When Sweet Isn't Good Enough

Let's talk sugar. It's essential for good baking. I think one of the reasons I like freshly fallen snow is because it looks like the lawn is covered in sugar. That's a happy thought!

Flavored sugars can boost your baked goods to an even greater flavor. I decided, what with Christmas baking around the corner, I needed to replenish my stock of flavored sugars. So I made up three different flavors this morning: vanilla sugar, orange sugar and lemon sugar. (I had wanted to make up some lavendar sugar, but I think I delayed too long and my friendly neighborhood supply of lavendar has likely been buried in snow. Sigh.)

Vanilla sugar simply deepens the flavors of most baked sweets. I particularly like to use it when I make my favorite Honey Vanilla Challah bread.

I have a delightful recipe for Orange Berry Muffins. I like to use Orange sugar to increase the orange flavoring in those. I also have a recipe for a Chocolate Orange Bundt cake that tastes just like those Chocolate Oranges they sell at Christmastime. (You know the ones -- you bang them against the table before you unwrap them and the chocolate breaks apart in "slices" shaped just like orange slices.) Well, using Orange sugar instead of regular sugar in that recipe brings out the subtle orange flavor that is hiding just behind the chocolate.

Lemon sugar can be used in any baking recipe that calls for lemon zest. I particularly like to use it in when I make sugar cookie dough.

So, here are my flavored sugar recipes. Easy peasy. I snapped the photo above so you could wonder what kind of weird science experiments I was doing on my back porch. Said jars have now been shaken and set in the pantry. Six days from now, boy oh boy, we're gonna have some yummy sugary stuff goin' on here at the Pastry Shop.

Vanilla Sugar (muliply measurements as needed)
2 C granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, cut in half, split open and seeds scraped

Place the sugar in an airtight container. (Sometimes I use ziplock bags, other times I use canning jars.) Scrape the seeds directly into the sugar. Stir to combine well. Then place the pod halves in the sugar. Shake to combine. Let sit 5-6 days, shaking the container at least once each day.

Orange Sugar (ditto regarding measurement multiplication)
2 C granulated sugar
zest of 2 oranges (be careful not to include the white pithy stuff - yuck!)

Combine all together in an airtight container and shake well. Let sit 4-5 days, shaking container at least once a day. Using a sieve or sifter, pour sugar through sieve and into an airtight container. Discard orange zest caught in sieve.

Lemon Sugar (double ditto regarding measurement multiplication)
2 C granulated sugar
zest of 3 lemons (same advice regarding bitter, icky pithy stuff)

Combine all together in an airtight container and shake well. Let sit 4-5 days, shaking container at least once a day. Using a sieve or sifter, pour sugar through sieve and into an airtight container. Discard lemon zest caught in sieve.

***Disclaimer: There are a lot of ways to prepare citrus sugars. Some people actually prefer to put half the amount of sugar into a food processor along with the zest. Pulsing a bit combines the flavors and breaks the zest down into very small bits. They then put the sugar/zest combo into the airtight container and add the other half of the sugar and combine well before sealing it up. That works more than fine. In fact, the citrus flavor is even stronger in sugar prepared that way. I'm just lazy and don't want to have to clean my food processor so I don't do it like that.

If you roll the food processor route, you might want to either up the amount of sugar or lessen the amount of zest, depending on your preference for strength of citrus taste.

Just a Sampling

In case you haven't noticed, I've been posting quite a few "larder-type" entries the past few weeks. It's not because I've sworn off cakes, pastries, breads and pies. Ah, no. Never! It's because it's harvest time here in these parts and that means storing up for the seasons to come.

The above beauties were called to "represent." I didn't grab the bottles that turned out the best; I simply grabbed the ones that were front and center in the cupboard. Who knows but what more photogenic peaches or apple slices were left behind just because they got shoved to the back of the shelf.

I've been stocking up my larder and my pantry so that we have deliciousness waiting for us throughout the winter and early spring. During the late summer, I have canned fruits, canned sauces, made jams, frozen fresh vegetables, mixed my own spices and am now in the middle of making my flavored sugars.

For the next few days, I'll go through the recipes for the remaining items I haven't yet shared.

Today we are talking about Amish Sweet Ketchup.

