Have you ever found yourself not paying attention to a food trend or other popular cooking craze because something about it just reminded you of something else that you’d just as soon pretend didn’t exist? That’s how it was with me and every single macaroon post I’ve seen in the last six months.

When I just hear the word macaroon, I can feel my tongue trying to oust tough, chewy bits of shredded coconut from my teeth as an intense sugar high begins coursing through my veins. I’ve never liked macaroons. I’ve never liked shredded coconut. Maybe I’ve never liked shredded coconut because of macaroons. That seems possible because I recently began adding unsweetened coconut flakes to my oatmeal. Go figure.

Here’s the thing. All the macaroon posts I’ve seen lately show pictures of pretty pastel colored hamburger-like sandwich cookies. I’ve routinely rejected reading these posts because I automatically think: over-the-top-sugary-coconut-ick. I also find the color of these mini confections to be off-putting in the same way that pink, green and yellow marshmallow Easter treats shaped like bunnies, eggs and chicks inspire a gag reflex.

But once NPR got on board with the macaroon, I felt a higher responsibility to all my fans (hi, Mom and Dad), to pause for a wee sec and acknowledge that these little pink and yellow hamburgers cookies are a different variety of macaroon all together. Because they are. Really.

First, I was surprised to learn macaroons are an almond meringue cookie hailing from France (although they most likely traveled to France by way of Italian monks). Almonds! Meringue!

Second, I did not know that cooking macaroons inspired deep trepidation in many a baker. As I quickly learned while reading David Lebovitz’s online macaroon thesis, the baking of macaroons is not a walk in the park.

Third, as with all things French, there are as many opinions about the proper way to make macaroons as there are comments on a Pioneer Woman blog post.

Hmm. What could a girl do but test her kitchen mettle and commit to making a batch of macaroons? I mean, I owe it to the French, really, to admit my naivety and honor a dessert tradition that has been embraced by Starbucks and every other fancy food baker in the country. After reviewing many a macaroon recipe, I chose to follow the one Mr. Lebovitz shared for French Chocolate Macaroons because of its relative simplicity (and because his macaroons weren’t pink). Still, I had to trek down to Michaels to buy a piping bag and tip and then pop next door to Vitamin Cottage where happily I found almond meal. The next morning, I woke early and got to work.

As indicated above, points of contention abound when it comes to how one makes macaroons, starting with whether or not you should keep your egg whites at room temperature or in the refrigerator, for one, two, or three days prior to the big day. I left my eggs out on the counter for almost 24 hours. I took a departure from all recipe instructions by using a hand-held rotary beater for beating my eggs into stiff peaks. This instrument has become my favorite tool for working with eggs. Using the beater is fast and strangely satisfying.

Other technique arguments involve how long you should mix the meringue with the almond meal and whether or not (and for how long) you should leave the piped macaroon batter out to dry before baking. The point of all this fuss is that you want to produce the right conditions for the development of the little rim that appears at the base of the macaroon as its baking. This rim, otherwise known as “the feet,” makes or breaks your macaroon. The other concern is that you don’t want your macaroons to crackle on top. They must be smooth. Appearance is everything, right?

I thank the stars above that with little effort and no fuss, I made a batch of macaroons that came out nearly perfectly. Actually, the 30 small rounds that I piped onto a double-layer baking sheet came out perfectly. The 14 or so rounds that I piped onto my thin pizza pan however, came out with no feet and cracked tops. I attribute this in part to the pan, but more to the fact that after I piped the rounds, I piped more batter on top of the original round because I had run out of space and figured I could just make them bigger. Wrong.

I made Mr. Lebovitz’s chocolate ganache filling (and added pure vanilla extract), sandwiched the macaroon cookies together and then waited the suggested one day before sampling (OK – I ate a few of the cracked cookies once they had cooled – they were crispy and sweet). Nothing like a burst of chocolate almond sugary goodness (that doesn’t stick in your teeth). I impressed myself and then wondered, would I make these again? Once I found these beautiful photos of other macaroons made without food coloring, I got kind of wistful just thinking about re-creating them. Only time will tell.

