How you doin’? St. Louis is Missouri's second-largest city and is known for its beer, baseball and The Blues hockey team, the Arch, the Mississippi River, the zoo and Ooey-Gooey Butter Cakes all in the center of the country. I’ve only been there a few times on client business and I’m sure there is much more than that—butter cake should be enough. If anyone can help me out, let me know what I’m missing.
 
I’ve been told that in St. Louis Ooey-Gooey Butter Cakes are more than just a favorite dessert but an essential part of growing up. At first glance it’s just another slice of yellow cake. However, one taste will tell you it is really special—sweet, sticky with contrasting textures: a dense, cookie-like crust, and a sweet, gooey filling reminiscent of a vanilla custard. Nothing too complicated… just flour, sugar, butter, eggs and corn syrup, yet it’s immediately satisfying and luxurious to eat. It’s chewy, rich and creamy… almost like a vanilla pudding that’s been nestled into a blondie.
 
You can find commercially made Ooey-Gooey Butter Cakes in most St. Louis grocery stores, bakeries, and restaurants, but homemade is so much better. Where did Ooey-Gooey Butter Cakes originally come from? Judy Evans, former Food Editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, says that the origins of the cake are shrouded in myth. Like so many great things it may have been the result of a happy accident. Maybe a baker was making a butter cake and messed up the proportions and voilà!... the ooey gooey butter cake was born. Another story is that this cake just started showing up in the early 1940s.
 
Prep time: 20 minutes
Proof time: 2 hours
Bake time: 25-30 minutes
Cool time: 20 minutes
Yield:  16 servings
 
Ingredients 
For the cake
1/4 cup whole milk
1 package active dry yeast (2-1/4 teaspoons)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons additional soft unsalted butter for prepping the pans
 
For the filling
1-1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1-1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1 cup cake flour
 
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar for dusting the cake
 
Directions
To make the cake

1. Place the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat for about 1 minute, or in the microwave on low power for about 45 seconds; heat until the milk is 100° F. Do not overheat or the yeast will be killed.
2. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and stir to dissolve; set aside.
3. Place the butter, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
5. Add the flour alternately with the yeast and milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. When all the flour has been added, blend on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic; about 5 minutes.
6. Lightly rub butter into the bottom of two 8-inch square pans.
7. Divide the dough in half and press one half into the bottom of each pan.
8. Cover each pan loosely with plastic wrap, and place in a warm place to rise until nearly doubled, about 2 hours.
9. When the dough has nearly finished rising, make the filling.

To make the filling

1. Place the butter, sugar, salt and corn syrup in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy; about 3 minutes.
2. Scrape down the bowl and add the vanilla and 1 egg. Beat on medium speed until combined, then add the second egg.
3. Add the milk and half the flour, beating until combined. Add the rest of the flour and beat until smooth: set aside.
4. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F.
5. Pour the filling over the rising dough, dividing it evenly between the 2 pans, and spread it to the edges. Place the pans in the oven.
6. Bake the cakes until the tops are golden brown; 25 to 30 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven, and let the cakes cool for 20 minutes. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, slice, and serve warm.

ChefSecret:  Cake flour is a low protein flour that’s milled into a fine consistency. It contains about 7-9% protein, while all-purpose flour, a harder flour, has anywhere between 10-12% protein. What does this mean for baking? The protein content is directly related to gluten formation. Cake flour’s lower protein means less gluten is formed as you mix the batter together. Less gluten formation means a softer, fluffier texture.
Don’t have any handy?  You can make your own cake flour.

• Measure 1 cup all-purpose flour. Remove 2 tablespoons.
• Add 2 tablespoons cornstarch to the flour. Cornstarch contains less gluten than flour, so it’s a wonderful tenderizing ingredient to help make cake flour.
• Sift the flour mixture into a mixing bowl once. Then run it through the sifter one more time. Sifting not only mixes the two ingredients together appropriately, but it also aerates the mixture so the consistency is similar to real cake flour.
• Sometimes sifting can produce more volume since it’s adding air.

Quip of the Day: “My friend hurt his foot walking around a St. Louis landmark...
it was the Arch.”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide .
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America. 

#Desserts #Snacks #Baking #Butter #OoeyGooeyButterCake #StLouis #Arch #JudyEvans #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                               ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022

​How you doin’? For my generation there were lots of wonderful memories with some of mom’s or grandmother’s cooking—today’s kids may not have the same recollections. If you have a family favorite you might want to document now so it can live on as a family legacy to share with your current and future mini me’s.
 
