My Favorite Dessert for the Fourth of July

LOCATION: BELLE ISLE • JULY 3rd, 2020
Outfit Details: ZARA Dress, Celine Sunglasses, Miansai Cuff Bracelet

Fourth of July calls for grilling burgers with friends, corn-on-the-cob, and fresh watermelon slices...but most importantly blueberries, raspberries, and cream cheese frosting! I have been baking this flag cake for the last five years and it’s always a huge hit at our celebrations. Not only is this dessert a visual stunner, it tastes even better than it looks!! I guarantee your family and friends will be in love with it!

I highly recommend these William-Sonoma quarter-sheet pans; we have a set of the Goldtouch bakeware and I really love the quality and the durability of this line.

Flag Cake - Quarter Sheet Pan

Adapted from Ina Garten, serves 10-12
Ingredients:
For the Cake:
9 Tbsp butter at room temperature
1½ cups sugar
3 eggs
½ cup sour cream
¾ tsp vanilla extract
1½ cups flour
⅙ cup (8 tsp) cornstarch
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda

Icing:
16 tsp (2 sticks) of butter
12 oz (¾ lb) cream cheese
2 cups (½ lb) confectioner’s sugar, sifted
¾ tsp vanilla extract

To Assemble: 
1 half-pint blueberries
1½ half-pint raspberries

Directions:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 13 x 9 x 1-inch sheet pan (see note).

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 3 minutes on medium speed, until light and fluffy. (If the butter is too cool to be light and fluffy, add a teaspoon or two of warm water,) On medium-low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.

Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Stir the batter with a rubber spatula and pour into the prepared pan. Smooth the top and bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.

For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed until very smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar and mix on low speed. Stir with a rubber spatula to be sure the icing is well mixed.

Spread three quarters of the icing on the cake. Using a toothpick, outline a flag on the cake. Fill in the upper left corner with blueberries. Place 2 rows of raspberries across the top of the cake like the red stripes. Put the remaining icing in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe two rows of white stripes below the raspberries. Alternately add 2 rows of raspberries and 2 rows of icing until the flag is completed. Pipe stars on top of the blueberries.

Note: If you don’t want to serve your cake from the pan, line the pan with parchment paper and turn it out into a board before you ice and decorate it.

Cherry Picking & Baking

LOCATION: BRENTWOOD, CALIFORNIA • JUNE 26th, 2020

Outfit Details: Polka Dot Blouse, Artizia Pants, Lack of Color Hat, Castaner Espadrilles, Vivi et Margot Tote

A few weeks ago, we made a trip out to a u-pick cherry farm in Brentwood thanks to a friend’s recommendation. Breatwood is located in the East Bay and is known primarily for cherries, corn and peaches. I was extra excited since cherries are hands-down my favorite fruit and I had never been cherry picking before!

The weather was supposed to be on the colder side, but as we approached the farm, we could feel that things were going to get pretty warm. I bought these white Artizia pants last fall and I’ve been surprised how much I wear them all year long! I’ve been really into the wide-legged pants style lately, it’s so comfortable and flattering at the same time. These pants are a great alternative to shorts in the Bay Area since it gets cool at night, even in the summer.

This cherry picking farm was amazing! I loved that G&S Farms took Coronavirus and social distancing precautions very seriously. Visits were time-stamped and by appointment only in order to control the crowds. There was a $20 reservation fee that was later credited to your fruit purchase and everyone was required to wear a mask. I’m so glad G&S Farms provided ladders since a lot of the other farms make you bring your own. Turns out there are a lot more types of cherries than just bing & rainers, we brought home a selection of Coral Champagne, Sweetheart, Lapin, & Rainers. I can’t really tell you the difference between them except that we had so much fun, we ended up picking 11 pounds of cherries!

Cherry Galette Recipe

“Galettes are the very best way to bring pie into your everyday life” according to Smitten Kitchen and oh boy was she right! A galette is a french pastry similar to a tart or a pie, but due to it’s free-form nature - it’s way easier to make than pie! I have been making Smitten Kitchen pie crusts or pastries for years and her galette recipe did not disappoint! I recommend either making two smaller galettes instead of one giant one or if you are gifting the galettes - I doubled the recipe and made 5 total galettes to give to friends!

Let me know in the comments if you have a favorite cherry recipe!

XO,
Tiffany

Carrot-Ginger Coconut Curry

LOCATION: PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA • MAY 8th, 2020

Outfit Details: J.Crew Cardigan, Club Monaco Cami, Club Monaco Leggings, Missoma Necklaces

I’ve been making this delicious carrot-ginger coconut curry recipe nonstop during our period of shelter-in-place (during the quarantine) and I’m so excited to share it with you today! It’s so flavorful and absolutely delicious. I love that it’s so veggie heavy and you only need to pair it with some steamed rice for a complete meal (makes for great leftovers too).

