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The Countdown: The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook

Malted Milk Chocolate Cake

In Wonderland Kitchen, recipe research almost always equals Google searches and Evernote-taking. I rarely crack an actual, physical cookbook when looking for knowledge and inspiration, and yet I cannot seem to stop buying them! And those that don’t arrive on my doorstep via UPS show up skillfully wrapped in the hands of generous friends or as orphan cast-offs schlepped home from some musty church basement book sale.

Now, here they all sit in precarious stacks around my office, their beseeching gaze rivaled only by the CDs I have yet to split the cellophane on and review for work.

And so, as a 2014 self-improvement project that does not require public exercise, I’m on a mission to review each book in turn, to sit down and get to know it a little, and select a recipe which I will make and share here with my kitchen crew. Which is to say I’ll be doing this for me, but hopefully you’ll get something out of it, too.

Real world cookbooks present challenges

Real world cookbooks present challenges

I’m starting out with The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook. Now, this is honestly a very lovely book featuring beautiful but not-too-precious photographs and charming writing. But while I follow their blog, lust after their farm house, and appreciate a balanced collection that won’t break my toe if it slides off the counter, really it’s leading out of the gate because my awesome mother-in-law gave me an autographed copy for my birthday and I still haven’t made anything from it!!!

…Ahem.

Baking pan ready for action

Now then, this is one of those books helpfully (if you’re into that kind of thing) arranged by season, starting with winter and a cozy list of baking projects. Though the recipe for “Snow Cream with Sweetened Condensed Milk” was tempting, I’m not sure that there’s any snow in Baltimore I’d feel safe serving to guests. As I paged through my options, I did appreciate that the desserts each seemed possible to execute without a professional pastry chef on stand by. A few of the recipes included commercial candy, which is not something I’d ever considered, and so usually being all DIY and kale and whatnot, I decided this was the way to go. Malted Milk Chocolate Cake: come to mama!

The cake came together just as easily as the one-page recipe implied, and the 9×13-inch pan serving 12-16 is no joke—this is a homey yet decadent chocolate cake-brownie of a treat, so you may want to keep your pieces quite small. I didn’t find it dry in the least, but offering coffee or a tall glass of milk to balance out the richness would not be amiss.

Malted Milk Chocolate Cake: Unbaked

Malted Milk Chocolate Cake
from The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook

1 1/3 cups whole milk
1/2 cup malted milk powder (I could only find chocolate flavored, and just went for it)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups AP flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

8 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup coarsely chopped malted milk balls
(If you can promise not to eat more than three balls before baking, you can buy the 5 oz box. All others might want to consider purchasing more. I roughly halved the milk balls and just gave the pile an extra whack or two at the end for minimal rolling-to-the-floor.)

Butter a 9×13-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment. Butter the paper as well and flour the pan. Set aside.

Heat the oven to 350°F.

Measure out the milk and add the malted milk powder and the vanilla. Stir to combine.

Into a medium bowl, measure out the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Run a whisk around the bowl several times until evenly incorporated. Set aside.

Using a hand or stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars on medium until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, thoroughly mixing in each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Lower the mixer speed and add the remaining dry (excepting the milk balls) and liquid ingredients in several alternating portions, starting and ending with the dry. Scrape down the mixing bowl and make sure all the ingredients have been evenly incorporated. (I failed a little here–learn from my mistakes!!)

Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan and even out. Sprinkle the milk balls across the top.

Bake for about 40 minutes, until a cake tester (I’ve been loving using left over kabob skewers for this) comes out clean and the cake pulls away from the pan edge.

Cool completely on a wire rack. Cake can be served from and stored in the pan.

Malted Milk Chocolate Cake

13 Days, Countless Miles: West Coast Show and Tell

San Juan: Alex's house

Well, folks, it was champagne and Amtrak sleeper cars, warm sun and glorious landscapes, and more talking than I did in all of 2013. I have returned from two weeks of travel a complete convert to the West Coast’s casual chic and moderate temperatures. Aside from getting fogged in and being forced to spend an extra day and night on beautiful San Juan Island (exactly!) the travel gods had my back and friends had my hand, allowing me plenty of room to just sit back and enjoy the ride.

The sum up:

First, the obvious: Technology may provide the opportunity to share ideas with more cool people than ever before, but hanging out with those same souls in real life is ten times as awesome. Really, this trip was all about people, and I met so many! It seems I ditched my typical introversion on my first layover in Atlanta and for the duration of the trip I was all about making new friends out of fellow train passengers and shop clerks. I also got to catch up with some amazing artists and their partners/families/friends, a super talented group of folks who welcomed me into their homes and graciously showed me around their towns. Much gratitude (and linked recommendations to check out their inspiring work) to the Oliverius and the Shaut family, Sidney Chen and Kevin Copps, Marc Weidenbaum (and his new book–woo!), Nat Evans and Erin Elyse Burns, Jim Holt and Rose Bellini, John Teske, Alex Shapiro and Dan Shelley, Chris Kallmyer, and Isaac Schankler. Thank you for shaking up my thinking and sharing such great conversation with me along the way.