When I think back to my childhood most of the great baking came from my Aunt Esther and I have shared several recipes of hers with you on this blog. And then there was the yeasty waffle recipe from Aunt Waffle (actually, Aunt Ethel). My mother’s recipe… not so much. I once featured on one of my restaurant menus, “Apple Pie like mom used to make $2.95; Apple Pie like mom thought she made $5.95.” That being the case, I have a fascination with other moms’ great recipes.
 
I recently read in Allrecipes that James Beard shared his mother's recipe for shortcake with a friend.  James Beard claimed that his mother’s secret ingredient in baking her shortcake was finely crumbled hard-boiled egg yolks, which enrich the dough without toughening it. Even before Beard was the famous award-winning James Beard who wrote 20 cookbooks, hosted cooking shows and changed the game of modern cuisine, his mom was whipping up one seriously delicious—yet delightfully strange—shortcake recipe. Thanks mom!
 
When I was in Melbourne several years ago, I worked with an old-world German pastry chef and he, too, used finely crumbled hard-boiled egg yolks, which enriched the dough without toughening it contributing to the baked cakes' perfectly tender crumb. The technique has also appeared in recipes from The Great British Bake Off in 2018. What I found out is that this method is common in Northern European baking, where savvy bakers discovered that the small egg yolk bits prevent too much gluten from forming in the dough, keeping the baked goods (like shortcakes) ultra-tender.
 
The next time you’re in the produce section of your local supermarket and see all those beautiful, aroma-blessed fresh strawberries, pick up a couple of baskets (or flats) and then walk right by the packaged, convenience spongy bun shortcakes and go home to make your own home-baked shortcake pastry following the recipe below.
 
Prep time:  30-40 minutes
Bake time:  15 minutes             
Yield:  6 Servings
 
Ingredients 
For the shortcake pastry
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling
1 tablespoon, plus 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
2 hard-boiled egg yolks, pushed through a small mesh sieve
3/4 cup heavy cream, chilled
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
 
For the strawberry topping
3 pints fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, and halved
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon orange liqueur
 
For the whipped cream topping
1 cup chilled heavy cream
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
mint sprig (garnish)
 
Directions
To make the shortcake pastry

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour and all of the baking powder.
2. Mix in 1/4 cup of the sugar and the salt.
3. Add the chilled butter cubes and using your fingertips, work the butter into the flour mixture until it has the consistency of coarse crumbs.
4. Stir in the sieved hard-boiled egg yolks.
5. Slowly add the cream and almond extract in small increments, blending into the mixture until absorbed before adding more; gently mix until the dough just comes together. Do not overwork the dough.
6. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and gently knead into a smooth ball (about two or three turns). Gently pat down the dough to make a flat 1-inch-thick slab.
7. Using a lightly floured 2 1/2-inch-round biscuit cutter, cut straight down to create 6 shortcakes.
8. Place the shortcakes on a plate lined with waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
9. Preheat an oven to 450°F.
10. Just before baking brush the tops of each shortcake with melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining sugar.
11. Transfer the chilled shortcakes to a parchment-lined sheet pan.
12. Bake on the center rack of the oven until golden and firm to the touch, about 15 minutes.
13. Remove from the oven and let cool.

To make the strawberry filling

1. While the shortcakes cool, prepare the fruit filling and whipped cream.
2. Place the strawberries in a large bowl, gently fold in the sugar and orange liqueur and let sit until macerated (make soft by soaking in the liquid).

To make the whipped cream topping

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the chilled heavy cream on low and gradually increase speed until it begins to thicken.
2. Reduce speed, add sugar and the vanilla extract and begin to slowly increase the speed until the whipped cream is thickened, about 4 minutes.

To assembly the strawberry shortcakes

1. Using a fork or serrated knife, split the shortcakes in half horizontally. Place the bottom halves on plates and generously spoon the macerated strawberries and juices over them.
2. Top with a heaping dollop of whipped cream. Top with the other half of each shortcake and more whipped cream. Garnish with fresh mint.
3. Serve immediately.

ChefSecrets:  The secret to tender shortcakes is to not overwork the dough.

Quip of the Day: “Why were the little strawberries so upset? Because their parents were in a jam!”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America. 

#Desserts #StrawberryShortcake #Strawberries #EggYolks #JamesBeard #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup
​
                                           ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022

How you doin’? Sock it to me! The phrase itself has quite a history. It was first popularized in Aretha Franklin’s 1967 version of the song “Respect,” an Otis Redding original. In 1968, the phrase was made even more popular when it was used in NBC’s Rowan & Martin’s reoccurring sketch comedy show, Laugh-In. And it was made even more famous when Rowan & Martin got President Richard Nixon to recite that line in his own inimitable style.
 
