February 20, 2010

Green Tea White Chocolate Marble Blondies & Chocolate Cherry Blondies

Filed under: baked goods, brownies, marcus, matcha — saehee @ 5:37 pm

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I’ve voiced my reluctance towards blondies and their close relative the brownie before.  There’s something crass about them.  Unreasonably sweet and dense to the point of being clumsy.  And also, I don’t like the way they look when cut into squares–all those raw edges make for a very inelegant dessert.  But when it comes to baked goods my opinions are apt to change.  A few weeks ago I had a blondie at MILK and shamefully (shamefully!) inhaled the poor blondie.

Marcus is performing American Rifle 2 at LACE tonight so I thought this might be a good opportunity to re-assess the blondie, especially since Marcus has listed them among his favorite baked goods (with the condition that there isn’t too much “stuff” in them).

But if I’m going to put the effort into making a blondie, I’m going to make it my own.  Yes a blondie is generally known to be a “leftover” dessert.  People just put all the leftover chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, nuts, m & m’s, etc into them.  I say no to this.

The first kind I made was with a marbling of matcha green tea and because white chocolate and green tea is one of my all time favorite pairings, I added Valhrona white chocolate chips into the batter.  I’ve already eaten 2.  The bitterness of green tea with the creamy white chocolate and buttery blondie batter just makes a ridiculous amount of sense.

The second variety I made with a combination of tart and sweet dried cherries, semi-sweet chocolate chips and a few peanut butter chips, with the hopes of mimicking something like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  I’ve yet to try these but I sort of don’t know what could go wrong with the flavor combination.

I also solved the problem of raw edges by using a square mini cake pan so every blondie has chewy edges and things look neat and clean.

I feel like I’m tooting my own horn in this entry. Sorry.

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons (4 oz) of butter

1 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 egg

1 cup of all purpose flour

pinch of salt

1. preheat oven to 350

2. grease either an 8 by 8 pan or use a mini square cake pan like i did

3. melt butter in microwave for about 30 seconds

4. blend brown sugar into butter until fully combined

5. whisk in egg and vanilla

6. with a wooden spatula fold in the flour and salt

7a. at this point if you’re making the green tea marble, split the batter in half.  add about 3/4 cup of white chocolate chips into one half and mix in 2 teaspoons of matcha green tea powder into the other half.

7b. if making cherry chocolate peanut butter blondies: stir in 1/4 cup tart cherries, 1/4 cup sweet cherries, 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1/4 cup peanut butter chips

8a. for the green tea marble: spoon alternating amount of batter into prepared pan and with a toothpick swirl the batter without overmixing

8b. spoon equal amounts of mixture into prepared pan

9. bake for about 20 minutes

August 16, 2009

Sam, it’s your birthday and this calls for treats

Filed under: baked goods, birthday celebrations, cookies, laguna beach, matcha, teacakes — saehee @ 11:32 pm









It was Sam’s birthday yesterday. Theme: bathing costume. I failed terribly at this theme. I thought I was going to go as figure skater because I used to figure skate when I was younger (which, by the way, I was really bad at. I danced like a brick) and had this ridiculous blindingly gold competition outfit. Well, as it turns out, I am not the same size as when I was in 6th grade. And as it turns out, my ass was hanging out of this costume and the top was startlingly transparent. I’m not sure why I assumed the lycra/spandex could stretch over 13 years of growth, adolescence, and the strange elastic carnival that the body puts itself through.

So yeah, I just wore my swimming suit.
Other people wore great things. Sam was a sparkly sea lion. Andrea was a French mime. Stephen was the solar system. A friend of Sam’s was a unicorn. Katie, well I don’t really know what Katie was but it was pretty and she looked very seaborn. Oh, also she wore a great octopus necklace.

I want to do this thing where I bake birthday cakes customized to the birthday person’s personality. For example, I created Nancy Cake for Nancy when she finished her first marathon and every time I bake it and introduce it as Nancy Cake, i get kind of tickled by that.

