Biscoff Bake-Off Recap

I've still got so much to share about our trip to Napa for the Biscoff Bake-Off, but I know I can't really blog about the fun excursions of the weekend without first giving you the scoop on the main event.

We were set up at the Williams Center for Flavor Discovery at the Culinary Institute of America.

I had my own { not so } little station....

... and an entire case of Biscoff cookies.  YUM.

Delta recorded the whole thing like Top Chef or Chopped.  Two flight attendants were there to host, and they were fabulous. Having a camera in my face didn't bother me the least bit { after all, one of the competitors greeted me with "Hey, you're the girl from that dress show!" },  but the time constraint was pretty stressful. Competitive baking is not for the faint of heart.

There were two other competitors... Atif, who brought Biscoff Baked Salmon, and Laurie, who brought Crispy Shrimp with Coco-Mango Sauce.  Both were delicious.

As you might expect, there had to be some drama.  Poor Atif was supposed to go on at 2:00, but at two 'till, when he went to take his dish out of the oven, the fish was still raw.  It appeared as if the pilot light in the oven had just gone out.

So we played musical time slots and I went first. { Life is uncertain, anyway. } I ended up kind of liking that I got to go first. It let me set the bar and not feel like I was already being compared to someone.

All three judges were very, very kind.  From left to right above:

• Herb Karlitz - Founder and President of Karlitz & Company, Producer of Flavor! Napa Valley
• Andrea Robison - Delta's Master Sommelier and host of Pairings with Andrea on Food Network { she's one of only 14 female Master Sommeliers in the world! }
• Chef Stephen Isaac - of the Culinary Institute of America, American Culinary Federation and Retail Bakers Association

Herb said, "I'm from New York and I know cheesecake. This is good cheesecake." { What a compliment! } Andrea praised that the cookie flavor remained intact throughout the dish.  And Chef Stephen noted that the cheesecake wasn't overly sweet, which was a good balance with the decadent salted caramel topping. He literally picked his slice apart, tasting the crust alone, then just the cheesecake, then the filling, the topping and finally every layer together. His palate was the one I thought would be most apt to find an error.

But the reaction was good. More than good, even. Because they unanimously chose my Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake as the winning dish!

My face hurt from smiling so much. And I won trips to Food & Wine Festival in NYC and LA in 2012. { Hello, culinary dream vacation. }

Delta will use the footage on their Facebook page, and maybe even for in-flight entertainment.  Either way, I'll definitely link to the video when it's up.

All in all, not bad for a first attempt, if I do say so myself. Now, to finish another one of these cheesecakes for Thanksgiving tomorrow. After 27 years, I've finally been asked to bring something. Guess a little external validation never hurts. : )

At least they sent me home with half a case of cookies!

Napa, here I come!

Remember this?

{ Pretend there's salt on top... this was the first shot I took and I neglected
to add it.  But it's the best one I got of the slice and the cake together! }

Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake.  I haven't talked about much else over the last few weeks. { Sorry about that. Sometimes I have a one track mind. }

Well, thanks to you and your votes... this recipe and I are headed to Flavor! Napa Valley to compete in the Biscoff Bake-Off finals in just two weeks!  State Farm guy and his Pumpkin Cheesecake are going, too.  The third contender should be announced on Monday.

All three finalists' recipes will be judged by a panel of food and wine experts, including Michael Chiarello.  Look familiar?

He's on the latest season of Food Network's Next Iron Chef, hosts Easy Entertaining { LOVE! } and has a fabulous restaurant: Bottega Napa Valley.  Michael's been a judge on Top Chef and Top Chef Masters, too.  I can't wait to { hopefully } shake his hand.  And maybe eat at Bottega!

And Michael isn't the only recognizable face involved.  Flavor! includes a ton of other folks I'm sure you heard of:

• Richard Blais of Top Chef and FLIP Burger Boutique here in Atlanta... oh Krispy Kreme milkshake and Butcher's Cut burger, how I love you.
• Tyler Florence of a zillion things, including the Great American Food Truck Race.
• Masaharu Morimoto, whose name I feel like should always be preceded by "Iron Chef".

... just to name a few.  The foodie portion of my brain is pretty much jumping up and down like a three-year-old on Christmas just at the prospect of seeing these people and maybe tasting their creations.

I was all worried about where we'd be baking our entries.  Envisioning like a BBQ Cook-Off with an oven in a tent.  Not exactly the ideal conditions for a cheesecake.  But my worry was for naught, because we'll be at the Culinary Institute of America!  Be still my heart.

