6. russia: russian tea cakes [and a conversation]

A few months ago when I was interning with a university Spanish professor, I remember a particular conversation I had with one of my students at the camp. I'm not so sure why I still remember it, but the memory has stuck with me since then, quite vividly. We were practicing Spanish by ourselves, by which I mean I was having her repeat "how old are you?" and "I am but a little munchkin" over and over until she would, somehow, remember the phrases.

Well, I wasn't quite as successful as I would have hoped. But nevertheless, with some helpful hints in English, she was able to figure out what was going on. The conversation was going pretty smoothly...

"How old are you?"
"I'm six years old. And you?"
"I'm 19."

...until I told her how old I was. I remember her eyes going wide as saucers as she gaped at me as though I were something rather unpleasant on the bottom of her shoe.

"You're 19?!" she asked me in English, leaving the Spanish behind in favor of a language through which she could more easily chastise me.

"Err...yes." I responded. Admittedly, it came out more like a question, with an oddly placed inflection on the 'yes', but I was a bit taken aback at this point.

"Oh, but that's so old!"

At this I had to stop - "now wait a minute" - though I'm not so sure why I was getting so defensive about my age. I mean, I was 19. A little girl's astonishment at my seeming-decrepitude shouldn't have thrown me as much as it did, seeing as how she herself was only six. But the amount of horror that clouded her vision as she stared at me was unnerving, to say the least.

"But the other girls are 20 and 21! And senora is way older than we are! Besides, I'm only 13 years older than you."

"Yes, but it took you so long to get there!"


You know how people say that children are the best sources of truth? Well, I understand the sentiment. Having volunteered with kids for years and years now, I have to say, some of the most profound things I've ever heard have come from people much younger than me. Ironic, I think, since it's the adults who are supposed to be giving me valuable life lessons.

[I've realized that when a 13-year-old girl asks you why you want to be a doctor "because I don't think you'd be very happy as a doctor," you're probably not making the right life choice.]

But in a way, that little girl was right. Nineteen really isn't that old, at all. But at the same time, that's 19 years of growing up, experiencing new things, meeting new people, and becoming yourself. 19 years of traveling to Pakistan, Canada, Spain, Italy. 19 years of going to school and stressing about grades and classes. 19 years of worrying about the future, and reminiscing about the past.

And suddenly, 19 seems like the oldest thing in the world.

Russian Tea Cakes
Adapted from Allrecipes
Yields about 36 cookies

You'll need:

• 1 cup [2 sticks] butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup finely chopped nuts [I prefer pecans, but walnuts and pistachios work just as wonderfully]
• 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar, for coating

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth, 3 minutes. Stir flour and sugar into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the nuts.

Roll balls of dough, about 1-inch in diameter, and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Press the tops of the cookies down very lightly with the back of a spoon to flatten a bit. Bake for 12 minutes and allow cookies to cool completely.

Once cookies are cooled, coat them in confectioner's sugar before serving.

I'm 20 now, but 19 feels so far away. In a way, it's because it is. I've only been 20 for three and a half months, but I've done so much since then that it feels much longer. Nothing hugely significant or worldly, but that's three and a half months of getting to know myself that I didn't have when I was 19.

As old as I am, though, I revel in the fact that I'm almost a year younger than most of my peers. [The beauty of starting school young.] My darling friend Kevin, for example, celebrates his 21st birthday today.

For the occasion, I shipped him a box of goodies, some of which were these little things. Russian tea cakes. They did originate in Russia, I've learned, though also go by the name of "Mexican wedding cookies" here in the States. These cookies appeared in the 18th century as a confection in tea ceremonies, but since the 20th century have been commonly eaten around Christmastime. I love them because they're rather mild in sweetness and have a wonderful melt-in-your mouth quality about them. And as the name suggests, they pair wonderfully with black tea (and a hint of cream) or coffee.

