Wine Maker Dinner Benefiting KIDS Center 2014

Back in July, I attended a Wine Maker Dinner for Cork & Barrel benefiting KIDS Center at 10below in Bend, Oregon. The food at these dinners are so great and it is always a great experience to get to meet the wine makers in an intimate setting.  Take a closer look at the menu and food porn.

© Kim Bohme and A Bohme Cooked Meal

Cranberrry Tart and IFBC

During my weekend at the International Food Bloggers Conference I went to many different break out sessions.  I went to one that was all about beef.  I cook with it all of the time and it is probably my favorite meets to cook with.  It is so versatile. Here are a few things I learned during that session.

Top Sirloin is a great value and is the least expensive

Chuck roast is cheaper but great to braise

Eye of round steak is super lean and cheaper.  This is best if you marinate.

Beef Grade

USDA Prime- Has the most marbling.  It is typically sold in high-end restaurants

USDA Choice- Have less marbling and is most widely available in the grocery stores.

USDA Select has the least amount of marbling, is leaner and a bit less juicy.

Picture from here

 

My favorite part of the trip was where I attended the Sur la Table/KitchenAid excursion before the start of the conference.  We watched a kitchen demo where they made pasta (I have always been intimidated by pasta) and watched them make Warm Cranberry Crumble Mini Tarts.  They had passed around the cranberry mixture and I knew that this would be one that I would be making soon.  I did make a few adjustments to their recipe and made one large tart out of it. 

I have to say I am not a huge cranberry fan.  I don't like it with my turkey.  And the only way I have been able to eat it is with marshmallows, in what Matt's family calls fluff.  I was so happy when I tasted the mixture at this event and when I tasted the cooked tart at my house I was elated.  I will be adding this tart to my holiday pie round up.  It is nice and tangy and will be a good addition to the overly sweet pies I tend to make.  Note:  I used Kerrigold Butter for this recipe and I think it makes a world of difference!

 

You need to try this tart!!!

 

Warm Cranberry Crumble Tart

Adapted from Sur la table test kitchen

 

Ingredients

Tart Dough:

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 teaspoon almond extract

3 tablespoons ice cold water

 

Topping:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

 

Filling:

12 ounces fresh cranberries

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Finely grated orange zest from 2 oranges

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 apples (peeled) and cored

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

1 tart pan

 

Directions:

Tart Dough:

Put flour, sugar, salt and butter into the food processor and pulse the mixture until it is fine breadcrumbs.  Then add the almond extract and cold water to the mixture.  Run the food processor again.  The flour mixture should quickly turn into a ball.  When this happens turn off the processors and dump the flour ball  onto your work surface and shape into a flat circle disk.  Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

 

Topping: 

Clean out the food processor and the flour, sugar, salt, and butter in the bowl of the food processor and pulse the machine until the butter is the size of small peas.  Make sure not to over pulse this mixture.  Place this mixture in a bowl and put it in the refrigerator.

 

Filling: 

Clean the bowl of the food processor and add the cranberries, sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, flour, apples, and vanilla extract.  Run the processor a few times until the cranberries are chopped coarsely. 

 

Assembly: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Either flour your work surface or put down wax paper.  Roll out the pastry dough until it is as wide as the tart pan.  The dough would be about 1/8th inch thick.  Place the rolled out dough into the tart pan and press the dough into the sides of the pan.  Make sure to trim the edges. 

Spoon the filling into the crust and spread evenly into the pan.  Sprinkle the topping over the cranberries.  Now you can place the tart in the oven.  Mine took 50-60 minutes.  You know the tart is done when the topping is golden brown.

Remove tart from the oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes. 

Serve as is or with ice cream.

 

The tarts will last for 1 day at room temperature.  You can store with plastic wrap for 3 days.  You can reheat in a 350 degree oven for 5-7 minutes.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

© Kim Bohme and A Bohme Cooked Meal

Torso Cake

My good friends 40th birthday was not too long ago and she happens to also be my Zumba instructor.  So what better than to make her a boob cake!  It was a spice cake with cream cheese frosting!  No recipe but there are awesome pictures of the assembly!

Maybe my next fondant experiment needs to be a butt cake!?!

