Wednesday March 5, 2008
Sophia Loren is the definition of class. All style and smiles and flair. And she cooks. In fact, she is recognized by the Italian government for her kitchen skills (true, we have no idea what this means exactly). Of course, this cookbook, is our Cookbook of the Week. It is full of straight forward (no BS here) Italian recipes, and some memior-esque musings. Enjoy.
Try Spaghetti con Pomodoro Crudo* (Spaghetti with uncooked tomato sauce) from "Sophia Loren Recipes & Memories" (GT Publishing).
"This is cool and refreshing, excellent for summer," says Loren. "Serve with chilled white wine."
Makes 6 servings
1-1/2 pounds spaghetti
2 pounds tomatoes, not quite ripe, chopped
1/2 pound mozzarella, thinly sliced
2 medium red or Vidalia onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup pitted Sicilian green olives, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons drained caper
1/4 cup minced Italian parsley
10 to 12 chopped fresh oregano leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly grated Parmigiano cheese (optional)
Cook the pasta until just al dente. While the pasta is cooking, place in a large serving bowl the tomatoes, mozzarella, onions, olives, capers, parsley, oregano, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour the oil over and toss gently.
When the pasta is ready, pour into a colander and quickly rinse it under cold water; drain well and add the warm spaghetti to the bowl. Toss to combine, remove the garlic if desired, and serve. Pass the cheese at the table.
Monday March 3, 2008
Wow. MSN.com just featured our Sweet and Salty Cupcakes as one of the country's best. If we do say so ourselves...it is pretty damn good. Dark Chocolate Cake. Milk Chocolate and Salted Caramel Buttercream. Fleur de Sel. Yum.
Unfortunately, we do not ship our cupcakes, but if you live in the NYC area and want to place an order, just give us a ring 48 hours prior to pick-up.
Friday February 29, 2008
Here's another behind the scenes shot from the Baked Cookbook photo shoot. What is that we are shooting, you ask? Why, it's an affogatto, a delicious espresso and ice cream drinkable dessert. It's a simple process to make one, really. Place two or three small scoops of your favorite ice cream (we think a real vanilla bean ice cream works best here) into a tumbler or tall, thin glass (just make sure you have a long spoon on hand if you go that route) and pour over freshly brewed hot espresso over said scoops. Serve immediately!
Fun Fact: did you know that affogatto means "choking" in Italian? Basically, you're drowning/choking the ice cream in espresso, hence the name.
Also, please note the perfect scoops of ice cream in the photo. Thanks to yours truly.
Wednesday February 27, 2008
This is one of those fantasy cookbooks. Luscious recipes, spot-on art direction, kissable photos. Though sweets are my first addiction, pork runs a close second, and this book -- naturally -- is our cookbook of the week. Behold the pig. The title says it all.
Tuesday February 26, 2008
Folks, some news to report on the coffee front. Our infamous barista, Ben, is leaving to pursue his high-falutin'-big-time-ain't-he-so-cool music business career. Come say goodbye to Ben on his last weekend. He will miss you all.
Friday February 22, 2008
Lucky us. We got our hands on the infamous Cooking for Cher book. It is chock full of healthy recipes to keep Cher fit on the road. It is not particularly dessert heavy, but we were inspired by the Chocolate Cake recipe. It is almost similar to a regular flourless chocolate cake 'cept for the addition of prunes. Healthy prunes. The prunes keep the cake moist and dense, but alas it is not really a great flavor booster...it has a slightly "diety" taste. Should you make it? Maybe. Maybe as a diet food or just an homage to Cher. We kind of picture her eating this backstage at Caesar Las Vegas after a particularly good show. Without further ado we present you with the photos and recipes of the cake made at Baked by Eric. Enjoy.
Cher’s Chocolate Fudge Torte (with Prunes)
1 tsp instant espresso powder
½ cup pitted prunes
¾ cup evaporated milk
1 ¼ cups cocoa powder
1 ¼ cups plus 2 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp flour
1 large egg, room temp
1 large egg yolk, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8 x 2 springform pan with vegetable oil, and place a parchment circle on the bottom.
