Strawberries Romanoff

Salut! 

I was perusing my cookbooks, because ya know quarantine, and came upon an intriguing and quick treat, Strawberries Romanoff. I found it funny that the instructions only made up a 1/2 page in the dessert section of the Commander's Palace Cookbook. Yet they were straight forward and easy to follow. All I needed to acquire were strawberries and some cream, I already had everything else!

Recipe calls for: 

24 Very Ripe Strawberries

2 Teaspoons Sugar

8 Scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream

2 Cups Heavy Cream, whipped

and 4 Ounces of Triple Sec/Grand Marnier

To start my Strawberries Romanoff, I cut up 20 strawberries, leaving 4 for garnish, and crushed them in the sugar with a fork. The juices soaked up the sugar creating a slight jam.

Then I added the whipped cream and ice cream, folding them all together. The Commander's Palace does have an ice cream recipe but we already had some vanilla bean in the freezer, begging to be eaten. I'll have to try making my own someday. 

Instantly the mixture resembled a soft cloud with streaks of pink and red. So pretty! *Be sure to whip your heavy cream beforehand, you want those soft peaks to form. Lastly, and most importantly, I mixed in the Triple Sec. For plating, I spooned the cream into wine glasses and garnished with my biggest strawberries! Voila!

OMG...guys...I created something....dreamy! Straight from the Commander's Palace Cookbook to my mouth! This fluffy divine creation was sweet and creamy. Each strawberry adding a tart flavor to the vanilla ice cream. The addition of Triple Sec took the dessert to another, more adult, level as well. Straying far from our usual chocolate chip cookies. I was so excited to have something new to devour, so was Craig!

Cheers to such a perfect treat!

-Bunny

Zesty Madeleines

Hey fellow quarantine people! 

After going through our kitchen and organizing a bit, I found my Madeleine pan and decided to make some yummy spongy treats! But I would need to use what I already have....which wasn't much. Fortunately we happened to have a bunch of tangerines that will make a great citrus zest!

Madeleines are pretty simple...thank goodness! I made them awhile ago but couldn't quite remember the process. You start by combining 3 eggs, 2/3 cup of sugar and tangerine zest in a bowl. You really only need 1.5 tsp of zest for the flavor to come out. But feel free to add more if you like but don't over do it LOL!

Next you whisk together the dry ingredients, 1 cup of flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt. Then combine the dry ingredients into the egg mixture and add in 6 tbsp of melted butter and voila! Your dough is complete!

One important part of making Madeleine cookies is that the dough needs to chill for at least an hour, allowing for the traditional Madeleine "hump" to form during baking. 

After chilled, add 1 tbsp of dough to each Madeleine imprint. But don't worry, the dough will spread out on its own, so no touching he he. *Be sure to coat your pan in baking spray beforehand.

Bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 8 minutes, or until edges are golden. Then once cooled, sprinkle powdered sugar and serve. These cookies are at their best on the day they are baked, but the dough may be made about 2 days ahead of time.

Jack was a little disappointed that he could not try these delicious French cookies, but he was proud of me for wrangling together ingredients to make them. He's so supportive! They were indeed yummy and spongy. Like a Twinkys classy uncle ha ha!

While mixing up these Madeleines my mind wandered to New Orleans. It could be the simplicity of the southern lifestyle or the warm feeling that catches in my chest when thinking of our trips there...it could be both. But I suddenly had a clear vision of a small two story home in the French Quarter, small balcony lined with a few Mardi Gras beads and hanging plants. A stoic cat perched on a filigreed chair, in front of green window shutters, gazing out into the world. The day starting to warm and the streets filling with visitors. Having a small shop with my art and fresh cookies, open and waiting for guests. Light reverberations of blues flowing through the walls and the distant smell of gumbo in the air. This image makes my heart so happy, someday it could be true, but back to reality I go.

 Thinking of French treats, it would be an uplifting idea for everyone to pick something they will make, once the lock downs are over. Something delicious to share, or just to celebrate the end of this surreal reality. I'm choosing beignets, I'm sure you could have guested that ha ha! Hopefully I will get to make them soon! 

Cheers!

-Bunny

Outlander: Jam Tarts

Happy Holidays! 

Christmas is here and I decided that this holiday season needed some delicious Jam Tarts and boy was I RIGHT!

This Outlander treat called for 1/2 Short Crust Pastry recipe and 1/2 cup of Fraser Strawberry Jam.

