Wheatena Coconut Cookies

The Altitude Adjustment Section
My mother Bernice loves Wheatena, she makes it for herself for breakfast at least once a week. It is an old-school hot cereal from NYC which requires constant stirring till it thickens, and then you finish it with butter salt and sugar. I always thought it looked like quicksand. Besides being a cereal, it also has great baking possibilities. This is a recipe for a hearty delicious cookies which I think you will love. I recommend partially dipping them in chocolate.



Ingredients
3 cups sifted AP flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup Wheatena (dry)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2/3 cup Crisco
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract


Procedure
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Stir in Wheatena. Add coconut and set aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer, cream together shortening, sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla. Add the flour mixture to butter mixture; stir until well blended. On a floured surface, roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Using a cookie cutter, cut into desired shape. Bake on a cookie sheet lined with parchment and bake in preheated oven for about 10 minutes until lightly browned. Remove and let cool over wire rack. Dip in chocolate if you like. This dough holds very well in the freezer, so you can have fresh cookies any time, and isn't that what life is all about?

Maialino's Olive Oil Cake altitude adjusted from Food 52

The Altitude Adjustment Section
As soon as I read this recipe I knew I had to try it. It took a a little adjusting to make it work here at 7,000 feet. I reduced the amount of sugar and baking soda and increased the salt. You know here at high altitudes we taste less which is why food often tastes bland. So, a little extra salt or flavor extract is a good idea. The texture is super moist and the olive oil gives it a beautiful aroma as it blends with the orange.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 cup milk
3 large eggs
Grated orange zest from one orange
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup Grand Marnier

Procedure
Heat the oven to 350°. Spray a 9-inch cake pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. In a bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and powder. In another bowl, whisk the olive oil, milk, eggs, orange zest and juice and Grand Marnier. Add the dry ingredients; whisk until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, until the top is golden and a cake tester comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, invert the cake onto the rack and let cool. This would be lovely with some cooked fruit compote. Maybe for your sweetie on Valentine's Day?

Thanksgivukkah

Radio alert Hello radio lovers! Tomorrow, Wednesday, November 27 at 8:00 AM Mountain time I will be on the radio with the lovely and talented Mary Charlotte on The Radio Cafe on KSFR 101.1 FM. We'll be talking turkey and discussing the very rare confluence of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah (aka Thanksgivukkah). This last happened in 1888 and will not happen again for 70,000 years. Susan Purdy, the goddess of high-altitude baking, is also on the show discussing some great high-altitude desserts for the holiday. See you on the radio, and to get you in the mood, here is a crazy little youtube video:



UPDATE: Here's the podcast of the show, in case you missed it.

There is more to upside down cakes than pineapple — plus a freaky carrot!

Funny how some foods become traditional in odd places. For some reason, pineapple upside down cake is very popular in New Mexico. Folks serve it at their parties right along with Tres leches and biscochitos. The great thing about an upside down cake is the juices and sugar run into the cake and keep it gooey and moist. So I thought I would post two great — and slightly unusual — upside down cakes for your enjoyment. A polenta and orange upside down cake with definite Spanish roots and a chocolate banana upside down cake from David Leibowitz. And don't forget there is a great rhubarb upside down cake (originally published in Gourmet magazine) in the site archives.

Orange Polenta Cake

Ingredients for cake
1/2 cup superfine granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
2 navel oranges
1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup superfine granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons orange-flower water
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups ground almonds (7 oz)
2/3 cup quick-cooking polenta

Ingredients for glaze
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 tablespoon water

Procedure
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly butter a 9-inch round cake pan, then line bottom with a round of parchment paper and side with a strip of parchment. This is very important because if you don't do this you will never get the cake out of the pan! Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then wash down any sugar crystals from side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Boil, without stirring, swirling pan occasionally so caramel colors evenly, until dark amber. Remove from heat and add butter, swirling pan until incorporated, then carefully but quickly pour caramel into cake pan, tilting it to coat evenly. Grate zest from oranges and reserve for cake. Cut oranges crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Remove any seeds and arrange slices in 1 layer over caramel.

To make cake, beat butter with sugar using an electric mixer until just combined. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in orange-flower water and reserved zest. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer at low speed, mix almonds, polenta, and flour mixture into egg mixture until just combined. Spread batter evenly over oranges (preferably with an offset spatula). Bake until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Invert cake onto a cake plate and discard parchment. Be careful as hot syrup might leak out. Next, it's time to glaze the cake. Heat marmalade with water in a small saucepan until melted. Strain through a sieve into a small bowl. Brush top of cake with some of glaze. Serve warm or at room temperature with some whipped cream or homemade salted caramel ice cream. I can dream can't I?