© Kim Bohme and A Bohme Cooked Meal

Strawberry cake

This strawberry cake I made for a breakfast for when my friends were in town.  Typically I make breakfast cakes that are totally overly sweet and this one was nice and tart and the cake was dense yet flaky.  Anytime I get to use my spring form pan I will jump at the opportunity.  I would make this one again!

Adapted from sallysbakingaddiction.com

Ingredients:

Crumb Topping

3/4 cup (95g) all-purpose flour

1/4 cup (50g) light brown sugar

1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 Tablespoons (90g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed

Cake

1 large egg, room temperature

1/4 cup (60g) butter, melted and cooled

1/2 cup (120ml) milk*

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 and 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour

2/3 cup (134g) granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

8-10 fresh strawberries, sliced* (you can also use raspberries)

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar

Vanilla Glaze

3/4 cup (90g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk or cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Strawberry Sugar (Optional)

Directions:

Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Spray an 8-in or 9-in springform pan with non-stick spray. Springform pan is required. Set aside.

Make the crumb topping: Combine the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into the mixture with a pastry blender or mix with hands until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set in the refrigerator until ready to use. This crumb mixture must be chilled.

Make the cake: In a large bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the egg and melted butter together on medium speed until combined. Add the milk and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and beat on medium speed until thoroughly mixed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl until combined. With the mixer running on low, pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Pour into the prepared baking pan.

In a medium bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on high speed until smooth. Add remaining 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/4 cup granulated sugar and beat on medium speed until combined. Spread over the crumb cake batter. Layer with sliced strawberries as shown in the photo above. Top with the crumb topping and gently press the topping into the batter.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out free of cake crumbs. I covered the cake with aluminum foil after 40 minutes to help avoid the top from browning too much. Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before glazing.

Make the glaze: Whisk the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla together. Remove the sides of the springform pan and drizzle the glaze over the cake. The cake will stay fresh covered at room temperature for 4 days.

Make ahead: Bake the cake as directed and freeze without the glaze for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake for 20 minutes at 200 degrees to warm it up. Glaze before serving.

*Any milk including soy, almond, buttermilk, regular is OK for the cake. I used 1%.

*Frozen strawberries are fine - thaw and blot dry before using.

© Kim Bohme and A Bohme Cooked Meal

My new favorite yoghurt!

I went to a food bloggers conference in September called the International Food Blogger Conference. There were tons of things to learn and eat.  However, I have to share my favorite food find from the conference... Noosa Yoghurt.  I have seen this brand of yogurt in the store but haven't put a second thought into it.  One of the breakfasts at this event was sponsored by Noosa.

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I walked into the conference room with tables adorned with all sorts of yoghurt toppings.











I sat down and this was sitting infromt of me.  I have to say that although I love pumpkin.  I am a bit weirded out by the idea of pumpkin in my drinks and in my yoghurt.

I pulled off the top and peeled back the foil seal.  I took a spoon and took my first bite.  I was shocked by how much I enjoyed this yoghurt.  It is so creamy and smooth.  It reminded me of pumpkin pie!  There is nothing about this yoghurt that I don't like.  I ate the entire thing.  I vowed to myself that I was going to buy more. This pumpkin flavor is only available at Target.  I have tried most of their other flavors and I have yet to be disappointed.

















Please do yourself a favor and buy a few of these amazing flavors.  They are a little pricey but you can't go wrong.

International Food Blogger Conference 2014- Day 1

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A while back after I started this blog that I wanted to go to a blogger conference to learn more about how to food blog.  Most of the conferences would have required a plane to attend.  After a bit of research I found IFBC!  I decided to attend because the cost was very reasonable.

When I was signing up I was just hoping to learn more about blogging.  As the conference became closer to reality I was really hoping to meet new people who enjoy food as much as I do and learn new tips and tricks for my new blog. 

Here is how my prep for the conference and the first day went!

Packing: 
I figured I would be eating...ALOT!  So far that is accurate!  I made sure to pack shirts that were a bit loose and pants that weren't too binding.  So far this has been an amazing choice.
I also packed a backpack because I was not staying at the Westin where the conference was held and I wanted to be fairly hands free  I am staying at a cute little boutique hotel called Hotel 5 that is about 3 blocks down the road.  (I recommend it!  The people are so friendly!)