Not gonna lie, though.  I'm a little intimidated.  Yours truly has zero formal training.  I mean, given a henny penny and whatever's in that secret seasoned coater I could make a Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich, but that's the extent of my formal culinary training.  The rest comes from watching my family.  Heck, I put too much brown sugar in the Monkey Bread Muffins I experimented with for breakfast this morning and there was definitely a little smoke in the oven when a few of them overflowed out of the pan.  It happens. : )

I was even nervous to serve my cheesecake to some of our foodies at work... worried their refined palates would find something off about it.  But everyone raved and I guess the folks at Biscoff and Delta want a taste, too. : ) Just making it this far is more than I'd dreamed would happen.

So now the biggest question is... what's a girl to wear to something like this?!?

The Biscoff Bake-Off

Y'all.

If you're reading this, you know I love to bake.  Probably 75% of my cookbooks are dedicated to cakes, cookies, cupcakes or other sweets.  But make up my own recipe?  It's one thing to throw pudding and chocolate chips into a box of cake mix.  It's another entirely to start from scratch with a blank sheet of paper.

There's a first time for everything, though.  I've entered my very first bake-off!  And the Delta Biscoff Bake-Off at that. { Say that one three times fast! }

Behold, my entry.  Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake.

{ Please believe that I ate this piece for breakfast immediately after snapping the photo! }

Judges will review the 10 recipes that receive the most votes between now and midnight Monday, October 31.  I'm not usually one to ask for help... I come from a long line of do-it-yourself-ers.  But, if you're on Facebook, would you vote for me? { Please? } You can vote once every day!

It's easy.  Just...

• Click here: http://apps.facebook.com/biscoffcontest/contests/157238/voteable_entries/34340494
• Then click “Vote Now”
• Then click “Allow”
• And if you’re really feeling supportive, you can post it to your wall

They'll select 3 from the top 10 to travel to Napa and bake their creations for the panel.  Then, they'll choose a grand prize winner who will win trips to  the 2012 Food Network Wine & Food Festivals... in both LA and NYC!  Hello, foodie heaven.

And while it's kind of a stretch { considering that this recipe and its iterations are the only cheesecakes I've ever made } ... it's worth a shot.

Thank you for your help!

Spencer's Lemon Bars

Sometimes, Spencer comes with me to the grocery store.  He pushes the buggy while I run around matching coupons with sales and tracking down the things on our list.  And trying to stay out of his way so the back of my ankles don't get run into.  :)

A few weeks ago, we were on the baking aisle. { Surprise, surprise. I practically live there. } I returned to the cart with a bag of flour, and Spencer was standing there with his arms outstretched holding a box.  He asked, "Maybe one day will you make these for me?" Bless his sweet heart, the man wants lemon bars.  And the reality is, control-freak-me usually makes what I want.

So if the man wants lemon bars, lemon bars he will get.  And not from a box.

I've no idea where I got this recipe.  It's been on a piece of paper in my blue pantry folder for years.  Crust like a shortbread cookie paired with a delightfully tangy topping.  When I made them, Spencer wouldn't let me take them to work.  That's the sign of a sure-fire winner in this house!

Spencer's Lemon Bars

makes 18 bars

Ingredients

• Crust
• 1 cup { 2 sticks } cold butter
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 2/3 cup confectioner's sugar
• Topping
• 1 1/2 cup plain white granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest

Equipment

• Whisk
• Pastry blender
• Medium and large mixing bowls
• 9"x13" baking pan

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350*.
• Begin preparing crust.  Whisk flour and confectioner's sugar together in a medium bowl.

• Cut in butter { using a pastry blender or knife and fork } until coarse and crumbly.

{ Cutting the butter into tablespoons will help it blend more easily. }

{ It will still be very dry, so don't worry! }

• Pour mixture into a 9" x 13" pan.

• Press mixture evenly into bottom of pan.

• Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

• While crust is baking, prepare topping.  Start by mixing sugar, flour and baking powder in a large bowl.  Then add slightly beaten eggs, lemon juice and lemon zest.

• Mix well and pour over warm baked crust.

• Bake for 20-25 minutes.
• When cool, cut into bars and dust with confectioner's sugar.

• Keep refrigerated.  Serve cool and enjoy!

Melted Ice Cream Cake

I love cake.  I love ice cream.  I love ice cream with cake.  If you fall into any of these categories, you'll love this.  { And if you don't, well... I'd like to know how you resist. }

This post is based on a very simple formula:

White Cake Mix + 2 Cups Melted Ice Cream + 3 Eggs = Melted Ice Cream Cake

I don't even think you can even call this a recipe.  It works with any flavor (try Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia!), but for my sister-in-law's birthday I went with Cookies & Cream.  Coupled with my favorite butter cream cheese frosting, I'd venture to say that this is the best Oreo cake I've ever had!

