned my mouth because I don't have any patience when it comes to crumble" dance that occurred approximately 30 seconds after this photo was taken. Sometimes, I'm a really good daughter.

Clearly that didn't phase her. Nothing comes between my mamma and a crumble. Nothing. Got it?

What chocolate?

All dressed up and nowhere to go.

Aerial view. See that little blip of a red dot on that whipped cream? That's a heart. There, I hit 2 out of my 3 Valentine's Day treat qualifications.

Goodness be had.

Crumble, my daddy's way. I think I made up for the strawberry shortcake debacle.

There you have it. I accomplished what many thought was impossible.

A beautiful, rustic, seductively luscious Valentine's Day treat with not a drop of chocolate in it.

Now, to be clear, I'm not encouraging chocolate-less behavior on a regular basis. That would be vulgur.

But, if you're going to go rogue, you can't do better than my berry crumble.

What's up next? Valentine's Day healthified 2.0.

The Best Baking Plans of Mice and Men and Me

often go awry.

I had a plan.

A glorious plan to make a healthified strawberry shortcake.

A strawberry shortcake so delightfully delectable it would pass the high standards of two serious strawberry shortcake lovers, my daddy and Jon.

It all started so well. This is the last time these tasted pleasant.

Alas, my clever thought to use a flax egg instead of a real egg, almond milk instead of heavy cream and whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose flour, wasn't so clever after all.

This is okay though.

This is why you have me.

I make the mistakes for you.

You impress your honey bunches of oats with your mad pastry skills.

Everyone is happy.

I even let you take the credit.

Aren't I giving?

I digress...

This is the prettiest one too....

It doesn't look too too terrible covered in whipped cream and oozy gooey strawberries, does it?

The moral of the story this evening is, do not make my strawberry shortcake.

It's rather dense, and as my incredibly disgruntled father exclaimed, "YUCK. There's no flavor. There's absolutely no flavor in that thing. Grrross.".

Allow me to provide perspective.

This is coming from a man who kept a smile on his face proclaiming "YUMMY" when indulging in my first baking project, a yellow play-dough water concoction.

Never fear my loves, I put my chin up and got right back to baking you a most scrumptious berry crumble. So delightfully sinful, (dare I say it?), you won't even miss the chocolate.

Unfortunately for you, after 4 hours in the kitchen following a 3 hour conference call at work today, you've happened upon a super sleepy me. One so sleepy that I can't find it in me to accurately convey the amazingness that is this berry crumble. I promise I'll come 'round by tomorrow.

Digression #2 of the day: in addition to speaking French some days, I also have days that consist of me making up words such as "healthified" and "amazingness". My apologies.

In the meantime, I hope this teaser suffices.

Patience is a Virtue

...or so I hear anyways.

HINT - She's so ve-ve-very extraordi-di-nary
She's Strawberry Shortcake. Coming to a blog post near you shortly.

Jour Deux, Lava Cake Du Jour

C'est Magnifique

Sometimes, I like to pretend I speak French. Today is one of those days.

Why? Because today, I am presenting you with a recipe that deserves a Bon Appetit article and cover. As such, I can't accurately describe how spectacular it is in English. So clearly, I'm going to try to in a prettier language, albeit one of which I know less than 50 words.

In my family, the be all end all of dessert world is a chocolate lava cake. If it is on the menu, it will be ordered. In fact, one of the rare moments of silence that falls upon us is during the first 15 seconds or so when we're all overcome by the extase of those first bites.

Well, yesterday I was in a recipe funk. I wanted to make you a truly spectacular non-chocolate Valentine's Day treat. Apparently, in order to do so, one must have in their possession mass amounts of heavy cream. Alas, I did not. Frustration ensued, and as you know, my go to cure for mass levels of frustration is chocolat.

Hell-bent and in a complete tizzy, I ran 'round the kitchen like a mad woman throwing this and that together until voila I had happened upon a true masterpiece. When it came out of oven, the following scene ensued between my baby sister and me:

Me: Holy mother of chocolate pearl, Melly get IN here.
Her: Fiiiiinnneeeee. [in her 'I'm a 16 year old and therefore I care about nothing' voice]
Me: It's chocolate lava...
Her: I'll get the spoons. [in her future corporate, 'I get things done' voice]

Then we proceeded with moans and groans that would probably make everyone feel uncomfortable in the retelling. You'll have to experience it yourself.

