Last week I promised that I would reveal to you the hidden location of these meringue mushrooms and the walnut forest. Well, they’re sitting on top of what is, currently, one of the proudest moments in my baking history.

That is, they are on top of a six layer Fall hummingbird cake that I made. Originally, this would have been my 8th Project Foodblog post, but, I am sad to announce, that I didn’t make it to round 8.  However, I am quite proud that I made it this far

So, you are probably asking yourself at this point:

a – what is a Fall hummingbird cake

and

b – why is this one of the proudest moments in your (my) baking history??

You may be familiar with the traditional hummingbird cake. It’s deliciously sweet, is filled with bananas, pineapple, and pecans, and has more granulated sugar than flour in it. It’s sweet. And, it’s good.

So, why mess with something so fantastic?

why not!

I went ahead and substituted half of the bananas with homemade pumpkin puré (by volume) and the pecans with walnuts (because walnuts are in seasonal over abundance in Europe right now). In the end, I created a cake as delicious as the original with the added flavor of pumpkin pie…hence the name the Fall Hummingbird Cake.

And, to answer your second question, this is why I am so proud of myself:

That (3,5 years ago) was my first and last attempt at a multi-layered cake covered in frosting. Then, I chocked my oozing cake off to lack of knowledge and a bad recipe. Now, after much research…and a lot more practice…I am pretty sure that the recipe I used 3,5 years ago was perfectly fine and that I just should have planned to make the cake over 2 days instead of 2 hours. In the case of a mulit-layered cake, patience is key.

Now, I’m not saying that my cake is perfect – it does taste perfect – but I would love to achieve something that looks more like a professional cake next time and less like a hill. And, yes, there definitely will be a next time.

And, for those of you who would love a meringue mushroom forest on top of your cake, you can find my recipe (with accompanying video) here. Just remember to add the mushrooms at the last minute with a dab of some left over frosting. Then, sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

You will love the look on everyone’s face when they see this cake! It brought big smiles to my kids as well as the 5 guests we had over that evening and the 3 friends we visited the next day…it’s a big cake.   And, if the cake is too large for you to finish in a few days, slice it up, bag it, and freeze it…then you can enjoy it at your leisure for months to come.

The original recipe, and my inspiration for this cake can be found here. Sweetapolita used 8″ round cake tins, and I only have 1 10″ round spring form which is why my recipe yields 4 cakes and not 6. I intend to remedy this as soon as a find a place that sell cake tins in town. I definitely need something smaller in diameter and at least 3 or 4 so it doesn’t take me 4 hours to bake 4 cakes (for 8 layers). I ended up with 6 because I became impatient and my first cake crumbled.

The cake recipe comes together really quickly, but turning it into a multi-layered, beautifully frosted cake, takes time and patience.  Don’t let that frighten you – it is amazing what you can do with practice and time.

Cakes
Ingredients:
780 grams Flour
800 grams Sugar
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons ground Cinnamon
6 Eggs, lightly beaten
2 Cups Sunflower Oil
4 teaspoons Vanilla extract
220 grams Walnuts, finely chopped
454 grams canned crushed pineapple (with the juice)
2 Cups mashed Bananas (about 5-6 Bananas)
2 Cups homemade Pumpkin Puré

Directions:
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).

Prepare 4 10″ round cake pans by spraying the bottoms and the sides with cooking spray and then lining the bottom of each pan with a cut-out round piece of parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together – by hand – the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside.

In another bowl, combine the eggs, oil, vanilla, walnuts, pineapple, bananas, and pumpkin puré. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and mix well until everything has incorporated.

Pour the batter, in equal measure, into your prepared cake tins, and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean.

Remove to a wire rack and let sit for 20 minutes – do not remove earlier or your cakes will crumble! Once 20 minutes have elapsed, turn over the baking tins onto the rack to remove the cake, peel off the parchment paper, and let the cake completely cool.

Once the cakes have completely cooled, wrap each cake with plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator over night.

…the next day

Prepare the frosting (see recipe bellow) and then continue.

Remove your cake rounds from the refrigerator and prepare to cut each round in half. To do so you will need a large cutting board and a long serrated knife. Before cutting through the cake, score all along the edge of the cake where you wish to cut, then, with even, sawing strokes, cut each round in half.

Place 1 cake half top-side down on your cake plate (I used the removable bottom of my tart pan) and place a few scoops of frosting on it – spread so that it is evenly coated, then top with another cake half and repeat until all layers are used up.

Now your cake is ready to be crumb coated – which means that you need to cover the cake with a this layer of frosting on all sides and the top to seal in the crumbs – it does not have to look pretty – and then refrigerate for 1 hour before proceeding.

…1 hour later

Remove from refrigerator and cover with the final (pretty) coat of frosting. Refrigerate over night before slicing.

…the next day (again)

Remove from refrigerator just before serving. Slice, serve, and watch everyone smile and enjoy the silence of delicious cake.

Serves 28.