Cookies & Cream Melted Ice Cream Cake

Adapted from The Cake Mix Doctor

Ingredients

• 1 box White Cake Mix { I like Duncan Hines }
• 2 cups melted super premium Cookies & Cream Ice Cream
• 1 frozen pint should get you what you need
• I don't recommend whipped or low fat varieties... they have too much air and won't yield 2 cups melted from 1 pint
• 3 eggs
• 1 18-ounce package Oreo Sandwich Cookies
• Butter Cream Cheese Frosting { double batch }

Special Equipment

• Food Chopper { or plastic bag and mallet for crushing cookies }
• Stand Mixer

Instructions

• Set ice cream out approximately 30 minutes ahead of time to soften and begin to melt.
• Preheat oven to 350*.

• If you're using an ice cream package larger than 1 pint { and clearly don't want to melt it all }, just spoon some out into a measuring cup.

• Count out ten Oreos from the package.  Eat one.  Then pop the rest into your food chopper.

• Don't have a food chopper?  Don't fret.  Just grab a big zip-top plastic bag and a mallet or heavy soup can.  Pound away your frustrations. : )
• Pulse the chopper until cookies are roughly chopped.  You want the them about in fourths.

• Transfer chopped Oreos to a bowl.
• Then, grab 12 more Oreos.  Pop these in the food chopper and pulse until finely crumbled. Place the crumbles in a separate bowl.  { Pictured in front below. }

• Check and see if your ice cream is a consistency about like the below.  It's okay if it's not entirely liquid, the mixer will take care of the rest.

• Using a stand mixer, combine melted ice cream, cake mix and eggs on low speed until just incorporated.  Scrape the sides of the bowl down with a spatula if necessary.
• Increase speed to medium and mix for two minutes.

• Notice that all of those yummy cookie pieces are pulverized.  Let's fix that.  Remove bowl from mixer { let someone lick the beater! } and fold in the Oreo chunks.  These are the larger pieces from the food chopper.

• Divide batter evenly between two greased and floured { or greased and lined! } 9" round cake pans.

• Bake for 23-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

• Cool in pans for ten minutes.
• Then transfer cakes to wire racks and cool completely. { If you used the liner method, remove the wax paper immediately after inverting.  Otherwise, it traps heat and will take longer to cool. }

• While cakes cool, make a double batch of Butter Cream Cheese Frosting.
• Spoon out about 1/3 of frosting into a separate bowl.

• Fold remaining cookie crumbles into the smaller bowl of frosting.

• Place one cake layer on a cake stand or cardboard cake round, dome side up.  Using an offset spatula, spread cookie/frosting mixer evenly on top.

• Invert second cake domed side down to stack cakes.

• Spread a thin layer of plain frosting around the entire cake - top, sides and all.  It needn't be pretty or perfect. { This is what's called a crumb coat.  It'll keep crumbs out of your top layer of frosting! }
• Then pop the cake into the fridge for at least 15 minutes.  It's a good chance to do the dishes. 

• Once the crumb coat has set, decorate away with remaining frosting.  I used more Oreo crumbs, a 1M piping tip and a few Oreo halves.

• Slice, share and enjoy!

Cookie Dough Cupcakes - Part III

It's cookie dough.

In a cookie dough flavored cupcake.

And quite possibly the best thing I've ever baked.

{ According to Jamie.  Who would know.  If you're going to be on my team at the office you have to be okay with taste testing. }

I'm sorry it took three posts.  You're probably over these by now. Or maybe you just want the frosting recipe already.

{ I'm a frosting kind of girl.  Which for some reason makes me thinkg about Mrs. Doubtfire. "One lump or two, dear?" }

 

Cookie Dough Frosting

Ingredients

• 1½ cups unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 3½ cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 2½ teaspoons vanilla

Equipment

• Mixer with paddle attachment

Instructions

• Beat butter and brown sugar on medium-high until light and creamy.

• Add powdered sugar { a little bit at a time to prevent the annoying cloud that will coat your entire countertop! } and mix until smooth.
• Mix in flour and salt.
• Add vanilla and milk and mix until well incorporated.

Now for the fun part - assembly!  Check out this handy dandy little tool.

It's a cupcake corer and it makes quick and easy work of, um, coring cupcakes.  A knife will work just as well, but the corer was a Christmas gift from my sister and it's so much fun.

{ Voila! }

• Use a knife or nifty cupcake corer to remove a nickel-sized cylinder from each cupcake.
• Eat a cylinder.  Or two.  Or four.  { See?  You can taste the cupcakes and no one will know! }

• Fill each cupcake with a dollop of the firmed eggless cookie dough.  { It is super sticky... I found it very helpful to spray my fingers with Pam so it would quit sticking to me and actually stay in the cupcake. }

 

• Frost using a pastry bag and 1M piping tip.

• Sprinkle with miniature chocolate chips.

• Then eat one!  For breakfast, if you want.  That's how we roll in this house sometimes.  Don't tell my mom.  Or my mother-in-law. : )