Food pictures #4 - YouLookFab Forum

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Food pictures #4

Runcarla

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Though I enjoy cooking all kinds of different things, I like baking the best. I make home-made bread at least once a month, and cookies, pies, and cakes weekly. A lot of what I bake goes into packed lunches - because we all take lunches to work! Also, we are desert eaters.

To keep nutrition content up, I frequently use fruits. Apple pie, fruit cobblers and crisps, fruit based breads or cakes. There is always a bowl of fruit on the counter. Anyone can help themselves at any time of the day. Whatever is left over on Friday gets baked into a pie, or turned into a fruit compote for the weekend, with new fruit coming into the house with Saturday's groceries.

This weekend I made an apple cake with cream cheese frosting #1 that is a family favourite. Fresh apples are grated for the cake, rather than using apple sauce. #2Pears have been looking very good this month, and we all love the big pink grapefruits, which we peel and eat like oranges.

The Empire Cakes #3 are DH's favourite. His mother would make them and send him a 'care package' at Christmas time. When she passed away, I taught myself to make them. Alas, I do not have her recipe - but DH likes them fine! They are fussy, but very good - with raspberry jelly in the middle, and Royal icing on top.

Bonus pics #4 and #5 my latte and DS#2's cafe mocha at the local coffee place.

Did you make or eat anything interesting over the past 2 weeks? What is your favourite fruit? Do you have a cooking forte? Please post your pics! Bonus points for coffee art!

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18 replies

Latest reply was from gradfashionista

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

OOOOH. Can I have the recipe for the apple cake please, Carla? Cream cheese icing is the only icing we eat (don't like butter frosting). Love your fruit bowl, and how you make fruit desserts at the end of the week. Great idea. We love fruits desserts too. I make a fab pear crumbler.

What type of bread do you make?

We are dessert eaters with you. We have dessert every day - big or small. I am also big on nutrition - a hobbie of mine - but do not believe in cutting out food groups unless you are allergic to them. Portion control, moderation, and enjoying good food goes a long way to eating well and healthy in my book.

Last week I made almond and polenta cake - no wheat. It was very light, fluffy and moist. One of our faves now. Served with strawberries. Whipped cream is recommended - but I don't like whipped cream, so no cream.

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Emily K

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Carla, I second the request for the apple cake recipe--sounds fantastic! Angie, when I get home, I'll track down a frosting recipe I love--it's called "cloud frosting " and it's made with a roux of flour and milk as a base--delicate and yummy, it tastes a little like pastry cream. I'll be back later to post some pics (not of the frosting, but of other cooking endeavors). I always cook from scratch. I love foods with a lot of flavor, so I often cook Indian foods, Mediterranean, or Mexican. I also bake--mostly pastry, rolled/shaped cookies and butter cookies, and risen breads. Although, going carb-free is really taking a toll on baking ☹️.

ETA: Cute bread pic.

ETA: Cloud Frosting Recipe link: http://tastykitchen.com/recipe.....-ever-had/

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Anonymous

Gah - Imperial Cookies are my favourite thing in the entire world. I love baking too, but do far less of it than I did ,say, 10 years ago. My baking usually consists of vegan/nutrition -based muffins, bars or cookies now, to be used for snacks or lunches . Dessert is a treat in our house - I simply cannot afford the calories on any kind of regular basis and it's not important enough to me to sacrifice at the other end just for a piece of cake. I love pear/apple/berry crisps though and I think we are about due for one of those soon. I really like your idea of using what fruit is left at the and of the week for a compote or crumble.

Joy

Veteran

I love your idea of using what is left in the fruit bowl to mske desserts. How do you use the grapefruit?
As I am the only one at home who would eat desserts but no longer am able to because of carbs, I'm completely out of practice. Maybe I can take it to DS and DDILs Soup For Syria Friday soup suppers. Those who show up give a donation for Syrian refugees. Usually it is soup, salad and bread, but a dessert may be well received too. Do you ever make fruit soup? The Scandinavian side of my family loved it. It is also good frozen.

Joy

Veteran

Emily, thank you for the link to the Cloud Icing. Red Velvet cake is DHs favorite because it and this frosting are not very sweet, but I'd lost the frosting recipe and red velvet cakes usually give a cream cheese icing.

Emily K

(website)

Veteran

Joy--you are so welcome. This frosting was a game-changer for me as I do not really care for buttercream. I'm glad that I was able to help you locate the recipe!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Emily K, thanks for the recipe. Never seen icing made with flour before. Intriguing. Is it sufficiently sweet? I LOVE butter, but do not like butter frosting or whipped cream. Cream cheese icing is the only icing I like to eat - although a friend makes a German chocolate cake with icing made with cream, vinegar and melted chocolate that I like too. HIGH FIVE. I also cook from scratch, and like strong tasting foods. I cook a lot of Indonesian, Thai, Japanese, Indian, Mediterranean, French, Dutch, South African and Italian. I made amazing fish tacos last week from Jamie Oliver's new "Super Food" cook book. The kiwi salsa was sublime.

