Labor of Love

Back in the day, my mom and her friend, Patty took a few cake decorating classes that would result in an incredible array of baked goods for each of our birthdays. My best friend and Patty's daughter, Alana can attest to being spoiled with over the top delectable culinary creations that have inspired both of us to carry on the tradition.

Here are a few of those creations from the 80's and 90's so that you can fully appreciate what we devoured with every birthday celebration.

Alana and I both thoroughly enjoy entertaining and most recently I was given a tour of Alana's kitchen in Montreal where the magic happens. Here are a few photos, to give readers a private glimpse into Alana's setup.

Amazing, right?! This is why we are friends (for the record, my drawers don't look anything like this but I wish they did). Alana, don't be mad at me. xoxo.

Moving on, we were hosting a baby shower for a colleague at work and I volunteered to bake something. After perusing pinterest for inspiration, I decided that I would try to make my mom's famous birthday cake recipe from Betty Crocker (not to be confused with the Betty Crocker Cake mix that can be purchased at Loblaws or Gristedes).

I sincerely hope that my co-worker's labor goes better than my cake. This cake itself was a labor of love. Like Alana's drawers, I appreciate absolute perfection, this cake did not.

Everything was going well until I went to remove the two cake layers from the pans (which had been greased with Crisco). They were stuck, like really really really stuck. I used every apparatus in my kitchen including my fingers to pry the cakes out which resulted in some severe breakage and compromised the structural integrity. Most people, would have cried, I whimpered. I also crawled back into bed numerous times throughout the process.

Having recently attended a cake decorating class with Sherri, we were taught that you can fix anything with frosting. Here was my chance to put that theory to the test. I whipped up the Magnolia Vanilla frosting and after two batches of frosting and four coats - this cake came very close to perfection (minus the chunk that fell out several minutes before the cake was served, minus the crumbles of cake that were embedded into the first layers of icing and minus the icing ending up being a weird tint of mint green and not baby blue).

Here is the evolution of my cake:

In speaking with my advisor (my mom), she explained to me that I should have used Crisco, Pam with flour and parchment paper:

1. Place the cake pan on top of the parchment paper.
2. Trace the outline of the pan onto the parchment paper with a pencil.
3. Cut out the shape just inside the penciled line.
4. Butter or Crisco or Pam with Flour the pan, place the parchment on the bottom, and Butter/Crisco/ Pam with Flour again.
5. Follow the recipe to finish the cake.

A few additional tips - frosting did in fact save the day. The trick is to frost it with a thin layer at first and put it in the fridge to set for 20 minutes and then frost again. You can keep frosting until your cake looks perfect, it will hide any imperfections and mask the original shape of the cake.

Also, if your frosting is masking a colossal disaster, serve the cake straight from the fridge. I let mine get to room temperature and unfortunately this is why I lost a chunk of it prior to serving.

Last tip, don't use food color for the icing, use cake tints that our specially made for frosting.

Here is the recipe, better luck to you all. Also, for the record - my co-workers devoured it and gave it two thumbs up!

Betty Crocker’s Silver White Cake

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (Do not use self-rising flour in this recipe)
1 2/3 cups sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup milk
2/3 cup shortening (Crisco)
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 egg whites

Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour rectangular pan, 13x9x2, 2 round pans, 9×1 1/2 inches, or 3 round pans, 8×1 1/2 inches.
Beat all ingredients except egg whites in large bowl on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly.
Beat on high speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.
Beat in egg whites on high speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.
Pour into pan (s).
Bake rectangle 40-45 minutes, 9 inch rounds 30-35 minutes, 8 inch rounds 23-28 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center.
Cool rectangle on wire rack. Cool layers 10 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack.
Frost cake…

Magnolia Vanilla Frosting
http://sherribraude.blogspot.com/2006/05/bridal-shower-bliss.html

Enjoy!
Cara

Dinner Party to End all Dinner Parties

One week later and I think that I have finally recuperated from the Dinner Party to End all Dinner Parties. I stumbled across the cooking blog Food52.com a few years ago and in celebration of their new cookbook called “The Food52 Cookbook", they encouraged fans to host a dinner party and in return they would provide five copies of their new cookbooks, four bottles of wine from lot18.com and kitchen swag from Oxo for free, yup free - true story. I’ve been meaning to host a dinner party for a while so this helped to put the wheels in motion.

I struggled with the menu for a bit, with over 15 attendees – I had to represent and bring my A-game. I got all the inspiration I needed when I attended a cooking class at De Gustibus Cooking School with Dan Kluger who is the executive chef at ABC Kitchen and won the James Beard Award for Best Chef of 2010. For the record, it was my friend Pooja and I at the cooking demonstration, along with a slew of Jewish senior citizen; the check-in process was a riot, “Rosenberg, Schwartz, Cohen, Iscovitch…”. Remember the show Golden Girls, “Picture this, 2011 - New York City”….

