Batter Chatter: Interview with Baker-Author Gesine Bullock-Prado

Are you a baker? Do you think you're pretty cool? Well, think again. Because Gesine Bullock-Prado wrote the book on cool baking. Actually, she's written several: My Life from Scratch: A Sweet Journey of Starting Over, One Cake at a Time; Sugar Baby: Confections, Candies, Cakes & Other Delicious Recipes for Cooking with Sugar; Pie It Forward: Pies, Tarts, Tortes, Galettes, and Other Pastries Reinvented; and now, Bake It Like You Mean It: Gorgeous Cakes from Inside Out. I mean, seriously. You should take a few minutes here to buy all of them.

I baked something last week from the most recent book, and man, did it ever go over well. You'll have to wait a few days for that post, because I've been busy painting cupcakes and unicorns. But in the meantime I will show you a picture of one of the cakes from the book that my friend Peabody made. I hope she doesn't mind me sharing her picture, especially since I didn't ask. But seriously, isn't this amazing?Image: Peabody

Yes, this cake, baked by Peabody, is one of the recipes featured in Bake It Like You Mean It.

Now, if you, like me, are curious to know more about the baking prodigy behind this creative deliciousness, well, you're in luck. Because Gesine was kind enough to answer a few questions so we could all get to know her better. This should whet your appetite til I can post that recipe!

Interview with Gesine Bullock-Prado

What's the best thing to happen to you in the last 48 hours?  The Dartmouth Women's Tennis team sent me a long sleeved team t-shirt to thank me for making them a cake while they were on the road, competing in LA.  I was away from home too, baking in California for the Bake It publicity tour, and I was already in the groove so I pumped out a checkerboard cake to fuel them away from home.  I really wasn't doing it for the cozy t-shirt, I swear.

What are your thoughts on cake for breakfast?  My thoughts are,"yes please."  And let's not forget that muffins, everyone's favorite morning comestible, are really just cake in paper Spanx.

Can you suggest a polite way to extract myself from conversations with people once they've said "I don't like dessert"?  "I have the number of a wonderful therapist who can help you with that."

Do you have any superstitions?  They usually follow along the lines of the rules of "Fight Club."  So I can't talk about them.

Zombie apocalypse! You only have time to grab three objects from your home before running. What are they?  The husband (I often treat him as an object because he's so pretty), the dogs (they count as a single unit and I might stuff them when they pass, so I'm counting them as objects too) and my flock of chickens and water fowl (also counting them as a single unit and see my dog answer re stuffing).

WITHOUT GOOGLING IT: what is cream of tartar, anyway?  If it's a something to do with pastry AND wine, I'll likely know the answer.  Cream of tartar happens to be and acid derived from a sediment left over from delicious wine fermentation,   I also am a meringue fiend and am friends with all acids that help in denaturing egg whites.  Do I get some wine for knowing the answer?

What quality to you most admire in a person?  Kindness

What is your personal mission statement?  Bake it like you mean it.  I'm not kidding.  I've been using it as a mantra for a kagillion years and it took me that long to realize that I could recycle it for use as a book title.  

What is your favorite US city for eating?  Vermont.  I's not a city but our entire population doesn't match the census numbers in a NYC borough so I think it counts.  I think we should rename the state Cheese City.

If you could choose any person living or dead to bake a cake or treat for, who would it be and why?  Mark Twain.  He loved his pie.  While he was spending an extended period of time in the UK, he wrote fantastic letters to his housekeeper back in the states just listing all the pies he wanted to eat when he got back home.

What's the best gift you've ever given?  A Zojirushi Fuzzy Logic rice maker along with a bundle of Japanese Pub Food cookbooks to my husband.  This was a few years ago and I'm still getting great food out of him on a weekly basis.  

Since you live in Vermont...can you tell me a story about creemees? They are delicious and not meant for the lactose intolerant.  I tolerate lactose beautifully so my stories don't include any danger or hijinks.  

If you were able to go back in time and give your 13-year old self a message, what would it be?  Buy stock in Microsoft & Apple.  

- - - - -

Don't you love her? Buy the book now: Bake It Like You Mean It: Gorgeous Cakes from Inside Out

Pastry Profiles: Chocolate Tart from Tree House Pastry, Santa Fe

Tree House Pastry Shop and Café is not easy to find. It's in an unlikely spot--inside of a mall, across from an insurance agent. But it's worth seeking out, particularly for their chocolate tart. It's both vegan and gluten free, but don't be scared off when I say that, because there is nothing virtuous at all about the taste of this devilishly decadent tart. Does the secret lie in the crust, made of crushed candied walnuts? Or is it the dense, lusciously luxuriant slab of chocolate topping, which is so thick that it will coat your teeth? Or is it the secret addition of raspberries which add a little tart burst to all taht chocolatiness? Either way, after a few bites, you don't care so much about the ingredients as you do that it keeps on finding its way to your mouth.

