I love these Strawberry Shortcakes and have been serving them in our restaurants for over 20 years. I learned to bake them from a wonderful baker and friend, the late Craig Ruttman, who was inspired by James Beard's recipe. We think of Craig whenever we make them at the bakery— his wonderful nature lives on in these exceptionally light and delicate cakes. Paired with vanilla scented strawberries and vanilla flavor, they are an easy summer dessert and great for brunch as well.
This is perfect cake for the Passover holiday. We sell so many of them at our bakery. This cake has a very small amount of flour in it. During the holiday I omit the flour and the cake still comes out perfectly delicious. If you keep Kosher exchange the butter for a Parve butter substitute and you are home free. Happy Pesach!
Introducing the newest addition to our product line of Spreadable Fruits— Strawberry Kiwi Ginger— it's on the shelves and to say the least, I am thrilled over the taste and color. You all know it takes time to develop good recipes and I am definitely not someone who just pops out a perfect recipe on the first go around. Our kettles are very large and a single product run can range from 600 to 900 jars at a time, depending on the flavor and the types of fruit we are using. Combining fruits is not random, it is a carefully thought out process. It is not just about the taste, its about the chemistry and how fruits interact and react with one another. I do not use pectin to thicken my jams. I depend on the amount of acidity in the fruit combined with the right amount of sugar, as well as the natural pectin present. This varies depending on which fruits your are cooking. When everything is in balance you will get a perfect gel. And believe me, this can be pretty tricky. This combination of strawberries and kiwi is a great marriage—and the crystallized ginger takes it to the next level with its signature little bite. I eat it on our sourdough bread with a smear of soft butter. Come visit me at the bakery and I will give you a taste!
I love this bran muffin and it alarms me that sometimes a great old recipe can unknowingly slip away or be forgotten by the excitement and fickleness of finding a new recipe. Our bran muffin at Sarabeth's has undergone very few changes since its debut in 1981. In fact, every January I review our recipe books and reprint the pages so that we can start the new year with a fresh copy minus the fingerprints of butter and the flour that has found its way between the pages. Sometimes the bakers will make a note or two in the margins; adjustments to the baking time and temperature depending on how large the batches are and how full the oven is. There are also recipe edits that I have made during the year in my own handwriting. These tweaks are subtle—more vanilla, extra lemon zest or a different chocolate.
Last week while working with the evening bakers, I noticed something was not quite right with our bran muffin. (Anyone who has had our muffins knows how particular I am, not only with the taste but with their appearance.) I decided to do the bake off that evening and keep an eye on them myself. I was on a mission and stood in the oven room and watched. To my dismay, the muffins began to spread and they took too long to bake. When they came out of the oven I became impatient—wanting to taste them right away, I restrained myself. You can't judge anything correctly right out of the oven. When I did finally break the muffin opened, I was surprised how overly moist the inside was.—much too wet and although it tasted ok, but it did not have the wow factor of the original muffin.
I opened our recipe book and turned to the recipe. To my surprise I discovered a change in one on the ingredients. It was buttermilk instead of the original whole milk called for in the recipe. How does such a thing happen? Many times the bakers will say" Sarabeth, you made the change", and sometimes they are correct— but not in this instance When one uses buttermilk, there is usually the addition of baking soda to calm the acidity from the cultured milk. That was the tell tale giveaway, there was no baking soda in the recipe. Still puzzled, I turned to my recently published baking book to compare the recipes—as I suspected, whole-milk. As much as I love tweaking and trying to improve recipes— if it's not broken, don't fix it.
Purim will be here in a few days and I have had numerous request for my Hamanaschen recipe. Rather than refer you to search the archives of my blog, I am posting the entry again. No searching necessary will give you no excuses for not trying this classic recipe.
If you are not in the mood to make them, stop by the bakery and pick up a few.