I also packed my tablet to blog, business cards and a notebook.

Arrival:

I arrived in Seattle around 11:30am and was starting,  Our first IFBC event wasn't scheduled until 1pm so I headed to Pike Place which is about 6 blocks away.  I had Piroshkys. 
YUM!  I walked back to the hotel and it was about time to head to the shuttle to Sur la table. 

I am a total introvert at heart so when I arrived at the lobby I got overwhelmed because there were 49 other people there who all seemed to know each other.  I kept reminding myself that one of my goals were to meet new people but in the moment I felt impending doom.  I swallowed my heart back into my stomach and got onto the bus.  I sat in one of the first seats and hoped that whoever ended up sitting next to me wasn't a total asshat.  Lucky for me, my seatmate was a total sweetie.  We bonded over our introversion and had a good time. 

The Sur la table excursion was fun,  They did a cooking demo of homemade pasta with pesto,  and a cranberry tart ( I will be making that one soon!  YUMMO).

I couldn't believe the swag that we received.  A great start to this conference to a swag whore that I am.

After I returned the two bags of swag back to the hotel, I went back to the Westin to go to the Gift Suite.  The sway whore in me went crazy.  So much free stuff to try.

They also fed us too!

Even though I have eaten a crazy amount of food, I still went out to dinner at a local bar named Palace Kitchen.  I had a drink that had cherry, vodka, and moscato in it.  It was a soft and sweet drink.  I had an appetizer of Olive Poppers and dinner was a potato corn soup that had smoked salmon in it.  It was a great atmosphere and really yummy!

Now I am currently unwinding in my room watching food network and will soon be calling it a day once I finish this post!

So far... totally worth it even if I have to make myself a bit uncomfortable!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matt's Almond Birthday Cake

adapted from aaronandyolanda.com

I have an almond cake obsession!  So when Matt asked for an almond cake recipe I was excited to look for something outside of the box that I typically don't think of when I make an almond cake.  The coolest thing about this is that this cake is made up of ripped up muffins.  I had about 6 left over muffins that I was able to have for breakfast after making this cake.  It's a twofer!  This was a delicate cake that has soft and subtle flavors!  Right up my husbands alley!

No picture today!  I totally made this amazing cake and forgot to take a picture....You have to trust me...it was pretty and super tasty.  If you want to see what this bad boy looks like check out the link above.

INGREDIENTS

Strawberry Almond Muffins:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups almond flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 large yolk, room temperature

1 1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup whole milk, room temperature

1 cup sour cream, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups strawberries

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

2-3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar, amount depending on desired consistency

Other components:

sliced blanched almonds, lightly toasted

raspberry jam 

DIRECTIONS

Raspberry Almond Muffins:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line with cupcake liners. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk eggs and yolk. Add in sugar, melted butter, milk, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Whisk until fully combined.

In three additions, pour wet mixture into large bowl with the dry ingredients. Fold together until combined. Gently fold in raspberries. Divide batter into prepared muffin tin.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until muffins are golden in color and a toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5-10 minutes before removing and allow muffins to cool on wire rack.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add salt and vanilla. Mix until combined. Slowly add sifted confectioners' sugar. Mix until smooth and desired consistency is achieved.

Layer Cake Assembly:

Take an 8-inch cake ring and place on a slightly larger cake board. Alternatively, place it on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Cut a 3-inch wide acetate strip to line the inside of the cake ring.

Take the raspberry muffin scraps and divide it into three equal parts. Take one part of the scraps and make the first layer inside the ring. Use the palm of your hands, the bottom of a drinking glass, or a tamper to push the scraps together into a flat and even layer.

Spread about 1/4 cup of raspberry jam in an even layer over the cake.

Spread about 1/3 of cream cheese frosting over the raspberry jam layer.

Add another layer of cake scraps. Repeat the process for the first layer. Add the third layer of cake and cover with the remaining 1/3 of cream cheese frosting. Garnish with toasted sliced almonds.

Let cake rest in freezer for at least 1 hour. Gently remove cake ring and gently peel off the acetate strip while cake cold. Let cake defrost in fridge for a couple of hours before serving

© Kim Bohme and A Bohme Cooked Meal