To start set the oven to 375 degrees and prepare your muffin tin. For the dough, mix together flour, sugar, salt and butter in a food processor. Pulse until you have mostly pea sized lumps. Then whisk together ice water, egg yolk and lemon juice. Add to the bowl and pulse a few more times. I eventually had to mix a little more thoroughly by hand.

Sprinkle some flour on your counter and knead the dough into a ball. Flatten with a rolling pin and roll to about 1/8 inch thick. Use a 4 inch "cookie cutter" to cut out 12 rounds. If you don't have one, I used a large mason jar. Press the pastry into each muffin tin cup and poke the bottoms three or four times with a fork. Bake for about 5 mins. Don't worry, you will be baking the pastry a bit more once the jam is added. 

The tasty Fraser jam is at the back of the Outlander Cookbook, detailing how to make and can preserves. For this strawberry jam, you will need Granny Smith apples, strawberries, lemon juice and sugar. Start by cutting the apples into 1/2 inch cubes and the strawberries into halves or quarters. 

In a pot of medium heat stir the fruit and lemon juice together. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir constantly to avoid any scorching. Next stir in the sugar until it's dissolved. The jam needs to reach about 212 degrees which takes about 15 to 25 minutes. 

It was kinda fun making a fruit compote, I always see chefs turn to this 'filling' solution on the Food Network and they make it look effortless. Turns out it is pretty easy and quick to create. I'll definitely have to make it again. My mom kept wanting to add in a thickener and I had to convince her that I needed to follow Theresa Carle-Sanders recipe exactly. It was pretty funny!

Hindsight, I should have cut the apples a bit smaller but their size did not take away from the old-fashioned compote-style jam. It was just a bit chunkier and there's nothing wrong with that he he! 

Now you're ready to create your tarts. Fill each cup with about 1 teaspoons of jam (I was a bit heavy handed) and return them to the oven. Bake until the jam bubbles and the pastry is golden. This took about 15 minutes. 

Gently remove the tarts from the muffin tin and set on a cooling rack. The recipe says to let them cool completely and they were right LOL! I didn't want to wait and tried to eat one a bit early. I topped a few tarts with a strawberry slice and plated them. Voila! Outlander Jam Tarts! Thanks Theresa! 

These lovely creations were both savory and sweet. I couldn't get enough and my whole family really enjoyed them. Craig described these as tasting like the original strawberry pop tarts of his youth and he's not wrong!

Thanks for readin!

Cheers, Bun

Cookie-dough Bites!

Hello Lovelies! 

I wanted to share one of my favorite Sakara treats! Cookie Dough Bites. These little morsels are packed full of flavor and really bring a smile to my day.

To start take a 1/2 cup of almond butter mixed into 1/4 cup of maple syrup and vanilla until smooth. 

In another bowl mix together the dry ingredients: 1/4 cup of coconut flower, 3 tablespoons of flax-seed meal and salt. Then mix the wet and dry ingredients together and fold the cacao nibs in. Once mixed properly roll the dough into 1 inch balls and set aside. 

Mix together shredded coconut and hemp seeds that will be used to roll the dough balls in. Feel free to pick any type of  topping but the coconut is yummy. After rolling your bites into the mix refrigerate the bites for about 30 mins, before serving. 

These bites are pretty simple and much more of an almond bite than traditional cookie dough. However, I really love them and don't feel guilty for scarfing them down. Plus they definitely have more protein and less artificial ingredients.

Thanks for readin!

-Bunny

Turmeric + Meyer Lemon Squares

Hey there! 

This weekend I made some yummy lemon squares from the Sakara cookbook. I was really eager to try these vegan squares because they incorporate turmeric. Plus lemon bars are one of my favorite sweet treats!

First I created the crust from almond meal, tapioca flour, coconut oil and maple syrup. This part was super quick and simple. I was surprised! Just whisk together the almond meal and flour, then stir in the syrup and oil. Press the mixture into a parchment lined pan and bake for about 15 minutes. 

While the crust was baking, I created the yummy lemon filling. I whisked together lemon juice and cornstarch in a medium pot until smooth then added the remaining ingredients (minus the lemon slices). For the turmeric you only use 1/2 teaspoon which was just enough of a kick. Keeping the filling on medium heat and stirring frequently it tuned a deep yellow color and started to thicken up. It took about 8 to 10 minutes. 

I removed the filling from the heat and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Then poured the filling into the crust and placed it in the fridge for a few hours. 

