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Please visit the new home of Matchbox Kitchen!

Under Construction

Things are a bit under construction for a bit.  Will be back soon!

(Burnt) Palmier

I had some extra puff pastry and attempted some petit palmiers, emphasis on petit! Unfortunately I forgot about them in the oven and they got a little more um, caramelized than supposed to be.  Half of them split in the middle and ended up looking like ears or commas/apostrophes. They were still pretty tasty though, and I'm thoroughly impressed with the quick puff pastry method I tried out this morning.  Will make again soon, when I'm not feeling so guilty about consuming a stick of butter today.

S'mores Pt. II

I had quite of bit of extra marshmallows and graham crackers so I though I'd pack them up to give away. I've already eaten my fair share of marshmallows in the last few days! Plus, it's time to move onto something new to make and eat ;)

I didn't have very many packaging options to choose from without leaving my house, so this is what I ended up with.  I have to remember to order boxes so I can give away all the goodies I've been making, or else I'd just eat them all.  I wonder if it would be possible to send these through the mail (in a rigid box of course). I would love to share the things I make with others.  Is this something you'd be interested in?  Probably would have to be within the US, and I wouldn't charge or anything (just need to figure out how much shipping would be).  I do make these in my home after all but I keep a clean kitchen I promise!

Granola Bars

When it comes to getting ready in the morning I'd much rather choose sleep over being fully prepared for the day.  And although I know it's the most important meal of the day, breakfast always ends up as an afterthought, quickly toasting a bagel or grabbing an apricot from the fridge.  Neither of those are the healthiest nor most satisfying to eat in the morning, and in about half an hour my stomach is grumbling for something more.

I decided to make granola bars because they're portable, filling, and relatively healthy (depending on the bar/recipe). It turns out they're also really quick and easy to make and impossible to mess up.  As long as you have the right amount of "glue" for your oats you can't go wrong.  You can also put whatever you want in them to your liking, such as pine nuts, agave nectar, wheat germ, pecans, prunes, etc. I specifically made mine not too sweet because I wanted to keep them as healthy (and edible) as possible.  If you like your bars on the chewier and sweeter side, try adding some brown sugar.

Granola Bars
makes 8-10 snack sized bars
1/3 c almond butter
1/3 c honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 c rolled oats (old fashioned, not instant/quick)
1/2 c raw almonds
1/2 c raw walnuts
1/4 c flax seeds
1/4 c golden raisins
1/4 c dried chili pineapple bits, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. In a small bowl, mix together almond butter, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
2. In a food processor, pulse together almonds and walnuts until they are smaller pieces (don't do this for too long or else you'l make a nut butter!). Add 1 cup of rolled oats and pulse a few times more to lightly chop.
3. Empty contents of food processor into a medium sized bowl. Add the rest of the rolled oats and flax seeds. Combine almond and honey mixture, then add in dried fruit.
4. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fix a 8x8" baking pan. Leave a bit of overhang on two opposing sides to use as "handles". With an additional piece of parchment (or wax paper), press the mixture so it's slightly compacted and evenly fills out the pan.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let the granola cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then place in the fridge for 15 minutes more. Make sure to wait until it's fully cool before you cut them into bars. Store in an airtight container.

S'mores

Ever since I had my first bite of Mast Brothers Chocolate I've been itching to make a s'more out of it. But of course, nothing but the best ingredients could be combined with the most amazing dark chocolate I've ever tasted. Really, if you haven't tried Mast Brothers I urge you to find a bar ASAP (or just come over because I'm hoarding three bars right now). Their packaging won me over the first time I laid eyes on 'em but the taste sealed the deal.

While I already knew what chocolate to use, I still had to supplement the other ingredients. I'd made marshmallows several times before but never graham crackers, although they've been on my "to make" list for a while now. When I came across the graham cracker recipe in the new Miette cookbook, I knew it was time to create a fancier version of the summer camp snack.

I don't know if the photos speak for themselves (I'm working on it!) but um, this was the most amazing and delicious smore I've ever had.  I'm almost at a loss for words how wonderfully decadent this was. I usually have several "subjects" available to photograph and can't wait until I'm done taking photos so I can gorge myself on the desserts I've been painfully eying, but one bite of this and I was satisfied. The buttery yet toothy texture of the graham cracker, the lightly caramelized pillow of a toasted marshmallow, and just a bit of dark chocolate with chopped coffee beans sent me over the moon.

I think I'll try it with my Mast Brothers hazelnut bar tomorrow.