Frosting
Ingredients:
230 grams Butter, at room temperature
2 kg Powdered Sugar (yes – that’s 4 just over 4 pounds!)
4 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
907 grams Cream Cheese, cut into chunks, cold

Directions:
In an electric mixer with whisk attachment, cream the butter and sugar until just combined. Add the vanilla extract and all the cream cheese and whisk on medium speed for about 4 minutes. Turn the speed to high for one more minute, and it’s done.

I love cute notions – especially edible ones – so when I saw meringue mushrooms on Sweetapolita, I knew I just had to make them.

I had never made meringue mushrooms until a week ago.  At first it was very frustrating.  I had great directions, but still found myself lost and not knowing, for example, what stiff peaks were supposed to look like despite endlessly staring at Google Images.

My first batch was a flop and took 7 hours of baking to get the meringue to harden, and it deflated beyond salvage when I added the cocoa powder to make chocolate ones.  With my second batch I tried a whole knew recipe, but it came out so very hard that it wasn’t really fun to eat – crunch, crunch.  My third batch looked promising, but after some egg yolk slipped into the egg white, I had to beat it for 30 minutes to get soft peaks and bake 5 hours to get it to harden.  And, somehow – I’m not the kind of person who gives up easily – I decided to try a fourth time, and, even though I used the same recipe as the first and third times, I was able to pull it off perfectly without a hitch…even when I mixed into cocoa powder and matcha green tea powder.

The mushrooms are ever so light and fluffy, but still rich and chocolaty.

I think it wouldn’t have taken 4 times to perfect had I had some visual guidance.  And, I would like to share my hard earned knowledge with you in this video that I made with my husband’s cell phone for this week’s Project Foodblog Challenge:

Comeback next week to find out what I did with my meringue mushrooms. And, yes, it has to do with this mushroom and walnut forest.

And, for those of you, like myself, who like a quick reference text version of the recipe:

Ingredients:
4 Egg Whites, at room temperature
1 Cup Sugar
1 pinch Cream of Tartar
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
100 grams Dark Chocolate, broken into chunks
1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder

Tools/Equipment:
1 pot filled 1/4 with Water
Electric mixer
Heat-proof bowl for electric mixer
Whisk attachment
Hand Whisk
Frosting Piping Bad with 1/2-inch round Tip
2 Baking Sheets or 2 cookie sheets
Parchment Paper
A Spatula
A small Sieve
2 small Spoons
A small bowl
A small bowl with water
Tuperware for storage

Directions:

for the Meringue:
Preheat oven to 93°C (200°F).

Bring the pot of water to a boil.

In the meant time, in a heat proof electric mixer bowl, combine the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar. Whisk by hand, constantly, while holding over, but not touching, the pot of boiling water for 3 minutes.

Transfer to your electric mixer, add the vanilla extract, and start whisking by slowly increasing the speed every minute (jump a few speeds at a time) until you reach high speed. Whip on high speed for 10 minutes, or until stiff, glossy peaks form.

Forming Mushrooms:
Use a spatula to scoop the meringue into your piping bag until it’s 3/4th full, and fully close the bag at the top using your hand.

Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

Pipe mushrooms caps by holding the tip close to the baking sheet so that they spread out and then pull up to finish. Pipe the mushroom stems by starting close to the baking sheet and pulling up steadily to create a tube. Stop squeezing when you have reached the desired hight. Make one stem for every cap you make.

Smooth out the mushroom caps with a wet finger.  And, slightly flatten the tops of the stems.

Place once baking sheet in the bottom third of the oven and the other in the top third. Bake for 1 hour.

Lower the oven temperature to 83°C (175°F).

Switch sheet locations (top goes to bottom and bottom goes to top), and bake for another 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool for 3-5 minutes – or until they feel cool. Place in a large tuperware, or other air-tight container, immediately.

Assembly:
Place the chocolate chunks in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Mix around and mash a bit, and return to the microwave for another 30 seconds. Mix until all chocolate has melted.

Rub some melted chocolate onto the back of a small spoon and swirl a thin coat onto the bottom (flat side) of the mushroom caps. Repeat with all caps. Set aside to dry. And, while you wait, match mushrooms stems to caps for the next step.

Once the chocolate on the caps has mostly re-hardened, use the small spoon to swirl a thicker amount of chocolate onto the bottom of the cap. Take the stem you wish to attach, dip the tip into the melted chocolate, and attach by placing the stem into the chocolate part of the cap. Set on a plate and let harden enough to move to an air tight container where they can continue to dry/harden.

Dusting:
Place a few mushrooms in a bowl, standing up. Hold a sieve over them, and spoon cocoa powder through the sieve and sprinkle over mushrooms.

Hold a mushroom by the stem and shake off excess cocoa powder and tap off any further excess on the side of the bowl. Repeat with all mushrooms.

Return to an airtight container until ready to consume.

Makes 40-70 mushrooms depending on size of the mushrooms.

Tips & Suggestions:

• It Must Be Yolk Free: the slightest amount of egg yolk will ruin the mixture.

• When do I know that my sugar has melted: when you rub the mixture between your fingers and it feels smooth and grain/sugar free.