I'd never had it before, but after trying out a couple of recipes I found, I combined quite a few ideas and came up with one that I think is a keeper. To me, however, it doesn't taste so much like ketchup as it does a very sweet barbecue sauce or marinade. So, make some up and try it with whatever meat dish you usually sauce up or marinate. (I'm thinking it will be delish with a pork roast. As soon as the weather is cold enough to make me crave a pork roast for Sunday dinner, I'll use this sauce and let you know.)

Amish Sweet Ketchup
12 celery ribs, cut into 1/4-inch diced slices
4 medium onions, peeled and finely diced
1/2 C water
6 lbs tomatoes, quartered (I used Roma)
1/2 C + 2 Tbsp vinegar
2 C packed dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp ground allspice
1 Tbsp whole cloves
1 Tbsp celery seeds
2 tsp ground mace
1 tsp salt

Place the celery, onions and water in a medium-sized saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Vegetables should be barely soft. Meanwhile, cook the tomatoes in a large nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, partially covered, for about 25 minutes. The consistency should end up being almost like a puree. Add the cooked celery mixture and continue cooking until all vegetables are completely softened, about 15 more minutes.

Strain the mixture in small batches through a sieve. Press down firmly to extract all the liquid. Place extracted liquid into another nonreactive saucepan. Stir in the vinegar, brown sugar, and all spices. Bring to a boil. Continue boiling until mixture thickens somewhat, about 15-20 minutes. Stir often to keep mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Allow the ketchup to cool and then ladle it into jars. Ketchup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. You can also pour the hot ketchup into hot sterilized canning jars and process using a pressure canner.

Amish Sweet Ketchup is quite thin in consistency compared to what we normally consider ketchup around these parts.

Jump to it, my friends. Autumn has come... at least to my neck of the woods. Here's proof:
The harvest will soon be over. Get your canning and storing up done.

My Secret Craving

Anything Argentine. Wait... everything Argentine. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of Argentina at least once. The food, the music, the people, the architecture, the culture, the language. I long to go back and hear the musical lilt of Castellano spoken on the street. To walk through the neighborhoods as the patterns of the 'baldosas' (sidewalk tiles) change from house to house. To see the bright colors of the fresh fruit and vegetables in the produce shops (verdulerías). To smell the fresh breads and pastries each morning in the bakeries (panaderías).

I went to Argentina three times in my life. Added together, I lived there for two years. I would go back in a heartbeat. Half a heartbeat. It pleases me beyond measure that (thanks to my ex-husband) my children are half-Argentine. It pleases me even more that they have renewed contact with one of their paternal uncles who lives about a half-hour from my home. They are getting a glimpse into the Argentine style of life and family as they spend time with, eat meals with and simply be with him.

What fun it would be for me to travel to Buenos Aires with them now that they are young adults and introduce them to the sights, sounds, tastes and energy of that part of their heritage.

Why is all this nostalgia being related on a food blog? Well. Three simple words. Dulce. De. Leche. Nothing takes my mind back to Argentina faster than dulce de leche. Since I can't go there, I've decided to bring a little Buenos Aires into my home today. My very first day in Argentina, I was given a container of dulce de leche as a gift. I promptly went out to the neighborhood frutería and bought a couple apples and a banana. After slicing up the apple, I spread dulce de leche on each apple wedge. It was like eating a caramel apple without the stick and without the mess getting on your face. Did the same thing with the banana. Put a bit of dulce de leche on it, bit it, more dulce, another bite. Voilá... caramel-dipped banana without dipping it.

So today, I'm making dulce de leche. Yes, you can buy it in almost any latin market. In fact, about 15 miles north of me is this lovely Mercado Latino run by a Mexican family I know. (The color isn't exactly subtle, is it?)

They always stock dulce de leche, tapas for empanadas, and yerba mate (pronounced mah-tay) --the three staples of an Argentine existence -- for their Argentine customers. Normally, when I need a "tango fix", I'll go there and pick up a few familiar products. But... today, I'm staying home, spending NO cash, using what I've already got on hand, listening to my tango CDs by Carlos Gardel and Astor Piazzola and making my own dulce de leche.

