tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35506164740439487862024-03-13T03:13:13.631-07:00Linzers in LondonAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.comBlogger180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-7646260542396422562021-07-23T18:16:00.000-07:002021-07-23T18:16:34.104-07:00An Announcement and a Consolation Prize (Spoiler Alert: the Prize is Sourdough)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GwzHXOqxuxk/YPtGARI9QsI/AAAAAAAAmFE/rPwKDO64Hq0Y15GBQZCtmXnVpF5wG0yJwCPcBGAsYHg/s4032/PXL_20210523_024130606.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GwzHXOqxuxk/YPtGARI9QsI/AAAAAAAAmFE/rPwKDO64Hq0Y15GBQZCtmXnVpF5wG0yJwCPcBGAsYHg/w480-h640/PXL_20210523_024130606.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="480"></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;">Hi, friends! Yes, I'm still alive and no, I'm probably not going to start this blog back up – I just don't have time anymore, what with my full-time job, my budding <a href="http://annehputnam.com/writing/" target="_blank">freelance writing career</a>, and the novel(s?) I'm trying to write while I continue to try to get my second memoir published. If you can believe it, that's only like 60% of what I have going on right now. </p></div><p>But I'm not here to participate in the glorification of busy! To be honest, nobody should be as busy as I am. I wouldn't choose this life if there weren't so many things I can't resist getting involved in. What I <i>am</i> here to do is fill you in on a change in the FeedBurner tool that allowed some of you to get these new posts in your email inboxes. That feature is going away, so even if/when I do write the odd Linzers post you won't get an email about it after August 15th.</p><p>So what can you do about it? Well, you can check in here via the blog's
homepage, but frankly I doubt I'll post again – maybe once a year or so,
if at all. If you want to hear from me, and you weren't just in it for
the recipes (which, fair enough if you were), you can subscribe to my
newsletter: <a href="https://annehputnam.substack.com/" target="_blank">A Few Good Things</a>. It's a lot about writing, a little about reading, and all about nontoxic positivity.<span></span></p><a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2021/07/an-announcement-and-consolation-prize.html#more">Read more »</a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-4766426038766464322018-12-22T11:23:00.001-08:002018-12-22T11:23:30.167-08:00"They're hella good – double cranberry – write that": (Double) Cranberry Orange Buns for my Husband<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Friends! It is I, Anne, here for my annual Linzers post!<br />
<br />
Yeah...I
can't really believe I've only posted three times in the past three
years...I'm sorry. The truth is, I've been all over the place, literally
and figuratively: in 2017 I <a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2017/11/a-life-in-seasons-real-ones-and-apple.html#more" target="_blank">moved to Washington with my fiancé</a>,
was desperately lonely and unemployed for a few months, then started
working at David's Bridal – at least up here, the brides were pretty
great on the whole – and as the year turned I was exhausted all the time
and really too poor to bake much and too uninspired to write much of
anything. Then I got what I thought would be a great job – a <i>writing</i>
job! – in May 2018, and the six months that I worked there were a blur
of hideous overworkedness and even more exhaustion (and even less
writing), combined with wedding planning and accompanying family drama.<br />
<br />
In
September we had our wedding – there's a pic below, because I can't
resist – and I baked a boatload of cookies but didn't have the
wherewithal to post. That said, I made three recipes and all were loved
by the guests, so here they are: <a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2009/10/snickerdoodles-in-our-new-flat.html" target="_blank">snickerdoodles</a>, <a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2012/03/aint-nothin-wrong-with-classic.html" target="_blank">chocolate chip</a>, and the surprise favorite, <a href="https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookie-recipe/print/" target="_blank">oatmeal raisin</a>.<br />
<br />
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<br />
After the wedding, we had two weeks to pack before moving into the house we closed on four days <i>before</i>
the wedding, and two weeks after the move we went to London to
celebrate our marriage with friends there – see? I told you things have
been nutso! Here's a pic from that trip, when we took the Overground in
our wedding finery:<br />
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<br />
<i>Then</i>,
two weeks after we got back from London, I went down to SF for a week
for my nephew's bar mitzvah and my friend's baby shower. So it wasn't
until mid-November that I had a moment to breathe and bake, and honestly
with the exception of pumpkin pie I didn't have the energy to do much
besides loaf (pun not intended, but definitely enjoyed) on the couch and
watch Netflix between bursts of unpacking/painting/cleaning/home
improvement.<br />
<br />
But surely, if nothing else, Christmas calls for setting
aside life upkeep for a minute and forcing some cheer into the everyday –
as an example here's a bonus pic of our repainted mantle covered in
holiday nonsense:<br />
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<br />
And
in the name of said holiday cheer, I determined to bake something
special for my husband (it still startles me that I actually have a <i>husband</i>). Now, this is a man who enjoys baked goods but will never, <i>ever</i>,
choose room for dessert over more bites of meat – really, he'd rather
have salt and vinegar chips/crisps than chocolate any day – which can be
challenging for me, as a sweet tooth who relies on her partner to share
in the enjoyment of/save her from indulgences. He does an admirable
job, though, so this time around I really wanted to make something he
would get genuinely excited about; as usual, <a href="http://www.smittenkitchen.com/" target="_blank">Smitten Kitchen</a> came through for me.<br />
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<br />
If
he's not going to be eating something sour or savory, my husband will
veer immediately toward the tart (no comment on my chastity, please), so
when I saw these cranberry orange buns I knew he'd love them. To
further tweak them in favor of his preferences, I doubled the
cranberries (don't do this – while it was delicious, it caused a lot of
extra juice, which led to the extra step of pouring it out and I think
also made them take longer to cook) and halved the icing (I do recommend
this, if you're not into super sweet stuff).<br />
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<br />
Anyway,
as you probably gleaned from the title of this post, my husband loved
the buns (again, no comment) – he even insisted on keeping all 12 for
our household, instead of letting me give some away to neighbors! The
highest of praise.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">(Double) Cranberry-Orange (Breakfast) Buns</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> <span style="font-size: small;">from <a href="https://smittenkitchen.com/2013/11/cranberry-orange-breakfast-buns/" target="_blank">SK</a></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b>AHP
Note:</b> Deb's recipe calls for the second rise to be in the fridge
overnight. That sounded perfect when my husband and I were planning to
drive to California on Thursday morning. But when we learned he would
have to work Thursday we pushed our early nuclear-family Christmas
celebration up by 12 hours and there went my overnight rise. I recommend
following the original instructions, since I'm certainly <a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2012/07/battling-my-sweet-yeasted-dough-demons.html" target="_blank">no yeasted-dough expert</a> and I'm not at all sure my buns wouldn't have been
much tenderer given a slower second rise, but if you do find yourself
pressed for time it worked for me to let them rise on the counter for