Chocolate Banana Upside Down Cake

Ingredients for the topping
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons room temperature butter, cubed
3 to 4 ripe medium bananas
a few drops of lemon juice

Ingredients for the cake
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter, salted or unsalted
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 cup banana puree (about 2 bananas)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Procedure
To make the topping, place the brown sugar and butter in an 8-inch square cake pan. Warm the pan directly on the stovetop over low heat, stirring until the sugar is thoroughly moistened. Stir just until the sugar is moist and bubbling, then remove from heat. There might be some empty spots, that's okay. Let cool to room temperature. Peel and slice the bananas in 1/4-inch slices. Arrange them in slightly overlapping rows over the melted brown sugar. Sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice to stop them from browning.

Preheat the oven to 350. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon making sure there are no lumps. Mix in the granulated sugar. In a separate small bowl, mix together the butter, egg, egg white, banana puree, sour cream, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients until almost combined. Do not overmix. Gently fold in the chocolate pieces. Scrape the batter into the pan over the bananas, then use an offset spatula to carefully spread the batter over the sliced fruit. Be gentle! Bake for 40 minutes, or until the cake feels just set in the center when you touch it. Cool the cake for about 20 minutes, then run a knife along the edges of the cake to help it release from the pan. Invert the cake onto a serving platter. My ice cream of choice with this cake: butter pecan.

---

And now for something completely different! Here is a photo of the biggest carrot I have ever found in a 50 pound bag of carrots. Do you think the fact that I live near Los Alamos has anything to do with this?



What's the largest vegetable you've ever seen? And did you make an upside-down cake with it?

Twelve High Altitude Rules to Break

Baking tips from the top
When Susan Purdy and I were testing the recipes for Pie in the Sky (the best high-altitude baking book on the market ... she says, modestly) we tried to come up with a universal strategy to solve all our baking problems. As time and testing went on and on and on we realized this was not possible. But we did find that some widely accepted tips were not true.

Susan writes:

If you research the subject of high altitude baking, you will find ubiquitous tips and lists of ‘rules’—the do’s and don’t’s for success. Whether the sources are cookbooks, university extension service pamphlets, websites, or neighbors, these admonitions seem to come from the combined wisdom of anecdotal experience, computer calculations extrapolating tests from one altitude (usually 5,000 feet) to another, and (in the case of the university labs) scientific calculations tested in pressurized laboratories that mimic changes in elevation and atmospheric pressure. With few exceptions, these ‘rules’ have not really been systematically tested in mountain-top, home kitchens. When I set out to do just that, these guidelines were all I had to go by. I was in for a big surprise when I discovered that many of the ‘rules’ were wrong.