For Sam, my intention was to make a chamomile bundt cake with lemon honey icing. She just seems like that sort of gal. It was really exciting in my head. Unfortunately to work out a new recipe it takes a little experimentation and I lacked the time. Also, because the party was at the beach, it seemed like having a whole cake would not be very easy to eat. So instead, I deferred to something easily grabbable. I made green tea shortbread with vanilla cake and white chocolate ganache.

I’m sad that I didn’t get to make Sam Cake. Maybe for a different Sam-centric event I can make it. I’m sorry Sam.

Note: I used half rice flour and half all purpose flour in the vanilla cake to give it a firmer texture. It’s probably not a good idea to make this recipe without the rice flour because the cake will be too tender to be sandwiched between the green tea cookies. You can find rice flour at most asian markets. Look for glutinous sweet rice flour. I like Mochiko brand.

Ingredients:

Green Tea Cookies

2 medium egg yolks (it’s important to use medium rather than the more common large)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks of butter (200 grams)

1/3 cup superfine sugar

2 1/4 cup all purpose or pastry flour

1 teaspoon matcha green tea

Vanilla Cake

3 large eggs

3/4 cup rice flour

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 stick of butter, melted

2/3 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1 pinch of salt
6 oz of cream cheese

additional:

1/2 cup good quality white chocolate

Make Green Tea Shortbread Cookies
1. On a clean surface measure out the flour and the salt and make a well in the center
2. Put the cubed butter, matcha powder, and sugar in the well and slowly start to work in the flour into butter/sugar, softening the butter by working it between your fingers
3. make another well in the center and put the egg yolks in
4. work the egg yolks in until just combined
5. knead 3-4 times (do not overwork the dough)
6. form into a ball and refrigerate for at least an hour (you can freeze this dough for up to 3 months)
7. at this point you can make the vanilla cake while the dough is chilling –please skip down to vanilla cake section
8. when the dough is chilled unroll it to about 1/4 of an inch thickness on a lightly floured surface
9. cut the dough with biscuit cutter or what ever shapes your want. I like to make my cookies of various sizes because I think there’s something charming about that.
10. bake for 8 to 10 minutes in an oven that has been preheated at 340 degrees. The cookies are done when there is the faintest ring of gold around the edges. These burn easily so be careful
Vanilla Cake
1. Beat the sugar and cream cheese together for about 3-5 minutes
2. incorporate the eggs, one at a time and beating for about a minute after every addition
3. in a separate bowl sift together the rice flour, the all purpose flour, the baking soda and the salt
4. add the flour mixture into the batter in 3 additions
5. fold in the melted butter and the vanilla extract
6. grease two-9 inch square pans and separate the batter evenly between them
7. give the pans a hard tap against your counter to release air bubbles
8. bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until the edges start to pull away from the pan
9. let the cake cool fo about 15 minutes and then invert
Assembly:
1. melt the white chocolate in a double broiler or in the microwave by heating at high for 30-45 second. I recommend the double broiler to prevent scorching
2. cut the cakes to fit the size of your cookies
3. spread each side of the vanilla cake with the melted white chocolate and sandwich it between two of the green tea cookies
4. let the white chocolate harden as an adhesive
5. you can also shock the cookies in the freezer for about 1 minute if you’re in a rush