I wouldn't go quite so far as to tell you this tart alone is worth a trip to Santa Fe, but...I am saying that if you are in Santa Fe, this tart is worth seeking out. Or maybe it will make you strongly consider Santa Fe for your next vacation. 

Tree House Pastry Shop and Cafe, 163 Paseo de Peralta (inside of the DeVargas Center), Santa Fe, NM 87501; online here.

Batter Chatter: Interview With Laurie Pfalzer, Food Stylist for The Secret Lives of Baked Goods

Talk about a job that sounds delicious and glamorous: food styling for cookbooks! But is it really as non-stop fun as it sounds? This is a question that occurred to me while working with Laurie Pfalzer, the food stylist for my second book, The Secret Lives of Baked Goods: Sweet Stories & Recipes for America's Favorite Desserts. Her job involved a lot of things: a bit of recipe testing and tweaking, lots of kitchen know-how, and the ability to beautify a dessert and keep it safe under bright photo lights. That's a lot to juggle! Here's a behind the scenes look at what goes into her work, both as a food stylist and a baking teacher--and owner of Pastry Craft. The post is punctuated by pictures of desserts from the book--styling by Laurie, photos by the ever-talented Clare Barboza.

If you look back in your own personal history, can you pinpoint the moment you decided to become a baker? Or, can you pinpoint a pivotal moment in which you realized how important baking would be in your life?  Baking has always been a large part of my life because I grew up in a home with fabulous homemade pies, cakes and other baked goods and desserts.My mother is a great baker and she really takes it in stride. She makes it look easy, so I grew up without any fears about baking - unlike some of my students who didn't grow up with that influence and are now trying to learn. As kids, my sisters and I had baking lessons with our mother every summer. (With five kids, you can imagine my mother had a very elaborate summer schedule to keep us all in line and baking and cooking was part of it. I also knew how to break down a chicken before I was 10.) We learned to cream sugar and butter by hand (even though we always had a stand mixer).  All of that said, I guess there wasn't a pivotal moment. Baking was there from the very beginning.

How were you approached to work on the new CakeSpy book? It was quite on the fly. I was teaching a pastry class at Book Larder in Seattle and the editor from Sasquatch Books (who was looking for a pastry chef for your book) happened to see the ad for my class. She contacted me and the rest is history.  I had never really considered doing food styling, although I do some for my own site, Pastry Craft. It was a new experience for me, but a very pleasant one. I would certainly do it again.

Is working as a baker and food stylist for a cookbook really as glamorous as it sounds?  It's certainly fun and intense, but glamorous? No. Like the culinary field, it's a lot of hard work. With foodstyling baked goods, most of the work is done ahead of time and then the desserts are finished just before shooting. As a baker, you learn to plan ahead - prep, then bake, then finish. Baking and pastry is all about time and temperature, so when you're baking and food styling, if you plan well, then things will generally go smoothly.

What was the most interesting thing you baked from the new CakeSpy book, and why?  A lot of the recipes were things I had not made before, so that made the entire project interesting. But I have to say that the Smith Island Cake was really "interesting" and a logistical challenge.  The history of the cake is fascinating and it contributes to understanding how the cake is put together. The VERY thin cakes are baked in separate pans and then stacked with the chocolate glaze while still warm. It is one of the more challenging cakes in the book, but I was very pleased with how it turned out. It pays to read the recipe carefully and follow it. Your instructions were right on the mark!

How did it feel to see your beautiful work reflected in the book? It's always a treat for a cook to see their work in a beautiful picture. We often get caught up in the creating of it and don't always take time to step back and appreciate it's beauty. And in a restaurant it's created and then "whoosh!" - it's been picked up by the server and on it's way to the table.  Clare Barboza, the photographer, had a great feel for the style of the book and the desserts we were working with. Her use of light is wonderful. The book exceeded my expectations. I would buy it if I saw it in a store and I'm pretty picky when it comes to purchasing cookbooks.

Tell me about one of your baking heroes.  Of current fame, I think David Lebovitz, Dorie Greenspan and Alice Medrich are people I point out often to my students. They both write their recipes clearly with lots of instruction that's helpful to new bakers and they appreciate the fundamentals of baking. For bread, Jeffrey Hamelman, who wrote Bread and who was my mentor when I worked at King Arthur Flour, is a gorgeous baker. The knowledge and care with which he approaches bread (and pastry) is so inspiring. I'm still a big fan of Julia Child (even though she wasn't exclusively a baker) because I appreciate her attitude toward cooking. Like my mother, she took cooking in stride and makes it seem approachable. That is something I am always trying to communicate in my classes.

You bake a lot...but when it's time to enjoy EATING baked goods or desserts, what are some of your favorites?  I love a good croissant and there are several in Seattle. My favorite is made at Cafe Besalu in Ballard which just happens to be right next to my favorite bread bakery in Seattle, Tall Grass Bakery. But we are lucky to have a diverse group of bakeries in Seattle that each have their own influence. I also love pie, but I still haven't found a good fruit pie like it's made at home. Occasionally, I go with friends on a "pastry crawl" to check out new bakeries. It's pretty tough to eat your way through a lot of bakeries in one day!

Seriously. If pie and cake were to have a knife fight, who do you think would win? I've always been a pie fan, so I gotta say pie would have the edge (sorry for the pun).

Any tips for those looking to get into professional baking you can impart? The first thing I'd say is that there's no free lunch. That's just a quick way to say that it's hard work and it's important going in knowing that. Working in food service means long hours and low pay, so you really need to be committed to hanging in there. If you're a home cook or baker and you want to make it your career, then go for it. But consider that turning a hobby into a career will change the way you look at it - not necessarily a negative change, but a change nonetheless. I always knew I'd take a more unorthodox route after culinary school and I was lucky to establish myself as a baking and pastry instructor. I love my students and I love helping them discover the pastry world.

What's the next class, baking project, or dessert related event in general that you're excited about?  I'm doing a rhubarb class with Diane LaVonne at Diane's Market Kitchen in Seattle in May that should be a blast. We'll be doing a tasting meal with rhubarb in every course. I'm a huge rhubarb fan (I have 7 rhubarb plants in my garden) and I think there isn't enough attention paid to this vegetable which is actually treated like a fruit. (Did you know Washington State grows more rhubarb than anywhere in the world?) I've been wanting to teach an all-rhubarb class for awhile and I always love being in the kitchen teaching with Diane.

For more about Laurie, visit her website, Pastry Craft! To see her work in my new book, buy it here:The Secret Lives of Baked Goods: Sweet Stories & Recipes for America's Favorite Desserts, or come see me on tour!

Baker's Dozen: A Batch of Sweet Links!

Got leftover Girl Scout cookies? Do-si-do pie time!

This pink ombre cake makes me so happy!

What is butter? Find out here.

I got so excited when I read "butter shake". Turns out there's no butter, but it still sounds interesting.

This looks tasty: Strawberry rhubarb coffee cake.

Cake that looks like steak and other trompe l'oeil treats always make me smile!

Hooray! In addition to the CakeSpy online shop, I'm also selling on Etsy again! I know that some shoppers prefer that interface...so there you go! 

I'm intrigued: cucumber cake!

Also intrigued by: Radish pudding!

This is so adorable: pizza cake!

Lovin' this ruffle cake!

Getting married? Some reasons why you might want to consider cupcakes for your wedding.

In case you missed it...my book tour dates!

Choco-Walnut Pie With a Shortbread Crust

If you've ever heard of a pie called Derby Pie, you know that it's a thing of great beauty. It's got nuts, it's got chocolate, all tied together with plenty of butter and maybe even a little booze. 

Yeah, it's good stuff.

And it has a great story, if I do say so myself. That story is featured in my upcoming book, The Secret Lives of Baked Goods: Sweet Stories & Recipes for America's Favorite Desserts. I tell you all this because I love any chance to talk about the new book...but also because it's a nice lead-in for this recipe.

This recipe is not for Derby Pie. But, it is sort of like a cousin to the famous pie. Because yes, it has nuts and chocolate. But this version is special. It's ridiculously rich in toasty walnuts and chocolate, but is very special because it's baked with a shortbread base as the crust. The exposed caramelly sides form a sort of chewy crust that is sort of like the texture of Mary Janes candies. Now, this is not going to be a texture to everyone's liking, because it will make your teeth stick together. But I have always rather enjoyed that part of those particular candies, and found it a lovely alternative to the back crust on a pie with corn syrup, which can get hard (you know what I mean?). 