about 90 minutes before baking.</span></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Make your dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer (if you don't have a stand mixer, check the SK link for detailed instructions), combine:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><u><i></i></u></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> 4 large egg yolks</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> 1 large whole egg</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> 1/4c (50g) granulated sugar</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> 6 Tbsp (85g) </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">melted </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">butter</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> 3/4c (175 ml) buttermilk</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">3/4 of the</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> finely grated</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">zest of 1 orange (reserving the last 1/4 for the filling)</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Add, stirring until evenly moistened:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> 2c all-purpose flour</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">1 packet (7g or 2 1/4 teaspoons) instant dry yeast (</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">AKA Bread Machine or Rapid Rise yeast)</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> 1 1/4+ tsp coarse or kosher salt, to taste</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Switch to dough hook and work in:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> 3/4 c flour</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Knead the mixture on low for 5 to 7 minutes, until dough is soft and moist but not sticky, then scrape dough onto the clean counter or a plate while you oil the mixer bowl – put dough back into bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temp until doubled – 2-2.5 hours.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">When your dough has risen, make the filling. Melt and set aside:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">1 1/2 Tbsp (20g) butter</span></span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">In a food processor or with a large, sharp knife, dice into 'coarse rubble' <span style="color: purple;"><i>(Deb's exact words)</i></span>:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">1c (115g) fresh cranberries</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Butter a 9x13 ceramic or glass baking dish and turn your dough out onto a clean, floured counter or large cutting board (if your counter is never clean enough, like mine). Do your best to roll it into an 18x12 rectangle (evidence of my consistent failure to roll out neat edges or tidy my work space is below) – the long side should be nearest to you. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Brush the dough with your melted butter, then sprinkle on:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> 1c (190g) packed light brown sugar</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Add your cranberry rubble and the last of your orange zest.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Roll the dough tightly along the shorter edge, resulting in an 18"-long spiral log. Cut with a very sharp, serrated knife into 1 1/2-inch wide discs. Place the buns <i><span style="color: purple;">(there should be 12, but I got 13)</span></i> in the prepared baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight (up to 16 hours).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Bake the buns. Allow buns to warm up to room temp for 30 minutes while you preheat your oven to 350F/175C. Bake until the buns are puffed and golden and a thermometer inserted into the dough reads 190F <span style="color: purple;"><i>(for me, this meant the corner/edge buns were a little dry – but again that's probably down to the additional moisture from cranberry overload)</i></span>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">When buns are cooked, place pan on cooling rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Then whisk together and pour over the top (again, I halved these measurements): </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> 3 1/2 Tbsp (55 ml) strained orange juice</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> 2c (240g) powdered sugar</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Serve and enjoy!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wY8jFlOd1Wg/XB6OLXQvrjI/AAAAAAAANFQ/KGgZFN8b6vg_nTiOMRSe4ztZ-oQdWAvIwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_20181220_093411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1336" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wY8jFlOd1Wg/XB6OLXQvrjI/AAAAAAAANFQ/KGgZFN8b6vg_nTiOMRSe4ztZ-oQdWAvIwCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_20181220_093411.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-77497020766097125212017-11-03T15:06:00.001-07:002017-12-12T20:03:04.344-08:00A Life in Seasons (Real Ones!) and Apple Cider Caramels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D9J9um3NLEQ/WfzfdpfKe8I/AAAAAAAAEUI/tCxOPt9uSUkuO_XfaYUTLvg3tHXymNMtQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="1600" height="452" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D9J9um3NLEQ/WfzfdpfKe8I/AAAAAAAAEUI/tCxOPt9uSUkuO_XfaYUTLvg3tHXymNMtQCKgBGAs/s640/IMG_1056.JPG" width="640"></a></div>
<br>
I was spurred to write this post by two things (the usual two): a big life change and a recipe I just had to share.<br>
<a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2017/11/a-life-in-seasons-real-ones-and-apple.html#more">Read more »</a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-6208729527387577082016-09-15T18:44:00.001-07:002016-09-15T18:45:41.259-07:00We Cooked Seafood By the Seashore – Sicilian Mussels and Rolled Sardines in Sicily<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/28697124874/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_1933"><img alt="IMG_1933" height="400" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8077/28697124874_f8480254d2_k.jpg" width="400"></a></div>
<br>
When we were planning our epic European summer trip, my boyfriend and I chose to stay mostly in apartments – we did this partly because it was cheaper than staying in hotels and more private than staying in hostels (which we did in Naples, and <i>that</i> was a weird flashback to my twenties), but only partly. The other reason we chose apartment living was, as ever, food-related: we wanted to be able to cook, ideally making use of local ingredients we wouldn't have access to at home.<br>
<br>
So, given that information, you might be surprised to learn that we didn't cook in our own place once for the entire trip – not in Berlin, or Bologna (where we did cook in someone else's home), or Rome, or any of the other cities where we had access to our own kitchen. Oh, sure, we made coffee, and ate cheeses and meats which we bought at markets and grocery stores, and drank wine...but we didn't actually cook a meal.<br>
<a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2016/09/we-cooked-seafood-by-seashore-sicilian.html#more">Read more »</a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-40915352585919969532016-08-03T19:01:00.004-07:002016-08-03T19:03:41.665-07:00My Bologna Has a First Name – Learning to Make Pasta the Bolognese Way with Taste of Italy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Holy crap – it’s been a YEAR
since I posted here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so
ashamed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be fair, the past year has
been the busiest of my life so far: I started teaching middle school, jumping right
in at the deep end with no previous full-time experience, and I was (as you’d
probably have guessed) completely consumed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Any time I had to myself was spent grading, answering parent and student
emails, lesson planning, or maybe, if I got really lucky, zoning out in front
of a crappy TV show with a bottle of wine and my concerned boyfriend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless to say, I didn’t cook much, let
alone photograph it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which is too bad,
really, since my apartment was super cute and photogenic, and living off
Goldfish all year left me unhealthy and heavier than usual by June…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/28137788823/in/album-72157670885396680/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_1594"><img alt="IMG_1594" height="400" src="https://c8.staticflickr.com/9/8765/28137788823_bd35b05fc2_k.jpg" width="388" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Anyway, excuses aside, I come
back now to share just a smidgen of the bounty from my much-needed summer
vacation!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My boyfriend and I saved up a
few thousand dollars, freed ourselves from our responsibilities, and set off
for Europe the week after school let out – we went to Berlin for a week,
then took trains through Austria and all down through Italy, ending in Sicily,
and then we hopped over to France for a few weeks to help a friend with her new
baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a pretty epic 7.5-week
journey (all of which is documented on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ahputnam/" target="_blank">my Instagram feed</a>), and while we didn’t
cook <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">often</i>, what we did cook was as
epic as the trip itself.</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><br />