Later, in the 1970s, Duncan Hines added a recipe for Sock-It-To-Me Bundt Cake on the back of its Classic Butter Golden Cake Mix box and the recipe has since become a Southern dessert staple (sometimes known as Tunnel Cake).
 
If you haven’t baked a Sock-It-To-Me Cake before then you’re definitely missing out! This moist, tender cake has a ribbon of brown sugar, pecan and cinnamon streusel in the middle that is to die for and a sugar-almond glaze on top that ties it all together perfectly. Think of it like the best Southern butter cake with a surprise filling. It’s so easy to make and it is beyond delicious!
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Bake time:  60 to 75 minutes
Yield:  12 servings
 
Ingredients 
For the cake batter
Non-stick baking spray (I prefer Pam)
3 cups cake flour sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
2-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange zest (optional—see ChefSecrets)
 
For the pecan filling
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
 
For the cake glaze
1-1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 325⁰ F
2. Liberally spray a 10 to 12 cup Bundt (or Angel Food cake) pan with non-stick baking spray.
3. Whisk or sift the flour, salt and baking soda together and set aside.
4. Using your fingers mix the filling ingredients and set aside. It will look light small clumps of sand.
5. In a bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar and whip for 3-4 minutes on high speed until very pale yellow and fluffy.
6. Add the eggs, one at a time, combining well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed.
7. Turn the mixer down to its lowest speed, and slowly add flour mixture into the butter/sugar mixture in two increments. Do not to overbeat.
8. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract, scrape down sides again and mix until just combined; turn off mixer.
9. Pour 2/3 of the batter into the prepared Bundt pan.
10. Evenly deposit the filling over the batter as close to the center as possible.
11. Top with the remaining cake batter over the top and smooth off the top.
12. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Be patient.
13. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes then invert cake on serving plate for at least an hour or until the cake is cool to touch.
14. Whisk together confectioner’s sugar, milk and almond extract to form a glaze, drizzle over the cake. Add a little more milk, one teaspoon at a time if the glaze is too thick.
15. Serve and sock-it-to-them!

ChefSecrets: 

• It’s best to use a simple designed Bundt pan and really spray the inside of the Bundt pan well to make sure the cake doesn't stick. For the cover shot, I forgot to bring home a Bundt pan and just used an angel food cake pan with a removable bottom.
• To really Sock It To ‘Em, try adding 2 Tablespoons of fresh Orange Zest to the cake batter.
• Just a few seconds in the microwave or a few minutes in the toaster oven with a little butter, refreshes the cake if a few days old... if it lasts that long!

Quip of the Day: “Learn to cook and bake well now—you can’t build a reputation on what you say you’re going to cook, plus you can often eat your mistakes while practicing!
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America or to relief efforts in Ukraine.
​
#Desserts #Baking #Cake #SockItToMeCake #LaughIn #Rowan&Martin #Snack #Pecans #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup
                                        ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022

How you doin’? Here are a pair of recipes designed to win the heart of your favorite Valentine again (or maybe just for the first time). Many people are playing it safe and making their Valentine dinner at home again this year. We have been hearing more about people loving couple’s cooking where both people take a part in making dinner. What could be more fun that having a blast cooking together?! Here are two great Creme Brûlée recipes that are pretty failure-proof to make and bring a little more love to your favorite lover’s holiday.
 
Where did creme brûlée originate? Well, as usual it isn’t an easy timeline to figure out.  France, England and Spain all lay claim to be the country where crème brûlée had its debut. The first printed recipe for a dessert called crème brûlée is from the 1691 edition of the French cookbook Le Cuisinier Royal et Bourgeois by Francois Massialot, a chef at the Palace of Versailles. Some of the confusion maybe in the different names countries placed on similar dishes. Crème brûlée may also be known as burnt cream or trinity cream and are virtually identical to the original crema Catalana. They are all desserts consisting of a rich custard base topped with a layer of hardened caramelized sugar.
 
For a different presentation you can turn the ramekin out and serve the custard with shards of sugar over mangos sprinkled with rum or strawberries with Grand Marnier.
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  30 minutes
Set & cool time:  2 hours
Yield:  6 servings
 
