The cheesecake is in the oven!

Patience everybody!  The Tall & Creamy Cheesecake is in the oven and I will post about it tomorrow morning. It smells divine! 

I plan on bringing it to a New Year’s Eve party tomorrow night along with some fresh fruit to top it with. Hopefully, all will be impressed with my mad cheesecake skillz.

If you are craving Tall & Creamy Cheesecake food porn in the meantime, check out the other TWD Bakers’ cheesecakes.

Anguilla Eats: E’s Oven

 E’s Oven
Rendezvous Road
South Hill, Anguilla
264-498-8258

 For those who’ve never been to Anguilla, it’s not a very big island. It is only 16 miles long and about 3 miles wide at its widest point. There are no highways, and you can probably count all of the traffic lights on 2 hands. There are several main roads on the island, with one lane of traffic going in each direction. It is pretty easy to find your way around. That being said, for all of the restaurants I wanted to check out there, I didn’t have a real street address for them… not a house number to be found. But, we were eventually able to find everyplace that we were looking for.  The people of Anguilla are really friendly and were great at giving us directions. One thing you see A LOT of as you roam around Anguilla are goats. Goats aren’t very good at giving directions though.  

Our first day in Anguilla, we had a late lunch at E’s Oven. I selected E’s Oven based on recommendations from Chowhound.  E’s Oven is located on the same main road as the hotel that we were staying at. It’s a bright red & yellow building nestled into a curve in the road in the South Hill area of the island.   E’s Oven is run by an Anguillan named Vernon Hughs, who gained his cooking skills by working at other restaurants on the island. E’s Oven is located at the site of his mother’s old stone oven. The cuisine has some upscale Caribbean  dishes with some pastas and grilled seafood thrown into the menu-mix as well. the vibe is nice, bright, and casual.  They have a full bar so that you can enjoy a beer or rum punch with your meal.

 

We were seated in a covered porch area at the front of the restauraunt. The mister got a beer and I got fruit punch.

Reads: Island of the Sequined Love Nun

Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore

rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I believe that Island of the Sequined Love Nun is the sixth or seventh book that I’ve read by Christopher Moore. Moore’s novels are always packed with sardonic humor that makes me silently snicker. Island of the Sequined Love Nun was originally published over 10 years ago. The book was still as crazy as some of his more recent works.

This absurd adventure follows Tucker Case, a geek in a stud-muffin’s body, who starts out the novel as a pilot for a cosmetics company. One night, he picks up a woman at a bar who says she wants to join the mile high club immediately. So, Tucker, even being slightly drunk, takes her up in his boss’s private jet. Drinking, flying, and sex don’t mix and Tuck ends up crashing the plane and impaling his special man-place. OUCH!  He gets fired and ridiculed in the media.

Out of nowhere, Tuck is offered a job as piloting a private Lear Jet for a Methodist mission on a remote island in Micronesia. It sounds too good to be true, but Tuck has no other options so decides to take the job. And so his wacky adventure begins…an adventure that includes a talking fruit bat, cannibals, a trans-gendered prostitute and some natives worshipping the image of a woman painted on a plane (cargo cult!).

I read this book as I jetted off to a tropical island. It was total brain candy. I wouldn’t say it was my favorite Moore book (an honor that is held by  Lamb), but it was a good beach read.  It took a little while for me to get into it, but it got better a little further into the book.  It was a fast-paced, quick-witted, easy read.   I recommend Island of the Sequined Love Nun to anyone looking for a crazy getaway to a tropical island.

View all my reviews.

Brown Sugar-Pecan Shortbread Cookies

These nutty, buttery, shortbread cookies are historical!  How?  Well, they were the very first Tuesdays with Dorie recipe way back on the first Tuesday of this year. Back then you could count the members of TWD on one hand and now the membership is around 300 somewhere.

Making these shortbread involved mixing the cookie dough and then chilling the day before cutting it into squares to bake. In the shortbread section of the cookie chapter of Baking, Dorie Greenspan offers some helpful tips on making the perfect shortbread.

