I finished Confections of a Closet Master Baker: One Woman’s Sweet Journey from Unhappy Hollywood Executive to Contented Country Baker by Gesine Bullock-Prado about a month ago.  There were so many recipes in this book that I wanted to make.  I have to admit I was a bit confused and overwhelmed on how to veganinze the recipes.  I am still pretty new at this baking thing.  Altering recipes is something that I still need a little bit more experience.

Overall I enjoyed the book.  It was a really quick and easy read.  It really hit home when she talked about watching such a strong and independent person like her mother wither away and die right before her eyes from cancer.  I also lost my mother to cancer in 2001.  Gesine totally made sense to me after that because I was able to relate to her.  I give Gesine a lot of credit for leaving a successful job with her sister, Sandra Bullock’s production company to start her own bakery business.  There are a ton of people who wish they had the guts to hang up a successful 9-5 to follow their hearts, dreams and passions.

I didn’t agree with Gesine’s attitude toward vegans but I can totally see where she is coming from.  No one wants to feel like someone’s beliefs or way of life are being preached or force-fed on them.  Vegans tend to be perceived as very pushy.  You will not find me telling people what they should and should not eat.  I think it is a very personal choice.  I do not want people telling me what I should eat so, I choose to respect other people’s free will to choose.  Gesine does mention in her book how difficult it would be to make vegan things that taste good.  I have had some awesome tasting vegan desserts and pastries from some pretty awesome bakeries in New York, so it is very possible.

I am not the perfect vegan.  I had a few moments of weakness and I made her carrot cake recipe without any vegan adjustments to the recipe.  Also I am sorry to say I did not make this cake gluten free.  Shaun was not interested in this cake so I saw no point in not using regular flour.  I am going to toot my own here and say that my cooking ability has come a long way.  I would have never thought that I would be able to make a three tier cake from scratch and it taste amazing!  The first time I made Gesine’s carrot cake was Easter weekend.  It tasted great but it looked like a snow storm.  I didn’t realize there was an art to frosting.  I definitely should have asked for help or tips.  I knew I needed to make this cake again because I wanted a great picture to post and well because the cake tasted amazing.  I decided to start this cake on Monday night.  You’re probably thinking who tries to make a three tier cake during a work week?!  Only me I know.  But I was feeling pretty sad and there is no better pick me up then C-A-K-E!!  Shaun was kind enough to grate the carrots for me.  Honestly I love making this cake but grating the carrots make this cake such a pain.  I know you must be kind to the star of the show, but the first time I made this cake my arm hurt for like two days from grating the carrots.  I know I am such a wimp!  Below you will find Gesine’s carrot cake recipe.

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

For the cake

1 ½ cups vegetable oil, plus additional for the pans

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¾ teaspoon nutmeg

3 cups finely grated peeled carrots (about 1 pound)

For the frosting

4 cups of confectioners’ sugar

Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cake

Preheat the oven to 325 °F.  Lightly grease three 8-inch round cake pans with 1 ½-inch sides.  Line the bottoms of the pans with wax paper and lightly grease the paper.

Place the sugar and oil in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until combined.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg into the sugar and oil mixture and beat on low until all ingredients are incorporated.  Stir in the carrots.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans, dividing equally.  Bake about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, if you must.  But you can also gently press the top; if it springs back and if the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, it’s done.  Set the cakes on racks and let them cool in the pans 15 minutes.  Invert the cakes onto the racks and cool completely.  (Cakes can be made 1 day ahead.  Wrap tightly in plastic and store at room temperature.)

For the frosting

In an electric mixer, beat all the ingredients with the whisk attachment until smooth and creamy.

To assemble the cake

Place one completely cool cake layer on a lovely cake platter.  Spread with ¾ cup frosting.

Top with another layer cake layer.  Spread with ¾ cup frosting.  Top with the remaining cake layer.  Using and offset spatula spread the remaining frosting in decorative swirls over the sides and top of the cake.

