Raspberry Nectarine Oatmeal

I heart oatmeal (along with every other health nut, I'm sure). It's hearty and nourishing, stick-to-your-ribs food. It's chewy, creamy, warming, and most importantly, very easy to adapt into a morning dessert - which I'm a huge fan of. The flavor combinations are pretty much endless, and for someone who is big into combining textures, oatmeal is the perfect vehicle. A good formula to follow when making your favorite breakfast cereal...

oats + something fresh + something dried + something creamy + something crunchy

Not that you need a formula when making oatmeal or anything, I mean this isn't rocket science, but I like to stick with what works. In fact I think this is my basic meal formula. Salads are always better with some fresh and dried fruits, and a sprinkling of nuts. Top with a creamy dressing and you're good to go. Pasta with roasted vegetables, fresh greens, creamy cheese, and roasted nuts - ugh, now I'm hungry. 

This oatmeal specifically was a combination of the seasonal fruits I had in my fridge, combined with my hands-down favorite granola, Purely Elizabeth. Have you ever tried this perfectly sweetened and toasted, magical superfood? It's crunchy yet somehow melts in my mouth - I really can't explain it. Made with ancient grains like millet, quinoa, and amaranth, and omega-3 seeds like chia, flax, and hemp, it's the most nutritious granola I've come across. Organic coconut oil and coconut palm sugar provide a filling energy boost, without the blood sugar spike of more processed sweeteners. And to please most every palate out there, Purely Elizabeth is also vegan and gluten-free. Buy it. Try it. Buy it again. Another good kitchen formula. 

Raspberry Nectarine Oatmeal

1/2 cup oats

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon shredded coconut

a few chopped apricots

1 nectarine, chopped

1/2 cup raspberries, mashed

toppings:

granola

almond milk

maple syrup or honey

shredded coconut or coconut butter

Cook your oats according to package instructions (buckwheat, farro, or brown rice make great alternatives). When oats begin to thicken, add cinnamon, vanilla, shredded coconut, and apricots. Continue cooking until desired consistency. Add the chopped nectarine and raspberry mash and give it a stir. Use whatever toppings are up your alley. Here I went with granola, almond milk, maple syrup, and a few pieces of leftover fruit. I poured the almond milk and honey over top after the photo session to ensure a clear view of that wonderful granola. 

Sweet Inspirations: Linzer Cookies

Did You Know? Outselling every brand of peanut butter combined, the amount of Nutella produced worldwide in one day is equivalent to nearly three times the weight of the Statue of Liberty.

The bakery has really been a lot of fun for me and Chris, and we can't help but to spend our days dreaming of the future of the business. Sweet Inspirations had its largest order to date over the weekend (8 dozen cookies), and it couldn't have gone smoother. Salvage Chic, an antique store located in Bryantville Center (Pembroke), contacted me a few weeks ago, in hopes of ordering something special for a sale they would be having this past weekend. I knew their logo involved price tags, so we set out to make some pretty impressive cookies for the event. Linzer cookies were our choice, giving us the ideal recipe to get creative with. We could cut out price tags for the base, and include the initials of the store for the jam to show through. Although the dough was by far the toughest I'd worked with, they turned out wonderfully, and tasted even better.

The dough was made with ground up hazelnuts, and for some reason, all it wanted to do was tear, and fall apart. I knew from the comments left by others that it wasn't the most cooperative recipe, but I thought I might have better luck. In the end, it all worked out, and I found that freezing the dough for a little before cutting out the initials worked the best. Just make sure to roll the dough between parchment paper, or you'll never get it off the rolling pin. And don't let my troubles scare you from trying this recipe, it was a huge success among everyone who tried them, and they only get better as the days go on - a great cookie if you're looking for something to make ahead of time.

If you live in the South Shore, and have not yet stopped by Salvage Chic, I highly recommend you do so. Christine and Claudia, the two owners, could not be any nicer, and the store itself is something out of a magazine. Each room is set up like a different room in a house, filled with items both old and new. I recently picked up a beautiful glass juicer and a set of vintage cookie jars with my sister and Maddie, and plan on going back to scan through their fabulous aprons. It's always our first stop when we're antique hunting, and we never leave empty handed. They even have a blog, so if you don't live nearby, you can check out all their finds over there.

