Peanut Butter Chip Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 heaping cup mashed overripe banana (2 large or 3 small)
2 eggs, beaten
½-1 cup peanut butter chips (depending on how much you love PB), lightly coated in flour and coarsely chopped
Method:
Preheat the oven to 350F
Grease and flour a 9x5 bread loaf pan
In a bowl, stir together flour, salt, and baking soda
In another bowl and using a hand or stand mixer, cream the sugars and butter until light and fluffy
Add the eggs one at a time then mix in the banana puree
With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in 2-3 additions, mixing until just combined
Working gently, fold the peanut butter chips into the batter
Transfer batter to the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Loaf will be dark golden brown and will not rise much. It tends to look pretty flat and like you may have made a mistake but fear not!
Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing. YUMMMM

Sour cream Coffee Cake

I made this cake for my residents that had to attend a lecture of mine at 7am. Sad!

Ingredients:
Cake:
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups (300grams) sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups (16oz sour cream)
3 cups (375grams) AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp table salt


Filling:
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/3rd cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp

Method:

- Generously butter and flour a 10-15 cup Bundt pan and preheat oven to 350F
- Mix dry ingredients in a bowl
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy then add eggs one at a time until incorporated. Add Vanilla.
- Add half flour then alternate with half the sour cream and mix until incorporated then follow with rest of flour and sour cream.
- Pour half of batter into bundt pan, add filling in an even layer. Pour remaining batter on top and cover filling
- Bake for 45-50 minutes
- Cool 10 minutes in pan before inverting on wire rack

Serve with powdered sugar on top. YUMMMMMM!

Mocha Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS:
Crust:

• 150 g (1.5 cups) Graham cracker crumbs (You could also do a chocolate cookie crumb base)
• 87g (6 Tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 67g (1/3rd cup) sugar 
• pinch of salt

Filling:

• 12 oz (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips (use the best chocolate you can get)
• 1 tsp espresso granules (or more depending how much coffee flavor you like)
• 2 8 oz packages of cream cheese
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Whipped cream (I added half a vanilla bean to my whipped cream and the flavor was perfect with the cheesecake) and strawberries for serving

METHOD:

In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom of a greased 9-in. springform pan; set aside. In a microwave, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Set aside.

• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and flour until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low just until combined. Stir in vanilla and melted chocolate just until blended. Pour filling over crust.
• Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.
• Serve slices with whipped cream, strawberries and Abelour Scotch (or at least that's what we did :). Refrigerate leftovers. 
• Note: Can be made up to a day ahead and the leftovers on day 3 were actually even better.

Indian Night at Casa Burkapati!

Terrible photos but everything was delicious. Keema Aloo, Coconut and tomato Dal, Channa masala with pumpkin and spinach and Cucumber Raita. Served with Rice, Naan and Samosas.

Cardamom-Apricot Macaroons for Passover

These were a huge hit and might be the simplest dessert I have ever taken to a party! I adapted the recipe from Leites. I didn't dunk them in chocolate but I assume that would only make them better :)

Ingredients:
1 14 oz bag of sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
4-6 cardamom pods, seeds crushed into a powder (I used a mortar and pestle)
1/4 cup dried apricots cut into tiny pieces

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 350F
2) Mix everything together in a bowl and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes. I found this allowed the egg white to soak into the coconut a bit more
3) Using a 2 tablespoon ice cream scoop, place tightly packed mounds on a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper
4) Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on how golden brown you want them. Watch them closely after 15 minutes
5) Cool on a wire rack and try not to eat four at one sitting

What's not to love about a Jewish holiday? :)

Lemon Currant Scones

Today was the annual residents high tea and as usual it was filled with butter, masala tea and lots of fun. The menu consisted of these scones, vanilla-cardamom panna cotta, chocolate chip cookies and tea sandwiches (egg salad, english cheddar cheese, and hummus and carrot).

Ingredients:
3 cups AP flour (375g)
5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
zest 1 large lemon
1 cup currants
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 egg
scant 1 cup milk

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.

2) Add zest of lemon to sugar in a small bowl and use finger tips to work zest into sugar

3) In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter. Add currants. Mix the egg and milk in a small bowl, and stir into flour mixture until moistened.

4) Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead briefly. Roll dough out into a 1/2 inch thick round. Cut into 8 wedges, and place on the prepared baking sheet

5) Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

We enjoyed these warm with whipped cream and raspberry jam as part of a High Tea Spread :)

Healthy Pumpkin Loaf

It's that time of year when canned pumpkin and nutmeg get in bed together and not a moment too soon! This bread is very low in sugar and has no butter at all. That means that it asks for a liberal slathering of salted butter before eating. I thought all the whole wheat and oat flour would result in a dry bread but it was super moist and absolutely delicious, probably due to the amount of pumpkin and applesauce in it. I ate two slices warm with butter for dinner and wrapped the other cooled slices in wax paper and cling wrap. I keep the extra slices double bagged in ziploc bags to prevent freezer burn. It is just the best to have pumpkin bread whenever you want it!

Recipe (adapted from www.immaeatthat.com)
Dry Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup oat flour (I made this by pulsing 1 cup of rolled oats in a food processor)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup toasted and chopped pecans (or walnuts)
1 Tbsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4-1/2 tsp nutmeg (depending on how much you like nutmeg)
1/2 tsp salt
Wet ingredients:
2 large eggs
1 15oz can pumpkin
2 Tbspn Olive oil
1/4 cup molasses
1 cup apple sauce

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 350F
2) Mix all dry in a large bowl
3) Mix all wet ingredients in a separate bowl
4) Combine and mix well
5) Pour into a 9x5 loaf pan and bake for 1 hour
6) Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then take loaf out of pan and cool completely on wire rack before cutting
7) Slather with butter and enjoy! Other delicious toppings might include cream cheese and maple syrup (OMG) and peanut butter.

Coconut-Almond Granola (with Cardamom!)

I am currently in the midst of a granola phase. I was inspired by a granola episode on Spilled Milk, one of my favorite food podcasts. I adapted a recipe from Orangette but the end product differs quite a lot from Molly's granola. There is no chocolate and I added cardamom. I am hoping I will be able to stop myself having a diet of only granola for the rest of the week.

Ingredients:
3 cups oats
1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup chopped raw almonds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup chopped raw pecans
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
6 Tbsp Honey (I used blackberry honey)
3/4-1 tsp flaky sea salt
6 cardamom pods, seeds crushed and added


Method:
Preheat oven to 300F. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until everything is thoroughly coated (I used my hands). Bake for 20 minutes and then stir. Continue baking for 15-20 minutes until brown and toasty. Try not to eat straight from the pan.
Enjoy with milk or yogurt. I like it with full fat greek yogurt and pineapple or soy milk.

Chocolate-Banana Cupcakes with Mocha Frosting

It seems that it takes approximately 2 days for bananas to get spotty and 3 days to be "too ripe" in this weather. I think its a blessing in spotted disguise because I love almost any baked good with bananas in it. I got this cupcake recipe from Joy of Baking but instead of using the chocolate fudge frosting they suggest, I used this mocha frosting recipe from the Pioneer Woman's blog. Truly an outstanding combination!! The cupcakes were a "dump and stir" affair and the frosting was equally easy to make. I'll definitely be making these again. 
Note: I doubled the cupcake recipe to make 24 cupcakes but I made the frosting recipe as stated. I think next time I may double the frosting recipe too. It really depends how high you want your frosting:cupcake ratio :)

Feed to coffee loving husbands and enjoy the love :)

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I only have one photo of this magical bread. Mostly because it got eaten so quickly. It was even enjoyed by my squash-hating husband - high praise indeed! The bread is moist and has a rich chocolate flavor. My inspiration came from a glut of zucchini that we got in our hippie box last week and of course the knowledge that chocolate makes everything better. The recipe is from one of my go to baking sites Joy of Baking. Absolutely every recipe I make from there works and they usually have helpful videos too. Next time you have excess zucchini, try this recipe out. You wont regret it.

Carrot Cake Cookie Sandwiches

I bought the Martha Stewart's Cookies Cookbook several years ago and have been wanting to try these carrot cake cookie sandwiches for only the last 7 years (!!). Yes, that's what happens when you follow too many food blogs and bookmark 10 recipes a day to try. In any case, I'm so glad I finally made these because they were a huge hit at a summer BBQ with friends and then the next day for my staff at the office for breakfast...oops. My advice: Get some in your face asap.

