Joyeux Kitchen: Taking orders today!

The big day is here!  I'm elated to announce that I'm now taking summer orders.  (You can view the original menu and post here.)  Also, Joyeux Kitchen will be a permanent page in the column to the right with a price list and a few *what might be* Frequently Asked Questions (I did a casual self-interview this afternoon). 

Let me take a load off your shoulders!  If you have a family barbecue coming up, maybe a church bake sale or Father's Day brunch, give me a shout and I'll have your treats ready in no time. 

It's contest time!
At 4pm (PST) today Lindsay and I are going to draw a fifty tiny toes follower's name out of a hat and that person will receive a FREE Joyeux Kitchen dessert of your choice (*if it has to be shipped, choices are scones, cinnamon rolls or cake balls).  So join our follower's list for a chance to win!

Don't forget to "Like" Joyeux Kitchen on Facebook!
I'll be sharing baking tips, my favorite foodie blogs, running occasional contests, and you'll be the first to know about special yummies for sale beyond what appears on the regular menu.

Friends and Family Referral Reward
If you refer a friend or family member (or your dog walker, or your checker at the grocery store) and they mention your name when they order, you'll get a credit for 15% off your next purchase.  You're eligible for a reward every time a new customer mentions your name!!

Joyeux Kitchen: Maple-Glazed Cinnamon Rolls

These cinnamon rolls are from Ree Drummond, a.k.a. The Pioneer Woman, and as far as I'm concerned, they are her greatest masterpiece.  I'm made them more than a dozen times and every person (EVERY person), after one bite, says, "These are the best I have ever had."  So...what makes them different?  Homemade cinnamon rolls are, in general, fantastic no matter the recipe, right?  You have to taste them to fully understand, but these are gooey, not dense, not too "bready", instead of the middle one being by far the best, each one is a "middle", the maple glaze is certainly a unique and welcome departure from the standard cream cheese frosting....

Warning:  Friends and relatives alike may fall hopelessly in love with you after tasting these cinnamon rolls.  They're the baked-goods equivalent of Old Spice body wash.  ("Helllllo ladies.")

You'll need:

• 1 quart whole milk (4 cups) ... and yes, it has to be whole milk.
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 packages active dry yeast (4 1/2 tsp if you buy the jars)
• 8 cups (plus 1 cup extra, separated) unbleached all-purpose Flour
• 1 tsp (heaping) baking powder
• 1 tsp (scant) baking soda
• 1 tbsp (heaping) salt
• plenty of melted butter (just go ahead and melt a whole box/lb.)
• 2 cups sugar
• generous sprinkling of cinnamon

Maple Glaze

• 1 (2 lb.) bag powdered sugar
• 2 tsp maple flavoring (found on the spice aisle with the vanilla)
• ½ cups milk
• ¼ cups melted butter
• ¼ cups brewed coffee
• ⅛ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover (I use loose plastic wrap) and let rise for at least an hour.

After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).

When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough--I use somewhere between 1/2 and 1 cup...it's more of a feeling than an exact science. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.

Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.

Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven or nine inch round foil cake or pie pan (I use 9 in round foil cake pans). Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans (an easy way to cut the rolls is to use dental floss for nice even slices).

Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 375 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.  (If you don't want to bake them right away, at this point you could cover and put the pans in the fridge for baking the next day, or put in the freezer for future use.--See step four of the tutorial at her link.)

For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls.

This recipe is easy for an experienced baker, but there are lots of steps and it is quite time consuming.  More than once I've lost track of how many cups of flour I put in and just had to wing it.  (Get ready for a shameless business plug...)  If you're dying to have some but don't have a spare six hours-ish to devote to brunch making, I'd be happy to be your supplier :).  Joyeux Kitchen taking orders starting June 1.

Joyeux Kitchen -- In Business!