Raspberry & Nutella Linzer Cookies
Adapted from Gourmet via Epicurious

2/3 cup hazelnuts (3 oz)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 12-oz jar seedless raspberry jam (or Nutella)
Confectioners' sugar (for dusting)

Special equipment: a 2- to 2 1/4-inch fluted round cookie cutter and assorted 1/2-inch shaped cookie cutters or aspic cutters

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

Toast hazelnuts in a shallow baking pan until fragrant and skins begin to loosen, about 6 minutes. Rub nuts in a kitchen towel to remove any loose skins (some skins may not come off), then cool to room temperature.

Pulse nuts and 1/4 cup brown sugar in a food processor until nuts are finely ground.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Beat together butter and remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a stand mixer (preferably fitted with paddle) or 6 minutes with a handheld. Add nut mixture and beat until combined well, about 1 minute. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, mixing until just combined.

With floured hands, form dough into 2 balls and flatten each into a 5-inch disk. Chill disks, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 2 hours.

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.

Roll out 1 disk of dough into an 11-inch round (1/8 inch thick) between 2 sheets of wax paper (keep remaining dough chilled). If dough becomes too soft to roll out, rewrap in plastic and chill until firm. Cut out as many cookies as possible from dough with larger cookie cutter and transfer to 2 ungreased large baking sheets, arranging about 1 inch apart. Using smaller cutters, cut out centers from half of the cookies, reserving centers and rerolling along with scraps (reroll only once). Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are golden, 10 to 15 minutes total, then transfer with a metal spatula to racks to cool completely. Make more cookies from second disk.

Dust the windowed cookies with confectioners' sugar. Spread about 1 teaspoon jam (or Nutella) on flat side of 1 solid cookie and sandwich jam with flat side of 1 windowed cookie. Sandwich remaining cookies in same manner.

Cookies keep, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment, and chilled in an airtight container, 2 weeks.

Sweet Inspirations: Raspberry-Almond Cupcakes

Did You Know? Half to one pound of raspberry fruit per day can provide twenty to thirty grams of fiber, which is adequate for an adult daily nutrition requirement.

I've mentioned my hopes for someday opening a bakery, Sweet Inspirations, with my best friend Chris in the near future, so that's pretty much what I've been busy with these past few days. We had our first order for an engagement party on Saturday evening, and we never would have predicted the success that was to come. Chris' brother Jeff had been working on our logo for a while, and I couldn't have asked for anything more perfect (and I can so see it on a t-shirt someday). He's thinking about taking it a little further, but his design sense is awesome, so I know I'll love whatever he decides on.

Raspberry-Almond Cupcakes and Lemon Bars were on the menu, so I thought I'd show you the cupcakes today. I wanted something girly, but classic looking, and I thought a raspberry-hued cake with an almond-scented buttercream would be perfect. The red berry against the white frosting was really traditional looking, and very fitting for the occasion. Packaged inside crisp, white bakery boxes, our first engagement turned out to be pretty professional.

The guests couldn't get enough of our desserts, and loved the original flavors we had paired together. Our next step will definitely be to finish our business cards, and maybe make some bumper stickers to put on all the cars of our friends and family members. We even booked two more clients for June, both for cupcakes, and the future bride of this engagement party rebooked us for another event she is going to have sometime over the Summer. We definitely have some hard work ahead of us, but so far things are looking really good. If we can keep delivering for small gatherings, and getting our name out there, I really see a future in the baking business. So if any of you live in the South Shore area, and are looking for a baked good for a party of yours or to bring along with you, send me an email, and we would love to create something special for you. And those lemon bars I mentioned will definitely be featured soon!

Rough Draft of our Logo/Engagement Quote

Raspberry-Almond Cupcakes
These were definitely on the less sweet, more muffin-like spectrum as far as cupcakes go, but when paired with the sweet, almond buttercream, I thought they were perfectly balanced. Add an additional 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sugar if you're looking for something sweeter.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 eggs
3/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups puréed raspberries, fresh or frozen, thawed
3/4 cup milk (or soymilk)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with paper cups, and set aside.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together remaining ingredients. Add this to the dry, beating with a wire whisk.

Pour into prepared cupcake tins. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until done when tested with a toothpick.

Makes about 30 cupcakes.