Ingredients:
Cookies

·               1 cup packed light-brown sugar

·                     1 cup granulated sugar

·                     1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

·                     2 large eggs, room temperature

·                     1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

·                     2 cups all-purpose flour

·                     1 teaspoon baking soda

·                     1 teaspoon baking powder

·                     1/4 teaspoon salt

·                     1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·                     1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

·                     1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

·                     2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

·                     1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots, (about 3 large carrots)

·                     1 cup raisins

Cream Cheese Frosting:

·                     8 oz cream cheese

·                     1 stick unsalted butter

·                     2 cups confectioners sugar

·                     1 tsp pure vanilla

 Method:

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugars and butter; beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until well combined.

2.     In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; stir to combine. Gradually add flour to butter mixture; mix on a low speed until just blended. Mix in oats, carrots, and raisins. Chill dough in refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour.

3.     Using a 1/2-ounce ice-cream scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Transfer to oven, and bake until browned and crisped, rotating pan halfway through baking to ensure even color, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat baking process with remaining dough. Once cooled completely, use an offset spatula to spread about 2 teaspoons of cream-cheese filling onto a cookie. Sandwich together with a second cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1.     Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula, soften cream cheese. Gradually add butter, and continue beating until smooth and well blended. Sift in confectioners' sugar, and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla, and stir to combine.

Banana Rum Birthday Cake!

My treat to my staff on their birthdays is to make them any kind of cake they would like. My receptionist hates chocolate (What??? How???) so I decided to make a cake from the Joy the Baker cookbook. The other recipe that I have posted on here (Trail mix cookies) was fantastic so I had high hopes. I did substitute my own cream cheese frosting for Joy's brown sugar frosting because Teresa loves cream cheese frosting. The cake did not disappoint. It was moist and very flavorful. Like fancy frosted banana bread. Perfect for those weirdos out there that don't like chocolate.

Ingredients:

3 cups AP flour
2 1/4 tsp Baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
4 ripe medium bananas mashed
3 Tbsp Rum
3 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I omitted these because I accidentally forgot them in the oven and burnt them...fail!)
Frosting ingredients:
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
2 Tbsp Rum
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Method:

• Grease and flour two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans.  Set aside.
• In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and brown sugar.  Mix on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.  Add mashed bananas and rum and blend for another minute, until thoroughly combined.  Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating for 1 minute between each addition.
• With the mixer on low speed, add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture.  Add the buttermilk and beat on low until the mixture just begins to come together.  Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until the mixture is almost entirely incorporated.  Remove the bowl from the mixer and finish blending the ingredients with a spatula.  Fold in the pecans.
• Divide the batter between the cake pans.  Bake for 30 minutes on alternating racks, switching the cakes halfway through baking.  When a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven.  Let cakes rest in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

• Beat Cream cheese, butter, rum and vanilla together until smooth and gradually add powdered sugar until smooth. Try not to eat with a spoon. Frost cake and enjoy!!

High Tea

I hosted some lovely ladies on Saturday for my first High Tea. We had the obligatory English breakfast tea with egg salad and cucumber and cheese tea sandwiches. I also served espresso-banana bread, molasses spice cookies and cream scones with raspberry preserves and whipped cream. It was so much fun and everything was so delicious, I can't wait to do it again!

Happy Australia Day

I've been missing Australia a lot lately so it was nice to spend Australia Day with a bunch of other Aussies even if we were thousands of miles away in Seattle. We enjoyed Aussie favorites including sausage rolls, pavlova, a sausage sizzle and of course, Lamingtons. Most people outside of Australia and New Zealand aren't familiar with these delicious treats. They are cubes of cake, covered in chocolate icing and rolled in dessicated coconut. I used a recipe from Joy of Baking which turned out a lovely result that took me back to my childhood.

