Redux 

well, not really.

And I’m not posting tomorrow, either, or for the rest of the weekend because I’m going to CABoom! for the opening party, then volunteering on Sunday and kicking it with LA friends in between. This probably means good pictures when I get back, but you’ll just have to do without until then.

I like music. And I really like maps. Those who know me? not surprised, and now the rest of you are forewarned.

So, given the above truths, you can IMAGINE how excited I was to learn that lala links your traded CD’s with Google maps for you. Like this:

Maps! Music! the USPS! yes, I’m a geek - shut up.

and BTW, if there’s anyone that I know who hasn’t become a lala-holic yet, let me just reiterate that you’re MISSING OUT.

I’ve been plying mom with music lately. She’s been marveling about how well she remembers songs from junior high and high school and we had this ridiculous Hallmark moment over T’giving where we were driving down a dark road singing along to Buddy Holly - Oh Boy!

anyhow, it made me think about the music that I’ll retain forever - am I destined to a lifetime of Spice Girls and Toxic (thanks for that, by the way, Megan) and it appears that these things do come and go in cycles because I’m on an absolute tear of industrial-goth right now and I so didn’t see it coming.

Someone had posted an innocent thread on lala, looking for recommendations of industrial dance bands. All of the usual suspects were mentioned - Ministry, Nine inch Nails, Sisters of Mercy, Revolting Cocks, My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, Nitzer Ebb. I tossed the Young Gods, KMFDM and Einsturzende Neubauten into the mix (and then someone commented that Einsturzende Neubauten is more noise than music, which made me wonder what they think that industrial music is in the first place).

so the point of all of this is that I ended up on YouTube, watching TKK videos and now I think that I need to (re)purchase Confessions of a Knife.

And yes, I still knew all of the words.

if I’m very very still, I can blend into the rug. it’s Camo-Fashion!

This:

I was making this and these:

I didn’t get around to taking a picture of the cake, but it was chocolate with a peanut butter frosting (because I’m still on that kick). I’d never made frosting before and was gratified to learn that it was possible without a mixer and also pleasantly surprised by the deliciousness of the cake. Not so charmed with the overall appearance, but if it had been made out of ice cream, it would have been AMAZING.

I made this cake:

Elvis Cake
Adapted from a recipe by Maria Bruscino Sanchez in Kathryn Kleinman’s “Birthday Cakes” in honor of of the King’s favorite sandwich - fried peanut butter and banana

(this cake should not be assembled more than a couple of hours before serving because it contains fresh banana and whipped cream - on the plus side, it is really quick and easy to put together.)

Devil’s Food Cake:
1 cup boiling water
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup of whipping cream
3 tbsp confectioners sugar

1 jar of smooth, sweetened peanut butter, such as Skippy
2 ripe bananas

For the cake :
Preheat the oven to 325. Grease and flour two nine inch cake pans and line them with parchment paper. Pour the boiling water over the cocoa powder and whisk to dissolve. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix on low speed. Add the eggs and cocoa mixture and blend on low speed for one minute. Scrape down the bowl and add the buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Beat on low speed for one minute. Scrape down the bowl and beat on medium speed for one to two minutes, or until smooth.

Pour the batter evenly into the pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a tester comes out with a moist crumb. Let the cakes cool on wire racks in the pans for ten to fifteen minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool. Remove parchment paper and let cool completely before frosting. Cakes can be stored overnight in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic.

To assemble, chill bowl and whisk of electric mixer in the freezer for fifteen minutes. Whip cream to soft peaks in the mixer, then added powdered sugar. Resume beating and whip just until stiff.

Slice banana slightly diagonally and place bottom layer of cake on serving platter. Spread bottom layer with thick layer of whipped cream leaving about 1/2 to 3/4 inch around the edge, and dot liberally with sliced banana and small dollops of peanut butter. Spread with a little more whipped cream and top with second layer of cake. Press down lightly on top of cake, just until whipped cream reaches the edges. Spread top of cake liberally with whipped cream, and garnish around the edges of the cake with slices of banana topped with a dollop of peanut butter so that each slice will have one. Dust the top with cocoa if you have some on hand

with this frosting:

INGREDIENTS:

Speak Low - the Young Gods Play Kurt Weill - The Young Gods
the Orchids - Roots & Crowns - Califone
Ceu Distante - Bebel Gilberto - Bebel Gilberto
Wave a White Flag - Playing Dirty (live) - Lee Press-On and the Nails
Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered - The Best of the Songbooks- Ella Fitzgerald

um, I guess it’s no surprise that I enjoy swing dancing, vintage fashion and martinis…