<!--more-->Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-68189797784350182512015-08-03T22:42:00.000-07:002015-08-03T22:42:00.614-07:00Cocktails or Cake – Why Not Both? Limoncello Birthday Cake with Campari Frosting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/18616079972" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Baking with KayMoWino in Napa by Anne H. Putnam, on Flickr"><img alt="Baking with KayMoWino in Napa" height="425" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/408/18616079972_cd6e93f57b_k.jpg" width="640"></a></div>
<br>
Remember when I made that <a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2013/12/any-excuse-for-celebration-half.html" target="_blank">adorable ha-cake </a>for my friend's half birthday? Well, luckily for me, despite generally preferring savory to sweet, K does love a good celebration cake, so when her full birthday rolled around this year she requested a cake that incorporated one of her favorite things: booze. Specifically, Campari, which she fell in love with during a trip to Italy a couple years ago and which has been so well-loved as to have spawned its own <a href="https://instagram.com/explore/tags/kelseydrinkscampari/" target="_blank">hashtag</a>.<br><br>
Even better than suggesting (I won't go so far as to say <i>demanding</i>) a specific cake for her birthday, K suggested we bake it together, at my parents' house in the Napa Valley. <a href="https://seasonsofwine.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">K is a food blogger </a>too, although she focuses more on savory dishes and wine pairings, and while we've cooked together (we lived together for a while and we made some delicious dinners) we've never baked. Plus, since she moved to Napa last year we get far too little bonding time, and this sounded like an excellent way to get some 'us' time (plus our assistant, but he's good at respecting our girl time).<br>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/17999063184" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Baking with KayMoWino in Napa by Anne H. Putnam, on Flickr"><img alt="Baking with KayMoWino in Napa" height="407" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8863/17999063184_b0eeb5ee3b_z.jpg" width="640"></a></div>
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So without further ado, to the cake-baking! Of course, we started with booze: Negronis (a classic Campari drink), natch, mixed by our handsome assistant (to whom also goes credit for all the photos herein and on Flickr).<br>
<a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2015/08/cocktails-or-cake-why-not-both.html#more">Read more »</a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-35800641147105219082015-06-02T10:53:00.004-07:002015-06-02T10:59:21.240-07:00Another Win for Laziness: Chocolate Chip (Etc) Cookie Bars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/18297337946" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Chocolate chip cookie bars with Nutella by Anne H. Putnam, on Flickr"><img alt="Chocolate chip cookie bars with Nutella" height="443" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7752/18297337946_53ed3bfa1e_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The first time, I made them because I needed something easy and transportable for a graduation party and I knew I wouldn't have time to wait for the butter in my freezer to soften, or to make multiple batches of drop cookies. I googled 'melted butter cookie bars' and voila! Bloggers to the rescue, as usual.<br />
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The recipe was super simple and I had all the ingredients, plus some pecans I thought would enhance the flavor of half the bars (we have a friend with a nut allergy so I wanted to leave half plain), and nobody was expecting cookies so the pressure was off. I gave it a go and an hour later my companion and I were burning our fingers trying to 'test' the batch. </div>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/3Cp50blozC/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">#chocolatechipcookiebars with pecans only on half (out of deference to our allergic brethren). #noms #baking #stuffourfaces #prettythings</a></div>
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A photo posted by Anne H. Putnam (@ahputnam) on <time datetime="2015-05-23T22:38:20+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 23, 2015 at 3:38pm PDT</time></div>
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Once we were able to try a bite, we agreed: these things are <i>good</i>. So good that I ate three that night, which is unusual for me – often when I bake something, no matter how tasty it is, I tire of it quickly and am obliged to convince someone else to eat the rest. It's no coincidence that I favor tall boyfriends with hollow legs ;)<br />
<br />
In this case, though, not only did I eat a bunch of the baked good in question but I also started thinking about making them again almost immediately upon leaving the party (I nearly brought home a couple bars but I stopped just short of embarrassing myself that much). So when I was gifted two glass jars of Nutella from Italy and was antsy to use one as a wine glass, I knew exactly how to put the Nutella inside to good use.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/18323773005" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Chocolate chip cookie bars with Nutella by Anne H. Putnam, on Flickr"><img alt="Chocolate chip cookie bars with Nutella" height="400" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/269/18323773005_2aac69bce3_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The point is this: these bars are infinitely adaptable. They were delicious with pecans, indulgent with Nutella, and likely would be even more toothsomely tasty with oats – that's my plan for next time! In other words, make these. As soon as humanly possible.<br />
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You're welcome. <b><br /></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><b>Chocolate Chip (Etc) Cookie Bars</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Adapted for pecans/Nutella from <a href="http://emsbytes.com/2012/02/22/easy-chocolate-chip-cookie-bars/" target="_blank">Em's Bytes</a></span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="color: purple;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(I doubled the recipe the first time and used an 8x13 pan – ain't nothin' wrong with twice the amount of this goodness)</span> </i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;">Preheat oven to 350F/175C and grease an 8" pan, square or cake, whatever you have.<br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mix together in a large bowl:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">1/2c (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted<br /> 1/4c sugar<br /> 1/2c brown sugar</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;">Beat in: </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"> 1 egg<br /> 1 tsp vanilla</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;">Add and stir until combined:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"> 1 c flour<br /> 1 tsp baking powder<br /> 1/4 tsp salt </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;">Stir in: </span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /> 1c semi-sweet chocolate chips</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"> 1c chopped pecans <span style="color: purple;"><i>(optional – you can also place them on top of the dough once it's in the pan, if you fancy the look or want to limit their reach)</i></span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;">Spread into prepared pan, pausing to top with blobs of Nutella if desired, and bake 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. <i><span style="color: purple;">(Side note: mine never got as golden as I'd like, but I'm glad I pulled the first batch out when I did anyway, as they were getting close to dry. I suggest using the cake tester method if in doubt, and remembering that gooey cookies are always better than dry.)</span></i></span></span></div>
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-67993810076754720452015-04-17T11:04:00.005-07:002015-04-17T11:06:28.904-07:00Lazy Bear: A Revelation for a Cranky Old SF Cynic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/16726792059" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_7127 by Anne H. Putnam, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7127" height="484" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8742/16726792059_403a0de4bb_o.jpg" width="640"></a></div>
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I had the excellent luck last month to: A) meet a couple of awesome new friends at a shared table at brunch, B) become part of a dinner-going group with them and my friend A, with whom I went to <a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2015/02/prosciutto-and-pastries-and-prosecco-oh.html" target="_blank">Rome</a> in December and who has brilliant connections and a serious take-charge attitude, leading to the four of us C) going to <a href="http://www.lazybearsf.com/" target="_blank">Lazy Bear</a> for one of the most remarkable dining experiences I've ever had in my relatively charmed life.</div>