Always wanted to make macaroons but never found the gumption? Go for it! Then, tell me about it here.

Enjoy!

Carol

Thanks to Ricoeurian for the pastel colored macaroon photo.

We’re coming up on a holiday rich with history and tradition.  While paper hearts strung together and Hallmark cards adorned with chubby angels that strongly resemble pigs wearing wings may not say “romance” to you, February has long been celebrated as an amorous time of passion and love.  Although nobody can say for sure how Valentine’s Day really began (or even which St. Valentine is being honored on February 14th), there is no doubt that it is very much celebrated in today’s society.  In fact, did anyone else notice the Valentine’s paraphernalia start to make an appearance only a few short weeks after Christmas?

While there are a lot of things that are associated with love and Valentine’s Day (roses, jewelry, those gross message hearts that taste like chalk, anything pink or red…) chocolate is probably the most well known.  Frankly, that is perfectly fine with me.  I adore chocolate.  Whether it’s milk, dark or white chocolate (even though I know that white chocolate is not technically chocolate), paired with peanut butter, caramel, or served plain, I will devour it all.  Is there anything as beautiful or luscious as the way a bite of good quality chocolate can simply melt in your mouth?  I think not.  This has left me convinced that chocolate is the perfect food.

And it is not just me. Did you know that we’re wired to be chocoholics?  Seriously, I’m not making this up!  Our very biochemistry encourages us to eat more chocolate. When we consume chocolate, a whole mess of endorphins are released, thus earning the long-standing reputation of chocolate as an aphrodisiac.  Even though the modern medical community doesn’t always support this status, ancient Aztecs and Mayans understood the connection and revered chocolate as the food of the gods.  Personally, I choose to agree with the ancients.

Something I did not know, though, is that vanilla is also thought to be an aphrodisiac!  The Totonca, an indigenous people from Mexico, have an old legend about a goddess named Xanat, who happens to be the youngest daughter of the Mexican fertility goddess.  Xanat falls in love with a mortal man.  Desperate to be with him but prohibited by her immortalness, she transforms herself into the vanilla orchid, happy at last that she can bring everlasting beauty and joy to her human love and his people.  I think that might be the most romantic story ever.  However, the romantic nature of vanilla was extended beyond tragic tales and into the bedroom by people like Dr. John King, who in the 1800s advised the American Dispensary that vanilla should be used to “stimulate the sexual propensities” and swore by taking a swig of pure vanilla extract before bedtime.  Neurologist Alan Hirsch also found a connection between the scent of vanilla and special blood flow within mature men. Wow!

So with Valentine’s Day approaching, I have the perfect excuse to make lots of aphrodisiac treats (and if I happen to accidentally make too many and they linger around my apartment for a few weeks, who can blame me?)  This recipe for Chocolate and Vanilla Swirl Tartlets is like a two for one, with both vanilla and chocolate flavors. Then these Molten White Chocolate Cupcakes use both regular and white chocolate, along with vanilla extract.  If you really want to enhance the richness and complexity of chocolate, add some pure vanilla extract. You can believe I’ll be incorporating it into my baking!

Along with these two recipes, I was also dying to try out these “Life By Chocolate” mini cupcakes that Pioneer Woman posted.  I have little heart shaped molds that I knew would turn them from “cute” into “adorable.”  Too mushy?  I don’t think so…this is Valentine’s Day!  If this isn’t the time to pull out all those little sappy accessories and molds, when is?  I say bring on the mush! I decided that I had to make a test batch and they were just as delicious as promised, although the silicone molds didn’t pop out the baked cupcakes very easily.  I ended up baking the rest in a regular mini cupcake tin, but all of them tasted delicious!

The recipe was beautifully simple.

My favorite part was watching the colors swirl and blend as I mixed in the chocolate.

While the silicone molds didn’t work out, these little heart-shaped measuring spoons and whisks were too adorable to pass up and, thankfully, more functional!