1. Always substitute extra large eggs in sea level recipes First recorded by covered-wagon cooks traveling to uncharted western mountain territories, the ubiquitous ‘large egg’ substitution is still a popular recommendation. It does work some of the time because many high altitude recipes need more liquid and more protein. Nevertheless, the baker needs to consider the properties of the egg: the yolk is a fat, the white is protein (which has drying properties and adds strength) and the total egg adds 3 tablespoons of liquid. I believe the ‘egg solution’ was popular years ago when it was often the only adjustment made. The recipes in Pie in the Sky were developed for ‘large’ eggs. If you have a new recipe and no other changes in mind, you can start the “altituding” process by adding another egg or substituting one extra-large egg for a medium or large egg.
2. At higher altitudes, use smaller pans
   Wrong. See 3 below. If anything, you would need a larger pan.
3. Always reduce temperature 25° F when using a glass baking dish Wrong. I always bake pies in glass pie plates and never reduce temperature. At altitude, it is an advantage to get greater heat into the baked product.
4. Batter will overflow in cake pans Wrong some of the time. At high altitude, reduced air pressure contributes to rapid expansion of gases, so sea level leavening can be too expansive. In addition, liquids evaporate more quickly at high altitude; evaporation leaves excess concentrations of sugar in a batter or filling which can boils up and easily overflow. Carefully developed recipes prevent these situations. Overflow also happens if you put too much batter in a too-small pan or over-fill the pan; you need to leave rising room. If worried, put a sheet of foil on the oven floor to catch spills. Again, carefully developed recipes account for this and call for the correct size pan. I do not recommend using larger pans because batter can be too thin, causing it to over-bake.
5. Always raise oven temperature 25 degrees No. This doesn’t always work, and in fact it is often better to leave the temperature the same or reduce it, but increase baking time. Of course, it depends upon what you are baking. Raising heat 25 degrees to bake cookies and cakes works very well at 5,000 feet, but at 7,000 and 10,000 may be too hot, crusting over the top of a cake before the inside bakes through. It is often better to use moderate (350° F) or slow (325 °F) heat and add baking time or change position of rack in oven (lower third is hotter than center).
6. Always cut leavening as altitude increases Wrong. Up to and including 5,000 feet, leavening often stays the same. Leavening adjustments are critical. You need carefully balanced proportions of baking powder and baking soda to affect a good rise. Bread bakers are also told to cut the amount of yeast at high altitude. This is not always a good idea, and is not necessary in any case until you get over 5,000 feet. It is better to moderate temperature, keep dough cooler so it takes longer to rise, and punch it down for another rise.
7. Use boxed mixes, you can count on their high altitude directions to work every time Boxed mixes are developed to work to about 6,500 feet in altitude, not higher.
8. Cut back fat in rich cakes and cookies at high elevations Rarely necessary. The theory is that fat, which coats protein, or gluten, strands in flour, weakens it. This makes cakes tender (a good thing) but at high elevations, liquids evaporate quickly, leaving higher concentrations of fat as well as sugar (not so good), which weaken a cake’s cell structure and can cause it to collapse. Most of the time, you can strengthen a batter by adding flour and counter evaporation with extra liquid, so you don’t have to cut fat.
9. Cookies recipes don’t need adjustment at high altitude Sometimes. Many sea level cookies work without change, but most are improved with slight adjustments. At altitude, cookies tend to over-spread as they bake. The more they spread, the thinner and more crisp (or tough) they get. Also, because liquids evaporate faster at high altitude, the baking dough loses moisture, leaving a high concentration of sugar and fat that can change the texture. To remedy these conditions and reduce spreading, you can strengthen the batter by adding flour and reducing sugar, leavening, and very occasionally, fat. You can also add little solid shortening (which has a higher melting point) along with butter (which melts near body temperature) to help cookies hold their shape. To counter the evaporation, you add a little liquid. Sometimes you can add a little corn syrup or honey as well, to improve color and texture, and add moisture. Raising baking temperatures about 25 degrees often helps cookies rise faster, so they set before they spread and/or dry out, but you have to experiment to be sure the higher temperature doesn’t cause over-browning instead.
10. Pie crusts are generally not affected by high altitude Not true. They are affected, but not as much as cakes. At 5,000 feet and above, especially in dry mountain air, pastry dough often require more liquid to become pliable enough to shape and to bake without cracking or toughening.
11. Pie fillings are not affected by high altitude Not true. For fruit tarts and crumb-topped pies, baking times and techniques are about the same as at sea level as long as the fruit is not too hard and the altitude is not too high. However, it takes longer for juicy pies to thicken because it takes more time for the juice to come to a boil and gelatinize the starch (flour, cornstarch, or tapioca); these pies often take longer to bake. At 7,000 feet and above, it takes much longer to bake through hard, crisp fruit. For example, if you sandwich a high mound of Granny Smith apple slices between two crusts, the top will often burn before the apples inside are baked. There are two solutions: change the variety of apples or precook the fruit on the stove. And furthermore at 7,000 feet and above, food tastes more bland than at sea level; you often need to increase spices or seasonings in your pies to brighten flavors.
12. Cut out all baking soda at high altitude No. Baking soda (which has four times the leavening power of baking powder) has two functions: it neutralizes acidity, lowering the pH of a batter; while also working with acid ingredients to make carbon dioxide, a leavening. Baking soda must be in balance with baking powder for high altitude products to rise well. It is true that the higher the acidity of a batter or dough, the more quickly it will set in the eat of the oven, but you cannot remove soda to retain acidity without replacing it with baking powder or another leavening.

What are you favorite high-altitude recipes?

Cherry-Olive Oil Polenta Cake

The Altitude Adjustment Section
And now for something completely different! It's cherry season. I love cherries but not super sweet and gloppy cherry pie, so here is another option. The additional flavors of lemon zest, vanilla, and a dollop of crème fraîche give it a classy finish.

Ingredients
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup Polenta or cornmeal
2 1/2 cups fresh Bing cherries, (about 1 pound), pitted and halved
Crème fraîche, for serving

Procedure
Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 10" round cake pan with nonstick vegetable spray. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine eggs and sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until light in color, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla, olive oil, lemon zest, and lemon juice.In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to egg mixture, along with Polenta. Mix until combined. Pour two thirds of batter into prepared pan, and completely cover it with cherries. Spoon remaining batter over cherries, allowing fruit to peek through in spots. Bake until top and edges are lightly golden and a toothpick (or fork) inserted in the center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan and cool completely on rack. Cut cake, and serve each slice with a dollop of crème fraîche.