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I was extremely skeptical at first – Lazy Bear is a sort of private dinner club-turned restaurant that is super expensive and notoriously difficult to get tickets for, a combination that heightens my hype-dar immediately. But I didn't want to be a party pooper and I had a little extra cash cushion so I agreed to go. On the day of the dinner, a gorgeous sunny Saturday, I was loathe to get dressed up and go to what I was sure would be an overproduced and underdelivering San Francisco wankfest (pardon my French but I really was feeling very wary). But almost from the minute I walked in the door, the first to arrive, my expectations were proven wrong. </div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/16705618667" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_7115 by Anne H. Putnam, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7115" height="640" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7284/16705618667_a7ff6004b4_o.jpg" width="631"></a></div>
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</div><a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2015/04/lazy-bear-revelation-for-cranky-old-sf.html#more">Read more »</a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-49030203980736292542015-03-27T09:39:00.000-07:002015-03-27T11:34:18.209-07:00Monkeying Around with Birthday Cakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/16736790439" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_5223 by Anne H. Putnam, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5223" height="552" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8684/16736790439_b1edbe0735_o.jpg" width="640"></a></div>
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When my sister told me that her daughter, who turned three last week, had requested three cakes for her birthday party, I immediately volunteered to bake one of them. I adore my niece and nephew and have had a blast getting to know them better since moving back from London, but I still see them rarely enough that any opportunity to impress them is worth jumping on. It only got better when my sister told me the only other request my niece had made: that the party be 'a monkey party'.</div>
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I remembered a cake I'd seen on Smitten Kitchen, years back, a monkey face that looked surprisingly easy to put together. A quick google confirmed my suspicions that this was something I could definitely handle, and I spent the rest of the day at work printing recipes, doubling and tripling ingredient lists, and blocking off the day before the party in my phone calendar. I was going to go all out this time.</div>
<a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2015/03/monkeying-around-with-birthday-cakes.html#more">Read more »</a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-84313752057463243612015-03-03T13:40:00.000-08:002015-03-27T11:32:49.767-07:00Ruminations on Perfectionism and Lemon Cream Pie<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/16699444072" title="IMG_5128 by Anne H. Putnam, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5128" height="426" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8655/16699444072_719882d44b_b.jpg" width="640"></a>
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One of my favorite things anyone has ever said to me about writing was a Voltaire quote one of <a href="https://twitter.com/sarah_bakewell" target="_blank">my wonderful teacher</a>s passed on to us in the early months of my MA: "don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good". After years of angsting about writing rather than doing it, my bookshelf littered with beautiful, empty journals too pretty to write mediocre things in, that sentiment resonated hard in my heart. I determined to give myself credit simply for <i>doing</i>, even just for trying, or simply for <a href="http://annehputnam.com/when-inspiration-strikes-sometimes-youre-too-drunk-to-remember-it/" target="_blank">remembering an idea</a> – anything to encourage myself to build up momentum instead of stopping in despair. And it worked, most of the time. Okay, the beautiful journals still sit empty on the shelf, but now I buy myself unimpressive, blandly designed journals and write in them without concern for perfection. And when I was in Italy, my amazing friend and writing coach Magda held me to a deadline of 5,000 words a week, and I gave myself the space to write about anything I felt inspired to write – of course, what this means is that I now have somewhere around 40,000 words to sift through and fill holes in, and the majority of what I have is off-plot-line or too heavily biased toward subject matter that was less excruciating to write about, but it's a start. And that was good enough, at least for the moment. </div>
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My attitude toward baking is similar: as long as people can eat it and enjoy it, I'm happy. My baked goods rarely come out looking beautiful or professional, and they're almost never consistent in size/texture/bake, which is the main reason I never even considered doing <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b013pqnm" target="_blank">GBBO</a>. Still, my laid back attitude sometimes leads to <a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/search/label/FAIL" target="_blank">legitimate failure </a>in the kitchen (two weeks ago I made some very dense 'muffins', 70% of which I threw out). And it doesn't always hold up in the face of potential let-downs. I have definitely had my baking <a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2010/12/grams-cookies-major-meltdown-story.html" target="_blank">meltdowns</a>, as well as plenty of cases of simple 'that wasn't good enough' melancholy. For example, the lemon cream pie I made last weekend hit a few too many snags and had me feeling pretty crappy for a while, and now that I want to post about it and I'm looking at these photos in the light of day, after spending all evening editing them with <a href="https://justgetflux.com/">f.lux</a> on, then turning it off and trying to undo the damage, all I can say is 'I'm sorry'. I'd like to re-do all of it – the pies, the photo editing, even my hair in the photos – but I'd rather get this post up and keep the small amount of momentum I'm beginning to rebuild here in this, my little bakery corner of the internet.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/16080561513" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_5078 by Anne H. Putnam, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5078" height="400" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8641/16080561513_4ee0b489dd_b.jpg" width="338"></a></div>
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So in the spirit of doing rather than perfecting, let's get cracking on this post about lemon cream pie! (Sorry I'm not sorry about that pun.)</div>
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<a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2015/03/ruminations-on-perfectionism-and-lemon.html#more">Read more »</a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-45867557362299106172015-02-04T12:40:00.000-08:002015-03-27T11:28:57.608-07:00Prosciutto and Pastries and Prosecco, Oh My! The Foodie Low-Down on My Italian Adventure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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#stuffmyface #ItalyAdventure #girltime by @<a href="http://instagram.com/ahputnam">ahputnam</a></div>
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Hello, strangers! I realize I haven’t seen you around here in MONTHS, and that’s entirely my fault. I had this idea (I’m always having these ideas…) that <a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2014/08/lets-just-hope-my-language-skills-are.html" target="_blank">when I was in Italy </a>I would cook and photograph it (badly, with my iPhone) for you, and post at least once or twice, but alas, like so many of my ideas this one lacked follow-through. I did very little of anything that could be called ‘cooking’, preferring to spend my time eating paprika-flavored Pringles and making Caprese salads and roasted chicken breast and veggies when I needed to eat a real meal inside my home. And of course much of my consumption happened outside the apartment, because: ITALY. That said, I did make a Thanksgiving dinner for my Italian friends (and a few Americans), including my famous pumpkin pie recipe and a whole roasted turkey that would have fed twice as many of us, so the trip wasn’t completely without kitchen activity.</div>