You can find the recipe for these cookies on the blogs of one of the original members, Brown Eyed Baker.

Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa

Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa

144 Oyster Pond Rd.

St. Maarten

Phone: (599) 543 6700

website: http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1770

On our recent, much needed, trip to the Caribbean, we planned to visit two islands, St. Maarten and Anguilla. Our flight from JFK didn’t arrive in St. Maarten until 4:30 or so, and based on the rumored “horrible traffic” on St. Maarten we didn’t want to risk trying to make it to the Anguilla ferry in Marigot before it stopped running for the day so we had planned ahead to spend our first night on St. Maarten and THEN go to Anguilla the next day for our 3 nights there.

The room we booked for our first night on St. Maarten was at the Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa. This hotel is on the Dutch side of the island but very close to the border to the French side. The Dutch side of the island can be pretty crazy and congested (and can have VERY VERY bad traffic at times), but the Westin is nestled on an out of the way hill miles from the craziness. This resort sits right on Dawn Beach — there is no crossing roads or following meandering goat paths to get to the beach. We opened the veranda door in our room and here’s the view:

View from our room’s veranda

Ahh, what a way to start a trip. This is the sort of view I had been longing for!

The room itself was very similar to another Westin’s room that I stayed in a few months ago in Washington DC. The furnishings are contemporary traditional with a very comforable cloud of a bed and a spacious & bright (and quite large) bathroom.

The resort also had a spa, a small casino area with lots of slot machines, and a hot tub and infinity pool (both of which overlook the beach). On site, the Westin has 2 restaurants. We only ate at one of the restaurants– the more casual one called Ocean. We stayed at the Westin on a Wednesday night and every Wednesday night Ocean had a Pirate Night Seafood Buffet. I am not a huge buffet fan but this one was very good. There were huge platters of crab claws, shrimp, various seafood salads, soup, a BBQ /carving station and a ton of different desserts. Imagine pictures here that I took of the food but that my computer decided should no longer exist. *sigh*  At first I was frightened by the “Pirate” in the buffet’s name…it gave me visions of waiters running around in pirate costumes hamming it up with lots of “Arrrr”s.  The waiters (fortunately, IMO) were wearing black t-shirts that mentioned pirate  night but there was no one dressed up like Captain Jack Sparrow….there WAS live entertainment though out on the covered patio where we were sitting. There was a steel drum band playing a mix of holiday music and pop favorites and then later in the evening there was a bit of a floor show with a fire dancer, a man walking on coals, and a small troupe of dancers.  All in all the buffet was worth the $38 per person price tag. My husband was very impressed  by the whole thing.

In the mornings, Ocean has a breakfast buffet which we also took advantage of the next morning. The breakfast buffet included an omelete station, assorted pastries, fresh fruit, eggs benedict, and other hot breakfast items.  I wasn’t as impressed with the breakfast buffet as I had been with the seafood buffet. I did enjoy eating breakfast out on the patio with a view of the pool and the beach.

The pool at the Westin Dawn Beach

I give the Westin Dawn Beach Resort 4 out of 5 mangoes. I would stay there again if I returned to St. Maarten.

Sunday Salon: Oh, the Pressure!!

Admittedly, I have a book club problem. I am just in too many book clubs. I love to read and I love to get together with others with similar interests.  My book clubs are all rather casual ones that veer more towards pure social gatherings than in depth literary discussions.

I like to read book club books as close to the meeting as I can so that it is very fresh in my mind.  Usually, my book clubs are spaced out pretty well and I can easily schedule my reading (control freak alert!). However in January, my 3 book clubs all fall within 4 days of each other.

Sunday January 11th- Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O’Nan

Tuesday January 13th – Rasputin’s Daughter by Robert Alexander

Wednesday January 14th – Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life by Robert Reich

HOWEVER, I am not even to the point where I am ready to start reading any of these since I am currently in the middle of reading Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter. If only I can stop being distracted by holiday happenings and (sigh) naps, I could finish this fantastic and twisted little novel about an aerialiste extraordinaire.