Purim is the springtime Jewish festival celebrating the Jews freedom from persecution. King Ahashuerus was almost tricked by his advisor Haman to annihilate the Jews of Persia. Esther, who became his new queen and her uncle Mordecai, the new advisor, helped the King save their people. Haman and his followers were sent to the gallows. The tradition of making hamantaschen has continued throughout Jewish history and they are meant to be shared with family and friends. They are called shalach mones, which is the Yiddish expression for the giving or sharing of food. Shaped into triangles to signify the hat of Haman, these little cakes or cookies can be stuffed with a poppy seed, prune or fruit filling. I add orange juice for the steaming of the dried prunes and raisins, a touch of cinnamon, and of course vanilla.
My granddaughters, Sammijo, Lilli and Chloe, always remind me when the holiday is coming. I love that they continue the family heritage of their great-grandmother Margaret and me, using the family recipe to bake their hamantaschen at home. They fill them with Sarabeth's Peach-Apricot Spreadable Fruit.
I think my favorite part of our Apple Bretonne Tartlets is the sweet crunchy almond topping. When I was making them the other day, I had some leftover sugar soaked almonds. Bakers never like to waste anything and we also love to reinvent the wheel. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter as a template, I shaped the unbaked almond topping into round cookie shapes and popped them in the oven for 15 minutes. They disappeared quickly like magic. The bakers loved them and insisted we make them part of our cookie collection. The texture is delicately crisp and the taste is not overly sweet—and I love the added dimension of the vanilla. The extra bonus is they are gluten free—perfect for those with a wheat allergy. Now if I can only make them sugar-free for my husband Bill, that would be a miracle. I promised him I would work on it!
ALMOND CRISPS
Makes 16 3-inch-diameter cookies
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla or the seeds from 1/2 of a vanilla bean
3 cups (12 ounces) sliced almonds with skins, lightly toasted
1 Position racks in the center and top third of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Line 2-half sheet pans with parchment paper.
2. Whisk the egg whites in a medium bowl until foamy. Whisk in the sugar and vanilla. Using a silicon spatula, gently fold the almonds into the egg white mixture taking care not to break the nuts.
2. Using a 3-inch-diameter entremet ring or straight-edged cookie cutter, place 2 rounded tablespoons of the nut mixture in the center of the ring on the sheet pans, about 1 inch apart. Using your fingers, evenly distribute the mixture. Remove the ring. Continue shaping the remaining crisps.
3. Place the trays in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the trays after 10 minutes and bake for an additional 5 minutes, until golden brown. Set the timer—they burn quickly!
THIS IS MY MORNING BOWL OF OATMEAL
I consider myself an expert on hot cereal and I don't feel badly for boasting. If you are going to prepare a whole grain cereal, use McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal— made from the finest steel cut oats. They take longer to cook than rolled or old-fashioned oats but it is really worth the effort. The key to a hearty, yet tender bowl of oatmeal, is gentle cooking in a double boiler. I like the nutty flavor of these oats. This method of cooking will assure you of perfectly plumped oats, with a lot of flavor.
If you happen to be on Weight Watchers TM, a serving will keep you satisfied until lunch. I have mine with 1/2 cup of 2 % organic milk and half of a medium banana. The best 6 point breakfast ever.
OATMEAL IN A DOUBLE BOILER
Makes 4 servings
4 cups cold water
1 cup McCann's steel cut oats
2 pinches salt
Warm 2 % milk, for serving
2 medium bananas, sliced (one-half per serving)
1. In the top part of a double boiler, combine the water, oats and salt. Place over cold water in the bottom part of the double boiler and cover.
2. Bring the water in the bottom pot to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low so the water maintains a steady, gentle simmer. Cook covered, stirring one or two times, until the oatmeal is plump and tender, about 40 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and let stand 5 minutes. Stir gently. Serve immediately with warm milk and sliced banana.