As much as that little, 6-year old girl was astonished by my age, I can't imagine being 21 already - eight and a half months of things I haven't experienced yet and the possibilities are endless. But during these next eight and a half months, I hope you, Kevin, fill yours with amazing experiences to look back on when you turn 22. Time flies, after all. Happy birthday, my dear friend.

classic [but better] pumpkin pie

Aside from the odd bout of 80-degree weather this weekend, fall is in full swing. Obviously, in such fashion, long weekends spent at home mean Downton Abbey marathons with your mother, modeling men's suit-jackets in front of your male relatives, reading quality detective fiction novels, putting off all semblances of academic work, and ordering mountains upon mountains of chai lattes and pumpkin-spiced coffees.

At least, that's primarily how I spent my long weekend.


Fall break always seems to line up perfectly with Yusra's birthday, and this year was no different. My baby sister turned 17 yesterday, and for the occasion had me bake her a birthday pie. Yes, pie. Of the pumpkin variety, too, to be precise. Last year, I baked a rather delicious pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, and Yusra told me then and there that for her 17th birthday, she wanted another one. Of course, I promised, thinking at the time that she'd forget about it and I'd end up baking a carrot cake or something of the sort [leaving my 16-layer-cake days behind me for now].

And yet, eleven months later, she hadn't forgotten, and on Saturday I found myself waking up to a countertop covered in allspice, cinnamon, and ginger powders, fresh nutmeg, a box of flour, cold sticks of butter, and a stand-mixer waiting to be put to use.

This year's pumpkin pie is a variation on last year's epic success, combined with a tantalizing recipe for pumpkin-streusel pie found at Go Lightly Gourmet. The end result is a tall, creamy, subtly-spiced pumpkin filling in a flaky crust, topped with a pecan and brown sugar streusel topping.

Yusra was pretty satisfied.

Pumpkin Pie with Streusel
Adapted from Go Lightly Gourmet, old pumpkin pie recipes, and Tartine.

For the crust, you'll need:

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp salt 
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 stick cold butter, cut into cubes
• 2 tbsp cold water, more or less depending

For the filling, you'll need:

• 1 15-oz can of pumpkin 
• 1 8-oz package of cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 heaping tbsp honey
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp salt

 For the streusel topping, you'll need:

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/2 stick cold butter, cut into cubes

To prepare the pie crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9-inch pie plate. Using a food processor, pulse flour, ginger, sugar, salt, and butter until the mixture has the consistency of breadcrumbs. Slowly add in enough cold water for the mixture to come together and form a dough. Press the pie dough on the bottom and sides of the pie plate, crimping the edges. Stick the plate in the freezer for 15-20 minutes, until dough is sufficiently cold. Prick the bottom and sides with a fork and bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Let the pie cool while you prepare the filling, but keep the oven on.

To prepare the filling:
Cream the pumpkin and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Pour in the remaining filling ingredients and beat until thoroughly blended. Pour the filling on top of the pie crust and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the edges of the pie are set but the center is still jiggly. Prepare the streusel while the pie is in the oven.

To prepare the streusel:
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and spices until blended. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, cut the butter into the flour mixture until incorporated and crumbly. Add in the chopped pecans and mix until blended. Your hands can be used for all of this.

Once the pie has baked for 50 minutes, remove it from the oven and sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top. Place pie back into the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until set. Let pie cool to room temperature before slicing. Serve with sweetened cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.

I always very much love baking pies, though I'm not quite as keen on pumpkin pies as Yusra is. Of course, I enjoy them for their seasonal perfection and spiciness, but I'm not in love with them or anything. Nevertheless, I found myself reaching for a second slice even before I was done with the one on my plate when it came to this one. The cream cheese in the filling gives it a beautiful texture, and the streusel on top is a perfect addition. Strange that it doesn't make an appearance on many pumpkin pies...

As for me, I'm back at the apartment for my lat day of break. Four days at home was lovely after a week of midterms and paper-writing, but alas, back into the fray. So, naturally, I've spent my day reading more fiction novels, cooking stew, and thinking about working on a looming philosophy paper.

I mean, it's the thought that counts, right? Right. I'm going to go with it. Academic productivity at its finest.

In other news, I hear that MattMatt has baked me a belated pumpkin and cream cheese birthday cake. I have to say, though pumpkin pie isn't high on my list of saliva-inducing desserts, Matt's cake certainly is. I anticipate a rather delicious evening.