Amtrak dining

For all my fears that 31 hours on Amtrak was 30 more than a relaxing vacation could handle, I was super impressed by my Coast Starlight experience. As it turned out, a ten-hour ride gazing at the passing landscape was incredibly preferable to a coach airline seat ten inches from my nose for even an hour, and 17 hours rocked in a sleeper car was a special kind of heaven. I’m sure my experience benefited from the fact that I was traveling during a super off-peak time, so there was lots of room to move about and the bathrooms were always fresh and clean. Still, I think I may have become one of those weird train fans excited to plot slow trips through large square states. If nothing else, I want to take @HeSpokeStyle with me next time so that I can complete my North By Northwest dining car fantasy.

LA: Amusement at the Pier

In Los Angeles, the Santa Monica Pier melted away any lingering New York City frost still clinging to my lapels. A Ferris wheel ride offering views of the beach snapped me into the right frame of mind for the adventures ahead. The brightly colored strip malls and the scent of sunscreen in the air left me wondering how life must change in the absence of seasonal affective disorder.

Golden Gate Park Flower Conservatory

In San Francisco, we drove with the top down and shopped at my favorite kind of store: the vegetarian grocery! There were also inspiring walks down Valencia, along Crissy Field, and through Golden Gate Park. Breakfasts of gourmet bread and butter gave way to cocktails and deluxe veggie fare.

In Portland, we skipped Voodoo Doughnut (though–aside–my seat mate on the flight home actually got married there! Who knew?) to eat a fabulous meal at The Farm Cafe (drink the Brick House Gamay Noir!) followed up with an after dinner stop at the Cheese Bar. There was shopping along Mississippi Ave., and charming lunch at Por Que No?. And of course there was plenty of Stumptown Coffee and a few lost hours in Powell’s Books.

Seattle's Public Market

By the time I cruised into Seattle, I was ready to slow down a shade. And so it was lovely to camp out for three days in a killer AirBnB apartment (with the cuddliest of host cats) in the heart of an awesome neighborhood. The most excellent of brunches and dinners and the deadliest of cocktails were enjoyed here. Then kismet and a convenient bus to Fremont found me at the door of Theo Chocolate just in time for a tour!

San Juan: cove views

And then the cap off: two days on San Juan Island, a place I will happily run away to as soon as I can convince my husband and my cat it’s a really good idea. I mean, please, there was even an alpaca farm. To get me through the meanwhile, I took an over abundance of photos, the evening light firing up the grasslands in a way that could not have been more seductive.

San Juan: American Camp

As I landed in LAX at the start of this adventure, I worried that perhaps the entire outing had been a grand miscalculation on my part, but I could not have been further from the truth. It was precisely the wake up call I was looking for in a way I could never have anticipated before I was standing right in the middle of it. So here’s to doing more scary things in 2014!

San Juan: follow the path

If you’re game to suffer all my vacation photo snaps, bless you. The full gallery is here. Happy to answer any questions/pass on recommendations if you need ’em.

Under Construction

under construction

I have largely stopped doing things that scare me, and over the last few months I have found that (irony alert!) quietly terrifying. I realize that this is, by its very nature, a problem of a privileged person, so there is definitely an important element of perspective and awareness that needs to be ** here. Still, after living in an environment of non-challenge and change, I am way past due to actually take responsibility for the situation. Now, there will probably be some closer-to-home solutions to this that will ultimately carry more weight and meaning in the long run, but as a personal jump start (think Cher slapping some sense into Nicholas Cage in Moonstruck) I am off on a little travel adventure for the next couple of weeks: to chat with and learn from people I’ve known for ages, people I have only known on the internet, and people I just haven’t met quite yet. I’m going to spend a lot of time on Amtrak trains. I’m going to see parts of the country I’ve never seen before and learn something about public transportation in four new-to-me metropolitan areas. I’m going to get terrifically lost. I’m going to try not to cry in any public restrooms, but no promises!

horoscope 2014

The 2014 tarot cards suggested a challenging year ahead. Guess this is my
way of going out on the field to meet it.

Meanwhile, I have been running some small-scale, totally safe experiments here at home that I thought I might share as a “getting off on the right foot” send off. First up, this terrific stitch from the Purl Soho blog. (I want to cast on pretty much every pattern they post, and have even picked out a new project to take along on my trip.) The finished look of this slip-stitch pattern is almost a kind of woven material, at least more than any traditional knitting I have ever seen. It’s not terribly complicated once you get the rhythm down, but will take a bit of time to complete—a.k.a. consider starting next year’s xmas scarf gifts now!

woven knits

I have no actual expertise in natural remedies, but I sure do love reading about the possibilities. When the husband was feeling flu-ish and asked if I had any “potions” to help him out, my research led me to elderberry syrup. Considering there were even some studies/scientific evidence for its usefulness posted on WebMD, I decided to try it out. Not being a controlled experiment, I can’t say it worked…but with both of us nearly down for the count and then quickly back on our feet, it didn’t not work.

elderberry syrup

And finally, the polar vortex and the general unrelenting darkness of this time of the season weighing hard, something bright and healthy to eat seemed to be called for. Cauliflower is one of the only banned vegetables around this homestead but, as a result, those alterna-pizza crusts fare poorly in these parts. However, this butternut squash version (with a kale pesto instead of spinach and whatever toppings I can dig out of the fridge) is sure to be a repeat order.