What’s your favorite Valentine’s treat?
Thanks to Leo_Reynolds for the picture of the cherubim!
~Laura

Although single and without kids, I have an affinity for small children. I can relate to their needs (I require play time, too), I can usually act more goofy than they can (I have scared the occasional child with my zeal for dancing), and I have a fantastic repertoire of silly voices. So it should come as no surprise that given the choice to exercise myself to extreme pain at the gym last Saturday morning or bake cookies with my friends’ two daughters – Chloe, 7, and Becca, 5 – I opted for the latter.

I love baking cookies with kids, especially kids that are not my own, and especially in advance of a holiday – like Valentine’s Day. Their eyes sparkle with the anticipation of sneaking a taste of batter and decorating cookie tops with insane amounts of colored sugar.

I also find that kids love working with holiday-specific cookie cutters. This time of year they have no qualms about dipping into the Christmas cookie cutter collection because there are only so many heart-shaped cookies you can make. And, bless their little munchkin souls, they even forgive you when you realize you can’t make frosting because you forgot to buy powdered sugar. You simply agree to let them have not one but two cookies before lunch (in addition to the giant one you let them set aside for dessert after lunch) and everyone is happy again.

Like most children finding themselves in the kitchen with a grown-up, Chloe and Becca were eager to help prepare the batter for the cookies we set out to make. The recipe: Rodelle’s Rolled Sugar Cookies. In a stroke of brilliance, I let Chloe measure out the flour and sift it into a small bowl while Becca and I set out to cream butter, sugar, egg and vanilla. Each kid needed her own sense of empowerment and this strategy worked like a charm. Of course, I had to let Chloe take a turn with the hand mixer while Becca tried out the sifter. Then, they each took a turn with the hand mixer as we added flour to the wet ingredients. Becca let me know at least four times during this process how much she likes cookie batter. I mean, she really likes it. Can I blame her?

Once we put the dough into the fridge for a brief cooling period, the girls came somewhat unglued with the prospect of checking out my stuff, running around the house dressed in my scarves, and parking themselves on the bathroom counter as they painted their small faces scary pink with my ‘make-up stick’. I did what any smart adult would do: the dishes.

After this interlude of fashion and frolic came to its sad but eventual end, we got to work rolling out dough and cutting cookies. I was clever a second time to avoid possible sibling disquietude by cutting a line down the rolled dough to designate their private dough property. Of course, I then learned again how much Becca loves cookie dough (by now she had managed to casually sneak about a pint of dough into her wee mouth). I also learned what Chloe and Becca love most about Valentine’s Day: the color pink. Not love. Not chocolate. Not even cookies. Pink.

As their little hands plied dough away from the heart-shaped cutters and we talked about how much we loved dough and couldn’t wait to eat a fresh out-of-the-oven cookie, I knew with certainty that Valentine’s Day was just a lovely excuse to spend a morning in the kitchen with little girls who would one day discover their own joy for baking with friends.

I hope your own adventures in baking include small children and their valentine, as well as a great story. Just wondering – how much cookie dough can your kids eat?

Dreaming of cookies,

Carol

Ardour: Anglo-French, from Latin ardor burning, heat, ardor, from aridus dry; 14th century; an often restless or transitory warmth of feeling; extreme vigor or energy; intensity; zeal; loyalty; passion.

When I moved back to Fort Collins in 2008, I did what any single girl would do. I went in search of a coffee house to call home and spy cute boys. There, on the edge of Old Town where Linden Street crosses Jefferson and heads northeast to the infamous land of beer, I found my spot: Café Ardour.

At first I was drawn to the farmhouse simplicity of the cafe’s interior. Morning light pours through tall, east-facing windows illuminating the subtle leaf green, sherbet orange, robin’s egg blue and butter yellow of the café’s walls. Tables of thick oak, distressed wood and odd sized rectangles give ample space for writing down thoughts, or having intimate conversations. Oh the comfort! Then, I fell in love with the revolving art gallery, the baristas’ cute aprons (acquired here and there from thrift stores and friends) and fortunately, an amplitude of cute boys to spy on.

But, ultimately it was the cafe’s generous variety of fantastic baked goods (the ginger sparkle cookies melt in your mouth), its perfectly dry cappuccinos and its commitment to local and seasonal foods that secured my own ardour for my new office home away from home.