Well friends, this post has been in the works for a long time. I love to bake for friends and family, and after doing it for fun for the past five years, it's time to take a big scary leap! I'm excited to announce that starting in June and stretching through the end of August, I'll be offering a small selection of my very, very favorite yummies for sale. Small orders need to be placed three days prior to your event and large orders will need to be placed at least a week in advance. Gigantic orders... well if I get a gigantic order I'll fall over dead of shock and then I guess we'll have a meeting.

Initial offerings at special summer prices:

Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes with an ample mound of cookie dough buttercream frosting.

$14.00/dozen

Cake Balls or Pops

$10.00/dozen: custom colored and drizzled

$15.00/dozen: decorated

Glazed White Chocolate Apricot Scones

$8.00/dozen heart-shaped cream scones. Perfect for family brunch.

Ooey-Gooey Cinnamon Rolls

Have I really never blogged these rich, gooey rolls???  Oh this is HAPPENING this week. Rolls that melt in your mouth with a lick-your-fingers maple glaze.

$8.00/pan (approx. eight rolls per pan)

Joyeux Kitchen Two-Layer Chocolate Cake

This amazing chocolate cake is my favorite from Ina Garten's kitchen. The rich, chocolate buttercream makes it the best chocolate cake you will ever eat. You will immediately want me to make you another. Photos coming soon.

$16.00 (9-inch round cake pan serves 10-12 people)

As if it could get any better, the first official fiftytinytoes contest is coming soon. We will be a drawing a lucky follower's name out of a hat, so make sure to join our followers list to be entered to win a free dessert from Joyeux Kitchen. Be EXCITED and go join our followers list now!

Also, if you've tried any of these treats from my kitchen and post a review in the comment section, I'll give you a half-dozen cake balls FREE. Are you EXCITED now?

If you have an event in mind and would like to pre-order your goodies, there are a number of easy ways to reach me. Leave me a comment here or send me a message at fiftytinytoes@gmail.com! And soon, you'll be able to "Like" Joyeux Kitchen on Facebook and send me your order that way. I've never shipped my baked goods. I'm investigating that process now.

Can't wait to share my treats with you. xo

Joyeux Kitchen: Heavenly White Chocolate Apricot Scones

I think I should preface this post by telling you that I don't really like scones.  Even fair scones.  I know, right?!  That equates to blasphemy around here!  Those darn fair scones are woven into the tapestry of Northwest life like sandals with socks.  Anyway, thoroughly unimpressed with them and the whole scone-scene. 

But theeeeeeese are another story.  These aren't just scones--they're little droplets of cream-laden heaven.  And they've been around a while!  Apparently Lindsay made them a couple years ago and brought me one and I snubbed it (because "I don't like scones!")-- Sorry Linz!  So Jenae the scone fairy brought me one a couple weeks ago, just handed it to me, no plate or anything, and stuck around to watch me eat it.  "Oh dear God.  This can't be a scone.  What IS this???" 

She shared the recipe with me, and now I'm going to share the recipe with you.

White Chocolate Apricot Scones
You'll need:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 1/4 cup heavy cream (not whipped)

Combine dry ingredients.  Add fruit and chocolate.  Use fork to stir in cream.  Knead on floured board 8 - 9 times.  Divide dough into two flat rounds and cut into traditional triangles, or roll out the dough and use a round or heart cookie cutter like I did.  Bake for 11 minutes at 425 degrees.

The glaze is the only part of the original recipe that I'm not sold on.  I made it for the first batch and it left me wanting....something.  (The original instructions: In a small saucepan, melt together 3 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons sugar. Brush over warm scones.)  The top picture is sugar cookie glaze on the left and butter/sugar on the right.

Soooooo, given that I'm prone to acts of lavish culinary excess, I decided to try pairing the sugar cookie glaze I used at Christmas with these scones, and the result was nothing short of spectacular.  Does it make the recipe questionably more dessert than breakfast?  Judgement call.  I'm cool with it, but I also think it's justified to eat pumpkin pie for breakfast for a week after Thanksgiving.