Green Tea Truffles

The Altitude Adjustment Section
Green tea powder is a cool ingredient to add to things like ice cream and sorbet. I even had a green tea tiramisu at San Q which was pretty great. But how about making truffles with it? Oh come on, live a little!

Ingredients
2 cups finely chopped white chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 green-tea bags
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tablespoon green tea powder
For rolling
1/4 cup green-tea powder
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup crispy brown rice cereal, crushed

Procedure
In a double boiler, partially melt the white chocolate over simmering water until it's semi-liquid but still lumpy. Place the cream, tea bags, and salt in a small sauce and heat just until they simmer, then cool for 1 minute. Remove the tea bags. In a medium bowl, stir together the cream mixture and the melted chocolate. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon green tea powder. Keep stirring until the mixture smooths into a well-blended ganache. Cool the ganache in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Using a small scoop, scoop small balls of the ganache onto a baking sheet. Roll the balls with your hands into smooth, uniform shapes and chill 30 minutes. Sift the green tea powder and powdered sugar together in a small bowl. Mix in the cereal. Dip each ganache ball into the tea mixture and shake off the excess.

Italian Easter bread — sort of

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This week I am doing another bread, this time in honor of Easter (which is tomorrow). I found this on the internet and I had to try it. It kind of reminds me of Panettone, which I love around Christmas time. The citrus zest and eggy sweetness are lovely, sort of like Italian Challah. This is a big recipe, but you can freeze half — or share it! I cleaned it up a little and removed the sprinkles. I also omitted the sweet glaze but you can do those things if you want. I also changed it from margarine to butter, need you ask why?

Ingredients
8 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 oranges, zested & juiced
4 1/2 teaspoons (2 envelopes) active dry yeast
1 cup butter, melted
8 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Pernod

Procedure
Place the flour in a large mixing bowl; set aside. Heat the milk in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until it is warm to the touch, but not hot (between 110 and 115 degrees F). While the milk is warming, place the sugar in a small bowl and add the orange zest. With your fingertips, rub the zest into the sugar until it is completely incorporated and the sugar is moistened. Once the milk reaches the correct temperature, stir in the sugar and zest mixture, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the yeast, stir, and let sit for 10 minutes. Add the milk and yeast mixture to the flour and begin to mix it into a dough (it will be shaggy at this point). Next, add the melted butter and continue to mix. Now, add the orange juice to the dough and mix to combine. In a small bowl, use a fork to lightly beat together the eggs, salt, and Pernod. Add to the dough and continue mixing. At this point, you may need to add more flour to the dough, depending on how much juice you get out of your oranges. Once you have a sticky ball of dough formed, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is soft and elastic. Or use your dough hook and mix with your electric mixer. The dough will remain slightly tacky. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turning to coat, and cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap. Place in a draft-free area and allow to rise until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and divide in three. Divide each piece into two (you will have six pieces of dough). You will work with one pair, and then the other, and then the other. Roll two pieces of dough into 24-inch long ropes. Loosely twist the ropes together. Transfer the braided rope to one of the prepared baking sheets and bring the ends together to form a ring, twisting and pinching the ends together to seal. Repeat with the remaining two pieces of dough so that you have three circular, braided loaves. Brush the tops of each with melted butter, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until nearly doubled in size, about 30 minute. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake until golden brown on top, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once the breads are cooled to room temperature, start eating!

5 Whole Wheat Super Easy Artisan Loaves

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This is an amazing, super-easy way to make the dough for five — count 'em, FIVE — whole wheat loaves. No rising, no kneading! Just mix, rest and bake. Yummy!

Ingredients
5 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) vital wheat gluten
4 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees F)
1 to 2 tablespoons of whole seed mixture for sprinkling on top crust: sesame, flaxseed, caraway, raw sunflower, poppy, and or anise

Procedure
Measure the dry ingredients into a 5-quart bucket or bowl, and whisk them together. Now add the water to form a very wet dough. Cover loosely (leave lid open a crack) and allow to rise for two hours at room temperature. Do not punch down or intentionally deflate. The dough will rise and then begin to collapse.You can also refrigerate and use over the next 14 days, tearing off one-pound loaves as you need them.

On baking day, cut off a grapefruit-sized piece of dough (about a pound), using a serrated knife or a kitchen shears. Now, quickly shape a loaf (this should take less than a minute). You pull the top around to the bottom, rotating quarter-turns as you go. DON’T KNEAD or otherwise knock all the gas out of the loaf. Cover the loaf loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest on a sheet pan covered with cornmeal or parchment for 90 minutes (40 minutes if you’re using fresh, unrefrigerated dough).