How is your holiday season reading going? And, is there such a thing as too many book clubs??? (I think NOT)

Reads: The Hound of the Baskervilles

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

rating: 4 of 5 stars

 I went through a phase in junior high were I read every single Agatha Christie that I could get my hot little hands on. That was the last time that I seriously read much from the mystery genre. I had never read any Sherlock Holmes books by Arthur Conan Doyle. Sure, I had heard of Sherlock Holmes (after all I don’t live in a cave) but I had never read any of his adventures.

I got a copy of The Hound of the Baskervilles from my local library when I decided I wanted to read another book from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list. Sure I had completed my “obligation” for the 1% Well-Read Challenge, but I’ve never met a to-read list that didn’t make me want to check off every item. It’s a sickness, I tell ya. If they say I MUST read those 1001 books before I die, I am going to try my hardest to do just that.

The Hound of the Baskervilles finds Sherlock Holmes and his trusty sidekick Watson investigating the death of Sir Charles Baskerville, who was found dead on the moors near his manor. Many superstitious folks believe that Baskerville was killed by a large devil-hound that according to legend haunts the Baskerville family.

He said that there were no traces upon the ground round the body. He did not observe any. but I did – some little distance off, but fresh and clear.

 ”Footprints?”

“Footprints.”

“A man’s or a woman’s?”

Dr. Mortimer looked strangely at us for an instant, and his voice sank almost to a whisper as he answered:”Mr Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!”

I enjoyed my first venture into reading the stories of Sherlock Holmes.  Conan Doyle did a good job of building suspense and showing the logic and genius of Sherlock Holmes as he pieced together the seemingly disparate clues.  Holmes was a background character throughout most of the book. he book is narrated by Watson who spends his time bumbling around gathering info for Mr. Holmes.  The book was an enjoyable escapist read on recent snowy December days where I could read it safely indoors with no threats of giant devil-hounds trying to kill me.

View all my reviews.

Savory Palmiers

Ina Garten’s Savory Palmiers from her Back to Basics cookbook were easy to make and were a big hit at my Christmas party. Even my super fussy brother ate them and believe me, he rarely eats any of the dishes I bring to holiday parties. *cough* It’s more a comment on his finicky eating habits than it is on my cooking, really…

Palmiers (sometimes called Palm leaves) are puff pastry dough sprinkled with fillings that is then folded several times and then cut into slices before baking.  Palmiers are traditionally of the sweet variety. These savory palmiers from Ina’s recipe are filled with pesto, goat cheese, toasted pine nuts, and sun-dried tomatoes.  With their red, white, and green fillings, these little bites were spilling over with festive Xmas colors.

Another winner to go in my permanent recipe repetoire!  Big thanks to Becky of Random Musings of a Deco Lady for selecting this as a Barefoot Bloggers bonus recipe this month!

Savory Palmiers

• 1 package frozen Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, defrosted
• 1/4 cup prepared pesto, store-bought or homemade
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese, such as Montrachet
• 1/4 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• Kosher salt

1. Lightly flour a board and carefully unfold one sheet of puff pastry. Roll the pastry lightly with a rolling pin until it’s 9 1/2 x 11 1/2 inches. Spread the sheet of puff pastry with half the pesto, then sprinkle with half the goat cheese, half the sun-dried tomatoes, and half the pine nuts. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt.
2. Working from the short ends, fold each end halfway to the center. Then fold each side again toward the center until the folded edges almost touch. Fold one side over the other and press lightly. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Repeat for the second sheet of puff pastry using the remaining ingredients. Cover both rolls with plastic wrap and chill for at least 45 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
4. Cut the prepared rolls of puff pastry into 1/4-inch-thick slices and place them faceup 2 inches apart on sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Bake for 14 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm.