During the growing season, Café Ardour sources most of its salad greens, cucumbers, tomatoes and other available veggies from Colona Community Farm run by café owner (one of four) Sarah Rushlow and her partner Nic Theisen. Fresh fruits used in seasonal baked goods and as plate garnish hail from Ela Family Farms and other Hotchkiss orchards. Coffee orders feature Morning Fresh Dairy products and sandwich plates might include Haystack Mountain goat cheese.

On any given day, a craving for brownies, peanut butter chocolate chips bars, sour cream coffee cake, chocolate chip cookies, and granola or vegan banana muffins can be instantly met the moment you saunter up to the counter and place your order. More specialty items, like Vanilla Bean Cream Cake appear on a rotational basis.

Shall I say that again? Yes. Vanilla Bean Cream Cake. I asked Maggie Davis, café barista and baker (everyone who works at the café helps prepare foods and bake sweets) if she would, you know, just whip me up something featuring vanilla ‘cuz I was writing about the place and boy it sure would be nice to have something vanilla to sample and write about. Her eyes got big, a sweet smile parted her lips and she simply stated those four fabulous words: Vanilla Bean Cream Cake. Little did I know that VBCC was a favorite item of many a café regular. Jackpot.

Armed with Rodelle Bourbon vanilla beans and pure vanilla extract, Maggie spent part of an afternoon shift preparing and baking the rich, moist, chewy, and ridiculously sinful excuse to never bother with dieting again.

The recipe – discovered in Baking By Flavor by Lisa Yockelson – not only includes pure vanilla extract and vanilla bean, but also: intensified vanilla extract (Yockelson’s own creation) and vanilla scented sugar (items Maggie didn’t have on hand). I don’t have room enough here to include the entire recipe and instructions (Yockelson’s recipes and methods are thorough), but here’s a sample of what else you’ll find inside:

• ½ pound of butter
• ½ cup of shortening
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup table cream
• 2 ¾ cups vanilla scented sugar (for vanilla scented sugar, add 1 bean to 2 cups of sugar and let it infuse for a couple of weeks, shaking the sugar every so often. Click here for more info or check on the side of Rodelle’s vanilla bean label).

I sampled the cake the following afternoon as Maggie shared a bit of Café Ardour history with me (doors opened in 2003; owners and employees are deeply committed to sustainability). I have to admit my powers of concentration were impacted by the effects of bathing my taste buds in vanilla decadence. Seemingly drugged by vanilla and sugar, I floated out of Café Ardour without a care to the world, other than planning my next return to my home away from home.

Have you ever tried any of Linda Yockelson’s recipes? Which ones?

With many thanks to Cafe Ardour and Maggie Davis for their kind assistance and generosity.

Carol

For two years I’ve been adamant about learning how to make the perfect pie crust. A savory girl, I like to make pie dough more for quiche than pie (although this Thanksgiving I discovered chocolate pecan pie). Still, my crusts aren’t elegant in form and they’re not exactly ‘flaky’. My dough typically rolls out OK, but it seems kind of stiff. I’ve experimented with things like vegan butter (oxymoron, I know) and organic vegetable shortening. Let’s just say, it’s been a process.

If you’ve ever embarked on a similar journey, you’re familiar with the range of certainty and opinion the baking world holds for how to combine flour, fat and water to create the perfect crust. The pie world has three main camps: those that use shortening; those that use butter; and, those that use both. After trial and error, this decision is now easy for me. I want something that comes from a cow, not a can; and though something called leaf lard sounds interesting, I can’t readily source it.

The issue is which ingredient creates a flakier crust. I believe the quality of flaky (insert your favorite self-deprecating joke here) is in the making of the dough. Some swear by food processors and others keep it real with a pastry cutter (blender). I didn’t have an opinion on this technical point, so I set out this week to see which dough turns out better – one made with electricity, or one made with muscle. Up until now I’ve been favoring muscle with both a pastry cutter and a knife, which Chez Pim makes look ridiculously easy (but it’s not).