I love being in our bakery. In fact, I find it difficult to leave at the end of each day, especially when the bread puddings are just out of the oven and cooling on the rack. I think these are the most decadently-delicious, magically- beautiful desserts I have ever eaten. For me, it is all about the crme anglaise— I have been known to sip it straight from the bowl, or seen pouring some over a slice of chocolate cake, and always churning it into my favorite ice cream. What you will need to make this winning dessert, is good quality bread, crème anglaise and some raspberries. Don't think of these as dinner parties desserts only— you can surprise everyone at your Super Bowl Party next week. If you think the ball game will put your friends over the edge—screaming for joy over the score, wait until you hear the wows, groans, and sighs while they devour the 'gold team line-up' in the photo above. You will be the one with the winning score. Here is the recipe from my cookbook, Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours.
Every January we go to Cancun, Mexico to relax and rejuvenate for the coming year. It is a needed time off after the craziness of the holiday season. The jam pots at the factory have been at a constant bubble and the ovens at the bakery have been puffing away—day and night. It always amazes me how much we produce in such a short period of time— it all begins about two weeks before Thanksgiving and slows down right after the New Year. Sitting on the beach and looking into the ocean quiets our minds and allows Bill and I to reflect on our previous years accomplishments. We talk about the new projects and goals that we have committed to for the coming year.
Unfortunately, reading books that are not food related is a luxury in my life. The newspaper is a must everyday, and business oriented matter is a given. This year I made a commitment to read biographies about people who have changed our world and made a huge contribution to mankind. I was sitting in my office and sending an email, from my MacBook Air. Next to my computer was my new I-phone and the new I-Pad. Such amazing technology and design. Everything that Steve Jobs created became the new benchmark in the industry.—I am such a sucker for beautiful things. Yes, Job's was a genius—I got up from my seat and dashed across the hall to Posman bookstore to buy a copy of "Steve Jobs" by Walter Isaacson. This was someone I wanted to know everything about—after all, who doesn't love the Disney/Pixar movie "Toy Story"? And, anyone who helped make that happen must be pretty special! I bought the book and made sure to tuck it in my carry-on luggage.
Bill and I are in Cancun, Mexico for our annual winter holiday. We have been coming to the Baccara for over 20 years. It is a vacation well needed and it is the only week during the year that I don't bake anything. We have a tradition— an immediate trip to the supermarket. I grab a cart and literally run to the area where the fresh tortillas are being made for my usual warm stack. I always munch on them as we shop for local veggies, fruits, herbs and cheese. When we arrived at the counter the tortilla machine had been turned off— there were none left in the case in their traditional paper wrappers.! Upset and disappointed, i went to the fresh bakery department and bought several small breads instead. They looked promising but turned out to be tasteless. What was I thinking? This country is the home of the tortilla, the panucho and the sopa—not bread.
The frenzy of the holidays has left me in a "full throttle" baking mode and yes, I am still going strong. I made these cookies for the first time about two years ago and fortunately remembered them last week and quickly whipped up a batch to sell in the bakery for New Year's. A spin off of my traditional shortbread, I have added an egg yolk to the dough to give the cookie a more delicate, less "snappy" texture. In keeping with my motto, keep plenty on hand, "There can never be too many cookies waiting in your favorite cookie jar". They are my new favorite and will be available in the bakery on a regular basis in case you don't feel like making them yourself (recipe below).
My baking mantra has always been "less is more". There is nothing more beautiful than a 2 1/4- 2 1/2-inch diameter cookie like this Chocolate-Cherry Shortbread, or a proper sized muffin to feed one person, or a perfectly proportioned 8-inch chocolate birthday cake. If you have my recent book, Sarabeth's Bakery, you are already familiar with smaller sized cookies, pies and cakes that have been my signature for many years. The Pecan Moons are just one bite and the Chocolate Marmalade Sandwich Cookies, approximately 1-3/4 inches across the the top, are impossible to share.