After a 6-course meal including wine pairings, we learned how to make Tuna Sashimi with Ginger and Mint, Butter Head Lettuce with a Pistachio Vinaigrette, Roasted Market Beans, Roasted Butternut Squash with Parmesan Cheese and Pumpkin Seeds, Fried Organic Chicken and Baked Apple Dumplings. I was full, drunk and inspired.

My menu consisted of the Dan Kluger’s Butterhead Lettuce with Pistachio Vinaigrette, Dan Kluger’s Roasted Beet Salad with Greek Yogurt, Spare Ribs from Norene Giltez’ Second Helpings, Balsamic glazed Chicken, Lisa Braude’s Ratatouille, Roasted Mushroom Medley, Roasted Asparagus, Dan

Kluger’s Roasted Butternut Squash with Parmesan Cheese, Smitten Kitchen’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Buckeyes and homemade Butterlane Banana cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the Food52 cookbook in time to incorporate the recipes into my dinner #fail, but it was a feast that resulted in numerous marriage proposals from my girlfriends. (Note to my girlfriends - you are all amazing but I’m not going that route just yet, my strategy is that some Jewish man will fall head over heels for me once he sees my goods – not those goods, well maybe those goods – just kidding mom.).

Now that you know my ulterior motive for this blog post, I might want to keep these recipes on the down low or...I could just share them.

Hands down, the Veal Spare Ribs from Norene Gilletz’ Second Helpings took home the award for most requested recipe (Shout out to Norene who actually reads Braude’s Bites).


Number Seven Spare Ribs:

2lbs Veal Ribs ( I special ordered them and asked the butcher to cut them 1” x 1”)

7 tbsp Brown Sugar

7 tbsp Soya Sauce ( I used gluten free)
7 tbsp Water

3 or 4 cloves of Crushed Garlic

Brown Ribs in a skillet to remove excess fat. Combine remaining ingredients. Add ribs and bake at 350 for 1 hour. I cooked the ribs in my slow cooker over night for 6 hours – which resulted in succulent fall off the bone deliciousness.

Ok Next up on the list is the Butterhead Lettuce with Pistachio Vinaigrette, one of my friends was eating the dressing by the spoonful (she even came over for leftovers the next evening and drowned her food in it, it was everywhere).

Butterhead Lettuce with Pistachio Vinaigrette

For the Dressing:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (Dan suggests Arbequina California Olive Ranch which can be bought at Whole Foods)

1/4 cup + 2 tbs. raw pistachios

1/2 Thai chile, seeded and minced ( I skipped this, I bought it and sampled it and almost lost my taste buds)

4 tsp. lemon juice

3 tbs. Champagne vinegar (Dan suggests Sparrow Lane)

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

For the Salad:

2 heads Butterhead lettuce

2 tbs. chives, finely chopped

2 tbs. oregano, finely chopped

2 tbs. mint, finely chopped

2 tbs. tarragon, finely chopped

8 French breakfast radishes, thinly sliced into rounds

1/2 cup Sevillano or Manzanilla olives, pitted and chopped

For the Dressing: In a small pot, heat olive oil and pistachios together over a low flame until warm (be careful not to burn the nuts, I toasted the pistachios without oil and only added oil at the very very end. For those of my less knowledgeable friends, heating oil for longer than a few minutes can be really dangerous (i.e. Smokey the Bear, dangerous).

Place warm pistachios in food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Immediately pour pistachio mixture into bowl with Thai chile, and let sit for ten minutes. Add lemon juice, Champagne vinegar, kosher salt, and ground pepper.

Thanks to the gals at Food52, Lot18.com, Oxo and all my dinner guests, regrets to those who didn’t make it (morons). Thanks to Gwen Hyman for helping me identify Butterhead lettuce and for knowing so much about lettuce in general (check out her cookbooks that she writes with her husband at http://andrewcarmellini.com). Props to my colleagues for being the best guinea pigs ever #whatfightdiet!?

Enjoy,
Cara

Cooking 101: Baked Salmon and a few side dishes…

You know how everyone has a staple dish or recipe?! It’s a wham-bam-thank-you-m’am kind of culinary creation that is quick, easy and perhaps even healthy!? The one recipe that you could cook with your eyes closed (although not recommended or endorsed by Braude’s Bites).

For those who need a bit of Cooking 101, this is one of the first recipes that I usually share with the “culinary challenged”.

My mother has been baking this dish for years so I give credit, where credit is due.
Without further adieu, I present:

Baked Salmon:

Ingredients:
Salmon Fillet

Mayonnaise

Paprika
Garlic Powder

Instructions:
1. Wash fish under water and pat dry.

2. Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on the top of the fish

3. Sprinkle a bit of paprika and onion powder

4. Bake in your toaster oven or in the oven at 350 F for 15 minutes (Put your oven fan on so that you don’t stink up your kitchen)

5. Feel free to broil the fish for the last 1-2 minutes to get a crusty flake on top (be careful not to burn your fish)

This dish goes well with these easy side dishes:

Sautéed Kale (inspired by the recipe from the restaurant Westvill in NYC)

1. Clean kale and pat dry
2. Chop the kale like it was lettuce
3. Add 1 chopped shallots with 1 tbsp of olive oil to frying pan
4. Heat on low until onions are transparent (be very careful when heating oil!)
5. Add kale and ½ cup of white wine, dash of salt and pepper
6. Cover lid on pan until the kale is cooked
   
   

Baked Potato

1. Wash and scrub potato
2. Stab potato repeatedly with a fork
3. Place in microwave for 10 minutes on high
   
   

Roasted Asparagus

1. Clean asparagus
2. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp oil and a dash of salt and pepper
3. Put asparagus on a roasting pan for 15 minutes at 350
   
   

Steamed Asparagus

1. Clean asparagus
2. Insert asparagus in a Pyrex dish
3. Fill Pyrex dish with a centimeter of water
4. Cover Pyrex with saran wrap and microwave for 6 minutes
5. Careful of steam when removing saran wrap
6. Remove asparagus from water
7. Upon serving, sprinkle with salt, pepper and fresh lemon juice
   
   

Roasted Veggies

1. Slice and clean all veggies (Ideas: mushrooms, onions, peppers, baby carrots, beets, parsnip)
2. Put on a baking sheet and drizzle with 4 tbsp oil, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp of Italian seasoning and a dash of salt and pepper
3. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350

Keep in mind that bikini season is on its way.

Also please note that Sherri has been a tad occupied feeding this lil guy, meet Justin -formerly known as Junior. He isn't into solids just yet but he has exhibited behavior of wanting to eat everything. Future Braude's Bites Guinea Pig.

Enjoy.
Chef Cara

The Baby Shower for "Junior"

Auntie Cara here (well not YET but VERY soon). I couldn’t be more excited to meet “Junior” and in celebration of his highly anticipated arrival, I hosted a small baby shower for Sherri at her home in New Jersey. I take party planning very seriously, think Bree Van de Kamp from Desperate Housewives with a touch of Martha Stewart. A bit of a scary combo. The party planning began 13 days prior to the big day on my flight home from Spain, Ole! I was organized, focused and determined. Theme, Décor, Gift Bags, Invites – Check! A few of the highlights from the menu included:


Goat Cheese & Sun Dried Tomato Frittata – Props go out to Jodie Frenkiel for introducing me to this recipe. As one of the founding members of the Gourmet Cooking Club in New York and in Montreal, she has made this recipe for both chapters. It is easy, impressive and yummy. Here is a link to the recipe: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/spinach_frittata/


Mini Nigella Lawson Key Lime Pies – Blogged by the mom-to-be in 2006, the same year that she married Leebo: http://sherribraude.blogspot.com/2006/10/talias-bridal-shower-oh-my-key-lime.html


Smitten Kitchen Peanut Butter Balls – These were by far the most talked about dish at the baby shower! I got this recipe from the an amazing blog called Smitten Kitchen and I added my own twist by sprinkling some Fleur de Sels, here it is: http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/10/buckeyes/

Banana Magnolia Pudding – When the tourists come to NYC, they usually head to Magnolia to stand in line for a cupcake. The cupcakes at Magnolia are decent but it is the Banana Pudding that is the real star.

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups ice cold water
1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix (preferably Jell-O brand)
3 cups heavy cream
1 (12-ounce) box Nabisco Nilla Wafers (no substitutions!)
4 cups sliced ripe bananas

1. In a small bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight, before continuing. It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set.

2. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.

3. To assemble the dessert, you can assemble in tumbler glasses for individual portions or you can select a large, wide bowl (preferably glass) with a 4-5-quart capacity.

4. Arrange one-third of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, overlapping if necessary, then one-third of the bananas and one-third of the pudding. Repeat the layering twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or wafer crumbs on the top layer of the pudding. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours - or up to 8 hours, but no longer! - before serving.

Tuna & Mushroom Quiche – This is a recipe passed down from my Mom, no idea where it originated from – possibly a Norene Gilletz recipe

Dough
½ cup Butter
½ cup Cream Cheese
1 cup Flour
2 tbsp Sugar

Filling
1 tin Tuna
1 Onion, grated
2 Eggs
1 can Mushrooms, drained

Topping
½ lb Grated Mozzarella Cheese

1. Combine all ingredients for the dough in a Mix Master and pat down into a 9” pie plate. Bake the dough for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

2. Add Filling and then spread the mozzarella cheese over the top. Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Here are a few additional pictures of the festivities!