The first quarter inch of the cake is fluffy and light. And then, the real magic happens and out oozes a slow and deliberate silken river of chocolate lava. It's a once in a lifetime experience you can experience your whole life.

Did I mention there's only six ingredients and total time spent is 30 minutes including baking time? That's right, mes cheries, hop in your cars, on your bikes, or on your feet and get yourself to the store.

What could be better for you and your honey on Valentine's Day?

Chocolate Lava for Lovahs
Servings: 2 (of course)

Ingredients

1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 egg (room temperature)
2 1/2 tablespoons cake flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon espresso powder - you will not taste the espresso at all, I promise, it just enhances the flavor of the chocolate. Kind of like it enhances your energy when you drink it.
pinch of salt
*optional accoutrements - sliced strawberries, powdered sugar, powdered cocoa, ice cream, whipped cream, crushed nuts

To Do

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Grease two ramekins with butter or spray. If you use smaller ramekins, it will have a better presentation but the larger ramekins work as well.

Put chocolate chips and butter in a heat-proof bowl and in a microwave for 30 second intervals until melted. Be careful not to burn. It took me 2-30 second intervals and a couple of stirs to melt perfectly.

Add in the confectioner's sugar and combine.

Add in egg and mix until smooth.

Add in cake flour, espresso powder, salt, and vanilla extract and mix until combined.

Pour evenly into your two ramekins.

Place ramekins on a baking sheet and put on the bottom rack in your oven for exactly 12 minutes.

As it is a lava cake, it will not be cooked through in the middle. Trust that inner pastry chef and let her/him shine.

Immediately plate with accoutrements and dig in.

Vogueing

two peas in a pod

I actually took another picture instead of just using yesterday's. Honesty is our policy. But that doesn't mean credit isn't nice.

Looks a little lump after adding the sugar, but don't fret and don't over work it because then it will be too exhausted to ooze properly and you'll feel bad.

hello there sunshine.

flour, vanilla, salt and espresso - it's almost party time

look at that little ramekin of love, would you? it doesn't even know what glorious things lie ahead.

 A truly magical 12 minutes later, gently place the cooling rack on a heat-resistant surface while you gather your strawberries, cool-whip or whatever catches your fancy

No plopping - gently place the ramekin on your prettiest of pretty plates. You'll notice that the middle is a darker color. This is good. This is hot gooey lava bubbling beneath the surface.

Make it all pretty and take a picture

or two...however many you can manage until your amour gets at it

then maybe fend them off for a second or two to get a live action shot...

Fantastique! Going...

Going...

Au revoir

Accoutrements

You could, if you so choose (and are an incredibly boring and predictable person) leave your heavenly delight as is, straight out of the oven. It would knock your socks off.

see? now go get your socks before you finish reading...

But it's Valentine's Day y'all. Come on. Throw out the big shots. Carpe diem. (not French but whatever).

During those twelve minutes when you're anxiously awaiting your slice, or ramekin, of pure pleasure, do the following:

put a dab of butter in your smallest saucepan. What's a dab? Probably 1/8th of a tablespoon.

Dice up a couple of strawberries

And plop them in the saucepan with a pinch of sugar. A teensy tiny pinch. Leave them in there for 3 minutes or just until they start to soften.

During that 3 minute time period, when you probably have 5 minutes left on your oven time, make a pretty strawberry fan. It's fun. And it makes you look super fancy schmancy.

You'll have a whole minute or so to spare before you take out the ramekins, put a dollop of cool whip, some cooked strawberries and a pretty fan on top. Look at you, you're practically a pro.

What other toppings would you put on top of your lava cakes?

I bet a spoonful of nutella to the center would be sinful even for the most rich of palates.

Crushed nuts would add a nice bite.

Regarding serving, I'd suggest whipping up the batter along with dinner. It can just hang out for a bit and then you can excuse yourself, kindly place it in the oven and go back to your goblet of wine until it's ready to eat.

Bonne chance!