Vintage Nellie Cooks -- Lemonade Creamsicle Swirl

Meet Nellie
We're introducing a new miniseries on the blog today!  Last year for my birthday, Lindsay found me a sweet little treasure--an antique recipe box full of handwritten recipes, straight from (someone's) Grandma's kitchen.  Most of the recipe cards have Nellie written in beautiful flowing script in the top right hand corner (with some random additions from Helen and Florence sprinkled in--I imagine these were her neighbors, who came for an afternoon scotch in their house dresses to exchange recipes).  The picture above is straight off one of the cards in the box!  Could not be any cuter.  A lot of the recipes have faded, or the script is too swirly to decode, but there are several that are begging to be shared.

Frozen Lemonade Creamsicle Swirl
I chose to make this first because the recipe, originally titled "Chilled Lemon Pie", is identical to Doug's favorite dessert, Raspberry Swirl, with lemon exchanged for the raspberries--lovely and light for spring and Easter.  It calls for the use of raw, stiffly beaten egg whites (an old school method resulting in an extraordinarily creamy treat), which I am comfortable using, but if you aren't cool with it click the links right below the recipe for lists of acceptable substitutes (double the whipped cream, pasteurized eggs, powdered egg whites).

You'll need:

• 6 egg yolks
• 6 egg whites (stiffly beaten)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
• 1 tsp lemon curd
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 pint (2 cups) whipped cream (Cool Whip if you're in a hurry)
• **3/4 cup crushed graham cracker crumbs
• **3 tbsp melted butter
• **2 tbsp sugar

Prepare the crust first.  In a bowl, combine the last three ingredients with your fingers and then press into the bottom of a greased (or parchment-papered) 9 by 13 pan. 

Combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, sugar, salt, lemon curd and zest in a saucepan and cook over medium/low heat until sugar is dissolved and liquid thickens a bit.  [Side note: I couldn't tell if she wrote "curd" or "zest" so I added a teaspoon of both.  If you want to pick one you can, but both is YUMMY.]  Cool completely. 

While the lemon mixture cools, prepare your whipped cream and beat your egg whites.  Reserve a little bit of the lemon sauce for swirling over the top of the dessert.  Fold the whipped cream and egg whites gently into the lemon sauce, and pour the mixture over your crust.  Smooth the top surface with a rubber scraper/spatula.  Pour the remaining lemon sauce in a stream over the dessert, and use a butter knife to make swirls (hopefully prettier than mine).  Freeze at least four hours or preferably overnight.  When you're ready to serve, heat up the blade of a knife under hot water and it will slide right through the frozen pie.

Yum yum yum yum yum yum yum.  Stayed tuned, more Nellie next month!

Tips on raw egg substitutes:

http://www.homemade-dessert-recipes.com/eggs-and-salmonella.html

http://www.recipetips.com/recipe-cards/t--2825/banana-split-dessert.asp

 (& Nellie!)

Multipurpose Chicks

It was a Cake Pop kinda weekend.  These are Bakerella's Spring Chickens (click here for detailed directions), originally designed for an Easter theme, revamped for Chicks Night Out/Patty's Dirty Thirty birthday celebration.  Instead of a boxed cake mix and canned frosting, this time I used my FAVORITE chocolate cake recipe: Beatty's Chocolate Cake from Ina Garten on the Food Network.  (I know I know, you guys must be just about Food-Networked out by now.)  I've made that cake so many times I could probably do it from memory--it was perfect for the pops, I used all the cake and 3/4 of the frosting.  (The rest is in the fridge, taunting me...I'm guessing it won't make it past breakfast tomorrow.)

These were a fun project, lots of opportunities to get creative with the chicks. :)

(Naked chicks.)

(The birthday chick.)

--tiara courtesy crafty Lindsay--

(Party chicks!!)