I also thought I’d round out the experiment by trying two different butter techniques: cubing refrigerated butter v. grating frozen butter. I had done neither – just sliced it up into big squares. Lastly, I also found this crust that calls for almond flour (wouldn’t you know, I bought some to use and then proceeded to forget I bought it) and this gluten-free crust that sounds amazing except I’d need to take a second mortgage out on my home to afford the five different kinds of flour it requires (I willed Will Ferrell showing up with ‘flours’ like he did in Stranger Than Fiction, but no dice). So here’s what I did….

Pie Dough 1 – Cubed butter, pastry cutter (blender)
I love this method, which I learned from Smitten Kitchen. Of all the online dissertations I found for making the perfect crust, Deb’s Pie Crust 102 shed important and somewhat life changing light on What Could Be. Cubing is a snap with my pastry knife and the pastry cutter makes everything come together quickly. Clean up is easy. I refrigerated the crust for 90 minutes, rolled it out (following these directions), and ended up with a lovely looking pie shell that I put back in the fridge a few more hours. Keeping the dough, especially the butter, chilled is perhaps the most important element in making a flaky crust.

Pie Dough 2 – Grated butter, food processor
I do not love this method. Grating the butter by hand added an element of heat that concerned me, and all those butter shavings were a mess (by the way, even though grated butter looks like a creamy Parmesan cheese, sadly, it still tastes like butter). After combining the flour and butter in the food processor, pulsing it briefly and drizzling in ice cold water, I still had to remove the dough and mix it by hand in a bowl. The dough was easier to work with at this point because the butter had warmed up, but overall, this method took me longer than the pastry cutter. Back in the fridge for more chilling.

And then…

I made a pie! I adapted this Scandinavian Sour Cream Apple Pie recipe by using real Rodelle vanilla bean, not quite a full cup of sour cream, and placing Pie Dough 2 on top, instead of the streusel-like topping the recipe calls for. I have never understood how to make a crust look good until I read about tucking the excess dough under. Duh. That, and cubing butter, were hands down the greatest take-aways from my experiment.

But was it flaky?

You know, this just wasn’t my goal. I believe in butter, I believe in the hand-mixing technique, I believe in keeping the dough cold. I just believed that flaky would be the natural outcome of my dough. I had friends over last night to taste my pie and when my girlfriend asked, “How do you get your crust so flaky?” I just smiled. Ever been there? Do tell. I’d love to know your obsession with making the perfect pie crust.

Mixing it up with glee,

Carol

As most of you readers have probably gathered, I love the traditional flavors that permeate the holiday season: vanilla, chocolate, apple, cinnamon, pumpkin…. Yum!  The form that these flavors are presented to the eater, though, is up for negotiation!  I love recipes that twist standard (read: boring) recipes into something new and exciting.  Just last week, I experimented with two different recipes of this type.  One of these recipes was a delicious success; the other was an epic failure.  Epic failures are more fun informative, so let’s start with that one first!

While perusing food blogs, I ran into a recipe for red velvet cake balls; actually, I ran into the recipe twice.  I figured that finding the same recipe twice in a matter of minutes was a sign from the kitchen deities that I should make these amazing looking little treats.  Since I was going to be traveling to my parents’ place to meet the whole family for Thanksgiving, I had a great excuse to give these a try!  So now I had a recipe and a purpose and it was time to implement!

The first part of it went as planned.  Once I had mixed the crumbled red velvet cake and the cream cheese frosting together, it was time to ball them and dip them in the chocolate.  This part did not go as planned, unfortunately. The next step was to melt the chocolate and I decided that doing this in the microwave was the easy way to go.  A pitted Tupperware and several burnt chocolate bars later, I learned the valuable lesson that the chocolate may actually be melted, but it will still retain its shape until you stir it.  Oops. Strike One.

A quick run to the grocery store to grab some more chocolate and I was back in business!  Now that I was able to melt the chocolate without burning a hole in the container, the next step was to drop small round balls (created by using my handy mini ice cream scoop!) into the chocolate, roll them around and then lay them onto waxed paper.  I ran into another problem here.  Candy chocolate is great, until any moisture gets in it.  Once moisture DOES get in, the consistency of the melted chocolate changes and becomes crumbly and nearly impossible to work with.  Remember, we just mixed an entire can of cream cheese frosting into the cake balls…moisture is guaranteed at this point.  Strike Two.