• When do I have stiff peaks: when your egg white mixture is glossy; when you wave the whisk in the air vigorously and it doesn’t move even the slightest bit; when you pull the whisk up and the egg white stay straight up and don’t flop over at all.

• The need for airtight containers: If you leave meringue out for any amount of time it starts to absorb humidity and will eventually become sticky and chewy – kind of like an old marshmallow.  To avoid this, keep them unrefrigerated and in an airtight container until ready to eat.  They should hold for about 3 months like this.

• Standing Mushrooms: You can achieve a perfect standing mushroom even more frequently by poking multiple holes in a circular pattern on the bottom of the mushroom cap once it has been coated with chocolate the first time and the chocolate has dried.  Then, coat with a second thicker layer of chocolate and press the cap into the toothpick-made hole.

Way back when my husband and I were just married, we used to go on picnics all the time. My husband’s work route took him through a park, and after work on nice warm days, I would meet half way and we would have a picnic for dinner.

Now that we have two wonderful children, our picnics revolve around play grounds and sandboxes more than they do around food. So, since Foodbuzz asked us to blog about a meal on the go for this weeks Project Foodblog challenge, I decided to recreate a picnic for two.

On one of our previous visits to Prague, we discovered 94-year-old Deli in the heart of Downtown that has some of the most unique and delicious sandwiches I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying. Today, I would like to share the experience of a true Bohemian picnic with you.

The region of Germany that I live in is right next to Bohemia – which is in the western part of the Czech Republic, and much of the Bohemian culture extends into Bavaria. And, my butcher’s family just happens to be from Bohemia, so I asked for some advice as to what would be a typical Bohemian picnic meal to complement my potato salad and roast beef sandwiches. His mother-in-law came out from the back where she usually helps prepare take-away food, and shared some advice with me.  We settled on Brussels sprout salad, rice pudding with preserved, sour cherries, and elderflower spritzer.  My Bohemian picnic was starting to come to life.

And, with the surprisingly sunny weather we had this weekend, we were able to head on over to our community garden for a nice picnic dinner for two – while the kids played in the playground, of course!  I really love the scent of fresh air with my meal – it makes everything taste better.

Potato salad is a very classic picnic dish, but it’s much more fun – and delicious – when it’s in a sandwich.  It transforms a dry piece of bread into a deliciously creamy sandwich.  You can top it off with any deli meat of your liking; my favorite is roast beef because, not only does it taste good, but I have many wonderful childhood memories attached it it.  Then, go ahead and add some tomato, hard boiled egg, and pickle, and you have yourself the perfect Bohemian sandwich.

To complement the flavors and textures of my creamy potato salad and roast beef sandwich, I made a Brussels sprout salad.  I actually grew-up eating this same dish at home – even though I’m not Bohemian – with one major difference.  They add sugar.  I was really worried that this would over sweeten the Brussels sprouts and make them taste gross, but I was quite wrong.  And, although I still prefer my mother’s tangy version, this one is quite palatable and a really big hit with the kids.  My son was begging me for more after 2 helpings!

To help wash everything down, I chose to make an elderflower spritzer.  True, beer is very Bohemian, but I wanted something lighter that would offset the savory flavors of the sandwich.  This was actually the first time I had ever used and tasted elderflower syrup, and I was pleasantly surprised by its fragrant flavor.

To crown the meal, we enjoyed rice pudding topped off with the sour cheery pie filling that I canned this summer.  Traditionally, you would use sour cherries preserved in their own juices, but I find the creamier pie filling preserves the consistency of the rice pudding instead of turning it into a watery mess.

The general rule of a Bohemian picnic is to use what’s available to you.  Don’t have access to roast beef?  Use ham.  Or, go vegetarian and leave the deli meat out all together.  Not a big fan of Brussels sprouts?  You can make the same delicious salad using cauliflower.  Did you miss-out on the 3 weeks of the year when sour cherries are in season?  No problem, you can also top off your rice pudding with preserved plums, raspberries, or apples.  Use what you have in your pantry or what is in season and local.  Never heard of elderflowers and they don’t grow in your region?  Make a simple syrup with fresh petals and herbs available to you: rose petals, orange or lemon blossoms, lemon verbena leaves, lavender flowers, hibiscus flowers, mint leaves, vanilla bean …the list goes on and on.  Mrs. Willomitzer shared with me that when there was no wine they even made a simple syrup out of red wine vinegar and drank that mixed with water.  Creativity is key.

So, get your creative juices flowing, get cooking, pack your awesome Project Foodblog cooler or picnic basket, and take the time to have a Bohemian picnic.

Chlebíček se Roastbeef a Bramborový Salát
Potato Salad & Roast Beef Sandwiches – Potato Salad original recipe here
Ingredients:
1 kg Potatoes
1 Red Onion, diced
3 large Sweet Pickles, finely chopped
56 grams cooked Peas
3 cooked Carrots, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
2 large slices of bread
6 sliced Roast beef
1 hard boiled Egg, sliced
a few slices of Tomato
a few slices of Pickle

Potato Salad Directions:
Place all the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until a fork inserts into the center of a potato without trouble. Remove from heat, drain water, and let cool completely.

