Jennifer Moorman's Blog, page 26

Cooking Through "The Baker's Man": Cheesecake Waffles

[image error] I love breakfast. I could eat breakfast for any meal—I’m not picky. Give me grits and eggs for lunch; pancakes for dinner; waffles for a snack. I’m also not ashamed to admit I could eat cake for breakfast.

Tessa Andrews, one of Anna’s best friends in The Baker’s Man, is with me on having cake no matter what time it is. In fact, she told Anna one day that she wished she could combine two of her favorite foods—waffles and cheesecake—into one mash up.
This set Anna thinking and creating and baking...

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Cooking Through "The Baker's Man": Pear Pi Day Pie

[image error] Mystic Water is a whimsical little Southern town where magic floats on every breeze and is baked into every treat. Some townsfolk might complain about small towns, saying everybody knows your business, your college professor will call your daddy and tell him you skipped out on class, and boredom lingers around every corner because there’s nothing to do.
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Many others will argue that Mystic Water is the perfect place to live, a place where anything is possible. One of the charming aspects of living in Mystic Water is that Anna O’Brien, the local baker, knows when it’s your birthday, and she’ll surprise you with your favorite treat.
[image error] One of Anna’s patrons has a birthday on March 14, which is also National Pi Day.  The first five digits of pi are 3.1415, which is perfect since that’s the date on which National Pi Day falls this year! So, in honor of Richard’s birthday, Anna baked him a fun Pear Pi Day Pie to celebrate two special days at once.  Here’s to Richard, to mathematicians, and to pi pie lovers everywhere!

Pear Pi Day PieServes: 8–12 Level of Difficulty: Pi carving, average difficulty; interior pie, e...

Cooking Through Fiction: Moby-Dick

[image error] There are a few books that have first lines that when read aloud are immediately recognizable. For example, this next one:

Call me Ishmael.  Some years ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. 

You guessed Moby-Dick, correct?
Many of us are fanatics about something. Music, sports, books, food. Captain Ahab, captain of the Pequod, was a full-blown, maniacal fanatic about the great, white whale: Moby Dick. And can you blame him, knowing that on a previous voyage, the whale bit off Ahab’s leg? He must find the whale. He must kill it. He has one singular focus, but does he succeed? [image error]
In chapter 15, titled Chowder, Ahab and Peleg enjoy a homemade New England Clam Chowder.

However, a warm savory steam from the kitchen served to belie the apparently cheerless prospect before us.  But when that smoking chowder came in, the mystery was delightfully explained.  Oh! sweet friends, hearken to me.  It was made of small juicy clams, scarcely bigger than hazel nuts, mixed with pounded ship biscuits, and salted pork cut up into little flakes! the whole enriched with butter, and plentifully seasoned with pepper and salt. 

While eating this chowder out of my mama’s wedding china (which is probably a wee bit fancier than how Ahab dined), I realized that I’ll never be as fanatical (filled with an excessive and single-minded zeal) as the most “ungodly, godly” man, Ahab. It’s too bad he wasn’t fanatical about New England clam chowder. This soup is good!

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Ahab’s Clam ChowderServes 6–8Level of Difficulty: easy
Ingredients2 tbsp unsalted butter1 medium onion, finely diced2 celery stalks trimmed, quartered lengthwise, then sliced into ¼–inch pieces3 tbsp all-purpose flour2 c chicken stock2 (10-ounce) cans chopped clams in juice1 c heavy cream2 bay leaves1 lb Idaho potatoes, cut into ½–inch cubes4 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped into small piecesSalt and freshly ground black pepper
How to MakeHeat the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat....

Cooking Through Fiction: The Catcher in the Rye

[image error] The Catcher in the Rye, written by J. D. Salinger, was published in 1951 and was originally meant for adults, but its popularity rose among teenagers due to its rebellious, angst-driven themes.
Holden Caulfield, the protagonist and narrator, is a sixteen-year-old, six-foot-two-and-a-half-tall cynical, foul-mouthed young man who despises all things phony. And yet, he is still one of the most loved characters of the 20thcentury. He’s one of my favorites as well. But dang, that boy has the mouth of a sailor on a bad day. [image error]
In an attempt to waste time and prolong telling his parents that he’s received the ax again, Holden takes a table at a little sandwich bar.

