An Inspired Use of Appliques

As any parent knows, potty training is a process of hits and misses (figurative and literal), trying to find ways to get the toddler to want to use the potty. For the Bean, chocolate is the perfect reward (fyi, despite their claims, M&Ms do melt in your hand). The big hurdle was getting her to want to wear underwear.

I bought some pink absorbant underwEar from Target, but she didn't like it as much as the regular underwear that had fun characters on it. Then I got a brilliant idea: fun, iron-on appliques, so I could personalize her underwear to give her something special. It worked like a charm -- she loves them.

The fabric-based appliques worked best. I couldn't get the paint/plasticey ones to work, and the beaded flowers came off after one wash. So if you want to try this, get a few types and experiment to see what works best for you. My friend S also suggested fabric paints.

It's made a huge difference in the process and I'm starting to see the light at the end of the diaper-free tunnel.

Cornstarch is Not Baking Powder

Cornstarch is not the same as double-acting baking powder. This is a very important distinction if you're making a sour-cream based sauce on the stovetop and want to thicken it a bit. If you grab the baking powder instead of the cornstarch, you'll end up whisking something that looks like it should be served by Richard Blais on Top Chef.

For those who are unfamiliar with baking chemistry, double-acting baking powder is a chemical leavener that makes baked goods rise in two ways: it first reacts with an acid (like, say, sour cream), then it reacts to heat (like from a stovetop burner).

I keep my baking good all in the same drawer and the baking powder and cornstarch were next to each other and are both in metal cans. I accidentally grabbed the baking powder instead of the cornstarch last night when making the sauce for my crockpot dinner last night. To save a bowl, I mixed the ersatz cornstarch in the sour cream container. I realized what happened when I looked over and saw what looked like a sour cream souffle rising majestically from the white plastic.

I quickly put everything into a bigger saucepan, added the real cornstarch and whisked for my life. The bubbles did eventually go down and I think it tasted okay. It's a dish I'll make again, taking care to grab the right can.

A Twist on the Marble Cheesecake

I'm in between projects right now, trying to clean up from the holidays, recover from the double-whammy of a cold and a sinus infection, and getting into a new preschool routine with the Bean. However, I realized I never blogged about the marble cheesecake I made with that Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut spread.

I started with Gale Gand's Marble Cheesecake recipe, and substituted 6 oz. of the spread for the chocolate. It was divine. (I do have to admit it cracked more on the top than I'd like, but I think that's just a high-altitude thing or not using a water bath.) All my friends moaned with delight when they ate it, so I'm guessing they liked it, too.

And on a sewing note, I've given up on trying to sew the perfect v-neck t-shirt. In all honesty, with my lifestyle and sartorial style (is that an oxymoron?), it's much easier to buy a shirt from Old Navy, then adjust the shoulder seams so it's not so low cut.

I got Built by Wendy's book on sewing with knits on massive sale and I'm eager to see what she has to say. Maybe I'll get that dream shirt after all...

Yule Log Cake

It's been a little hectic with the holidays and 2 kids, so I haven't posted anything lately. I'll try to be better this year. Along with losing all that weight and watching less TV.

Ahem.

As I mentioned before, my mom was also famous for her Buche de Noel, or Yule Log, cake at Christmastime. I have lots of great memories of helping her decorate it with all her fancy icing decorating tips, then getting to decorate our fingers with flowers, swirls and leaves before licking the icing off. How we ever got to sleep those nights, I'll never know. Maybe we had a good crash after all that sugar.

It's a delicious recipe. It's also a little difficult to make and is best spread out over a few days. The one good thing is that it freezes very easily, so you could make it a few weeks ahead of time, wrap it, put it in the freezer, then put in the fridge the day before you serve it to thaw a bit.



Buche de Noel
10-12 servings
One of the most charming of the traditional French holiday cakes is the buche de Noel, or Christmas log. When finished, the cake looks deceptively like a log.

1 cup sifted cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Rum syrup (see below)
Mocha cram frosting (see below)
Decorative frosting

1. Line a 10 1/2 by 15 1/2-inch jelly roll pan with waxed paper.
2. Preheat oven to hot (400 deg. F.)
3. Mix the flour, salt and half the sugar. Sift together three times.
4. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Gradually beat in the remaining sugar. Fold in the vanilla and egg yolks, which have been stiffly beaten. Fold in the flour-sugar mixture, about three tablespoons at a time.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan in parallel strips running lengthwise of the pan. Spread evenly and bake until firm in the center, or about fifteen minutes.
6. Turn the cake out onto waxed paper, or a towel that has been sprinkled with confectioner's sugar. Remove the pan lining and cut off all the edges of the cake. Roll the cake as for jelly roll, without removing the paper or towel. Cool and chill briefly. (The paper or towel will be on the inside of the roll.)
7. Unroll, brush with half the rum syrup and spread with mocha cream frosting. Roll as a jelly roll, this time removing the paper or towel. Wrap in waxed paper and chill thoroughly, or until the frosting becomes firm.
8. Remove the waxed paper and cut off the ends of the cake diagonally for use as "branches."
9. Brush the outside of the cake and "branches" with the remainder of the rum syrup. Set "branches" aside. Frost cake with mocha cream, using a pastry bag and notched tube and running the strips lengthwise of the cake to give the appearance of bark.
10. Attach the "branches" to the "log" and press into the frosting. Frost with mocha cream.
11. Frost the ends of the "log" and "branches" with alternating rings of mocha cream and yellow decorative frosting, forcing both through pastry tubes. Chill the "log" until the mocha cream is firm.
12. Decorate the log as desired with flowers, "Noel", etc., using decorative frosting and forcing it through different tubes. Serve the cake promptly, storing it in a cool place until serving time so that the butter in the mocha frosting does not soften.

Rum Syrup for a Buche de Noel
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons rum

Boil the sugar and water together until syrupy, or about three minutes. Cool and add the rum.

Mocha Cream Frosting
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
2 egg yolks
1 cup soft butter
1 1/2 squares (ounces) unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 tablespoon very strong coffee
1 1/2 tablespoons rum

1. Boil together the sugar and water to 240 deg. F. (Syrup forms a soft ball in cold water).
2. Beat the egg yolks until fluffy. Add the syrup gradually, while beating, and continue beating until the mixture is cool.
3. Add the butter, bit by bit, until it has all been beaten in. Beat in the chocolate, coffee and rum.

I usually make the cake and syrup the first day, the frosting the second day and assemble, then all the decorating the third day. If you don't have 2 mixers, you can beat the egg whites first, gently transfer them to another bowl, wipe out the mixing bowl, then beat the yolks.

This year, I was lazy, so I just used sugar flowers I bought at a baking supply store (places like Michael's have them, too).





Thanks, Mom, and Happy New Year.