Once the potatoes have completely cooled, peel with a knife, and then chop into small cubes and place in a large bowl. Add the onions, pickles, peas, and carrots.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour over the salad and mix to completely coat. Mix in the mayonnaise and combine well. Let stand over night in the refrigerator for the best flavor.

Makes 8 servings.

Sandwich assembly: Press about 1 cup of potato salad on to each slice of bread. Top each slice of bread with 3 slices of roast beef, one slice of hard boiled egg, 1 slice of tomato, and a sliced pickle.

On the go: If you cannot assemble your sandwich directly before eating, I recommend adding a slice of bread to the top and wrapping it in some parchment paper and then some plastic wrap. This will keep your sandwich snuggly assembled until it’s time to eat.

Růžičková Kapusta Salát
Brussels Sprouts Salad – original recipe courtesy of Mrs. Willomitzer from Metzgerei Willomitzer
Ingredients:
500 grams Brussels Sprouts, cross cut into heads
Water
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
Juice of 1 Lemon
1 teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Sugar
freshly ground Pepper, to taste
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
4 slices of Bacon, diced

Directions:
Place a steamer basket in a pot with a fitting lid and fill with enough water to sit under the steamer basket. Place all the Brussels sprout in the steamer basket and sprinkle with 1/2 a teaspoon of Salt.

Steam on high heat with the lid on for 10 minutes, or until tender. Remove immediately and cool with running tap water.

In the mean time sauté the bacon until crispy. Set aside to let cool.

In a large serving bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, salt, sugar, pepper, and olive oil. Mix in the Brussels sprouts and top with bacon crumbles. Serve immediately.

OR

On the go: Make up to one day in advance and keep the bacon on the side. Top with bacon crumbles right before serving.

Makes 2 servings.

Rýžový Nákyp a Višně
Rice Pudding & Sour Cherries – Original rice pudding recipe here
Ingredients:
250 mL Milk
62 grams round-grained Rice
1 1/2 teaspoons Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Cream
4 Tablespoons preserved Sour Cherries (I used my homemade Cherry pie filling – here’s the recipe I used)

Directions:
In a pot, combine the milk and the rice, and bring to a boil – stirring constantly. Mix in the sugar, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in the cream.

Spoon into individual serving containers and top each with 2 tablespoons of sour cherry preserves.

On the go: Spoon the rice pudding into small jar, let cool completely, and then top with cherries and close the lid. Refrigerate until ready to enjoy.

Makes 2 servings.

Bezový květ střik
Elderflower Spritzer
Ingredients:
Elderflower Syrup*
Seltzer Water

Directions:
Pour about 2 tablespoons of the syrup into each cup and top off with cold seltzer water.

On the go: Pour 1/2 a cup of the syrup in a 1-liter bottle and top off with seltzer water.  Make sure the lid is on tight and try not to shake it too much on the way to your picnic.

*I bought my elderflower syrup from my son’s preschool’s homemade sale. You can find many recipes online, such as this one. However, the syrup I used was not made with fresh squeezed lemons, as is traditional, but rather with fresh squeezed oranges.

This week I shared with you how to make a delicious blue crusted buffalo crumble pizza. Today, it is your turn to help me out and vote for my post to help me win!

Please click here to vote for me now!

The last day to vote is Thursday, October 21st!

Please click here to vote for me now!

We really like pizza around here. Back when I only had one kid, we used to make pizza all the time. Now, I have a second child and not as much time during the day to make my favorite homemade pizza dough. So, when Foodbuzz asked us to put our own spin on pizza for Project Foodblog’s fifth challenge, I was happy to get baking again.

I decided to make a pizza that revolved around two of my favorite ingredients: chicken wings and ranch dressing, but not in a form that you would normally suspect.

To make this recipe more unique than the typical buffalo chicken pizzas you find out there, I created a blue cheese pizza crust, a mildly spicy paprika tomato sauce, a ranch-flavored cheese, and topped them with small crispy pieces of buffalo chicken. It’s a delicious pizza with many complementing flavors, and to complement the pizza I made a creamy blue cheese dip and a tangy celery salad. If you enjoy a powerful blue cheese flavor, I suggest going with a Roquefort like Papillon. And, if you prefer only a hint of blue cheese, go with something like Bleu des Causses which is made from cow’s milk as opposed to Papillon’s which is made from sheep’s milk.

To help bring out the subtle spiciness in the pizza, I made a paprika-tomato sauce. It’s a nice and thin sauce, and purposely so. Too thick a sauce would detract from the over all flavor of the pizza. This sauce accentuates without detracting from the core flavor.

Although you may suspect that the ranch-flavored cheese would be lost on a blue cheese crust, you will be pleasantly surprised to know that it doesn’t. To create the flavor of ranch dressing, I created a dry ranch mix substituting shredded goat cheese for dry buttermilk. Because buttermilk is tangier than goat cheese, you can opt to add a bit for a more authentic taste. I chose to leave it out.