APPLE BRETONNE TARTLETS
This could be one of my all time favorite desserts. What I love about these tartles are the multiple flavors and textures that you can experience in just one bite. First, comes the crunchy almond topping on the roof of your mouth and then the buttery flavor of the crisp crust crunching between your teeth. Next, so smooth and tasty, is the unexpected almond cream surrounding the slightly tart apples. Last, but not least, is the intense flavor of the fresh vanilla bean. The tart shell is very special—the texture and flavor are exactly what you would expect to find at the best bakeries in Paris. I have been using this particular dough recipe for all of our tarts at Sarabeth's for over 30 years. For this reason alone, you must give them a try. This special occasion dessert is definitely worth the extra time it takes to make. Wishing you a Happy New Year filled with good health, happiness and many new delicious things to eat—Sarabeth
Wednesday is the one day of the week that I actually have what I call my ritual "moment to myself lunch" with the New York Times Dining Section. This past week, I grabbed the morning paper as it arrived at the bakery and searched feverishly for the section. I knew it would be devoted to Christmas and I just couldn't wait until lunchtime—my recent lunches have been pretty short; almost non-existent due to my busy baking schedule. This particular morning, I headed to my office paper and coffee in hand and closed the door. The article was titled, The Gifts? I Forget. But The Meal! I loved reading all the food memories and recipes from nine of the most respected food writers of our time.
When I came to Kim Severson's contribution, I was extremely moved. It wasn't what I had expected or wanted to read. Kim's mom Anne, suffers from Parkinsons Disease. I experienced my own mother's 25 year battle with this debilitating disease. Kim shares her mom's recipe for Gingersnaps and expresses her hope that maybe her mom can muster up enough strength, to roll the tender balls of dough between her shaky hands, just one more time.
I quickly tweeted Kim and made Anne's Gingersnaps the next morning. As you can see from my photo, they came out great. These slightly soft and delicate cookies are perfectly spiced and are exactly what you would expect from a classic ginger cookie. In honor of my mom, Dore Blume, who would have loved these cookies and as an homage to Anne Severson, Merry Christmas.
Recently, while working in the bakery, I noticed a pile of tart dough scraps on the marble work bench. The bakers had just finished lining small tart pans with dough. We make lots of tart shells, the scraps were plentiful, and they were just about to clean the bench and discard them. Our dough is rolled out twice, as over handling activates the gluten and makes the tarts tough. Unfortunately, some dough is discarded. We try to minimize the waste by cutting the dough circles very close to one another. That morning, the thought of throwing out the delicious pile of perfectly good scraps, tugged at my heart strings. I just couldn't bear to waste all that dough and l quickly grabbed the scraps. I did not rework them, instead, using a pastry wheel, I cut the dough into smaller pieces and mixed a few handfuls of our muffin streusel into the dough, wondering what they would be like if they were distributed through out the dough. Next, using a 2 1/2-inch-diameter plain cookie cutter as a mold, I pressed a 1/3-inch layer of the mixture into the cutter to form a round shape and then I removed the cutter. I had enough dough to make several dozen cookies. After chilling them 30 minutes, I finished them off with sprinkling sugar and a touch of coarse sea salt. If you like roasted cashews, chop a few and put them in with the mix. Omit the salt if you use salted cashews. Pop them in a 350°F. oven and bake them until golden brown, about 18 minutes. They were really terrific. Having the streusel crumbs through out the entire cookie, and the fact that you can break small little pieces of the cookie off like a puzzle piece, and pop them in your mouth makes them fun to eat. Tart or cookie? If you serve them with ice-cream on top—a tart. If you eat them as they are—a cookie. Break them up and fold them in your favorite ice cream, heavenly—I call them Scrookies.
How could I forget to give you my recipe for the greatest stuffing ever? Of, course the "bread"ingredients come from my bakery, in fact if you live in NYC, we are open until 1:00 PM today (Thanksgiving Day) and you can grab the fixings and a pie while you are there. Yesterday was all about pies, today is all about my family and the STUFFING!
Here is my quick and easy recipe. You can prepare it the day before and cook the day of—or do what I do, prepare it Thanksgiving morning while the turkey is in the oven and pop it in the oven as soon as the BIRD comes out. This is the best way, if time allows. In fact, I am making mine right now...
