Gluhwein- a German Christmas tradition

When I was a junior in high school, my family hosted an exchange student from Germany for the whole year.  It was an amazing experience and now, ten years later, we still keep in touch and I still call him my German big brother. :)  One year at Christmas, my mom and sister and I went to visit his family in Dortmund, which is in western Germany near Dusseldorf.  The following year happened to be the year I was in France for my semester abroad, so I visited them on my own that year around the same time.  Anyway, every December in Dortmund they have a Weinachtsmarkt (Christmas market) which is like a little Christmas village where they have lights, trees, craft-type vendors, and (best of all!) food/drink.  The best part is Gluhwein, which they sell in these cute little mugs that you get to keep (they have a different one each year, so I have 2!).

My Gluhweintassen collection. :)

Gluhwein is red wine, served hot, mulled with spices and with a little brandy for an added kick.  Even if you have a high alcohol tolerance, I would not suggest drinking it when you have plans to be going somewhere because it packs quite a punch.  I modified this recipe from allrecipes.com and I made a half recipe since there were only 4 of us.  Here is my spin on it (I'll give the whole recipe version):

2 oranges
2 bottles red wine
1 bottle white wine
1 piece of ginger (3"), peeled and thinly sliced
3 cinnamon sticks
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 cup brown sugar, or to taste
1.4 cup brandy

1) Use a paring knife or vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the oranges in strips.  Remove only the orange part; leave the white rind part.  Juice the oranges and pour juice into a heavy-bottomed pot, over medium-high heat.

2) Pour red and white wine into the pot with the orange juice.  Add cinnamon, cloves, ginger, orange zest peels, and brown sugar to the mixture.  Stir to dissolve sugar.  Heat until mixture is heated through, but not boiling, then reduce heat to low/simmer.

3) Simmer for at least an hour over low heat.  Just before serving, stir in brandy.  Strain into mugs and serve hot.

Didn't get a picture until all but half a mug was gone!

Here are my notes for this recipe:

- The only real challenge in this recipe for me was peeling just the orange part from the oranges.  Inevitably, most of my strips had a little bit of the white stuff.  There's probably some new-fangled tool they make for this purpose that I don't have. :-P

- I added a lot more brown sugar than was suggested, probably because they red wine I used was a shiraz, which is fairly dry.  I can't tell you exactly how much I used since I really just keep dumping it in, but I can tell you it was well over the 1/3 cup, and remember I only made a half recipe!  You really do just have to keep tasting it to see if you want to add more sugar and, of course, it will depend on the wine you use.

- Half of this recipe made enough for 4 1/2 mugs.  If this is your first experience with Gluhwein, I would try the half recipe first (unless you have a lot more people to serve than I did), because you may not be able to handle more than one mug!

Well, I hope you all enjoyed our journey to Germany!  Happy New Year!

Chocolate Peppermint Macarons

Yes, I survived the macarons.  Minor disasters with both the egg whites and the dry ingredients, but we'll get to that later.  First, let's start with the recipe.  I used this one from Martha Stewart (slightly modified) because people seemed to have good success with it.  I also used her chocolate ganache recipe for the filling.  The changes I made to the recipe were tips that I found while researching on the internet.  The recipe says it makes 35, but I only made a half recipe since this was my first time.  I ended up with 23 shells, so 11 macarons and one extra shell (which went happily into my tummy!).

For the peppermint shells:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
3/4 cup almond flour
2 large egg whites, room temperature
Pinch of cream of tartar
1/4 cup superfine sugar
A few drops of peppermint oil

1) Pulse almond flour and confectioner's sugar in food processor until mixed.  Sift mixture 2 times.

2) Whisk egg whites on medium speed until foamy, then add cream of tartar.  Whisk until soft peaks form.  Reduce speed to low and add superfine sugar.  Increase to high speed and whisk until stiff peaks form (about 8 minutes).  Sift flour mixture over whites and fold into whites until mixture is smooth and shiny and add a few drops of peppermint oil towards the end of your folding. (I read somewhere that the batter should now be the consistency of "magma"... whatever that means. :-P)

3) Transfer batter to a pastry bag with a plain round tip and pipe 3/4"-1" rounds on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, about 1" apart.  Don't form peaks when piping, but rather make a smooth surface.  If you get peaks, you can smooth them out with a wet fingertip.  Tap the bottom of the cookie sheet several times (either with a knife or on the counter) to release air from batter.  Let the cookies sit for 30 minutes to an hour, until the tops are dry.  Preheat the oven to 375 after they've been sitting for about a half hour, then when you're ready to put them in, decrease the temperature to 325 (do this between each batch, too).  Bake for about 10 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through, until cookies can be easily slid off the parchment paper.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

For the chocolate ganache filling:
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 1/2 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped (I used semisweet baking chocolate)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

1) Bring the heavy cream to boil in a saucepan.  Pour over chocolate in a heatproof bowl.  Make sure all of the chocolate is submerged in the cream and let sit 2 minutes.  Add butter and whisk until smooth.  Allow to cool before using.