Is this Thanksgiving or Nesting?

Every year, we go to DC for the annual family movie madness weekend. It is largely an excuse to eat a lot of everything (teriyaki steaks, popcorn, ayerkuuuuken- don't ask me to explain these!) and to spend most of the weekend making fun of eachother's movie taste. We usually have a plan for 7-8 movies and get in no more than 5 due banter time (the best part). I will use this forum to state that Dirty Dancing really is the best movie ever. Not an opinion, a fact. Although, I watched Benjamin Button last night & what a great movie to make a 39 week prego cry!

Anyway, I digress. Cousin Eve always makes delicious popovers for breakfast at movie weekend. She inspired me to get a popover tin at Williams-Sonoma over a year ago. It moved to the burbs with us and has been sitting unused next to my muffin tin....

This morning, some fate set in. I hit Google on my IPAD and the "GOOGLE" banner had of course become Thanksgiving themed. When you click on it, all Ina Garten's Thanksgiving recipes show up, popovers included! 8:30 am, in bed and think to myself- what better excuse? I am very pregnant , it is Thanksgiving and Lee is home to enjoy breakfast with me!

Delicious. Ina states three rules that you see everywhere on popovers:

1. preheat the pan for a couple of minutes

2. Don't fill popover pan more that 1/2 full

3. Do not peek inside the oven at all- keep that door closed!

They're so easy to make, require no weird ingredients, zero prep time and they make the perfect breakfast with some jam. My poor popover pan won't be abandoned anymore!

I halfed the recipe and made 6 and it worked out perfectly.

Barefoot Contessa Parties (great cookbook!) - Ina Garten's Popovers

Makes 12 popovers- I used one pan and made 6

1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for greasing pan (I used Pam)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted

3/4 tsp kosher salt

3 extra large eggs at room temp

1 1/2 cups whole milk at room temp

Preheat oven to 425. Place tins inside for a few minutes to heat them up. Mix all ingredients together. Use a bowl or measuring cup with a spout to pour in each popover- no more than half full. Place in oven. 30 minutes. Do not peek!

Serve hot with some coffee (you know which brand!) & my favorite OJ, Simply Orange!

Bonnie's Baba Ghanouj (Smoky Eggplant Dip)

38.5 weeks pregnant & enjoying my nesting! Bonnie Stern is my new Ina Garten. From my experience so far, her recipes are always great. She does a delicious, velvety butternut squash soup (just froze enough for my whole maternity leave) and an outstanding rib roast. Haven't had a bomb yet. Her book, "Friday Night Dinners", has a lot of comfort recipes that piqued my interest that I have been meaning to make...The recipes aren't time intensive and the book is so well put together with great pics.

This one was simple and delicious. Great appetizer for a holiday meal or as a mezze with flatbread!

2 large eggplants
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup mayo
2 tbsp tahina (optional and I didn't use)
Dash hot pepper sauce, optional (and I am 39 weeks pregnant and am on enough Tums already!)
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (I skipped due to laziness, sure this or parsley would be delicious)

Roast eggplants on parchment at 400 for 40 to 50 minutes until tender or collapsed. You can also put on bbq for 15-20 and turn frequently. Cool.

Place eggplants in a sieve over a bowel and remove and discard skin. Cut eggplants and press out excess liquid.

Mix lemon juice, garlic, salt and mayo. Add tahina and hot sauce if using.

Add in eggplant and sprinkle with cilantro.

Enjoy!

Roasted Eggplant Spread

First Rosh Hashanah in our new house brought some new winners and to be honest, some flops.
Our world famous gefilte fish can not be discussed, it will upset my mother too much. It flopped for first time ever. And to make matters worse, we had scheduled a throwdown with the neighbors...lesson: overpromising and underdelivering is not a good feeling, don't do it!
Could it have been the New Jersey sourced fish? The new oven? The not enough time to chill? Let's just say we need to course correct in preparation for next year. Poor Geneve was over and might be scarred. We will fix that.

My chicken soup and matzo balls came out world class though! I am going to need to make more and freeze it! My mother also made a new apple cake from Bonnie Stern's HeartSmart that was a huge hit that I did again that week for break fast.

Onto the subject at hand...This roasted eggplant appetizer was enjoyed by everyone, event those who pretend they don't like eggplant (Lee). It is of course Ina Garten, so it is an obvious 5 star!
Here is the recipe:

Roasted Eggplant Spread
Barefoot Contessa Family Style

Enjoy with pita!