Dulce de Leche
4 cups milk (I use whole milk)
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Pour the milk into a heavy-bottom sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add the sugar, baking soda and vanilla. Whisk to ensure the sugar dissolves completely. (You don't want gritty dulce de leche, so whisk thoroughly.) Cook on medium low until it turns into caramel. This will likely take 2-3 hours. Stir it occasionally.

You will know when it is done because it will have the delectable deep tanned color that California blondes flaunt and California redheads secretly envy. When the mixture is that beautiful deep caramel color, it is unmistakeably dulce de leche. Some people like it runny; others like it thicker (I'm a thicker girl myself). But at the very least, when you pour some onto the center of a plate, it should stay in place and not make a puddle. That's how you'll know it's ready.

Dulce de leche is extremely versatile. It can be used as a spread for toast in the morning, as a drizzle over fruits or ice cream, as a filling for pastries. It can be spread in between layers of a cake or in between cookies for a caramel-type sandwich cookie. It can be used in frosting recipes. And, amazingly, it is delicious when used to thoroughly coat and cover your fingers all the way down to the second joint... and then, straight into your mouth! Yep, the truth is out. The main purpose of fingers is to be the utensils you use to eat dulce de leche.

It's All About Embellishments

I found an absolutely divine Cobbler recipe on Joy the Baker's blog. It's for Nectarine and Cream Cobbler. (My friend Sue at Hen Pecks is going to love this, since as far as she's concerned nectarines are evidence that God has never abandoned us.) I had company coming for dinner on Sunday and decided this would make the perfect dessert. However, I made a few adjustments to suit what I think is evidence that God is always near: Peaches. I'm a peach girl, much more than a nectarine girl. So I decided to substitute peaches for the nectarines. I had one remaining bag of frozen peaches from last year's harvest. However, in the interest of full disclosure, I didn't really like the consistency of the dessert with the frozen peaches. I decided to make the dish again on Monday, but this time use fresh fruit.

I ran to the store and bought a few peaches. They're not quite in season, but they were good enough. Additionally, since I have an appointment tomorrow morning to go to a 'pick your own' berry farm and get raspberries and blackberries, I needed some motivation to get me ramped up for the hard labor camp I've enrolled in. So I decided to throw in some blackberries as well. Every once in a while I have strokes of brilliance. (It worked. I am now very motivated to harvest berries by the sweat of my brow so that I can have Blackberry Souffles, Raspberry Syrup, White Chocolate Mousse with Fresh Berries and Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake in the coming month.)

The final touch, however was to use cinnamon whipped cream to really set this dish off. And it did. I knew it would as soon as I dipped my finger into the newly-whipped Nirvana to taste test it. Being the responsible baker and hostess that I am, I told my daughter to commandeer the whipped cream that very instant before I took a super-sized spoon and simply had my way with the whole bowl. I told her that no matter how hard I cried, begged, thrashed around or threatened her, she was not to give me back the bowl. Talk about good parenting gone bad. Either that girl is phenomenally obedient or she is just plain heartless. She was not moved in the least by my desperate pleas for just one more spoonful. Of course, the upside is there was enough whipped cream for everyone to enjoy on their Peaches and Blackberry Cobbler.

Cinnamon Whipped Cream
2 C heavy whipping cream
3/4 C powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. With a hand mixer, whip on high speed until the cream is the desired consistency.

The Celebration Continues

Three guesses. Homemade ice cream? (Nope - strike one.) Caramel mousse? (Nope – strike two.) Ummmmm..... Cinnamon Honey Butter? (Cheater! You read yesterday’s post.)

While regular honey butter is great on dinner rolls and homemade bread, cinnamon honey butter is my go-to combination for making cinnamon rolls and French toast. Rather than be a subtle accent flavor, the cinnamon is front and center. When I make cinnamon rolls, I spread this on the dough in place of stand-alone butter, and then sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon on the top of it. When I make French toast, I sprinkle cinnamon in the egg mixture. However, it’s gone after a few slices of bread have been dipped. So, I make sure Cinnamon Honey Butter gets served at the table so that everyone has a chance to get their cinnamon fix.

Cinnamon Honey Butter
1 cup sweet cream butter
1 3/4 cups honey
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Beat the butter with a electric mixer until smooth. Add in honey and vanilla. Combine well. Add cinnamon and nutmeg and whip all together.