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For those of you who don’t follow me on <a href="http://www.instagram.com/ahputnam" target="_blank">Instagram </a>or <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ahputnam" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, I offer here by way of apology for my absence some of my favorite foodie photos from the trip (for those of you who do follow me, I’m throwing in some new pics), and at the end of the post I’ll link to the recipes I used for Thanksgiving – I’m happy to report that the Italians were properly blown away, especially by the pumpkin pie and the stuffing, which was unlike anything they’d ever tried before. I also promise to work harder to get back to our regularly scheduled programming, and to share some of the exciting developments that have occurred in my life since last we met.</div>
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Pics and captions are after the jump!</div>
<a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2015/02/prosciutto-and-pastries-and-prosecco-oh.html#more">Read more »</a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-78353015558264082592014-08-21T11:55:00.000-07:002015-03-27T11:29:32.423-07:00Let's Just Hope My Language Skills Are a Little More Authentic... Americanized Tiramisu and an Announcement!<script async="" data-pin-hover="true" src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/14986165835" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_5050 by Anne H. Putnam, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5050" height="640" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3870/14986165835_34301e3d91_b.jpg" width="491"></a></div>
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Things have been reeeeaaaaally quiet over here on the baking blog – lest you think I hadn't noticed my neglect, rest assured that it's been bugging me for weeks. I started working full time in April and since then my free time has been less plentiful and often takes place outside the hours of good natural light so essential to food photography. I also lived in an apartment with a shared kitchen stocked with other people's things, so I never knew what supplies I had to make a recipe.</div>
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None of this is an excuse, though. I should have prioritized this blog more. Baking makes me happy, as does blogging about it, but for some reason I haven't done either for the past few months. <a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2013/09/making-my-excuses-and-hoping-for-future.html" target="_blank">It's been a rough year</a>, but I'm finally starting to feel like there's a light at the end of the tunnel, which should mean more energy and time and love to put into baked goods. The only catch is that <a href="http://annehputnam.com/that-big-announcement-ive-been-hinting-at/" target="_blank">I'm moving again, this time to Italy </a>– I'll be living off savings and spending my days writing and yoga-ing and writing and hiking and writing. Hopefully a new book will form in those months of having nothing on my plate but writing and pasta. In which case, you may not see me here for a little bit longer. That said, should I find myself in need of a break from the computer screen, which is pretty likely, and hiking isn't doing the trick, you can bet I'll share whatever concoction I whip up over there on this blog here – fair warning, though, I'm not bringing my nice camera, so it'll be all-iPhone pics, all the time.</div>
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I knew I wanted to share this big change in my life with all of you (especially those of you who have been SO patient while I post so erratically!), so when a recipe for tiramisu landed in my inbox, it seemed like serendipity; I decided (despite<a href="http://instagram.com/p/r5Lx0lFozU/?modal=true" target="_blank"> this disturbing typo</a> in the recipe) that I wanted to make it to celebrate my upcoming move and announce it here on the blog that has seen me through so many changes in location and circumstance. There were, as is customary in my life, a few things that went differently from the plan, but I got there in the end and the result was delicious – I can only hope my non-food-related life winds up so successful!</div>
<a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2014/08/lets-just-hope-my-language-skills-are.html#more">Read more »</a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-24490131038652830522014-06-22T11:48:00.001-07:002015-03-27T11:29:55.485-07:00Last Minute and Low Supply: Vanilla Bean (Apricot) Shortbread Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/14481275254" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="photo 3 by Anne H. Putnam, on Flickr"><img alt="photo 3" height="640" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5558/14481275254_ee98029f86_b.jpg" width="523"></a></div>
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<i>(This will be a shorty because I've been asked for the recipe enough times in the last 24 hours to get me to write the post <b>the day after</b> these cookies were baked and consumed. I know – bonkers fast for me!) </i></div>
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I went to a friend's Summer Solstice barbecue yesterday, and when I woke up late, a bit hungover after a night out, I suddenly realized that while I had offered to bake cookies for the party I had a seriously limited stock in my cabinets. I knew I had butter (in fact, despite being tipsy the night before when I got home, I had even remembered to take a stick out of the freezer and let it soften on the counter), and I knew I had flour and sugar, but I was eggless, and my roommate who moved out recently took her raising agents with her, so I was pretty much at a loss for ideas on what to make. BUT THEN! Inspiration struck. <i>Shortbread</i> doesn't have eggs or raising agents!</div>
<a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2014/06/last-minute-and-low-supply-vanilla-bean.html#more">Read more »</a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-6312021454134371212014-06-08T21:55:00.000-07:002015-03-27T11:30:56.273-07:00A Long Time Coming: Apple Slab Pie Worth Making Thrice<br>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/13943682353" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_4886 by Anne H. Putnam, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4886" height="393" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5023/13943682353_8f6a93dfef_k.jpg" width="640"></a></div>
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I made <a href="http://www.smittenkitchen.com/" target="_blank">SK</a>'s apple slab pie last fall to great acclaim – in fact, the reception was so positive that I wound up making it three times in the space of a week, and there was nary a slice left over that wasn't immediately gobbled up by my parents' neighbors and their nine year old twins. So why haven't I written it up until now, you ask? Or, more accurately, you demand, with a stamp of the foot and the missed opportunity of apple slab pie on your palate?</div>
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I have no excuse. There is no amount of busy-ness or family drama or house-/job hunting that can explain why I didn't stay up all night editing photos and writing up the recipe. I just...didn't. And I'm truly sorry, because you've all been missing out. But I plan to make amends now; better late than never!</div>
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But not for you, when it comes to making this pie. Get on it. Seriously, you guys, this thing is TASTY. Not too sweet, with a flaky, buttery <i>handmade</i> double crust just bursting with appley goodness. And yes, you read that right: I made the crust from scratch. I almost never do that, especially here in the US, where frozen pie crust is so easy to come by and decently tasty, but this time I figured I might as well make use of my mom's Cuisinart and spare myself the math of trying to make a long rectangle out of two pre-made circles.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/13920560036" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_4853 by Anne H. Putnam, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4853" height="265" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7275/13920560036_df5758bb20_k.jpg" width="400"></a></div>
<a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-long-time-coming-apple-slab-pie-worth.html#more">Read more »</a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-19079974322086189782014-04-20T15:01:00.001-07:002023-09-12T17:44:59.808-07:00Blogged in the Nick of Time: Easter Baking Experiments <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/13928880416" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_4985 by Anne H. Putnam, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4985" height="426" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3703/13928880416_ea9d1535a6_o.jpg" width="640"></a></div>
