Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Fresh strawberries<br />
Instructions<br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food<br />
processor, pulse sugar until super fine,<br />
about 2 minutes (if you don’t have a<br />
food processor, caster sugar should also<br />
work). In a mixing bowl, sift together<br />
half of the sugar, the cake flour and the<br />
salt.<br />
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together<br />
egg whites, water, extract of choice and<br />
cream of tartar until well combined,<br />
about 2 minutes. Switch to a hand<br />
mixer and whip mixture on medium<br />
speed while slowly adding remaining<br />
sugar to mixture, until medium peaks<br />
form.<br />
Sift just enough of the flour mixture in<br />
to evenly dust the top of the egg white<br />
mixture and, using a spatula, gently fold<br />
flour layer into egg white mixture and<br />
continue this process until all of the<br />
flour mixture has been incorporated (I<br />
did this in probably 10 batches).<br />
Divide batter among paper lined<br />
muffin cups, filling each cup nearly<br />
full — I use a cookie scoop. Bake in<br />
preheated oven 15-18 minutes until<br />
golden and toothpick inserted into<br />
center comes out clean.<br />
Cool completely, then pipe cream<br />
cheese whipped cream over cupcakes<br />
just before serving and top with fresh<br />
fruit.<br />
For the Cream Cheese Whipped<br />
Cream Topping:<br />
In a mixing bowl, whip heavy cream<br />
until soft peaks form. In a separate<br />
mixing bowl, whip cream cheese until<br />
light and fluffy. Add cream cheese to<br />
whipped cream along with powdered<br />
sugar and whip until stiff peaks form.<br />
Store in refrigerator. This is my favorite<br />
part.<br />
Rosemary<br />
Sourdough Boule<br />
One of the oldest breads from France<br />
is boule. In French, boule means ball,<br />
and this is the shape the original bread<br />
makers would make their dough into.<br />
Round like a ball. Initially, bakers were<br />
more accustomed to making boules<br />
than baguettes.<br />
Sourdough baking, should you<br />
choose to heed the call, provides an<br />
opportunity to reflect, look within and<br />
improve your emotional wellbeing. For<br />
me there is something so therapeutic<br />
in the process of making sourdough<br />
bread. It’s an art! I have had a lot of<br />
fun as I’ve learned new techniques and<br />
flavor profiles. I’ve even come up with<br />
some signature designs for the top of<br />
my boules.<br />
I use a bread lame, a razor blade tool<br />
to score the top of my loaves with<br />
precision, easily found in a specialty<br />
kitchen store. I enjoy shopping for<br />
these kinds of tools from our local<br />
shop, Tú Tú Tú, in Nye Beach.<br />
Have fun trying your hand at<br />
sourdough bread making. I’m always<br />
happy to share my sourdough starter —<br />
it’s a gift from the heart of my kitchen.<br />
Directions:<br />
• 1/3 cup sourdough starter. I was<br />
fortunate to get my starter from a friend,<br />
Stephanie Brown. She made me the<br />
best loaf of rosemary sourdough, I’m<br />
still dreaming about it! I’m anxious to<br />
try my new starter, from San Francisco,<br />
that’s over 159 years old.<br />
• 1-1/2 c water<br />
• 4-1/4-1/2 cups flour. I use 4-ish cups<br />
of Kamut flour. I have been so inspired<br />
by one of my favorite food enthusiasts,<br />
The Food Nannies. They use Kamut<br />
flour for everything! It’s an ancient<br />
grain that has never been genetically<br />
modified.<br />
1-1/2 teaspoon French gray salt<br />
1-1/2 teaspoon fresh finely chopped<br />
rosemary, one of my favorite herbs that<br />
I grow.<br />
• 1/4 cup olive oil. I use Trader Joe’s.<br />
My Danish dough hook is the easiest<br />
tool to mix the dough with. I cover<br />
the dough with a tea towel and let it<br />
rise on the counter 8-12 hours. Shape<br />
it and refrigerate in a lightly floured<br />
bowl and cover again with tea towel<br />
for 4-plus hours. Invert the dough onto<br />
parchment paper and bake 425f, 25-30<br />
minutes in a covered Dutch oven. Take<br />
the lid off and finish baking at 375f.<br />
I love using my 4-quart French Staub<br />
pan, it makes a perfect boule.<br />
31