I would LOVE a good dark and dense bread recipe. Euro style. If anyone has one to share?

I LOVE COOKING. I use to have a little catering business with friends when we lived in France. To spend 9 hours in the kitchen is a delight. Very relaxing.

binkle

Veteran

Beautiful photos, everyone! I've been delving into yeast breads for the past several months. I enjoy the chemistry of baking, the kneading, even proofing the yeast in it's little bowl 'til it gets all bubbly! The dough is like a living creature that I created. Wierd, right!?

Angie, King Arthur Flour has some great no-knead hearty bread recipes. I tried a harvest loaf last week, with raisins and pecans, and an oat bread this weekend. You use only a little yeast, and let the dough sit for 8 hours, shape, give a second rise, and bake in a heavy dutch over or clay baker. Sort of like a sourdough. These two recipes use a mix of plain and whole wheat flour (and oats in the oat bread) and are dark and dense with nice thick chewy crusts.

Here is my six strand challah (proofing) and baked.

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Emily K

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Angie, the frosting is not terribly sweet, and the vanilla/pastry cream flavor is delicate--in this, it is the polar opposite of cream cheese frosting but both have their best uses It sounds as if it is the greasy, mouth coating quality of the buttercream and whipped cream the you seek to avoid? I think this frosting does not have that mouthfeel.

Thanks again for starting this ongoing thread, Carla. I'm looking forward to trading many delicious, proven recipes.

Runcarla

Veteran

Apple Spice Cake

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp warm water
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 small or 2 large apples peeled and grated

Preheat oven to 350 degF
Prep cooking pan (bundt pan, cake pan(s), loaf pan (I like a large bread loaf pan)

Cream together butter, sugar, then add eggs and vanilla. Stir together soda and warm water, and add to mixture. Add dry ingredients and grated Apple. Mix until everything is blended, but just. (Don't over mix.)
Mixture will be lumpy, but wet through. If too thick, add a little water or apple juice.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 1 hour.

Cake is fine 'as is' or topped with a sprinkle of powdered sugar or cream cheese frosting. I have baked it in a square pan and served it warm with a dollop of whipping cream, like a ginger bread. Men seem to really like this cake!

Runcarla

Veteran

Glad this thread is interesting to you! I aim to post a food thread every 2 weeks, so keep your cameras handy for food pics!

Angie, I make a very simple 'cold water' bread recipe with yeast, sugar (to feed the yeast) flour, and water. Usually I make a white bread, though I have gone half and half with other flours (whole wheat, oat).

When DS#1 was teaching himself to make macaroons, we ended up with extra ground almonds. I used them, with a bit of brown sugar and butter for the topping on an apple crumble. I preferred it to the flour or oat version. It would be an option for someone who needs to be wheat free and boosts the protein content of the treat!

OMG, Binkie! Your Challah is gorgeous.

EmilyK, I must try your frosting recipe. Very intriguing.

Joy, grapefruit is rarely left over at the end of the week, but sometimes we will order a box of the fruit (school fundraiser). A citrus fruit salad (mandarin oranges for sweetness and pomegranate seeds for colour) is easy and pretty.

Emily K

(website)

Veteran

Vortlimpa (Scandinavian Brown Spiced Bread) Recipe. I make this recipe about once a year. I do not like to work with rye flour and I never have it on hand, so I now substitute all bread flour for all the rye flour AND add a teaspoon or so of espresso powder (or one Starbucks Via package) https://books.google.com/books.....+bernard+c I like it. As a side-note, this bread dries out fast, so I'd suggest freezing half the dough for another baking day.

binkle

Veteran

Thanks Runcarla! Believe me, it is rather "artistically" photographed to camouflage the wonky bits!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

YES, Emily. Exactly. Buttercream and whipped cream tastes waxy and "animal" in my mouth, and I don't like it.

Binkie, your bread is beautiful. WOW.

Thanks for the recipe, Carla. Looks divine. I will make it over the weekend.

Meredith

Veteran

Wow! Such skilled bakers in this crowd. I am impressed! I don't bake often because my husband does not care for most desserts or bread (what?) and I wind up eating everything myself. There are a few ideas here I want to try, though.

Is there a story behind imperial cookies/cakes? I had not heard of them, but searched for a recipe and the sound delicious.

L'Abeille

Veteran

Wish I had more to contribute... I love to cook and bake, but with my work schedule and commute, DH does most of the cooking, and where he doesn't eat wheat, if I bake I will end up eating it all myself...

For that reason, I would love your polenta cake recipe, Angie!

We too have a fruit bowl full on the go at all times. I'll often make the leftovers into a fruit salad or throw them in a smoothie. Fruit pies and crisps are a favourite too, as is clafoutis.

I used to make a flour-based cake frosting too. It tastes like a custard filling.

elpgal

Veteran

Second the request for the almond-polenta cake. I once had a polenta-almond cake which was flavored with thyme and served similarly with strawberries and cream.

gradfashionista

(website)

Veteran

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