Le Club de Cuisine Gourmet et Chef Alyssa

Food is all about friends – what’s the point in making a mind-blowing dish if you cant share it with someone? Let’s be honest sometimes its also comforting to know that your friends are united in the calorie intake – if my jean aren’t going to fit, neither are hers. Right?

Well August 8^th proved to be one of the days. Jodie, one of the founding members of the Gourmet Cooking Club in New York city recently made the transition to Montreal and we decided that we were taking the club international. Bienvenue a Quebec, we welcome Le Club de Cuisine Gourmet.

The first get together took place at Jodie’s apartment – she made her Frittata, Mel made Greek Yogurt Parfait’s, Alana made a Patty Greenberg classic cheese pie and Anne-Marie made her own version of the Lemon and cracked pepper scones from the Food Network. This was food comatose 1 of the day. Oh la la.

Jet Setter over here decided that hosting a dinner party 45 minutes after her plane landed at LGA was a strategic decision. With the 15-minute interval between my arrival and the arrival of my guests – I tag teamed my apartment with Mr. Clean, My Vacuum Cleaner, Clorox Wipes and Windex. A shout-out to Fresh Direct for delivering my ingredients.

Cut to Scene 2. This dinner party wasn’t just a dinner party – this was an attempt to teach Alyssa R. how to seduce Jon A with her new cooking skills. Who cares if this girl can run 4 triathlons a month, the question is – can she cook? Well – we invited Amanda and Lauren over to be our guinea pigs. More important than the execution of the menu was the need for an agenda to streamline the conversation of “does this bathing suit make me look hot?” to “what do you mean you haven’t seen “x: youtube video?”.

Food comatose 2 was brought on by a menu that consisted of hummus, roasted eggplant dip, fattouche salad, greek chicken, corn on the cobb, grilled Australian veggies and mini Patty Greenberg trifles.

The real test is to see if Alyssa can recreate these dishes for her man who will be the ultimate guinea pig. Here are the recipes Alyssa – I would train for this like you train for marathons.

Chicken a la Greque:

1 tbsp Oregano

½ tsp Salt

¼ tsp Pepper

1 Chicken, cut up

¼ cup Olive Oil

2 tbsp Lemon Juice

1. Preheat oven to 400 .

2. Combine oregano, salt and pepper . Rub over chicken.

3. Arrange in 13 x 9 x 2 dish,

4. Blend together Olive Oil and Lemon Juice. Pour over chicken pieces.

5. Bake 40-55 minutes (first 15 minutes covered, uncover 40 minutes)

Australian Peppers - Thyme-Roasted Capsicums and Tomatoes

2 medium red peppers

2 medium green peppers

2 medium yellow peppersd

4 small tomatoes, halved

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme (or dry thyme)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Cut peppers intro strips. Combine peppers, tomatoes and garlic on a baking sheet, sprinkle with combined sugar, pepper and thyme; drizzle with oil.

Bake, uncovered, in hot oven about 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar just before serving - optional. I also added zucchini and yellow squash.

Patty Greenbergs’s Skor Dessert Trifle

10 Chocolate Skor Bars ( I used Snickers because Skor is hard to find in the US)

2 package chocolate pudding (Already made – i.e. Snack Pack)

1 package instant Chocolate cake mix (bake in 9 x 13 pan and cut into 1 inch cubes)

2 packages real nutriwhip cream

Directions:

Follow instruction on instant cake mix (i.e Betty Crocker). Let cake cool and then cut cake into cubes.

Once cake is cool, layer the following ingredients in a clear glass:

Cake, Pudding, Choppred Skor, Nutriwhip

Leave in fridge until ready to serve.
Make recipe 1 day before serving.
xoxo Chef Cara

Roasted veggie quinoa

Since we've moved to the burbs, I find myself cooking a lot more. The restaurants around here are average at best and there aren't many delivery options. I also have more space and get to watch food tv and the all new cooking channel while experimenting with new recipes.
Tonight, i decided to try the quinoa that I picked up at a gourmet food show. Quinoa is really interesting cause it is a whole grain and a protein. It is chock full of nutrients, low in calories, high in fiber and makes an unreal replacement for noodles.

very easy, healthy recipe came out of it:

Roast assorted veggies with olive oil and garlic at 425. Try eggplant, peppers, zucchini, carrots, mushrooms and red onion.
While veggies are roasting for a good 30 minutes, cook quinoa according to package directions. Make dressing of equal parts olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Mix it all together....easy,healthy delicious dinner with all pantry and fridge staples.

Bran Flax Muffins

Tasty, super healthy recipe from the side of the Bob Red Mill's Flaxseed Meal (sold at Whole Foods and almost everywhere). They don't photograph well, so I won't try. They're perfect snacks that are packed with 5 grams of fiber.