August 6, 2009

Matcha Green Tea and Chocolate Pound Cake

Filed under: baked goods, cake, chocolate, matcha, pound cake — saehee @ 7:33 pm




Oh, you know how I feel about matcha.  Truthfully, I think matcha and white chocolate make a better pairing but I really was excited about the idea of this color combination.  
This recipe makes a pound cake that avoids being the dense clumsy brick that we might be familiar with.  The crumb is a bit finer and I think has a much more appealing texture.  And the color!
Matcha Chocolate Pound Cake
2 sticks (8oz) of butter, unsalted and at room temperature
8 oz of good quality semi-sweet chocolate (3 oz for the ganache, 5 oz to blend into the batter)
1 tsp of matcha green tea (powdered green tea is not the same thing)
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs (separated) 
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1. grease and flour  a 8 1/2 inch loaf pan (or I used 3 disposable mini-loaf pans) and preheat an oven to 350
2. sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. set aside
3. melt 5 oz of chocolate in a double broiler
4. cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy
5. add the egg yolks one at a time and beat for one minute with each addition
6. fold in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with additions of the whole milk
7. beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks
8. fold the egg whites in very gently.  it’s okay if they are not completely blended in
9. divide the batter in half
10. to one half of the batter add the melted 5 oz of chocolate and mix until just combined
11. to the other half add the matcha and vanilla extract until just combined
12. fill the load pan(s) with heaping spoonfuls of batter, alternating between the matcha batter and chocolate batter.  
13. settle the batter by tapping it against a hard surface
14. with a butter knife marble the batter by making a swirling motion, make sure not to over  mix.
15. bake in the oven for approximately an hour if in a large loaf pan and about 4o minutes if in the mini-loaf pans 
16. let cool completely
17. heat up the heavy cream and then pour over the remaining chocolate 
18. let stand for about 1 minute and then whisk until smooth
19. spread over the top of the loaf and let harden for about an hour

June 19, 2009

Green Tea Olive Oil Cake With Peach Mousse and White Chocolate Ganache

Filed under: baked goods, home cooking, matcha — saehee @ 7:28 pm



making a sort of trifle with the leftovers

praline and matcha topping




ganache


lining ring molds

peach puree



fresh whipping cream


the matcha olive oil cakes
Last night I stayed up until 4 a.m. making these mini cakes. Making this takes a little extra care so you might need a special occasion to justify making these.  Today my friend Felipe came up to visit from San Diego, which is an excellent excuse to bake and that combined with meeting for dinner with our San Diego ex-patriot friends made for a special occasion indeed.  
 Ever since I bought a bottle of matcha powder last week my head has become quite occupied with all the wonderful way that I can utilize it.  
My thought process: What goes well with matcha? white chocolate. okay. white chocolate ganache.
Also, almond extract.
Also, olive oil would be nice, it would bring out the grassy flavor of green tea.
Okay, I need a different flavor. Something fruity? yes, fruity.  Citrus? No, too strong of a flavor. Peach? Yes!
Ingredients:
for the cake

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons matcha powder
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
for the peach mousse
2 large peaches, pureed until a very fine liquid
7 tablespoons of water
2 cups heavy cream
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
for white chocolate ganache
1 cup white chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
make the cake
1. preheat oven to 300
2. in a bowl sift together the dry ingredients
3. in a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, olive oil, and milk
4. add the dry ingredients to the egg/oil/milk mixture in three separate increments
5. divide batter into 2 ten-inch cake pans
6. bake for 2o minutes
7. let cool and then cut out 3 inch circles with either a cookie cutter or the edge of a ring mold

make the mousse
1. mix together gelatin and 2 tablespoons of water and set aside
2. with an electric mixer whisk the heavy whipping cream until it starts to develop soft peaks
3. set aside and put in a refrigerator to cool
4. in a saucepan bring 5 tablespoons of water and 1/2 cup of sugar to a boil
5. pour the sugar syrup over the egg yolks and whisk together
6. heat the gelatin/water mixture in the microwave for 10 seconds and then quickly add to the egg yolk mixture
7. in the electric mixer continue whisking these ingredients until it becomes airy and cool to the touch
8. add the chilled whipping cream
9. puree two peaches in a food processor
10. add the peach puree into the mousse and fold to combine
assemble the cakes

1. in a 3 inch ring mold, layer a piece of cake
2. add 2 tablespoons of peach mousse and smooth over
3. add another layer of cake
4. let chill in the freezer for 2 hours
make the ganache
1. bring the heavy cream to a boil 
2. pour the cream over the white chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes
3. whisk to melt the chocolate
4. you may need to whisk it over an ice-water bath to achieve desired consistency
pouring the ganache
1. remove the cakes from the freezer
2. unmold them by gently pressing them out of the ring molds
3. spoon generous amounts of ganache at the center of the top of the cakes until the sides start to drip 
4. top with whatever you want ( i opted for matcha and praline)
5. keep in refrigerator or in freezer.  if freezer, thaw for ten minutes first