Chocolate-Espresso Snowcaps

I was looking for an easy cookie to fill out my 800-pound (slight exaggeration) cookie tray that I was taking to my family’s Christmas celebration.  I flipped through my cookbooks and old magazines and one cookie recipe in particular seemed to suit my needs, AND I already had all the ingredients at home and wouldn’t need to run out and battle the mobs at the store. The recipe was for Chocolate-Espresso Snowcaps and was from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food Cookie Edition.

The batter for these cookies came together in a few minutes then had a nice 45 minute winter’s nap in the freezer.  The final step before baking is to roll the chilled dough into 1″ balls and coat them in powdered sugar. Yay!  More messy stuff for me to clean up (I feel like I am on a non-stop cycle of messing up and cleaning up my kitchen this month).

The final verdict: these cookies looked really tasty and were cakey with a rich chocolately flavor with undertones of coffee. They were a bigger hit with the adults than they were with the little kids, probably due to the coffee flavoring.  I will definitely be making these puppies again!

 

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Chocolate-Espresso Snowcaps (from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food Collectible Cookie Edition)

Makes about 18 cookies

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 teaspoons instant espresso powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 4 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, for coating

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, espresso, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until well combined; mix in cooled chocolate. With mixer on low speed, gradually add dry ingredients; beat in milk just until combined. Flatten dough into a disk; wrap in plastic. Freeze until firm, about 45 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place confectioners’ sugar into a medium bowl; working in batches, roll balls in sugar twice.
3. Place balls on prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies have spread and coating is cracked, 12 to 14 minutes; cookies will still be soft to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Roll Out Cookies

For this month’s Cookie Carnival we were given two options for cookies: chocolate roll out cookies or vanilla/sugar roll out cookies. I opted for the chocolate ones since I had recently made sugar cookies. It struck fear in my heart when Kate also announced that there will be a cookie decorating portion to this month’s cookie pageant. I can bake, sure…but, my cookie decorating skills are very, very, very lackluster. They look about the same as a 5 year old could do.

I made several different shapes: trees, stars, hearts, houses, and little men. I thought I had more holiday cookie cutters than that but there wasn’t a candy cane or snowflake cookie cutter in sight… And I had grand deluded plans of pretty little snowflake cookies. Color me disappointed.  

Despite my sub-par decorating skills, I loved the way these cookies tasted and loved their texture. My little cousins (who range in age from 1-4) were impressed with the cookies and were begging their moms for some before we even had Christmas dinner. Glad to know my decorating skills have some fans.

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Chocolate Roll Out Cookies

Recipe from Dorie Greenspan

Makes about 60 small or 20 large cookies

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Sprinkles or other sugar decorations (optional)
• Royal Icing (optional)

1. Sift first 5 ingredients and cinnamon, if desired, into medium bowl. Stir chocolate in metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Set aside.
2. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and beat until mixture is pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg; beat until well blended, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and beat in vanilla and chocolate. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed just to blend.
3. Gather dough into ball; divide in half. Form each half into ball and flatten into disk. Wrap disks separately in plastic and chill until firm, at least 4 hours.
4. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before rolling out.
5. Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper to 1/8-inch thickness for smaller (2-inch) cookies and 1/4-inch thickness for larger (3- to 4-inch) cookies. Using waxed paper prevents you from adding too much flour, which will make the cookies tough.
7. Using decorative cookie cutters, cut out cookies. Cold dough is much easier to work with. If it gets warm as you’re cutting out the cookies, place the dough—waxed paper and all—in the freezer for about 5 minutes.
8. Use an offset spatula to peel away the excess dough and transfer the cookies to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Gather scraps, roll out dough, and cut more cookies, repeating until all dough is used. If not icing cookies, decorate with sprinkles or other sugar toppings, if desired.
9. Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are firm on top and slightly darker around edges, about 9 minutes for smaller cookies and up to 12 minutes for larger cookies. Line baking sheets with fresh parchment as needed. Cool completely on rack.
10. Decorate cookies with royal icing if desired.
11. DO AHEAD: Cookies can be made 4 days ahead. Store between sheets of waxed paper in airtight containers.