Choco-Walnut Pie with a Shortbread Crust (printable version here!)

For the shortbread crust

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 1/4 cups flour

For the filling

• 1 1/2 cups chopped toasted walnuts
• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels
• 1 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup bourbon (water may be substituted)
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

First, prepare the crust. Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add flour and mix til fully incorporated. Press dough into a well greased 8-inch springform pan.

Sprinkle the walnuts and chocolate evenly onto the bottom of the crust; set aside.

In a large saucepan, combine the corn syrup, granulated and brown sugars, and bourbon and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid scorching. Remove from the heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, butter, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt. Slowly pour about one fourth of the hot mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly (if you add the hot syrup too quickly, the eggs will cook). Add the remaining hot mixture, continuing to whisk. If you notice any small lumps in the mixture, strain through a mesh sieve.

Pour the filling slowly over the nuts and chips, being careful not to move them around within the crust. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until set in the center; transfer to a wire rack to cool. Immediately run a sharp knife along the edge of the pan to help loosen the sticky pie; then let it sit for at least 45 minutes before un-springing it from the pan. Serve the pie at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired. To store the pie, wrap it tightly and refrigerate for up to five days. 

Secret Lives of Baked Goods: Book Tour Dates!

What's cuter than a cupcake and ten times sweeter?

CakeSpy of course! And if you want a piece of this sweetness, well, you're in luck, because I am headed on book tour next month! I'll be bringing not only my amazing self but stories to tell about baked goods--after all, that's the point of my delicious new book,  The Secret Lives of Baked Goods: Sweet Stories & Recipes for America's Favorite Desserts. And in some cities, I'll even be doing a demo or bringing sweets with me. Just read below--I've detailed where I am going and what type of event is going down in each city!

Here are the places I will be (oh, and a printable text-only version can be found here!)

First Stop: Seattle!

Tuesday, May 7th: OMG! My book is released, officially. Go to the store and buy it, or go ahead and buy it online (it's ok. I know it's cheaper there). 

My first event!

• What: Signing and discussion
• Where: University Book Store, 4326 University Way NE, Seattle.
• When: 7-8 p.m. (this is still May 7th, in case you forgot) 

Still in Seattle! Wednesday, May 8th: 

• What: Demo and Signing
• Where: Book Larder, 4252 Fremont Ave. North, Seattle
• When: 6:30-8:00 p.m. 

Next Stop: Portland

Saturday, May 11: 

• What: Signing and craft sales at Crafty Wonderland! It isn't a formal signing per se, but most of the real estate at my booth will be dedicated to book sales and I will be happy to either sell you a copy, or sign the one you already bought online. 
• Where: The Oregon Convention Center - Exhibit Hall D (don't worry, there will be signs all over); 777 NE MLK Jr. Blvd., Portland (More information and directions here!)
• When: 11-6 p.m.

Next Stop: San Francisco!

Monday, May 13th:

• What: Discussion and Signing. Possibly in unicorn costume.
• Where: Omnivore Books, 3885a Cesar Chavez Street, San Francisco.
• When: 6-7 p.m. 

Tuesday, May 14th: 

• What: Discussion and Signing
• Where: Book Passage, San Francisco Ferry Bldg #42  San Francisco
• When: 6-7 p.m.

And then, after a few days off, I'm off to...

Philadelphia 

Tuesday, May 21: 

• What: Signing and discussion, with goodies!
• Where: Anthropologie flagship store, 1801 Walnut Street, Philadelphia
• When: 6-8 p.m. 

Chicagoland:

Thursday, May 23rd

• What: Signing and discussion
• Where: Aspen Drive Library, 701 Aspen Drive, Vernon Hills IL
• When: 7-8pm

And then a hiatus, then...

Albuquerque, NM

Thursday, June 20

• What: Discussion and signing
• Where: Bookworks, 4022 Rio Grande NW, Albuquerque
• When: TBA

And then to New Jersey...

June 29th:

• What: Signing and Discussion
• Where: Booktowne, 171 Main Street, Manasquan NJ
• When: June 29th, 11 a.m.

And then back to Philadelphia...

June 29:

• What: Signing and Discussion

• Where: Towne Book Center, Collegeville

• When: 4pm

June 30: 

• What: Cake Baking Class!
• Where: COOK, Philadelphia
• When: June 30, 2pm

Then, back to Seattle!