I love ranch dressing, but it’s even better when you have something to dip into it. And, my favorite finger food is buffalo chicken wings. I don’t know about you, but I like my chicken wings to be crispy, spicy, and tangy…and not soggy and gooey. So, I used a special breading technique I picked-up making Pioneer Woman’s Buttermilk Fried Chicken. I always keep a bag of the pre-made buttermilk breading mixture in my freezer. It’s great for coating chicken for baking or frying.

If you still have the urge to dip , I think you will find my blue cheese dip delicious and refreshing. I like mine to be really thick and creamy, so if you want a more fluid version, just  mix in some milk.

And, to quench that light burning sensation in your mouth from all that delicious hot sauce, and to help cleans your pallet, I made a very lemony celery salad.

When I asked my husband if he felt that my pizza was good enough for this challenge, his answer was “I’m biased, I tasted it”.  So, I hope you take the time to make it as well.

Blue Cheese Pizza Crust
Ingredients:
2 2/3 Cups of Flour
7 grams of dry Yeast (1 packet)
½ teaspoon of Salt
8 ounces of Milk
2 + 1 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
2 teaspoons of Sugar
100 grams Roqufort Blue Cheese, crumbled

Directions:
Preheat oven to 95°C (200°F) and then turn off.

In a mixer bowl, combine flour, yeast, and salt.

In a small sauce pan, heat-up the milk to about 43°C (110°F), but do not bring to a boil. Mix in 2 tablespoons olive oil, and sugar.

Set your mixer bowl into your mixer with the dough hook in place, and turn it on to kneed. Slowly pour in the milk mixture. Once everything is mixed together and the mixture starts to look like dough, add the blue cheese, and then turn the speed up to medium and let it kneed for 5 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl and shape it into a ball. Lightly grease a bowl with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Place the ball of dough in the greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough stand in the pre-warmed oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and divide the dough in half.

Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).

Roll a dough half into a pizza round on a lightly floured surface. Place in a parchment-lined round casserole dish and cover with another round of parchment paper weighed down by pie weights. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until dough has turned into a pail, thoroughly baked crust.

Remove from oven and let cool. Set aside to top, or refrigerate or freeze for use on a later date.

Makes 2 pizzas.

Paprika Pizza Sauce (original recipe here)
Ingredients:
170 grams spicy Paprika Tomato Paste
1 1/2 Cups Water
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1/2 Tablespoon dried Oregano
1/2 Tablespoon dried Basil
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed Rosemary

Directions:
Mix together the spicy tomato paste, water, and olive oil until the tomato paste is no longer clumpy. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and rosemary. Use right away.

Makes about 2 cups.

Ranch-Flavored Cheese
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Flour
1 teaspoon chopped fresh Parsley
1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
1/8 teaspoon dry Dill
1/8 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/8 teaspoon Salt
3 Cups shredded Cheese (I used goat cheese)

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together the flour, parsley, onion, powder, dill, garlic powder, and salt. Sprinkle it over the shredded cheese and loosely mix with your hands making sure to loosen all pieces of cheese.

Makes enough for 2 pizzas.

Buffalo Crumbles
Ingredients:
1 liter cooking Oil
5 Cups Flour
3 Tablespoons Seasoned Salt
2 teaspoons Pepper
2 teaspoons dried Thyme
2 teaspoons Paprika
1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/4 Cup Buttermilk
2 Chicken Breast Fillets, cut into small cubes
1 Tablespoon Hot Sauce (I love Crystal Hot Sauce)

Directions:
Heat 1 liter of cooking oil.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, pepper, thyme, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Use a hand whisk for best results.

Pour in the buttermilk and use a fork to mix it in until clumps form throughout the mixture.

Place the small chicken breast pieces flour mixture and press on – make sure to separate them out so that they are all evenly coated.

Deep fry the pieces for about 3 minutes, or until lightly golden. Let drip on a towel-lined plate.

Place in a large tuperware with fitting lid and coat with hot sauce. Cover and shake well to coat evenly. Set aside.

Makes about 4 cups.

Quick Blue Cheese Dip:
Ingredients:
200 grams Sour Cream
1/4 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
1/4 Cup Blue Cheese crumbles

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to enjoy.

Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Tangy Celery Salad
Ingredients:
juice of 1 Lemon
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
2 teaspoons Olive Oil
4 sticks of Celery, very thinly sliced

Directions:
In a bowl, whisk together lemon juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Mix in celery and let sit for at least 10 minutes before enjoying.

Makes about 3/4 cup.

This week I shared with you how to roast, process, and enjoy raw coffee beans at home. Today, it is your turn to help me out and vote for my post to help me win!

Please click here to vote for me now!

The last day to vote is Thursday, October 14th!

The project foodblog challenge has driven me to seek out new and interesting ingredients at stores and parts of town that I had never previously visited.  This week’s challenge brought me to a wig shop in Nuremberg.  When my friend told me that I had to go to wig shop for raw coffee beans, I took a double take at her email.  So, in the spirit of trying out something new, I made my way past all the wigs and hair weave and bought some raw Ethiopian  coffee beans.