Cheers!

so, my team takes turns making breakfast one day each week and today is My Day. Usually, I make something simple that can be prepared the night before and then heated, but I was feeling ambitious and saw these - egg tarts and goat cheese & chive buttermilk biscuits (recipies below).

and

Aren’t they pretty? (trust me, these are not my photos)

I made the tart shells Tuesday night. I was OK with cutting the butter into flour and cheese to make the coarse crumbs; while I’d never done it before (and it took FOREVER), it was alright. And then you chill the dough and then you roll it out and then you cut circles and then you flatten the circles and then you put it into muffin tins and then you chill it for another five minutes while you cut 3×3″ squares of parchment paper (and I’m getting restless because it’s not as though these are FILLED yet) and then you put the paper on the dough and weigh it down with your PASTRY WEIGHTS

because right, I have those. So I had to use rice, bake the cups for five minutes, remove the weights, bake anoher five minutes and it was when I was pouring the rice out before the second baking that I thought - what am I doing?

this, apparently. And then last night, I made the biscuits and that apparently wasn’t quite masochistic enough, so I made a layer cake, too (I’ll post pictures of the filled tart shells and the cake later)

I believe in economies of scale when it comes to kitchen mess.

Egg Tarts

Parmesan Pastry Shells
(from Donna Hay’s New Food Fast)
Makes about 12 tart shells

1/2 cup butter
2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan
ice water

Cut the cold butter into small cubes in a medium sized bowl. Sift in the flour and the parmesan cheese. Using a pastry knife, cut the flour/cheese mixture into the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Then, start adding the water, about a tablespoon at a time, and mixing with your fingers until the dough becomes a soft ball, being careful not to add too much water. Knead the mixture lightly for about a minute. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured board, roll out the dough into a sheet until it’s about 1/4 inch thick. Then, using a round biscuit cutter or a drinking glass, cut out little rounds of pastry. Reroll the scrap dough if necessary to get all 12 rounds. You will probably end up with a bit of extra dough.

Take each small round and roll it through one rotation (roll, turn 45 degrees, roll, etc.). The dough should be about 1/8th inch thick at this point. Carefully place each round into a cup of a standard muffin tin and gently press to form the edges. Repeat with the remaining rounds. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 5 minutes.

While that is chilling, cut little parchment squares, about 3 x 3 inches, one for each shell. Preheat the oven to 375F.

Remove the tarts from the refrigerator, and poke the bottoms gently with a fork. Then, place the parchment in each cup, and fill with pie weights, beans, rice or something similar. Bake for 5 minutes. Then, remove the shells from the oven, and remove the parchment and weights. Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove the shells from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

Egg Tarts
Ingredients are per tart

1 pre-baked parmesan pastry shell
1 small egg
tomato (optional)
pancetta (optional)
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

If using tomato, remove the seeds, and chop the remaining tomato. Place a spoonful in the bottom of the tart shell.

Crack the egg directly into the tart shell. Make sure that your egg size and tart shell size match, or you’ll end up with egg white all over the place. If using a standard sized muffin tin, you’ll want to go with small to medium eggs. If you only have large eggs, crack them into your hand first, and strain off some of the egg white.

Place the tart on the baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes or until the yolk is cooked to your liking. Remove from the oven and let rest for about 2 minutes.

To crisp the pancetta, heat a heavy skillet on medium-high with a little butter or olive oil. When hot, add the pancetta and press down with a spatula to keep it flat. Cook on one side for a minute, then flip and cook another minute. Remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel.

Buttermilk Biscuits with Goat Cheese and Chives

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of freshly chopped chives (can also use chopped green onions)
1 5-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup buttermilk (plus an extra tablespoon for finish)

1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 heavy baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper.

2 Whisk flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Using fingertips, rub butter into dry ingredients until coarse meal forms. Stir in the chives. Add cheese and buttermilk; stir with fork just until a sticky dough forms (bits of cheese will be visible in dough).

3 Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently 8 times with floured hands. Do not over-knead! Form into a round, about 3/4-inch to an inch thick. Cut the round into 8 wedges. Use a pastry brush to brush on some extra buttermilk over the surface of the wedges.

4 Arrange wedges about 1/2 inch apart on an ungreased large baking sheet and bake in middle of oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Koala Fierce!

this is how we rock graffiti in the O.C.