Thirty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and place a pan of hot water inside the oven on the bottom shelf. Just before baking, use a pastry brush and paint the top with water and sprinkle with seed mixture. Slash the loaf with 1/4-inch deep parallel cuts across the top using a serrated bread knife. Place loaves into the oven, and bake for 30 minutes. Cool on a rack, and eat. Baked loaves freeze well.

Avocado Poundcake

The Altitude Adjustment Section
Kind of unusual, a beautiful color, and lots of great subtle flavors ... welcome to avocado poundcake!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) salted butter, at room temp
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 medium mashed ripe avocado
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lime oil
zest of one orange, lemon or lime
scant 1/3 cup buttermilk or yogurt

Procedure
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x4" loaf pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and baking soda. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the mashed avocado and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. Add the vanilla extract, orange zest and lime oil and zest and beat to combine. Scoop half of the dry ingredients into the bowl and beat on low speed until just combined. Add all the buttermilk or yogurt, beating on low speed until just combined. Add the remainder of the dry ingredients and beat until incorporated. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. A nice lime glaze would be perfect.

Cardamon Coffee Cake

The Altitude Adjustment Section
I love a good coffee cake, don’t you? And I especially love a yeast-based sweet cake which walks the line between bread and cake. Here is an oldie but a goodie, flavored with cardamon, from one of the first cookbooks I ever used — The Sunset Cookbook of Breads, first published in 1966.

Ingredients
1 package of active dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamon
1 cup scalded milk, cooled to lukewarm
4 eggs
4 cups A.P. flour
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

Procedure
Dissolve yeast in warm water in the bowl of your electric mixer. Let it develop for 10 minutes till foamy. Now add the salt sugar, cardamon, milk, eggs, and beat till blended. Add flour gradually to yeast mixture. Beat at low speed till batter is smooth. Next add the butter and mix till blended. Butter a large 10 cup baking mold or 2 small molds and sprinkle with granulated sugar covering all surfaces, tap out extra. You have two baking options- for an airy coarsely textured coffee cake turn the batter immediately into the prepared pan and let rise till it reaches 1/4 inch from the top of the pan which will take about 1 1/2 hours. Bake in a preheated 350 oven for about 60-70 minutes in a tubeless mold or 40-50 minutes in a ring mold.If you want a finer texture, let the dough rise in the mixing bowl till double about 2 hours, then beat down and turn into prepared mold and then let rise again and bake same as above.You can also add raisins, dried cranberries, cinnamon, chopped nuts, you get the idea.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

The Altitude Adjustment Section
Susan Purdy, my baking mentor, sent me this letter she received from a baker in Colorado yesterday who was trying to make better gluten-free chocolate cupcakes using olive oil. Since Susan is currently getting some R&R on a beach in an undisclosed location, she forwarded it to me to try and solve. So this is what I did. I started with my basic gluten-free chocolate cake recipe. Then I added the ingredients she requested: almond flour and olive oil, due to allergies.

Ingredients
1 1/2  cups white rice flour
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
1 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
10 ounces light olive oil
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1  1/2 cups buttermilk
1  1/2 cups coffee

Procedure
Whip oil and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Sift together dry ingredients. Next add wet and dry alternating. Let batter sit 45 minutes. Pour 3/4 full into lined cupcake pans and bake at 325 for 26-30 minutes until tops spring back.

Guest Kathy Adelsheim: Banana Bars, Maple Bars, and Midges's Cookies

The Altitude Adjustment Section
Kathy shared some of her altitude adjusted recipes for delicious sweets. And here are a few of her favorites!

Banana Bars

This is a great way to use up mushy, over-ripe bananas.

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed banana
1 cup coconut
1 1/3 cups flour
1 Tablespoon melted butter
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 cup coconut

Procedure
Preheat your oven to 350. Grease a 9 X 13 inch pan.In the bowl of your electric mixer cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add your egg and vanilla and mix. Next add in your baking powder and salt. Mash your banana and combine into bowl with coconut and flour. Spread mixture into prepared pan. Now make topping, in a small bowl combine melted butter, sugar, and coconut. Spread evenly over batter. Bake for 20-30 minutes till coconut is browned and edges begin to pull away from the pan. Cool to room temperature before cutting into bars.

Midge's cookies

This classic cookie is loaded with butter and nuts and it freezes very well.

Ingredients
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter room temperature
1 egg
2 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts (Pecans or Walnuts)

Procedure
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.In your electric mixer cream butter and both sugars. Whip till light. Add egg and mix well. Add dry ingredients in two parts and then add chopped nuts. Roll into 1 inch balls and then roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Store in airtight tins to keep them soft, or eat them all!