Dessicated coconut is just unsweetened shredded coconut that is easily available in most grocery stores in Australia but in Seattle it's a bit harder to find (most of the coconut is sweetened). Normal people would get it from a Whole Foods or Natural Market but after a very busy week I thought I would relax with a bit of kitchen DIY: Home made dessicated coconut! Essentially it involved cracking a coconut, getting out all the meat, peeling the thin brown peel away and shredding the meat in a food processor. The shredded coconut is dessicated in a 250F oven for about 30 minutes.

Ta Daaaaaaaaa!!! Worlds most time consuming Lamingtons. So yummy though. Serve to Australians and skeptical American friends.

Marathon Training Cookies!

Aka Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocoate Chip Cookies

I was looking for a cookie that had a bit of nutritional punch. My sweetie is doing a lot of running right now and the running hungries beg for a cookie like this. Protein from the peanut butter, fiber and complex carbs from the oats, and get-in-my-mouthiness from the chocolate. I found the recipe at Bake or Break and the only modification was to slightly decrease the sugar and increase the salt. Nom Nom Noms.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups AP Flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup peanut butter (I used Crunchy)
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Method:
Preheat oven to 350F and line baking tray with silpat
Whisk together first 4 ingredients in separate bowl
Cream butter and sugars together in a Kitchen Aid until light and fluffy
Mix in Peanut butter thoroughly then add eggs and vanilla extract
Add flour mixture until just combined. Mix in chocolate chips by hand.
Using an ice cream scoop portion out even amounts of dough
Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are just beginning to brown
Cool on tray for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy after a nice long run :)

Peach and Huckleberry Crostata

 

I adapted this recipe from one of Ina's recipes. The lady knows how to wield a stick of butter!
The peaches were bought from the Yakima fruit stand and the huckleberries were given to me by my wonderful father in law. It was a perfect summer dessert. And maybe a perfect summer breakfast the next day :)

The crust is buttery (duh), flaky and crisp and the filling was really bright from the lemon zest and lemon juice. I think I'm going to try this with pears and cranberries in the fall. Stay tuned!

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 cup AP Flour
1/8 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt (I always add a extra salt because it makes everything taste better :)
1 stick butter cut into cubes (I store this in the freezer until I'm ready to use it)
3 Tbsp ice water (I needed a bit more)
1 egg and raw sugar for sprinkling on the crust

Filling:
1 lb firm ripe peaches (I left mine unpeeled) cut into 8 wedges each
1 pint of huckleberries
Zest and juice from 1 lemon
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 stick butter cut into cubes


Method:
Note: I keep all the ingredients (including the flour) in the freezer until the last minute. It really helps on a hot day.
1) Pulse flour, sugar and salt in a food processor a few times to mix, add butter and pulse 12-15 times until the butter is the size of peas.
2) Add ice water all at once and keep hitting the pulse button until the dough barely starts to come together
3) Empty dough out on to plastic wrap, shape into a disk and refrigerate for at least 2 hours
4) Preheat oven to 450F and line a baking tray with parchment or Silpat
5) Roll dough out to an 11 inch circle on a lightly floured surface
6) Mix filling ingredients (except butter) together, pile into center of dough and dot with little cubes of butter, leaving a 1/2 inch border
7) Fold border of dough over fruit, paint with egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar
8) Bake for 25 minutes until crust is golden, let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack (2 large spatulas needed!). Serve warm or at room temp.

Ice cream recommendation: Haagen Daaz Bourbon Praline Peacan. Vanilla is also acceptable

Capitol Hill Yummies

I made this list for my Brother's annual Summer in Seattle party and realized that it's a great resource for anyone out on Capitol Hill looking for a good place to eat or drink. It's obviously missing some fancy restaurants (Altura, Cascina Spinasse, Lark, Sitka and Spruce etc) but for a casual outing try one of these...

Breakfast/Brunch:

Wandering Goose (http://www.thewanderinggoose.com/) - Craze Amaze. I go here all the time (but limited seating). Might be good to pick up some stuff for a breakfast at home or in the park.

Monsoon (http://monsoonrestaurants.com/seattle/) - weekend vietnamese brunch)

Kingfish Cafe (http://thekingfishcafe.com/) - Soul food and amazing weekend brunch. Long lines but excellent red velvet cake make it worthwhile

Delicious snacks:

Wandering Goose - Southern biscuits and gravy place with an amazing bakery case. Can you say triple layer coconut cake ?!