A while back I had the pleasure of watching a colleague preform an Ethiopian coffee ceremony in our community garden, and since roasting coffee is not something we take the time to do everyday, I thought it would be a fun adventure.

I have to say that I really enjoy learning something new (and I bet you do too!).  Did you know that raw coffee beans smell like a cross between freshly pulled garden weeds and a far, far off hint of ground coffee??  I also learned that the coffee smell that sends all of us flocking to the nearest café does not come about during roasting, but rather while grinding.

This was definitely a lot of fun and easy to do.  The “hardest” part was finding the raw coffee beans.  Now, let me show you how it’s done!

You will need:

• a stove top
• an open window or high-power exhaust fan
• a cast iron skillet (for even heat distribution)
• a colander
• a strainer
• a cooking paddle
• raw coffee beans
• food grade vanilla-flavored oil (optional)

Directions:

If possible, place your stove top near an open window or outside because the beans will smoke a lot towards the end. In the case that you don’t have a mobile cook top, use your kitchen exhaust fan.

I live on the ground floor next to a very busy pedestrian area of town.  I had quite a few people stop and ask what I was doing and others who were interested in what I was photographing.  When I told people I was roasting coffee, it brought a smile to their face.

Heat the pan, over medium-high heat, to about 224°C (435°F).  Use an infrared thermometer for the most accurate results.

Place a ½ cup of raw beans in the skillet and roll back and forth with your cooking paddle – you will need to continuously move the beans throughout the whole process.

The beans will go through many stages of color change. The point in which you stop roasting your beans depends on what type of coffee you would like to drink. You can find a great roasting color chart here. I decided to go for Viennese.

Within the first 7 minutes the raw beans will transform roasting color/flavor from “cinnamon” to “American” to “city” style roasts. You will hear something that sounds like the crackling of a log on an open fire – this is called the first crack. Once you hear this your coffee beans will have reached the American style of roasting (see the center picture above).

The second 3 stages took 15 more minutes and I had to pump up the heat slightly to get it going. Roughly 18 minutes after the first crack you should hear the second crack. This means you have reached the Full City style of roasting (see center picture above).  When the beans themselves had a temperature of 232°C (450°F), they have reached the “Viennese” style of roasting (see picture on the far right above).

Once your coffee beans have reached the roasting style you desire, remove it to the strainer that is sitting in the colander.  Move it around with a paddle to help it cool down quickly.

Continue to stir the beans in the strainer until all the chaff has fallen out.

Once the beans have completely cooled, transfer them to a bowl and drizzle with 20.7 grams of vanilla flavored oil (3% of the weight of the roasted beans). Mix until the beans are all evenly coated with the oil. Seal in an air-tight container and let sit until you are ready to grind. *This step is optional*. You may add any other food grade flavored oil of your choice or leave the oil our completely and skip straight to the grinding.

The longer you let the beans sit before processing, the better they will taste.  I processed one portion of the roasted beans right away with no flavoring and another 3 days later.  The ones that I ground 3 days later were much less acidic and had a richer flavor.

If you don’t have a grinder – or your electricity is out – you can grind them by hand with a mortar and pestle.  Grinding  is when that delicious coffee aroma will surface.

• First you will need to pound the coffee beans by moving the pestle up and down with strong, yet gentle, hits.
• Then, grind the coffee by turning the pestle into the side of the mortar. You will have to continue this motion for quite a while until all the grinds are as finely ground as possible.

Because your grinds will not be the evenly ground powder of electrically ground coffee, you will need to steep the coffee for longer than usual, 20-30 minutes should do it.

If you would like to have a quicker brewing time, you will need need to grind your roasted coffee beans with an electric grinder or food processor – an electric grinder will give you the best results.  Since I don’t own one, I used a food processor with a great outcome.

You can brew your coffee any way you like.  I brew mine using a French coffee press that holds 750mL (about 4 large cups or coffee).

To prepare a pot:

• pour in 3 heaping tablespoons of your freshly roasted coffee grounds (from about 1/4 a cup of roasted whole beans)
• top off with boiling water (up to the metal line)
• place the lid on and let sit for 5 minutes

• press the coffee plunger all the way down very gently
• pour yourself a cup
• enjoy <—- the most important part!

Some people enjoy their coffee best in the company of friends or on the go.  I enjoy mine in the silence of the morning before anyone has gotten out of bed.  How do you enjoy your coffee?

Voting is now open!  Please cast your vote for me here. 

Now, I have hosted many parties in my short life: impromptu dinner parties, lunch parties, brunch parties, garden parties, winter solstice parties, children’s birthday parties, Thanksgiving parties…I could go on for quite a while.  But, I’ve never hosted a luxurious dinner party.  So, when Foodbuzz challenged us to host a luxurious dinner party I hit the web to get ideas on how to host one.