Maple Bars

A truly yummy item, cut them small, they are intense.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup cold butter
1/3 cup real maple syrup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup toasted pecans coarsely chopped
3/4 cup walnuts coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla

Procedure
Preheat oven to 350. In your food processor, combine flour, powdered suga,r and butter cut into small chunks. Process till crumbly but not till it forms a ball. Dump this mixture into a 9 X 9 inch baking pan and press down with your fingertips. Bake in oven 25 minutes or until it browns slightly and the edges start to pull away a little. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes. While crust browns, make filling. In a heavy saucepan, combine maple syrup, brown sugar, cream, and butter. Bring this mixture to a boil and boil for two minutes. Remove from heat and add nuts and vanilla. Pour mixture over cooled crust. Bake until it bubbles all over about 20-25 minutes. Let cool about 15 minutes and cut while still a bit warm.

Yuzu Fruit Gelées

The Altitude Adjustment Section
Fruit gelées are something I have always wanted to make. I saw a recipe for a Yuzu gelée in The French Laundry Cookbook and I have been on a quest ever since. So I went online to find the recipe and I started reading the comments from those who have tried this recipe and there was widespread agreement that the recipe sucked and simply did not work. The temperatures mentioned were inaccurate and made no sense and the mixture never set up. Frankly, I have had that same failing experience with 3 other recipes from that same cookbook — so cooks beware! Just because the book is expensive and full of beautiful photos does not make it good or even usable. So I went back to the internets and did more research and found this perfect — yes, I said perfect! — recipe from Baking at Home with The Culinary Institute of America. Trust me! This recipe yields 120 pieces.

Ingredients
3/4 cup frozen fruit juice concentrate (I used a Yuzu, which is a Japanese citrus)
1 1/4 cups water
2 1.75 oz packages of powdered fruit pectin
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon fruit extract or oil
food coloring as needed (optional)

Procedure
Lightly coat a 9 x 13-inch heat-safe pan with a little non-stick spray. Line the bottom of your pan with a piece of parchment paper and lightly coat it with non-stick spray.

Pull out two large saucepans. In one, combine the fruit juice concentrate, the water, pectin and baking soda (it will foam up). In the second pan, combine the corn syrup and sugar. Place both pans over medium high heat. Bring both mixtures to a boil and then reduce the heats to medium. Cook both for roughly 8 minutes. For the sugar solution, I'm not going to call for a candy thermometer since we're going rely on a simpler visual cue (this is a note from original recipe which I love because at my altitude temperatures vary). Once the sugar solution begins to turn a little yellow (barely starting to caramelize), it's ready. Pull the pan off the heat and slowly pour the sugar mixture into the boiling fruit mixture. It's going to bubble violently, so pour slowly.

Cook this mixture for a minute longer, stirring constantly to ensure the sugar is completely melted and then remove from heat. Now you can adjust the flavor with a little citrus oil if you want. To test the flavor of the syrup, spoon a little onto a plate and allow to cool before tasting. Adjust the flavor as desired, add a little food coloring, if needed, and then pour into your prepared pan. Place the pan on a level surface and allow to cure at room temperature for 2 hours.

When the candy has cured and set, scatter some superfine sugar onto a flat baking sheet. Peel the candy from the pan and lay onto the sugared baking sheet. Using a pizza cutter coated in a little nonstick spray, cut the candy into simple cubes. If you're feeling fancy, you can use small cookie cutters or aspic cutters to cut out shapes.

Nigella Lawson's Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This is wet and gooey, almost like a lava cake. It's super-rich and delicious. Not really very attractive so if you are going to plate it, prepare some garnish like whipped cream, or home made ice cream, or caramel sauce, or ... well, you get the idea.

Ingredients
1 room temperature unsalted butter
1 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces semi sweet chocolate, melted
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water

Procedure
Heat the oven to 375°F, put in a baking sheet in case of sticky drips later, and grease and line a 9x5-inch loaf pan. The lining is important as this is a very damp (Nigella's term) cake: use parchment or one of those loaf-pan-shaped paper liners. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer then add the eggs and vanilla, beating in well. Next, fold in the melted and now slightly cooled chocolate, taking care to blend well but being careful not to overbeat. You want the ingredients combined, you don't want a light, airy mass. Then gently add the flour, to which you've added the baking soda, alternately spoon by spoon, with the boiling water until you have a smooth and fairly liquid batter. Pour into the lined loaf pan, (don't let this batter come closer than 1 inch from the rim of the cake pan or it risks overflowing — pour any excess into a smaller cake or muffin pan) and bake for 30 minutes.

Turn the oven down to 325 degrees and continue to cook for another 15 minutes. The cake will still be a bit squidgy (also Nigella's term) inside, so an inserted cake tester or skewer won't come out completely clean. Place the loaf pan on a rack, and leave to get completely cold before turning it out. Nigella says she often leaves it for a day or so "like gingerbread, it improves. Don't worry if it sinks in the middle: indeed, it will do so because it's such a dense and damp cake." Damp? Nigella, really how unappealing!