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Last weekend, my brother's girlfriend (and my friend) Rachel and I did an Easter crafting day, where we made <a href="http://instagram.com/p/m_CKdkloyC/" target="_blank"><i>ridiculously cute</i> magnets</a> to gift to family members in their Easter baskets – we also decided that <i>this</i> weekend we would do even more crafting, this time in the form of baking. She set her heart on making <a href="http://www.diamondsfordessert.com/2012/04/easter-chick-cookies.html" target="_blank">these super cute fluffy chick cookies</a>, with a further lamb variation of her own invention, while I chose the much easier-looking (if frequently <a href="http://www.momalwaysfindsout.com/2013/02/easter-bunny-shaped-rolls/#comment-48761" target="_blank">warned-against</a>) <a href="http://www.momalwaysfindsout.com/2013/02/easter-bunny-shaped-rolls/" target="_blank">bunny bread rolls</a> that have been all over Pinterest of late. I bought frozen parkerhouse rolls and she showed up in Napa with all her many ingredients in hand, and right after a boozy brunch and a wee wander we came back to the house and got to work.</div>
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And by 'got to work', I mean that I pulled some rolls out to defrost and she got started on the first of six or seven relatively involved steps. This post is going to be mostly photos, with a bit of description alongside, but since (spoiler alert) Rachel's recipe turned out to be a bust and mine is little more than a set of vague instructions, there will be more links and tips than actual directions here, in case you want to recreate anything.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/13928851452" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_4998 by Anne H. Putnam, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4998" height="418" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7375/13928851452_b3dd1d848e_k.jpg" width="640"></a></div>
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<a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2014/04/blogged-in-nick-of-time-easter-baking.html#more">Read more »</a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-10991372783339761202014-03-01T11:05:00.000-08:002015-03-27T11:31:39.156-07:00Getting Rid of Reminders, Deliciously: Pistachio Pound Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/12860205695/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="photo 4 by LinzersInLondon, on Flickr"><img alt="photo 4" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3712/12860205695_881138cbf3_o.jpg" height="640" width="582" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
once shared my life with a boy who adored pistachios.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He demolished them roasted and salted, and thoroughly
enjoyed them in <a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/easy-friendships-and-easier-dessert.html" target="_blank">biscotti</a>, but his absolute favorite form was gelato, preferably
consumed in Rome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whenever I see
pistachio gelato, I think of him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Another of his favorite treats is a bag of traditional Italian almond
cookies, and when we were together I made <a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/a-dream-deferred-italian-almond-cookies.html" target="_blank">these knockoffs</a> for him – the same
day I bought the almond crème I used in that much loved recipe, I also picked
up a jar of pistachio crème, with the express intention of using it to make
pure pistachio cookies for him on some special occasion.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Unfortunately,
despite there being many ‘special occasions’ that last year, somehow the
cookies were never a top priority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
jar sat in the kitchen, patiently waiting to be used by some day before
February 28, 2014.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the time that
seemed miles away, yet February came upon me so fast and here was the jar,
still staring at me; when the boy it was intended for broke my heart I had
thought to pour the crème all over his expensive clothes and fancy felt hat,
but instead I packed it in my suitcase and took it with me to America, hoping
to one day make something sweet for someone else.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Well,
I didn’t make it for anyone else, but that was a silly thought – and a
spiteful one – anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t really
bake for the men I date, after my <a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2010/05/how-on-earth-could-i-miss-such-sweet.html" target="_blank">banana bread</a> received a middling (and I’m
pretty sure pure <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=negging" target="_blank">negging</a>) review from someone I dated back in October.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sheer blasphemy was enough to end that
brief dalliance (not really, but it was one of the nails in the coffin).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, these days I bake for family and friends,
and for myself, and I try to pour as much love as I can into those treats, as
if to make up for all the love I spent on the boy who threw it all away.</span></div>
<!--more-->Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-9883807917595603822013-12-10T18:48:00.000-08:002013-12-14T11:00:56.940-08:00Any Excuse for a Celebration: Half Birthdays and Ha-Cakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/11317074935/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_4847 by LinzersInLondon, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4847" height="426" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5549/11317074935_8203734a38_b.jpg" width="640"></a></div>
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<br>
It’s holiday time in the blogosphere – everywhere I look I see recipes for Christmas
cookies or Hanukkah cakes or generalized ‘winter holidays’-themed party
food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I think you’re all forgetting
the most important holiday of the year: <a href="http://seasonsofwine.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">my friend K</a>’s half-birthday.
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<span new="" roman="" times=""><span new="" roman="" times="">Yes,
I said half-birthday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t tell you
how many people have balked when I tell them I’m planning to make a half-cake
for K.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Half-birthday?” they ask,
incredulous, “isn’t that just for </span>kids?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Well, yes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But one of the things I love about K is that
she is pretty much the definition of unabashed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She wants to celebrate her half-birthday with a few friends, some tasty
food, and a ha-cake (as in hapenny, <i>jeez</i>), and honestly I don’t see any problem with that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a bit strange for a grown woman to
count her age in halves, to be sure, but on the other hand, couldn’t we all use
a little more whimsy and celebration in our lives?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know I could.</span><br>
</div></div><a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2013/12/any-excuse-for-celebration-half.html#more">Read more »</a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-70721963992477370542013-10-08T16:42:00.001-07:002014-03-01T11:06:18.042-08:00Adventures in Baking in Other People's Kitchens: Blueberry Olive Oil Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/10162869266/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_4800 by LinzersInLondon, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4800" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3699/10162869266_e05d2a5e51_b.jpg" height="426" width="640"></a></div>
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Baking at my parents' house is always a bit of a...complicated adventure. Whereas I'd slowly and methodically built up a system in the London home where I lived for four years – I knew which specialty pans and ingredients I did and didn't have, and what stocks were low in the baking cupboard – living here in someone else's house, and especially working in someone else's kitchen, has really been a challenge. I never know what ingredients we have, in what quantities, and in what state of freshness (the other day I used molasses with a 'best before' in 2012, which is actually really recent for my mom's cupboards – it was fine). And while the double oven gas Viking range is <i>amazing</i>, the rest of the supplies are sketchy at best: we have a mini muffin pan and a popover pan, but no normal muffin tins; a heart-shaped silicone cake pan but no loaf pans; and one usable cookie sheet. One.<br>
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So when I offered to bake something with the blueberries that were lingering on their last legs in the fancy fridge drawers a few weeks ago, I figured it would be an experiment. I wasn't really prepared for just how many things I would need to change, but I was at least ready to be flexible. And thank goodness for that!<br>