“I was supposed to be on this diet where you eat a lot of starches and crap, to gain weight and all, but I didn’t ever do it. When I’m out somewhere, I generally just east a Swiss cheese sandwich and a malted milk. It isn’t much, but you get quite a lot of vitamins in the malted milk. H. V. Caulfield. Holden Vitamin Caulfield.” (Salinger, J. D., The Catcher in the Rye. Little Brown and Company. New York: 1951, p. 140)

Grilled Swiss CheeseServes 1Level of Difficulty: zero
Ingredients3 slices of Swiss cheesebutter2 slices of white bread
How to MakeHeat a cast iron skillet on medium.Butter both sides of the bread.Layer cheese in between bread slices and toast until desired doneness is reached.

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Malted MilkServes 2Level of Difficulty: as easy an drinking both servings at once
Ingredients1 pint premium chocolate ice cream¼ c whole milk2 tbsp malt2 tbsp chocolate syrup
How to MakePlace the ice cream, milk, malt, and syrup in a blender and process on low speed for 30 seconds.Pour into 2 tall glasses and serve each with a straw and long-handled spoon.

Cooking Through "The Baker's Man": Dark Chocolate Oreo Tart

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Oreos were first introduced in 1912. They’ve been warming hearts, creating smiles, and causing debates for more than one hundred years. There are those who will never agree whether or not to dunk a cookie into milk, twist the sandwich cookie apart first, or shove a whole cookie into the mouth without twisting or milk. But there won’t be much debate on whether or not people love Oreos.

After a late night conversation, Beatrice realized her close friend Mary Margaret suffered from the winter doldrums and a lonely heart. Beatrice, owner of Bea’s Bakery, whipped up a dark chocolate Oreo tart that she knew would not only find Mary Margaret’s smile even if the sky was gray, but also it would give her heart a jolt of happiness.

For some of us the winter drags on too long, and the skies are so gray that we forget what the warmth of sunshine feels like against our cheeks. On days when our hearts are lonely for more than we care to admit, nothing finds your smile and warms your heart faster than a slice cut from a dark chocolate Oreo tart. Eat a piece now, and take one home for later. Your heart will thank you.
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Dark Chocolate Oreo TartServes: 18Level of Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
For the Oreo Crust:12 oz (1 package) Oreo cookies½ c butter, melted
For the Dark Chocolate Filling:2 c heavy cream16 oz dark chocolate1 c butter
To Decorate:about 4–5 halved Oreo cookieschocolate chips
How to MakeTo make the crust, using a food processor, pulse Oreo cookies until the texture resembles crumbs.Add the melted butter and blend until well combined.Place the mixture into a round fluted tart pan, and press onto the b...

Cooking Through "The Baker's Man": Red Velvet Cream Cheese Brownies

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Valentine’s Day in Mystic Water is a red-and-pink paper hearts, cupid-shooting-arrows, and overload-on-chocolate kind of day. People leave anonymous valentines pinned beneath windshield wipers, kids shove suckers and conversation hearts into handmade Valentine’s Day shoeboxes, and townsfolk rush into the bakery for chocolates and sweets of all kinds.

Anna’s red velvet cream cheese brownies will soften the heart of anyone, even those who loathe Valentine’s Day. So spread love and a lighthearted...

Cooking Through "The Baker's Man": Hidden Heart Pound Cake

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During the month of February, the bakery in Mystic Water becomes a whirlwind of crimson hearts, iridescent sugar pearls, and dark chocolate candies. The wind carries the scent of melting sugar, and the air sparkles like tossed pink confetti.

The townsfolk come into Bea’s Bakery looking for what only Anna can bake, and they leave with boxes and bags full of treats that will lighten their hearts, put a spring in their steps, and renew hope in their dreams.
One of Mystic Water’s February favorites...

Cooking Through "The Baker's Man": Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

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When it comes to baking, there are victories and there are failures. Sometimes the cakes don’t rise, and sometimes they rise like lopsided mountains. Sometimes cakes stick so badly to the pan they have to be eaten with a fork and never make it to the cake plate. Being a baker means accepting that your recipes (and you) will never be 100% perfect every time.
Each new year brings new resolutions to be better, stronger, kinder, thinner, happier, etc. People strive to start over and be a newer ver...

Cooking Through "The Baker's Man": Chocolate Donuts with Peppermint Bark

During the month of December, it seems as though sweets are waiting for you around every corner. Cookies spring up like daisies in the spring. Cakes lie around beneath glass domes and entice us to them. Truffles and candy canes and sufganiyot crowd inside gift bags for your enjoyment.

Bea’s Bakery in Mystic Water fills to bursting with sweets and treats of all kinds during December. Townsfolk flock to the glass cases from morning until closing time to fill their bellies with gingerbread cookie...