La Côte Basque's Dacquoise

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This is a magnificent thing. It has three parts which can be made ahead of time and assembled when you have time. Did I mention it's magnificent?

Ingredients for the meringues
2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/3 cups finely ground hazelnuts
1 1/4 cups finely ground almonds
9 egg whites, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Ingredients for the ganache

1 cup heavy cream

3 oz. milk chocolate, chopped
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped



Ingredients for the buttercream

2 cups granulated sugar

5 egg whites, room temperature
1 lb. unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
3 tbsp. coffee extract

2 cups sliced almonds, toasted



Procedure
For the meringues:
Preheat oven to 250°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and draw three 8-inch circles on paper. Sift together powdered sugar, hazelnuts, and almonds into a medium bowl, pushing lumps through sieve, then set aside. Put egg whites in the clean bowl of a standing mixer and whisk on medium-low speed for 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium and whisk whites to soft peaks, about 2 1/2 minutes. Gradually add sugar while continuing to whisk, then increase speed to medium-high and whisk until whites form medium-stiff peaks, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer whites to a large bowl and carefully fold in  1/3 of nut mixture at a time with a rubber spatula. Divide meringue between parchment circles and gently spread out evenly. Bake in middle of oven, rotating positions hourly, for 4 hours. Remove and let cool completely.

For the ganache:
Heat cream in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat, add milk and bittersweet chocolates, and let sit for 1 minute. Whisk until smooth and set aside until thick enough to spread.

For the buttercream:
Combine  1/3 cup water and 1 1/2 cups of the sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until it reaches 250° on a candy thermometer. Put egg whites in the clean bowl of a standing mixer and whisk on medium-low speed for 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium and whisk whites to soft peaks, about 1 1/2 minutes. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar while continuing to whisk, then increase speed to medium-high and whisk until whites form stiff peaks, about 2 minutes. Carefully pour syrup into whites, whisking until cool, about 10 minutes. Add butter, bit by bit, whisking constantly until buttercream is shiny and fluffy, about 8 minutes. (Mixture may curdle, but will eventually come together.) Whisk in coffee extract and set aside.

To assemble:
Spread  1/3 of buttercream over each of 2 meringues. Spread ganache over remaining meringue. Layer meringues, placing the one with ganache in the middle. Spread remaining buttercream on sides of cake, then cover cake with almonds and refrigerate at least 5 hours. Then just stand around and take some pride.

Chocolate Bouchons

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This recipe is from Thomas Keller of The French Laundry and Per Se fame. Keeping with the homemade gift idea, for some, nothing but chocolate will do — and you know who you are. This requires a special 3 ounce timbale mold which is available on line at Sur la Table or amazon.com.

Ingredients
3/4 cup (3 1/2 ounces) flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, melted and just slightly warm
6 ounces semisweet chocolate,chopped small
Butter and flour for the timbale molds
Powdered sugar

Procedure
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder and salt. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the eggs and sugar on medium speed until thick and pale in color, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix until incorporated. With the mixer on low speed, add about one-third of the dry ingredients, then one-third of the butter, and continue alternating with the remaining flour and butter. Add the chocolate and continue to mix to combine. (The batter can be made up to this point and refrigerated, covered, for up to one day.)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 12 timbale molds. Set aside. Put the timbale molds on a baking sheet. Place the batter in a pastry bag without a tip, or with a large plain tip, and fill each mold about two-thirds full. Bake the bouchons until the tops are shiny and set (like a brownie), and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out moist but clean (there may be some melted chocolate from the chopped chocolate), 20 to 25 minutes.Transfer the bouchons to a cooling rack. After a couple of minutes, invert the molds and let the bouchons cool in the molds. Remove the molds and serve, or store until needed (the bouchons are best eaten the day they are baked). To serve, dust them with powdered sugar. Serve with ice cream, if desired.

Chocolate Pound Cake

The Altitude Adjustment Section
As a result of working with Susan Purdy on Pie in the Sky, the definitive high-altitude cookbook, I get an interesting assortment of letters from bakers across the country with specific baking problems they would like us to work on. This chocolate pound cake recipe came about in that manner. A baker in Utah could not get her vanilla pound cake to adapt to the addition of chocolate and asked for my input. I got lucky after only two tries and here is the finished recipe.