<a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2013/10/adventures-in-baking-in-other-peoples.html#more">Read more »</a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-34478512492521606332013-09-15T14:11:00.001-07:002014-03-01T11:06:46.296-08:00Making my excuses, and hoping for the future <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/9763845202/" title="photo by LinzersInLondon, on Flickr"><img alt="photo" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7430/9763845202_b7da1a6224_b.jpg" height="640" width="640"></a><br>
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I know it's been an inordinately long time since I've written, and I actually wish I didn't have such a good excuse. But unfortunately I do.<br>
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My <a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2013/02/paris-is-always-good-idea-dark.html" target="_blank">engagement</a> fell apart (and with it all my happiness and stability and functionality) in a most spectacular and traumatic way back in June, after months of pain and torment – obviously, I wasn't doing much baking during that time, and the aftermath was too filled with tears and logistics and fleeing the country for me to be thinking much about food at all. I was lucky if I could remember/force myself to eat one small meal a day. Needless to say, there wasn't much I could say here that would be anything but depressing, so I stayed away while I tried to pick up the pieces of a life I no longer wanted to live. I moved back to San Francisco and am currently living with my parents while I try to get through this extremely dark time. It's been the most difficult few months of my entire life, and there have been days when, if Morpheus had offered me one pill to keep going and one to stop everything right then, I would certainly have taken the latter pill.<br>
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But, and this is important, there have been bright spots. Hours, even a few hours in a row, when I forget how much pain I'm in. And every month there have been more of those hours – this month there have been whole days. It feels like nothing short of a miracle, and I spend a lot of my time waiting for the relapse (there have been many of those, some unbearably long and brutal), but it seems time is finally starting to heal me a little bit.<br>
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And then a few days ago, I baked a galette. It hardly counts as baking, since the dough was given to us by a neighbor and my mother prepped the apple-pears, so I literally just tossed the fruit with some sugar and spices, rolled out the dough, and brushed melted butter over the top, but it was a start. And I had a feeling that things might actually be okay one day, far off in the future.<br>
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So to thank you for sticking around through my long hiatus, and as I ask you to please bear with me as I continue to gather the shreds of my heart and paste them together with spit and mud – I'm not as sharp as I was before all this, but hopefully that's temporary – I offer you this 'recipe' for an easy free-form galette. It may not be much of a project, but it lifted my spirits and made me believe for a moment that maybe I could patch my life back together with a little patience and melted butter. I hope for you it's at least a semi-pretty and tasty solution to the question of what to serve after dinner with friends.<br>
<a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2013/09/making-my-excuses-and-hoping-for-future.html#more">Read more »</a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-4467211393862601892013-04-27T14:12:00.002-07:002013-04-27T14:12:42.372-07:00A Dream Deferred: Italian Almond Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/8687246418/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_4722 by LinzersInLondon, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4722" height="441" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8122/8687246418_63fe75dce8_b.jpg" width="640"></a></div>
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When my guy and I were in Rome a couple of years ago with my brother and his girlfriend for Christmas, the apartment we stayed in was just down the street from a tiny bakery that had the reputation of selling some of the best cookies and panettone in the whole city – a lucky accident of which we took full advantage! Every few days we would wander in and make use of my ever-more-limited Italian to buy a bag of treats: chocolate-dipped Christmas trees, jam studded thumbprints, mini pistachio biscotti, and our absolute favorites, chewy, dense, heavy-sweet almond cookies. Those ones were always the first to go, and we kept finding ourselves having to negotiate over who got the last one. If only I didn't require so much time stalling while I tried to remember the word for almond (mandorla – of course <i>now</i> I can remember it!), we might have just gotten bagfuls of those each time and called it a day!<br>
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So of course the minute we got back to the UK I looked up a recipe. And then I bookmarked that recipe, bought ground almonds, and... promptly put off making the cookies. I think I avoided it for so long at first because almond paste (one of the main ingredients) is super expensive, but after a while I just kept forgetting about them.<br>
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<a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-dream-deferred-italian-almond-cookies.html#more">Read more »</a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-74813925923258881902013-02-16T13:38:00.001-08:002013-02-16T13:38:39.939-08:00'Paris Is Always a Good Idea' – Dark Chocolate Sables and Some News<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/8480189876/" title="IMG_4698 by LinzersInLondon, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4698" height="425" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8230/8480189876_7a5b577ddf_b.jpg" width="640"></a><br>
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As usual, I've been wanting to spread the news about these amazing sables (or, as my French co-worker corrected me, sablés) since I first baked them, but as usual life has gotten in the way. In face, I have an <i>unusually</i> good excuse: this post is especially apropos because the BF took me on a surprise trip to Paris the weekend after I made these French cookies – and he proposed! Of course I said yes (if you've been following this blog for a while you know that he and I are already practically married), and have been consumed by wedding planning insanity (on top of work and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Navel-Gazing-Womans-Quest-Normal/dp/0571284442/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361050510&sr=8-1" target="_blank">book</a> promotion) ever since.<br>
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Nonetheless, even with a head full of even more things than before (sigh), I still can't stop thinking about these little beauties – ooh, maybe I'll make a batch for the wedding! Ahem, sorry. I get distracted a lot these days. Where were we? Right! I can't stop thinking about these sables, so it's high time I passed them on to you all so <i>you</i> can obsess over them too. Trust me: they're worth the lost sleep.<br>
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<a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2013/02/paris-is-always-good-idea-dark.html#more">Read more »</a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-80501283411700283742013-01-29T11:58:00.000-08:002013-02-08T12:10:34.556-08:00Converting the Skeptics: Sticky Toffee Pudding<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/8425471574/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Sticky Toffee Pudding by LinzersInLondon, on Flickr"><img alt="Sticky Toffee Pudding" height="426" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8468/8425471574_f0478c1a72.jpg" width="640"></a></div>
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I made sticky toffee pudding for the first time back in November – I'd been invited to a British-themed dinner party and I had no idea what to bring for dessert (having of course claimed that course before my phone had even registered the invitation email). Normally I count on my large roster of American sweets to wow the Brits among me with little effort, but I didn't think it would be fair to break from the theme just because it was outside my comfort zone. Still, what exactly constituted a British dessert (or, as the Brits say, 'pudding' – actual pudding is