July 13 and 14 (Sat and Sun)

• What: Urban Craft Uprising!
• Where: Seattle Center, Seattle!
• When: July 13 and 14, 11-5pm (I believe

Five Spring Cakes to Make You Smile

Image: Whipped BakeshopSpring has sprung, people! With it comes a sense of refreshing newness, not to mention an awfully pretty palette of blossoms and greenery beginning to sprout. Inspired by the pretty colors and the utter happiness that comes with the world coming to life again after a long winter, here's a collection of sweet Spring-like cakes to inspire you and get your appetite going for the season.

Pinwheel Cake (pictured above): Philadelphia bakery Whipped Bakeshop always inspires me, but this sweet cake takes the...well, you know. A delicate pastel pink cake garnished with adorable pinwheels evokes the gentle breezes and free-wheeling spirit of the first warm spring days. 

Image: Southern LivingStrawberries and Cream Cake: What says spring-into-early summer like strawberries? They taste like sunshine and happiness, especially when paired with rich cream. This lovely cake takes advantage of seasonal produce and dresses it up in its finest spring party outfit. Find the recipe here.

Image: Juliet Stalwood Cakes and BiscuitsDaffodil Cake: It's hard not to love daffodils--they're like little yellow sunshines growing from the earth! This cake captures the bursting blossoms of happy daffodils, and happily, this piece of art is bursting with sugar, too! Created by Juliet Stalwood Cakes, it appears to be reatively shaped fondant that give the sides and top its sweet look.

Image: Martha StewartCrocus Cake: You know that spring is starting when you start to see crocus buds peeking through the cold ground, sometimes even through snow! This cake perfectly shows the first flush of spring, complete with cocoa "earth" and a bird's nest made of phyllo dough! 

Image: Better With ButterSunshine Ombre Cake: This cake by Better With Butter just makes me smile. I imaging that a slice of this orange ombre cake is like eating graduated rays of sunshine. If you are what you eat, then I'd warrant a guess that you'd have a good sunny glow going on after a slice of this delightful cake.

Heaven on a Plate: Boston Cream Shortcake Recipe

If that picture looks like an offering being made to the heavens, well, it should. Because right now, I'm about to say three words that may change your dessert-eating life forever.

Those words--those beautiful, heavenly words--are Boston Cream Shortcake. Go ahead, say hi.

Now, this series of words probably sounds familiar. Probably you're like "well, I know Boston Cream Pie, and I know Strawberry Shortcake." Well, I'm glad that you thought those things, if you did. Because this treat is a beautiful combination of the best parts of those desserts.

Boston Cream Pie is an almost perfect dessert. It's got cream. It's got chocolate. But the cake? It's way too spongey and dries out too quickly. Some might argue that this makes it a great "sponge" to absorb all of the creaminess. I personally find that it's more like soggy stale cake, though.

And then you've got strawberry shortcake. When served with biscuits--do not even waste my time with that sponge cakey kind--this is a dessert of great beauty. Buttery biscuits. Gorgeous whipped cream. If only it weren't for those healthy strawberries. I mean, what is this, a smoothie? I'm not on a diet!

So...why not combine the best parts of both desserts, and end up with something totally amazing?

I started with some of the biscuits I'd baked from Warren Brown's swell new book, CakeLove in the Morning. A good start...

And then, I referred to my own newest oeuvre,  The Secret Lives of Baked Goods: Sweet Stories & Recipes for America's Favorite Desserts (it's out on May 7--lucky you!), for the Boston Cream pie filling and topping. I'll be honest, in the book the recipe has a regular old cake in the Boston Cream Pie recipe. I now wish I could go back and make it a biscuit. Actually, I wish I could edit every recipe ever for Boston Cream Pie and make it a shortcake. (OK, I am kidding. Sort of). So anyway, I didn't need to make the cake since I had the biscuits already. When it came to the cream and ganache, though, I decided to halve the recipes, since I didn't have too many biscuits left to fill. Let me tell you, it's a strange thing to prop open your own book and bake from it--but it's stranger still to adapt the recipe. 

I made up the half-batch of cream and ganache, and you know what? Both worked perfectly when halved. Just in case you ever need that info.

So, here's the way I made them. 

Boston Cream Shortcakes (print it here!)

Makes 5 or 6

• 1 batch basic biscuits
• Pastry Cream (recipe follows)
• Chocolate Ganache (recipe follows)

Assembly

1. First, pair biscuits together so that like-sized ones were mates. Face one down and one up, so that the bottoms are facing together. Got it? 