Ingredients
8 ounces all purpose flour
8 ounces granulated sugar
1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup room temperature unsalted butter
3 ounces buttermilk
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Procedure
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the rack in the middle of oven. Lightly grease a loaf pan.Cream butter and sugar in bowl of your electric mixer.Add sugar and beat well.Add vanilla. Sift together flour,cocoa,and salt.Add to butter mixture alternating with buttermilk,Scrape down sides and beat well. Pour into prepared pan and bake 35 minutes or till toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Pumpkin Empanadas

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This is a delicious seasonal dessert that you can make ahead and freeze and bake right before serving. You can use fresh pumpkin and process it to a smooth puree or you can buy organic pumpkin puree and use that. I personally have never felt that the process, which takes lots of effort, yields a better tasting product, but it's up to you.

I also must add there is an excellent frozen empanada wrapper my Argentinian friend turned me on to. I buy it at Talin market and keep it on hand in the freezer for projects like this. Unfortunately, it is not always available but the brand name is La Saltena. Goya makes them as well, but they are not as light and flakey. There are two kinds and two sizes. I can almost never find the small size so I end up getting the larger circles which are more like a turnover size then an hors d’oeuvre size. You want the ones for baking not the ones for frying. The baking ones say para Horno (the oven) or just make this with simple pastry dough. This recipe makes 24-30 small sized empanadas.

Ingredients for filling
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cups dark brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Procedure
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar until it dissolves with the butter. Stir in the pumpkin and the spices. Continue to stir over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Make sure the filling is not too watery; otherwise let it cook for a couple more minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool down. After it’s cooled off for about 15 minutes, put the filling in the refrigerator to help it set for 30 minutes or overnight. You can make the dough while the filling is cooling off.

Ingredients for dough
3 cups ap flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup crisco vegetable shortening
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar

Procedure
Mix the first 3 dry ingredients. Cut in the shortening with the dry ingredients. Works better if you use your hands. Add the eggs, milk and sugar. Continue to work in with your hands. Split the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap and put into the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes. Take out one half of the dough and split it into 12-18 balls of dough. Depending on how small you want your empanadas. Or you can be really efficient and roll out a big sheet of dough and with a circle cutter cut out circles, that's the way we do it in my kitchen.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take your dough circles and put a small dollop of filling on one half of the rolled out circle. Wet the bottom edge of the dough with water to help seal the two halves. Fold over the dough to seal. Seal off the edges with a fork by pressing down along the two edges. This also makes for a pretty pattern when baked. Brush each empanada with egg whites, sprinkle with sugar and puncture each empanada with a fork to allow steam to escape while baking. Line sheet pan with parchment and spray with oil spray. Place the empanadas on the cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes on middle rack in the oven. If after 15 minutes you notice the bottoms of the empanadas starting to brown, move the cookie sheet to the top rack and continue to bake for the last 5 minutes. Serve with a little brandy whipped cream.

Pomegranate Mousse Pie with Orange Rosewater Syrup

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This is my award-winning (well not really, but the folks at the Food Depot Holiday Pie-O-Rama sure did love it) recipe for a super easy, no-bake, original holiday pie. This recipe makes two pies and they freeze, so go for it.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups cookie crumbs (Graham cracker, chocolate wafers, vanilla wafers, or gingersnaps)
6 ounces melted butter
1/4 cup pomegranate juice
2 1/2 teaspoons (1 envelope) powdered gelatin
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 cup Pomegranate Molasses
2 cups heavy cream divided (2 tablespoons added to white chocolate)
4 ounces chopped white chocolate
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Procedure
To make the crust, mix melted butter with the cracker crumbs and press into the bottom of a 9 inch pie pan. Refrigerate till needed. To make filling, put the pomegranate juice in a small bowl and sprinkle gelatin over the top then stir a little with a spoon to mix it up. In a small saucepan heat the pomegranate molasses with the cardamom till it comes to a boil. Pour over the softened gelatin and stir. Let cool to room temp. In the meantime, melt the chopped white chocolate in the top of a double boiler with 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Let cool. Whip up the remaining heavy cream till it starts to thicken and then add the extracts and the powdered sugar. Scrape down sides of the bowl and mix a little more. Now add the white chocolate and whip to incorporate. Next add the pomegranate gelatin mixture and mix till smooth. Pour mixture into prepared crusts and refrigerate for at least 3 hours till firm. Best if made the night before. Serve with a drizzle of orange rosewater syrup (recipe below) and a sprinkling of fresh pomegranate seeds. This recipe makes two 9-inch pies. This pie may be frozen.

Orange Rosewater Syrup

Ingredients
4 cups sugar
3 cups water
½ cup rosewater
½ cup OJ concentrate
½ cup orange juice

¼ teaspoon orange oil
Procedure
Boil the water and sugar till sugar is dissolved and then add the other ingredients. Simmer 5 minutes to thicken.