Joyeux Kitchen: Ooooooh Samoa!

Homemade Girl Scout Cookies: Samoas

(Click here for the full recipe and come back here for my notes! :)

Doug posted this recipe to my Facebook page in January; I've been putting it off because it seemed like a bit too much of a project.  Well...it was, sort of, but it was SO worth it.  Don't put it off another second--you must make these cookies.

You'll notice that it's a multi-part recipe.  I made the "cookie" part three or four weeks ago and put them in the freezer, in anticipation of a day when I might have the extra kitchen time to cook the caramel.  I found that time this afternoon and pulled out all my ingredients, then read the recipe.  When I got to this part I was immediately concerned:

No directions for a candy thermometer???  Are you kidding?  I put my panic aside and put my faith in Jaime from The Family Kitchen.  (I have a complex about caramel these days because I botched two batches at Christmas.  Always in a hurry does not a good candy-maker make!) 

It's bubbling.

Starting to look more viscous?  Perhaps...

And then, all at once, too fast for me to even snap a picture, it turned deep amber, begged for the cream, and became luscious, velvety caramel.

The above picture is a bit cryptic, I know, but the spike on the edge of the glass is a piece of the cooked sugar--what it should look like when it's at hard ball stage (like a lollipop) and you drop it in the glass of water.  This is the first time I've done caramel this way and it was a huge success!

I didn't have time for a trip to the health food store for unsweetened coconut (you won't find it at the regular grocery store--I looked) so I used sweetened.  Came out just fine.  I added a cup....

Then I added a third-cup or so more, because it didn't look like enough.

Time for dipping!  Jaime recommends using a fork.  This was a blobby mess for me--I found the finger method to be much easier.

There was a little extra caramel after all the cookies were dipped...I ate it. 8)

This is my pastry bag, which I used to drizzle the chocolate on top rather than fiddling with a fork.  The OCD in me wanted nice even lines of milk chocolate.  I've done the fork thing before--it's a big fat pain in the rear and comes out looking all messy and discombobulated.  If you don't have a pastry bag, pour the melted chocolate into a Ziploc bag, seal it, and cut the very tip off the corner of the bag.  Presto!  :)

These little caramelicious bites of heaven were twice as good as the boxed version, and that's saying somethin'.  Yum-nomnomnomnom. 

Joyeux Kitchen: White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Doug's not a big fan of traditional birthday desserts, so I have to think outside the box for his cakes.  This year's selection may very well become every year's selection.  He LOVED it.  I have a few recipe notes and recommendations:

• As usual, use a good quality chocolate (I used Ghirardelli).  The cheap stuff will disappoint--no WOW factor.
• It's going to feel like you're not putting in enough sugar.  And when you taste the batter, you might still feel an inclination to add more.  DON'T.  It's perfect.  It bakes up light and not overpoweringly sweet and delicious with the fruit.
• I used raspberries and blackberries, which was super yummy, because raspberries were just so darn expensive and the blackberries were a little cheaper. 
• Serve with strawberry sauce.  Puree two cups of strawberries and two tablespoons of sugar, pour it into a fine mesh strainer to get rid of excess juice, and store in the fridge.

♪♪ Happy birthday, Mr. Donovan ... happy birthday to yoooouuuuu. ♪♪

Joyeux Kitchen: Brownie Pudding

Barefoot Contessa's Brownie Pudding

Ahhhhh-mazing.  I made it without the framboise (note to self: Google framboise) and ate it hot, even though it says to serve after allowing it to cool.  It was obscenely good while hot.  Another great thing about this dessert is that you probably have everything you need to make it without a trip to the store (well, maybe not everyone keeps vanilla beans lying around... if you don't, the cheapest place to get them is Costco--a two pack of tubes with 6 beans or so in each tube is $11ish).  Also, I didn't have a 2 quart casserole dish but it worked just fine in my 2 1/2 quart.  Enjoy!