Almond Swiss-Meringue Buttercream
Enough for the 30 cupcakes, plus leftovers

4 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, very soft
2 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 pints fresh raspberries (for garnish)

Mix egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, and whisk to combine. Set over a medium pan of boiling water, and whisking constantly, heat egg whites and sugar for about 4-5 minutes, until hot to the touch.

Remove from heat and reattach to the stand mixer fixed with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until the mixture resembles marshmallow fluff, a few minutes.

At this point, you want the frosting to be completely cool before adding the softened butter, so surround with ice or frozen vegetables, until it has reached room temperature.

When cool enough, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time. Halfway through, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Add the remaining butter, the extracts, and beat until fluffy. Frost the cupcakes, garnish with raspberries (if desired) and enjoy!

Raspberry-Swirl Tea Cake

Did You Know? Red raspberries are native to Europe and have been cultivated for over 400 years, while wild red raspberries are native to North America. More than 40 varieties of raspberries were known by 1867, and today there are more than 200 known species.

Although they've been few and far between, the momentary breaks from rain and snow have brought about a craving for jam-filled cakes and whimsical, fruit-laden desserts. This recipe comes from one of my favorites, Inn Cuisine, where your hostess Sandie brings her love of all things bed and breakfast into the heart of her kitchen. Everything on her beautiful site has me daydreaming of lazy Summer weekends spent relaxing in a cozy cottage somewhere warm. If you haven't stopped by yet, I strongly encourage you to do so, if not for the pictures alone.

As the weather slowly warms, and the heavy meals hibernate until next winter, fruit takes its place on the forefront of our menus. I love putting the heavy chocolate dishes on the backburner, and whipping out the vanilla-scented crumbles and creams. Spring to me is the perfect time of year to experiment with fruity desserts. It's when your berry cravings begin to sprout, along with the first blooms of the season. The humidity isn't in full swing, and you have not yet sworn off your oven until Autumn returns. If not for the welcoming of Spring, this tea cake could at least make an appearance for your Easter Sunday brunch.

Like always, my family asked what I'd be making for them over the weekend, and I read off a list of possibilities. And like most weekends, my sister was skeptical. She doesn't like "jammy" things, and would prefer if I made something different. Of course I didn't really care, since I knew this one was not negotiable. And besides, I love proving her wrong.

Every step to making this cake was wonderful. The colors, the textures, and of course the flavors. Being a fan of anything pink, the ribbon of raspberry puree that ran through the center of the tart was beautiful. Dolloped with free-form mounds of buttery crumbles, the tea cake baked to a pale perfection in no time. I set it by the window to cool while we set off to do some errands on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon.

Raspberry-Swirl Tea Cake
Adapted from Inn Cuisine

Filling
1 (12 ounce) package frozen raspberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Batter
1 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup very cold butter, sliced into thin pats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10″ round tart pan with a removable bottom; set aside.

Raspberry Filling
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine raspberries, sugar and cornstarch over medium heat; cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat. Push raspberry mixture through a fine, mesh sieve, discarding seeds and pulp. Set filling aside to cool slightly. Alternatively, you may make ahead, store in an airtight container, and refrigerate and use within 3 days.

Tea Cake Batter
In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour and sugar. Using a pastry blender (I used a fork), cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. *Measure and set aside 1/2 cup of this flour-crumb mixture and reserve for crumb topping. To remaining flour mixture add baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir well to combine. Make a well in the center of flour mixture to accept the wet ingredients.

In a small mixing bowl, beat egg; stir in buttermilk, vanilla and almond extracts until just combined. Add all at once to the well you just created in the center of the flour mixture. Stir gently until just moistened; batter will be thick (do not overmix). Spread two-thirds of this batter over the bottom and up 1″ of the sides of prepared tart pan, using fingers to pat into place if necessary. Next, carefully spread the prepared raspberry filling on top of this batter. In small, irregular mounds, drop remaining batter on top of raspberry filling, spreading ever-so-gently with fingers or back of spoon if necessary. Allow mounds of batter to rest atop raspberry filling without pressing into bottom layer of batter. Sprinkle entire cake with the *reserved flour-crumb topping.

In the center of a preheated oven, bake tea cake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean (filling will turn toothpick red). Remove tart pan from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Once cooled enough, remove cake from tart pan and place on cake stand or serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.