After recruiting my reluctant always-willing husband, we came up with a new plan: he would spoon some melted chocolate onto the wax paper, I would drop a rounded scoopful of the cake mixture onto it, then he would drizzle more chocolate on top, until the dollop was completely covered.  Genius, yes?  Well, except for the fact that doing it this way uses up the melted chocolate much quicker and we had to run again to the store.  Strike Three.

After we bought every single one of the semi-sweet baking chocolate bars and packages off the shelf, we went to work.  We spooned, scooped and smothered those little chocolate balls for the next hour and a half, dirtying nearly every dish in the kitchen, even this little fish-shaped appetizer bowl.

In the end though, they were done.  They were not the artful little Valentine’s-worthy showplace pieces that were so beautifully shown on the website.  In fact, they were more like amorphous blobs.  However, they tasted phenomenal!! Seriously, you have to try them — just get someone else to make them, maybe??

Given that they were not the most attractive looking, I was a little hesitant to bring those as my Thanksgiving contribution.  I settled for sending the red velvet cake balls into work with my husband, where I received way more praise than deserved.  While the compliments were nice, I still needed to create something to bring to Thanksgiving with me.  That’s when I discovered this recipe on another blog.

Apple cake.  Even the name is mouthwatering!  The recipe, written by someone known only as “Great Aunt Ethel,” was simple and direct (far from the maddening battle with red velvet cake balls), with no melting chocolate required! Excellent!

I thought to myself, “How could anything created by Great Aunt Ethel not be perfect?” and decided to give it a shot.  I followed the open recipe, using Granny Smith apples and also adding cinnamon, just a hint of nutmeg and the tiniest suggestion of cloves.  It was as easy as it sounded and the end product was beautiful, with all the flavors of apple pie but the texture of the moistest cake you’ve ever had. Even though the cake got slightly smushed in transport, my family loved it and gobbled it down quickly.  The praise for this one goes to 17 and baking and, of course, Great Aunt Ethel, but this recipe is definitely going into my files to use whenever an old classic needs a facelift. I’ll also ask the Rodelle Kitchen to give it a try…maybe they can think of one more simple step or ingredient to add that will make this already superb and homey recipe simply stellar!  Or, maybe you know what (if anything!) it is missing!  Try it out and let me know what you think!

Have you had any disasters or unbelievable successes re-imagining classic dishes?

Happy Baking!

Laura

What are some of your family traditions around this Fall season?

It is such a fun time of the year for families, with lots of activities and the anticipation of the coming holidays! Halloween is only a week and a half away.  Costumes and candy are a necessity, of course; but what would Halloween be without a Jack-O-Lantern?

We went to a pumpkin patch last weekend.  It was crowded with people all searching for that perfect gourd while children, looking on the verge of tipping over, ran around carrying bowling ball sized pumpkins.  Even with all the competition, we managed to find (several) ideal pumpkins that would soon become victims of a carving massacre.  Sitting on the floor with my husband, surrounded by the gutted pumpkins, knives and pattern traces, I could feel a tradition in the making.  Although he is much more artistic than I am (all the interesting Jack-O-Lanterns are his), it was fun to work on this together and mutilate/enjoy the iconic image of Halloween.

With all these beautiful pumpkins around me, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try out some new dishes either. This was the first time I’d ever tried baking with fresh pumpkin (although, I did keep a can or two on the side just in case) and it was definitely an experience.  Although not all pumpkins are meant to be baked, I did scrape enough away to whip up some loaves of pumpkin bread and muffins (I used this recipe, although I added Rodelle vanilla extract and omitted the walnuts and frosting), attempted a pumpkin based soup (epic failure on my part, although the recipe looks delicious) and even made treats for the dogs!  After the soup fiasco, I felt the need to redeem myself and tried out a few of Rodelle’s Halloween recipes.  The Candy Corn Rice Crispy treats were so easy that my kitchen confidence was boosted immediately! And Rodelle’s rolled sugar cookies turned out amazingly for such a simple recipe.