In a small cup, dissolve the espresso in 2 tsps hot water. In a food processor, puls the prunes until pureed. Keep processor running and slowly add the espresso mixture and the evaporated milk through the feed tube. Process until smooth.
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine cocoa powder with 1 ¼ cups of the sugar and flour. Add the prune puree and stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Heat the mixture over low heat until it begins to thin and sugar is dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat to cool sligly.
In a small bowl, beat the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. When the chocolate mixture is relatively cool, whisk in the egg mixture. Set aside.
Use an electric mixture fitted with the whisk attachment and beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Beat in the 2 tablespoons of remaining sugar and beat until the whites are stiff but not dry.
Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture in two batches.
Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth to.
Set cake pan in larger baking pan and place in oven. Pour boiling water into empty baking pan to reach halfway up the sides of the pan. Bake for about 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and water bath and set aside on wire rack to cool. Wrap and refrigerate overnight before serving.
Wednesday February 20, 2008
Mo'nique has many talents. Whether it be comedienne, actress, dancer or clothing designer for the full of frame lady, she seems to perform each job with ease. Now she can add chef to her long list of achievements. After perusing her cookbook Skinny Cooks Can't Be Trusted, Mo' takes on all courses and covers all the culinary bases, from the morning after breakfast to the perfect one pot pleaser. She also peppers the book with personal stories, like how her twins were conceived at a hotel in Bel-Air.
Because of all this, and honestly so much more, this is our Cookbook of the Week.
Tuesday February 19, 2008
Cocoa just doesn't get much darker than this.
This Black Cocoa from King Arthur Flour is worth the splurge. We used it quite a bit while testing all the various desserts in our forthcoming cookbook, and we are kind of addicted to it.
Be forewarned, this cocoa powder is insanely rich and is not meant to be an equal parts substitute for your typical cocoa. Instead, substitute 1 or 2 tablespoons for regular cocoa powder in your recipes and scale it up and down as necessary.
Monday February 18, 2008
As evidenced by this photo, we are indeed open today for President's Day. As also evidenced by this photo, our employee - Agatha - could not be happier.
Friday February 15, 2008
We have had such a high volume of requests for my famous fritatta, I decided to post it. So, without further ado:
Potato, Onion, Red Pepper Fritatta
2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Crushed red pepper to taste
1 small red onion, cut into half rings
1 shallot, diced
2 roasted red peppers, roughly chopped
4 large, farm fresh eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
Freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
Turn broiler on and place shelf on lowest rack.
In a medium sized pot, boil potatoes in salted water for about 5 minutes, or
until fork tender. You want them to be only slightly underdone, as they will
finish cooking in the skillet. Drain and set aside.
In a non-stick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil with your preferred
amount of crushed red pepper. Add onion, shallot, roasted red pepper and
sautee on low heat until onions and shallot are translucent. Transfer to a
small bowl and set aside.
Add another Tablespoon of olive oil to skillet and add potatoes. Sautee for
3-5 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan and add to onion
mixture and lightly toss.
In a small bowl, beat 4 eggs, add salt and pepper to taste. Add to skillet
on low heat. Moving quickly, add potato onion pepper mixture and distribute
evenly in skillet. Add freshly grated pecorino.
Place skillet in broiler for about 5 minutes or until top of fritatta is
browned.
Remove from broiler and let sit for 5 minutes. Transfer to plate and garnish
with some more fresh pecorino.
and below, many thanks to the chickens & roosters who provided me with farm fresh eggs:
Thursday February 14, 2008
This past Tuesday, we went upstate to look at farmland. Amidst lots of red barns and rustic furniture, we met this:
Until meeting a goat, we never realized how much we needed one.
There was also the purchasing of farm fresh eggs, which promptly became a red pepper, onion and pecorino romano fritatta.