It seemed like forever but once the squares were finally firm I carefully lifted them out of their tin and cut them into squares. I topped each square off with a lemon slice and voila, perfection! To be truthful, I was eager to try these but skeptical. I knew they would not be the powder-sugar covered desserts I have come to know. 

Instead these were much more...real and I came to love them. I could taste the lemon, hint of turmeric and maple. The crust was wonderful with the filing, really grounding all that lemon goodness! 

I always ask Craig what his take-away is and I totally agreed. They are refreshingly tart and sweet with a savory crunch he he! I'll definitely have to make them again and share the recipe. Thanks for readin! 
Cheers!
-Bunny

Seven Stills & Stanford Court Hotel Review

Hi there, 

Well if you know Craig and I at all, you know we love a good hotel and brewery! So why not try out the newest one on the block. Seven Stills Brewery popped up in San Francisco starting with a small brewery and growing to gain a partnership with Stanford Court Hotel on Nob Hill. 

The Stanford Hotel on Nob Hill was contained in an older tall building but as soon as we walked into the lobby we were hit with modern style and an open floor plan. Around the circumference of the lobby were horses painted like they were just running around the expanse and to the right a blue tinted reading area. 

Straight ahead was the Seven Still Bar/Lounge, which greeted us with wonderful aromas.

After a quick check in we went into the old green elevator and went up to the 8th floor. I really loved how the hotel was completed...there were modern flares but with old fixtures and sconces. It really made for an interesting hotel.

 

Immediately walking into our room it was so spacious I was surprised...very minimalist that it seemed European looking. Instead of a closet they had a kind of rolling cart that was stationary to hang up your jackets and put your shoes. Such a neat idea that I hadn't seen in any American hotels yet. The bathroom was gorgeous...I'm always a sucker for a marble bathroom! Also, they actually had a tub which was a plus. Another more European feature was the heated towel rack! The last time I saw one of those, was in Ireland!

The furniture and interior design that they had up we're all based out of San Francisco and you could tell that they tried to keep things pretty local. They had complimentary water which I rarely ever see and on the desk there was a paper mat that showed all the different events going on during the month. Perfect for a guest visiting the city for the first time.

Once settled we made our way back down the long hallway into the old elevator to check out the Seven Stills eating area. The space was open and very relaxed looking. Everything on the menu had a bit of a twist to it and nothing was boring looking. Craig went for one of their craft beers which smelled fruity but didn't taste that way, which was a surprise to him! The beer was delicious and so different from what he was used to.

We ordered a light dinner...some chicken wings, salad and some brussel sprouts. The wings were good (according to Craig) but messy he he. I expected the salad and sprouts to be a bit more decadent but they were a little basic. But that's alright...I had my eye on their dessert menu. Seven Still had the most delicious looking triple chocolate mousse. This masterpieces had a dark chocolate layer, white chocolate layer, dark chocolate layer and an oreo cookie crust on the bottom. Plus chocolate flakes on top and yummy raspberry sauce on the side. Needless to say I ate the whole damn thing. No regrets!

Craig tried a beer float which to our surprise was actually kind of gross tasting...sorry Seven Stills and I've never seen Craig not finish a drink or a dessert but he couldn't do it. Something about their signature Chocasmoke whiskey with their ice cream just did not quite mix well. I gave it a sip to and did not enjoy it at all. I'm not that into bitter food but it wasn't just bitter. It was earthy and a bit like a bad version of those round barrel root beer candies. Craig kindly ordered a whiskey to cut the taste he he! 

The rest of our night was lovely but I have to mention one thing...the bed wasn't the best. From the hotels vibe I expected to melt into the mattress and never want to leave but that wasn't the case. The frame creaked a lot and definitely distracted from certain things...LOL! We also noticed that they offered different pillows to try, since Craig sleeps with a memory foam pillow at home he asked to try the service. But no one ever showed up :(

The next day we headed to the Seven Still Brewery a short distance from Nob Hill. 

There we enjoyed a tour and whiskey tasting. I don't want to give too much away but it was such a nice experience. Staff were friendly and eager to teach us about their work. Each whiskey was so original, being that they were all small batch. Craig's favorite was the Four Legs Good.

The brewery held a chill vibe with a hint of humor all mixed with serious brewing magic! We would totally recommend a visit. This place is gonna get big!

Thanks for reading my review. 

Cheer, Bunny