2) Pairing up similarly shaped and sized macarons, sandwich about 1 teaspoon of ganache with 2 shells.  Place cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator and allow to sit for at least 24 hours before serving.

Shells cooling.  Not bad feet for my first time!

After filling.  (The ones in the background aren't filled yet)

So, my first major problem was that I used almond meal, which isn't fine enough.  I found it at Trader Joe's and it was pretty inexpensive, so I decided to try it because I thought I remembered something I read saying that you could use almond flour OR meal, but that was obviously wrong.  Not all of the particles in the almond meal would go through the sifter, and some of it sort of bonded with the confectioner's sugar, so that was a challenge.  Next time I'm just going with the almond flour.  I've actually read that some people make their own almond flour using slivered almonds, but this seems like too much of a hassle to me.

The next problem came when I was whisking the whites.  I read that egg whites from a carton work just as well, and I figured I'd try that since I hate to waste yolks.  I'm not sure that it was entirely the carton whites' fault, but after I added the superfine sugar, they just went limp.  I started over, using a real egg white this time, and it turned out perfectly.  Fortunately, my mom has uses for yolks that she's going to show me. :)

After that, I didn't have too many issues.  I would suggest, however, giving the ganache a little time to thicken before filling the macarons; I was impatient and it was still a little hard to work with.  Here are some of the tips that I used from my vast internet research:

- Waiting to put them in the oven is really important for getting the "feet" (the rough-looking part on the bottom of each cookie).  You can tell when they're ready by lightly touching the top of one with your finger and if it's dry, not sticky, they're ready.

- Letting them "mature" in the fridge for at least 24 hours is also very important.  I know that Martha's recipe says to serve immediately, but every other article I read about macarons said that they need at least a day before they should be eaten.  I did eat one of them right after it was filled due to structural issues (:-P), and the texture was definitely off, so I'm hoping that the day they spend sitting will improve that.

- Beware of under- or over-folding.  I think it's hard to know when you've done enough folding and I hope that that will get easier as I get more experienced with them.  I've read that you need to do between 50 and 65 foldings and I've read that you should do it until the batter is a "magma" consistency and I've read really vague directions that basically said my psychic voodoo powers would let me know when I've folded enough.  *shrug*

- When piping, size matters.  The rounds should be a little bigger than a quarter.  One tip that I read seemed to work- draw 1-inch circles on the parchment paper to guide you and then flip it over so you don't get ink on your macarons.  I really just used them as a guide, but I think it helped.

Well, I hope that if you decide to try this recipe, you don't run into the issues I did!  I really can't wait to try them again, now that I've learned some important lessons from my first try and can tweak my procedures a bit.  If you have macaron stories, tips, or experiences, please share!

See you tomorrow for some New Year's treats!

A little French cuisine...

As you may have already guessed from the title of my blog, I'm a bit of a French geek.  During my semester abroad in France in college,  learned a little cooking and baking in addition to increasing my language skills.  Probably my favorite thing that I learned to make is crêpes.  In case you haven't heard of them, crêpes are basically the French version of pancakes, but they're much thinner.  Last year for Christmas I asked for a crêpe pan and I got it, so on Christmas morning I made crêpes for my whole family and they loved it so much that I did it again this year!

For the recipe, I use this one from allrecipes, but I modify it a bit...

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
(sometimes I add a few shakes of cinnamon if I feel like it, but I didn't this time)

1) Melt the butter first so that it had time to cool off a bit before being put in with the cold eggs and milk (if the temperature difference is too big, you'll get a weird texture).  Whisk the eggs and milk together, then add the vanilla and sugar.  Whisk the melted butter in last.

2) Stir in the flour, salt, and baking soda.  The batter will be more runny than pancake batter- that's okay!

3) Heat a crêpe pan (or griddle) over medium heat with a tiny bit of oil, until the pan is evenly heated.  Pour about a 1/3 to 1/2 cup batter into the middle of the pan and tip the pan around to spread the batter evenly.  Cook until the edges get crisp-looking and start to peel up from the pan, then flip and cook for a minute on the other side.

4) Fill crêpes with whatever you want: Nutella and bananas, jam, powdered sugar, and applesauce are some good ideas!

Here are some of my best crêpe hints:

- Your first crêpe will not turn out pretty and perfect.  I've been making them for a while and I'm still never satisfied with the way the first one of a batch turns out.  The first couple crêpes exist to get the pan to the right temperature and greased-ness so that the rest of the crêpes will turn out beautiful.  Don't get me wrong; the first few will still taste delicious, they just might be too thick or (as mine often end up) broken into multiple pieces. :-P

- Also, that thing about the edges getting crispy and peeling up from the pan usually doesn't happen for the first couple crêpes, so until it does happen, just try to use your best judgement on when to flip.  If the bottom isn't golden brown enough, you can always turn it back over. :)

- The measurement for how much batter to use per crêpe will vary based on the pan you're using.  For mine, about 1/2 cup works best for spreading across the pan and making nice, thin crêpes.  Just keep trying difference amounts until you find the right one for your pan- it will be worth it!

