While watching the Cooking Channel, I saw Knead bakery, found in the Mission District, being featured as the place to go when you are in San Francisco. While Karla and I were there, I made sure that we went there for a fabulous brunch. It was just a short bus ride away from Fisherman’s Wharf. The Mission District is full of culture and plenty of interesting sights to see. Check out this mural. Just one of many found on building walls.
Knead was tucked away on a side street surrounded by a world of culture.
This eatery is a place your order at the counter and they will bring it to your table sort of place, which creates a perfectly relaxed atmosphere for diners. Karla and I both had the spinach and eggs on brioche, which was out of this world.
Then of course, I had to have the Pomme d’amore which was the main feature on the Cooking Channel episode that I watched. I was not a disappointment at all! The crispy pastry crust created a pillow in which the egg custard filling could nest. The top of the custard was protected by a thin layer of crispy sugar which was texturally delightful with each bite. This place is a must when you are in San Francisco!
Category: Baking
Slutty Brownies: Sure to Please Any Man
This weekend I had my beau come to visit me for the first time since we have been dating. I decided I needed to impress him not only with a clean house, but with a great menu. I made sure to make breakfast and dinner for him at least once to make sure he realizes that I have well-rounded skills in the kitchen. I also whipped up a batch of these slutty brownies and had them on display when he arrived to give his tastebuds a jump start. I know they were a hit because he kept going back for more throughout the weekend. Here’s the recipe so you can make them for your special someone as well.
Slutty Brownies
1. Follow the recipe for your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. I used the recipe on the back of the bag of Tollhouse chocolate chips. Add a tablespoon of water to the batter at the end. Spread the dough evenly in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish.
2. Place Oreo cookies in a single layer on top of the cookie layer. Do not overlap the cookies. If they happen to break, it is ok. You are going to cut this creation into bars for serving anyway.
3. Follow the recipe for your favorite boxed brownie recipe. You can make your own brownie batter but I think the boxed brownie mix is perfectly fine. No need to go through all the extra fuss. Pour the batter evenly over the cookie dough and Oreo layers.
4. Place the baking dish into a 350 oven. Cooking time will vary so keep checking your creation every five to ten minutes after the 45 minute mark to see if they are cooked through. Take a tester and poke it in the middle to see if it comes out clean. When the tester comes out without cookie or brownie batter on it, you know that your slutty brownies are ready to come out of the oven. Cut them into squares and enjoy!
Hummingbird Cupcakes
So I’ve been taking a little break from baking lately because I’ve been very busy trying to finish up my final few months of my Masters program. The end is near! But, I got some really cute cupcake liners for Easter so I knew I needed to make some cupcakes ASAP. Cupcakes and cakes, for that matter, seem like such a celebration type treat, so I don’t make them on a regular basis. Recently, I’ve seen Paula Deen make hummingbird cake a couple times, and I’ve seen it in various other places, but since I’ve never baked or eaten it, I thought I would give it a try.
Hummingbird cake seems to be a southern thing. Based on the ingredients and the final product, I would say it’s in the same family as carrot cake and banana bread. It’s almost like an easier version of carrot cake because you don’t have to grate the carrots. The other great thing about it is that they typical frosting choice is cream cheese. Yum.
So I looked around at various recipes, and based on mainly ingredient choices I settled on a recipe from Bake or Break. This blog has an endless amount of delicious baked goods. They always seem decadent, but refined. They’re not wrapping cookie dough around Oreos. These people are real deal.
Anywho, the cupcakes turned out great! They’re definitely a great way to mix up your cake repertoire!
Hummingbird Cupcakes
Yields supposedly 36, I got closer to 30, from Bake or Break
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 & 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 2 cups chopped bananas
- chopped pecans or sanding sugar, for garnish
Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 16 oz. powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Method
- Preheat oven to 350, and get the cupcake pans ready with the liners.
- Combine flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl.
- Add the eggs, oil and stir until mixture is uniform. Then add the vanilla, pineapple, banana, and pecans and mix until everything is relatively well distributed.
- Use an ice cream scoop or spoon to distribute batter into cupcake trays. Each cupcake should be about 2/3’s full of batter.
- Bake about 25 minutes until a tester comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before you put the frosting on top!
- To make frosting cream together the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer. Once this mixture is light and fluffy, add the vanilla and the powdered sugar (add the sugar gradually). Mix until frosting is uniform and fluffy. Refrigerate for a few minutes before you put it on the cooled cupcakes.
Sadie Dishes 