2. Now, spoon some of the cream filling on to the "bottom" biscuit. Not too much or it will shoot out the sides. It will still taste good even if it does that, though.

3. Now, put biscuit 2 on top of it. Facing so that the bottom is the part going on top of the cream. Got it?

4. Ok. Now, spoon a little of that lovely ganache on top. Yummmm. Let it drip over a little, it's ok. 

5. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve. These do taste best the same day made, dig it?

For the filling:

• 1 tablespoon butter 
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch 
• 3 large eggs

Procedure

1. To make the filling (called "pastry cream" in French pastry parlance), in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the butter, milk, and cream. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar and cornstarch until combined. Add the eggs, beating until the mixture is light yellow and form ribbons when you lift the whisk, about five minutes.
3. Slowly pour the milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking until completely combined.
4. Pour the mixture into a medium-size pot and place  over medium heat. Cook, whisking constantly to keep the eggs from scrambling, until the mixture begins bubbling; continue whisking until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of a pudding; this will happen shortly after it comes to a boil This process can take up to 15 minutes. If any bits of egg have cooked, forming lumps, strain the mixture through a mesh sieve before proceeding to the next step.
5. Transfer to a bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard, to keep a skin from forming. Refrigerate for several hours, or until completely chilled. 

For the glaze:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped 

To make the chocolate glaze, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the  cream to a boil. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl; pour the hot cream over chocolate, stirring until chocolate is melted and well combined. Set aside to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

Biscuit Time: Warren Brown's Basic Biscuit Recipe

It's possible that there's a bread product that I love more than biscuits. It's just that none come to my mind at the moment.

As a lover and (in my opinion, connaisseur) of the biscuit, I was delighted to see a recipe for them in Warren Brown's new book, CakeLove in the Morning: Recipes for Muffins, Scones, Pancakes, Waffles, Biscuits, Frittatas, and Other Breakfast Treats.

Now, you know I love Warren Brown and his cakes. And this is a rather pretty new book. For instance, I love the idea that this cake could be considered a brunch food, and can't stop looking at it.

But back to the biscuits.

As for Warren's recipe: I love his biscuits. When I baked them I didn't get incredible rise on them, but I am going to warrant a guess that this is largely because I was baking at a high altitude (currently in Santa Fe!).

Nonetheless, these biscuits are fo' sho' very tasty. Nice and buttery and flavorful. A nice canvas for flavored butters, sugar butter topping, or a great base for shortcake. 

Here's the recipe.

Warren Brown's Basic Biscuit Recipe (printable version here)

Makes 10 to 12

• 13 ounces (about 2.5 cups) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, very cold
• 1 1/2 cups half and half
• 3/4 stick butter melted (optional--for brushing tops)

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and place a rack in the middle position. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combein the flour, sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Mix for 30 seconds on low speed.
3. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and add them to the flour mixture with the mixer on low speed. Continue mixing until the mixture holds together when pinched, about 30 seconds. 
4. Drizzle in the half and half until the dough is a wet, slightly pasty mass. You may not need all the liquid.
5. Turn out the dough on to a floured work surface. Dust your hands well with flour. Lightly knead by hand and shape the dough into a disc 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick.
6. With a 2 to 3 inch biscuit cutter (I used the floured rim of a drinking glass), cut as many biscuits as the dough will provide. Gently re-form any scraps into biscuits without cutting. Brish the tops with melted butter, if desired (do it!), and place them on the prepared baking sheets.
7. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the biscuits are lightly browned on the bottom. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before serving. Store in an airtight container and reheat in the toaster oven (or in the oven).

Cake Byte: Bid on CakeSpy for Charity!

Here's some sweet news: I'm being auctioned off for charity! It helps benefit Figure Skating in Harlem.

Here's the 411:

Enjoy a lunch with illustrator and blogger Cakespy at New York's Peanut Butter & Co. Sandwich Shop!

You will also receive an autographed copy of Jesse's new book, a selection of Peanut Butter & Co. goodies and a cookbook.

Jessie Oleson Moore is a freelance writer and illustrator responsible for cakespy.com. Cakerspy.com is a Dessert Detective Agency dedicated to seeking sweetness (literally) in everyday life. Sweet dispatches are posted nearly daily, including writeups of bakery visits, decadently delicious recipes and baking experiments, confectionery themed art projects, and more. CakeSpy encourages you to bake (and live) with sweet abandon.

Donated By: Jessie Oleson and Peanut Butter & Co. Sandwich Shop

For more information, visit this site!