1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat or Unbleached white Pastry Flour
3/4 cup Ground Flaxseed meal
3/4 cup Oat Bran
1 cup Brown Sugar
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 1/2 cups finely shredded Carrots
2 peeled and shredded Apples
1/2 cup Raisins
1 cup chopped Nuts (I use pecans or walnuts)
3/4 cup Milk
2 beaten Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla

Directions:
Mix together flour, Bob's Red Mill Flaxseed Meal, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in carrots, apples, raisins (if desired) and nuts. Combine milk, beaten eggs and vanilla. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir until ingredients are moistened. DO NOT OVER MIX. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.

Yield: 15 medium muffins

Notes:
You can also use 1 1/2 cups Unbleached White Flour in place of the Whole Wheat Pastry Flour.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
One muffin contains Calories 220, Calories from Fat 80, Fat 9g, Saturated Fat 0.5g, Cholesterol 30mg, Sodium 310mg, Carbohydrates 34g, Dietary Fiber 5g, Sugar 21g, Protein 6g.

Jicama what?! Jicama who?!

What the hell is Jicama? That was my initial thought when I ordered a salad from the café at my office in Tribeca but I figured that I had nothing to lose since they always make incredible lunches (don’t even get me started on the Creamy Tomato Soup with mini grill cheese croutons and drizzled with Balsamic Vinegar Reduction).

I discovered that Jicama is pronounced with a silent “J”, as in Jesus from Mehico. Jicama is a crispy, sweet, edible root that resembles a turnip in physical appearance. Jicama is a great source of vitamin c and is fat free—making it a superb on-the-go snack.

When I was making my fresh direct order this week, I saw that Jicama was in the house (doesn’t that sound better now that you know how to pronounce it?).

I decided that I was going to replicate my lunch – sure enough I found the recipe on Epicurious.com and ended up adding my own gourmet touch.

1 ears fresh corn
1 small mangoes, peeled, pitted, coarsely chopped
1/2 jicama, peeled, chopped or shredded
1 cup chopped red onion (I used Shallots)
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (I skipped this)
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Serves 1 (me!)

Cook corn in pot of boiling salted water 2 minutes. Drain and cool corn. Cut off enough kernels and place corn in medium bowl. Add mangoes, jicama, red onion, cilantro and lime juice. Toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until cold. (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Keep refrigerated.) Serve cold.

Then I took the salad a step further – I served it over a bed of Mache lettuce (a.k.a Lambs lettuce) and added pan fried scallops that were sautéed in a touch of butter and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Et voila – mon souper!

The Perfect Summer Salad: Avocado & Hearts of Palm

Every time I go back home, I go through my mother's new cookbooks and photocopy the good stuff. I got this recipe from Panache, a kosher cookbook put together by 100 young Montrealers for the Montreal Jewish General Hospital's emergency department. This was light, fast and perfect for a BBQ (see my new suburban tag for BBQ suggestions!). It appealed to Naomi, who is a healthy one, and to the boys who were chowing on dogs and burgers.

It's easy, healthy (without screaming "healthy") and impresses a crowd. I made some edits...

Avocado & Hearts of Palm Salad
Montreal's Panache Cookbook
20 minutes
Serves 6-8 people

Dressing:
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp dijon or spicy mustard
1/2- 1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp pepper

Salad:
Pint of chery tomatoes, halfed
can of 14 oz hearts of palms (drain and slice or by them already sliced at Whole Foods)
2-3 scallions, sliced
1-2 avocados, peeled and cubed
2-3 Tbsp pine nuts (I am obsessed with Sahale nuts lately, so I used Valdosta Pecans instead and yum! You can get them at most places now)
1-1 1/2 lbs steamed asparagus, cut into chunks (I skipped)

Combine dressing ingredients. Place tomatoes, asparagus, hearts of palm and scallions in a serving dish. Add dressing. Toss gently. Add avocados and nuts just before serving.

Bon Appetit!

Gourmet Cooking Club: Cara, Carrots & Cream Cheese

Since my arrival in NYC, I’ve joined a Gourmet Cooking Club where a bunch of us get together every month and we do a potluck dinner with a theme and at the end of the year we put together a cookbook of all of our recipes. Does life get any better than this? I have found my people.

My first Gourmet Club was last season, which was a picnic in Central Park and I made my signature Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. Technically this was my initiation into the group and the Food Blog definitely gave me some “street cred”. These ladies are hardcore., as in one of them even took lessons at Cordon Bleu. Oh la la!!! They don’t make simple recipes, they don’t use mixes and everything they cook looks like it came from Jean-Georges’ kitchen. We are talking about fresh pizza, homemade fruit tarts, French Toast Casseroles… you get it.

Since my Chocolate Chip Banana Bread initiation, I have had some minor mishaps! Once my Coffee Cake broke and another time my Bubby Lucy cookies turned out limp – I killed a family recipe, brutal.