'angel delight'...don't ask me why)? Most of the really successful dishes have American and European counterparts: <a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/going-native-lemon-drizzle-cake.html" target="_blank">lemon drizzle cake</a>, <a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/not-so-short-story-about-shortbread.html" target="_blank">shortbread cookies</a>, <a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/other-thanksgiving-dessert-apple-crisp.html" target="_blank">fruit crisps</a>... I didn't want to make super-classic Eton mess or a Bakewell tart (I actually hadn't thought of that one, but it would have been too much effort for the day anyway), so I was at a loss. Until I remembered that old pub classic, and one particular skeptic to whom I still have something to prove.<br>
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I have a personal bone to pick about sticky toffee pudding: I need to
prove to my older brother that a dessert made mostly of dates can be indulgent
and delicious and completely unfruity. I tried to explain sticky toffee pudding to him last summer and he wouldn't listen to my description of the dish itself, just kept making that irritating 'blegh' face that only brothers can keep mastering to such an infuriating degree well into seeming adulthood. I swore up and down that I would make it for him someday and he would eat his words (and facial expression), along with half the pan. So when I was trying to think of a British dessert to bring to girls' night I decided this was a good
opportunity to practice, ensuring that when I do eventually make sticky
toffee pudding for my family in SF, their socks will be duly knocked
off. <br>
<a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2013/01/converting-skeptics-sticky-toffee.html#more">Read more »</a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-87168737507308513342013-01-08T08:43:00.002-08:002013-01-08T08:43:56.449-08:00How to Tart up a Dinner Party: Easy Apple Tart<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/linzersinlondon/8360711549/" title="Easy apple tart by LinzersInLondon, on Flickr"><img alt="Easy apple tart" height="425" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8475/8360711549_b30cc9b9cf.jpg" width="640"></a><br>
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I have a fantastic friend here in London who used to be my tutor and is now the source of most of my shocked belly laughs – he's crude and shameless and hilarious and I love being around him. So when he invited the BF and me to dinner at his house, of <i>course</i> we rearranged our schedules to make it work. I offered to make dessert, and my request for preferences was met with the line 'A tart sounds appropriate.' <br>
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Well, what could that be besides a challenge? (Okay, yes, it could be an insult, but it was written in a cheeky tone, not a mean one.) I immediately started going through my recipe bookmarks in search of the perfect tart – I wanted to make <a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/impressively-easy-entertaining.html" target="_blank">this super-easy showstopper</a>, but of <i>course</i> we couldn't find raspberries anywhere in London in the dead of winter, so it had to be apple or pear. The tricky bit: as I had plans that day to go to the Taste of Christmas event, it had to be something I could make either very quickly or in advance. As it turned out, the recipe I used was a little bit of both.<br>
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<a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2013/01/how-to-tart-up-dinner-party-easy-apple.html#more">Read more »</a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-34975087977310180852012-12-16T14:54:00.000-08:002012-12-16T15:00:28.839-08:00London Restaurant Recommendations<br>
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Okay, it's time for the round-up of my favorite places to eat in London! We're going to go by price, since I know that's often the most important consideration for visitors to this fine and expensive city – bear in mind, though, that London <i>is</i> very expensive, so when I say places are 'cheap' I mean sort of 10 pounds for a main, 5 if you choose very wisely. It really doesn't get cheaper than that, except in McDonald's or a local 'chippie' (Fish n' Chip shop). So here we go!<br>
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<b>Cheap places (usually better for lunch than dinner):</b><br>
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<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/baozi-inn-london" target="_blank">Baozi Inn</a>, in London's Chinatown, is a teeny little place that serves really good (and apparently authentic) Chinese dumplings, soups, and other dishes. It's great value for money and quite cozy, so perfect for a stop-in on a rainy afternoon fighting the crowds in the West End. <br>
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<a href="http://www.newculturerevolution.co.uk/" target="_blank">New Culture Revolution</a> is another great (and cheap!) Chinese place – lots of basics on the menu, noodle dishes and stir-fries etc, but my absolute favorite is the dumpling soup with pork and Chinese leaves. The broth is homemade, the dumplings are tender, and the meat tastes healthy and clean, not full of gristle and grease as you sometimes get. The location in Angel is just off the super-busy high street, and they always have room for walk-ins (at least so far), so it's a great option for lunch or dinner away from the maddening crowd (are you sensing a theme in my restaurant choices? You sense correctly!).<br>
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<a href="http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/" target="_blank">Borough Market</a> is always a good idea if you're looking for an inexpensive breakfast or lunch – note that a <i>trip</i> to the market is rarely inexpensive, as there's so much temptation that I almost always run out of money very quickly, but it's easy to get a great sandwich or a delicious plate of something Greek/Italian/Spanish/you-name-it for about a fiver (the above meat pies are even cheaper). Can't beat that! Plus, the people watching is divine. The only drawback here is that it's all outdoors, so your usually-lovely seat in the next-door churchyard might be a bit soggy if the weather is doing its usual English thing...<br>
<a href="http://linzersinlondon.blogspot.com/2012/12/london-restaurant-recommendations.html#more">Read more »</a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550616474043948786.post-49702604664349954522012-12-05T14:16:00.000-08:002012-12-14T12:27:36.908-08:00Sometimes You Just Have to Eat Out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As you all know, I've been crazy busy these past couple of months, and one of the knock-on effects of that is not having as much time to cook/bake. I spend a lot of evenings after work online, answering emails and writing body blog posts and, when I can, vegging out and staring at the wall, and before I know it it's time to go to bed to get not enough sleep before I have to wake up and do it all over again – meal planning and cooking have taken a very distant back seat.<br />
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Luckily, I have a boyfriend who is usually willing to share dinner duty, but I also eat a lot of pasta and frozen fish cakes and quick-roasted whatever-veggies-we-have. When I do eat something lovingly planned and cooked without any time pressure, it's usually because I'm eating out. And that's the other way in which I'm lucky: I happen to live in a city which, contrary to its out-of-date reputation, offers a lot of delicious restaurant choices. Even luckier: when I go home to San Francisco or visit NYC, I have even more choices, spread across a different selection of cuisines.<br />
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I want you guys to know the great food that I know – especially here in London, since it can be so difficult for visitors to find tasty, <i>affordable</i> food here. So to that end, I'm going to start a new type of post on this here blog; I don't have time to write full-on reviews of every restaurant I love and have loved (that would take forever and by the time they were all posted half the restaurants might have changed ownership or gotten more expensive), but I can certainly list them for you and add some links for further info!<br />
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So keep your eyes peeled. First up will be London, since I think that's the city that most urgently needs the PR, but then I'll also do posts for SF and NYC, and maybe even Rome and Paris. I'll make a new page (like the Recipes page) and gather links to the posts there, so that if you're visiting one of my fair cities and don't want to have to hunt down the original post you can get back to it easily.<br />
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Should be fun! Now I just have to find time between household chores, work, publicity, and trying to get at least 6-7 hours of sleep a night... Don't worry – I'm on it!Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17916549978430896339noreply@blogger.com0