When I made this cake I used organic ingredients.  I ran out of vegetable oil so I used grape seed oil the second time I made this cake.  I actually think it tasted better with the grape seed oil.  Also I did not use any wax paper since I bake with silicone.  I do not own an offset spatula so I frosted the cake without it.  I used this video on About.com on how to frost a layer cake.  I found it extremely helpful for a beginner like myself.  http://video.about.com/baking/How-to-Frost-a-Cake.htm This cake was even a hit at work.  My co-workers loved the cake.  If I can make this, anyone can!

New York Cheesecake
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs (about 6 ounces)
1 cup sugar
½ cup melted unsalted butter
1 ½ pounds cream cheese, preferable without gum, at room temperature
4 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
Grated zest of one lemon
2 cups sour cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the graham crackers with ¼ cup of sugar and, melted butter and press into bottom and sides of a 9-inch ungreased spring-form pan. Chill while preparing filling.
Beat the cream cheese, ½ cup sugar, eggs, 2 teaspoons of the vanilla, and lemon zest until smooth. Pour into chilled crust and bake 50 minutes to an hour, or until the cheese is set and starting to turn golden in spots. Remove the oven (leave oven on) and cool for about 15 minutes until glossy and set.
Cool completely, cover, and chill at least 8 hours.
Serves 8

YOWZA!

I have one word to describe my attempt at making gnocchi…”YOWZA!!” To say it was a disaster is an understatement. I believe the picture of my gnocchi speaks for itself. I knew going into this that this recipe was not going to be easy at all for a novice cook. But I figured what do I have to lose!

No- Nookie Gnocchi

• 2 russet potatoes
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 heaping cup flour, plus more for dusting
• salt
• freshly grated pepper
• freshly grated parmigiano

Put the potatoes in a pot with enough water to cover, bring to a boil, and cook, partially covered, until they are just tender, about 35-40 minutes. Remove the potatoes to a cutting board and peel with a paring knife as soon as you can stand to touch them, then run them through a potato ricer or food mill, spreading them out on a cutting board to cool completely.

Mix the egg, salt and nutmeg. Form the cooled potatoes into a mound and pour the egg mixture into it. Begin kneading the potato and egg mixture with your hands, adding the flour a little at a time, being careful not to overwork the dough.

When the flour is evenly combined with the potato and the dough is only a little sticky, divide it into 4 pieces.Roll each piece into a long, narrow tube like a garden snake and slice it crosswise into little soft pillows, each ½ inch wide. Rest each pillow on the tip of your thumb and impress it with the tines of a fork lightly dusted with flour, creating a ribbed surface for the sauce to cling to. Keep a bowl of flour nearby to dip the fork into, as it will become tacky- or better yet, keep some extra forks nearby.

Add the gnocchi about 10 at a time to a pot of salted boiling water. When they rise to the top, they’re done. Remove them to a serving bowl with a slotted spoon or spider and continue to cook in batches. Toss with the sauce and serve with grated parmigiano and freshly grated pepper.

Yield: about 6 dozen.

I am bummed but I am not going to dwell on a cooking failure when I am excited to start our next book!!

 I‘d like to leave off on a brighter note and share the gigantic gingerbread house I saw in Walt Disney World. My family and I spent Christmas and New Year’s there. The gingerbread house was located inside of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. In case you are wondering that entire house is edible! It is made with 800 pounds of flour, 600 pounds of sugar and 1,050 pounds of honey.

Gingerbread House @ Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Me and Brianne and Gina haven’t seen each other in 10 years. Yes, 10 years. Since we graduated high school. And I haven’t seen Jeanine since August, so there was a lot to catch up on. So much in fact, we got booted from Franny’s for talking and keeping the table too long! Understandable, it’s a small place and it became very crowded, and we were sort of stuck in our own little world.