Cable Me: Quick Knit Winter Hat and Fingerless Glove Patterns

Cabled Winter Hat and Fingerless Gloves

I cut off all my hair a few weeks ago. Four days later, Jennifer Lawrence did the same, saving me from some measure of social scrutiny (well, almost). However, I had not accounted for the fact that it was winter and my ears felt like they were about to freeze right off my head whenever I left the house.

Being me, rather than just going to the store and purchasing some ear muffs, I found some awesome yarn and a pattern and began knitting with a vengeance. When I was done with a hat large enough to fit my admittedly plus-sized brain pan, I clearly had enough yardage left over for my favorite style gloves. So I found a second pattern and just kept going…and going…and going until I realized I actually only almost had enough yardage for gloves. In reality, I was short a thumb. Five measly ten-stitch rows.

Chunky Cabled Fingerless Gloves

If you, too, are looking for a nifty hat-and-fingerless-glove winter warmer set, I love how these came out. I used a very bulky Berroco Borealis in Vik (108 yards to the hank), which resulted in a cap that might be a little loose on my more delicately headed sisters, but worked out quite well for me.

If you’ve never done any cabling before, fear not: this was my first time and possibly the easiest new stitch I’ve learned. It made the project look more sophisticated than many of my previous DIY efforts but I didn’t have to sweat the process. The gloves are done on the same size double points as the hat, so if you’re buying supplies, that will keep the project budget at least moderately in check. The gloves have a cable pattern up the back that’s a close match to the hat and makes it all feel like family.

Cabled Winter Hat and Fingerless Gloves

Chunky Cabled Fingerless Gloves

If I had known in advance that I’d have such a small yardage issue, I could have easily dropped a row or two from the hat pattern to make up for it, but alas. My awesome local yarn shop sympathetically offered me a surprise discount on my 3rd hank and now I have enough for a couple of extra gift glove pairs. This is the first knitting project I’ve ever finished and been anxious to cast on another right away. So if you need me I’ll be spending the rest of the holiday weekend with warm ears and a fully belly of leftovers, counting stitches and watching bad TV.

Patterns:

Raise a Glass: Cocktails for the Holiday Season

Holiday Cocktail Round-Up

While dashing in and out of hotel lobbies and swank bars with He Spoke Style as we shot a holiday campaign video for Banana Republic (see end of post), I got a little nostalgic for the excellent cocktail recipes he created for Wonderland Kitchen last winter. (I can’t be the only one already excitedly anticipating the Christmas tree even as I plan my Thanksgiving dinner. But I know, I know, I’ll tamp it down.) With the colder temperatures and celebratory parties upon us again, however, it seemed like the perfect time to revisit a few of these warming cocktails.

What drinks will you be sharing with your guests this holiday season?

First Taste of Autumn: The Cylburn

cylburn_top

Fall Tequila Cocktail: The French Intervention

frenchintervention_top

In the Russet Gold of This Vain Hour

russet_640

Rye and Maple Thanksgiving Cocktail: Poor Sap

Rye and Maple Thanksgiving Cocktail: Poor Sap

Scotch Cocktail: The Lamplighter

Scotch Cocktail: The Lamplighter Cocktail

A Cocktail for the Rest of Us: St. Festivus Flip

Festivus Cocktail: St. Festivus Flip

Mixing Islay: The Coal Fire Cocktail

The Coal Fire Cocktail - Wonderland Kitchen

Before It Was Yarn: Cuddling the Animals at the Maryland Alpaca Festival

Alpacas at the Maryland Alpacas and Fleece Festival

A damp and foggy morning could not dissuade my neighbor and I from heading to the Howard County Fairgrounds to check out the Maryland Alpacas and Fleece Festival. While I was successful in not drooling (too much!) on the amazing fibers for sale, it was impossible not to fall in love with the adorable alpacas penned in between many of the vendors. One owner very generously spent time chatting with us about the growth of his business. If I was still a kid, I would definitely be pulling on your sleeve and telling you all about how I wanted to raise alpacas when I grew up; being an adult, I’m having some trouble not doing the same thing.

I mean, can you resist these eyes?

Alpacas at the Maryland Alpacas and Fleece Festival

Alpacas at the Maryland Alpacas and Fleece Festival

Alpaca with baby at the Maryland Alpacas and Fleece Festival

Alpacas at the Maryland Alpacas and Fleece Festival

Vendors at the Maryland Alpacas and Fleece Festival

Fleece for sale.

Vendors at the Maryland Alpacas and Fleece Festival

Vendors at the Maryland Alpacas and Fleece Festival

Angora rabbit demonstration at the Maryland Alpacas and Fleece Festival

Angora rabbit demonstration

Flax spinning at the Maryland Alpacas and Fleece Festival

Flax spinning demonstration