Tonight’s Gourmet Cooking Club is a “Farm to Table” theme – I wasn’t sure what I was going to make but I knew that I needed to redeem myself. Don’t get me wrong, these girls are great and we’re not competing against each other. This was more of a personal challenge (Oprah Style).

I realized that I’ve never made a real cake, like the one with two layers that you need to ice. I googled, I looked through cookbooks, checked out the archive of Braude Family Recipes and I decided I was going all the way. A standard rule in entertaining is to not make a recipe for the first time when you have guests. Your immediate family (circle of trust), your significant other, your doorman – these people are your trial and error crew – not your guests. Capiche?!

Tonight, I went against this golden rule and decided that I was going to make my first Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing. This recipe came from FineCooking.com. Given that the cake is currently in my fridge – I can't tell you if it is actually good, but you know sometimes when you have that gut feeling. I will let the ladies of the Gourmet Club judge.

I am also recording the cake here, just in case the ride over to 57^th and Lexington isn’t smooth (24 streets and 2 avenues over in a New York cab is risky).

Classic Carrot Layer Cake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

by Abigail Johnson Dodge

Serve twelve to fourteen.

Yields one 9-inch layer cake.

For the cake

1 cup canola, corn, or vegetable oil; more for the pans

2 cups (9 oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for the pans

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1-3/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

3/4 tsp. ground ginger

3/4 tsp. table salt

4 large eggs

2-1/2 cups (8-3/4 oz.) lightly packed, finely grated carrots

2 cups packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1/2 cup raisins

1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the frosting

1 lb. cream cheese, softened

12 oz. (1-1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened

1 lb. (4 cups) confectioners’ sugar

4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

3/4 tsp. table salt

Make the cake

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil and flour the sides of two 9x2-inch round cake pans, tapping out any excess flour. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the oil, eggs, carrots, brown sugar, walnuts, raisins, and vanilla on medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just blended, about 30 seconds. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Bake until the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly pressed and a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, 28 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pans on a rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pans to loosen the cakes, invert them onto the rack, remove the pans, and carefully peel away the parchment. Set the cakes aside to cool completely before frosting.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter with the mixer on medium speed until very smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat on medium high until blended and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Cover the frosting and set aside at room temperature until the layers are completely cool.

Carefully set one cake upside down on a large, flat serving plate. Using a metal spatula, evenly spread about 1-1/2 cups of the frosting over the top of the cake. Top with the remaining cake layer, upside down. Spread a thin layer (about 1/3 cup) of frosting over the entire cake to seal in any crumbs and fill in any gaps between layers. Refrigerate until the frosting is cold and firm, about 20 minutes. Spread the entire cake with the remaining frosting. Refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days. The cake is best served slightly chilled or at room temperature. The flavors of this moist cake only improve with time, so feel free to bake and frost the cake up to a few days ahead.

Nutrition information (per serving): (perhaps too much information?)

Calories (kcal): 840; Fat (kcal): 54; Fat Calories (g): 480; Saturated Fat (g): 22; Protein (g): 8; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 20; Carbohydrates (g): 86; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 9; Sodium (mg): 550; Cholesterol (mg): 150; Fiber (g): 2;

Wish me luck! Off to the Gourmet Cooking Club!
Chef Cara

Bye Bye Big Apple

Live from the burbs in New Jersey – it’s the Sparaga/Braude family BBQ . With more than 100 sq ft of kitchen, Sherri and I tag teamed the “situation” under the supervision of Mom. Everyone pitched in, including Leebo who managed the BBQ and even Chip who did the groceries. Guests included the Boidmans in check with Lilly and the Kos from Atlanta.

The menu included: Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Geneve’s Moroccan Chicken, Second Helpings Coleslaw, Barefoot Contessa’s Corn Salad and Sherri’s Berry Crumble. The Corn Salad was the top contender with five star reviews from all. Basil, our favorite herb, makes this salad very summery! The berry crumble always gets rave reviews and is always fun with vanilla bean ice cream.

Barefoot Contessa Fresh Corn Salad

Ingredients:

5 cobs of Corn (substitution: 2 cans of corn)
½ cup Basil, cut into Ribbons

½ cup diced Red Onion
3 tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar
3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ tsp Sea Salt
½ tsp Ground Pepper

We kicked off the salad by tossing the corn on the grill for 10-15 minutes; each cob was wrapped in tinfoil and seasoned with salt, pepper and oil. It’s best to soak the corn in water for a few hours prior to the BBQ so that they don’t burn. If you’re looking to skip a step – you can cook the corn in boiling water on the stove top or use corn from the can. Once the corn is cool, shuck it into a large bowl and add all remaining ingredients. Serve salad cold or at room temperature.