Bakery Nouveau (http://www.bakerynouveau.com/welcome/) - Twice baked almond croissant. Best bakery in the city. A visit here at least once is a MUST

North Hill Bakery (http://www.northhillbakery.com/) - Small, cute, tasty. Small and minimal seating though. I usually get a pastry and coffee to go.

Crumble and Flake (http://www.crumbleandflake.com/) - Must get there early or stuff sells out and they close the store. It's usually closed by noon.

Pie Bar (http://www.piebarseattle.com/piebarseattle/):  Sweet and savory pies AND cocktails. Open late night. I suggest we go :)

Burgers:

Lil Woody's (http://lilwoodys.com/) - recently voted Seattle's best burger

8oz Burger Bar (http://www.8ozburgerbar.com/) - a fave of the Boyapati clan

Mexican:

Poquitos (http://www.vivapoquitos.com/Poquitos/VivaPoquitos.html) - yum

Barrio (http://www.barriorestaurant.com/) - fancy mexican

Fogon (http://fogonseattle.com/) - also very yum

Ghetto Fab:

Rancho Bravo (http://www.yelp.com/biz/rancho-bravo-tacos-seattle-2) - a taco truck that got a brick and mortar location. Fantastic, cheap, quick. Conveniently located next to Bike Polo hipsters.

Lalibela (http://lalibelaseattle.com/)- Ethiopian just outside of Cap Hill. $11 will feed 4 people. Big platters of tasty food. Lots of fun.

Ezells (http://www.ezellschicken.com/) - is there really anything to say here?

El Farol (http://www.yelp.com/biz/el-farol-mexican-restaurant-seattle) - fast, cheap, american mexican food. Seating for all of us though. Not fancy but a staple of House Burke (especially when we need a lot of salt)

Libations:

Von Trapps (http://www.vontrapps.com/VonTrapps/HOME.html) - Beer, Bacci, Brats.

Harry's bar (http://www.yelp.com/biz/harrys-bar-seattle)- part of olympia pizza. $5 Happy hour Manhattans will put you on your ass.

Liberty Bar (http://www.libertybars.com/) - best craft cocktails on the hill

Bait Shop (http://baitshopseattle.com/) - Fancy adult slushies, good fried chicken sammie

Pizza Night!

This is Jamie Oliver's pizza dough recipe and it is delicious.  The consistency is perfect for handling and it can be made into a thin crust pizza or a slightly thicker crust (which is what we made here). A pro tip I learnt at Serious Pie is to paint the crust of the pizza as soon as it comes out of the oven with EV olive oil and sprinkle it with sea salt. Ah-mazing! The pizza was also delicious cold the next day :)

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups (1 lb) AP flour
1 1/2-2 tsp fine sea salt (I used regular table salt)
1 packet active dry yeast (1/4 ounce)
1 1/2 tsp raw sugar
2 Tbs olive oil
1 1/4 cups luke warm water


Method:
1) Mix water, yeast, sugar and olive oil in a large measuring cup. While the yeast is getting excited by all the sugary warmth mix flour and sea salt in a large bowl and make a well in the center

2) Pour yeast mixture into well and mix until dough is shaggy looking. At this point you can put dough onto a floured surface and knead until it is springy but I just threw it into my Kitchen Aid with the dough hook on for about 3-4 minutes.

3) Wash out bowl and oil it lightly. Put dough in and turn to coat. Cover bowl with damp towel and leave in a warm spot for an hour. The dough will double in size.
4) Punch the dough downThe dough can be used immediately or put in the fridge wrapped to be used later
5) Roll dough out 10-15 minutes before you want to cook it. For a thicker crust use a half sheet pan. For thin pizzas use two half sheet pans. When ready to cook preheat oven to 500F. I prebake the dough for 5-7 minutes before adding toppings just because I like a really crisp crsut.

Toppings: We did half chicken (shredded left-over chicken, feta, olives and basil) and a vegetarian side with just mozarella, olives and basil. Delicious. I think a pesto pizza would be great too. If my Basil plant would just stop dying on me...