Baking

Healthy Carrot Cake

July 3, 2010 by Charles 11 Comments

The word “healthy” can be fraught with confusion. We all strive to be healthy, and healthy living is certainly an attribute. We try to make “healthy” choices during the day. Call me “healthy” and I’ll react with pride.

But call my cake “healthy,” and I might wince. For whatever reason, when healthy modifies a recipe – and especially a dessert – my first instinct is to shy away from it. For whatever reason, the word “healthy” seems strongly pejorative when it’s the adjective in front of a meal. Call my food delicious or creative or inspired, but please don’t call it healthy!

So, when Caitlin suggested we make this “Healthy Carrot Cake,” my first reaction was “Can’t we make a good carrot cake?” Which, of course, she found very upsetting. So I relented, …

Baklava

June 17, 2010 by Charles 8 Comments

Baklava stresses me out.

As soon as I open the plastic packaging and roll out the cold sheets of phyllo dough, I feel like I’m in a race against time. I can picture the sand streaming down the hour glass, announcing the moment that the phyllo dough will become parched and unworkable, as if your potter’s wheel could only spin for so long. Time is of the essence, but working quickly is not necessarily the solution. Move too carelessly and too quickly, and the thin sheets will tear and break into equally unworkable pieces.

I’ve tried covering the sheets with cold towels, or keeping half the sheets in the refrigerator, but have not noticed any real difference. If I am going to work with phyllo dough, I am going to have to work quickly and carefully. And that stresses me out. …

Baked Banana Oatmeal

June 7, 2010 by Charles Leave a Comment

Spare thoughts can reveal a lot.

Like anyone, my mind can often wander. Sometimes it wanders to far-off and unknown places, which leaves me looking lost and confused. These thoughts are stray thoughts, without any purpose or sense of direction. These stray thoughts require a passing hand or snapping finger to direct my attention back to the well-worn path.

But other times, my mind moves with a sense of purpose. Pushing past the brush and trekking towards a clearing. More often than not, these directed thoughts focus on finding either legal or culinary clearing.

When I’m folding laundry or putting away dishes, my mind goes in one of two directions. It goes …

Rhubarb Creme Brulee

May 30, 2010 by Charles 2 Comments

Like any man, I love my gadgets.

Three years ago, I moved into my current apartment. A few days after the move-in, the place barely looked inhabited. I had only a bed, a bookshelf, and a desk in my new place. At the time, I had been uncertain how long I would be in Saint Louis, and the thought of another quick move had encouraged a minimalistic lifestyle. I had no couch, no chairs, and little cookware. I also had no television.

Four weeks later – or should I say two paychecks later – I was ready to spruce up the apartment. I scoured the Internet, looking for the right price for the right item. I searched a number of different stores in the bi-state area. If Missouri did not have what I wanted, I was happy to head to Illinois. And that’s where I ultimately went.

One Saturday morning, I called the Target store in Belleville, Illinois, to confirm that I was coming. …

Cinnamon Message Meringues

May 24, 2010 by Charles 3 Comments

This past weekend, Caitlin graduated from law school. But she didn’t just graduate; she graduated with style, earning a number of academic honors and awards.

But a few days before the graduation, I found myself sitting around with a lot of extra egg whites (you’ll see why in a few days). Rather than toss perfectly good egg whites, I decided to make meringues. And rather than make the simple spiral meringues, I decided to spice them up a bit — literally and figuratively!

After a healthy dash of cinnamon, and a few twirls from my piping bag, …