Of course, Americans are not the only ones who have a supernatural day approaching.  Falling immediately after America’s Halloween, Dia de los Muertos spans the first two days of November, coinciding with the Catholic celebrations of All Saints Day and All Souls Day.  Dia de los Muertos, celebrated mostly in Mexico, also includes family, friends and paranormal experiences.  People gather together to celebrate and remember loved ones who have passed away, bringing gifts and their favorite foods to grave sites, hoping for a ghostly visit from long gone relatives.  There are several customary foods, like Pan de Muerto, that are made leading up to Dia de los Muertos.

Someday, I hope to get the chance to celebrate Dia de los Muertos.  For now, it’s time to display the Jack-O-Lanterns, hope that they don’t cave in and get ready for Halloween!   Do you create costumes together, carve pumpkins, hang up decorations?  We’d love to hear your stories!

Always,

Laura

Since that is the standard opening for most conversations, it seemed like an appropriate way to begin our first blog entry. I am so excited to meet you and glad you’re joining me on this blog journey! Although I’m not sure where we’re going to end up (what fun would that be?), I do at least know where we’re going to start: the kitchen.

I’m in love with food because I have learned that making food can be a statement of love. My grandmother taught me to bake. I remember watching, amazed, as her arthritic hands whipped up a batter with ease. It was difficult for her to turn a doorknob, but she could crack and separate a half a dozen eggs within seconds without breaking the delicate yolk membranes. There was something comforting about being in the kitchen with Grandma Elsie as she hummed (pretty tunelessly) to herself, knowing that out of her tupperwared ingredients she would create something tasty and satisfying. Plus, she would always let me lick the beaters! Even though she is no longer around, my grandmother left a lasting legacy in teaching her grandchildren the simple joy of creating food.

I am not (yet) a great chef. In fact, Julia Child would probably consider killing me a justifiable homicide, arguing it was necessary to prevent me from torturing perfectly good ingredients (someday, I’ll tell y’all about the Great Chicken Catastrophe of 2009). But I’m learning! Now that I’m married and I’m not the only one who has to eat my cooking (and my husband doesn’t consider cold cereal an appealing dinner), I am indeed getting better at cooking, although it is not intuitive for me.

Baking, however, is a completely different story. I love everything about baking: the gloopy feel of the wet and dry ingredients being folded together, the blast of heat from the oven as I open the door to peer inside and the wonderful smell of cookies or breads that infiltrates the house, tempting all who walk in and causing my dogs to sniff hopefully at the air. I bake whenever I can find an excuse. Anniversaries, birthdays, holidays and Tuesdays are all acceptable reasons for baking. Yup, I’m that person: the one who bribes coworkers with muffins or bakes a pie for the friend who’s having a bad day. My grandmother’s famous chocolate chip cookie recipe even got me into grad school and my bread nourished my committee members as they poured over my thesis. Food is central to good relationships!

My favorite ingredient has always been vanilla. The subtlety and the depth of vanilla is amazing, making it my not-so-secret ingredient that I add to almost everything I make. However, until recently, I didn’t know very much about vanilla or how it was produced. So, I’ll end this first blog Letterman-style with five things you may not know about vanilla!

5. Vanilla beans come from the only orchid that produces edible fruit (yes, those extremely beautiful plants that require a lot of tender, loving care).

4. Vanilla has 250 taste components (which is why it is so versatile and complex).

3. Vanilla is THE most labor intensive crop in the world.

2. Rodelle Vanilla was established in 1936 in Denver, Colorado. Here’s a historic picture of the original Rodelle building:

1. Imitation vanilla is not only fake (hence, “imitation”) but it is almost entirely comprised of chemicals that are a by-product of the paper industry!

The more I learn about vanilla, the more excited I am to experiment! The real vanilla bean has all kinds of uses and properties. Over the next few months, we’ll explore and test them right here on this blog.

Until next time,

Laura