Upstate is pretty lovely, barring the drive home in the most treacherous weather ever experienced, good times were had.
And a shoutout to the Tagkanic Diner off the Taconic Parkway. The chocolate cream pie was delicious.
Wednesday February 13, 2008
Many years ago, I was in Vegas at the Liberace Museum.
The museum is in a strip mall off the Las Vegas Strip, and it is well worth your attention the next time you happen to be in Las Vegas.
Like any good museum, there is a gift shop at the end of self-guided tour, and in the gift shop is this little gem of a book, Liberace Cooks.
I didn't pick it up on that trip. Perhaps I was overwhlemed by the bling and the sparkle that is the museum. In the end, I had to call the museum months later and I ordered the book for a good friend that actually makes stuff from the book. It is, of course, our cookbook of the week.
Monday February 11, 2008
Valentine's Day is approaching. Are you prepared? We are busy making tons and tons of mini-heart cakes for the big day. They are awfully cute and delicious...moist cake, drenched in a chocolate ganache and inscribed with the classic conversation heart sayings.
Oh, and P.S.: we are still taking orders today and tomorrow.
Friday February 8, 2008
So apparently, there is a corner of Wisconsin that is chock-full of mom and pop candy/chocolate makers. Think old-school caramels with fresh Wisconsin creamery butter, homemade suckers, and some concotion called the Melty Melty or Melty Malt bar. Sign me up. I'm going to Wisconsin.
(pics from the New York Times)
Thursday February 7, 2008
Hot on Cher's stilettoed heels, we have decided to one-up the former Mrs. Bono with a cookbook of our very own. It's all still very hush-hush, but we thought we could at least share a couple of behind-the-scenes pix with you...
Above is one of our favorite pictures from the photoshoot. Our amazing photographer, Tina Rupp did a wonderful job. We still look at the contact sheets with awe. The shoot was a weeklong whirlwind of baking, decorating and setting up shots. Exciting and exhausting, all at once. Amidst all the commotion, yours truly did this with a vintage plate that belonged to the prop stylist:
Oops. I still feel guilty.
More to come in the next few months. We hope you are as excited to buy a copy as we are to sell one to you!
Wednesday February 6, 2008
Cher wrote a cookbook, or someone named Andrew Enis wrote a cookbook for Cher. It is, of course, our Cookbook Pick of the Week.
Tuesday February 5, 2008
Way back in October we went down to Orlando to hookup with Mickey and friends for the Epcot Food and Wine Festival.
We had a blast. We made (with a ton of support from the Disney kitchen staff) 1500 Peanut Butter Crispy Bars and served each with with a Malted Milk shot. This was our second time at the festival and we look forward to going again this year.
Monday February 4, 2008
We have a brand spanking new website. Hope you like it. We spent a good many hours revising the copy and designs, so let us know if you see anything unusual.
And happy belated new year to you.
Monday November 19, 2007
We had the best of intentions to get this portion of our site up and running a few months ago; however our intentions got all mucked up. Stuff happens. Sorry.
The past few months merit some mention. We think. You think?
In September, we were asked to whip up a cupcake wedding cake for
Today Show Throws a Martha Stewart Wedding. Alas, America did not choose our cupcakes, but you have to agree that they rock.
The couple was cute, Martha was amazing, Ann Curry ate our cupcakes on air (and seemed to like them). Thanks to everyone who voted.
Oh, here is the gal who did all the handiwork on the cupcakes. Thanks Kristine.
Kristine recently moved back to South Dakota and is in the process of trying to open her own bakery there. As soon as we get more info, you get more info.
Friday November 16, 2007
Howdy. Hello. Welcome to the baked blog. We hope to mesmerize you with meticulously selected food porn, educate you with our food finds, and navigate you through our beloved borough, Brooklyn.
Thanksgiving pies from baked: Autumn Apple, Pumpkin Spice and Chocolate Bourbon Pecan
Holler if you have a baking question.