Ingredients 
6 large egg yolks
6 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond or orange extract
2-1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 300⁰ F.
2. Fill a roasting pan about half full of water and place in the oven.
3. Butter 6 oven-safe ramekins.
4. Beat the egg yolks with 4 tablespoons of the granulated sugar and the vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until thick and creamy, about 5-minutes.
5. Pour the cream into a saucepan and stir over low heat until it almost comes to boil.
6.  Remove the cream from heat immediately; cool slightly so as not to scramble the eggs in the next step.
7. Stir a little of the warm cream into the egg yolk mixture; add a little more and stir well, and then add the rest. Beat until well combined.
8. Simmer water in the bottom of a double-boiler. Pour the combined cream mixture into the top of the double boiler and stir until mixture lightly coats the back of a spoon, about 3 to 5 minutes.
9. Remove the mixture from the heat immediately and pour into the prepared ramekins.
10. Carefully place the ramekins into the water bath and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
11.  Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.
12. Cool the custards for an hour and then refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
13. When ready to serve, preheat an oven to Broil on High.
14. In a mixing small bowl combine remaining 2 tablespoons of white sugar and the brown sugar.
15. Sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over custards.
16. Place the sugar-topped dishes under the broiler until the sugar melts, about 2 minutes. Watch carefully so as not to burn the sugar (see ChefSecret for more information).
17. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
18. Refrigerate until custard is set again and the sugar has crisped.

 
Cheater Vanilla Creme Brûlée
 
This recipe is for those who don’t want to go the trouble of making their own custard—not that it’s all that hard. The secret ingredient in this recipe is to substitute vanilla ice cream instead of all the other ingredients required up above. My smooth, creamy, restaurant-quality creme brûlée only requires 3 ingredients! By the way, I even use melted vanilla ice cream for a great crème anglaise when I am pinched for time.
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  40 to 50 minutes
Set & cool time:  2 hours
Yield:  2 servings
 
Ingredients 
1 cup high-quality vanilla ice cream
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 325°F.
2. Fill a small roasting pan about half full of water and place in the oven.
3. Butter 2 oven-safe ramekins.
4. In a microwave-safe bowl, pulse the ice cream in 20 second intervals, stirring between, until melted.
5. Let the melted ice cream cool for 5 minutes.
6. Whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time, until the mixture is smooth and consistent.
7. Pour evenly into the prepared ramekins.
8. Move the ramekins to the roasting pan.
9. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until set but still a little jiggly in the center.
10. Allow to cool completely, then wrap with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator for 2 hours or up to 3 days.
11. When ready to serve, let the ramekins come to room temperature for 30 minutes, then sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar over each creme brûlée.
12. Broil on high on the top rack of the oven for 2-3 minutes until bubbly and browning watching to make the sugar doesn’t burn.
13. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
14. Refrigerate until custard is set again and the sugar has crisped.

ChefSecret:  If you have a kitchen blow torch, gently torch the sugar until golden and bubbly.

Quip of the Day: “Everything French is really amazing, especially creme brûlée, but then again, anything with a little cream and burnt sugar works for me.”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide .
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America.

#Desserts #Baking #Custard #ValentinesDay #CremeBrulee #VanillaIceCream #BlowTorch #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup
​
                                        ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022

​How you doin’? What makes a cookie a crinkle? Those crackles on top with the powdered sugar in between, is why they’re called Crinkle Cookies. Since they are rolled in powdered sugar before baking the cracks form as the cookie balls puff and spread. These slightly stodgy lemony bombs are really tasty. The flavor is even stronger if you let them sit after baking them overnight!
 
Crinkle Cookies were invented by Helen Fredell in St. Paul, Minnesota in the early half of the 20th Century. At that time they were chocolate not lemon. In Betty Crocker's book, “Cooky Carnival,” the book talks about being served these cookies at Mrs. Fredell's home and begging for the recipe. Thanks Helen!
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Bake time:  12 to 14 minutes
Cool time:  30 minutes
Yield:  About 5 dozen cookies
 
Ingredients 
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup confectioners' sugar
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350⁰ F.
2. Line the sheet pans with a sheet parchment paper.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the brown sugar, butter, eggs lemon extract and lemon zest together in a bowl until smooth and creamy.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a separate bowl.
5. Stir the flour mixture into butter mixture until dough is fully combined.
6. Pour the confectioners' sugar onto a large plate or shallow bowl.
7. Spoon the dough, 1-1/2 teaspoons per cookie, into the confectioners' sugar and roll to coat.
8. Arrange the coated dough on the sheet pans.
9. Bake in the preheated oven until edges are lightly browned, about 12 to 14 minutes.
10. Cool cookies on the sheet pan for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

ChefSecret:  To make sure you get the “crinkles”, it's important that the baking powder is as fresh as it can be because this is what will ensure that the crinkles and cracks develop. To check if your baking powder is still active and fresh, heat a little bit of water in a small bowl. Sprinkle in baking powder and watch. If it sizzles, it's still active.

Quip of the Day: “Dear Lord, please don’t make eating Brussel sprouts part of the cure for Covid.”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. In this New Year, seek out the good in people and avoid conflict. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America.

​#Baking #Cookies #LemonSugarCrinkles #Lemon #HelenFredell #BettyCrocker #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                        ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022