To my utter surprise, there is not a lot of information out there on how to host a luxurious dinner party – needless to say a small intimate dinner party.  There is plenty of information on how to throw huge and elegant wedding bashes, but since I cannot seat 100+ in my home, I had to turn to other sources.

I quickly emailed the two people I knew would have detailed thoughts as to what a luxurious dinner party would entail.  Could I hold it in my home since my dining table is in my kitchen?  Would I need a server?  These are just some of the questions I had.  Surprisingly – well, maybe not – I got quite different answers from both sources, but good advice none the less.

So, what do you need to put together a luxurious dinner party??

1. Know your budget.

Know what you can afford, and plan accordingly.  I wanted to keep my decorations under €100 and food and drinks around €100.  I wanted to go all out – to celebrate my birthday – but I have done Thanksgiving for 15 guests for €50.  Anything is possible with careful planning.

2. Get Help.

Your guests want to see you – not your back-side in the kitchen constantly running back and forth wiping beads of sweat from your brow in between conversations.  You don’t want to turn into the caterer – you want to be the host. Not only will you have more fun (I know I did), but your guests will really love it.

If you don’t know someone you can hire for your event, turn to family for help.  My husband catered our dinner so we could enjoy a wonderful ladies evening.  I invited all moms.  And all you moms out there know what a meal at home can be like with the little ones – my fork “fell” down, can you get me some more milk, my grape fell on the floor, etc etc.  So, this evening was just for us – the only exercise we had to do at this meal was lift our utensils.  It was like going out to eat in my own home with my own home cooking.  You should try this at least once in your life.

Your server(s) should be wearing black pants or skirt and a white dress shirt.

3. Theme & Ambiance.

Picking a theme is very very important.  This is what can make or break the “luxury feel” to your evening.  Important things to remember: low lighting (notice the comparison shot without low lighting above is not as inviting and feels less intimate), lots of candles, ambient music, and decor taken from your meal’s theme.  Incense or delicious smelling candles (please stick with one scent) enhance the mood for you and your guests – this is not the time to break-out with a can of flower-scented bathroom spray.

I chose an Iraqi-themed evening to celebrate recently finding out that I am half Chaldean-Iraqi.  Most of my friends (and guests) only know Arabic cuisine in the form of portable fast food. I wanted to show them a more elegant side of the Middle East. It was a very suspense-filled evening with a lot of oohs and aahs.

I decorated with lanterns and tea glasses filled with candles as well as rose petals in rich colors.  I went with vanilla scented candles for a relaxing Autumn feel.

4. Food.

Once you have decided on a theme, pick food to match and keep it SIMPLE.  The more complicated your meal is, the more help you will have to hire to be able to enjoy your evening (keep your budget in mind!).  Just because dishes are simple, doesn’t mean they can’t be elegant and delicious.  This is where presentation plays a big role.

In this meal only 2 items (from the same course) needed to be cooked by my husband – everything else I was able to prepare myself in advance.  Leaving less room for error and more room in my budget.  All he had to do was elegantly prepare each dish.  To know how I wanted each dish to be served, I provided him with a detailed drawing and organized everything in the form of stations.

5. Drinks.

Your guests should never go thirsty.  For a small number of guests, decide on specific beverages ahead of time:

Champagne – every guest should be greeted with a glass – served off of a silver platter.  Sip this together until all of your guests have arrived.  Then, proceed to the table together.

We enjoyed a glass of Moët & Chandon  garnished with a rose petal on each glass.  If real champagne is not in your budget, a sparkling wine will do just as well.  I lucked out and found some on sale.

Cocktails – To keep the number of hired help down, pick out one to two pre-mixable cocktails that match the theme of your evening so that they can just be poured into your guests glasses.  Again, this reduces the number of waiters you will need because you will not need a bartender specifically dedicated to making the 20 different drinks your guests decide to order…also eating into your budget (alcohol is expensive).

Since there were only 5 of us, I decided on one cocktail for our evening – a Pomegranate Martini which tied the traditional tart and fruity flavor commonly found in the Middle East to the culture of Western cocktail fair.

Non-alcoholic Beverages – Choose two theme-appropriate beverages to complement you meal.  You may opt for a cold tea, a sprtizy beverage, and/or water.

Here I opted for Lemon Verbena & Orange Blossom Fizz and water.

Wine – If you decided to enjoy wine with your luxurious meal, pick wines that match each course.  And, try to pick wines from the region you will be serving food from.

While there are plenty of wines produced in the middle east, unfortunately, there are none to be had in the region in which I live.  So, I went with the second best option of pairing delicious closer-to-home wines with each course.  See the menu bellow to see which wine I paired with which course.

Warm Beverages – serve tea or coffee at the end of your meal with dessert.

I served the traditional (decaffeinated) Arabic coffee which is easily had here in Germany.

6. Table Setting.

Your table should be set with a cloth napkin arranged for each guest, a place card with each guest’s name on it, and all the silverware you will use for the evening (such as a soup spoon if you are going to have soup).  Wine glasses can be set ahead of time, or before each course arrives to the table.  This depends on your table size.  Nothing can annoy a guest more than a cluttered table.