Chef Cara

Steak and Pepper Fajitas

I was skimming through Fitness Magazine on the eliptical machine & stole this recipe! I made it for Cara and Lee and they both raved about it....It is going to become a staple in our house- 416 calories, 32 g protein, 38 g carbs, 16 g fat (4.3 g saturated) & 7 g fiber! Less for me since I hate cheese :)

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook time: 25 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

1 lb flank or hanger steak (I used flank)
Juice of 1 Lime
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp mild chile powder
3 tsp oil
1/2 red onion, sliced
3 bell prepper (red, yellow and orange)
1/2 cup corn
8 small tortillas (I use whole wheat)
2 tbsp cilantro (I skipped!)

I also made it with my guacamole (other people add low fat Monterey Jack and sour cream, but you know how I feel about dairy!)

2 ripe avocados
1 small onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
4 tsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
3 tbsp cilantro
kosher salt
pepper
splash of tabasco
chopped tomatoes at end

Marinate steak in lime juice, salt, garlic and chile powder in sealed back for 20-30 minutes (love that you don't need to prep ahead!). As it is marinating, make guacamole!

Heat a large skillet over high heat for 5 mins. Add 2 tsp of oil to pan. Add red onins, bell peppers- toss frequently for 5 mins. Add corn and continue until peppers are charred and soft, about 3 more minutes. Transfer veggies to a bowl and keep warm.

Wipe skillet with paper towel and heat for another minute. Add remaining oil. Remove steak from marinade and pat dry w pape towel. Lay steak in pan, reduce heat to medium high and cook 8 mins for medium rare, turning once halfway through. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes! Make sure to let it rest to let it soak up juiciness!

Slice steak across grain and make fajitas!

Roast with Garlic Mustard Rub

Three years ago, I heard about Bonnie Stern, the Canadian cookbook author from Toronto, for the first time while enjoying an amazing butternut squash soup at Corryn's apt. The recipe made its way into my "most used recipes" every fall & I passed it on to my mom, who now makes it too.

Bonnie recently released a beautiful cookbook, "Friday Night Dinners", that has great family dinner recipes with inspirations from around the globe. With little time to cook, I keep looking at the very homey photos of the food and her family and wanting to start cooking. The perfect occasion came up last night when my parents came in from Montreal.

The recipes in the cookbook live up to the photo hype so far! I made a boneless top sirloin roast for the first time with a meat thermometer and all. It was not only unbelievably easy, it was a perfectly juicy medium rare with a crispy crust. Rave reviews from the Braude clan!
I suggest it for Friday nights or anytime you want to impress! Works great with carrots & parsnips roasted at 425 with olive oil, thyme and honey. Popovers would make a great accompaniment too...

My sister insisted on taking the rustic, non-plated photo..

Check out this link to see Bonnie live on YouTube making this rib roast on CBC tv (she used a standing rib roast, I opted for a boneless top loin)...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5vzp4toY1E. She is so cute, she reminds me of my mom and even pronounces "shallots" the same way!

Rib Roast with Garlic Mustard Rub
Serves 10

If you are using a standing rib roast, be sure to tell the butcher to cut off the chine bone to make it easy to carve between the ribs. If this means the roast won't stand up in the roasting pan, just wedge a couple of peeled onions underneath.

Use a meat thermometer to make sure the roast is cooked to medium-rare. (Don't take a chance after paying so much for such a gorgeous roast).

1/4 cup (50 mL) Dijon mustard
2 tbsp (25 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tsp (5 mL) dried
1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh thyme, or 1 tsp (5 mL) dried
1 tbsp (15 mL) kosher salt
1 tbsp (15 mL) pepper
1 6-lb (3 kg) standing rib roast, boneless rib roast or strip sirloin roast
2 shallots, thinly sliced
3/4 cup (175 mL) dry red wine
1 cup (250 mL) beef stock

In a small bowl, combine mustard, oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Smear roast all over with mustard rub. Place in a shallow roasting pan, fat side up.

Roast meat in a preheated 425 degrees F oven for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F and continue to roast for 1 1/4 to 2 hours, or until a meat thermometer reaches 130 degrees F for medium-rare. (I did a 4.25 lb boneless top loin for 5 people and it took 20 minutes at 425 and 1.5 hours at 375)

Transfer roast to a cutting board and allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving. While roast is resting, place roasting pan on stove over medium-high heat and skim off fat. Add shallots and wine and cook until reduce to 2 tbsp (25 mL). Add stock and cook until reduced to a 1/2 cup (125 mL). To carve, remove string from roast.

If using standing rib roast, cut off bones in one piece by cutting between meat and bones. Cut bones apart and serve with meat (to guests who want them the most!). Turn roast over on carving board so it is sitting boned side down and carve into slices.

Spoon juices over roast when serving. Enjoy with your family & friends