What makes you happy?

Posted on October 1, 2011 by melcrosby

This is not my normal MWF posting schedule, but I thought that I would take minute to post a quick note before my airport shuttle arrives.  I am very excited about getting started with my pastry arts courses.  Next week, I will be focusing on ingredient functionalities, mixing methods and basic pastry technique.  I’ll be making cookies, coconut macaroons, rocher meringues, brownies, muffins, scones, madeleines, financiers, angel food cakes, pound cakes, cheesecakes, chouquettes, tarts, and pies (whew…how will we ever fit so much into one week?).  For the second week, I will be working at Starter Bakery in Oakland for an intense week of hands-on training in puff pastries.  The third week, I will be back in class, focusing on cake bases, creams and compositions.  So much to do in such a small amount of time : )

These past few weeks there have been days that I have struggled with my decision to temporarily postpone my corporate job search.  Finding a 9-5 would be the most obvious route (I mean isn’t that why I spent 7 years in college getting my graduate degree?).  It would be the most economically sensible route (at least for the immediate future and with a husband that is currently a full-time student).  It would be the easy route.

I found this cute picture in a magazine a few years ago.  It’s now posted on the refrigerator so that I can see it every time I walk from the kitchen into the living room. It is strange that I (like so many of you) have to remind myself to make decisions based on what makes me happy….and not on what’s economically sensible or what is expected or what is easy.  Not only is it okay if I decide to pursue what makes me happiest, isn’t that what I should do? What we all should do?

A friend of mine signs all of her e-mails with the quote, “don’t ask yourself what the world needs. ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go and do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”   ….So true, so true.

So here I am about to embark on a culinary adventure to San Francisco.  I’m feeling very alive and very present and very happy.

So….what makes you happy?

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Brown sugar & basil cookies with lemon glaze

Posted on September 30, 2011 by melcrosby

Lemon and basil are tasty together, right?  Basil and sesame are complimentary, correct? And, sesame seeds and soy sauce? And….brown sugar, as far as I’m concerned, makes everything better.  So, basically, these cookies were destined to be delicious.

This recipe was adapted from Alexis’ brown sugar chocolate chip cookie recipe from MarthaStewart.com (http://www.marthastewart.com:80/350439/alexiss-brown-sugar-chocolate-chip-cookies).  True to the basic recipe, my version produces very thin, crispy (and VERY addictive) cookies.  The below recipe makes roughly 15 large cookies.

  • 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract
  • 1 -2 tablespoons milk (or water)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment; set aside. Cream butter until smooth; add sugars, and beat until smooth. Beat in eggs, vanilla and soy sauce. Into a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Slowly beat dry ingredients into wet mixture. Fold in the basil and sesame seeds.
  2. Drop 2 to 3 tablespoons dough per cookie onto prepared baking sheets; space dough at least 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. Bake until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheets, and allow to cool on baking racks.
  3. While the cookies are cooling, mix the powdered sugar, lemon extract and milk (or water) together in a small bowl.  Once, the cookies are completely cool, use a pastry bag with a very small tip to drizzle the lemon glaze back and forth across the cookies.

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Chocolate Matcha Shortbread Cookies

Posted on September 28, 2011 by melcrosby

I recently came across (and fell in love with) the Pastry Studio blog (http://pastrystudio.blogspot.com/).   I want to bake EVERYTHING that this pastry chef shares…..it all looks delicious!

I adapted this recipe from the ‘Chocolate Sparklers’ recipe that appears under the cookies category of this blog.  These cookies were a bit time-consuming…but definitely worth the effort.

Next time, I will try a different matcha powder with more depth.  Also, I LOVED the taste of the sesame seeds between the two flavors.  I also think that the seeds would be wonderful mixed into the matcha dough.

Continue reading →

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Honey, where’s the wort chiller?

Posted on September 28, 2011 by melcrosby

….now that’s a sentence I would never have imagined coming out of my mouth a few weeks ago  : )   These days, however, not knowing where my wort chiller is is serious business.

It didn’t take me very long to locate the MIA chiller in our 350 sq. ft. space  (I guess that’s one good thing about living in a small apartment).  This is our latest brewing supply purchase, and I can’t wait to show you how we used it!   The carboys are clean.  The wort chiller is found, and there is one beer-lovin’ woman that can’t wait to get started on the next batch.  Stay tuned…..

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I gave the boys a bath tonight…

Posted on September 28, 2011 by melcrosby

(the carboys, that is….).

You know, a joke like that is probably not funny at all for my mom or Jeff’s mom, who both want grandchildren.  Sorry moms : (  But, I do have to say that these carboys are very unruly and difficult to manage in the bath.  See…..brewing beer is great practice for child rearing.

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