I opted to keep my table settings simple, yet elegant.  Each table setting has a decorative plate topped with a folded napkin, a place card, and is adorned with rose petals from my garden.

My Thoughts:

In the end the meal was a great success.  My friends and I had so much fun – one of my friends even vowed “revenge” for the wonderful meal.  They all wanted to know how I pulled it off.  ORGANIZATION and the right recipes.  Everyone’s favorite course was the Intermezzo, and nobody believed that it took me roughly 30 minutes to make…and I was able to make it at my leisure a week in advance!

And, what was the most luxurious aspect of the entire evening?  The fact that I didn’t have to pick up any body’s fork or run to the refrigerator 10 times in between bites to eat.  It was just utterly relaxing.

Now, let me share my menu with you (I will be posting the recipes in more detail throughout the week):

Course 1 – Entrée: Sumac Shrimp served on a bed of Bulgar Salad
Wine: Kurt Angerer – Kies Grüner Veltliner

Course 2 – Soup: Shorbat Rumman – Pomegranate Soup
Wine:  Lamberti Santepietre — Merlot

Course 3 – Intermezzo: Hibiscus Tea Sorbet
Eue de Vie:  Maraschino Liqueur

Course 4 – Main Course: Rack of Lamb with Roasted Figs served on a bed of Cardamom Rice and a side of Jajeek
Wine: Domaine de Mont-Auriol – Merlot

Course 5 – Salad: Sabich – Eggplant & Cucumber Salad
Wine: Wein Galerie aus Franken — Rotling

Course 6 – Dessert: Saffron Labneh drizzled with Rose Petal Honey
Beverage: Ceylon Tea and Arabic Coffee

When Foodbuzz asked us to pick a cuisine that was from another culture – and outside of our comfort zone – I had to think really hard.  First I had to think of where I have never traveled to- I have traveled to quite a few countries -  AND then also take out all the cuisines of countries I regularly “travel to” in my kitchen (Chinese, North African, Japanese, etc).  Picking something outside of my comfort zone is also pretty hard since I generally enjoy all foods.  BUT, everyone has something they’re just not so keen on.

Two foods that I am generally less comfortable eating are anything with curry and fish.  Fish is generally eaten everywhere in the world, but there are places in the world that eat more fish than others.  So, I pulled out my map (I’m a geographer and always have  a map handy) and started looking for someplace I’d never been, never had cuisine from that region, and predominantly ate fish.  Soon my finger was circling around Iceland.

I’ve never been to Iceland, but have always wanted to go.  It just seems so beautiful there with it’s majestic mountains and fjords.  And, they eat fish – lots of fish.  Dry fish, salted fish, cooked fish, smoked fish, baked fish…fish, fish, fish – and sheep heads (and other body parts).  This was it – I was already starting to feel nervous – I would have to not only make a fish dish, but most of the recipes looked through either had disgusting looking food in their pictures, or no picture at all.  I opted for a recipe with no picture so that I wouldn’t have any bias as to what it would look like, and tried to keep calm.

I decided on a recipe for fish soup since I’d never had fish in a soup before and I’m all about trying new things.  I read through many many recipes, and settled on one that had many interesting ingredients, but was quick to prepare.

And, to my utter surprise – it was good.  It had a wonderfully mild flavor, and I promptly found myself at the end of my second bowl.  My husband was not so thrilled – he doesn’t like anything that has to do with fish.  Luckily, my older son is head over heals for fish and was able to share in the delight with me.  I also went ahead and packaged some up for a friend of mine who always brings me different soups to try, and she called my in the evening to get the recipe.

This soup is good.

Icelandic Fish Soup (from: Buzzle.com)
Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons Butter
1 small Red Onion, julienned
white part of a Leek, thinly sliced
1 stalk Celery, diced
400 mL Fish Stock
600 mL Chicken Stock
200 mL Cream
2 Shots Sherry
70 g Tomato Sauce
1 pinch Saffron
1 Tablespoon Tarragon Vinegar
½ Cup dry White Wine
226 g Flounder fillet, cut into small pieces
226 g salmon fillet, cut into small pieces
150 g Icelandic Shrimp (very tiny pre-cooked salad shrimp)
salt and white pepper, to taste
Parsley and Green Onion slices to garnish

Directions:

Melt butter in a large stock pot.  Add the onion, leek, and celery, and sauté for 4 minutes.  Add the fish stock, chicken stock, cream, sherry, tomato sauce, saffron, vinegar, and wine.  Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and let simmer for 6 minutes.  Add the flounder and salmon and bring it to a boil again, then remove from heat – the fish will continue to cook with the heat of the liquid.  Add the shrimp and let sit for about 2 minutes until the shrimp have also heated through.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish and serve warm.

Serves 6-8.

Last week I shared with you my love of blogging and why I would make a great food blog star.  Today, it is your turn to help me out and vote for my post to help me win!

Please click here to vote for me now!

The last day to vote is Thursday, September 23!