Who ever said twentieth birthdays couldn't stretch on for two weeks? ...and involve four separate cakes?

I confidently stand by the sentiment that birthday calories do not count.


...I mean, I have to maintain the integrity of my voracity.

{DBC} yeasted meringue coffee cake with date and nut filling

Unlike my procrastination of epic proportions when it comes to baking these challenges [i.e. a day before the post date], I baked this month's DBC over a week ago! The timing was perfect, actually: since I've given up sugar, I knew I had to get rid of it ASAP, so I decided to bake it to take to a friend's birthday get-together.

I much prefer baking for others in any case. Particularly if it will keep the sugar away from my thighs.

This month's challenge was yeasted meringue coffee cake. Now, I love coffee cake. But one with meringue baked into the center? Have never conceived of such a cake. Nor have I ever baked with yeast. Needless to say, I was nervous.

[Baker's yeast, by the way, is a strain of yeast used as a leavening agent in baked goods by converting the dough's fermentable sugars into carbon dioxide and ethanol. Active dried yeast is a type of baker's yeast that consists of live yeast cells encased in a jacket of dry, 'dead' cells. When in contact with liquid, the yeast rehydrates and thus allows the baked good to rise during the baking process.]

But I had Matt and Nayaab in the kitchen to help out, and we managed pretty well. The party I was going to be attending was Arabic-themed, and I really wanted to put my own twist on this month's recipe, so I opted for a date and nut filling, and infused the egg wash with a bit of rose water [which was actually Nayaab and Matt's idea]. Bringin' a little bit of the motherland into a classic coffee cake, ya know how it is.

...and even if you don't, you can still appreciate this recipe. The challenge recipe yielded two 10-inch cakes, but I halved the recipe to make one. Consequently, the recipe I'll give you below yields one cake, about 10 inches in diameter.

Yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake
Adapted from the Daring Baker's March Challenge

For the coffee cake, you'll need:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 package [about 1 1/8 tsp] active dried yeast
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp whole milk
• 1/8 cup water
• 1/2 stick [4 tbsp] butter, at room temperature
• 1 egg, at room temperature

For the meringue, you'll need:

• 2 egg whites, at room temperature
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup sugar

For the filling, you'll need:

• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 tbsp semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup dates, chopped
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom

For the egg wash, you'll need:

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 drop rose water, beaten into the egg

To prepare the dough:

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, salt, yeast, and 1/2 cup of the flour.

In a saucepan, combine milk, water, and butter over medium-low flame and heat until warm. Butter should be just melted.

With an electric mixer on low speed, gradually add the warm liquid into the dry ingredients. Beat until well-blended. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Add the eggs and an additional 1/2 cup of flour, and beat for 2 more minutes.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the remaining flour for the dough to come together. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until the dough is soft, smooth, and elastic. Keep the work surface floured and add extra flour as needed.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl [i.e. with canola oil or vegetable oil], turning it to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel, and allow it to rise to double its volume, 30-45 minutes. Rising time will depend on the type of yeast used.

To prepare the filling:

In a small bowl, combine sugar, ground cardamom, chopped walnuts, and chocolate chips. Chop dates, but don't add to the rest of the filling [it will be easier to sprinkle the dates over top of the filling rather than mix it directly into the filling].


Once dough has doubled, prepare the meringue:

In a clean, dry mixing bowl [not glass], beat the egg whites with the salt on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form. Add the rose, and begin adding sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until stiff peaks form.


To assemble and bake the coffee cake:

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. On a separate lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a 20 x 10-inch rectangle. Spread meringue evenly over the dough to about 1/2-inch from the edges. Sprinkle the filling evenly over the meringue, and the chopped dates evenly over the streusel.

Roll the dough carefully, jelly-roll style, from the long side. Pinch the seam closed to seal. Carefully transfer the log onto the lined baking sheet, seam side down. Bring the ends of the log around together to form a ring, tucking one end into the other and pinching down to seal.

Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, make cuts along the outside edge of the ring, at 1-inch intervals. Make them as shallow or deep as desired, and don't be afraid to cut deep into the ring. Cover the coffee cake with plastic wrap and allow it to rise again, 45-60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Once coffee cakes have risen, brush the tops with egg wash [though, do not brush egg wash over exposed meringue]. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until risen and golden brown. The cake should sound hollow when tapped.

Remove cake from the oven and gently slide it off the parchment paper. Allow cake to cool on a wire rack before slicing. Keep cake covered at room temperature until serving. Before serving, dust confectioner's sugar on top of the cake, if desired. Cake is best eaten within 2 days of baking.

Yes, the recipe was time-consuming, but thankfully not difficult. And while waiting for the dough to rise, Matt, Nayaab, and I prepared [chicken jalfrezi for] dinner, so it worked out swimmingly. Plus, it was a big hit at the party the next day [and was absolutely perfect alongside henna and tea], so I was very pleased. Though I didn't taste it, I was told it was pretty dece.

If the flavors aren't to your liking, though [I know cardamom and dates don't exactly sit well on everyone's palette], you can easily eliminate the rosewater and use a classic cinnamon and nut combo for the filling. I've even seen a few savory variations with cheeses, herbs, or meats, and they look absolutely divine. It's really your prerogative.

So, it would seem as though March is almost over.

A quarter of 2011 is almost over.

...excuse me, what?

Feels somewhat surreal.

Not to mention I've spent far too much time this month alternating between Panera Bread and Starbucks for hours-long study sessions. Midterms, papers, more midterms, more papers, too much caffeine, too little money left in my bank account, and too few hours in a day for me to do all the nothing that I want.

Well, I suppose that's life.



...I need more money.

7-layer bars

Yes, I know, I've done 'em before. But the world could always use more of these amazing bars. That could be why they're often called "magic bars" [and no, they are in no way related to the concept of "special brownies," for all you eager bakers out there].

So I have for you today, "magic", "amazing", "miraculous", whatever-you-want-to-call-it, old-fashioned, 7-layer bars.

Why are they called 7-layer bars, you ask? Well, as the name implies, they are comprised of exactly 7 ingredients:

1. butter
2. graham crackers 
3. chocolate chips
4. toffee bits [though people often substitute with peanut butter chips or butterscotch chips]
5. shredded, sweetened coconut
6. chopped nuts [usually pecans]
7. sweetened condensed milk 

In other words, mouthwatering. These bars have been around for ages, and if you've ever been to a middle school bake sale, you've probably eaten them. They're appealing to younger kids [probably more so their mothers] because there is virtually no mixing involved: everything is just layered on top of the graham cracker crust. Which also means that I have exactly 1 bowl to wash, so I am a huge fan of these.

But don't be fooled by how simple these are; the flavors are anything but. I would love to meet whoever came up with this combination of ingredients and marry them, because these are perfect. I actually can't gush about these bars enough. I am absolutely in love with them.

[And it was only while baking these that I regretted having given up sugar.]

7-Layer Bars
Adapted from any foodblog ever

You'll need:

• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs [about 12 whole crackers, processed finely]
• 1 semisweet cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup toffee chips [can be substituted with peanut butter morsels or butterscotch chips]
• 1 cup shredded coconut [sweetened]
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts [pecans or walnuts]
• 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper and grease the bottom and sides.

Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter, and press mixture evenly onto the base of the pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips, toffee chips, coconut, and nuts evenly over the graham cracker crust. Evenly pour sweetened condensed milk over the bars. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until condensed milk looks set but not over-browned.

Let cool completely before cutting. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

I baked this batch for one of my favorite people on the planet, Nimra, whom I hadn't seen since our epic weekend in NYC back in October. She and her family came down to visit and stayed with Bismah and Zain. I met the three for lunch earlier today after far too long without seeing each other, and it was lovely. Plus, Nimra and Bismah couldn't keep their hands off the bars, so I figure it was a success. I did try to assure them that these are actually the easiest things to bake on the planet, so perhaps they'll attempt 'em sometime in future. All in all, a successful afternoon.

But come on; old friends, good [Italian] food, beautiful weather, what more could you want?