The food was awesome: me and Brianne had the buffalo mozzarella/garlic/oregano pizza and a Sixpoint Craft Ales Sweet Action (a local Brooklyn beer). Gina also had the buffalo mozzarella/garlic/oregano pizza with a  glass of Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso (red wine from Sicily). Jeanine ordered the tomato/olives/garlic/oregano pizza with a cocktail dubbed the ‘Brooklyn’: Maker’s Mark, sweet vermouth & fresh lemon juice. I can’t speak for everyone, but I know I enjoyed the food as much as the company, and that’s saying something! The beer was pretty good, but as Brianne said later, it was a little “hop-y” for me. I’d order it again though. Jeanine’s only complaint was that the drink came in a  girly martini glass (come on, it’s MAKER’S MARK, not a Cosmo!), and was small for the $11. After being booted (and I say that in the nicest possible way) we moved across/down the street to Bar(n), a bar connected with the Flatbush Farm. There I ordered a Kelso of Brooklyn beer, the type of which I do not know, which is unfortunate because I enjoyed it a lot and would like to have it again, or get some for home. I know they sell the Pilsner at Franny’s, so maybe it was the same.  Jeanine ordered a whiskey sour, Brianne got a Stoli orange and Gina got a vodka cranberry. I can’t speak for the other ladies’ drinks, but they were, for the most part, finished when we left …so they must have been good.

Unfortunately, Wednesday nights are work nights, so we couldn’t stay out late and meet up with Giulia. That was a bummer, but we had a terrific evening anyway.

As we get ready to make our finale dish for I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti : the gnocchi, and we prepare to start our second book, Garlic & Sapphires, this was a perfect way for us to not only catch up and have a nice evening out, but to toast one another on a successful beginning to our new group blogging venture!

Food Club Pork Roast

6 garlic cloves

¼ cup fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 (4 ½ – to 5- pound) rib section center-cut pork loin (have the butcher bone the meat and then reassemble the roast with string)

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup white wine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mince the garlic and rosemary by hand (or better yet, in a food processor).  Mix them in a small bowl with the salt and freshly ground pepper.  Rub the meat with olive oil and then the garlic-rosemary mixture.  Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Place pork flat side up on a rack in roasting pan, then pour white wine over it.  Roast in center of oven until a thermometer registers 140 degrees, about 90 minutes.  Remove from oven and let the meat rest on a cutting board, tented with foil, for about 20 minutes before slicing.

Discard string, separate bones from the loin, and slice meat to desired thickness.  You may cut the ribs and serve them, too, or save them to add them to a tomato sauce.  (Pork ribs add richness to sauce.)Yield: 6 servings

Overall I was really happy with how dinner turned out and most importantly Shaun loved it! Don’t get me wrong there were a few hiccups along the way. I managed to spill a good amount my macaroni and cheese when I was putting it in the oven and created a huge mess. Oh and let us not forget how I almost chopped off a finger cutting the garlic! I guess I got a little arrogant with my recently acquired knife skills while using Shaun’s precious Wusthof knives.

I also decided to take a stab at “Nana’s Blueberry Muffins”. As you guys know we have a gluten allergy in the family so I decided to make these muffins gluten free. Please keep in mind that I have never baked a thing in my life. I am lucky I know the difference between a whisk and a spatula! I told Shaun earlier in the week that I wanted to bake so he was nice enough to get me a set silicone bake ware in a pretty red. Instead of regular flour I used “Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour “. I also added a little bit of vanilla extract, nutmeg and cinnamon. I wasn’t sure how gluten free flour was going to make the muffins taste so I wanted to spice them up so to speak. Don’t ask me how much of each spice I added because honestly I just eyeballed it. I know it sounds stupid for someone who has never baked before. I just added as much spice as I’ve seen my Dad add to his muffins. Growing up my Dad always made us a special breakfast on Sunday to give my Mom a break in the kitchen. No joke my Dad makes the best blueberry muffins!!

I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree cause the muffins turned out great!