- If you have a crêpe pan, don't EVER wash it.  I'm so serious.  After it cools, you can wipe it down with a paper towel.  If you must use water on it (which you really shouldn't have to), make sure to dry it off immediately.  They will rust and get ruined if you have water in them for too long. :-\

Anyway, unfortunately, my family loved the crêpes so much that I didn't even get a chance to take a picture of them!  Boo.  Well, I will be back later this week with baking/cooking for New Year's Eve/ New Year's Day! Merry Christmas!! :)

Not quite a huge baking feat, but I needed something to post! :-P

I am ashamed.  I will admit to you up front that the cupcakes that I made today were... (*gasp!*) made from a mix.  Hence my shame.  But my mom wanted me to use a mix she had in the cupboard, so I obliged.  The frosting is homemade vanilla buttercream, though. :)

I was also intrigued because it was a strawberry cake mix.  Didn't sound particularly appealing to me, but it was actually not bad.  Also, and more importantly, this gave me a chance to work on my piping skills.  YAY!

Piping didn't go as well as last time, actually.  After I frosted the first few, it was clear that the frosting was not thick enough because it wasn't holding the piping shape.  So I squeezed all of the frosting out of the bag, doctored it a bit, and then it worked fine.  The first time I piped (see previous entry), I didn't have this issue, but that was probably just beginner's luck, I think. :)  Anyway, I topped off these cupcakes with some of those wonderfully sugary cake decorations that melt in your mouth (yes, I'm a sugar-holic) in the shape of Christmas tree ornaments and presents.

So, I know what you're thinking... first this slacker doesn't post for over ten days and now she half-asses a post with cupcakes made from a (*gasp!*) MIX?!  Well, fear not, for I have been using this time wisely to plot some pretty delicious things for Christmas/New Year's.  My next posts will include incredibly easy to make baked brie (a recipe stolen from one of my TA buddies :)) and... drumroll please... are you ready for this?  Macarons.  No, not icky coconuty American macaroons.  Wonderfully light, melt-in-your-mouth, feels like you're eating a freaking cloud, FRENCH macarons.  You know... Pierre Hermé and Ladureé?  Well, if you're not sure what I'm talking about, Wikipedia knows everything.  I can't tell you how ridiculously excited I am about this.  For a long time I've been scared to even try them because I hear that they're pretty tricky, but I looked at myself in the mirror and said, "Robyn!  What would Rachael Ray do?  She wouldn't back down from the challenge!"  So lately I've become obsessed with making macarons and I've been scouring the internet for expert tips on how to not suck at making them.  My goal is to get enough experience that I can make them for my class next semester (if they're good... the class, not the macarons :-P) and to get to the point where I can make up all sorts of crazy macaron flavors of my own!  This is the source of my extreme excitement.

Anyway, there's the preview of what's coming up soon.  If you have any holiday recipe suggestions, please let me know!

A new adventure in baking!

I've been wanting to start a blog for a while now.  My only dilemma was whether to write about baking/cooking or teaching/graduate school.  I decided to go with baking since a blog about teaching would probably end up being a lot of venting and I prefer to focus on positive aspects of life!  Also, I was inspired by my bestie, AJ, who recently started her own baking blog for the advent season (BTW, you should follow her journey here!).

Before we start with the yummyness, here are a few things you should know about me, dear readers:

- I'll post as often as I can because I love to bake/cook and sharing my experiences with others is fun.  However, I am a grad student, so there will be times when I can't post as often as I'd like.  I will try to aim for at least every other day, but please forgive me if I get a bit behind!  Fortunately, I am on break for the next 4 weeks, so I should have plenty of time to document my Christmas baking adventures. :)

- I am, at least in the kitchen, the very definition of an amateur.  I started baking on my own a few years ago and don't have any formal training; I'm mostly self-taught with a lot of help from my mom.  I'm messy, I make a lot of mistakes, and I don't always follow recipes exactly.  Sometimes it works out okay, sometimes it doesn't.  I think that's part of the fun. :)

- I love sprinkles!  They're colorful and shiny.  I also like cake more than is healthy.

Anyway, on to my post of the day... today I decided to fancy up my baking by using a piping bag to frost the cupcakes I made for a get together with some friends tomorrow.  I also tried homemade funfetti cupcakes for the first time (super easy- all you do is add sprinkles to the batter of your favorite white or yellow cake recipe).  Here is the result (unfortunately you'll have to settle for pictures from my phone for now, since my camera's UBS cord is MIA):

Told you I like sprinkles.

So, I could have made it prettier, but not bad for the first time, I say!  The piping bag was a little difficult to work with at first, but you get the hang of it.

Well, that's it for this post, kiddies.  Until next time!