Archive for July, 2007
Yesterday, Ryan Donlon and Jennifer Farina from Philadelphia, PA spoke to each other for the first time in 31 days. This wouldn’t be noteworthy event for most couples, but this pair was participating in a contest sponsored by M&M in which they only used the messages printed on My M&Ms for a month. They took a “vow of silence” at the end of June and relied on the customized candies from that point on. As a reward for completing the challenge, M&Ms presented the couple with a $31,000 prize.
Now, real estate on an M&M is limited, and although you can order My M&Ms in a variety of colors with just about any message you can get to fit, it’s not like you can really have full conversations with them. To get an idea of how they made it through, you can check out some clips on the M&Ms website. The most popular messages that this couple used included: “31 days”, “July 26″, “CU 2nite” and “Love You.”
The temperature outside is much higher than I’d like it to be and, as it’s only July, we have a lot more warm weather to look forward to this year (especially in Southern California, if last summer’s heat was any indication!). Cold desserts are a great way to cool down when it’s hot out. One of my favorites is the ice cream sandwich, because it is easy, portable and can be subject to any number of variations. On a cool day – or at least a cooler day – I’ll often bake up a batch of cookies destined to become part of ice cream sandwiches, which allows me to assemble the treats in advance and store them individually in the freezer.
Chocolate chip cookies paired with vanilla ice cream are my favorite combination to make, not to mention the fact that they’re the most obvious choice. Other food bloggers have come up with some more creative, more delicious combinations to give this treat some variety:
And if you’re thinking of buying ice cream sandwiches, there are probably several dozen choices to be found in your grocer’s freezer. Cook’s Illustrated recently did a taste test, putting Nestlé/Carnation, Klondike and Blue Bunny sandwiches at the top of their list, followed by Turkey Hill and Julie’s Organics. If you can find them in your area, you might want to check out It’s It sandwiches (not included in CI’s test), if you haven’t tried them already.
Feel free to leave your favorite brands and flavor suggestions for others to try in the comments!
Yeast is a living organism, a microorganism that (usually in conjunction with many of its friends) converts sugar into carbon dioxide, producing bubbles in bread dough and giving us lovely, light loaves at the end of the process. There are really two options available to the baker when he or she wants to make bread: use a starter that contains naturally captured yeast, or use store-bought yeast. Active Dry yeast, Instant yeast and Rapid Rise yeast are the three most common types of yeast, although you can still buy fresh (undried) yeast, and are the three that home bakers are most likely to have on hand at home. They are not only widely available, but they require no special care or storage and have a tremendously long shelf life.
Active Dry yeast is yeast that has been dried (as the name suggests) but still contains live cells. This yeast comes in a granular form and should be dissolved in warm water (100-110F) before using to invigorate the cells. It can be helpful to add a pinch of sugar to feed the yeast and get it going.
Instant and Rapid Rise yeasts are pretty much the same thing, though the names vary by brand. It is also known as bread machine yeast. If you look closely, you will see that the granules of this type of yeast are much smaller than those of Active Dry yest. This yeast does not need to be dissolved in water before using because it is already quite fine. It is also more concentrated and more active, which means that dough made with it will have a shorter proofing (rising) time.
The point here is that not all yeasts are created equal and that it is not a good idea to simply subsitute different types of yeast when a recipe specifically calls for one or the other. The types of yeast are made from the same organism and basically work in the same way, but because each type was designed to work differently, you can’t reliably follow a recipe that calls for one when using the other. Once you have a good handle on bread-making techniques (and have baked many loaves), you may be able to experiment with rising times and yeast types (or sourdoughs) on your own, but as long as you have a recipe to follow, you might as well stick to it to get the best result you can.
In the summer, as tomato season reaches its peak, my kitchen frequently overflows with perfectly ripe specimins. They are mostly red, with a few oranges, yellows, purples and stripes thrown in for variety. Many are heirloom varieties, all are organic, and each and every one is absolutely delicious.
There are lots of things you can do with a kitchen full of tomatoes. Gazpacho , bruschetta , tomato sandwiches and salsa are just a few of the things that spring to mind. For really top-notch tomatoes, I like to stick to simple dishes so that their flavor comes through, but I also like variety, so I don’t want to have a tomato salad every day.
This tart is a great summer dish to make. It is quick, easy, looks gorgeous and uses only three ingredients – tomatoes, parmesan and puff pastry. The tomatoes and parmesan should be the best quality (i.e. heirloom/organic tomatoes and cheese that doesn’t come from a shelf-stable can) because the presentation really allows them to shine. Plus, there is nothing for a mediocre tomato to hide behind here, so you really have to go for the best to get the best results. The pastry can be homemade or store-bought.
In the recipe below, I am purposely vague on the amount of the ingredients. Depending on brand, puff pastry can be many sizes. Use just one sheet, or enough to fit on your baking sheet. Parmesan is used to taste. Since I use it as a replacement for flour when rolling out the dough for this tart, I tend to sprinkle it on as I work. Finally, I didn’t specify the number of tomatoes you’ll need to make this tart. Since heirloom tomatoes can vary radically in size, the number does not matter as long as you end up with enough slices to cover the pastry in a single layer. I have made it using only one gigantic tomato, and I have also made it using a dozen very small tomatoes. Hopefully, you’ll have several tomatoes on hand all season and you will be able to slice as needed.
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There are a few standard cupcake sizes, most often known simply as “mini,” “standard” and “king.” The precise amount that each size will hold may vary a bit from manufacturer to manufacturer, but the sizes are pretty consistent. Minis are about half the size of standard muffins and king size – sometimes known as jumbo size – are about twice the size. When jumbo cupcakes just aren’t big enough, there is one other size option, a giant cupcake pan from Wilton.
Unlike other shaped pans, this one bakes both a dome and a base for your cupcake. The pieces, once baked, can be stuck together with a bit of frosting to form a super-sized sweet treat. Top off with jumbo sprinkles and you’ll have a perfectly scaled up dessert.