Nana’s Blueberry Muffins

Butter, softened, for greasing muffins tins

1 3/4 Cup self-rising flour

1/4 Cup Sugar

1/4 Cup milk

6 Tablespoons melted butter

1 Egg

1 Cup Blueberries

1 Tablespoon Butter (Optional)

1/4 Cup Sugar (Optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter the muffin tins. Mix flour and sugar, stir in the wet ingredients, then add the blueberries. Spoon batter into muffin tins, filling each cup 3/4 of the way full. Bake 15-20 minutes, cool for ten minutes, and put on a cooling rack. While the muffins are still warm, melt 1 Tbs. of the butter and place in a saucer. Put the 1/4 C. sugar in a separate saucer. Dip the muffins into the butter than roll in the sugar.  This step is optional but I highly recommend it.

Yield: 9 Muffins; recipe can be doubled.

I am pretty excited to hang out with the women of CTB on Wednesday and celebrate the blog and completion of the first book! I am however not looking forward to making the gnocchi we all agreed to make. Although I think the only reason I am not looking forward to it is Gnocchi seems complicated to make. And let’s not forget the fact that I have never ever had this dish before. It is going to be hard to make something without a reference point but I am up for the challenge. Worst come to worst if I burn it, there is always frozen pizza to save the day! Wish me luck…

Everyone I have told about Cooking the Books thinks it is a fun and awesome idea.  But I have to say there hasn’t been one person who didn’t laugh or chuckle when I told them that I was going to cook!  It’s pretty much a known fact that I only make things that are microwaveable, so I can understand everyone’s amazement.     Since this is one of the first times I was going to try to cook, I wanted to make one of Giulia’s recipes that meant something to me.  It’s funny because with my cooking ability or lack thereof.  Most people might imagine that I would just do something ridiculous like “Kit’s Drunken Soup”.  I have to admit that “Kit’s Drunken Soup” is totally up my alley.  (You will just have to check out I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti to know what I am talking about!)  However I wanted to make real food, so I took a stab at the “Grilled Marinated Flank Steak”.  It seemed like an easy enough recipe that even I would have been able to pull it off.

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak

2 to 3 pounds flank steak

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

Place meat in a bowl or Ziploc bag with remaining ingredients and marinate for 30 minutes on the counter and as much as overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat broiler or grill.  Cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Slice thinly.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

I was pretty excited to try and make this recipe.  During the week I don’t have time with work to come home and cook (aka experiment!!).  I figured this would be perfect for Saturday night dinner.

Shaun has been really supportive about me learning to cook.  He went with me yesterday to Whole Foods to pick out the meat and get the ingredients.  Without him I would have been a deer caught in headlights at the meat counter.  I insisted that we make the special trip to Whole Foods because I wanted beef that had been grass fed.  (Shaun and I watched Food Inc the other day.  It really opened my eyes to a few things and now I only want to eat grass fed meat.)  Yes, the meat was more expensive but it was worth every penny.

Shaun gave me a quick lesson in knife skills and directed me on how to mince garlic.  He laughed at me when I though the whole bulb of garlic was a clove.  How the hell was I supposed to know?!

Jeanine Mincing Garlic

As a side dish I made brown rice fusilli pasta with red sauce.  Shaun has a gluten allergy so regular pasta is out of the question in my house.  And for those of you that were wondering, the red sauce was store bought.  I will try to make my own sauce next time.  Rome was not built in a day people.

Overall the meal was a success.  It was awesome that I got to learn from Shaun.  It made me feel good to know that Shaun loved the meal and he was proud of me.  He called me his wife the “Chef”.  While I don’t think I deserve all this fanfare I can’t wait to try this again next weekend.   Next I am going to try the “Food Club Pork Roast”.  When I told Shaun that I wanted to make a roast he said “the microwave queen wants to learn how to use the oven”!

I want to thank Shaun for being patient with me and Giulia for all the awesome recipes.

Expect to see more in the future, we’re just getting started setting things up right now. So if you’re visiting for the first time, hi- there’s not much to see yet. But check back soon for a full introduction and more content, including our ‘About‘ page which will tell you more about not only the site and what we want to accomplish, but each of us ourselves: Me, Gina, Jeanine and Brianne.