The best part is that you can easily customize the curry by switching up the protein (shrimp, pork, tofu) and using whatever vegetables you have on hand (green beans, asparagus, corn, etc). So this recipe is also very vegetarian and vegan friendly too. I typically make this dish with chicken. Mostly recently, I used baked tofu and D said he actually preferred it over the chicken. That is a real husband win! The coconut sauce can also be made several days ahead and then heated and poured over the rest of the ingredients right before serving.

Carrot-Ginger Coconut Curry
Adapted from Malibu Farm Cookbook
Ingredient (makes 4-6 servings):

Coconut Sauce:
1 (14 ounce) can full fat coconut milk
1 medium carrot, rough chop
1 inch piece of ginger
2 jalapenos, keep the seeds of one pepper for a mild kick
1 garlic clove
1 cup fresh cilantro (or parsley if you prefer)
2 limes, juiced
3 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon ground turmeric

1 pound chicken** or baked tofu, thinly sliced
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 carrots, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 (10 ounce bag) sugar snap peas
1 (15 ounce) can baby corn, halved
1 tsp of sugar
Olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
**Chicken (or other meat): I like to marinate chicken before I saute it to keep the meat tender and juicy. In a small bowl, combine chicken, 2 tsp water, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp olive oil, and 1 tsp cornstarch (or flour if you don’t have cornstarch). Let sit for 10 minutes while you prep the sauce.

Step 1: In a blender or food processor, combine all of the ingredients for the coconut sauce and blend until smooth. I like to use an immersion blender and a small saucepan to save time. Gently heat the coconut sauce. Do not bring to a full boil as it may break.

Step 2: In a large skillet, and in a little olive oil over high heat, saute vegetables in order of how long they need to cook. Saute onions and carrots for 3-4 minutes. Add peppers, saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add snap peas and baby corn. Season with salt and pepper, saute for 2 minutes. It’s important not to overcook the vegetables, especially the snap peas. Remove veggies from the skillet and set aside.

Step 3: Continue with the skillet on high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add chicken/tofu and let it sear 1 minute per side until it is about 90% done. Add veggies back and combine until uniform. Turn the heat to low and pour the coconut sauce over chicken and vegetables. Add the secret ingredient - 1 teaspoon of sugar. It brings out the coconut milk and tempers the acidity of the sauce! Salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.

Step 4: Serve with rice or some other grain that can absorb the sauce. Bon Appetit!

Item Details: All-clad Immersion Blender, All-clad Sauce Pan, Le Creuset Dutch Oven, Crate & Barrel Wood Utensils, Crate & Barrel Bowls, Williams Sonoma Glass Prep Mixing Bowl Set, Williams Sonoma Towels

Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies

LOCATION: BALTIMORE • JULY 22ND, 2016

These is nothing more satisfying than making delicious food for people and then saying "SURPRISE! It's ALSO healthy!" This recipe makes me so happy! It's EASY, completely fool-proof, and just happens to be gluten-free and vegan. As someone who usually raises an eyebrow to gluten-free, trust me when I say you won't even miss the butter!  

ALMOND BUTTER OATMEAL COOKIES
Makes 12-15 cookies

Ingredients
3 large very ripe bananas
1 cup almond butter
1/4 cup pure maple syrup or honey (I like to use half maple syrup and half honey)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 & 1/3 cups quick oats (old fashioned oats work too, but you'll need to increase the cook time)
1/3 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 325°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine bananas, almond butter, and maple syrup/honey in a large bowl.
Add salt and cinnamon, then stir in oatmeal.
Fold chocolate chips into mix.
Spoon about 2 Tbsp of dough for each cookie onto the baking sheet. Flatten the cookies to the desired thickness since they will not spread. Bake for 25 minutes or until bottom is golden. Let cool and enjoy!

Notes
- I used super ripe bananas that were almost to the point of turning brown. However, I would not recommend frozen bananas.
-Using old fashioned oats gives the cookies more texture. I have also used half-and-half. You can make your own quick oats from old-fashioned oats by pulsing them a few times in a blender.
-You can make your own almond butter using a food processor. 1 & 1/2 cups of raw almonds = 1 cup of almond butter.

There are so many ways you can switch it up this recipe. Trying adding things you have on hand like crasins, slivered almonds, agave, or peanut butter. Go ahead, have fun with it!

I'd love to hear what changes you made!

*adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction